Better Fitness Leads to Better Grades

A growing body of scientific research is resulting in clear evidence on the positive relationship between active outdoor play and children’s health.

Playing and regular vigorous physical activity (activities that produce a noticeable increase in heart rate - like brisk walking, biking, and active outdoor playing) is important for healthy growth and development among children and adolescents.

There is strong evidence showing beneficial effects of physical activity on muscle strength and endurance, bone health and cardiovascular health. A positive association has also been found between physical activity and improvements in concentration, memory, and classroom behavior

Girls with a more natural view (trees, grass, shrubs) performed better on standardized performance measures of concentration compared to girls who looked at a more barren setting (buildings, dirt, or paved surfaces).8

Children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) had milder ADD symptoms after engaging in play outside versus playing inside. The “greener” the play setting (parks, farms, places with tall trees, grass, or natural water sources), the milder the symptoms.

If we want our children to do better in school maybe we could encourage them to play outdoors more. Maybe we could lead by example and play with them. Take them along the next you go for a nice energizing bike ride. Or bring on your brisk walk around the park. Let them rid their bikes and just try to keep up with them!

Encourage Strong Math Skills

Lets face the facts - Our children - many of them anyway - just aren't learning Math well enough. What can we do to encourage and help our children learn math?

Meet with your child's teacher to see if your child is actively involved in math. Find out how you can help your child to better understand math problems.

From statistics in sports to the sale price of clothing, from the calories in food to the amount of gas needed to travel from one city to another, math is important to us every day. Help your child make these connections to math

From the scientist to the doctor, from the plant manager to the newspaper salesman, from the computer programmer to the hardware store owner, many jobs require a strong foundation in math. Show your child that math leads to many exciting career opportunities.

Play games that help children develop decision making and mental math skills. There are many games sold commercially, such as board games, that involve patterns and probability. Play games from your own family traditions such as counting games and games that keep score. Try schoolyard games such as jump rope, hopscotch, and jacks. Games require children to use strategies to make decisions, solve problems, and develop an understanding about numbers and how to use them (number sense) and computational skills.

Your feelings will have an impact on how your children think about math and themselves as mathematicians. Positive attitudes about math are important in encouraging your child to think mathematically. The way to better grades is filled with positive encouragement!

"encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us." Titus 2:6

Teaching Your Child to Count

Try this fun and easy lesson with your child this Summer. Help your little ones learn to count while you help each other with the laundry!

Sorting and matching activities introduce young children to many mathematical operations, including classification and measurement.

What You Need

* Pairs of socks of different sizes and colors
* Laundry

What to Do

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When you're sorting and folding clean laundry, have your child join you and do such things as the following:
o Hold up a pair of matching socks that belong to her and say, for example, "These socks go together because each sock is red and each one fits the same size foot—yours!"
o Pick up another sock and ask your child to look through the pile for the sock that matches it. When she chooses a sock, have her tell you how she knows that it's the right one.
o Continue holding up socks until your child has paired them all. If she mispairs any socks, gently correct her by asking her to tell the color of each sock and to put the socks together to see if they are the same size.
o After you've done this activity several times, let your child choose the socks for you to pair. (Occasionally choose a wrong sock to give her the chance to help you correct your mistake!)
*

Have your child help you sort the laundry to be washed. Ask her, for example, to put all the blue things together, all the whites, all the towels and so forth. You might also have her count as she sorts. How many towels are there? How many shirts? Try saying, "I count five shirts. Is that right?" Then have your child count aloud the number of shirts. From time to time, give an incorrect number so that she can count the items one by one and show you that you've made a mistake.

Give your children a great head start on school and life teaching them basic math and reading skills early. Try these reading tips to help your child read better.

Three Simple Ways to Better Grades

One of the ways to better grades might be getting back to the basics. A few basic fundamentals will undoubtedly help your child succeed in school and in life!

Daily disciplines will, over time, develop into lifelong habits.

Start each day with a healthy breakfast. Our children need a well balanced, nutrient rich start to their day - just as we do. Study after study has confirmed the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast. Children who have breakfast seem to do better in school.

All work and no fun leads to almost certain boredom. Children need to play. Encourage them to get outside and get some fresh air and burn off some of their seemingly boundless energy. Children who go outside and play at recess also enjoy better results in the classroom!

Daily reading time is another healthy habit for our growing little minds. ( And older, adult minds too! ) Some quiet time to read. Reading anything. If we teach our children to enjoy or even love reading we are practically insuring success in school! And keep their minds sharp with some daily practice in math as well. Make it fun and they will learn more and enjoy the adventure!

Three simple habits - when developed early - will help your child enjoy greater success in the classroom and in life!
Make sure they to eat a healthy breakfast.

Encourage them to get outside and play. Run around the block. Ride a bike. Anything that gets their hearts pumping faster and their lungs working harder. Teach your child healthy habits!

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Psalm 1: 1-3

Better Health Leads to Better Grades

A noted author and wise Doctor in the late 1800s offered the following idea:

"The people you see waiting in the lobbies of doctors' offices are, in a vast majority of cases, suffering through poisoning caused by an excess of food. Coupled with this goes the bad results of imperfect breathing, irregular sleep, lack of exercise, and improper use of stimulants, or holding the thought of fear, jealousy and hate.

All of these things, or any one of them, will, in very many persons, cause fever, chills, cold feet, congestion and faulty elimination."

