Kids Love Their Own Space to Learn and Create
In our basement is a place for our kids to learn and create. It’s not a fancy space, but it’s practical, spacious and kid friendly. A kids’ art and craft desk, a computer just for children, a piano keyboard, a bucket of instruments, an easel, and two kids’ tables with kid sized chairs fill the space. The floor underneath our “Learn and Create Space” is linoleum that holds up well against spills and abuse. Messes can be made here and explorations are welcome. It a good place for noisy play too. Our “Learn and Create Space” welcomes children to come, play and discover.
We call this basement space the “Art Area,” but a lot more than art is made here. The art easel is used to play school, our kid’s computer teaches keyboarding, the art desk sets the stage for creative exploration, a band plays using the available instruments, and the kid’s table and chairs are perfect for crafting and other projects. Once I filled the space my kids moved right in and began to play. Today, it’s a “hot spot” in our home. Everyone small loves to do what they do best in our “Art Area.”
When I was a kid I lived at the kitchen table. I liked the space the kitchen table gave me. I could go back and forth between activities there. At one end of the table would sit some test questions that needed review. At the other end a watercolor painting might be drying. More towards the middle of the table an afternoon snack would, perhaps, sit half consumed. I was a kid, so my stuff had a way of spreading like spilled milk. By the end of the day the table was often buried in all my projects. I’m lucky my parents tolerated my tendency to spread out. The freedom to fill the kitchen, with all the activities for the day, allowed me a greater opportunity to learn and create.
I am thankful that my parents allowed me to take over the kitchen table. Today I like to offer my own children the same freedoms. This is pretty easy since there are so many new ways to set up a space that’s just right for busy kids. My favorite new space maker is a kid’s table and chairs. Children don’t have to prop themselves at the kitchen table, or sit on their knees anymore. These tables are just the right size for comfortable sitting. The kid’s tables are just the right height for a child, and chairs that are “just right” are easy to find. Today you can find matching table and chair sets, or you can mix and match if you prefer. You can also bring home a child sized kidney shaped table just like the ones in a preschool classroom. These tables are just the right height for children and they have loads of space for multiple projects. Chairs that match are readily available. You’d be amazed at the options that are out there.
When I set up a space for our kids to learn and create I was deliberate. I considered everything I had learned about kids, because I wanted to give my own kids a really good place to grow. I traveled back to my undergraduate years, when I studied art and education, and I thought about what I had learned about environments that fostered creativity. I visited my graduate school days when I read text books filled with suggestions for helping kids learn to read and develop their basic academic skills. I reflected on the many classrooms that I taught within. I remembered the spaces I created for students and I remembered the students that filled the spaces. I drew on my own experiences as a teacher and a creative person. I pulled all of this knowledge together to make the perfect space for my own children to learn and create. There’s never been a day that I’ve regretted the energy and resources I tapped into to make our “Art Area.” My kids love their “Create and Learn Space” and they use it every day. It’s just perfect for them.
As I sit at my computer I can look at all the evidence. It’s the evidence that my kids are learning and creating. Their art desk is covered in paper airplanes, buttons glued to construction paper, pipe cleaners loaded with beads, and feathers poked into a three inch diameter Styrofoam ball. The art easel is dressed with a newsprint pad that is opened to a drawing of stick figure people playing roller hockey. There’s also a table, about two feet high, that’s stacked with unfinished crafts that will soon get attention. A little chair sits and waits for someone to fill it. It won’t take long before someone does fill it, because my kids can’t wait to use their space to learn and create. They know it’s just perfect for them, because they’re the ones that use it and they’re the ones that love it.
Take some time to make a “Learn and Create Space” for your children. You’re children will love it and they’ll use it. It’s an investment you won’t regret, and it will bring a lifetime of returns.
Alisa E. Clark, an educator for over 10 years with a Master’s Degree in Reading Education, reviews and consults with companies and schools districts about the latest tools and programs to enhance student learning. Her web site is at http://www.kidcubby.com.
9 Simple Classroom Control Techniques From A 19 Year Veteran Teacher
First, Pretend your deaf. I know this sounds funny, but oh it works like a charm most of the time. You start to use your hands and point, and you barely whisper, and so on! Teachers, you’ll be amazed how much you can communicate and it’s 100% engaging, versus verbal directions. I use this at assemblies, I use it in the classroom, and I use it on field trips big time!
