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

In This Issue

• Happening Now: Private Tutoring, Regents Review, Registration for Summer AP Preview Courses, Registration for MS & HS Summer School, Elem. Language Classes and College Advisement
• Note from Dr. Linda: A Russian Folktale for Mother’s Day
• School Success Tip for Kids: Make a Real Rainbow
• School Success Tip for All Kids: All about the “Wizard of Oz”
• School Success Tip for Teens: Preparing for Finals, Step 4
• Kids Say the Funniest Things
• Now It’s Your Turn

Happening Now

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Call Strong Learning today at 845-628-7910.

Happening Now at DrLindasBlog.com

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Note from Dr. Linda

Hi Parents, Teachers and Friends:

May is Mom’s month, and  this heartwarming Russian folk tale is a perfect story to celebrate all you beautiful Moms.

My Mother is the Most Beautiful Woman in the World

Every day during harvest time, Varya, a little Russian peasant girl, went out into the fields with her mother. While her mom worked hard collecting the wheat, Varya followed and played happily among the tall plants.

One day after playing for a while in the hot summer sun, Varya lay down to take a nap in the shade of a haystack and fell asleep.  Her mother worked for many hours thinking that Varya was following as usual. Without knowing it, each step took her further and further way from her sleeping daughter.

When Varya woke up, she found that her mother was nowhere in sight. She was frightened and lost. Just then some farmers walked by. Calling out to the farmers, Varya asked them if they had seen her mother. One of the farmer’s asked what her mother looked like. Varya answered, “My mother is the most beautiful woman in the world.”

The farmers ran to the villages collected the most beautiful looking women they could find and brought them to Varya. She looked at each one and then began to cry. Her mother wasn’t there.

‘Varya! Varya !’ came a voice. “Over here,” shouted one of the farmers.
A frantic woman came dashing through the crowd. It was Varya’s mother. Varya’s mom picked her up and smothered her with hugs and kisses. She cried for joy at finding Varya and thanked the farmers and villagers for helping her daughter.

To everyone’s surprise, however, Varya’s mom did not look beautiful. She had a very ordinary face. One of her front teeth was missing. She was large and heavy. She seemed plain in every way. But the way she greeted her lost daughter showed she was a kind, loving and wonderful mother.

Everyone understood why Varya had said she was the most beautiful woman in the world and everyone agreed, she was a beautiful person.

* * *

This month’s newsletter includes another of Dr. Al’s fun at-home science experiments you can do with your children. They’ll learn how to make a rainbow. Kids of all ages, even parents will learn all about the “Wizard of Oz.” L. Frank Baum, the author of that famous story, was born in May.  This month’s funny story is also about “The Wizard of Oz.” Finally, your teens get the fourth step to acing finals.

Happy May,

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.

School Success Tips for Mom and Dad

For Little Kids:

Dr. Al’s  Science Corner
Make a Real Rainbow (age 3 and up)

On the next warm sunny day, invite your kids to make a real rainbow. Go outside and adjust a garden hose to spray a fine mist into the air. Have your children stand with their backs to the sun and look into the water spray. Voila, a beautiful rainbow.

Science Fact to share with your kids: The light from the sun looks white, but it’s really made up of many colors. When sunlight enters a raindrop, it divides into its many colors: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red.

Sometimes, when we’re lucky, we see natural rainbows after a rain. The sun comes out while the water drops are still falling, just like what you did with the hose. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there really were a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? But it’s just pretty colors of sunlight, created when the rays of white light are broken up by reflection and refraction as they enter and leave each water drop.

For All Kids: “The Wizard of Oz”

L. Frank Baum, the author of the famous book “The Wizard of Oz,” was born on May 15, 1856 in New York. Everyone knows that Dorothy, the little girl in the Wizard of Oz, lived in Kansas, but Baum never lived there. He was living in Chicago when he wrote the Wizard of Oz in 1900. Eventually he and his family moved to Hollywood.

The book, which cost just $1.50, was a bestseller.  Three years later, “The Wizard of Oz” was turned into a popular Broadway musical. The movie version, which won an Oscar, came out in 1939 and has been shown on TV over and over again since 1956. “The Wizard of Oz” celebrates its 110^th birthday this year!

The Sesame Street Muppets made their own version of “The Wizard of Oz.” So did recent Broadway producers who based their modern African-American show “The Wiz” on “The Wizard of Oz.”

Some historians have even written about “The Wizard of Oz.”  They think that the “Wizard of Oz” was a parable about a political movement in the 1890s, and that Oz symbolized William Jennings Bryan, who ran for President of the United States.

I’m guessing that you and your kids have seen “The Wizard of Oz,” perhaps several times. Now it’s time to read the book. It’s just as lively and fun as the movie. Have your kids watch for what’s different in the book. (For example, in the movie, the magic slippers are ruby red. In the book, they’re silver.) Look for the 100th anniversary edition that has W.W. Denslow’s original illustrations.

For Teens: Start Preparing for Finals

Steps 1, 2 and 3 are in your February ,  March
and April newsletters.

Step Four: Practice, Practice, Practice

Here are some easy tips for remembering and practicing what you know.

Graphic Organizers – Create a graphic that you fill in with chunks of information.

Association – Associate or create a word with a person, place, thing, feeling, or situation.

Rhyming – Remember the information by creating a rhyme. For example, i before e, except after c.

Writing Sentences – Using the first letter of the words you want to remember, make up a sentence. For example, for the planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (and Pluto, maybe), you can think “My very earthy mom just served us nine pizzas.”

Acronyms – Write a word made up from the first letters of a list of words. For example, “HOMES” is written to remember the five Great Lakes. H=Huron, O=Ontario, M=Michigan, E=Erie, S=Superior.

Now sleep, eat and relax because you’re ready for your finals.

Kids Say the Funniest Things

Encouraging her teenage grandson Caleb to read, a friend of mine suggested “The Wizard of Oz,” knowing how much he loved the movie.  He reluctantly pulled the book out of her bookcase and read a few pages.

When he stopped reading, my friend asked Caleb what happened in the story, as she always did when he’d finished his nightly reading.  He replied, “Grandma, that’s a dumb question. You know what happened. You’ve seen the movie.”

If you have a funny story about your child, please email me and I’ll try to include it in a future newsletter.

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 successful school year.

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