Published monthly by Linda Silbert, PhD

Listen to the Note from Dr. Linda and find out what’s in your August newsletter.

In This Issue

1. Happening Now: Test Prep for SAT, PSAT, ACT, HS entrance exams, and more
2. Note from Dr. Linda: Honoring the Long Hot Days of Summer
3. School Success: Get a Head Start4. Summer Fun Equals School Success
5. Funny but True: Hot Fudge Sundaes with Geese
6. Fun Learning Activities: August Facts and Activities plus quizzes with prizes. You could be a winner.
7. Now It’s Your Turn

Happening Now

Happening Now at StrongLearning.com Call 845-628-7910 today. Limited enrollment.

• Call for Late Summer and Early Fall one-to-one tutoring in Greater New York, Boston, Los Angeles, W. Connecticut, or on line. All subjects, levels and grades. No contracts. 845-628-7910
• Enroll in NY Regents review classes for August Regents in Westchester and Putnam Counties.
• Enroll in SAT Prep Courses and PSAT prep courses in Westchester and Putnam Counties with three options to save money
• Enroll in ISEE or TACHS Prep course – All areas – three options to save money

Happening now at DrLindaSilbert.com
We’re doing an update at Dr. Linda Silbert.com. We’ll let you know when it’s ready. Watch for:

• TeleWebcasts “Improve Thinking and Focusing through Playing” with guest ADHD specialists, Rory Stern, PhD and Mary Jo Wagner, PhD.

Happening now at DrLinda’sBlog.com

• News and updates about our events, online, offline and TeleWebcasts plus articles (You’re welcome to reprint any article in full. Include my contact information. Great for school or community newsletters, blogs and ezines. )
• Thoughts and observations about kids and school and learning
• Your comments (I love to hear from you!)

Note from Dr. Linda

Dear Parents and Friends:

This month we’re celebrating the long hot days of August.

Kids spend lots of their summer vacation at camp, doing summer packets from school, playing computer games, and watching TV in the air-conditioned family room.

Nothing wrong with this as long as they’re playing, creating, and figuring out how to stay occupied without the the TV, computer, or a scheduled event.How about looking for four leaf clovers, running through sprinklers, digging up worms, riding bikes and playing baseball? Or collecting lightening bugs and putting them in well ventilated, clean mayonnaise jars.

Kids’ brains develop when kids have to think. Instead of following the directions of somebody else, kids need to to create their own activities, organize themselves, and carry out their plans.

These abilities are just as important for school success as learning how to memorize. So this month’s newsletter centers around activities that promote these skills. We’ve even got an invention party for them to do.

Have fun,

Dr. Linda

School Success: Get a Head Start

Start previewing upcoming concepts with your child.

For example, perhaps your ninth grader is going to be reading, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” You can watch the movie together and talk about it. She’ll have a greater chance of understanding and appreciating the book if she’s seen the movie.

Get a head start on upcoming books, especially if your child is a slow reader.Help your child learn the multiplication facts, a times table a week, without other homework getting in the way.

Games and Study Skills Equal School Success

Improve Phonics Skills by Playing Cards This Summer. These easy-to-play games help kids learn phonics to boost their reading skills and that builds self-esteem. Ages 5-Adult. Phonics Games Special (expires August 15) All 20 phonics card games only $112.00 – a 30% savings off the individual game price. Check out the phonics card games.

Get a head start on school with our Study Skills books. Grades will soar when students use these fun how-to books. They’ll develop learning skills that increase confidence and self-esteem. The books systematically approach study skills, memory, reading, writing, and math with easy-to-learn techniques and hands-on exercises from real-life exercises.

Get all five books for the price of four for only $31.92. Save $7.98 Ages 12-adult. Take a look at the Study Skills books

Funny but True: Hot Fudge Sundaes and Geese

During the month of August, our family loves to go out for ice cream after dinner. One beautiful night we all went to this dairy farm for hot fudge sundaes.

It’s an old wooden building where they make homemade ice cream and you sit outside on picnic benches and look at the cows on the other side of the fence. It’s picture perfect.

