At times there may be weakness in the structure, and here you will find the tools to solidify learning.
Articles are updated frequently.
These sections  are organized by age level, but the information is not confined to just this age. Consider looking at other age ranges as well. Also, make sure to check out the Archives.

PHONES FOR CHRISTMAS
      Are your children begging for a smartphone, or any phone?
     There is a campaign now--Wait Until 8th--which promotes not giving young people fully featured smartphones until they are 14 or in 8th grade. Smart phones are too expensive for your children to lose or break. Save yourself some money and don't give in to whinny children.
     In a recent interview on the documentary The Social Dilemma on Netflix, one of the men suggested that due to amount of screen time children spend on their phones and computer, parents should not allow them to have their own device until the children were in high school due to the addictive nature of such devices.
     Parents need to be in charge and limit the amount of time children spend, even on computers. Use of any media without rules can discourage important activities like face-to-face interaction, family time, outdoor play and exercise, unplugged downtime and sleep. Use of phones and any screen time should work with your parental values and parenting style. Help your children make wise media choices.
     Don't be in a hurry to get phones for your children.

Teaching Children Enough Math 
      Are parents, even schools, teaching children enough math?  
    Do you have an analog clock in your home—one with numbers and hands that move around the circle? Can your children count and count by 5s? Do your children know how many hours are in a day? Can they tell the difference between am and pm? Do they know how many seconds are in a minute, how many minutes are in an hour? 
    Help your children know inches and feet by measuring the table where you eat. Let them measure the ends and the sides of the table with a measuring tape. Let them convert the inches to feet. Add the foot measurement of ends and the sides of the table or multiply the sides by 2 and the ends by 2 and add them together to see the size of your table. Help your children estimate the distance around the table, the perimeter, by walking around the table putting one foot directly in front of the other and counting their steps in this manner. This should give them an estimate of how many feet there are around your table. Compare their walking steps with the actual measure around the table to see how close their walking steps were to the actual measurement. Talk about how the estimate may be off due to the size or length of their shoes.  
     Help your children measure or even weigh, their snacks. Tell them they can have one-half cup of nuts, Cheerios, or M&Ms.  Can they weigh their snacks to see how many ounces they can eat or what part of a pound that is?  
       Talk about how to finance purchases and estimate the cost of things. 
      You get the idea. By integrating math into your everyday life, you and your children can grow your math thinking and problem-solving skills. Strong fundamentals in math are necessary for just about every career choice and are used every day. Math develops thinking and reasoning power. Some uses can be found on Discovery Education and Education World. Math games, such as Mancala, Double Shutter, Yahtzee, Qwixx, and Splat may be fun and useful. 
      Do not be afraid of math; it is not boring! 


Help Your Children Become Better Listeners
              I remind myself every morning:  Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So, if I’m going to learn, I must do it               by listening. Larry King 
     Listening is much more than hearing. Listening is one of the ways in which children learn. It is another of the lifetime skills I often write about in my newspaper column. A good listener is one who understands tasks and projects, builds strong relationships, solves problems, and resolves conflicts. A good listener is one who gains knowledge, understanding, and success. 
     Listening is not something that just happens. It begins with concentration and the desire to learn. Encourage your children to watch the teacher or speaker to see how they stand, move, or gesture. Children can be taught to watch for signals given by the tone of the teacher’s voice to tell if she/he is joking or serious. Facial expressions such as a raised eyebrow, an emphatic wink, well-timed smile may help your children feel comfortable and gain confidence with what the teacher is trying to help them learn. Listen for breaks in how the teacher is making a point or to check for students’ understanding. Teachers may be waiting to see if their ideas will make their students think and react with thoughts of their own. Picking up signals from their teacher and interpreting them takes practice. Children can also signal the teacher that they are interested in learning more by nodding, leaning forward and making eye contact. Embolden your children to ask questions when they do not understand even though they feel they are listening. 
              Everything is writing begins with language, Language begins with listening. Jeanette Winterson 
     If your children are having trouble focusing or listening, have them take notes or even just doodle. In addition to using their eyes and ears, using their hands may help them listen. Your children must make the decision to listen as their first choice, rather than daydreaming or becoming distracted by what they are drawing. Their intention must be to listen especially if their drawing helps them to better understand the point made by their teacher or to visualize what he/she wants them to know. 
     By offering your children even just one way to listen to their teacher as they leave for school each day, you help them grow the habit of listening. They will be surprised at how much more they can learn and how much better and easier their schoolwork becomes. 
             When you listen, it’s amazing what you can learn. When you act on what you’ve learned, it’s amazing what you                     can change. Audrey McLaughlin 
     Children can be taught to listen to themselves also, to pay attention to their positive thoughts. Children can talk themselves out of being afraid or anxious. They can be taught "I can do this.” They must be careful how they talk to themselves because they are the only ones listening. 
             The word LISTEN contains the same letters as the word SILENT. Alfred Brendel 
     Good advice: stop talking, be quiet and really listen. ​