When a student is on task I give them a non verbal thumbs up, smile at them, or simply “lip” the words to them, without actually saying the words. They are so engaged in it, that it makes them want to do the very thing you’re asking of them asap! Plus, if you’re using it as a reinforcer, it is quick, simple, and they love it!
2-Have a Friday Award and points system in place. Here’s how I work this one. I went to Wal-Mart. Maybe you can do the same, and I found these big six inch by ten inch numbers. They were actually used to price items. Well, I conjured up the guts to ask the manager for a few of them. He happily gave them to me. Anyhow, what I do is put those big numbers on the chalkboard, or on top of the chalkboard on Monday. Then everyday, every hour, every minute, I’m constantly looking for good behavior, so I, or a designated quiet student, can change those numbers to go higher and higher.
When the kids reach the number 30, they get 30 minutes of FREE time on Friday. This works well while your teaching because it only takes a second to say: “How many points do we have, how many more do we need for free time?” And the kids are constantly working to get those 30 points! And as a good teacher, I follow through on the positive and the negative reinforcement. If they don’t get the 30 points, there is no FREE time, and if they do get it, they absolutely get the FREE time.
3-Have a Friday present ready every Week. What I mean by this is something my Grandpa taught me. “Good behavior deserves good rewards.” My grandpa used to traffic the thrift stores, and before his going home to heaven, he would save a bunch of toys for me to put into a treasure chest. The first year I started using his toys, I had one of the best classes of my nineteen year teaching career!
I simply put the box in front of the class, near my desk, and once in a while, I’d pull out a firetruck, an Elmo, a Scooby Doo Figure, some Hot Wheels, and an occasional wind up dinosaur, and the kids would freak out over it! They loved to see what was in the chest. Well, if the class is good as a whole, everyone, and I mean everyone, even the kids who have been bad, get to choose one present. Why? Because we are a family. But, the same holds true if the kids misbehave, no one gets a toy. See how this might impact your class? The kids don’t want to lose their toys! Try it, you’ll definitely like this one!
4-If a child breaks a major rule make sure you give them a major consequence. In other words, if a child hits someone, or defies you, send them to the principal. Nothing is worse than for the kids to see you let a serious offense just slide by. On the other hand, nothing is better than for the kids to see you follow through and lovingly send a child to the office. Lovingly is the key. When I first started teaching I thought tough tones were the best. Over the years, I simply get quieter and treat them like a “nice police officer” explaining at a whisper how they need to go on up to speak to the principal and I’m so sorry that they made that choice.”
5-When you have to call a parent about behavior, put the child on the phone first, before you get on the phone with the parent. I used this both as an Assistant Principal and as a Veteran Teacher. What this does is a couple of things. Number one, when they get on the phone with mom and dad, 99% of the time kids are honest (there are the 1% who lie) and they immediately start crying as I have them explain the rules they broke, by themselves, (after a brief meeting with me discussing why they are making the call) of course. So again, if you put them on the phone first, you eliminate any and all confusion as to why their child is in trouble.
6-Be constantly positive. This is easier said than done in an era where kids are not being trained to obey adults, have very little manners, and many have been raised by T.V. and P.S.P. When I say be constantly positive here are the specifics. Use positive techniques prior to negative ones. In other words, say things like: “Who’s paying attention? Who’s watching me? Who has hands and feet to themselves?” Instead of: “Johnny pay attention and stop hitting Kelly!”
Simply put, positive works 99% of the time, whereas negative maybe about 50%. I’m amazed at how little negative reinforcement actually works these days. Anyhow, Positive words, encouragement, and positive actions work 99% of the time. I give out stickers, I love to say: “Wow, Amber is on a roll” when they start to answer questions correctly over and over. Our school also has a “Good News” postcard that we fill out as teachers when their reading level or behavior improves! The kids love getting the postcard!
7-Be Prepared as a Teacher. Be ready to teach. I probably should have put this one number one. Good teaching keeps the attention of your students and your teaching should be innovative, engaging, fun, and animated. Find the activities in the Teacher Texts that engage all learners including your English Learners. Use all of the group activities that are fun, use the extension activities, and projects. Every textbook is filled with fun activities than can be done with the kids, but although I question why, I’ve noticed many teachers are more concerned with just teaching them the material.
