Two-Week Back to School Boost!

 

  Well, like it or not, it is Back to School time. This shouldn't be a surprise since most stores put up their "Back to School" signage once the final 4th of July fireworks shows were over. But now that the calendar has hit August, we officially have just two weeks of "summer" left until school starts. How can students/families spend those two weeks? Working and studying every day all day? No. But working in an hour a day of some skill review and boosting? Yes!  But why study and review BEFORE school starts? Well, as an adult.....did you do a 2-4 week training before you were on your own for your job (I did student teaching and an internship!)? Before you have a child, did you read the books and take the parenting and birthing class? Before you went on vacation this summer, did you research where you were going and plan some activities? If you didn't do these things, your first day and first week could have been rough because you weren't "up to speed" or fully ready. And with young people, school work is only one of the anxieties thrown at them, as they have the whole social, emotional, physical part of their day at school every day. If you can help reduce their anxiety with the school work by starting a 2-week booster session now, that will help them feel at ease in that area and lower their stress and anxiety level overall. So....how do you do this? Here are some simple ways that I have used or heard other parents using.

Math:
   *Dump out your pockets, open the piggy banks....and count money! Vary the activities based on their ages, but for young kids...they love getting to keep the pocket change if they can count the money correctly. If they can't, I just say...study up and try again tomorrow!
   *Make basic math flashcards. I get in the habit of using tablet apps and phone apps, but having the kids make their own flashcards drives home the learning even more. Once made, have races and challenges with and against each other.
   *Board games where your children have to count the spaces they move, count money, use math skills.
   *Saxon Math. Search Saxon math lessons, worksheets, etc. on line and use or print what you need. With Saxon being such a large and widely used curriculum, there are no shortages of schools and teachers who have put the books online. This is also a great way to find the math lesson when your child forgets their book at school (trust me....we have had to do this several times!)

Science:
  *Go online and search "science experiments at home" and try some out. Most use basic home supplies and most websites tell you exactly what the kids should be learning.
  *Grow flowers and grow a garden. This can also help with math skills as well. Growing a garden can be a great learning experience and fun to eat the rewards when it is harvest time!
  *Go out and experience nature. When you are driving, talk about habitats you see. Talk about how businesses and homes being built change habitat and how animals adapt. Collect pond water and look at samples under a magnifying glass. Watch the weather and chart the weather (again, math skills!). Learning about the weather brings in all sorts of science knowledge and is a great thing to know a lot about as an adult.

Reading/Language:
    *Go to the library and get BOOKS!!!!
     *Then read the books. Read to your children and have them read to you. We often forget how important reading aloud is.
    *As they read, write down any word they stumble over and don't know. You can tell them what this word is and how to pronounce it or have them look up the word in a dictionary if they are older. Take these words and turn them into a weekly spelling list.
   *Daily and weekly spelling challenges. These don't sound very fun, but can be way more fun if each correct word means an M&M or an extra 5 minutes of TV that day or week. If you have a computer or tablet, put the words into SpellingCity.com and let your children play spelling games with the words.
   *Write down a few sentences to start a story and have your child write the next paragraph or more. The older the kid, the more they can write. I started a story like this. "I woke up one morning and everyone in my house was gone. When I looked outside, I knew exactly what happened because I saw...." And your child can amaze you with a creative story to fill in the rest.

Social Studies:
   *Plan a local trip together or even have them help you plan a vacation. Even if you don't take the vacation, they can help plan one. Helps with the money and math skills too if you really get them involved.
  *Puzzle of the United States. This is something I remember doing at my Grandparents house growing up. I still know where every state is because of doing that puzzle so often.
   *Study your state capitals and abbreviations. There are some great apps for this. We love Stack the States. Fun and kids learn a lot.
   *Talk about your errands you run and why you do them. Just helping your child learn what it takes to be an adult and a citizen in this world can really help them think about their place in this world and understand what it all means.
   *Don't shy away from the news, embrace it. I don't know that kids need to be watching the nightly news, but if there is a big story (Ebola, steroids in baseball, politics, war, etc.), help your child understand what it means and encourage them to research these stories more so that they can form their own thoughts and opinions. This world will soon be theirs, so educating them now and helping them learn to educate themselves can get them ready for not just the upcoming school year, but for life in general.

Performing Arts:
   *Music lessons! My kids are going to start piano lessons this year and I am excited to see how this affects their learning in other areas. Learning an instrument has been shown to help a young person's brain develop in other areas too.
   *Or download music apps and games. Children can play the Piano or other instruments on the IPad, they can mix music using free music mixing sites and software, or they can learn about music on their own.
   *Creative writing and artwork. You know what I have learned? Grandparents and other adults in your children's lives LOVE getting homemade artwork. So....spend 30 minutes or so just letting the kids use colored pencils, crayons, markers, paint or other crafts. No instructions needed....just creativity!
  *Exercise....daily! There is not enough room to outline all of the benefits to physical activity, especially at a young age. Just find ways to get your child running and playing each and every day....multiple times a day.

   There you go....a big list of things to do. The only problem is that by the time I finally typed all of this up (taking multiple breaks with my 5 kids and several visitors to see the new baby!), we are now LESS than 2 weeks from the first day of school. So...starting tomorrow, carve out a bit of time each day to try some of these things out. If you do it correctly, your kids may even have fun doing these and their first few days and weeks of school won't seem that stressful because their brain has already been prepped and primed for school. Good luck and have fun!