Sep
30
2007
If two brothers can change the face of aviation, then I can tackle education!! This is my platform.
I was a mom who was trying to get my own kids ready for school and was shocked at how advanced Kindergarten has become. Starting the education process in Kindergarten is already too late. We need to empower kids at ages 2-4 to inspire parents and preschool teachers to all work together to be involved in education.
A generation of children were taught to wear seat belts and they taught their parents and grandparents. Teach children what they need to know and they will inspire their parents to become vested in education as well. That’s the key!
A homework assignment for parents everywhere!!! Do these 6 things daily and your children will succeed!
- Stop, Drop, and Listen. Stop what you are doing, drop to their level and listen to your child talk about their day, daily!
- Unload the backpack/ homework folder with your kids daily. Be involved in helping them stay on track for the next day!
- Read with your kids every night for 15 minutes.
- Play a repetitive game with your kids for 15 minutes. You could even do 10 pushups and 10 sit-ups as a family!
- Ask open ended questions to help your kids learn to communicate effectively.
- Be involved in school activities and join your PTA/PTO!
Copyright 2007, Stacey Kannenberg, Cedar Valley Publishing, Author of Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! and Let’s Get Ready For First Grade!
Letting children know you care is one of the best ways to help them stay on top of their game. What’s your favorite way to stay involved?
Aug
28
2007
Parent Teacher Conferences are essential opportunities to find out how your child is doing in school. It’s a time to ask questions and your opportunity to get to know your child’s teacher one-on-one. Remember, as the parent, you are your child’s first and foremost teacher. So if you have a question, ask it. Find out how you can help and don’t be afraid of asking simply: How can I help?
Build a network of other parents within your child’s class and volunteer. The easiest way to be involved is to just show up and make it fun. Kudos to the Pigeon River Green Gang in Sheboygan, WI. This group of parents, teachers and kids have been meeting for 6 years, every month and doing improvements to their school. They have created walking paths, prairie settings, and pizza gardens by planting the basil, oregano, tomatoes, peppers and later having a pizza party or a salsa party for their school to eat the fruits of their labor. WOW, and that was some yummy salsa they made!!!
I was recently at Harvard, IL’s 4 year old Kindergarten to talk to parents, via an interpreter about how they can help their children be successful in school. I told them that just by showing up and asking questions, they are showing their kids that they care. I also talked about the importance of going through the backpack and folder every night, reading with their kids for 15 minutes and playing a repetitive game for 15 minutes, like jumping jacks and counting out loud as they go. Stop, drop and listen to your child daily and ask open ended questions to help your child learn to communicate and be involved in school activities and functions and build a network of parents to make it a fun social experience as well. It’s all about making it fun for the entire family! If it’s not fun, you need to make some changes to make it fun. Find new people that are fun and start networking!
Copyright 2007, Stacey Kannenberg, Cedar Valley Publishing, Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! and Let’s Get Ready For First Grade!
Got some neat ideas to make it fun? We’d all love to hear them! Don’t stop with us. Share them with teachers, other parents and your local PTA/PTO too! We’re all in this together!
