School Sparks Blog

The Importance of Perseverance

Renee — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:31 GMT

In my many years in the classroom, I had the opportunity to observe all types of personalities in young children. Each child came with her own basic personality traits - some children were more active while others were naturally calmer; some went racing into a new activity without hesitation while others stood along the periphery and watched for awhile before diving in. And I believe it is important to respect each child’s natural tendencies.

I know that some children are, by nature, less likely to get frustrated and more willing to try again when they initially fail. Others are immediately devastated when things don’t go as planned and walk away from the activity feeling defeated. Teaching a child with the second personality style to “hang in there” will take more patience from the adults in her life, but it is an important lesson to be learned.

Children give themselves messages

Children talk to themselves all of the time, through silent thoughts and observations. If we observe closely, we can guess with a good amount of accuracy what children are telling themselves. For example, a child who is easily frustrated may likely cry, throw or push away the upsetting activity, and refuse to try again. It is quite likely that this child is telling herself: “I’m not good at this. I’ll never do it. Even if I continue to try I will probably fail, so I won’t bother.” Of course, when this child gives up she loses opportunities to continue practicing and does not learn the skill. It is likely that she will fail the next time she attempts this activity, only reinforcing her previous message. A negative, self-fulfilling prophesy is established.

Alternatively, a child who is willing to stick with a new challenge, even when she is not immediately successful, is telling herself different messages. She is probably saying to herself: “This is hard, but if I keep trying I will get it right. I’m good at learning and doing things.” Of course, with repeated effort, even challenging skills can be mastered and it is very likely that this child succeeds. Once again, a child has reinforced her personal message, but now a positive self-fulfilling prophesy is established.

How to help children learn to persevere

Perseverance can be learned, and negative self messages can be turned into positive messages with experience and guidance. Try these tips for helping your child learn to try and try again!

Say aloud the “personal message” you would like your child to tell herself. Sit by her when she attempts something challenging. Acknowledge that this task is difficult and praise her willingness to try. Give her a message that she can learn to repeat to herself, such as: “Wow! You are willing to try something new. It may be tough, but I know that with practice you will get it.”
Praise a child’s effort, rather than the product. “Boy, you worked for a long time on that drawing. That took a lot of patience. I’m proud of you. It is so colorful. Let’s hang it up on the door.”
Present your child with comfortable tasks that will build her confidence. When giving her a worksheet, for example, start with one that you believe she can complete easily. The worksheets on the School Sparks website progress from beginning level to more challenging within each section. Start with the easiest worksheets first. It will be fun to see your child’s face light up as she breezes through several comfortable worksheets.
Present challenges in the same format so that your child will feel comfortable. Worksheets with the same layout and directions are fun for children, because the repetition make them familiar. Children feel confident when they “know how to do it” because they’ve successfully completed a similar task at an earlier time. You will find that many of the School Sparks kindergarten worksheets have the same layout and directions specifically to help children feel confident and capable.
Present your child with appropriate challenges that build on previous skills and successes. As your child’s skill level increases, ask her to complete more challenging worksheets or activities. Remind her that she was successful earlier and encourage her to stay on task as she approaches more difficult work. Let her know that the new task is more challenging so that she will feel a sense of accomplishment when she succeeds. As the parent, it is your job to monitor your child’s skill level and present appropriately challenging tasks - those that can be completed with perseverance and effort. It is important to give your child opportunities to struggle slightly as she works toward mastering a new skill so that she learns to tell herself: “I can do this if I stick with it and don’t give up!”
Show your child earlier work to clearly demonstrate her skill growth. Save and write the date on previously completed worksheets and keep them in a folder for easy access. Again, more verbal messages are helpful. “Look at your shaky lines when you first tried to complete the maze last month. You were just learning, then. You really practiced and now look at the smooth lines you just made. I’m so glad you kept trying. Practice makes perfect!”
Remind your child of experiences in which she succeeded with continued effort and persistence. Tuck these events in the back of your mind or jot them down in a little notebook so that you don’t forget them. Recognizing how perseverance led to success at previous times can motivate a child to press on when presented with a frustrating challenge. “You didn’t give up when you had a hard time learning to do a cartwheel. I know that you will learn to ride a two-wheeler with practice, too.”

