Why It’s Important to Partner With Your
Child’s Teacher
By Amanda Morin
At a Glance
 Working with your child’s teacher can have a powerful impact on you, the teacher
and your child.
 A partnership can help the teacher learn more about your child.
 With open lines of communication, you and the teacher can help connect what’s
happening at school with what’s happening at home.
Partnering with your child’s teacher can have a powerful impact. When you and your
child’s teacher have a good relationship and communicate regularly about his learning
and attention issues, it’s easier to work together to help him succeed in school. It makes
it easier for both of you to share concerns and celebrate successes.
How Working With the Teacher Can Help You
Working with your child’s teacher is one of the best ways to support his learning. You
share a common goal: Providing the best educational experience for your child.
You know your child best. But partnering with the teacher can give you an even better
understanding of your child. It gives you the chance to share with the teacher the
concerns you may have or things you are seeing at home that she’s not seeing in the
classroom.
You can share information about what’s happening at home and how your child is doing
there. Your child’s teacher can fill in information about how things are going at school.
For example, if your child is frustrated by an assignment in class, the teacher may see
him throw up his hands and say, “Why do we have to learn this?” You may be seeing
the same frustrated reaction at home when it comes to homework.
By keeping each other informed, you can come up with consistent ways to respond to
his frustration. When you’re partnering with your child’s teacher, it’s easier to create
common messaging and to help your child understand the point of an assignment.
How Working With You Can Help the Teacher
Understanding your child’s learning and attention issues can help his teacher develop a
more personalized approach to his learning. It can help her predict what might be
difficult for your child and to determine what type of accommodations might be
necessary and helpful for him.
It’s always helpful for a teacher to get more insights into your child. Because her time
with him is limited, it can take a new teacher awhile to get to know your child. The
information you share will help move this process along.

You can even get your child involved in this process by downloading and using a 3×3
card to introduce the teacher to three of your child’s strengths, three of his challenges,
and three strategies that work for him.
Keep in mind, the more the teacher knows about your child, the better she can engage
him in learning. For instance, if your child struggles with writing and she knows he’s
interested in dogs, she may incorporate that interest into his writing assignment.
Watch as an expert talks about the importance of sharing your child’s strengths with
teachers:
How Your Partnership With the Teacher Can Help
Your Child
Building a partnership with your child’s teacher can benefit him, too. Knowing that
school and home are working together to help him succeed can help him feel more
confident.
Having shared expectations with the teacher and a common language around your
child’s challenges can help him feel like everybody is on the same page. That can make
life less confusing for him.
And if you’re working with the teacher, your child may be more willing to self-
advocateand ask for help when he needs it. That helps him be a more empowered and
independent learner.
How to Start Partnering With Your Child’s Teacher
If you’re unsure how to start partnering with your child’s teacher, parent-teacher
conferences are a good time to get the relationship going. But if you’d like to speak to
the teacher sooner, you can also call her, drop off a back-to- school letter or send
an introduction email. You may also want to ask the teacher what her preferred mode of
communication is.
And if you don’t know what to say, check out some conversation starters to help you get
the conversation going. Find ways to talk to your child’s teacher about his specific
learning and attention issues. And if your relationship with the teacher could use some
work, discover ways to try to improve it.
Key Takeaways
 Don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher.
 Partnering with your child’s teacher can help your child have a more positive
outlook on school.

 Knowing more about your child can help the teacher personalize instruction for
your child.

1. Reading book bags will go home daily

2. Students must read books:

   1. K-1 (15+ minutes daily)

   2. 2-5 (30+ minutes daily)

3. Students will complete a reading assignment daily

4. Book Logs– Signed daily by parents

Online reading websites through the District homepage (CLEVER) https://dearbornschools.org/  and in our Monthly Newsletter

By Alyssa Nucaro

October 2, 2017

When I started teaching, I didn’t truly understand the power of words and their ability to influence the lives of students. I quickly learned that the effectiveness of my lessons and the classroom culture are heavily influenced by the language I use and how I use it.

One of the hardest things I had to do was learn how to change my “teacher” language so that I could encourage and empower students on a daily basis. Using powerful and effective teacher language takes a lot of practice and awareness. Therefore, one of my goals each year is to ensure that my communication with students is encouraging and empowering, in order to guide them toward achieving their ultimate goals. I want them to learn how to make constructive choices by reflecting on past decisions.

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Positive language is a driving force in creating a classroom community that learns together, grows together, and supports one another. Here are a few ways I use positive language in my classroom to empower students.

1. Convey Faith in Student Abilities

When our teacher language uses words and tones that display faith in student intentions, we show students that we believe in them. Using positive words and encouraging students to meet expectations allows students an opportunity to fulfill those expectations, or even surpass them. Communicating to students that you believe in them and their abilities gives students the confidence they need to collaborate with others, become respectful listeners, and work competently by reiterating positive behaviors and encouraging all students to do the same.

