Elementary Education News » Homeschool Education http://elementaryeducationnews.com News to Help Your Children's Educational Success From Around the Web Tue, 19 Apr 2011 04:47:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 en hourly 1 A New School Year by Guest Blogger Donna Mavrides http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/08/19/a-new-school-year-by-guest-blogger-donna-mavrides/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/08/19/a-new-school-year-by-guest-blogger-donna-mavrides/#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:00:34 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=371 Now that summer is ending, many of us are thinking about the upcoming school year and how to create an atmosphere of success for our children. Regardless of age, a blank notebook, a fresh backpack, new pencils, pens, markers, and/or crayons should be joyful and yet, for many children, it elicits feelings of insecurity and fear of failure.  It is up to us, as parents and educators, to make certain that our kids are emotionally, socially, cognitively, and physically ready to meet new challenges.  Children need guidance, time, and reminders in order to successfully transition from the more carefree days of summer to the more rigorous routines of the school year. Proper manners should be reinforced, kindness acknowledged, reading, listening, and practicing skills encouraged and healthy eating and sleeping patterns enforced. Since children mimic our attitudes and behaviors, it is critical to speak in positive ways about the school year, teachers, school, and curriculum.  It is also important to set realistic expectations so that your child/children can tackle their new experiences and challenges with self confidence and with the knowledge that you will be both their cheerleader and confidant. Please note that I am not encouraging parents to make excuses for or to complete assignments for children, but rather, am advocating an environment of open dialogue, where discussions focus on both positive and negative emotions, behaviors, and experiences. 
Creating a solid foundation is critical to buildings constructed from brick and mortar as well as those more gentle structures made up of feelings, ideas, and knowledge.  Let’s work together towards building a foundation that supports a love for learning, a respect for self and others, and a dedication to excellence, diligence, and empathy.

I wish everyone a successful and lovely school year!!

Magical Educating!

Donna Mavrides
Magical Moments
www.magicalms.com

]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/08/19/a-new-school-year-by-guest-blogger-donna-mavrides/feed/ 0 So what are the four main learning styles? http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/11/02/so-what-are-the-four-main-learning-styles/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/11/02/so-what-are-the-four-main-learning-styles/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:24:18 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=245 1. Visual Learners learn through seeing. These learners like to visualize things by thinking in pictures and learn best-from maps, charts and diagrams; they enjoy art and drawing. Visual learners are often fascinated with machines and inventions. They like mazes and puzzles.

What you can do: Use board and memory games to teach, offer lots of picture books. When reading aloud to your child give them coloured pencils so they can draw while listening.

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]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/11/02/so-what-are-the-four-main-learning-styles/feed/ 0 Teaching Children To Write – 6 Great Suggestions from Discovery Articles http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/10/26/teaching-children-to-write-6-great-suggestions-from-discovery-articles/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/10/26/teaching-children-to-write-6-great-suggestions-from-discovery-articles/#comments Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:31:56 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=233 Teaching children to write is very important in today’s world. Kids are not required to write very much in school anymore. They can receive a high school diploma with only a minimal amount of writing education. Here are 6 steps for teaching your children to write.

1. Inspire them. Show your children that writing can be very fun and exciting. Show them letters you have written. If you keep a journal show your children how rewarding and exciting it is to look back through the years in your journal.

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]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/10/26/teaching-children-to-write-6-great-suggestions-from-discovery-articles/feed/ 0 Play Time: The Game of Learning from Edutopia.com http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/10/01/play-time-the-game-of-learning-from-edutopia-com/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/10/01/play-time-the-game-of-learning-from-edutopia-com/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:00:27 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=216 Children need to play. This observation might seem obvious, but lately, it is my rallying cry. It has to be. There is so much discussion among parents and educators about the relative benefits of academic versus developmentally appropriate preschools, and as testing rules the day, proponents of the academic model seem to be gaining ground.

But I am a parent, and I have been a preschool teacher for more than twenty years, and my experience and training tell me one thing loud and clear.

Children need to play.

They need to build with blocks, role-play with dolls and cooking tools, assemble tracks for trains, dabble in paint, jump up and down, ride tricycles, smush playdough, dig in sand, splash in water. They need to negotiate with ladders, slides, and each other. Take turns. Dress up. Cook.

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]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/10/01/play-time-the-game-of-learning-from-edutopia-com/feed/ 0 Parent’s Guide to Preparing Your Child for School from EducationAtlas.com http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/09/11/parent%e2%80%99s-guide-to-preparing-your-child-for-school-from-educationatlas-com/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/09/11/parent%e2%80%99s-guide-to-preparing-your-child-for-school-from-educationatlas-com/#comments Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:00:55 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=181 What is School Readiness?

You should allow your child to have the kinds of experiences that will help them do well in school at an early age. “School readiness” means making sure your child has the academic, social, independence, and communication skills require to successful start school. Reading, talking, and playing with others will help your child prepare for their school career.

Academic Readiness

Before starting kindergarten, children need to know about themselves, their families, and the world. Children can come to school with many skills that teachers can build upon, if they have already had good learning experiences at home and with their Parents.

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]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/09/11/parent%e2%80%99s-guide-to-preparing-your-child-for-school-from-educationatlas-com/feed/ 0 Classroom Assistance Part 1 by Donna Mavrides from Magicalms.com http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/09/08/classroom-assistance-part-1-by-donna-mavrides-from-magicalms-com/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/09/08/classroom-assistance-part-1-by-donna-mavrides-from-magicalms-com/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:00:46 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=173 The next several blogs are dedicated to answering the question, “How do I attain goals in an early childhood classroom?”   To begin, let’s all agree what goals we are referring to.  I will include socio-emotional, cognitive, physical and language as the highlighted objectives for the children.  As for the parent’s goals, I will include maintaining open communication and making certain that parents are cognizant of what is age appropriate for their particular children.

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Click Here for Classroom Asssitance 2

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Click Here for Classroom Assistance 4

Click Here for Classroom Assistance 5


]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/09/08/classroom-assistance-part-1-by-donna-mavrides-from-magicalms-com/feed/ 0 Patience (for Homeschooling Parents) by Barbara Frank from A to Z Home’s Cool http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/08/31/patience-for-homeschooling-parents-by-barbara-frank-from-a-to-z-homes-cool/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/08/31/patience-for-homeschooling-parents-by-barbara-frank-from-a-to-z-homes-cool/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:16:21 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=156 (Excerpted from The Imperfect Homeschooler’s Guide to Homeschooling, Cardamom Publishers, 2008)

When people find out that I homeschool my children, they almost always say something along the lines of, “I could never do that. You must be a really patient person.”

Most of the time, I respond that I wasn’t patient when I started (my husband can vouch for that), but that my patience developed over the years. I don’t go into too much detail because I’ve discovered that most of these people don’t really want to know how to become more patient. They’re just grabbing onto the first excuse they can think of to explain why they can’t (read: don’t want to) homeschool their children.

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