If you are a parent who homeschools your children, or a parent who wishes to supplement your childs public or private school education, you know and understand the importance of introducing your son or daughter to the arts. It is important that children know and understand the importance of art in our world. Not only will they gain an appreciation for the work of others, but it will open their minds and allow them to create their own masterpieces. Listed throughout this guide are various methods that can be used in order to highlight artistic pieces in your child’s life. If you are searching for ways to accomplish tasks, but are at a loss, the information listed here should be extremely beneficial.
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Tags: art appreciation children fine arts homeschooling teaching arts to kids
Our eyes are attracted to colorful things. Color gives life to paintings, drawings, photographs and television. If everything were in black and white there wouldn’t be much to characterize what we see. Here are five great suggestions for teaching your children about colors:
- Teach colors through flash cards. Flash cards contain pictures of items in various colors. For example, if it was a picture of a bear it would be brown. The colors are shown as they would be in the real world. You wouldn’t want a card that shows a yellow sky or a red tree. The colors on a flash card are very bright so this is a good place to start. Say each color and let the child repeat after you.
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Tags: children education teaching teaching colors teaching kids colors
There are a number of thanksgiving projects and crafts that homeschoolers from all over the nation can enjoy creating. This can be a very exciting learning activity that can include all members of the family. Here, we will review some of the top thanksgiving projects and crafts. It is important to remember that the best ways to create these projects are in a supplement to a lesson plan. For example, if you are creating a turkey thanksgiving craft, you may want to include a supplement lesson about turkeys. If you are creating a pilgrim project, of course, it would be best to include a lesson about pilgrims.
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Tags: blessing leaf wreath children crafts hands and feet turkey craft Thanksgiving Thanksgiving crafts
It can be very hard sometimes to tell if your child is having problems at school, at least until reports cards come Unfortunately, most schools only offer very minimal information about coursework and expectations and of course talking about school may not be something that our kids want to do with you every day. This makes it difficult for parents to judge how well their children is mastering the material.
Here are some quick tips which can help you check up on your child's schoolwork without having to wait for report-card time:
- Talk to your child about her classwork. Does she feel confident? Does she say whether she is keeping up or feels behind the rest of the kids?
- Take notice of any comments that the teacher is giving on the papers.
- Check the work that your child brings home each day. You may have to dig through crumpled papers at the bottom of her backpack. Ask what assignments her teacher is giving the class.
- Do not be afraid to talk to your child's teacher. Schedule a meeting if need be.
- Most of the time the teacher will send home progress reports in between report cards. Are you getting them? If not then be sure to keep up with your child's reports from now on.
Tags: children homework learning problems report card school school problems
by Stacey Schifferdecker
Childhood moves at a much faster pace now than it did when we were kids, and music lessons are just one example. While we may have started piano lessons in late elementary school, kids now toddle up to the piano bench for lessons when they are still in preschool. When is the right age for music lessons and are condemning your child to a lifetime of musical mediocrity if you start too late?
Actually, there is no right and perfect age when children should start music lessons. One child might be ready at five, and another child not until 11. Instead of looking at your child’s age, you need to look at his physical development and mental development.
Physical Development
Your child needs to have developed certain gross and fine motor skills, depending on what instrument he is playing. In fact, your child’s age and physical development play a big role in instrument choice. For children younger than age 10, the only real choices are piano and violin (because violins come in smaller sizes for younger children). Woodwinds (clarinet, saxophone) and brass instruments (trumpet, trombone, tuba) are not sized down for smaller children, so most children under 10 years old will not physically be able to play these instruments.
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Tags: children mental development music lessons musical instrument physical development piano lessons
School time is upon us again, and that means tests! I don’t remember having tests until late elementary school, but even first and second graders may have spelling tests now. And let’s not forget the spring-time ritual of standardized tests! Whether your children breeze through tests or struggle a little more, you can help them prepare for tests and make the whole test-taking experience more positive.
Preparing for the test…
The main key to preparing for tests is to know the work and study ahead of time. Get your child a planner so she knows when tests are and won’t forget about them. Cramming the night before will just lead to “information overload” and make your child nervous (not to mention overly tired the morning of the test). Many teachers give study guides so your children should know exactly what the test will cover and have all the information they need to study in one place. You can also use the study guide to quiz your child.
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Tags: children homework skills learning skills new school year school test taking
