5 Ways to Keep Your Child Focused During the Holidays

We all know that it's pretty tempting to lie around the house, munch on leftovers and watch old movies during the entire Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.  Oh wait...those things are tempting to us adults, but probably not to our children!

For them, there are a ton of age-appropriate (and sometimes not) distractions over the holidays that can negatively impact academic performance when it's time to return to the classroom in January.  Here are 5 things that you can do to counter the distractions and help boost your child's brain power and productivity at the same time:

Make a Plan of Action
1.  Many of IST's students are assigned a winter packet from their teachers.  You can assist your child by helping to create a plan of action to work on the packet each day of the break rather than waiting until the last minute.  The beauty of having time off is that s/he can put in an hour or two of work and then do something fun later to strike a balance between daily work and play.

Keep Reading in the Mix
2.  If your child is not assigned a book (or books) to read during the break, you should create a short reading list together.  Often, it's much more enjoyable for the student if the topic is on something that s/he likes.

Finish Applications Early
3. If your child is applying to private schools or colleges with application deadlines in early January, you should plan to have everything finished before Christmas break, so ideally you're aiming for somewhere between Thanksgiving and the middle of December at the latest. 

Catch Up on Current Events
4.  Help your child understand what's happening in the world around him/her.  There are various media, of course, but we find that reading the newspaper is a great way to catch up and learn new SAT-level vocabulary words in context. 

Get a Jump on Summer Plans
5.  Make a plan now for how to make the most of your child's summer.  Many of the more popular and competitive summer programs and internships open the application process in January.  You can help your child take advantage of these opportunities by researching programs together and making a chart of important dates and application components.

What are your child's 2013 learning resolutions?

Each of our IST Learning Legends has written a practical learning resolution. Read through each resolution below and have your student(s) choose the resolution (or create a new one!) that s/he will follow for the remainder of the school year. Then, both of you should sign an "accountability agreement" and post it in a conspicuous location in your home.
 
"My New Year's learning resolution is to actually review my tests and quizzes after I get them back from my teachers. Usually, I'm in such a rush to stuff them in my backpack that I don't even look at what I got wrong (or right, for that matter:-)".  --Fast Eddie

"My New Year's learning resolution is to learn all of the key Latin and Greek roots that I need to know in order do well on important tests like the PSAT, SAT, ACT and more. A new vocabulary word a day will keep the low scores away!"
--Sammy Smart

"My New Year's learning resolution is to spend at least 15 minutes (per class/per day) reviewing my notes after I get home. When there's nothing to review, I plan to read ahead. Working smarter, not necessarily faster or harder definitely works for me!"  --Samantha Smart

"My New Year's learning resolution is to write EVERYTHING in my planner/agenda book. That way, there's no chance that I'll forget to do something important." --Lucky Lucy
 
"My New Year's learning resolution is to use my class notes, textbook notes, homework and quizzes to make my own study guides (3-4 pages) at least a week before each big test. Yup, that's me, always ready for whatever's coming my way!"  --Bea Reddie

10 Great Summer Learning Ideas for the Whole Family

1.  When you can’t make it to the city to go on a museum tour, try visiting

those same museums virtually. Check out these on-line museums: Library of

Congress, Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Science in Boston, and the

Smithsonian’s Library and Archival Exhibitions, all accessible on the web.

2.  During your summer road trips to your favorite vacation spot, play an audio book that everyone will love and journey into the book as a family. 

3.  Create a summer “theme” on which to base all reading books (e.g., world travel), writing activities, field trips, and some dinner ideas.

4.  Brush up on your student’s foreign language skills and pull out some sticky notes. Whether your student is learning Spanish, French, or Latin, help him/her become proficient by labeling everyday household objects in the language they are learning. Require that student only call that object by its foreign name.

5.  Have your student read a classic book for the summer that has also been made into a movie. After reading the book, compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the book and the movie and decide which one is the best. For elementary school students, try Charlotte’s Web. For middle school students, try To Kill a Mocking Bird. For high school students, try The Great Gatsby and A Raisin in the Sun. 

6.  Board games are more than just games to play when there is nothing left to do. They are also fun ways to get students involved in learning, and they help to bring the family together. Play a game like Monopoly with the family and have your children take turns being the banker to help strengthen basic math skills.

7.  For those students who like to shop during the summer, sit down with them and create a summer shopping budget. Let them explain how much they think they should spend this summer. Create a reasonable budget together. Explain to them that they need to make the money last the whole summer and if they do maybe they can keep the extra cash.  If they spend it too early, they have to take on more chores. This keeps children accountable and helps with their money management skills.

8.  Have students outline their dream vacations. Ask them to pick out the location, dates, cost of travel, estimated cost of lodging, and even the daily itinerary. This will not only give students a sense of responsibility it will work on their organizational and math skills.  

9.  Summer is the time to make fun memories. What better way than to create a video blog?!  Students can create a blog highlighting daily, special, and/or current events. At the end of the summer, compile the videos and they can watch their very own homemade summer diary! 

10.  With the Presidential election happening in November, now is a great time to brush up on politics. Have students research the different candidates and discuss a different pro and con for each debate every week. At the end of the summer discuss which candidate should be the next President and why.

