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Brain stimulating outdoor activities for kids

Susan Cumberland Published: July 11, 2014 Last Updated Date: July 8, 2024

Are brain stimulating outdoor activities for kids going out of style? Playing outdoors seems to be less popular among today’s students compared to previous generations. Students may be saying inside more because they spend more time watching television or playing games on computers and tablets. Here are some outdoor activities for kids that will get students to spend some time outside.

Outdoor activities for kids using a map of the neighbourhood

Today’s society relies heavily on GPS devices and smart phones to direct us to where we are going. Some students may never have used a paper map before. There are a lot of activities that can be done using maps. So first and foremost students can create a map of their neighbourhood. They can go on a walk around their area and stop along the way to fill in the different streets and landmarks such as parks or stores.

Kids can learn how to use a compass

After the students have created a map of their neighbourhood they can learn to use a compass. If the student doesn’t have a compass they can follow these instructions to make their own compass by using a magnet, a needle, a piece of cork and a container filled with water. Once the compass is oriented, students can mark the proper directions on their neighbourhood map. The compass can be used for the following fun outdoor activities for kids as well.

Kids will love doing scavenger hunts around the neighbourhood

A parent or older sibling can help prepare the clues for a scavenger hunt. The students can then follow the clues and use their compass and neighbourhood map to complete the scavenger hunt. This activity could include more kids from the neighbourhood as well. If the students are up for an even bigger challenge they can make up their own scavenger hunt for someone else to complete.

Geocaching: the ultimate treasure hunt

Geocaching is a fantastic outdoor activity for students who are really interested in real live treasure hunts. Geocaching actually combines technology and the outdoors. A GPS device must be used to locate a specific set of coordinates where some sort of treasure is hidden. There are people who participate in hiding and searching for geocaches all over the world. Younger students should be accompanied by an adult when geocaching in unfamiliar or heavily wooded areas to ensure the student’s safety. You can search for geocaches near you on this website.

Encouraging students to do more outdoor activities is good for their bodies and their brains. Research shows that people who do physical activities learn better. Doing these outdoor activities for kids can be fun and they will get students out of the house. Perhaps they will even develop an interest in Geography!

Inspirational Educators on Film

Susan Cumberland Published: June 27, 2014 Last Updated Date: June 20, 2023

Countless books and films have been created to honor the dedication of some outstanding educators throughout history. Most of these educators experienced some amount of ridicule and disbelief as they attempted to teach seemingly impossible students do seemingly impossible things.

What are the common qualities of inspirational educators?

Inspirational educators first and foremost have to care about their students. Jamie Escalante is a perfect example of a teacher who went above and beyond his required duty as a high school teacher. Teachers, tutors and parents must truly care about students and have a genuine desire for them to succeed. Another common characteristic of these educators is the amount of time that they are willing to spend working with students. It is the patience and dedication of these adults that have made such life changing impacts on so many students.

A High School math teacher with perseverance

Jamie Escalante a high school teacher in Los Angeles in early 1980s was able to motivate his students to excel in AP Mathematics. Most of the students in his class were not interested in passing the class, let alone doing well on the AP test. He labored outside of regular school hours to prepare them for the AP test. This proved to his students that he wasn’t there to do the bare minimum, but he actually cared about his students and their futures. His story was so inspiring that the movie, Stand and Deliver was made about his class at Garfield High.

An inspirational educator who defied the odds

The movie The Miracle Worker portrays an outstanding personal tutor named Anne Sullivan who was able to help a blind, deaf and mute girl named Helen Keller to speak. Anne Sullivan helped Helen Keller to defy all the obstacles stacked up against her and become a forerunner for women and people with disabilities who desired to pursue education.

Graduation gifts that promote continued learning

Susan Cumberland Published: May 23, 2014 Last Updated Date: June 20, 2023

Graduation gifts can be a perfect opportunity to congratulate the graduate and help support them for the next step of their lives. Cash is a nice graduation gift especially when it is intended to go toward a college fund or future career. Sometimes, however cash gets used for pure entertainment rather than being put toward future learning. Here are some ideas for graduation gifts that will hopefully encourage and promote more learning post graduation.

