Mr. Nussbaum Learing +Fun

My son's teacher showed him this awesome site to help him learn area and perimeter called Mr. Nussbaum Learning +Fun. This site has lots of games but so far we have only played Zoo Designer and my kids have loved it.

Reading Incentive Programs

I was recently talking with my child's teacher about reading programs. The school use to use a program called Accelerated Reading or AR for short. Many of the schools in Utah used this program. The my son attends just recently stopped using this program because it was costing too much to run. They felt the money they were spending on AR could be more productively spent elsewhere. I still wanted to reward my son for reading. I have discovered he, like most children, works well if there is a carrot attached to the workload. I want him to develop a love of reading and hopefully he will begin to read just because it's fun and not for the reward but we have to start somewhere and right now this is where we are at.

20 minutes of reading

I once had a parent tell me that it was very hard to get their child to read for 20 minutes because the parent didn't have a lot of time. She was a busy mom of 4with kids ranging from 5th grade to a new baby and she had to help 2 of the kids read because they were so young. Believe me I know it's hard. My son has just started reading and I want desperately to sit and spend 20 minutes a day just reading with him but it doesn't always happen. K- so I won't lie, it hardly ever happens. He is not in school yet but I know that I need to make time for this.

Here are my reading with your child tips.

Pre-School and younger

It is soooooooo important to spend that one-on-one time with your young kids. They need and crave it. My daughter wasn't getting much time because of all the kids at our house and a new baby so she started acting out. I decided that it would be best to spend time with just her to help her realize she wasn't being ignored or replaced by those in our house. I put her down for a nap a half hour earlier than my son so she would wake up earlier and we could spend that special reading time together. It really helped her behavior!

K-2

I am a believer that if you schedule a time to read you are more likely to do it. I like to read to my kids before bed. It helps them calm down and prepare to go to sleep quickly. I also recommend doing having a child read to you while you are cooking in the kitchen. Talk about killing 2 birds with one stone. You just have to makesure you can listen and check on what they are reading often. Stick them on the counter while you prepare the vegetables so you can look at the book once in a while.

3-6

This group can usually read to themselves but don't let them full you. I have seen many kids that are great at looking at the same page for 20 minutes just so they don't have to do it. Make sure you let them pick the books as much as possible. I'm not saying that all they read are Babysitter's Club (which was my series of choice) or Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Encourage them to read a variety of books. A fun way to do this would be through Reading Genre Bingo

1. Make a Bingo board on your computer.

2. Write in the book genres make sure you leave a free space.

3. Read and try to get a bingo!

Here's an example. You could also add Magazines and Newspapers if that is what your child enjoys reading.

I like to give a reward for getting a bingo. This could be a special activity with mom and dad, a friend party, ice cream cone. Anything that will help motivate your child. I also find that it is fun to read the same book that your child is reading. You can then discuss and point out things to them and you are also showing them that you also value reading.

No matter what you decide make sure you ask them about what they are reading and listen to their answers to make sure it actually goes along with the story they are reading.

The important thing is that they are reading. It can also be difficult to get them to read when they have just come home from school. Remember they just worked all day. I don't like working all day just to come home and work without a short break. Set a time that works for everyone. The goal is not to make reading a punishment, but a fun escape to a far off place.

Homework Blues

I was talking to a couple of parents at my husbands work yesterday and they were talking about homework troubles. Both of them were sharing horror stories about trying to get their kids to do homework. I use to work with kids that would do the same thing. My kids are not in school yet and out of the 3 of them I think my little girl will give me the most problems. My first piece of advise is be consistent. Set a time and have a routine so they know what is going to happen and when. Remember they have just spent hours at school doing assignments and generally shouldn't be spending more than 10 minutes per grade level on homework (ex: if they are in 3rd grade they should only be spending about 30 minutes, 4th grade 40 minutes ect.) I don't include their 20 minutes of reading in this time. Some kids may have to spend more time on homework. If my students chose to play at school they had to do their work at home or at recess depending on when they decided to stop working. If they are spending more then this consistently then you should talk to their teacher. I believe that homework isn't to teach them a new concept, its to review what they already know, and to spark up a discussion between the child and the parent about what they are learning.

I remember that when I was in school we came home, had a snack, then got the homework done. If we didn't get the homework done we didn't get to go play with friends.

I have dealt with some pretty stubborn kids. This gets very frustrating because you want to go get your things done. One child I worked with refused to do anything. Wouldn't do their work, wouldn't talk to me, nothing. I made it very clear that I was ready and willing to help but I wasn't going to let them waste my time. When they wanted to talk and work I would be there but until they were ready I was going to get other things done. I told the child that they had to stay at the table until their work was done, then left to do another task still keeping the child in my sight so they couldn't sneak away. This gives them time to think about their choices without me trying to force them to do it. One thing I have learned is that you can't force a child to do something they don't want to do. You can however manipulate the situation so they will choose to get their work done. It's hard but you have to stick to it. The child eventually decided to complete the task and didn't need any help in doing so. She did however decided to sit and waste 10 minutes. We always talk about it afterwords so they can learn from their mistakes and hopefully things will get better later on. It took a little while of teaching the child that I wasn't going to budge just because she refused to do it. She did learn and was great at doing her homework from then on.

I was also talking to my grandma yesterday about kids as well. She is helping some family members out right now and has kids living in her house. She made the comment that when the kids' mom is there, they don't clean up and they fight, but when their mom is at work they put their dishes in the sink and are kind to each other. That's the same thing these parents said about getting their kids to do homework. Other's could help them but when mom came to help it was World War III. Many parents have this problem.

I have this problem. I can't get my little girl to do anything when she gets in a mood. She won't let me help, she won't listen, and she won't complete the assigned task. Many fits are thrown. But if her uncle asks, just once, she jumps up and does it. Sometimes the parent just has to step back and have someone else help for a little while. Just to maintain their own sanity. Both of these mom's are talking about hiring a tutor which is another option. If you don't/can't do that then remember to do what you think is best to handle the situation. I recommend setting a routine, don't give in to the stubbornness, and it should eventually (hopefully) work out to be a nice time to discuss what your child is learning.

Timed Tests

When I taught I always had kids that would freeze when they had to take a math time test. I knew they could do it, they just needed more time to process the information. I am going through this with my own little boy right now. When I turn the timer on to encourage him get something done faster, he gets VERY mad and upset. I still do it because he needs to learn to complete a task in a timely matter.

Why do we time kids?

Kids are timed to make sure they know things automatically. They are times for math facts, readings, and eventually tests like the ACT and SAT.

How can we help?

The best way to help a child is to give them practice at home. Sometimes with them knowing and sometimes without them knowing. Practice every day. You can also do it with non-educational things like chores.

• One technique I like to use is to ask them how long they think it will take them to complete a task. Then set the timer in a place where they can't see it so it's not a distraction. Then time them. If they don't get all the way through it. Try a couple more times. Set the timer so they can complete in the allotted time so they can build their confidence. Then slowly lower the amount of time so they can progress.
• Another idea is to have them beat you. Let them win a few times but keep going faster so it's a challenge. Kids like a challenge, and they love to beat their parents or older siblings.

When they get discouraged and ask that wonderful question we all love to hear "Why do I have to know this?" Remind them that they will look silly as an adult using their fingers to add in the grocery store or when they need to count up a score in a game. Real life applications help with the "Why" question.

If you have any other ideas or ways that helped your kids feel free to share.