3 Reasons Your Child Should Never Take the SAT Cold

Tomorrow is the first SAT of 2012.  Typically, the January test is filled with seniors who started the process really late, or, in many instances those trying one last time to raise their scores before their applications are reviewed.  I used the word "typically," because there are still quite a few parents who have their 11th graders take the SAT "just to see how they'll do" before they actually start preparing for it in the spring.  Here are three big reasons that this is a BAD, BAD idea:

Reason #1:  The SAT is not a test to be taken lightly
The SAT is a “reasoning skills” exam that tests how well students can reason, think critically and problem solve in math, critical reading and writing.  Unfortunately, for many students, these skills are not cultivated in their regular classrooms and the SAT questions themselves are not as straightforward as those on the standardized tests that most  students are used to.  The test also requires physical endurance--3 hours, 45 minutes of testing is draining, especially when your body has no idea what taking a test this long feels like.

Reason #2:  All SAT scores are “on the record”
SAT scores typically level off and morale starts to drop after a student takes the SAT three or more times, which means that parents have to be very strategic with timing.  Ideally, the best time for most students to take the SAT is in the spring of their junior year.  The best test dates are in March or May—after they’ve had at least one semester of Algebra II and before they get bogged down by finals in June.  If your child needs to take it again after the spring, use the summer to strengthen weaknesses and then plan to take it again in October before the college application process gets too crazy.

Even though most schools will take the highest scores from each section, lower scores can still stand out and draw undue attention.   And while the College Board now allows students to exercise an option called “Score Choice,” where they can pick and choose which scores they want sent to the schools, most schools frown upon this option and ask the student to send all of the scores anyway.

Reason #3:  There are ample opportunities to “see how they’ll do” before the taking the real SAT
The College Board has full-length real SATs with answer keys available both on its website and in its Official SAT Study Guide, available for purchase here.  These, hands down, are the best ways to “see how they’ll do” on the SAT before taking the real thing.  Have your child take the test in a quiet, timed environment where you can serve as the proctor.  Follow the times allotted for each section and give a 5-minute break after every two sections.  If you’re not comfortable proctoring on your own, you should take advantage of the “free SATs” that several test prep companies like Innovative Study Techniques offer, most often with comprehensive score reports included.

Coming next week:  What are the best ways to prepare your child for the SAT?

5 Ways Parents Can Bring History Alive

Over the weekend, I went to see "Red Tails," the new George Lucas film about the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American military aviators in the US armed forces.    There were several children in the audience (including one of my students) watching the movie with their parents.  For many students, history, like science, is one just one of those subjects that you can't just read in a book--you have to experience it in order to really appreciate it.  Here are five ways to bring history to life for your children:

1. Visit a museum

This one's pretty obvious, but I'm still surprised by the number of people who don't take advantage of all the great things that museums, particularly local ones, have to offer.  If you can't get there physically, take a tour of a virtual museum like those offered by the Smithsonian.  To see a list of virtual museums from around the world, click here.

2.  Get some popcorn and watch a movie
If you have a family full of movie buffs like mine, check out a documentary about a particular event or period in history and watch it together.  When I was growing up, I learned so much about the Civil Rights Movement that wasn't taught in school just by watching the "Eyes on the Prize" series on PBS.  PBS has an array of other well-made, interesting documentaries to choose from here.
If documentaries aren't your thing, a great alternative is the historical fiction genre.  In these works, you get a "twofer"--your children can learn about history and be entertained through a work of fiction that grabs their attention, such as a favorite among my students, "The Count of Monte Cristo."  To see a list of the 100 best historical fiction films of all time (most of these are more suitable for older children), click here.

3.  Download an app
An iPad app like Virtual Roma takes the user back in time to visit Ancient Rome, which has been reconstructed in a virtual form that allows you to have a “full-immersion” panoramic experience.  You can see aerial views of the city, statues, monuments and more as you if were right there.  How cool is that?!  To see more history apps, click here.

4. Go on a scavenger hunt
Family scavenger hunts allow you to learn about history and have a little friendly competition at the same time.  At the "The Museum of Natural Hysteria Scavenger Hunt" inside the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, families can "hunt for dinosaurs, stuffed tigers and giraffes, a camping a flossing bison, live insects, the Hope Diamond and other jewels, mummies, and a charred-bone from a real murder mystery."  Watson Adventures offers hunts like this all over the country; to see locations, click here.  If you can't find anything close to you, check out this list of internet scavenger hunts at Education World to go on your own scavenger hunt at home.

5. Take a field trip

When you're planning your next vacation, incorporate a visit to a historic site as part of your trip.  When I was a child, I loved going to visit Colonial Williamsburg, VA.  In the same trip, we could see reenactments of what it was like to live during the American Revolution and  head over to Busch Gardens, where we could get a taste of old-world Europe and ride roller coasters.  To see a list of the "10 Best Historic U.S. Sites for Kids," click here.  Again, if you can't physically visit, consider taking a virtual field trip from the comforts of your own home.  To see a list of some pretty cool virtual trips, click here and here.

*This post was originally published at RicheHolmesGrant.com