Want to enrich your child’s education, but unsure of how to engage? Fear not! Valuable academic lessons do not require hours of painstaking prep and a formal classroom setting to pull off. We’ve compiled three engaging ways for parents to reinforce fundamental middle school concepts with their children in an hour or less. BAKE A CAKE Concepts Review: Fractions and Reading Comprehension This is one of our favorite fraction review exercises because it’s applicable to real life, requires minimal planning, and is simply delicious. Choose a recipe that requires measuring ingredients in varying capacities, like ¼ cup or ⅔ TBSP. We love baking recipes like this Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake because it utilizes unique fraction measures for dry and wet ingredients, without requiring parents to purchase a fortune’s worth of items they will never use again. Allow your child to take the reins to test their reading comprehension skills, taking care to correct them only when necessary. Your young one will love measuring the vanilla extract and baking powder while watching a positively scrumptious dessert come to life. The best part? The lesson only lasts as long as the prep and bake time, will a tasty reward for all of your child’s hard work! Extra Credit: Have your child double or halve the measurements in the recipe in order to practice multiplying and dividing fractions. COUPON SHOPPING Concepts Review: Percent and Decimal Conversions, Price Discounts and Mark-Ups, Unit Price You know those pesky coupon booklets with which local grocery stores spam your mailbox? Turns out they are perfect for practicing percentage and decimal conversions. Cut out 5-10 discount coupons and ask your child to calculate the new price when the discount is applied. You can also have them calculate the original price by using the discount percent and new discount price. For bulk items like 24-cans of soda, challenge your little one to calculate the unit price of a single can using the discounted price. Then, compare like items and ask them which is the better buy based on the unit price. Not only will this exercise prime your child to shop wisely, you will also have a helper when it comes to finding weekly savings! Extra Credit: Ask your child to calculate the unit price for the original and discounted prices. Also, have them convert every percent discount into a decimal. CURRENT EVENTS Concepts Review: Reading Comprehension, Information Synthesis, Vocabulary Ask your child to summarize a current news article about a topic that he or she finds interesting. Have them summarize it for you verbally by answering “The 5 W’s: Who? Where? What? When? Why? and How?” Ensure that they keep a running list of new words and phrases as they read, and task them with using a dictionary to find and record their meaning. Before you know it, not only will your child strengthen their ability to process what they read, they will be versed on current events as well! Extra Credit: Have your child write new sentences using the vocabulary words they define from their article.
Can the words “homework” and “focus” truly coincide in the same sentence without a nuclear meltdown? As a blogger and mom of three, I think this theory is probable. Having scoured the internet and begged friends, teachers and experts for their suggestions: these are a few of the tried and tested methods that bring relief to the homework issues in my home. School is not Finished when the Bell Rings Just as a forty hour work week can stretch into sixty hours, students need to understand that their work is not finished until the job is completed, and not when the bus arrives. There can be exceptions, for example; baseball practice, orchestra concerts and dance recitals. But be intentional about scheduling a time to get the work done. Set an early morning alarm to work on those math problems that were missed while partying late celebrating Grandma’s birthday. Understand the Subject Matter Most educators are willing to meet by appointment before or after school hours to assist students with difficult subjects. It’s a crazy idea, almost like it’s their job and desire to assist with learning. Tutors specific to the area of study are an amazing help. They are devoted to the student’s needs and don’t have the time limitations that teachers often have. Take a Break Sitting in a controlled environment all day, students need a 15-30 minute break to stretch their legs and eat a healthy snack before sitting down to focus on schoolwork again. If studies journey into a long session of concentration, take a short break for the brain and body. Set a Timer, Set a Goal Set a 5-20 minute timer and set a goal, for instance, state a number of problems to complete or sentences to structure in the allotted amount of time. It’s amazing how much focus can be found when a challenge is presented. Homework can be a daunting, often (feeling) endless task. With a timer set, there is a limit to the work and possible reward of a break between timer settings until the work is completed. Develop an Atmosphere Conducive to Learning Kitchens often become the afternoon hub in a home. Instead, have a designated area for homework only. Where students can escape if noises and distractions become an issue. A desk in a bedroom or office perhaps? Have all supplies at the ready. In work areas or desks have rulers, pencils, calculators and healthy snacks all within arms reach. Time will not be wasted tracking down supplies. Above All, NO SCREENS! Sorry to blow that ship out of the water, but it’s nearly impossible to do a complex math problem or write an essay with the TV blaring in the background. social media, gaming and “research” online, should be set aside for post-study hours. Come on who are we kidding? Everyone knows these things can easily suck us into a time vortex for which there is no escape. Save screen time for a reward, don’t allow it as a distraction. Hopefully this article helped you find a least a few methods of respite from your homework monsters With some simple changes, focus can be painlessly redirected toward homework and peace restored.
