A Parent's Blog About Parent Interests by our Tutoring Company

Decorating the Christmas tree means something a little different in all families.  Usually it involves picking out a tree, somehow getting it home and setting it up in the living room and then pulling out the dusty box of ornaments from the attic so you can begin to hang all of the ornaments on the tree.  Some of the ornaments are ones you’ve been collecting for years and there may even be some that have been passed down from previous generations.  Some families like to make new decorations for the tree every year, like popcorn garlands and handmade ornaments.  This year making decorations can be turned into some neat holiday math activities for kids that involve making new geometric Christmas ornaments.

Holiday math activities for making geometric ornaments

Making geometric Christmas ornaments is a fun project and it will get kids to participate in holiday math activities without even realizing that they are learning something!  There are some great online tutorials for geometric paper ornaments, folded paper polyhedrons, Himmeli ornaments made from straws and string and this more difficult wooden diamond ornament that you can refer to in order to make your own geometric ornaments. These holiday math activities can be adapted for various ages according to each child’s understanding of shapes and geometry.  You can also give your kids creative license to come up with their own ornament designs out of different geometric shapes.

Making decorations using patterns are simple holiday math activities for kids

Stringing colored beads with popcorn or other craft materials onto a string to make a garland is a simple activity that can be done by children of all ages.  It can be turned into a math lesson about making patterns.  You can help your child to make a pattern like “2 red beads, 3 popcorn pieces, 2 green beads, 3 popcorn pieces” that repeats over and over again. This will help them to practice their fine motor skills, counting skills and help them start to see simple patterns.

Holiday math activities to do with colored ball ornaments

You can do a number of holiday math activities when hanging basic colored ball ornaments on the tree.  For young children you can have them count the number of green balls, red balls, yellow balls etc. You can ask them if there are more green balls than red balls or vice versa.  For older children you can practice fractions by asking them what fraction of the colored balls are yellow? These are holiday math activities that can be casually incorporated into your Christmas tree decorating.

These holiday math activities are simple, but they will keep your kids’ brains active while they are out of school during the holidays.  If you have any other holiday math activities please share them in the comments! Happy holidays and happy decorating!

If you are looking for some ideas for educational gifts for kids that are related to math and science here are some great gift ideas.

Educational gifts for kids that promote science learning

Science experiment kits are wonderful educational gifts for kids.  Kids love seeing what will happen as they follow the instructions for an experiment.  They might think a chemical reaction is magic at first, but as they learn about the science they will begin to understand why the science experiment has certain results.  Scientific books about animals make great educational gifts for kids who love animals.  There are science related books available for almost any subject area that kids could possibly be fascinated by.

Educational gifts for kids who want to be future engineers

Building sets that encourage kids to follow directions like LEGO sets and K’NEX building sets are fantastic educational gifts for kids who dream of becoming an engineer.  Building model airplanes, racecars and trains are also wonderful ways for kids to develop fine motor and building skills.

Educational gifts for kids with math and science learning disabilities

If you know a child who has a learning disability you might want to find an educational gift that provides the proper support and is geared toward the right level. Talk to your child’s teacher, science tutor or math tutor to find out if they have any other recommendations that would make great educational gifts for kids with learning disabilities.  There are some computer games like one program called Number Sense that uses fun games in order to help students develop basic math skills.

Finding educational gifts for kids who are gifted math and science leaners

Children who are gifted learners when it comes to learning math and science will be happy to receive an educational gift that will challenge them outside of what they are learning in school.  Giving a gifted student a fun math puzzle, brainteaser or a science themed toy is a  fun way for them to embrace their love for math and science.

Gift certificates for tutoring sessions

If you can’t decide on an educational gift for the students in your life you could always give them a special gift certificate for tutoring sessions.  Tutoring can be beneficial for all students regardless of their abilities.  Students can get the extra help they need from a math tutor or a science tutor or if they are gifted learners they can spend tutoring sessions exploring some exciting new subjects that interest them.  If you are interested in giving a child a gift certificate for tutoring sessions you can contact School is Easy tutoring company at 1-877-ITS-EASY.

To homeschool or not to homeschool?

When children become of school age, you as parents are faced with a decision; what school should you send your children to? Is a private school or public school a better fit for your child or is homeschooling the best for your family? What if you didn’t have a choice or the right to homeschool your children?

Homeschooling in Canada

In Canada people have the right to homeschool and it is quite common for families to do so.  There are different provincial regulations and standards for each province. These standards ensure that children who are home schooled receive an equivalent education as children in public schools. In some countries there are actually laws in place that prohibit families from homeschooling their children.

In Germany, parents do not have the right to homeschool their children

German law states that parents cannot choose to withhold their children from attending public schools and they do not have the right to homeschool their children. The government strongly enforces the mandatory attendance of public schools even to the extent that they will remove children from their parents in order to force them to receive a state education.

Homeschooling families fighting for the right to homeschool

At least two German families have been in the news because they chose to homeschool their children. In one case, the Romeike family moved to the United States seeking asylum so they could freely continue to homeschool their children. Originally they were granted asylum, but more recently asylum has been denied and they are no longer able to stay legally in the United States.

