Sunday, December 6, 2020

Hands-On Activities to Help Kids Overcome Classroom Struggles


Guest post by Laura Pearson (edutude.net)

Hands-On Activities to Help Kids Overcome Classroom Struggles

Whether you’re homeschooling or not, watching kids struggle with lessons can be heartbreaking. Of course, you want to help your kids and make things easier, but finding ways to do so that will keep their interest can be difficult. The trick is to disguise the subjects and lessons they’re struggling with as fun activities and projects.


If you’re not sure how to do this, the following creative tips from The Bender Bunch might be helpful.

 

Spend Some Time Stargazing

Is your child having trouble with science? Then maybe they just need some exposure to science in the everyday world!

Take them out into your backyard at night and look up at the stars, for a fun at-home science lesson they’ll never forget. You’ll want to plan your backyard stargazing session for a night when the moon isn’t that bright so you can really see the stars and planets shining. Use an app like Sky Safari to help your child identify stars, planets and constellations.


You can take those lessons one step further by looking up interesting facts about stars and constellations. Once your kids find out what stars are made of and how they’re born, they may become more interested in science lessons back inside the classroom.


Do you need an activity you can do indoors and during the daytime? This DIY snowstorm is a fun alternative! Using some simple ingredients, your kids can put together their very own mini-blizzard. They can also fill out worksheets to set the experiment up and find out how everything works.

 

Work on Some Creative Writing

If your kids have a hard time paying attention in English class, having them work on some freestyle writing could provide the encouragement they need.


You can keep things simple by using these suggestions from the National Endowment for the Arts to prompt creative writing sessions. Pictures work best because they allow your family members to express themselves freely. Have your kids pick a country on the globe and write about it, or choose an everyday object around your home. You can even have your kids keep journals so that they get in some extra writing practice.


Before your kids start writing and researching, you’ll want to make sure they have the right tech and equipment. That could mean picking out a new laptop or tablet, which is also helpful if your kids are learning from home. Since this is a bigger purchase, you’ll want to look for laptops that are user-friendly and durable, while also having all of the features your kids need.

 

Give Kids More Time for Gaming

Is math or geometry making school tough for your kids? If so, letting them play more video games may be the answer. No, seriously!


As you may already know, kids love playing Minecraft. And that could be good news if they are also having a hard time in math class. That’s because there’s a new version of this game that is basically one giant math lesson! As your kids keep trying to draw an uninterrupted line, they are actually working out a mathematical puzzle known as an Eulerian Cycle. Now, if math isn’t the issue, there are other learning games that can help your kids perform better in school.


Since many of the best games are online, you’ll want to make sure that your home is connected to a reliable and lightning-quick internet service. Besides providing your kids with a smooth gaming experience, a faster internet connection will also provide your entire family a boost when it comes to remote work and online learning. This is notably true if you have older kids who are using Virtual Reality or if any of your children are attending virtual coding camps.


Learning doesn’t have to stop once school is over! In fact, if your kids are struggling with science, English or math, the learning really shouldn’t stop. You’ll need to get creative to provide opportunities for enrichment and improvement. Most of all, you should keep lessons outside of the classroom fun so that your kids stay motivated and interested.

Photo Credit: Unsplash




Thursday, August 20, 2020

Keep Kids Engaged When They're Stuck Inside

      Image via Pexels

Guest Post by Carrie Spencer


Keep the Kids Engaged When They Are Stuck Inside

Families everywhere are facing a new reality with kids home from school indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since playdates are ill-advised and schoolwork only goes so far, it can feel limiting when it comes to keeping children occupied. Rainy or too-cold weather only compounds this. And you can’t let them play Fortnite and Pokemon all day, and they can only do so many chores. If you’re looking for ideas beyond the controller, keep reading.

Arts and Crafts

Arts and crafts are about the most fun you can have on a rainy day. And you don’t have to have a closet full of supplies either. Taking your children's ages into account, plan a few messy hours with paints or paper, glue, and scissors. If you’re short any of these, head to the junk drawer (because we all have one) and see what you can source from there. Your kitchen is also a treasure trove of supplies. For instance, if you have food coloring, flour, salt, and water, you have the makings of DIY play dough.

Exercise

Lack of physical activity is one of the leading contributors to childhood obesity, according to the Obesity Action Council. Even if your kids aren’t overweight, there is no reason they have to sit still while cooped up indoors.

There are many ways to get them moving. Your television can be your biggest asset here as it is not simply a place to watch movies. With a streaming stick TV device, you can instantly broadcast dance lessons and exercise routines. As an added bonus, your online media device can also tag along with you when you hit the road for family vacations.

Baking

There are dozens of reasons why bringing the kids into the kitchen is a good idea. First, it helps them understand where their food comes from and how it is prepared. Cooking together also forges strong family bonds.

If neither of these is enough to convince you, remember that learning how to navigate the refrigerator and stove is a life skill that will help your kids grow into independent adults. Grab an apron, a bag of flour, and a few other select ingredients and spend an afternoon whipping up a batch of chocolate chip cookies or other kid-friendly recipes.

Scavenger Hunt

This one takes a bit of preparation, but you could easily turn your home into a treasure trove for the youngest members of your family that are stuck indoors. Plan a scavenger hunt with fun activities at each clue. You might, for example, have the kids find a photo of their favorite vacation. Once this is located, have them create a mini scrapbook with photos and stickers before moving along to the next hidden item.

Book Bingo

There are many variations of book bingo, and you could easily extend the game through an entire season. But when you only want to plan for a single afternoon, aim to simplify.

Start with Common Sense Media’s list of the 50 best books for children or simply dig through your own library. Create a bingo card for each child with things like, “book on monsters,” “scary story,” or “holiday adventure.” Once your children find or read a story on each subject, they can mark off their card. Once they reach “bingo,” they can have video game time or another treat.

Being indoors does not have to mean lazing around on the couch with a gaming system. With a little work, some creativity and persistence, you can easily entertain your crew from toddler to teen. These are just a few ideas to spark your imagination; don’t be afraid to come up with your own!

About the Author
Carrie blogs over at The Spencer's AdventuresShe is a family with 2 moms, 3 kids, 2 dogs, 4 cats, 3 goats, 32 chickens, and a whole bunch of bees (with new animals being added all of the time!).  It is our goal to live as self-sufficiently and environmentally consciously as possible. We are happy to share the insights we have gained from our family adventures on our mini-farm.