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

School Success Newsletter | October 2011

In This Issue

Happening Now: Private Tutoring in all subjects, kindergarten through college; Regents, AP,  SAT, PSAT, ACT prep, SSAT, TACHS, HSPT, and ISEE prep, and College Advisement

Note from Dr. Linda: Halloween: Fun, Safe, and Healthy

Fun with Basic Skills: Pumpkin for Math and Reading

School Success Tip:  How to Avoid a Last Minute Panic

Books for Young Readers and Older Kids Too: Christopher Columbus 

Family Fun: “The Adventures of Berticus Barns,” Part Fourteen

Now It’s Your Turn: Let Us Know What You’d Like

Happening Now at Strong Learning.com

Contact Strong Learning for More Information at 845-628-7910

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

Register Today. Call Strong Learning at 845-628-7910

Note from Dr. Linda: Halloween: Fun, Safe, and Healthy

Hi Parents, Grandparents, Teachers, and Friends:

I’m guessing your kids are already thinking about Halloween and trick or treating. What a fun time of the year!

To keep your kids safe, discourage wearing masks during trick or treating. Kids can substitute wild hats, crazy wigs, and face paint. It’s just as much fun as masks while making sure kids can see traffic, curbs, and other obstacles.

To prevent germs that can cause tummy aches, talk to kids about the importance of  throwing out candy that isn’t wrapped and washing apples before eating them.

This month I’m introducing a new feature called “Fun with Basic Skills.” Many kids, even older kids, need practice in basic math and reading skills. So I’ll be showing you fun activities you can do at home and as a family to help with math and reading. Kids have such a good time, they don’t even realize they’re learning.

Let me know fun outside-the-box strategies you’ve used to help your kids with math and reading. I’ll pass your ideas on to my readers.

You’ll also find recommendations this month for three great books about Christopher Columbus, including the Santa Maria’s Log Book.

As for Berticus, he’s waiting for his turn to give his campaign speech. You’ll be laughing at his antics and pre-speech jitters.

Best wishes,

Dr. Linda

P.S. Be sure to watch for the new Strong Learning Store. It’s coming soon with lots of wonderful learning resources for your kids.

Study Skills workbooksHelp your children develop skills with Strong Learning’s Improve Your Study Skills, Memory Skills, Reading, Writing and Math Skills Workbooks. These workbooks offer advice and activities to improve basic skills. Appropriate for fifth grade and up. Order these books from our website.

Fun with Basic Skills: Pumpkin for Math and Reading (and Following Directions)

Pumpkins aren’t just for jack o’ lanterns and pie. Pumpkins provide a basic ingredient for everything from muffins to soup, even pumpkin lasagna!

And making yummy treats with pumpkin helps kids practice fractions, reading, and following directions. Most Kids love to cook so much they don’t realize they’re learning.

Jack ‘o lanterns, unless they’re small and have been decorated with markers instead of carved, generally don’t cook well. But the seeds from a jack o’ lantern-size pumpkin can be washed and roasted.

Making pumpkin seed snacks is so easy that toddlers can help. Roasted pumpkin seeds are delicious and nutritious. Before getting the pumpkin seeds ready for the oven, leave a bunch out to use as math manipulatives. Find out how to make roasted pumpkin seed snacks.

Pumpkin puree or filling can be used in everything from cookies to smoothies. So double the batch or triple the batch. More practice with fractions involved here. Choose what are called “sweet” or “pie”  pumpkins.” Kids can help you follow these simple directions for making pumpkin puree.

Now that you’ve got plenty of pumpkin puree, let the kids make pumpkin cookies, muffins, or pancakes. They can make the batter for pumpkin french toast.

Let your kids find pumpkin recipes on the web by searching “cooking with pumpkin” or simply “pumpkin cookies.” They’ll be having so much fun, they won’t realize they’re reading!

Remind your kids that pumpkins are a variety of squash, that pumpkins are vegetables. But don’t be surprised then when they argue that 3 pumpkin chocolate chip cookies equal a serving of vegetables!

Do your kids have trouble with math? With basic arithmetic facts?

Some kids who struggle with math have a learning disability called “dyscalculia.”

Find out more about dyscalculia and how to help your kids with our free “Dyscalculia Toolkit.”

Download your copy today

  • Discover what to do if your child has trouble with addition and subtraction
  • Learn great ways to teach measurement, money and time
  • Use singing as a mathematics tool
  • Play games that really build self-esteem and improve all kinds of math skills

Don’t wait. Get your free copy of Strong Learning’s “Dyscalculia Toolkit” now.


School Success Tip: How to Avoid a Last Minute Panic

Doesn’t matter how old your child is, they can get behind in school. They can struggle in school.

They can have a learning disability you’re not aware of. Or maybe you suspect your child is having trouble with reading or math but aren’t sure why.

The first of October is a good time to get a handle on the challenges your child may be having in school. Don’t wait for the teacher to contact you or for a poor report card.

If you suspect any kind of problem in school, don’t panic.  Talk to your child’s teacher. Explain what you think might be going on.  Ask for suggestions. If there’s a possibility of a learning disability, request testing.

Now is the time to seek help from professionals: a tutor, a counselor, your child’s pediatrician. It’s easier to successfully help your child now than to wait several more months.  The longer you wait, the worse the problem becomes.

Books for Young Readers and Older Kids Too: Columbus

Before we get to Halloween, we’ll be honoring Christopher Columbus and his discovery of America. This year Columbus Day falls on Oct. 10.

Below you’ll find three good books to help your kids learn more about Columbus.


You Wouldn’t Want to Sail with Christopher Columbus: Uncharted Waters You’d Rather not Cross, by Fiona MacDonald, helps 4-8 year olds think about what it might have been like on the Santa Maria.

