Published monthly by Linda Silbert, PhD and Strong Learning, Inc.

In This Issue

• Happening Now: Private Tutoring, Regents prep, Registration for Summer AP Preview Courses, Registration for MS & HS Summer School, Elem. Language Classes and College Advisement
• Note from Dr. Linda: The Perfect Father’s Day Gift
• Dr. Al’s Science Corner: Thunder and Lightening
  
• School Success Tip for Kids: The Truth about Betsy Ross
• Picky Eater Tips: Try the Food Pyramid
• A Gift for Grads: Never too old for Dr. Seuss
  
• Now It’s Your Turn

Happening Now

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

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• Exam prep for SAT, ACT, PSAT, ISEE, TACHS, COOP & SSAT in your home, at a convenient location near you or online. No contracts.
• College Advisement — college selection, essays, applications and more

Registration for the following Small Group Courses offered by Strong Learning in Westchester and Putnam Counties, NY. Enrollment limited.

• SAT Prep course for the October & November tests beginning in July
• AP Preview courses to give AP students an advantage beginning in July
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• TACHS prep for October exam beginning in September
• Learn Spanish, French and/or Italian by playing games, singing and talking. Call for info.

Call Strong Learning today at 845-628-7910.

Happening Now at DrLindasBlog.com

• Find news and updates about our events, online & offline
• Read articles – You’re welcome to reprint any article in full. Include my contact information. Great for a school or community newsletter, a blog or ezine.
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Note from Dr. Linda

Hi Parents, Teachers and Friends:

June 20^th is Father’s Day. That means buying gifts for dads and grandpas. That should be easy, but for some reason it’s always hard to come up with the perfect gift for these special men in our lives. Do we give them another shirt, tie, or the old standby, a hammock.

This year, I decided to go online for some new ideas. WOW! There’s a plethora of great, unusual ideas out there. Take some time with your kids and surf the internet for the perfect Father’s Day gift.  All I typed in was “Father’s Day gift ideas.” Have fun!

This month’s newsletter not only offers a great website for kids to help choose meal pyramids, it also has another Dr. Al’s fun science experiment you can do with your children to explain why we hear thunder after the flash of lightening. In honor of Flag Day, June 14, you’ll discover why red, white and blue are the colors of our country’s flag.

Finally, congratulations are in order for students completing another year of school. For those who are graduating. I’ve got a great gift idea.

Happy June,

Dr. Linda

From test taking to homework, from math to reading, 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. Check out the bonuses you’ll get when you subscribe to the tips http://www.askdrlindasilbert.com/tips.html.

Dr. Al’s Science Corner

Thunder and Lightening

Did you ever wonder why you see lightening first and then you hear the crash of thunder later? Here’s why. We see the light from the lightning flash first because it travels as light waves, which move so fast, we see it virtually instantly. How fast does light move? In air, it travels 186,000 miles each second!

Now for the thunder. Thunder is sound, LOUD SOUND, so it travels as sound waves, which travel much more slowly, in fact, about a million times slower than light. Sound travels through air about 0.2 mile each second. At that rate it takes about 5 seconds for the sound to travel each mile. This is the reason we hear the thunder seconds after we see the lightning.

Want a fun experiment to do during a thunder storm? Use the sound delay to measure where the storm is as it approaches and then moves away from where you are.

From a safe place, measure the time between the flash and the sound using a watch or counting. If the delay is 10 seconds, the lightning is 2 miles away. Soon the delay will be 5 seconds–1 mile away, and so forth. No delay, whew, it’s right where you are. Continue to measure the delay as the storm moves away, 2 second delay, then 5, then 10. And as it came, it moves away. By the way, the rule for safety is, if you can see lightning or hear thunder, get to a safe place at once.

School Success Tip for Kids

The Truth about Betsy Ross

Flag day is June 14 and if you ask your kids who made the first American flag, they’d probably say “Betsy Ross.” But it turns out that although she probably sewed it, she didn’t design the first flag with the 13 stars representing Colonies. Who designed it? Historian still don’t know.

What about the colors on the flag? It turns out that the colors originally didn’t mean anything.  But the colors in the Great Seal do have significance, and they are the very same colors as in the flag.

“White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness and valor, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice.”  So I guess we can say that’s what the colors in the flag mean. You can read more about the flag and the colors in books published by the House of Representatives and the Smithsonian.

The story is told that the original design had six-pointed stars but Betsy Ross preferred a five-pointed star.  So Betsy Ross showed George Washington how you could make a five-pointed star with just one snip of the scissors.  Of course, nobody really knows if George Washington and Betsy Ross had this conversation. But we do know that the stars on the flag have five points.

You can show your kids how to make a five-pointed star with just one snip of the scissors. Now that they know how to easily make the star, they might enjoy making flags, either on paper or even out of cloth. When the flags have been made, they can have a grand parade around the block or even in the backyard.

If your summer travels take you to Philadelphia, be sure to visit Betsy Ross’ house.

Picky Eater Tips

If your kids are picky eaters, check out the USDA Food Pyramid to find healthy and kid-friendly ideas to tempt even the pickiest eater. Choose one level of the food pyramid and let your kids choose foods from that level. Then go to the next level.

A Gift for Grads

You’re never too old for Dr. Seuss!

From preschool to adults, one of the best gifts to give a graduate is Dr. Seuss’ book, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go.” Besides giving children of all ages an opportunity to read a silly Dr. Seuss book and look at the super pictures, this book lends itself to a thought provoking discussion on options. It addresses real life issues as we go through life. It’s a great book for the whole family to think and talk about.  Order a copy to give as a gift or just to have in your home.

Now It’s Your Turn

Go over to Dr Linda’s Blog now and subscribe by email or RSS feed so you won’t miss anything. I love to hear from you. Let me know what you’d like to see in the next newsletter.

Thanks so much for all your emails, calls and comments. If one of my tips or articles has helped, please let me know and I’ll try to include it in as the next success story to share with my readers.

Wishing your children and all you loving and hard-working Moms and Dads, a happy and fun summer vacation.

I’ll have fun summer learning activities that give kids a boost for back to school in the fall in your July Newsletter.