Tag Archives: parents as teachers

Summer Learning

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It’s hard to believe that in a few days school will be out for the summer. Tyler’s school year ends next Friday, although for all practical purposes it ends this Friday. Next Monday-Wednesday they are testing. On Thursday, they have the fifth grade graduation ceremony, class parties and they get out early. On Friday, they will be dismissed at 11:50. Should learning stop when the last school bell rings? When I was a child, we didn’t do anything in the summer but play and have fun. We attended vacation bible school for a few weeks each summer but that was … Continue reading →

Using Tools Of Your Trade To Teach Your Kids

As a writer, I have developed a way to incorporate the tools of my trade into my role as parent and teacher. One of the best resources I have found is the annual Chase’s Calendar of Events. This guide provides a daily chronicle of what happened during a given year. It’s a great resource as a homework helper and idea generator for reports and projects. It’s an expensive guide, running almost a $100, but you can probably find a coppy at your local library’s reference department. I lucked out and bought an old guide at the library book sale for … Continue reading →

More Teachable Moments

It started out simple enough. I wanted some DVDs from the library, preferably ones I could check out that I wouldn’t have to pay the $1 rental fee. As I scanned the shelves I found a 3-disc copy of Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?” I vaguely recall this show from years back (funny though, I could have sworn it was “where in the world…”) so I scooped it up for Tyler— all 6 hours. I also picked out a few more DVDs and as luck would have it Carmen was a freebie, along with some PBS educational videos. Imagine … Continue reading →

Teachable Moments

One of the reasons I feel Tyler is so smart at such a young age is because he has a thirst for knowledge. When he was a baby he was alert, watching everything I did, taking notes and sucking everything in like a sponge. Although I’ve taught him myself most of his life, I’ve never spent much time with flashcards and Baby Einstein videos. Instead, I’ve used a lot of “teachable moments”. Teachable moments involves no lecturing, or boring monologues. They can happen at home, while driving in the car, while standing in line at the bank– anywhere, in fact. … Continue reading →