Summer is a time to slow down and enjoy the companionship of friends and family.  It is a wonderful time to reconnect with our children.  Vacation, walks, gardening, sports, bicycle rides, picnics, parades and just relaxing together give us an opportunity for conversation and for observing the growth and development of our cherished offspring.  During our normal hectic lives, we often don't find time to have fun and play with of our children.  

I am blessed to live in a neighborhood of many growing children.  It is such a delight to watch them grow.  It brings back memories of my own growing children.  No matter the age, our children always need our love, understanding and compassion.  A friend wrote recently  to a colleague about the intense competition our children face in this day and age?  She was lamenting on over-achieving parents who turn children's sports into professional competitions and every encounter into a contest.  It is hard sometimes, not to fall into such a trap, as we want our children to triumph in all that they do in life.  However, the bumps, bruises and failures of a growing child  can help to make a stronger adult.  

One thing is certain, try as we might, none of us is perfect.  We all make mistakes as humans and parents.  The most we can promise our children is to do our best.  

There is a bench next to the pond in my garden.  The neighbor children will often come and sit with me to enjoy the peace and quiet.  The water, flowers, birds and sounds seem to carry one to another place.  It is a place where both adult and child can contemplate, chat or just sit idly watching the fish.  What a wonderful life it is!  

Enjoy the warmth of summer!

   What's New at e-Tutor:

During the summer, students often like to take a breather from learning. The suggested lessons below will keep their skills fine-tuned during the months of leisure.  

Primary

• The Color Red
• Months of the Year - June and July
• Bed in Summer
• Playground
• Animals in Summer         

Intermediate                                                                                   

• Travel Agency
• Basketball Camp
• All Aboard!  Trains and Railroads
• The Fabulous Fifty States
• Amusements and Theme Parks

Middle/Junior High

• Swimming Safely / Watching Out For Big Drains
• Time Traveler
• Playground Builders
• Mowing the Lawn - Advice and Safety
• United States Independence
• Visiting Museums

High School

• It's Your Time Now!
• Up, Up and Away
• A New Nation
• The U. S. Adopts a Constitution   
• Map It                                                                      

30 New lessons were added to e-Tutor this month.

It's a funny thing about life:  If you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it." 

W. Somerset Maugham

 
Are There Different Kinds of Smart?

Not long ago, most viewed intelligence as a single quantity ...an immutable, monolithic construct known as "intelligence quotient" or "IQ."

Today we're pretty sure that is wrong.  Thanks to Howard Gardner's groundbreaking work and to corresponding developments in neurobiology, most experts now suspect there are at least several different kinds of intelligence.  Rather than a single quantity, intelligence is now largely seen as a grouping of capacities, each defined by Gardner as "an ability to solve a problem or fashion a product that is valued in one or more cultural settings."

How many are there?  At last count, Gardner list 8 1/2 ... Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Visual-Spatial, Musical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalist and half for Comedic Intelligence.  

How many are likely to emerge?  Nobody really knows, but ultimately the question of precise numbers misses the point:  a more important question may be, "How do we use our many skills most effectively?"  And the Answer seems to be.  "Use them often."

Read more about Howard Gardner at this site.

About Learning, Excel 

John Steinbeck in his book Of Mice and Men pointed out the decline in moral values when one of his characters commented, "There's nothing wrong anymore." 

Building Skills With Analogies

An analogy may be defined as a comparison between two or more dissimilar things that share at least one characteristic.  Through the use of analogies, children build vocabulary skills by creating mental sentences that summarize comparisons between two pairs of words.  The relationship between the first pair parallels the relationship between the second pair of words.  To complete the analogy pumpkin is to orange as spinach is to _________, children must create a mental sentence, such as "The color of a pumpkin is orange and the color of spinach is green."

The process of building analogies helps children develop an awareness of the relationship between words and expands their vocabularies.  in addition to word-building skills, work with analogies demands that children think logically and analytically.  As part of this process, children must identify and form conceptual relationships among known words and new words. 

Below are some common analogies:

Rain is to wet as sun is to dry.
Leaf is to tree as feather is to bird.
Cup is to handle as clock is to hand.
Juice is to glass as tea is to cup.
Run is to track as swim is to pool.
Doctor is to patients as teacher is to pupils.
Uncle is to nephew as aunt is to niece.
Hear is to heard as see is to seen.
Fifth is to first as twenty-fifth is to fifth.
Smile is to frown as happy is to sad.

