Trick or Treat Time

                    Happy Halloween from Live, Learn, Grow!

Saturday Saying- Carl Jung

One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings.  The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child. 

-Carl Jung



I will always remember my 2nd and 4th grade teachers. I looked up to them, trusted their smiles and kindness. I saw that they cared about me and my peers in a genuine way, that they wanted me to succeed and took responsibility for my education. Children see through posed smiles and forced soft words. Thank you Ms. Peck and Mrs. Rainmaker (from West Valley Christian Academy) for showing me warmth in education, you took part in the inspiration I had to become a teacher.

5 Halloween Do's

1. Make your own unjack-o-lantern from veggies.

 

2. Create a home made Halloween costume.



3. Color between the lines.

4. Decorate your home with creepy crawlies.


5. Bake delicious Halloween themed treats that are healthy and not so healthy.

Go to Disney's Family Fun website to see all the other fabulously creative Halloween ideas. Family Fun has recipes, tutorials and printables for tons of Halloween family fun.

Red Ribbon Week

As a classroom teacher Red Ribbon Week was very uninspiring. How do you teach living alcohol free, drug free, and substance free for a week of the school year and then not speak a word the rest of the year?


A good school will have Red Ribbon Week activities, the most common are Drug Free assembly Monday, poster making Tuesday, information Wednesday, make a pledge Thursday, wear red Friday. A great school will continue the message throughout the year. Teachers need to make a commitment to teach health and wellness throughout the school year. The long term effects of weekly lessons about character, wise decisions, peer pressure, healthy choices, etc, are far greater then those of Red Ribbon Week.

Parents get involved and ask questions about what your child is learning. The more we teach our children and continue the discussion past Red Ribbon Week the greater chance your words will be carried with them.

PS- Here are some good Red Ribbon Week lessons for Kinder-12th grade.

Saturday Saying- Did you light a fire today?

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
-William Butler Yeats

Waiting for Superman

There is a national epidemic. An epidemic that affects our communities, our cities, our states, our nation. The public school systems are failing, leaving its students in the wake of that failure. Only 26% of California's 8th graders are proficient in grade level math. The statistics for many other states, such as, D.C, Texas, Massachusetts, Florida are not so lucky. The United States ranks 26th in education in a study that measured 31 of the worlds most successful countries.

You drop your child off at your local public school every morning with the hopes that the hands that guide their eduction is the best it could possibly be. In most cases around our nation parents feel that their local public school is not what you envisioned for your family. If you can afford it, you skip public and go straight to private schools. But that is not an option for 87% of Americans.

I ventured to a theater with a couple retired teachers to watch "Waiting for Superman." When we got to the theater at 11:00 in the morning the theater was sold out. As the question marks popped over our heads we walked over to talk to the manager who told us that two theaters had been rented out the night before and we could get free admittance but might have to stand to watch the film. When we entered we saw a theater full of uniformed preteens. My teacher friends and I found seats on the very top row of the theater. This documentary is moving, sad, scary, inspiring, eye opening, and proves that all my notions about the public school system are validated. Then, a roaring cheer swept across the theater when KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) LA schools was highlighted in the film. We were sitting among the students of one of the schools that proves that low income, inner city kids do have the ability to succeed and beat all the gab about minorities inability to learn. Inspiring... tear dropping.

Following the movie, Davis Guggenhein, the "Waiting for Superman" director, came out to do a private question and answer session for the kids of KIPP LA. I got to be the fly on the wall. These kids are the hope that our students can succeed. In order to begin to change the system we need: 1) a sound pubic school infrastructure, 2) talented and motivated teachers, 3) the knowledge that every child has the ability to succeed.

Make a pledge on the "Waiting for Superman" site that you will go see this movie. As parents, educators, community leaders, workers, future heroes, we can't just sit around waiting for someone else to rescue our damaged school system, we can't just look to the sky and wait for Superman to save us all.

PS- Here are some inspirational ground shakers who I believe can and will change the future of our nations schools.

Geoffrey Canada- Interview about his project, Harlem Children's Zone

Michelle Rhee- Hallelujah! A true hero who isn't afraid to tell it how it is and stand up for what needs to be done. One voice, think of what more would do.
Rhee at a D.C. Education and Labor Committee meeting-watch the whole clip.


Dave Levin and Mike Feinberg- KIPP Academy Charter School Founders
They are for great teachers. Read and watch

Fall Specials



This is the first special offer on the Live, Learn, Grow site!

Sign up for 8- 1 hour sessions for only $300!

That's receiving the first 4 sessions at $35!

All in-home consultations are free. Email us at livelearngrowtutoring@gmail.com with your name and contact information to schedule your Fall consultation.

This Fall Special ends December 21st.

Saturday Saying- Continuing the Kindness

Every Little Bottom Covered

Ellen Pompeo, star of Grey's Anatomy, is the new spokes woman for Huggies Every Little Bottom campaign. The Huggies Every Little Bottom campaign has a goal to donate 22.5 million diapers to families needing to diaper their little ones bottom.