But, as you may realize, giving them useful practice, takes them beyond! For example, I had three of my students with blue shirts and one with a white shirt come up to the front of the class to illustrate the “which one doesn’t belong” math concept. Quickly the students said the “one with the white shirt!” I cannot remember one child who was playing around during that lesson.
Good teachers arrive to school early and leave late. I know that sounds basic, but it’s so true. By leaving late, I don’t mean staying on the school grounds until 5 or 6pm though. Some principals have gone crazy with this one!
I mean arriving to work 30-60 minutes early to prepare, and in addition, planning with your grade level team, instead of planning by yourself, during your one hour of prep time per week. Also, it may mean staying after school for an additional 30-60 minutes per day as well! Remember the 30-60 rule!
8- Use happy face and sad faces on the board. Simply draw a happy face and a sad face and start putting names on the board. Call me old fashioned if you like, but one of my most skilled mentors utilizes this old method, and to this day, she is still one of the best teachers ever. This is so simple and so powerful and if you do it quickly it won’t interrupt your teaching. It works so well when the class starts to get unruly as well, because you simply take your Expo marker and start writing names of those behaving, without saying anything at all, and it really gets their attention.
9-You’ve got to have a good signal. One that you like as well as the students. In our class I sing: “Dat, dat, a, dat, dat.” And then the class responds: “Dat Dat!” It’s to the same tune you hear at the baseball and basketball games, and it’s very effective! For many years I tried other teachers’ signals and they didn’t work for me. Simon says works great for elementary students if you do it while your teaching as well. I.E., “Simon says, eyes forward, hands folded, watching me.”
Another signal I use that works every time like a charm is: “These are the students who are NOT watching me, not paying attention, not looking at me, then when I have everybody’s attention, I simply say: “Nobody.” But if I have one or two talking it gets them every time because they don’t want their name said aloud to the rest of the class. The key hear is to really praise them when you notice that now everyone has looked at you, and how that pleases you as a teacher, and ultimately enhances their learning too!
Lastly, remember, you touch the future, you teach! Never forget that. You are quite probably the most important person in this child’s life for the year you have them and your impact will benefit them for the rest of their natural life!
Don Alexander is owner of leading-online-business.com
and writes on a variety of subjects. To learn more about this topic Don recommends you visit http://www.leading-online-business.com
Top 10 Myths about Drug Prevention Education
I recently attended a panel discussion regarding the devastating problem of Drug Use and Crime in Metro-Vancouver, BC. The mediator at this panel’s discussion suggested erroneously that drug prevention has failed. Drug and Alcohol education isn’t done in Canada or the USA in significant quantity and quality to make significant differences. Most public schools allocate 2 to 4 hours per year in this Province, far less in other Provinces.
Drug Prevention myth #1: Drug prevention doesn’t work. This is not only misleading, but it is a falsehood, and worse than lying about it, it is also apathetic. In Sweden, where drug prevention is a country wide phenomenon, teenage males have a 7% usage rate of marijuana compared to 5% of teenage females. Sweden’s drug usage rate for marijuana has been decreasing. Now should we compare this to BC’s and Vancouver’s teen marijuana usage rate? The numbers are 26% to 33% for this age group.
Truth: Drug Prevention Education works. “Any prevention program to be successful must be credible, well communicated, and reinforced over time. That’s not happening in British Columbia. The resources and the priority devoted to prevention are to be kind, minuscule.” Kaiser report 2000.
Myth #2: Drug Prevention promotes use: Drug promoters fashioned this idea when their sales slumped. Note: I’m including pharma’ pushers with street pushers. If prevention educators failed to educate their audiences about the dangers of drugs at the level kids and teens understood, their efforts failed.
Very Important: Currently the major contributor to drug prevention education is not prevention. In fact, permissive drug usage education is now being offered by Health Authorities. These have embraced the idea that Prevention is unrealistic, so the best thing is to teach kids how to use drugs without searing their lips on the joint or how to buy pharmaceutical grade speed instead of the dangerous street meth.
However, drug prevention education that is done by trained speakers even peers leaders, work by preventing drug use.
Truth: Drug Prevention Education works. Effective Prevention begins by focusing on ways media and vested interests promote and market drugs, alcohol and tobacco to kids and teens. When kids and teens discover that they’ve been tricked and manipulated, they become real enemies of these pushers.