Adapted from Idea Factory, Silver Burdett

Steps to Success

Be responsible
Be on time
Be friendly
Be polite
Be a risk taker
Be a goal setter
Be confident
Be a listener
Be a doer
Be a tough worker
Be prepared

Thomas Jefferson Center

Experience is what enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

Earl Wilson

Play is Okay

Pretending is an excellent way for children to practice creativity.  Developing a good imagination during childhood is vital for emotional growth and becoming a happy child and productive adult.  When a child sees an adult pretending and playing, she is more free to pretend and express her imagination, too.  Encourage verbalization, creativity and imagination by playing "What If" games.

• What if root beer came out of the faucet instead of water?
• What if it snowed cotton instead of snow?
• What if you had one wish that would come true?
• What if you could fly by flapping your arms?
• What if you could walk on the ceiling.
• What if you were invisible?
• What if animals could speak?
• What if you could breathe underwater and swim like a fish?
• What if you had eyes in the back of your head?

The answers to the "What If" questions are not important.  The important thing is to teach your child how to ask interesting questions and think in wild and fanciful ways.  Playing is a great way to express feelings and learn at the same time.  Playing is your child's work.  Every way you child plays is okay. 

Adapted from The Playful Preschooler

Rating Colleges

It is still best to rate the colleges yourself.  Media lists and college guides that rank colleges on the basis of statistics such as SAT scores are often superficial and serve only to further confuse families and prospective students.  So warns B. Ann Wright in her College Board Review article, "The Rating Game."  She explains that criteria used to compile the lists range from number of library volumes to student-faculty ratios and retention numbers.  no two polls rate these statistics the same way and the formula may change from one year to the next.  

Wright suggest that parents and high school students use time-tested ways to investigate colleges instead.  These include talking to counselors, reading about college programs and activities, writing for information, visiting campuses and asking the right questions, doing internet searches and spending time in self-examination so students can choose a college according to their own goals.  "They must understand that sound bites and headlines are to gain attention, not give information," she says.

Keep Your Family Safe This Summer

Warm weather means more outdoor fun for you and your children.  Unfortunately, these activities bring an increased risk of accidents for the unwary and unknowledgeable.  

Accidents rank as the number one cause of death and disabilities for children and young adults, according to the American Red Cross.  The good news: you can prevent most of these accidents by learning basic safety concepts and making sure your children learn them too.  The key to accident prevention lies in understanding and following safety rules, recognizing personal limitations that affect a safe performance and recognizing and minimizing risk-taking situations. 

 Some precautions from safety experts:

• Make sure all recreational equipment is in good repair and functions properly.  Periodic inspections are in order before you or your children use bicycles, skateboards, roller skates, playground equipment, backyard pools, grills, camping gear, boats and canoes.  mechanical and structural problems account for a significant number of accidents.

• Don't operate equipment or participate in strenuous activities if you are overly tired or taking medications that cause drowsiness.  

• Never leave young children unsupervised when they are using any kind of equipment.  Make sure older children understand safety rules as well as what to do in emergencies.  

• Traffic rules apply to cyclists too.  Learn them and follow them.  It is recommended that all cyclists wear helmets, including those riding bicycles.  Ensure visibility at night be equipping your bicycle with a white headlight, red rear reflector and reflectors on the pedals and sides. 

• Learn to swim well enough to survive in an emergency.  Swim only in supervised areas and never swim alone, even if you are an adult or an excellent swimmer.  If you have a pool in your yard, make sure it is fenced in to keep neighborhood kids out. 

Of course, accidents sometimes happen despite your best precautions.  By learning first aid and CPR, you can save a life or reduce the severity of an injury, according to the American Red Cross.  learn CPR and first aid before you need them by taking courses. Safety courses for a variety of recreational activities are often available at a nominal fee at local agencies.  Many of these courses are offered to children as well as adults. 

Adapted from School Public Relations Service

Page 4

Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance 

Will Durant

Beyond the Looking Glass

"I think I'm ugly."  Have your children ever made this statement?  I can certainly remember when mine did.  When quizzed as to why a child feels this way, he may relate that he had heard comments on the playground and teasing remarks from others. 

It is shortsighted to try to convince your child that he is good looking.  Though it is probably true,  that isn't the issue.  Children...especially teens...often get so caught up in their appearance that the mirror becomes the sole measure of their worth.  