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Nurturing Compassion in Children

Renee — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:48 GMT

Each child has her own personality. (That is so clearly seen in a classroom of twenty children!) But as a seasoned teacher of 4 and 5 year olds, I believe that regardless of a child’s innate personality traits, all children can be helped to become caring, compassionate people. While it is true that some children seem to care about others more naturally and other children need more direct instruction, helping children recognize and respect another person’s feelings is an important skill set that contributes to success with peers and ultimately success in school.

Fortunately, there are some simple ways to help foster compassion for others in your child.

Share your feelings with your child. This is important for three reasons. First, by sharing your feelings, you become a role model that shows your child how to do that herself. In other words, you let your child know that you value feelings. Second, you help your child learn about a wide variety of feelings and help her understand that feelings are important. Third, you provide opportunities for your child to respond to you based on the feelings you share.
Encourage your child to talk about her feelings. Children often need help understanding how they are feeling and putting their feelings into words. Colorful emotions worksheets can provide a concrete opportunity to discuss feelings with your child.
Direct you child to behave in a compassionate way if she does not do this instinctively. Watch your child as she interacts with others. If she seems oblivious to another child’s feelings of sadness, disappointment or fear, talk to your child immediately about how the other child may be feeling. Find a private place to talk and discuss ways that your child can be helpful or compassionate. Give her specific suggestions to help her respond kindly to others. For example, if another child is crying, perhaps she could get him a tissue. Or if another child bumped his foot, perhaps she could get him an ice pack. Address the issue as soon as possible, so that your child can observe another person’s feelings and learn to react appropriately.
Read books with your child that focus on feelings. It is often easier for children to talk about feelings when the discussion revolves around a fictional character, rather than themselves or someone they know. Also, you can help your child discuss his own feelings by asking her if she has ever felt the way some of the characters in the book appear to feel. I recommend the following books that are appealing to children and provide springboards for discussions:

On Monday When It Rained by Cherryl Kachenmeister
Feelings by Aliki
Today I Feel Silly by Jamie Lee Curtis
The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss
The Feelings Book by Todd Parr
Glad Monster, Sad Monster by Ed Emberley

Play a game to hone your child’s ability to recognize feelings. Look in books or watch television shows. Ask your child to “read a person’s face and body language” to tell you how that person is feeling. With practice, your child will become more adept at accurately understanding how others feel. And by calling attention to this skill, you child will, at the least, gain the understanding that recognizing and acknowledging other people’s feelings is important.

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Take a good look! (Tips for honing visual discrimination skills)

Renee — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:33 GMT

Children can observe their surroundings in many ways. They can take a quick glance, they can look for obvious visual cues, or they can look carefully at the details. While every situation does not call for careful scrutiny, it is important that children are able to notice small details in visual messages. This ability is called visual discrimination and is essential for success in every academic area.

Think about the prospect of learning to read. A child must first know each letter and the associated letter sound. But to know each letter, he must be able to distinguish between a B, P, and R, for example, or understand and identify the differences between an A and V. Small but significant differences in letters and numbers require children to notice subtle characteristics in the visual messages their brain receives. As with all other skills, this can be accomplished through exposure and practice.

Of course, to engage a child’s interest so that he will be willing to practice, activities must be fun. And they can be! Children enjoy learning and will take on any challenge if it is appropriate and interesting. Appropriate challenges are those that can be mastered without undue frustration.

Play “I Spy” with your child. This classic game is a gem because it can be played anywhere and for as long as you like. Also, the difficulty can be easily adjusted to meet your child’s skill level.
Introduce your child to some compare and contrast worksheets. The advanced worksheets, in particular, will require your child’s careful scrutiny.

