Focus on the Good!

"Dad, My Teacher hates me!" He exclaimed. "She hates everybody - She yells at us all the time. She's old-school" ( Where on earth did that come from? Do grade school children even know what old-school means? Maybe she's an older woman, I finally surmised. Can't wait for Parent Teacher conferences!)

These comments come but a few short weeks after he informed me what a nice Teacher he had. How he liked her the best of all his Teachers this year.

My, how a few weeks can change a young boy's outlook! ( I'm guessing a few of the little girls in his classes might echo at least some of his sentiments. )

Press on, i urged him. Focus on the good. Just keep being polite and nice to your classmates and Teachers. We can't let one person's bad mood or vocal reactions ruin our day, can we?

Found this in Philippians 4 this morning:

" Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice.

Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

Perseverence

If great success were possible only to men of great talents, then there would be but little success in the world.

It has been said that talent is quite as much the ability to stick to a thing, as the aptitude to do it better than another. "I will fight it out on this line, if it takes all summer." This statement of General Grant does not indicate the man of genius, but it does show the man of indomitable perseverance, a perseverance to which he owed all his success, for it is well known that he was a very modest, and by no means a brilliant man. The key to his character was pertinacity: the secret of his success was perseverance.

"I will to-day thrash the Mexicans, or die a-trying!" was what Sam
Houston said to an aide, the morning of the battle of San Jacinto.
And he won.

The soldier who begins the battle in doubt is half beaten in advance.

The man who loses heart after one failure is a fool to make a beginning.

There is a great deal in good preparation, but there is a great deal more in heroic perseverance. The man who declines to make a beginning till everything he thinks he may need is ready for his hand, is very apt to make a failure. The greatest things have been achieved by the simplest means. It is the ceaseless chopping that wears away the stone.

The plodder may be laughed at, and the brilliant man who accomplishes great things at a leap admired; but we all remember the fable of the tortoise and the hare; the latter, confident of her powers, stopped to rest; the former, aware of his limitations, persevered and toiled laboriously on—and he won the race.

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

*

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.