Start with the nature centers.  An easy morning trip is Willowbrook Wildlife Haven in Glen Ellyn.  Rescued animals and a few exhibits are on display along with some live animals native to Illinois including a bald eagle, which are housed outside along a short nature trail.

Little Red Schoolhouse south of LaGrange, Red Oak Nature Center in North Aurora, and Pilcher Nature Center in Joliet are a few others in the area.  All have indoor exhibits, hiking trails, and lots to see.  Take a picnic and enjoy the outdoors. Morton Arboretum also has wonderful hiking and is offering more now for children to see and do.

Cosley’s Animal Farm in Wheaton is a great place to see farm animals.  Older students can participate in a summer volunteer program, and younger children love to pet the lambs, pigs, horse and calf.

Naper Settlement offers Joe Naper Days, Civil War Days, and lots of organized activities over the summer.  Kline Creek Farm and Blackberry Farm Pioneer Village near Aurora also teach kids about pioneer life. Fullersburg Old Graue Mill in Hinsdale has a nice little nature center and fun hiking trails along the river.

Many museums in our area are great day or half-day trips. Drive up to Wheaton College to see the Mastodon on display, or Dupage County Historical Museum also in Wheaton, or our own DuPage Children’s Museum in Naperville.  Kids love the Sci-Tech Museum in Aurora or take a trip to any of the Chicago Museums.  My kids loved visiting the Chicago Planetarium and seeing the sky show or exploring at the Field Museum or Museum of Science and Industry.  One of their favorite museums was the little Museum of Lapidary Arts in Elmhurst.  It is full of rock carvings, mineral displays, and a rock shop that is lots of fun to explore.

Don’t forget our zoos in Brookfield and Lincoln Park. You can take the train to Brookfield Zoo and catch a bus to the entrance.  It is worth the trip at least once every year.

There is so much nearby to see and do.  Take the time to explore our world and have fun as a family.  Start your planning now!

The purpose of homework is to review the day’s lesson and provide independent practice.  It helps prepare for the next day and for the next test.  Homework is first about understanding and mastering the material, and then about the grade, not visa versa.

Homework should not be given on skills that have not yet been introduced or on skills that a child does not yet understand.  I recommend that you return this type of homework to the teacher with a note stating that your child was very confused and did not understand the skill.  Ask the teacher to work with him more, and then send home the work again.  Encourage older students to advocate for themselves – let the teacher know you didn’t understand and ask for help.

If your child works slowly and is having trouble completing homework in a timely manner, don’t engage in homework wars!  Try some shortcuts such as completing 5 problems instead of 10, and let the teacher know that your child understands the skill but did not have enough time to complete the page.  Or skim through the chapter, stopping to survey the headings, study the definitions, the picture captions and charts, and answer the chapter questions by going back to locate the answers about the chapter’s content.  If your child can answer the questions and learn the material, then the homework goal was accomplished whether or not he actually read the chapter.

If your young child is spending more than 2 hours a night on homework, please stop!  Let the teacher know how much time your child is taking to complete homework, and see if she will work with you to modify the amount. Your child needs a life!  Make sure there is time for exercise, for fun and for activities your children enjoy.  You will all be happier!

Keeping these ideas in mind will help you eliminate homework wars in your home!

Of course, you can always get a tutor to help your child tackle homework efficiently!  And you would enjoy a break a few days a week!  You know who to call – WSEA!

The five steps include: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review.

Survey

This first step involves noticing the lay of the land, noticing headings and sub headings, charts, graphs and pictures. This is exactly what we do when we travel to a new country, begin a new school or job, or enter a new building: we check it out. Remember all learning comes from our senses.

Question
Next, form questions. What is this chapter about? Change headings and subheadings into questions. Do you know anything about the topic? Remember, the brain is a series of neuro networks: it likes to connect new information to familiar knowledge.

Read
Now read with purpose. Read to answer the questions from step 2.

Recite
This step for secondary students is note taking, writing down the important information in key phrases as notes or study cards. Verbal recitation is also valuable.

Review
Review, review, review. Short review sessions over a long period of time is the best way to master new information.

SQ3R is a tried and true method for improving reading comprehension and study skills. At WSEA, we teach our students to read for success!

Research indicates that memory and test taking performance are increased by SLEEP! It’s true; students who sleep eight to nine hours a night retain more information and perform better on tests that their peers who have less sleep. In another study, students who wrote down their fears about test taking performed better than a control group.

