CHALK TALK: preparing your child for kindergarten, part 6 - enthusiasm for learning

The final piece of our kindergarten preparation puzzle is fostering your preschooler’s enthusiasm for learning. Providing unconditional support and encouragement helps a child develop a love of learning. Playing an active role in your child’s education reinforces the value that academic knowledge is worth pursuing. Show them that learning is a great adventure!

Your child looks to you for clues about the world. Because you are your child’s first and most influential teacher, you can encourage your child’s advancement in the classroom by positively reinforcing the information and skills your student is learning in school. Whether reading a book before bed or trying a new recipe together, taking the time to develop skills and build your child’s knowledge will help encourage a curiosity and hunger for learning.

Boost your child’s confidence by letting him or her know that it’s okay to ask questions. Helping your preschooler to feel confident in the classroom tremendously aides the learning process because the child already feels accomplished and able. Determine what kind of learner your child is - auditory, visual, or kinesthetic - and use that knowledge to aid your child’s academic progression while doing activities and projects at home. Visit Different Learning Styles in Education and past Fairmont blog post HOW TO: discover your child's learning style for more learning style information and activities!

Taking an active role in your child’s education and encouraging him or her from the sidelines will help foster academic growth and fuel a desire to learn and accomplish more!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Image by MarchIntoKindergarten.Com

A to Z the secret sauce of summer camp

It’s no secret that children benefit in many ways from participating in summer camp programs. They develop leadership and teamwork skills, develop friendships, and explore new interests. But what is the "secret sauce" of summer camp? What makes camp such a rewarding and memorable experience?

At Fairmont, we value simple moments, such as a camper beaming with pride after learning how to tie his/her shoes for the first time with the help of a counselor. We look forward to the looks of amazement when campers discover something new in science and the sounds of laughter and excitement that fills the bus on the way to our Friday field trips.  These moments are magical and memory-making for children.

We also appreciate this Top 5 list of the "Unique Powers of Camp" compiled by educator/author Michael Brandwein. He explains how summer camp provides these benefits: 

1. Camp leads the way in using the best methods to help children learn and grow. For almost 150 years, camps have been the leader in using the number one secret to teaching: children learn most from doing. 
2. Camp communities remove the typical pressures from school and support children in a positive atmosphere that cherishes effort and persistence. One fast way to explain the incredible power of camping is in two words: "no grades." 
3. Camp offers distinctive value in preparing children for future success. Camp creates communities where kids make daily decisions about activities and learn how to get along with others. 
4. Camp offers an unequaled variety of opportunities to develop well-rounded children. Camps cut like a laser through the negative expectations and beliefs that can stick to children and hold them back. 
5. Camp combats youth isolation by offering positive and accepting communities. Camp is all about belonging to a group that respects and values each member. 

What makes camp special for you? While that definition might be slightly different for each person, the "superpower" of summer camp is undeniable. Visit Fairmont Summer Programs today to learn more about the exciting opportunities that await your child!

Contributed by Doug Fleischli, Fairmont Private Schools

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY P-8 educational apps recommendations

Fairmont’s own Technology Enhanced Curriculum Specialist, Dr. Rebecca Osborne, recently recommended several educational apps for enhancing a child’s learning experience. She also listed apps for helping students (and parents) stay organized and enable parents to monitor a child’s iPad use.

Academic apps and games play a major role in 21st century learning. The term “gamification” is used in educational circles to refer to electronic game platforms designed to help students learn and practice academic subjects. 

With access to laptops, tablets and smartphones in the classroom and at home, teachers, students and families are integrating more digital tools into the learning process. The results include a significant increase in student motivation along with greater levels of engagement with teachers, other students and parents.

Academic Apps and Games:
Brainpop Jr - Elementary
Writing Wizard and Cursive Writing Wizard - P-2nd
Lobster Diver - Numberline Math app for 3-8
Tellagami and PuppetPals - Animation apps for all grade levels
Bill Nye the Science Guy - Elementary and JH science videos and virtual experiments

Getting Organized:
Evernote:Taking notes, tracking recipes and so much more (www.evernote.com for more info)
Gmail: Get your Gmail accounts on your iPad, real-time notifications, multiple account support and search across your entire inbox
Sunrise: Calendar with a variety of great features, including weather, directions and more.
Any.Do: Easy-to-use to-do list app

iPad Monitoring:

PeekTab - Monitor usage, pictures taken, etc.  (a bit pricey)

TimeLock: Limit usage of the iPad

Parents can also see purchases made in the App Store using these instructions.

Contributed by Doug Fleischli

HOW TO discover your child's learning style

Each child is unique.  It's something that parents know by heart.  Sometimes, however, we assume that "one size fits all" when it comes to how we educate children.  Fairmont Private Schools works to identify children's academic talents and aptitudes during the admissions process so we can place them appropriately and ensure their success.  Beyond the initial assessment, Fairmont's teachers are trained to individualize and differentiate classroom learning so lessons appeal to a wide variety of learners.

Is your child an auditory, visual or kinesthetic learner? There's probably no clear-cut answer   since most kids are an ever-evolving mixture of the three (with wild cards added in just for fun). For example, I'd call my active oldest son a kinesthetic/visual learner who hates sitting still, yet he'll read well into the night about dry topics such as ancient Rome--go figure!  Once again, children defy definition, but it does help to understand their leanings when it comes to learning.  Here's a breakdown of the different learning styles and their definitions provided by schoolfamily.com:

Auditory learners prefer listening to explanations over reading them and may like to study by reciting information aloud. This type of learner may want to have background music while studying, or they may be distracted by noises and need a quiet space to study.

Kinesthetic learners learn by doing and touching. They may have trouble sitting still while studying, and they are better able to understand information by writing it down or doing hands-on activities.

Visual learners process new information by reading, looking at graphics, or watching a demonstration. Children with this learning style can grasp information presented in a chart or graph, but they may grow impatient listening to an explanation.

Think you have your child's learning style pinpointed?  Just for fun, here's a quiz to see if you're right.

Image by Blue Mango provided by edudemic.com

Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools