If you asked a child who is learning how to write to spell the title of this blog, you’d most likely see something like “y nvntd spln mtrs.” At first glance, these words might look like nonsense, but let’s take a closer look! Beginning writers spell out the sounds they hear in words. This generally means writing more consonants and fewer vowels. Try to read “y nvnted spln mtrs” by simply saying the sounds the letters make. Now think about all the work that went into writing those letters-- … [Read more...]
What is the Summer Slide? (And Why We Should Stop It)
Spring break is over and summer is around the corner. Hooray! But even though school may not be in session, it doesn’t mean that learning should stop. Instead, learning may look different: the whole world can become your child’s classroom. Teachers often talk about the “summer slide,” where students lose the knowledge they’ve learned over the course of a school year. Research supports this: most students lose about two months of the math skills they’ve learned over the school year during the … [Read more...]
Inquiry: The Key to Helping Kids Become Joyful Learners
My son was born two weeks ago and his days are full of firsts: first walk outside, first bath, first time being licked by our dog. As his eyes open more and more, I can see his little brain full of curiosity. Sometimes he looks intently at something, trying to figure it out, while other times his eyes dash around the room as if they’re trying to keep up with the endless stimuli. My son’s wide-eyed wonder about the world (well, in the two hours a day when his eyes are actually open) got me … [Read more...]
The Power of Pretend… At Any Age!
When we got up this morning, my nearly three-year-old daughter announced that she was a baby porcupine and declared me the mama porcupine. She explained that her quills were pokey and that I should be careful. As I became more fully awake, I tried to wrap my head around this new role. But right when I was ready to fully assume the role of mama porcupine, I was then told that I was a mama eagle. This went on and on and on. For young kids, the world of pretend is endless. Little kids make sense … [Read more...]
Introducing the Curiosity Pack Book Club!
Last week I wrote about recent research on praise and explored just what types of praise are the most effective. The idea of praising kids’ growth rather than telling them they’re smart was first introduced to me through the book NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. I read this book as a teacher and was fascinated by what it said about how research on children has disproved some of what we’ve come to accept as conventional wisdom. Since becoming a … [Read more...]