Myth #3: Scare tactics are needed to stop drug experimentation. The failures of scare tactic efforts reveal the truth of these methods. However, making and taking definite non-tolerance regarding drug use is the most effective method of keeping your kids away from drugs. A Dr. Phil show highlighted Dr. Phil and his son who gave testimony on the show: “My dad would kill me if I ever used drugs. We’ve talked about drugs regularly, openly and honestly and I know exactly where my dad stands on this. It’s made it easier for me to say no.” (quote paraphrased only slightly)
Myth #4: Experts are required to deliver drug prevention education: Totally false and misleading. The 1st and best drug prevention education is done by parents at home. Prevention education is best done through example, discussion and consistent communication and actions by parents regarding drug and alcohol use. Be honest, tell the truth and stop telling the kid it’s OK with you if he uses drugs and alcohol. And stop answering your own questions to your kids. You don’t have to agree with your kids false information about drugs. But you do have to listen and ask them questions they are permitted to answer.
Myth #5: Teens get their drug education from school. Pro-drug and alcohol messages flood this society at 100’s of drug-usage images / messages per day. Magazines, TV, movies, radio, product positioning in society, etc. are the major sources of promotions. Drug prevention education is ongoing regularly taken opportunities to talk to your kids about the most significant choices they will make in their lives.
Myth #6: Video drug prevention programs aren’t effective. Videos are regularly used as supplemental tools of the best drug prevention programs. Videos do two things: videos capture attention while delivering key information to kids and teens. Videos are edited to get a huge amount of vital information to kids quickly. Warning: Videos need to have consistent messages and interest kids and teens
Myth #7: Teachers are the best drug prevention educators. Teachers can be given videos and training manuals on how to improve their educational efforts. However, teachers are rarely trained on delivering lots of prevention education.
Myth #8: Drug prevention education is not with the times. The primary role of drug prevention education is health promotion. Goal setting, peer pressure and basic truths about life go a long way in preventing drug and alcohol use. Involving the audience in exercises to make the data real to the audience is vital. Knowledge is certainty concerning the data learned. Education fails only when it doesn’t leave the recipient with simple certainties. Warning: training kids how to test ecstasy, buy drugs from ‘friends’ etc. isn’t drug prevention. That is a perverse mockery of prevention in a decadent society. Teaching kids how to use ‘better’ is passive aggressive covert drug marketing and promotion.
Myth #9: Drugs are here to stay. Someone has to produce, promote, market, sell and use drugs. Drugs and alcohol are money making industries devoted to the slow or rapid destruction of individuals, families, groups, society, the environment, values such as integrity, honor, spiritual advancement and religious connection. Some drug pushers are just devoted to the decay of the hopes and dreams of others, not money. Drug pushers are dedicated to death, slow or fast. The degrees a drug pusher will go in deceiving others is so imponderable that many won’t believe anyone could be so deceptive.
Myth #10: Drug and alcohol prevention has nothing to do with me as drug use doesn’t affect me. One in four people you talk to will have a close relation who has been seriously harmed by drug or alcohol use. Everyone’s lives have been effected significantly by drugs and alcohol directly or indirectly through close associates. I believe it is time to take responsibility for our society and get real about drug and alcohol prevention education.
Tibor A. Palatinus is an international drug prevention education speaker. His consultants also help countless families find effective drug rehab programs, see http://www.narconon-vancouver.org & http://www.drugrehabadvisor.com
Why Boarding School?
Going to boarding school isn’t an easy decision. You’ll need to adjust to a new environment. The physical separation from your family and old friends can make the decision emotionally difficult. Financial costs are also a consideration. Is it worth it? Couldn’t the same education and experience be offered by a private day school? Or a magnet school? Or a good public high school?
Boarding School Vs. Other Options
Things you should consider and compare: Depending on where you live, local schooling options can compare to boarding schools in several ways. Nearby private day schools, magnet schools, or public high schools can naturally have very bright student bodies and qualified faculty. Academic and extracurricular offerings can also be equally challenging and diverse. If you’re considering local options besides boarding school, compare these important considerations:
Attention to students – boarding schools generally have small class sizes that help teachers engage every student in the classroom. Classroom settings are often specifically designed to encourage student participation and eye contact among everyone in class. Quality of faculty – the majority of boarding school faculty have advanced degrees in either education or another specialty.