The best way to prepare for a test is to review in the same format as the test. Practice improves scores. That is why test taking review classes are so popular. One program does not fit all students. It is important to look for a program that fits the student’s individual needs.

Realistic expectations are important.  Not all students will score in the 98th %ile; actually only 2% will.

Best effort is always the most appropriate goal!

Good luck to all our students on the upcoming tests!

Good study habits start with organization and routine.  Help your child from early-on to organize materials and keep a clear study space with materials nearby. Backpacks need to be organized and cleared out daily until it is a habit.  Teens need a spot check once in awhile as well.  Set up a routine study time.  We suggest a required amount of time daily whether there is homework or not.  Choose other activities to do during that time such as reading, practicing math facts, studying for an upcoming test, outlining a chapter, etc.

Help your child learn how to study for tests.  When doing chapter study, have index cards handy to use for chapter vocabulary and questions with answers on the back of the card. This is a great way to learn new material for chapter tests.  Use the cards to help memorize information.  Read – Test – Check!

Set goals, both short term and long term.  These should be specific, measurable, and achievable.  Young children often need incentive charts at home.  These work and make your life easier!  When my children were young, I had them make up their own goals, design their own charts, and together we came up with an award such as go to the movies with just Mom, or go bowling with just Dad.  We suggest a special privilege as an award which will have more meaning than giving money or buying a materialistic item.

Practice good communication with your child and with your school.  Know what projects, tests and assignments are coming up. Practice good problem solving techniques with your child.  Encourage more independence when your child is ready.

These are just a few of many things parents can do to help their children develop better study skills.  To find out more, please join us for our Positive Parenting Workshop: A Focus on Study Skills to learn how to help your child with focusing and memorizing techniques, chapter study, test taking and organization.  We offer this workshop twice a year in the evening.  The next one is coming up January 31 at 7:15 p.m.

Call us to register! 630-922-8100

Homework is meant to reinforce learning and help students to master specific skills.
Homework can help students develop study skills that will be of value even after they leave school. It can teach them that learning takes place anywhere, not just in the classroom. It can help develop independence, responsibility and good time management.

Parent involvement can have a positive impact on the value of homework if you follow these general homework tips:

1. Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework without distractions.
2. Make sure the materials your child needs such as paper, pencils, and a dictionary are available.
3. Help your child with time management. Establish a routine required homework hour whenever possible. Don’t leave homework until bedtime.
4. Be positive and encouraging about homework. The attitude you express about homework will be the attitude your child acquires.
5. When your child does homework, you do homework. Show your child that the skills he is learning are related to things you do as an adult. For example, if your child is doing math, balance your checkbook.
6. When your child asks for help, provide guidance, not answers. Too much help teaches your child that when the going gets rough, someone will do the work for him or her. Ask questions that will help your child develop good problem solving skills.
7. Help your child do the hardest subject or task first. This will mean he will be most alert when facing his biggest challenge. Once fatigue sets in, your child will not cope as well with challenging work.
8. If homework is meant to be done by your child alone, back away. Too much parent involvement can prevent homework from being a positive experience. Homework is a great way to help kids develop independent, lifelong learning skills.
9. Stay informed. Communicate with your child’s teacher so that you know the purpose of homework and to show your child that the school and home are a team.
10. Set short and long term goals with your child for learning. Incentive charts help. Earning a privilege or a one-on-one outing are great rewards.

If you have difficulty working with your child, or if either of you become repeatedly frustrated with one another, it is time to press the “pause” button and revisit homework a little later. If you do not work well together, then it might be time to seek out a qualified tutor to help your child on a regular basis. We have the answer for that!

Computer graded exams are more comprehensive -more questions- than those of past generations which were hand graded. Today’s students are required to organize and memorize an enormous amount of information and recall that information on final exams which count for 20% of their final grade.

Understanding  the brain and learning styles can make studying for exams more productive.

Chunking….

Our brains remember information organized in 5-7 bits. Long list are easily forgotten.  Organizing information on cards with 5-7 bullet points facilitates memory.

Our brains require sensory information, so using as many senses as possible to input information facilitates learning/memory. Most people have a dominant sensory mode: visual, auditory or kinesthetic.  So using study cards with color will help visual learners. Repeating information aloud helps auditory learners. Moving, while reviewing,  and  writing out information will help kinesthetic/physical learners.  Putting this all together gives the brain what it needs to learn.

Review, review, review…..

