What toys are educational but fun?

Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday have passed, I wondered what techy educational toys are the hot pick this year. My daughter has aged out of buying toys so I wasn't sure what the latest recommendations were since I do not pay attention anymore. I stumbled across this article posted by Teach Thought that listed 50 of the best educational toys for 2018. Keep in mind I noticed a disclaimer on the page stating they receive a small portion of the proceeds if you purchase by clicking their link, so is the item chosen for that reason or because it is of real educational value? (I do not receive any financial gain from sharing the page!

Check out the article, Editor's Choice: 50 of the Best Educational Toys and Gifts for 2018. I was very pleased to see that the list did not contain a list of digital techy toys only. Toys that help children problem solve, think for themselves and bring out their creative side are listed. These are all skills children need to be successful when tg hey gro we up. You can imagine my excitement when I saw a few classic favorites from when I was a kid can still make the list! Spirogragh, bug catchers, books, art kits and a good old fashioned chalk board easel caught my attention. No child should be without educational toys that teach without them even realizing. They think they are just having fun!  What's your favorite classic educational toy or gift?

Personalized Learning at Central Valley

I talked about Personalized Learning in a previous post. We implemented this teaching style in the school district I work for, Central Valley Central School District in Ilion, New York. I wanted to share some videos that were created when the new teaching style was introduced at the school district. The videos explain what the concept is and how it has been implemented in the classroom. You will hear from elementary and middle school teachers' perspectives on how it is working as they have seen student improvement in a short time. The best part is hearing from the students in the second video!

Learning has become fun for students and they are learning important social skills working together and collaborating when necessary. They learn responsibility and prioritizing since they can work at their own pace and know what needs to get done each week. These are important life skills needed to be ready for college and future careers. Often I have heard my daughter say, "Why didn't we do that when I was in school?" She feels personalized learning would have definitely been an asset to her education in middle and high school.

It's parent-teacher conference time, what do I ask?

Parent-teacher conference season is here! You are excited to meet your child's teacher, yet disappointed once you arrive when you find out you only have a 15 minute time-slot to talk about everything. There is so much you want to know and so little time. You ask yourself, "How do I get all the information I need in so little time to help my child succeed?" That is a great question, not to mention the teacher has their own agenda of information to share.

The most important thing to know is how to reach your child's teacher. Find out if email is best or a phone call and get their contact information. Today there are many ways to stay on top of your child's studies with technology. Many schools have "parent portals" you can sign up for to watch over their grades and assignments. Be sure to find out if this is available and get the information to sign up. Find out what changes you can expect throughout the year, is there anything specific to prepare your child for? Of course, you want to know what areas your child is doing well and where they are struggling. Ask what you can do at home to help with studies, can the teacher send home extra practice sheets or is there a website to work from.

In addition to these topics I listed, I found a list of questions to ask at a parent-teacher conference compiled by VeryWellFamily.com. They have the questions broken down into categories making it easy to prioritize which ones pertain to your child and what you want to know. With such a short time to talk to the teacher, you will want to make the most out of it.

Bring a list of questions you want to ask so you don't forget. If you don't have enough time, ask the teacher if you can schedule a meeting at another time to go over specifics in more detail. Communication with the teacher and school is imperative to your child's education and will help them be successful in school.

Links:
https://www.verywellfamily.com/

https://www.verywellfamily.com/questions-ask-parent-teacher-conferences-2601462

Tips on organizing your brain

I posted earlier this week that I like to watch TED videos. If you have not gotten a chance to check them out yet, here is your first chance. 

The one I am sharing today is from their Ted-Ed Student Talks series. Students share information and experiences they have had so it is easy for students to relate to them. Trishna Bindu explains how she learned a memory technique called Method of Loci to help organize her scatterbrain. Hope it helps you and your children re-organize those scatterbrain moments! 

TED videos are a great resource-check them out

I want to share one of my favorite websites and YouTube channels with you. TED is a nonprofit organization that is devoted to sharing ideas. They have short videos from presenters that are usually very short, less than 20 minutes long. From technology to handling stress, I have found them to be very informative and enjoy watching them. Face it, they do not take up much of your time to watch, however many have a great impact. Once I attended a workshop on living with people with mental disabilities. I found the speaker had spoken at a TED Talk so I looked for her video. It was great to hear her back story and how she lived with Autism and has learned to manage it. Even though this was not part of the discussion for the workshop I attended, hearing her story put an entirely different perspective on meeting her and listening to her ideas.

When I first came to know TED Talks, they were geared mainly towards technology. Over time they have evolved into a wealth of information across a variety of topics. They have Ted-X conferences, Ted-Ed lessons, Ted-Student Talks just to name a few. I will share them with you from time to time but you may want to check out their website and YouTube channel. There are so many interesting videos of real life experiences and educational tips you are bound to find something that you can't wait to watch. You may even find some to share with your children to overcome something they are struggling with in school. Their slogan is true, "Ideas worth spreading." Hope you enjoy checking them out!

Links:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector

https://www.ted.com/

EngageNY Helps Parents Define Curriculum

Suzie comes home from school and wants help with her homework. She needs to prepare for a test and just doesn't understand the content or where to start. Mom's head is spinning trying to help Suzie, she just is not sure what to do. What can she do to help Suzie with her work? She can check out EngageNY!

According to the EngageNY website, "EngageNY.org is developed and maintained by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to support the implementation of key aspects of the New York State Board of Regents Reform Agenda. This is the official web site for current materials and resources related to the Regents Reform Agenda." This is meant to be a resource for parents to be able to keep in touch with grades PreK-12 curriculum. There are resources to explain what information is being taught for core subjects in each grade level. Parents can read information about the Common Core Curriculum and the Next Generation Learning Standards. You will find a library of resources for parents and families including documents, educational activities and videos to help their child succeed in school.

I have seen this website grow over the past few years since it's implementation. The New York State Education Department is doing a great job communicating information on changes and what is expected in school. These guidelines being implemented will help students succeed as they approach New York State Regents Exams in high school. As you browse through the website, don't become overwhelmed as there is a lot to it. Take your time and look at small sections had a time. It is quite easy to maneuver, but there is a wealth of information to take in.

You can also check out the EngageNY YouTube channel. There are videos listed in several categories that may be of interest such as Guide to New York Assessments, Math Studio Talk, Common Core and more. Don't forget, you can also reach out to your child's teacher or principal for more information on what is expected in school. Reaching out only takes a few minutes and can contribute to your child's success.