Quality of resources – student resources at boarding schools – such as the library, theater facilities, or athletic complexes – can often be superior relative to local options.
Challenging academics – academics at boarding schools operate at high standards. Students are pushed to “ask why,” become inquisitive, and tackle challenging problems.
Broad and diverse offerings – course selections at boarding schools tend to be quite diverse, have plenty of AP options, and offer a wide range of topics. Athletic and extracurricular options tend to be broad as well, which encourage students to try new things. Many boarding schools also offer opportunities to study in different countries for a term.
College counseling – college counseling departments at boarding schools are generally well-staffed and taken quite seriously. Counselors often have plenty of experience in helping applicants identify appropriate schools and advising them on getting-in at competitive institutions.
Benefits unique to boarding school:
In other ways, however, you’ll find that boarding schools are strictly unique. In your boarding school research, you’ll likely hear that “boarding school is an education in and of itself.” While a little corny, the phrase is true – living in a boarding school community leads to learning that is just as (or more) valuable than the education you get strictly in a classroom. Boarding school alumni say that they’ve really liked:
Making choices that matter and taking responsibility for yourself – living on your own isn’t always easy. There is, of course, plenty of support from faculty, advisors and peers. But still, you need to take care of yourself and take responsibility for your own actions to a much greater degree than if you were living at home. While there’s definitely structure within the boarding school day, you still need to make choices around how you spend your time, what activities and opportunities to take, and how to create a reasonable balance between work and play. You’ll be able to make choices that have a direct impact on the things you learn and the life you lead at boarding school. For parents: this roughly translates to increased maturity, greater self-sufficiency, and superior preparation for college.
Being in an environment where trying new things is encouraged – going to boarding school means venturing into something unfamiliar. Going to boarding school, like any new adventure, means taking a risk because you think the reward will be worthwhile. The good news is that everyone else who goes to boarding school is also taking that risk. You’ll be part of a community where the willingness to explore new things is inherent in the student body, and where lots of people will also be trying new things. During boarding school, you’ll repeatedly make ventures into the unknown. You’ll meet new types of people, find your place in a new community, learn new skills and subjects, and challenge yourself to a higher academic standard. With every little challenge that boarding school presents, you learn a little bit more about yourself and become a little bit more comfortable with yourself. For parents: this means that students often experience a lot of personal growth and increased self-confidence.
Having a lot of fun and forming intense friendships – boarding school can also be a lot of fun. Imagine living in a house with a bunch of your best friends. It’s common in boarding school for your dorm mates to become your closest friends and support network. The friendships that you make in this environment will be ones you will remember for life.
Having a wide range of friends – boarding schools actively aim to recruit students from a wide range of geographic, racial, and socio-economic backgrounds. Many schools have students coming from all over the United States and dozens of different countries. At boarding schools, you’ll be exposed to a relatively wide range of individuals and cultures, whereas local options may expose you to a narrower background of students.
Having faculty as friends and having them regularly available – students are exposed to faculty in plenty of settings throughout the day – e.g., the classroom (as teachers), athletic fields (as coaches), extracurricular groups (as advisors), and dorm settings (as dorm supervisors). Since faculty are accessible throughout the day, getting academic help is usually a lot easier. Also, relationships with faculty members and adults can better thrive in these multiple settings, creating learning and mentorship opportunities that are hard to find in other environments.
Being part of a proud community – boarding school alumni are generally very enthusiastic and proud of their boarding school alma maters (in many cases, more so than their college alma maters). The traditions and history behind many boarding schools drive the character of each school, and influence each student who goes there. The shared experience of this tradition and history creates a strong network of people and a feeling of community that lasts for life.
Education takes on a broad meaning at boarding schools. Boarding schools recognize this – they often have an explicit mission to not only educate students in the classroom, but to also help them become better-rounded individuals. So while boarding schools often do very well at educating students academically (in ways that may be better than local schooling options), their less directly measurable benefits should be considered as well. Keep this in mind as you research schooling options!
Javier Colayco is the founder of Boarding School Review(http://www.boardingschoolreview.com), a site that profiles college-prep and junior boarding schools. The site offers alumni reviews, detailed school profiles, and interactive tools to help families make better educational choices.