His prescription for better lifelong health appears simple:

Exercise,

Sleep well,

Refrain from excess and improper use of stimulants,

Breathe well, and

Think good thoughts.

His suggestions for better overall health are nothing new. He later quotes famous writers from centuries long past:

"The one theme of _Ecclesiastes_ is moderation. Buddha wrote it down that the greatest word in any language is Equanimity. William Morris said that the finest blessing of life was systematic, useful work. Saint Paul declared that the greatest thing in the world was love. Moderation, Equanimity, Work and Love--you need no other physician.

Nature is forever trying to keep people well, and most so-called "disease," which word means merely lack of ease, is self-limiting, and tends to cure itself. If you have appetite, do not eat too much. If you have no appetite, do not eat at all. Be moderate in the use of all things, save fresh air and sunshine."

Life is short. Don't we owe it to our children to help them enjoy it? Maybe if we encourage them to enjoy nature, play more and worry less. Exercise does wonders for your outlook and your attitude. If we lead by example we both win! A healthy body often leads to a healthy mind.

I’m no PhD or magna-cum-laude decorated scholar. And you don’t have to be either. Just try a few, simple and fundamental changes to your daily life and soon you can see amazing results in your fitness level. And teach your children fun and healthy habits. Give them the gift of healthy living!

Take the steps. Start today. Take action towards improving your childrens health will help get you rolling.

Learning to Read

I recently asked a teacher how to improve my children's learning adventure - and hopefully help them achieve better grades. Her response was quick and to the point - "read with them". What a great way to spend some quality time with my little loved ones!

Imagine sitting your baby in your lap and reading a book to him for the first time. How different from just talking! Now you're showing him pictures. You point to them. In a lively way, you explain what the pictures are. You've just helped you child take the next step beyond talking. You've shown him that words and pictures connect. And you've started him on his way to understanding and enjoying books. While your child is still a baby, reading aloud to him should become part of your daily routine. Pick a quiet time, such as just before you put him to bed. This will give him a chance to rest between play and sleep.

If you can, read with your child in your lap or snuggled next to you so that he or she feels close and safe. As they get older, they may need to move around some as you read to them. If he gets tired or restless, stop reading. Make reading aloud a quiet and comfortable time that your child looks forward to. Chances are very good that he will like reading all the more because of it.

Try to spend at least 30 minutes each day reading to and with your child. At first, read for no more than a few minutes at a time, several times a day. As your child grows older, you should be able to tell if he wants you to read for longer periods. Don't be discouraged if you have to skip a day or don't always keep to your schedule. Just get back to your daily routine as soon as you can. Most of all, make sure that reading stays fun for both of you! Help your child learn to read!

Phonics - A Key to Learning to Read

Phonics is a necessary part of every good, modern method of teaching a child to read. It is the key to word mastery, and word mastery is one of the first essentials in learning to read. A knowledge of the sounds of letters, and of the effect of the position of the letter upon its sound, is an essential means of mastering the mechanics of reading, and of enabling children to become independent readers.

A knowledge of phonics not only gives power to pronounce new words, but it trains the ear, develops clear articulation and correct enunciation, and aids in spelling. Later, when diacritical marks are introduced, it aids in the use of the dictionary. The habit of attacking and pronouncing words of entirely new form, develops self-confidence in the child, and the pleasure he experiences in mastering difficulties without help, constantly leads to new effort.

The little foreigner, greatly handicapped where reading is taught by the word and sentence methods only, begins on an equal basis with his American neighbor, when the "Alphabet by sound" is taught.

In recent years only has the subject of phonics found a place on the daily school program; and there is perhaps, no other subject on the primary program so vaguely outlined in the average teacher's mind and therefore taught with so little system and definite purpose.

The present need is a systematic and comprehensive but simple method of phonics teaching thruout the primary grades, that will enable any teacher, using any good text in reading, to successfully teach the phonetic facts, carefully grading the difficulties by easy and consecutive steps thus preparing the pupils for independent effort in thot getting, and opening for him the door to the literary treasures of the ages.

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Ways to Better Grades

Every Parent wants their children to succeed in school and in life. Is your child on track for a successful school year? If not, don’t panic – there’s still time to stage a 4th quarter comeback. Your job is to provide coaching, encouragement, and some discipline.

Schoolwork can easily turn into a boring and unwelcome chore. Especially when your child doesn’t see any relevance or connection to his or her perception of the real world. Try to tune in to your child’s emotional signals and use their likes and areas of interest to your advantage. Avoid letdowns by breaking up the rest of the school year into easily manageable, short-term goals. Use these short term goals to reach or hopefully even exceed your year-end goals. Show your child the value of schoolwork. Teach them how the skills they learn in school apply to their hobbies or career interests, and help your child to recognize opportunity within adversity.

Encourage Build good work habits by scheduling study time in 30-minute blocks with a 10-minute break every half hour. Staying on top of daily workloads will help your child avoid the stress of last minute cramming. Make sure your child has a designated work area that’s free of distractions such as television and cell phones.

Work with your child’s teachers and prioritize daily assignments. If materials have a way of getting lost, invest a couple hours developing a system for filing and organizing class work. If you’re like me you might have a hard time dragging your child away from the TV or their favorite video game. You’ll do yourself and your child a big favor if you encourage a healthy balance between schoolwork and playing video games or hanging out on Facebook.

Maybe if we share an excitement for learning with our beloved little ones they will develop a life-long love of reading and learning! There are many ways to better grades - encourage your children to study and play hard!