Science study

Our students are studying the Solar System in science class. There is a fun web site which gives a "tour of the universe" which they might enjoy. www.shatters.net/celestia ...Later...Sorry. This worked quite well on my Mac at home, however I just tried it on the school PC and it was not successful. It is worth a try--or do you have a better site for something similar? Let me know.

Homework

Homework can be a difficult time for parents and children. Even though we have covered the material in class, often the student will want or need a bit of help when s/he approaches the homework assignment. A recent book, Good Kids, Bad Habits: The RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children by J. Trachtenberg, offers several suggestions for making this time easier. Some of the ideas from this book: break assignments into smaller pieces--don't plan to do it all in one sitting; start with the easiest material first; don't give answers, but help them find answers; and ask them what they can do on their own and what they might need help with. Your student should always have the homework calendar in the homework folder. Assignments and due dates are listed as well as other important information such as minimum days and field trips. Thanks for your help. It is important for your child's success.

Supplies

We are entering the last third of the school year. Our students are beginning to look older and (we hope) wiser. Sadly, supplies are looking older and more sparse. Can you help? We need boxes of tissues (the school ones are rather hard and rub little noses raw), pencils, wipes (to clean desks), erasers, and wide ruled notebook paper. Thanks so much to those of you who have sent supplies in the past.

Teacher Work day

Although we learn new things every day, teachers had a special day for learning about learning on Friday. Our speaker, Carole Helstrom, reminded us of things we have known as well as telling about some of the more recent research on brain function. She focused on study tips and test taking skills.
Our third grade students have a special work book called Skills for School Success. In it we practice memorization, neat work habits and how to take a test. Some of the skills we practice are exactly those study tips we reviewed on Friday. A few of the mian ones are: Study in your best environment (some people need complete quiet, others do better with quiet music); Eliminate distractions and have materials ready; Be sure you are well rested, well fed and have fluids available.

Lunch Help

My daughter just sent me a great Blog. She knows how I complain that lunches for school become so difficult this time of year. If your children are tired of the usual, try some of these ideas. They are all vegajn, but non-vegan substitutions are easy. Have fun! Vegan Lunch Box.blogspot.com

Celebrations

Although this is a time of year filled with traditional celebrations, it might be meaningful to invent some traditions for your family alone. Perhaps usual celebrations could be altered to include more planning by the children in your house. Let them be involved in shopping and preparation of food, making place cards, planning a somg or poem to perform for the family.
Recently we read" I'm In Charge of Celebrations" by Byrd Baylor. The beautifully illustrated book tells of the events she celebrates including an unusual cloud formation, the arrival of "dust devils", sighting animals on her walks. There are many possibilities for one off celebrations such as a lost tooth, but some things might become yearly traditions such as "first iris bloom" or "the sun hits the house before we leave for school day". You could easily fill the calendar with special days.

Sticker Fun

To make your own stickers
Mix two parts white glue with 1 part vinegar. Paint this mixture onto the back of a picture. Let it dry. Cut it out. Lick and stick.

It's Planting Time!

Now is the time to be planting a fall garden. Peas, sweet peas, lettuce, beets, and parsley are all easy to grow and will do well at this time of year.
We are studying plants in science and are learning about germination, parts of a plant and photosynthesis. All of this is so much more meaningful with real plants to observe. If you are not able to plant a garden, how about adopting a weed! It is interesting to observe changes in any plant: measure it, sketch it, compare it with others around it. Ask your child about our butterfly garden plans.