12 Ways Libraries Are Good for the Country

12 Ways Libraries Are Good for the Country | Reading Topics A-Z | Reading Rockets

Fantasy Photos

by Lisa Stowe

Show off how zany your family really is by creating these altered portraits you can post on the refrigerator.

What You Need

• Family photographs (or printouts)
• Glue dots

• Ribbon, fabric, and yarn, and other decorative items

Instructions

1. Give each player a family photograph (or printout), glue dots, and a supply of decorative items, such as ribbon, fabric, and yarn. Then see who can come up with the most outrageous improvements. Our testers giggled as they made a funky fabric shirt for Dad, a glitter-glue collar for the dog, and blue tinsel hair for Grandma. One goofy group turned their clan into aliens with pom-pom antennae and googly eyes.

Raising Readers

Tomorrow Night at the Coleraine Library - Raising Readers - see attached flyer for information. This is an awesome offering for our community - Hope to see you there!

STEM Tools at Home

Many of the "tools" needed for science, math, and engineering exploration are right inside your home! Here are five ideas for putting everyday tools to work for some everyday fun:
STEM Tools at Home | Reading Topics A-Z | Reading Rockets

Bloomin' Buttons

If spring has yet to blossom, your kids can create a preview of the season's colors by livening up your houseplants with vibrant button flowers.

Materials

• 26-gauge green florists' wire

• Colorful buttons

Instructions

1. For each flower, thread an 8-inch length of florists' wire up through a stack of colorful buttons, then back down, as shown.

2. Twist the wire just below the stack to secure it, then insert the flower in your plant's soil.

Help Your Child Get Organized

http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/learning/child_organized.html#

Listen

Most kids generate a little chaos and disorganization. Yours might flit from one thing to the next — forgetting books at school, leaving towels on the floor, and failing to finish projects once started.

You'd like them to be more organized and to stay focused on tasks, such as homework. Is it possible?

Yes! A few kids seem naturally organized, but for the rest, organization is a skill learned over time. With help and some practice, kids can develop an effective approach to getting stuff done.

And you're the perfect person to teach your child, even if you don't feel all that organized yourself!

Easy as 1-2-3

For kids, all tasks can be broken down into a 1-2-3 process.

1. Getting organized means a kid gets where he or she needs to be and gathers the supplies needed to complete the task.

2. Staying focused means sticking with the task and learning to say "no" to distractions.

3. Getting it done means finishing up, checking your work, and putting on the finishing touches, like remembering to put a homework paper in the right folder and putting the folder inside the backpack so it's ready for the next day.

Once kids know these steps — and how to apply them — they can start tackling tasks more independently. That means homework, chores, and other tasks will get done with increasing consistency and efficiency. Of course, kids will still need parental help and guidance, but you probably won't have to nag as much.

Not only is it practical to teach these skills, but knowing how to get stuff done will help your child feel more competent and effective. Kids feel self-confident and proud when they're able to accomplish their tasks and responsibilities. They're also sure to be pleased when they find they have some extra free time to do what they'd like to do.

From Teeth Brushing to Book Reports

To get started, introduce the 1-2-3 method and help your child practice it in daily life. Even something as simple as brushing teeth requires this approach, so you might use this example when introducing the concept:

1. Getting organized: Go to the bathroom and get out your toothbrush and toothpaste. Turn on the water.
2. Staying focused: Dentists say to brush for 3 minutes, so that means keep brushing, even if you hear a really good song on the radio or you remember that you wanted to call your friend. Concentrate and remember what the dentist told you about brushing away from your gums.
3. Getting it done: If you do steps 1 and 2, step 3 almost takes care of itself. Hurray, your 3 minutes are up and your teeth are clean! Getting it done means finishing up and putting on the finishing touches. With teeth brushing, that would be stuff like turning off the water, putting away the toothbrush and paste, and making sure there's no toothpaste foam on your face!

Continue

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Children's Fair - Save the Date!!!

Children's Fair
Saturday, April 28, 2012 9am-1pm
IRA Civic Center, Grand Rapids
Enjoy Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast 9-11am
Explore BIG Vehicles
Delight in the Carnival and Activities, Discover Opportunities for Youth and Families
Enjoy Storytellers and Music
Fun and Learning for all ages!

Be Positive!

Instead of telling your kids what not to do, try telling them what they should do. Negative messages such as "don't" and "no" tend to break down self-esteem. Try to ask your child to "Please do" instead. Don't forget YOUR manners!

Team up to Green up - Save the Date!!

Saturday April 21st 9:00am - 12:00pm Grand Rapids Middle School Grand Rapids High School’s GREEN TEAM and Grand Itasca Hospital are “TEAMING UP” to save the environment. Join us for 2 Special Presentations by the Science Museum and our Environmental Explosion!!! 9:30 am Three Rivers Presentation-Discover about the Mississippi, St. Croix and Minnesota Rivers and their important differences in water quality, land use, and river use. Understand that source pollution is a serious concern. 11:00 am Energy Connection-How to use energy wisely. Focus on the science of energy and energy conservation. Watch dynamic demonstrations and use one-of-a-kind equipment. There are also demonstrations and exhibits on the environment in the Commons Area from 9am-12pm. Funded in part by Blandin Foundation-Children First!, Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital, Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital Foundation, Lake Country Power Operation Round Up, and ISD 318 Community Education.

6 Easy Ways for Kids to Learn

(1) Music. Kids like songs and catchy tunes. Think about how many times you've been unable to shake a song from your mind. Kids learn great lessons and ways of doing things such as learning your address, phone number, how to brush your teeth, state capitals, or even how to spell their names.

(2) Repetition. Hearing and seeing something enough times helps a child learn. It starts to stick to them like glue so having them repeat their verb conjugation of the word "to be" in Spanish or what

(3) Exposure. If your middle school kid has a science test on photosynthesis or the parts of the heart, post the photos and information they learn from class around the house. In the bathroom (they look at it while they brush their teeth), in their room where they study, in the kitchen on the wall where they can see it while they eat. Repeated exposure to educational tools is important. Think how you posted the alphabet in your toddlers room so they could see the letters everyday. The same holds true with an older child.

(4) Involvement. Nothing helps a child learn quite like an involved parent, but it doesn't mean you have to grill your child on their spelling words for hours at a time. Approach it differently, ask them to explain it to you. Such as "Pretend I don't know who Thomas Jefferson is. Tell me what you've learned about him" then simply listen. See how the child gets excited about telling you something they've learned.

(5) Routine. Having an established after school routine helps a child get their homework done without the chaos of trying to finish a forgotten assignment at midnight the night before its due. This can work even with after school activities. Have your child empty their homework at the same place everyday and ask them what's due, when and ask how you can help. The child should do their homework in the same place and put it in their backpack as soon as it's completed. Again, no scrambling for it the next morning or worse, leaving it at home. Nothing is more discouraging that doing the homework perfectly, only to leave it on your kitchen table.

(6) Environment. Make sure where the child does his homework is productive for that child's learning. Is the TV blaring, the radio on, you're cooking dinner and the child is sitting at the kitchen table stuck on problem #1? Maybe the environment is too chaotic for him. Find a quiet, simple place for the child to work by turning off the TV until all homework and chores are done. (The chores thing is really to help out parents.) That way you can offer a productive environment for the child and are able to stay involved in their progress. Limited distraction is important when learning new things or figuring out problems.

http://parent.lifetips.com/cat/2432/education/index.html

Brain and Learning

Recent advances in brain imaging measures provide us with new information about the reading processes taking place within the brain.
Brain and Learning | Reading Topics A-Z | Reading Rockets