The Wunderlich family has been fighting for their right to homeschool for years and has paid thousands of dollars in fines to the government for this reason. Apparently the fines were not enough, and the government recently removed four of the children from their parents and will not let them be reunited until after a court hearing. The consequences for refusing to abide by these strict educational laws can result in the parents going to jail. This seems extreme, but yet it is happening in a country that is not so different from our own.

Do you think parents should have the right to homeschool their children?

Parents choose to homeschool for different reasons. Some families homeschool their kids because of their religious beliefs, others simply feel their children learn better in a homeschooling environment.  Learning is an amazing thing that can happen just about anywhere. As long as parents are abiding by the governmental regulations for schools they can provide the same education to their children within the home. Do you think parents should have the right to homeschool their children?

What if we could help improve self-confidence in children that would benefit them at school, on the playground and in the classroom?  What if this confidence went with them to university and helped them through their first job interview to land a successful job?  This is a common desire among parents and educators.  What if giving our kids confidence was as simple as a two minute exercise?

During a TED Talks event, Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist at Harvard Business School, presented the concept of how our body language can have the ability to shape who we are. Cuddy explains how we can hold our bodies in a way that not only makes us “feel” powerful and confident, but we begin to act and become more self-confident people.

What does the research prove about improving self-confidence?

Amy Cuddy discovered certain “power poses” that can improve self-confidence like holding your arms wide and high above your head for two minutes, or sitting back with your hands behind your head and your feet up on the desk.  These types of poses are what we might imagine someone with power doing. People who tend to be more timid might choose to sit in a hunched over position, or fold their arms in front of them like they were trying to hide.

According to  Cuddy’s research, the people who did “power poses” for 2 minutes had lower cortisol levels and higher testosterone levels than they did before doing the “power poses.” Cortisol is a stress hormone and testosterone is the hormone that causes people to feel more confident and willing to take risks.  The people who did not do power poses, but rather posed in timid, inhibited positions actually had increased cortisol levels and lower testosterone levels.  These tests were done by taking saliva samples before and after the 2 minutes of posing.

How can educators improve their students’ self-confidence?

If power poses can improve the confidence of university students and adults, they can also help younger school aged children and adolescents as they go through the stresses of life.  Some children struggle with being shy or not wanting to participate in class discussions.  Other children may suffer from being bullied.  Older students may have test anxiety or social anxiety.  By teaching students how to practice “power poses,” they can also experience feeling more confident and will have lower stress levels when they are at school.

School districts throughout British Columbia predominantly run according to a traditional school calendar. There are some schools that have adopted the year round school schedule that consists of a shorter summer vacation with more frequent, shorter breaks spread throughout the year. There have been arguments for and against both schedules, but the main focus should be how to ensure that students are getting the most benefit from both of these systems.

Traditional Calendar Schools:

Originally the school year was set up so that children were released from school during the springtime for planting season and again during the autumn months so they could help their families during the harvest.

The traditional school calendar was developed in the early 1800s with the thought that children need to have a break from school in order to maintain the joy of childhood and to prevent children from being over stimulated, which could result in mental disorders. In Canada and the rest of North America, a traditional calendar for most schools has remained in place even today.

There are some people who believe that having too long of a summer vacation actually causes students to forget what they learned the previous year, resulting in students needing the first few months of the school year just to catch up to where they left off.

The Thought Behind a Year Round School Schedule:

Some school districts have implemented year-round school schedules. The thought behind year-round schooling is that the school year would be broken up by more frequent breaks. This schedule enables students to maintain a more regular schedule throughout the year with 6-9 weeks of school followed by a 2-4 week break with an extended break of 6 weeks during the summer. Students who attend year-round school still have the same amount of vacation as traditional calendar schools.

On the one hand it is important that students have the adequate time away from school to take a break, relax, enjoy the flexible hours of vacation to explore new hobbies and engage in childhood activities that create lifelong memories. On the other hand, we don’t want children to lose valuable knowledge during those long summer months.

How to bridge the learning gap between school breaks?

How can educators and parents ensure that children get the best of both worlds? Kids need their time off and they also need the proper brain stimulation that enables them to retain knowledge and be ready to learn when school is in session.

Regardless of whether your child attends a year-round school or one that operates according to the traditional school calendar, there is still the question of what to do during school breaks.  Here are some suggestions for how you can make the most of your child’s school breaks and summer vacations.

Summer learning opportunities

At home summer learning opportunities include getting your kids involved in summer reading activities or creative science activities.  Winter break, spring break and summer vacation can be fun and relaxing and still include educational activities.

Summer camps and summer learning programs

There are a variety of summer camps in British Columbia that are available through most school districts for children of all ages. Find a summer camp that matches your child’s interests or focuses on subject areas where your child needs extra help.

Summer tutoring sessions

Another great way to continue your child’s education during the summer months is to have regular tutoring sessions with a certified teacher tutor. This way they are ready to jump back into school when they return from their vacation. Students who struggle with math in school can work with a math tutor during school breaks in order to catch up to where they need to be.

All families are different and what works for one family may not be possible for another. Keep in mind that today’s world is full of new things just waiting to be discovered. There are always ways to turn even small things into learning opportunities. However your child spends this summer, be sure to include some activities that will contribute to your child’s ability to learn in and out of the classroom.