We’re half way through summer (sad) and your kids have either been chipping away at that summer reading list or they’ve been engaged in less ‘academic’ pursuits and you’re feeling the need to get back at it. For most kids, a summer reading list or big stack of books can seem intimidating, even dry, especially for visual learners.
Summer Vacation has finally arrived and while we all deserve a break from hectic schedules and homework, we need to keep our kids active. A lot can happen over summer to help build a child’s mind – but left unattended, a great deal of what’s been learned last year can be lost. 
Summer is the perfect time to experiment with different kinds of learning for different learning styles; all while keeping it light and having fun.
A few weeks ago my sister Diane called to talk about her granddaughter Lanie. 
It seems her first grade teacher had some concerns about her reading and wanted to meet with Lanie’s mom and dad. They talked as a family about what the stumbling block might be and remembered our conversations about visual learners. Lanie is a visual learner and she loves to draw. She loves to draw anywhere, anytime, all the time. She takes weekly Young Rembrandts classes at her elementary school. Lanie is a visual learner – but not because she loves art. She’s a visual learner because that is how her brain is wired.
Here are 8 AWESOME apps to help your child learn and enjoy reading! 
Last night our grandson Brayden had some subtraction homework to do. He had already finished his writing and sight words and his enthusiasm was beginning to fade. To reinvigorate homework time and make the math fun, his mom brought out the math manipulatives, but these were extra special manipulatives. Emily filled a small paper cup about half full of M+Ms. And as much as kids are attracted to small colorful objects, small colorful chocolate objects are really engaging. She explained that he could use the candy to count out and subtract the numbers, and when the homework was successfully completed, they were his to eat.
How can you have a sunny day at the beach, while confined to the Chicago suburbs over spring break?? If your kids have a spirit of adventure, an active imagination and a few choice props – anything is possible.
One of my favorite ‘staycation’ family memories happened years ago when our girls were in elementary school. It was spring break and we were excited to have a week without homework and time constraints, mom included. And at our house that meant lots more time for playful adventures.
One day, without realizing what I would inspire, I brought home three inexpensive pink and white striped tote bags, one for each daughter. Inside each bag was a pair of summer flip-flops. As I gave the girls their tote bags, I could see big sister Laurie’s wheels start turning. She quickly swept her younger sisters into her imagination and upstairs to change. Soon they reappeared holding beach towels, wearing swimsuits, sunglasses and their new flip-flops. The dining room chairs were quickly moved away from the table, the towels spread out underneath and a sunny afternoon beach adventure ensued.
How can you encourage creative at home adventures?
I recently went through the messy and exhausting process of deep cleaning of my home office.
I noticed that my crowded work space was beginning to affect my mental space, so it was time to dig in and declutter. The piles on my desk were overwhelming, my bookshelves overflowing and my filing system completely ineffective. So after considerable time spent sorting, purging and reorganizing, I can say it was worth every bit of the effort. Not only is the space more inviting, the atmosphere itself feels cleaner and I feel there’s room for me and my thoughts now.
As much as a good purging and declutter is for us as adults, it is even more significant for our kids. Young children are in the process of developing internal order and the space around them profoundly affects them externally and internally.
Standardized tests can strike fear in the heart of any man – young and old, but ever wonder why? It seems odd that a few questions that require a pencil dot on a Scantron Sheet, can bring forth such stress and emotion. This is especially true for visual-spatial learners whose test results don’t reflect their true intelligence or ability.
Testing is designed with a left-brain bias. Linear-thinkers with good short-term memory and deductive thinking skills are much more likely to score well on standardized tests, because they measure the way the left side of the brain works, leaving our right-brain kids at a significant disadvantage.
Testing time is here in many US schools. When my kids were young, there was much less emphasis on standardized testing and test results. Now schools devote much of February getting kids prepared for standardized testing that happens in March.
In some schools preparation is a review of material they have been learning in the classroom. In others it can mean a whole shift to cover material that they haven’t covered, but will be tested on. With all that’s weighing on test results; from teacher pay to school funding, there can be a tendency to stress. Parents may be stressed on what it means for their child. How might their child be ‘labeled’. Teachers can be stressed. School and district administrators are stressed – again because there’s a lot riding on those test scores.
Here are 10 GREAT Math Apps I found for your little ones to visually practice their math skills!
Count Up To Ten: This app lets children discover numbers 1 to 10 and learn how to count using some of their favorite animals and characters.
