At times there may be weakness in the structure, and here you will find the tools to solidify learning.
Enjoy the bi-weekly article below:
Enjoy the bi-weekly article below:
APPETITE FOR LEARNING
Give your children an appetite for learning. Help them to gain knowledge. This is a good time for your young people to find out about the military--the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Coast Guard, and their academies. They can also explore ROTC, procedures for getting into the military academies, scholarships and talk to veterans and those who have been in any of the above situations. Visit a veteran in retirement homes or in the neighborhood. Find out what courage it took to enter these services and why they did so.
There are others still with us who lived through the war years, especially World War II. They worked in factories that made munitions, clothing, and aircraft. They worked in offices that sent communications concerning the war. There were women and men who drove trucks and vehicles necessary for transporting troops and supplies. They were the people who packed K-rations so the troops would have food. They were scientists who worked on better aircraft and artillery. They were the citizens who used ration books, who sacrificed basic supplies so the military would have what they needed. Rationing was a way to limit scarce resources so that all would have enough. Gasoline was first, then food. At first, only butter, bacon and sugar were rationed. As the war wore on, meat, tea, jam, biscuits, breakfast cereal, eggs, lard, milk and canned and dried fruit. People bartered ration stamps and traded food.
Clothing was also rationed. Shoes, tires, and fuel oil were issued in limited supply so that those fighting the war would have enough.
Recycling was also introduced at this time. Metal, especially aluminum, paper and rubber were to be reused and recycled.
People planted "victory gardens" or drove out into the country (if they were fortunate enough to have a car and enough gasoline) to obtain fresh vegetables and fruit.
Americans were asked to conserve everything. Rationing was a sacrifice for all. Talk to your children about how they would have liked to have one egg a week or one set of clothes in a year.
Talk to people who have lived through years of the wars--World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Iraq and the present time--who have lost loved ones and what they think about the commitment their veterans made. Talk and write about how a military family feels while their dad, brother, cousin fights on foreign lands. Ask them to share letters and communications they receive from their loved ones about the places they serve that help us to appreciate the freedom of not only living, but of having enough food and clothing.
Treat a veteran with humility, respect and honor for those men, women and families who have sacrificed so much of their time, years, dreams and lives for our country.
Think about what you can do for our country.
It is important for all of us to appreciate where we come from and how that history has really shaped us in ways that we might not understand. Sonia Sotomayer
Even Mistakes Aid Learning
Each life is made up of mistakes and learning, waiting and growing, practicing patience and being persistent. Billy Graham
Children make mistakes; it is part of their evolving humanity. Parents, grandparents, and caregivers need to use these occasions to teach and guide. Comments such as "You dummy! Why did you do that?" do not help your children grow. Such words tear down a child's self-confidence. The child may feel guilt for the act he/she does wrongly (external) or shame (internal). A mistake is an error in action, not a defect in the child. Give your children the freedom to make mistakes, to try again. Your children will then grow and learn through making mistakes.
Mistakes happen at home and school. If your children goof a project or recipe, encourage them to start again or use another way. Even as a toddler attempts to stack blocks, adults can encourage "starting again." Children must learn mistakes are not all bad. Mistakes were made that became discoveries or inventions: "slinky" or "silly putty" toys; corn flakes, potato chips and popcorn; Penicillin and post-it notes.
Children need to learn how to fail as to succeed. Children must learn that they are not perfect nor are any others around them. Parents must support their children and teach them how to handle mistakes as they teach other life skills by doing the following things:
Let your children do their own thing so they can experience doing independent work.
Supervise, but do not "do" for your children.
Allow your children to problem-solve and think on their own.
Guide your children with questions that provoke their thinking. "What do you think? How can you figure it out? Why do you think it does that? Can you make it better?"
Let them lose a game. They will figure out strategies to win if given the opportunity.
Guide your children in their choice of school classes. Students often make the mistake of taking "easy" classes only to find out they are a lot more work.
Children may make the mistake of wanting their work to be perfect. By doing it over and over again, they may miss the chance to show their best effort and skill, and lose time.
Procrastinating is another mistake children make. They wait too long, and with more time, thought, patience and effort, they could have made their work shine. It is shallow and superficial when they try to complete it at the last minute.
Discourage your children from imitating others or using another's words. They run the risk of plagiarizing (using illegally) and not displaying their own ideas and originality. The work they do requires their thought, their time and their effort.
Help your children set goals. This gives them space to prioritize their time and know their best way to think, create and plan.