Asks questions to make kids think: How would you steer? How would you cope if you were on board? Would the trip be worth it?”

Even has a glossary and index for older kids, parents, and teachers.

Where Do You Think You’re Going Christopher Columbus?, by award-winning author Jean Fritz, describes Columbus in an engaging and delightful way for 9-12 year olds.

The author gently pokes fun gently at Columbus for some of his beliefs.  Columbus was as shocked at the natives without clothes as the natives were at the arrival of Columbus and his men.

Fritz includes details kids enjoy such as bringing cats to control the rat problem on the ships.

 

First Voyage to America, by Christopher Columbus, gives advanced middle-school kids and high schoolers a taste of what Columbus himself actually wrote.

“First Voyage” is a shortened (and obviously translated) version of the log book from the Santa Maria that tells of how discouraged the crew became and how rough the sea was.

Kids read what Columbus wrote when they first sighted land. How startled they were at the island natives.

 

Family Fun: “The Adventures of Berticus Barns” by Brian Silbert

If you’re living with or teaching an ADHD kid who has grandiose ideas but is also a disorganized, procrastinater, mind-wandering underachiever,” you’ll love Berticus. He represents all those children who don’t fit into school. I hope you enjoy this read-aloud story for the whole family.

Part Fourteen: Berticus Eats Breakfast, Goes to School, and Waits for His Turn to Give His Campaign Speech

When we last left him, Berticus had apologized to Thatch for hitting him and gone off to bed dreaming of confetti and unicycles in anticipation of becoming class president.

I woke up the next morning with an excited and nervous energy. I asked my mom for a cheddar cheese omelet, Belgian waffles, a plate of bacon and a bowl of fresh fruit (minus the kiwi).

I told her that once I became president I would appoint her as my official chef and that I would expect a large delicious breakfast each morning.

She smiled politely and slid me a bowl of corn pops across the table. “Enjoy your feast, Mr. President.” Well, at least her health kick was over

I scarfed down the cereal and headed out. As the bus pulled up in front of my house, I realized that I forgot the campaign promise list that Thatch had made the night before.

I’d thought about memorizing the list but figured that would just be a waste of time since presidents have to get used to reading speeches their staff writes for them.

No need to panic, I thought, because good ol’ reliable Thatch made me cue cards to read during my speech. So I got on the bus and sat down next to Thatch. I asked him where the cue cards were since I didn’t see any large white cards in sight.

He told me that he didn’t want to disobey my specific instructions, explaining that he only had large yellow cards at home and I had clearly asked for large white cards.

I put my face in my hands, confident that it was time to start thinking about panicking.

All the way to school, I racked my brain trying to remember all of my promises. Something about a rollercoaster, hot fudge Sunday’s and kids wearing pajamas? Uh, oh, I thought. I wasn’t too good at remembering things I never took the time to learn.

I tried to keep myself calm remembering how quickly I’d thought the night before during my mock debate with Thatch. I’ll be fine, I continued to remind myself.

Lenny then sat down next to me and let me play his new hand-held video game.

There was a big crack across the screen that he explained had resulted when his annoying little brother, Benny, had thrown it out his bedroom window the day before. We played his game until class began which kept me distracted from my nerves.

Ms. Vanderbeek had set up five chairs in the front of the classroom and a podium where we would give our speeches.

Besides me, there was Farley Finnigan, of course, looking prim and proper like she had already won. Blaaah. Crazy Bobby Bigglia – who might just scare everyone into voting for him. “Wrong Way” Rooney – I was frightened to think of what would happen to our class if he were elected.

And last, there was Amy — who sat patiently, staring at her note cards, rather than me.

I realized I too should have probably used note cards to remember my campaign promises, and then suddenly, out of the blue… it happened.

After all the waiting, all the wondering and all the anticipation, Amy looked over at me and smiled. And my stomach did a back flip.

Whoa, what was that? I thought. My stomach had never done that before, even when Amy had looked at me in the past. Not even when she talked to me. Was she using voodoo mind control tricks on me in order to win the election?

Maybe Amy’s been plotting this all along, I thought. No way! What a gyp! I wasn’t going to let her get in my head at such a big moment in my life. Politics could be the big idea I’ve been waiting for.

Then again, Amy probably didn’t know any mind tricks… or voodoo, for that matter. But, it wasn’t worth taking the risk at the moment.

I made sure not to look at her again so I wouldn’t forget my speech. Which wasn’t going to be difficult to do since I hadn’t even prepared one.

Farley went first. She promised things like adding extra books to the library, more fruits and vegetables at lunch and after-school study groups. Was she out of her mind??? What kid was going to vote for that whacko.

As Farley rambled on and on, I felt an urgent desire to start counting the tiles on the ceiling. At first I counted 120 tiles, on the second try I counted 132 and on the third, I counted 78.

My numbers were definitely a bit off. Good thing I wasn’t counting the presidential votes.

I missed the rest of the candidates’ speeches as I remained focused on the ceiling. Still zoned out with my head staring upwards, I felt a sudden sting on the back of my neck, and realized it was Crazy Bobby Bigglia smacking me on the back of the neck with his hand this time.

“Hey, Dooficus, it’s your turn.”

Don’t miss the November “School Success Newsletter” to find out what happens when Berticus finally gets his turn to give his campaign speech.

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. Leave a comment. I love to hear from you. Let me know what you’d like to see in the next newsletter and on the blog.

Thanks so much for all your emails, calls and comments.

Wishing all you terrific Moms and Dads and your kids a Happy Halloween and a successful school year.

Watch for my November Newsletter for more school success tips and great books for kids.