Play a version of the Matching Game. Instead of requiring your child to remember where a specific picture is, he can take a large group of cards and look for the matches. By looking at a number of cards at the same time, your child will be forced to look for details in the pictures he is searching for.
Take several photographs in sequence and develop each picture. There will be slight difference between the shots as people move or other objects come into the frame. Ask your child to find the differences. Make a list to see how many he can find.
Make your own “Difference Detective” visual discrimination game with index cards cut in half. Use a bold marker to draw the same simple picture or shape on three index cards and then draw almost the same shape (make a minor change) on the fourth card. Place the cards in front of your child and ask him be a detective and take away the card that is different. Then ask him to tell you why he chose that card. Make many different cards to keep the game interesting.
Make a variation of “Difference Detective” game using the letters of the alphabet. You can use the letter cards from the uppercase/lowercase letters matching game! Place three of the same letter and one different letter in a row and ask your child to be a detective and find the letter that does not belong with the others. Let your child’s skill level determine the letters you choose. For instance, a child just learning to differentiate between letters will likely be successful if shown RRDR. A child with greater visual discrimination skills will enjoy the challenge of spotting the odd card in a group such as OQOO or CGGG.

You can also introduce numerals with this game by making three cards showing a specific number and making a fourth card with the number slightly altered. Perhaps you can put a dot in the middle of one of the loops in the 8 or draw a short line on the stem of the 7. Use your imagination and adjust the difficulty of the cards.
Play “Grocery Gopher” with your child at the grocery store. Describe the label of a box or can on a shelf in front of him and ask your little “gopher” to find that exact product. Again, this game can easily be adjusted to fit your child’s skill and comfort level.
Look at magazines or picture books with your child and ask him to point out specific details that you see. If you are looking at a magazine page, your child can mark with an X or circle the pictures or details in pictures that you ask him to find.

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Helping children learn short vowel sounds

Renee — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:50 GMT

Children begin to read by learning to identify letters and the sounds those letters make. If you have followed some of my previous blogs, you may have noticed that I suggest introducing the letters in a particular order - namely, introducing the majority of consonant letters first and then introducing the five vowels.

I recommended teaching the majority of consonants first because those letters each have one sound. This is not true of vowels, which have a long sound (the name of the letter) and a short sound (a as in ant; e as in egg; i as in itch; o as in olive; u as in umbrella). To complicate things even more, vowel sounds are more frequently found in the middle of words, rather than at the start of words. So learning the sounds of the vowels and identifying these sounds in words can be challenging for little ones.

To make learning easier for your young child, use the Alphabet Parade worksheets to help her gain comfort with the short vowel sounds first. These worksheets will give your child practice identifying the short vowel sound in both the starting and middle positions in words, as I created one worksheet for short vowel sounds and one worksheet for long vowel sounds. For example, check out the worksheets for the letter A and you’ll find the worksheets that address the letter’s short sound and the letter’s long sound.

Reinforce identification of short vowel sounds by helping your child create her own personal “Short Vowel Book.” Using a bold pen, label each of five sheets of construction paper with one of the vowels. Write both the uppercase and lowercase versions of the letter, such as Aa or Ee. Then ask your child to look through magazines and find pictures that demonstrate one of the short vowel sounds, such as “bat” or “cap” for the letter Aa. Direct your child to cut out the pictures she finds and paste them on the appropriate vowel page. You can display the individual sheets for visual reinforcement of short vowel sounds or staple the left edge of the pages to create a book.

When your child is comfortable identifying short vowel sounds, the Word Family Sliders are an ideal way to help her connect the short vowel to consonants, thus creating words. Learning the word family, such as _at, reinforces the short vowel sound in the middle position. Then your child can practice adding familiar consonant sounds in front of the vowel sounds to create words.