Except, one glorious night as we all sat eating our sundaes, a flock of geese flew by and POW! I thought I’d been hit in the head with a baseball. But, this plop on my head came from one of the geese. My family will never let me forget it. And I will never forget how they couldn’t breathe from laughter as I sat in shock and you know what else!

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From ADHD to homework, from test-taking to phonics, twice a week, you’ll get short, effective tips to help your child learn. Sign up now and invite other parents to sign up. It’s my FREE gift to you and your children http://www.askdrlindasilbert.com/tips.html Check out the bonuses that come with your tips.

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Fun Learning Activities

August Facts and Activities

Fact: Born August 1, 1779: Francis Scott Key

Quiz: What song did he write? Clue: It’s often followed by “Play Ball!” First five people to answer correctly receive a free copy of one of our “Study Skills” books.

Big Quiz: Name 5 more patriotic songs or songs about our country. Clues: Song One has “flag” in the title. Song two was sung during the American Revolution by the British and the Colonists. We still sing it today. Song three about “land” was made popular by folk singers. Song four was written by Katherine Lee Bates. Song five has the line “from the mountains to the prairies” in it.

First person to answer correctly receives all five “Study Skills” Books. Here’s a preview of your prize.

Activity: Write a poem about America and then compose a tune for it. Or use your favorite song and put in the words of your poem. Now you have your own patriotic song.

Fact: Born August 1, 1818: Maria Mitchell, first woman astronomer

Activity: Look at the sky during the day. Lie in the grass with your friends and look up at the clouds. What kind of shapes do you see. Do they look like people or animals? Take turns making up cloud stories.

Activity: Look at the sky at night. Can you see the big dipper and the little dipper? Is one star brighter than others? Maybe you aren’t sure about the big dipper and the little dipper. You can look it up on your computer or get an astronomy book at the library.

Fact: August 29, 1893: Whitcomb Judson received a patent for his invention, the zipper.

Just think how many zippers you use: your winter jacket, your backpack, your pencil case, your jeans, your mom’s purse. What a wonderful invention.

Activity: Count how many zippers your family uses. Be sure to include zipper-like things such as velcro and plastic sliders on freezer bags. Ages: 4-7

Activity: What can you and your friends invent? You can invent something by yourself or with just one friend. But even more fun, invite some friends over for an invention party. Each of you can invent something or divide up into teams and create an invention with kids on your team.
Dr. Linda Silbert’s School Success Newsletter September 2009

dr-linda-silbert-school-success-newsletter-september-2009

First you’ll need to make some patent certificates for everyone. You could draw them or create them on the computer. Leave blank spaces for your friends’ names, the names of their inventions, and the date.

Now gather up some stuff to make the inventions with. You’ll want 10 to 12 things. Here’s a sample list: buttons, paper or cardboard, empty paper towel roll, paper clips, tabs from soda or sparkling water cans, fridge magnets, paper cups, string, sticks or pencils, small toys (Lego pieces are great).

Next, get out your supplies: scissors, crayons or markers, and cellophane tape or glue.

Time now to invent something. When everyone is finished with their inventions, you can judge them. Which is the most creative? The funniest? The most beautiful? The most useful? The most complicated?

Now give everybody their patent certificate.

When you have your next invention party, make up your own list of stuff to use for the inventions.

Ages: 8 to adult

Now It’s Your Turn

I love to hear from you. Email me at Linda@stronglearning.com Let me know what you’d like to see in the next newsletter.

If one of my tips or articles has helped, send your child’s success story or a “Funny but True’ story to share with my readers.

If we choose your story, you’ll receive a downloadable e-book version of my award winning book, “Why Bad Grades Happen to Good Kids” which I wrote with my husband, Dr. Al Silbert. The co-host of NBC’s “Today Show,” Al Roker, wrote the forward to our book.

Happy August to all you loving, caring, hardworking Moms and Dads. Thanks for all you do.

Look for fun educational activities for kids of all ages in our September newsletter.