Short periods of review over a long period of time is the best way to master material. Plan 20 – 40 minutes of review on a regular basis.  Have study cards, will travel! Take them with you to review while waiting of appointments, traveling etc. Research indicated that reviewing before sleep aids memory.

Breathe….

Anxiety is normal when we have to perform. A little bit actually increases performance. However, a little bit goes a long way. Deep breathing helps to keep the brain alert and exhale worry. Positive affirmations: ” I am prepared; I will do my best.” help. A recent study found that students who wrote down worries about test performance scored higher than a control group.

Another interesting fact: SLEEP is a critical factor in performance on exams. So don’t forget to get your zzzzz’s!

Final exams are difficult. Using these techniques will help you do your best.

ACT/SAT

This is also the time to begin to prepare for college entrance exams. Juniors should begin to prepare for these after first semester finals. The best way to prepare for the ACT/SAT is to take a pretest to get a baseline. From this you will know your strengths and weaknesses. For many students time in a big issue. Drills in each section increase time performance.

It is also important to understand the test. There are test taking strategies that increase scores. The ACT and SAT are very different tests requiring different strategies.

There are over 1600 colleges in the United States. The key is to find the one that is right for you. Test scores are only one of the factors that determine acceptance.

More on this later….

Good luck on finals!

First, listen to what the teacher has to say.  Do not become defensive.  Teachers are your friends.  They genuinely care about and want to help your child learn.  Give your  teacher information about any changes happening at home such as a divorce or death in the family, a new baby, a major surgery, or anything that could affect your child’s learning. If you speak to other teachers who work with your child, ask questions pertaining to their particular subject area or their area of expertise. Take notes so that you can jog your memory later. Find out how you can help at home.  If you need more time to discuss your child, request another meeting or a follow-up phone call.  Conferences are usually about 20 minutes long, so don’t waste the time chit-chatting about the weather!

Ten Must-Ask Questions 

1.  Is my child performing with his best effort at school?

2.  Where are my child’s greatest strengths and weaknesses?

3.  How does my child fit in socially with others?

4.  How much of the time is my child staying on task?

5.  Is my child staying organized with his assignments and turning them in on time?

6.  How do you accommodate differences in learning if my child is an accelerated learner and is bored, or if he processes slowly and falls behind?

7.  Is there anything I need to know about the behavior of my child at school?

8.  What can I do at home to help my child and stay more involved in his academic progress?

9.  At what grade level is my child performing and where is that level compared to the rest of the class?

10. Do you recommend summer school, tutoring, or other programs to help my child outside of school?

Teachers are generally not allowed to suggest you use a tutor or any outside help such as seeking independent testing or counseling.  If you ask direct questions, they will usually tell you what they think.  Ask the right questions, and you will get the right answers.  At the end of the conference review any decisions you have made together, and if you feel it is necessary, make an appointment for another meeting. Together, you and the teacher will help your child succeed!

Good luck at your parent teacher conference!

I read separately to my two children almost every night until they wouldn’t let me read to them any more. My son was in 6th grade before we quit, and my daughter was in 7th. The night time ritual was something we all looked forward to. I would read to one for 10-15 minutes, then to the other. Of course it helped that they were 3 1/2 years apart with different bedtimes. Some nights we just couldn’t wait to go up to bed to see what was going to happen next in the book.

I can’t tell you how much my children learned. From fiction books as well as nonfiction books, vocabularies flourished. We discussed language and meanings of words. “What does that mean?” my son would ask. “Why did she say that?” my daughter would ask. I explained difficult words and talked about language expressions. Reading aloud to your children provides the opportunity to expose them to all types of literature and explore areas of interest as well. We often used books from the “Battle of the Books” list and even old classics. I read Moby Dick to my son in 6th grade. He could not have read it on his own at that age, but he sure could understand it and loved the old style flowery language. I read Jane Eyre, a high school novel, to my daughter when she was in 7th grade, and she really enjoyed it. There are hundreds of wonderful read aloud books, and it can’t hurt to preview a few that will be coming up later in middle school such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn.

Make it a priority to read to your child! You are probably thinking, can’t do it, other siblings need attention, we’re too busy, my spouse travels, whatever the excuse is. Enlist the help of your spouse, read to more than one kid at a time if you have to, but the important thing is to read! My students often tell me that their mothers used to read to them but don’t anymore. How sad. It is a terrific learning opportunity and a bonding experience that your child will never forget. Best of all, your child will likely become an avid reader for a lifetime! What better gift can you give your child!