You can help your child solidify her learning by asking her to write each new word that she creates with the Word Family Slider. Ask her to write the words in a column, with each new word written under the previous word. This will give her the chance to recognize the recurring ending letter combination in each word. When the list is complete, your child has created her own variation of a Word Family Slider! Now she can read down her list of words, needing only to substitute the next initial consonant for each new word. And voila! Your child is reading and gaining confidence in her abilities.

Helping children learn the sounds each letter makes is a fun and exciting process. Before you know it, your little one will be reading to you at night!

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Learn to listen and listen to learn

Renee — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 02:09 GMT

The winter months are ideal for working on auditory processing skills with your little one. Being “housebound” due to inclement weather can get a little boring by the time February rolls around, so let’s add some fun to those dreary winter days and help your child beef up his listening skills.

“Good listening” involves two skill sets that are actually intertwined. Children must be willing to listen and follow directions and they must be able to understand the words spoken to them (a skill called auditory processing) so that they can respond appropriately.

I also believe that the “willing to listen” component of “good listening” can be influenced by habits. Children can easily get into the habit of ignoring a parent’s verbal requests and parents can get into the habit of repeating requests so that children don’t have to listen the first time. Can you see a cycle here? If you are like most parents (and I was like this, too, until I learned!), you hear yourself asking and asking and then pleading for your child to follow your directions.

If this repetition cycle sounds familiar or if you want to help your child beef up his auditory processing skills, read on for some fun tips and activities.

Play the classic game of “Simon Says.” As you play, make the directions more complicated to challenge your child to listen carefully.
Clearly state one-step directions and expect your child to follow them. Look at your child when you speak to him and ask him to look back at you, as well. Often, crouching beside a child so that your heads are at the same level when you speak does a lot to grab a child’s attention. You can ask him to repeat the directions to you before he complies with your request to be sure that he understands your words. Avoid the temptation to repeat your words if your child seems to ignore you.
Play “Treasure Hunt” by hiding items or toys around your house. Then give your child verbal directions to help him find the item. For example, you might say: “Find the red toy train under the sofa in the family room.”
Hand your child a coloring book page and some crayons. Then tell him he is going to make a silly picture by following your directions. Ask him to color specific parts of the picture in specific ways. For instance, you might ask your child to put blue polka dots on the dog’s ears and color the doghouse with purple stripes. You get the idea. The sillier your directions, the more fun your child will have.
Get into the habit of discussing picture books when you read to your child. You can choose to read the book through without stopping to give your child the opportunity to appreciate the essence and the rhythm of the book. Then you can ask some questions about what you read and/or let your child retell the story in his own words. You can also pause several times as you read and ask your child questions about what you have read to that point. Then ask him to make predictions about what might happen next.
Encourage your child to “listen the first time” by giving him choices. For example, you might ask if he prefers waffles or cereal for breakfast. But only offer the choice one time. You can ask him to repeat his options to be sure that he heard you speaking. (As stated earlier, looking at your child while you speak and asking him to look at you also helps get his attention.) Give him his choice if he responds to your question. If he does not answer you, then calmly make the choice for him. Your child will quickly learn the importance of listening to your words the first time they are spoken.
Introduce auditory processing worksheets to find 53 fun worksheets with additional tips to help your child practice responding to the words he hears.

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Take time to try patterns with your child

Renee — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:55 GMT

In my experience with preschoolers and kindergartners, January is often a very exciting time of year. I always marveled at the growth that children exhibited when they returned from the two-week winter break. Somehow, the time away from school gave children a chance to integrate all they had been learning. It seemed like things were starting to gel! No wonder January was always one of my favorite months in school.

One of the areas where I consistently saw growth was in the area of patterns - both creating patterns and recognizing patterns. A patterning activity was always part of our classroom morning routine, where children would take turns creating patterns for their peers to identify. In January, the simple AB pattern (blue, red, blue, red) was a thing of the past! More likely, children would begin expanding on the patterns. Often, the ABC pattern would pop up, or even an ABCD pattern. But then, there would be the children who loved to try to stump their peers and would create ABCB or AABC patterns, for example. And, of course, once one child expanded his horizons, others followed suit.