Graduation gifts for readers:

1. Biographies of persons that the graduate has an interest in make thoughtful graduation gifts. As do inspirational books about entrepreneurs, well known scholars and life-long learners.

2. Books related to topics of future study. If a student is planning to study a foreign language or study abroad you could purchase them a book written in that foreign language. A language dictionary would also be very useful and appreciated.

Graduation gifts for high school graduates:

3. Gift certificate to a University bookstore or amazon.com. Tuition is not the only financial burden on students. They also often have to spend quite a large sum on required books and course materials. Your gift can help them cover these costs so they don’t have to stress about finances and they can focus on their education.

4. A laptop or gift card for an electronics store is a generous gift for students going off to University. You should specify that the gift card is specifically for an electronic device that can be used for learning purposes (not entertainment). An e-reader would be a nice gift especially since students are beginning to buy digital textbooks.

Gifts that promote learning new skills

5. Gift certificate for summer tutoring sessions are a great gift that can be used to prepare the graduate for the next step in life. Whether it is tutoring for upcoming courses or reviewing old topics that need additional study, tutoring is a valuable gift.

6. A gift certificate for music, dance or language lessons may give the graduate an opportunity to learn something new. For the serious students who haven’t had a chance to tap into their creative side taking more artistic classes could be a fun experience. Plus, using both sides of the brain is important!

All of these graduation gifts can be customized to the particular graduate depending on their interests and future goals. Helping a graduate continue their education is the greatest gift that can be given.

A popular Dr. Seuss book that is commonly given as a graduation gift is “Oh the Places You’ll Go”. It emphasizes that graduation is just the beginning of a life that will lead to many new places and experiences with opportunities for future learning, some inevitable failures and wonderful accomplishments. You can help the graduates in your life along their way to success by giving them a graduation gift that encourages continued learning.

How to find a private tutor in Vancouver you can trust

Susan Cumberland Published: April 25, 2014 Last Updated Date: June 20, 2023

If you are looking for a private tutor in Vancouver and the surrounding areas there are some things you should consider. For one, a tutor is someone who will be working one-on-one with your child so you want to be sure that they are trustworthy. You also want to make sure that the tutor is trained and qualified to effectively tutor your child.

1. Look for a certified private tutor in Vancouver

Finding a tutor who is a certified teacher ensures that your tutor is trained in effective instruction techniques. Although a high school or university student may get high marks on math tests it doesn’t mean that they are skilled at being a math tutor for a student in grade five. Being competent in a subject is very different than being able to teach the subject to someone else. Certified teachers make lesson plans before each tutoring session and evaluate the student after each session. In this way the teacher can make sure the student is making progress and adapt the tutoring sessions accordingly.

2. Choose a reputable tutoring agency in Vancouver

When searching for a private tutor in Vancouver you will find all sorts of ads on the Internet for tutors that may or may not be part of a tutoring agency. Before selecting a tutor you should make sure that they should come from a reputable tutoring agency. You’ll want to identify a tutoring agency that sets high standards for their tutors and requires a full background check for their tutors. Some tutoring agencies like School is Easy Tutoring Company only accept certified teachers as tutors. Sometimes for high school math and science ‘School is Easy’ hires University instructors who have a Masters degree. All of the tutors must have excellent references related to their teaching ability.

3. Make sure to get a private tutor with a flexible schedule

Once you’ve found a tutoring company you’ll want to inquire about the scheduling system. A professional tutoring company will provide a private tutor for your student at a time that is best for you. Some students learn better at certain times of the day and therefore it is the most beneficial to schedule private tutoring sessions during that time. If a tutor is only available at obscure times you may want to find a larger tutoring agency that has more tutors available to fit into your schedule.

4. Set up a home visit for the tutor to get to know your child

Before beginning tutoring sessions you can ask to set up a home visit for the tutor to meet your child. During this home visit the tutor can get to know your child and evaluate their needs so they will know how to prepare for the tutoring sessions. It is important to find a tutor who is interested in getting to know your child. This shows that they are willing to invest their time and energy into your child and that they care about your child’s success.

Remember to consider these points while searching for a quality private tutor in Vancouver. Once you’ve found a tutor and a tutoring agency that you feel comfortable with it is good to pass along your recommendations to your friends and family members too!

