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Get Ready for Testing
Get Ready for Testing

children and learning

Get Ready for Testing

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.left 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.

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Top Ten Math Apps for Young Children

Here are 10 GREAT Math Apps I found for your little ones to visually practice their math skills!

  1. rightCount 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.
  2. Number Rack: The Number Rack facilitates the natural development of children’s number sense. Rows of moveable, colored beads encourage learners to think in groups of fives and tens, helping them to explore and discover a variety of addition and subtraction strategies.
  3. Math is Fun: 4-5: Through 8 fun activities this app teaches kids to recognize numbers, to count, to order numbers, to play with weight, to determine order, and to handle shapes. It is an easy to use child-friendly design and free in the app store!
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Are Cutting the Arts Putting us in Hot Water?

There is a rather critical matter at hand in education and I want to speak very directly about it. The arts are being eliminated from our schools and testing is on the rise. There is a prevailing notion that we need less of the arts in order to make more time for the subjects that are being tested and for the tests themselves.left

This line of thinking actually results in lower test scores and disconnected, discouraged, under-achieving students. Why? Because the arts, the very thing schools want to eliminate, are essential to the majority of the student population; not because art is a fun way to relax or express oneself – but because the arts actually fuel the brain.  The majority of the student population are visual-spatial learners that NEED the arts to think effectively.

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4 Study Tips Your Kids Can’t Do Without

Remember the times you sat down in class and the teacher said, “Take out a piece of paper. We’re going to have a pop quiz!” Waves of panic flooded your body as you stared at that blank sheet of paper. Even when you were confident about what you learned – there was something about a pop quiz – a test- that could rattle the best of us. Our kids are no different. right And they take a lot more tests than we ever did.

Here are some things you can do as parents and grandparents, to help your kids get ready for test time.

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Artoozie Workbooks: Kids Art and Drawing

Testing time is coming up and although it can be a stressful time of studying, quizzing and preparing your little ones, don’t forget there are more ways to encourage a love of learning than flashcards and drilling facts… try art! left
Use your child’s love of drawing and coloring to learn! Did you know you can apply your child’s naturally tendency to create towards learning new academic skills in a fun and exciting way? These Artoozie workbooks; Squares, Circles, Patterns and Cats, were intentionally designed as an activity that students can use with an adult or explore on their own for hours of fun.

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I’m a Library Lover, Are You?

February is Library Lover’s Month and there is no better time to revisit your public library than now.left Libraries are one of the best parts of a community. Many are a center for activities, learning and community fellowship. I know our local library constantly has children’s programming, adult services and a lot of activities and space for teens to hangout in a structured safe place.

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Preschool Development: NEW Morning Chart for Boys and Girls

Last year I shared a lot about the importance of Preschool Development and helping young kids develop their own internal order. rightOne of the ways we help our children and grandchildren accomplish this is through visual cues that help them move along independently. I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from you, our parents and readers, that the Bedtime Chart is quite a hit, and a demand for the Morning Chart has arisen! 

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Common Core: The Power of Informed Parents

News stories about Common Core, the new federal standards for schools, are on the rise as schools gear up for spring testing. While I have long been opposed to standardized testing, like many others, I was hopeful improvements in education were on the horizon. Sadly, the more I read about Common Core, the more concerned I am for our children. left

However I was recently reminded of the power of passionate informed parents when I read about two moms, Heather and Erin, that changed the course of education in Indiana: 2 Moms vs the Common Core: How an Eight Year Old’s Homework Assignment Led to Political Upheaval.

Heather Crossin and Erin Tuttle led a campaign to inform fellow parents, educators and legislators about some lesser known details in the new standards.

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Preschool Drawing: Developing Social and Academic Skills

I love art and kids, so it makes a lot of sense that my business, Young Rembrandts, is all about teaching kids how to do art. In Young Rembrandts, we teach a lot of elementary drawing classes, but I have to say teaching preschool classes is my absolute favorite.left I love their enthusiasm and hunger to absorb the world around them – and their skill development is beyond remarkable.

Bringing art to children at an early age has tremendous impact, socially and academically. Look at these ladybug drawings and see what young kids can accomplish with some instruction and encouragement.

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