So use the time spent indoors during these snowy, sleety, rainy January days and give your child some opportunities to explore the world of patterns.

Some activities to try at home:

Reinforce the concept of patterns with patterning worksheets. Remind your child that a pattern is a sequence that exactly repeats at least two times.
Use colored beads to create and save patterns. Ask your child to place the colored beads in a line on a table. Have him identify his pattern using descriptive words (red, blue, round, or square, for example) or letters (A, B, C, etc.) to describe his pattern. I always suggested that children touch each element of the pattern as they speak to reinforce the pattern and help them keep their place. Also, encourage your child to create and name patterns moving from left to right. Once your child has created and identified his pattern, he may place the beads in the correct order on a lace.
Round stickers of various colors are fun for pattern creation. Give your child a strip of paper and some stickers and ask him to create a pattern. He may even want to label the pattern by writing letters under each sticker (A under red stickers, for instance, and B under all the blue stickers).
Challenge your child to create interesting patterns with only two or three colors of beads or buttons. With two colors, your child may create patterns such as AAB or AABB or ABABB! The creative options are limitless! You might demonstrate some more complicated patterns and ask your child to identify them before he tries this on his own.
Using colored stickers, create a pattern, repeating the sequence at least twice. Then encourage your child to continue your pattern with additional stickers. If the sequence that is repeated for the pattern is difficult to identify, ask your child to use a pencil to draw a line separating each sequence to make the pattern easier to duplicate.
To tap into your child’s imagination and make patterning a more exciting activity, ask him to select some objects from around the house to use when he creates patterns. Shoes and toys can be used to create fun (and large!) pattern sequences.

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Tips for helping children write letters and notes

Renee — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 03:33 GMT

In response to my blog post last week about the importance of teaching young children to write thank you notes, I received a few emails asking for specific guidance on working with their child on this activity. I am so excited that so many of you are going to try this with your child and I hope the following paragraphs give you some great ideas for getting started.

First, thank you notes can be as simple as a few words and a picture on a piece of construction paper. Or perhaps your child would enjoy choosing a package of cards from the card store or drug store and adding a message inside. The notes your child creates should reflect (and respect) his skill level and abilities. There are many ways that notes can be created that honor your child’s abilities while allowing him to practice and share his skills.

Here are some suggestions for working with children of all skill levels. You know your child and can choose the approach that suits him well.

Ask your child to draw a picture. Let him dictate his words of appreciation and watch you write them on the paper or card. (This may be as simple as “Thank you for the dump truck.”) Then allow your child to write his name under the message. Your child may know just the first letter of his name - that’s fine! Or you can turn this into an opportunity to practice name writing by lightly printing the letters of your child’s name on the card and asking him to trace them. Perhaps your child would do well having a written sample of his name clearly printed in bold letters on a piece of paper on the table as a model for him to copy.
Some children are ready to copy the words they wish to say from your model after they dictate the words to you. Again, the message can be very short and sweet. Write your child’s words clearly and boldly on a piece of paper and set this model above his card or paper where it can easily be seen. Sometimes it is helpful to isolate the word or letter your child is writing by pointing to it as he writes.
If your child knows the sounds associated with many letters, he may be able to use inventive spelling (also called phonetic spelling) to sound out the words he wishes to write. After your child has written his message, ask him if you can write his message on the back of the card or under his own lettering to help others read it. In my experience with preschoolers and kindergartners, children do not object to this at all. They know that they may not have used the “adult spelling” and don’t expect to know how to spell each word correctly. (My guess is that their teacher uses this method at school, as well.) If you and your child choose to have the correctly spelled word written under his inventive spelling, do that only for words that could not be deciphered otherwise. That shows a child that he is capable of conveying his ideas with his inventive spelling. For example, if a child writes: I LIK M TRUK, you may only need to write the word ‘my’ under the M for the message to be clear to the reader. (Children strive to use conventional spelling, so do not worry that your child will believe it is fine to spell any way that he wishes. For now, he is doing his best and needs positive reinforcement for his efforts.)