A study conducted with 2,500 moms in the U.S. and Canada concluded that 1 in 3 mommies are struggling to diaper their little ones. Huggies has partnered with many charity organizations in all parts of our nation to raise awareness in our communities.

There are many ways that you can help. You can donate diapers online, donate your Huggies reward points, get involved locally, or just buy the specially marked Huggies diapers and wipes at your local store and proceeds will go to diapering a baby in need.

For inspiration to join the Every Little Bottom team and start a campaign in your community read a post on kimtracyprince.com to learn about her donation story.

Columbus Crafts & Activities


Columbus Day is usually a holiday that school and teachers handle. Depending on the age of your schooler(s) they will get differing stories of Columbus' voyage to the Americas in 1492. Refer to your child's grade level History content standards if you decide to do your own lesson(s) or activities with your schooler(s).

Here is a fun and easy art Columbus Day project from Kaboose.com.

Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria



 

 

What you'll need:


• 3 cardboard egg cups
• Brown acrylic craft paint
• Paintbrush
• ¼ cup modeling clay or play dough
• 6 toothpicks
• 1 sheet white paper
• Scissors
• White craft glue

How to make it:

1. Paint the egg cups inside and out with brown paint. Set aside to dry.
2. Cut sails from white paper. You will need 6 large sails (1.5” x 1”) and 18 small sails (.5” x .75”).
3. Set aside three of the toothpicks for the large sails. Break or cut the other three toothpicks in half, giving you 6 halves.
4. Put a line of glue through the middle of one of the small sails. Place the cut or broken end of one of the toothpick halves onto the glue line.
5. Roll it in the glue to cover both sides, then place another sail on top, sandwiching the two sails together. Flatten the sails together with your fingers and set aside to dry.
6. Repeat step number 5 with each toothpick half and 2 small sails (each).
7. Following the guide in step number 5, make the larger sails. For each large sail you will need a toothpick, 2 small sails and 2 large sails. Glue the small sail to the end of the full toothpick, and then glue the larger sail beneath it, leaving a small gap between the top and bottom sail. Set aside to dry.
8. Roll a small amount of clay in your palm, enough to line the bottom of the egg cup. Place in the egg cup and flatten to cover bottom.
9. Insert open end of large sail into the middle of the clay. Insert two small sails, one on either side of the large sail, into the clay.

Below are some activities that you can print and explore with your child:

 

Other Columbus puzzles, coloring pages, mazes, poems, reading, and other activities click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday Saying- Kind Words

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.

-Mother Teresa

Professionals say that for every negative thing you say to a child you need to replace it with three positive sayings.

Homework Time

You're in the kitchen preparing dinner, the TV's on, your toddler is playing with the train tracks in the Living Room, the dog is outside barking at the squirrels, the piano teacher is giving lessons to your preteen in the Family Room, and dad just got home. Meanwhile, your 3rd grader is at the kitchenette table trying to get his/her nightly homework done.

More often then not this is the scenario that I see in the average household. It's loud, busy, and sometimes chaotic. Although this may sound like your norm it is not the best scenario for your child when they are trying to get their homework done. When I meet with families like this one I mention the importance of having a desk in each of your children's rooms. Usually, the parents say, "Oh, we do." Usually, those desks are cluttered, the drawers overflowing, papers and books are unorganized, and there are important supplies missing.

Children need a quiet, clean, organized, functional space to call their very own homework time place. This place should have little to no distractions, a lot of light, and all necessary school supplies.

All homework spaces should have:
- plenty of sharp pencils with erasers
- one set of crayons, one box of markers, one box of colored pencils
- a dictionary
- a homework folder
- scrap paper
- lamp
-any necessarily manipulatives (pertaining to what your child is learning in class-ask the classroom teacher)
- safe scissors
-glue stick
optional:
- flash cards
- extra practice workbooks

The more personal and organized the space is, the safer and more successful your child will feel while completing each night's homework. Here are some inspirations for your schooler(s) homework time space.

Saturday Saying: Imagine Imagination

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.

– Albert Einstein

Last weekend I volunteered at a community triathlon sponsored by The Boy Scouts of America. It was held at Castaic Lake in the Santa Clarita Valley. The lake has a beautiful recreation area with swimming, playgrounds, hiking, biking, water crafting, nature, grass, you name it. Sounds like a perfect place to play and explore for the whole family. As I was waiting for the race to start I was taking in the scenery and saw something that almost brought me to tears. I saw three children maybe ages 3, 5, and 7 laying on a blanket under a tree down by the lake's edge....watching a DVD on their DVD player. I screamed in my head and instinctively wanted to through the DVD player in the lake, slap the mother on the wrist, and then teach the kids that when we are outdoors we can imagine and play anything our minds can think of. With all the technology we are surrounded with we forget that children need play as part of their healthy development. I understand we all need a break and pop on the TV for the kids or let them play a video game as reward time, but it's so easy to forget how we were raised. No DVDs, no computers, no cell phones, just plain old good imagination.

No Bullying Zone

As adults we have a great power to instill equality, peace, love, and acceptance to future generations.


Pass it on.


Ellen did.