Using non-food rewards to motivate kids

Susan Cumberland Published: April 18, 2014 Last Updated Date: June 20, 2023

Giving students food rewards for good behaviour or completing tasks has been a common practice in schools and at home. Rewarding kids with food items like candy, sweets and junk food is not good for their health. It also causes kids to associate food rewards with feeling good, which can lead to unhealthy habits and obesity even into adulthood. Here are some ideas for non-food rewards and why they work better for motivating students.

Examples of non-food rewards

There are plenty of things that can be used as rewards besides candy and junk food. Little rewards for doing well on a school project or for completing chores could be special pencils, erasers, rubber band bracelets etc. Another type of reward could be for your child to choose the location of a family outing. Kids also love earning extra playtime, going to a friend’s house or having a friend over to play. This blog has an extensive list of non-food rewards for the classroom and for using at home.

Kids can gain points that work toward earning a larger reward

If you want to endorse behaviours that can be developed over a longer period of time your child can work on earning a larger prize. This might be practically carried out by using a chart of some sort to keep track of the child’s progress and once they reach the goal they will receive their special prize. It’s best if the special prize is not food focused. Before you begin you should decide what the prize will be with the child so they know what they are working toward.

Food should never be withheld as a punishment

Just as food shouldn’t be a motivator or a reward it should also not be used as a punishment. Withholding food from children is considered as child abuse and can negatively affect their mental and physical wellbeing.

Physical activity should not be used as a punishment

Kids love recess and playing outside, and they need the physical exercise too. It is easy to want to threaten to take away outdoor play time, but this can be more detrimental to student learning and their health. Kids often focus better on schoolwork after getting some physical exercise. Exercise is good for kids to stay healthy and battle against childhood obesity.

Create rewards that involve physical activity

One way to incorporate rewards into physical activity time is to let kids choose the type of activity they want to do. At school this could mean that kids get to choose what games to play during P.E. or at home kids can choose to go on a family bike ride or to have a water balloon fight in the backyard. This will give them a reward that is not only fun but is also good for their health.

Kids respond well to rewards and it is important to motivate learning and appropriate behaviours as long as the rewards are not causing problems of their own. If you have some ideas for non-food rewards that have worked with your family please share them in the comments section.

How much is too much screen time?

Susan Cumberland Published: April 11, 2014 Last Updated Date: June 20, 2023

Are your kids suffering from too much screen time? Last week’s blog post featured 7 brain games for kids that can be played on computers, tablets and smartphones. Although some apps are educational and they very well might help with brain development, children should not be spending all of their playtime on devices.

How do you determine what is too much screen time for kids?

Every family has a different situation and should set up screen time limits accordingly. The Canadian Pediatric Society suggests that children should not be given any screen-time until after the age of two. They also recommend that children between the ages of two and four should have a maximum of one hour of screen time each day. For children between the ages of five and nine more than two hours is considered to be too much screen time. Ultimately if screen time is taking away from daily physical activities then it becomes a problem and can be a major contributor to childhood obesity.

Is too much screen time stealing children’s creativity?

Because tablets and smartphones are relatively new “toys” for kids there is still not sufficient research to determine what the long-term effects will be. A recent article from Readers Digest .ca expresses the concern that tablets may be robbing children of some of their creativity. Even though apps can do things like coloring and doodling kids don’t need a tablet to do this. Kids can be creative with a piece of good old-fashioned paper and a pencil or some crayons.

What are some alternatives to screen time?

There are plenty of activities for kids to do that do not involve technology. Everyone over the age of ten has grown up without touch screens and Angry Birds. Consider all of the children who have pretended to be dinosaurs, built forts, had make believe tea parties and set up lemonade stands. All of the imaginary adventures kids throughout history have had are probably in part due to the fact that there were no tablets to keep them constantly occupied. When kids experience some degree of boredom, it’s amazing to witness the creative things that come out of their imaginations.

Limiting screen time doesn’t mean eliminating it completely

Because we live in an age of constantly evolving technology children most definitely will be familiar with using tablets, and that’s okay. This post is not intended to make parents feel guilty about letting their kids use tablets. Tablets can be great tools for kids as long as there are set time limits for daily screen time.