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Now It’s Time to Say “Thank You”

Renee — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 15:25 GMT

Now that the holidays have passed, it is a wonderful time to help your child refocus his attention and learn the importance of sending gift-givers a proper thank you. I know it is easy to dial the phone and put your child on to quickly say “thank you” to each gift-giver. And I’m sure the recipient of the phone call is delighted to hear your child’s voice. However, as a former kindergarten teacher, I love the wonderful learning opportunities presented to children when they are helped to send written thank you notes.

When a child sits with his parent and creates thank you notes, he is receiving the clear and valuable message that appreciation is important. Also, by engaging in the specific activity of writing a thank you note, children can be taught to appreciate the time, energy and effort spent by others picking out the perfect gift.

Also, thank you note writing helps children hone the following skills:

Understanding the importance of the written word. Even if a young child is unable to read or write, he can learn the power of the written word by seeing his ideas put onto paper. Allow your child to dictate to you what he wants to say and he can watch as you write the words on the paper for him.
Practicing handwriting skills. Regardless of how much writing your child does, the activity of creating handwritten thank you notes provides a meaningful way to practice handwriting skills. At the very least, your child will have the chance to practice writing his name when he signs the note.
Practicing inventive spelling skills. Children just beginning to read and write can think about the sounds they hear in words and write the letters to represent those sounds. They can recognize their ability to convey their message to others in writing by using their phonetic spelling skills.

To help make this activity fun and engaging for your child, consider the following tips:

To keep your child interested and engaged, ask him to write only a reasonable amount of notes. Some children may be overwhelmed if asked to write a note for every gift they received. Perhaps you could ask him to choose 5 or 6 especially important people to send a written note to.
As I mentioned before, help your child keep the message short and sweet. You might model this technique by writing thank you notes alongside him and showing him what you are doing. Demonstrate how you write a simple sentence of appreciation and sign your name.
Work with your child when he is rested. Writing work requires concentration and your child will feel successful if he is able to focus and produce a product that makes him feel proud.
Ask your friends and/or family members to let your child know when they receive his thank you note. Their appreciation for your child’s effort will undoubtedly please him.

Let me take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year and to thank you for being a member of the School Sparks community. Your comments and support inspire me each day.

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An educational and inexpensive holiday present for kids

Renee — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:08 GMT

In response to my blog post last week about what I consider to be the perfect holiday present for young kids, I received lots of wonderful emails asking about what other educational holiday gifts I would recommend for youngsters. So this blog post will be devoted to another gift that I consider perfect for young children and amazingly cost-conscious for parents: A bag of coins!

I love this gift idea for several reasons:

It couldn’t be simpler and is one gift that you don’t have to brave the long lines in toy stores to get.
It is very easy to adjust the collection of coins to meet any child’s skill level. (For younger children, I might put in only two types of coin - pennies and dimes, for example. Older children can manipulate all four denominations.)
Kids LOVE playing with money.
There are a wide variety of games and activities using coins that enhance skill development while being a lot of fun.
This is an inexpensive gift, but one that children love!

How to create this gift

Making this gift is amazingly easy.

First, find (or sew - it’s not too difficult) a drawstring fabric bag. (If you prefer, a small jar or empty plastic container also works.)

Then simply fill the bag or container with a variety of coins. (My daughter is not comfortable letting her child play with coins from her purse because of the germ factor, and I get that. So I solved that problem by throwing the coins in a small tub of sudsy water before putting them in the bag. Not only are the coins sanitized, but they look shinier too! A simple polish with a vinegar/salt combination also shines up coins!) So your child can make exchanges (five pennies for one nickel, for example, be sure to include an ample amount of each type of coin.

For younger children, I suggest gifting two different bags: one with only two types of coins (pennies and dimes, for example) and a second bag with multiple denominations of coins. Once a child learns how to manipulate the coins in the first bag, it will be easier and less intimidating for him to start playing with multiple different types of coins.