Every imperfection assumes huge importance to them.  They face overwhelming, daily pressure from television, movies, advertisements and their peers to believe that if guys don't look like Luke Perry or girls like Cindy Crawford, then they're unattractive and undesirable.

Overcoming such pressure is a formidable task....one which requires patience and perseverance.  Still, it is possible to guide your child beyond the looking glass to a sense of self-esteem that is not subject to unreachable standards of beauty.

Some practices and principles that may help the child to develop appropriate ideas about their appearance and their value as human beings include:

• Look for opportunities to broadcast healthy attitudes.
• Take every opportunity to discuss extremes.
• Ask questions like "Why do you like Luke Perry so much? Is it because of his looks or because of the kind of person he is inside, the way he acts?
• Remind him not to expect happiness and beauty to go hand in hand.  
• Strive for balance in evaluating the child's habits, requests and attitudes.

In this area of parenting, as in most, success isn't measured. Helping your child look beyond how they look, will help him be more secure and he will place less emphasis on his appearance and how he compares with others.   

Adapted from Smart Families

What Do You Do About Kids Who Lie?

All kids fib now and then, but certain lies are typical for certain ages, says Ruth P. Arent, author of How to help Children Who Hurt, Learn Trust.  Preschoolers don't distinguish between fantasy and reality and often believe their own tall tales.  Five-year-olds make up incredible stories to get a reaction from their audience.  First and second graders cover up mistakes to avoid punishment or embarrassment.  Older children recognize the value of honesty, but want to hide weaknesses and look good.   

Arent suggests these ways to make kids feel good about telling the truth.  Reward children's honesty with trust and respect, especially if they admit to wrongdoing.  Be truthful yourself...don't promise or threaten to do something you might not be able to follow through on.  Set reasonable goals so children won't feel they need to lie to meet your expectations.  Let them build credibility by giving them simple tasks and acknowledging the results.  

Page 5

You can do anything with children if you only play with them. 

Prince Otto von Bismarck

Super Summer Links!

Archaeology Expeditions:    Unearth the mysteries of archaeology at this site.  Follow leading scientists as they embark on expeditions around the world!  In its most recent exhibit, the site allows students and young researchers to monitor the progress of archaeologist Dr. Gary Feinman's latest dig in Oaxaca, Mexico.   http://www.fieldmuseum.org/expeditions/

Arctic Mission:  Students  can take part in both a major scientific exploration of the Arctic and an exciting cinematographic adventure that they can follow on the Internet.  Students connected to the ongoing expedition will become part of a "virtual crew,"  with access to video clips, photographs, journals, mission logs, discussions and live updates.  
http://www.nfb.ca/sedna/e/

If Walls Could Talk: This is a unique online project that seeks to heighten students' interest in geography, research and community history.  The program sends students out into the community to tell the history of a home or even an entire neighborhood.  The project asks them to construct a web page complete with pictures, maps and diagrams that explain the historical significance behind their chosen landmarks.  
http://www.millennium.scps.k12.fl.us/walls.html

Telescopes in Education:  This site offers students access to the stars via the Internet.  The site works by allowing pupils to control a telescope located at the Mount Wilson Observatory in Southern California.  NASA scientists hope the program will improve students' knowledge of astronomy, mathematics and astrophysics.
http://tie.jpl.nasa.gov/tie/index.html

Jurassic Park Institute:  While the Jurassic Park films are works of fiction, the premise of this web site is grounded in scientific fact and theory.  The mission is to promote dinosaur education and scientific exploration for children, parents and educators. The site provides all types of resource for learning about these creatures from the planet's past.   
http://www.jpinstitute.com/index.jsp

No Rain in the Forecast:  The national Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln offers an online Drought Monitor.  The site offers a combination of multiple indices, outlooks and news accounts, that represents findings from federal and academic scientists.  
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/index.html

Civil Defense History:  Remember some of the Cold War-era civil defense programs?  This site is dedicated to the Civil Defense personnel who worked throughout the Cold War era to protect the United States from nuclear attack.     
http://www.civildefensemuseum.com/

Best of History:  This site aims to provide quick, convenient, and reliable access to the best history-oriented resources online in a wide range of categories. It has been designed to benefit history educators and their students, but general history enthusiasts will find the site useful as well.
http://www.besthistorysites.net/

Have a Great Month!

From the Staff at 
Strategic Studies Corporation

 
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http://www.strategicstudies.com