Confidence and success do not come from how smart your children are, but how they handle the mistakes they make.
Give your children an appetite for learning. Help them to gain knowledge. This is a good time for your young people to find out about the military--the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Coast Guard, and their academies. They can also explore ROTC, procedures for getting into the military academies, scholarships and talk to veterans and those who have been in any of the above situations. Visit a veteran in retirement homes or in the neighborhood. Find out what courage it took to enter these services and why they did so.
There are others still with us who lived through the war years, especially World War II. They worked in factories that made munitions, clothing, and aircraft. They worked in offices that sent communications concerning the war. There were women and men who drove trucks and vehicles necessary for transporting troops and supplies. They were the people who packed K-rations so the troops would have food. They were scientists who worked on better aircraft and artillery. They were the citizens who used ration books, who sacrificed basic supplies so the military would have what they needed. Rationing was a way to limit scarce resources so that all would have enough. Gasoline was first, then food. At first, only butter, bacon and sugar were rationed. As the war wore on, meat, tea, jam, biscuits, breakfast cereal, eggs, lard, milk and canned and dried fruit. People bartered ration stamps and traded food.
Clothing was also rationed. Shoes, tires, and fuel oil were issued in limited supply so that those fighting the war would have enough.
Recycling was also introduced at this time. Metal, especially aluminum, paper and rubber were to be reused and recycled.
People planted "victory gardens" or drove out into the country (if they were fortunate enough to have a car and enough gasoline) to obtain fresh vegetables and fruit.
Americans were asked to conserve everything. Rationing was a sacrifice for all. Talk to your children about how they would have liked to have one egg a week or one set of clothes in a year.
Talk to people who have lived through years of the wars--World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Iraq and the present time--who have lost loved ones and what they think about the commitment their veterans made. Talk and write about how a military family feels while their dad, brother, cousin fights on foreign lands. Ask them to share letters and communications they receive from their loved ones about the places they serve that help us to appreciate the freedom of not only living, but of having enough food and clothing.
Treat a veteran with humility, respect and honor for those men, women and families who have sacrificed so much of their time, years, dreams and lives for our country.
Think about what you can do for our country.
It is important for all of us to appreciate where we come from and how that history has really shaped us in ways that we might not understand. Sonia Sotomayer
Even Mistakes Aid Learning
Each life is made up of mistakes and learning, waiting and growing, practicing patience and being persistent. Billy Graham
Children make mistakes; it is part of their evolving humanity. Parents, grandparents, and caregivers need to use these occasions to teach and guide. Comments such as "You dummy! Why did you do that?" do not help your children grow. Such words tear down a child's self-confidence. The child may feel guilt for the act he/she does wrongly (external) or shame (internal). A mistake is an error in action, not a defect in the child. Give your children the freedom to make mistakes, to try again. Your children will then grow and learn through making mistakes.
Mistakes happen at home and school. If your children goof a project or recipe, encourage them to start again or use another way. Even as a toddler attempts to stack blocks, adults can encourage "starting again." Children must learn mistakes are not all bad. Mistakes were made that became discoveries or inventions: "slinky" or "silly putty" toys; corn flakes, potato chips and popcorn; Penicillin and post-it notes.
Children need to learn how to fail as to succeed. Children must learn that they are not perfect nor are any others around them. Parents must support their children and teach them how to handle mistakes as they teach other life skills by doing the following things:
Let your children do their own thing so they can experience doing independent work.
Supervise, but do not "do" for your children.
Allow your children to problem-solve and think on their own.
Guide your children with questions that provoke their thinking. "What do you think? How can you figure it out? Why do you think it does that? Can you make it better?"
Let them lose a game. They will figure out strategies to win if given the opportunity.
Guide your children in their choice of school classes. Students often make the mistake of taking "easy" classes only to find out they are a lot more work.
Children may make the mistake of wanting their work to be perfect. By doing it over and over again, they may miss the chance to show their best effort and skill, and lose time.
Procrastinating is another mistake children make. They wait too long, and with more time, thought, patience and effort, they could have made their work shine. It is shallow and superficial when they try to complete it at the last minute.
Discourage your children from imitating others or using another's words. They run the risk of plagiarizing (using illegally) and not displaying their own ideas and originality. The work they do requires their thought, their time and their effort.
Help your children set goals. This gives them space to prioritize their time and know their best way to think, create and plan.
Confidence and success do not come from how smart your children are, but how they handle the mistakes they make.