Start playing!

A simple bag of coins can give rise to countless fun and educational games. Here are a few of my favorites:

Counting: Ask your child to simply count the number of coins in the bag.
Sort the coins: Ask your child to divide the coins into separate piles.
Stack the coins: Ask your child to stack all of the coins to create a tower. This will provide practice controlling the fine muscles in the fingers. Your child may realize, through trial and error, that the larger coins are best placed at the bottom of the stack. Add some excitement to this game by dividing the pile of coins into two equal piles and race against your child to see who can create a finished stack first.
Graphing: Now ask your child to count the amount in each pile and record his findings on a graph. Remember to ask your child some important follow-up questions about the completed graph such as: Which group has the most? Which group has the least? Are any groups equivalent?
Discover the value of the coins: Help your child count the amount of money each pile represents. Counting by ones (pennies) and tens (dimes) is the easiest for children. Then demonstrate how to count the value of the nickels and the quarters.
Make an Equivalent Chart: Show your child how to create the same amount of money with each type of coin. Fifty cents is a good place to start. Ask your child to show 2 quarters, 5 dimes, 10 nickels and (if you have it) 50 pennies and explain that each pile represents the same amount of money. Then help your child create a poster that tells how many of each coin is needed to create 50 cents. Your child can paste one coin of each denomination on his chart to make it realistic and fun.
Play Pretend Store: Cut out pictures of toys from catalogs or newspaper ads. Paste each picture on an individual index card and use a bold marker to write a pretend price on the card. You can adjust the price to reflect your child’s skill level counting amounts with coins. Then show your child the cards and allow him to “shop” for toys by using his money to purchase the toy at the price quoted on the card.
Play Coin War: Ask your child to divide his pile of coins randomly into two equal piles. Put each pile in a cup. Each player closes his eyes and spills a coin from his cup into his empty hand. Then each player shows his coin. The player with the higher amount coin takes both coins and sets them aside. When all the coins in the cup have been spilled out, each player takes his pile of “set aside” coins, puts them back in the empty cup, and the play continues. As in the traditional WAR game with cards, the first player to collect all of the coins wins.

I wish you all a wonderful (and educational) holiday season with the special people in your life!

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Sharing the gift of School Sparks

Renee — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:09 GMT

A few weeks ago I noticed an interesting flurry of purchases of the School Sparks workbook. And by flurry, I mean sets of 3, 4, 5 and even 10 workbooks being purchased at a time by a single person. Typically when someone orders 2 or 3 workbooks, I just assumed they had multiple children and wanted each child to have his or her own workbook. But a family with 10 kids? Possible, but the emerging trend piqued my interest so I emailed one of the friendly buyers to ask what they planned to do with 10 School Sparks workbooks. Within moments I received an email back with the answer - holiday presents for her nieces, nephews, godchildren, and the housekeeper’s daughter. The email went on to say how much her own daughter was enjoying the workbook, which made her realize what a nice present it might make for the other children in her life.

And that got me thinking…

Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Christmas, December is often a time for gift giving. Children start seeing those toy store ads as soon as Halloween has passed and the frenzy doesn’t let up until the end of December. Rather than purchase another battery-operated toy or video game, I was so touched to learn that many of my lovely readers have decided to find a place for the School Sparks workbook in their December gift-giving plans.

If you have not already completed your holiday shopping this year, consider adding a School Sparks workbook to your must-have list for the little ones in your family. With over 460 colorful worksheets and over 400 activity suggestions, this may well be the one gift that captures your child’s attention for months to come (and not just for a few days after the wrapping has been torn from the book). Also, free shipping is still available and it will arrive in plenty of time for Christmas!

I am so appreciative of all of my loyal followers who take the time each day to send me an email sharing their experiences with me, respond to a blog post, purchase a workbook, or even download a single worksheet. Your passion for School Sparks inspires me to create and share even more. Thank you and happy holidays!

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