For instance, you can say to a student who consistently runs in the halls, “I know you remember the rules about hallway transitions, and I appreciate you trying to be safe.” This conveys to students that you have faith that they’re trying to be cooperative in school, while you’re also enforcing the rule.

Students learn best from discussing mistakes and having multiple opportunities to productively struggle. Consistent encouragement and support through this learning curve allows students to build confidence in their abilities and teaches them perseverance.

2. Practice Positive Vocabulary

Not only is it important for teachers to model positive language, but students should be practicing it as well, on a daily basis. And having students reflect on their language to identify words that have negative connotations will allow them to become more aware of the impact of their language on themselves and others.

In terms of modeling, I use the one-and-three rule in my classroom. For every negative statement I make, I work to include at least three positive statements to the whole class. This takes practice, but it means there are ample opportunities for students to be praised for their hard work.

Students should have opportunities to reflect on their statements and revise their language to reframe it in more positive ways. With repetition and consistent implementation, students will learn to use positive language to make learning a more meaningful and thoughtful process.

3. Choose Your Words Wisely

Language that is inclusive and empowering allows for mutual trust and reciprocal communication to occur more freely within the classroom. For example, when students are struggling, words like support and guide empower them to complete work on their own with the option of guidance—you’re not there to help them do the work.

Reflecting on word choice goes beyond the classroom and allows students to advocate for themselves because they know their teacher is supportive, empathetic, inclusive, and accepting. And reflecting on your word choice displays to students that it’s OK to take a moment to organize, prepare, and present their thoughts in a way that’s meaningful to everyone in the class.

4. Be Honest and Direct

The use of compassionate and straightforward language allows students to build trust in their teachers and fosters an environment of growth. Students who are spoken to directly and honestly are more likely to feel respected and safe, while also receiving the support they need to be successful both academically and behaviorally.

Interacting with students directly and honestly also communicates to them that you have clear expectations and will provide supportive and constructive feedback that they can learn from. For example, instead of saying, “Can you please wait your turn to speak?” you could say, “The expectation is that you raise your hand to speak. Please raise your hand and wait if you have a question.”

Direct and honest communication allows little room for vague interpretations of rules and/or expectations, which in turn, provides students with a safer and more trust-filled environment.

5. Avoid Using Don’t

Many times we teachers are quick to emphasize to students what they’re not supposed to do or say to others in class. A positive spin on this is to replace don’tstatements with more positive ones. For instance, instead of saying, “Don’t use pens in my class,” you could say, “For practicing math problems, we’ll only be using pencils, in case we make a mistake.” Students will be more likely to bring pencils to class because they’re made aware of the expectation and reasoning, opposed to solely being told what not to bring.

Reframing don’t statements is another example of positive language and allows students to reflect on their actions to make more positive choices within the classroom.

Lowrey School Read at Home Plan

• Reading book bags will go home daily
• Students must read books:
  1. K-1 (15+ minutes daily)

• 2-5 (30+ minutes daily)

• Students will complete a reading assignment daily
• Book Logs– Signed daily by parents

Online reading websites through the District homepage (CLEVER) https://dearbornschools.org/  and in our Monthly Newsletter

Why attendance matters

How important is it for kids to be in school? School attendance is a baseline factor in determining student success.

by: GreatSchools Staff | June 9, 2016

 Print article

Successful schools begin by engaging students and making sure they come to school regularly. That may seem obvious. What’s less obvious is that the consequences of low attendance are serious for all children and for the community, not just the students who miss school.

School attendance data on GreatSchools.org (which comes from the state Department of Education) gives you baseline information on the quality of a school. The type of data displayed depends on what each state Department of Education makes available. In Texas, for example, you will see the attendance rate and the mobility rate, while in Washington, you’ll see the unexcused absence rate. Where available, you’ll find this information under the School Environment tab under “Students” on each school profile.

What does the attendance rate tell you about a school?

The attendance rate tells you the average percentage of students attending school each day in the given year, as reported by the state Department of Education. (Some states report this attendance rate as the percentage of students with unexcused absences.) You can also see the state average for the attendance rate and compare how your school stacks up. In some states, you will see the mobility rate (which means the percentage of students who transfer out of the school). Most schools have high attendance rates. If your school’s attendance rate is below the state average, the school may face challenges in getting students to come to school regularly. Ask the principal why the attendance rate is lower than the state average and what the school is doing to address this issue.

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How important is attendance?

The attendance rate is important because students are more likely to succeed in academics when they attend school consistently. It’s difficult for the teacher and the class to build their skills and progress if a large number of students are frequently absent. In addition to falling behind in academics, students who are not in school on a regular basis are more likely to get into trouble with the law and cause problems in their communities.

A 2008 study conducted by the Rodel Community Scholars at Arizona State University that tracked students from kindergarten through high school found that dropout patterns were linked with poor attendance, beginning in kindergarten. Gregory Hickman, director of the Rodel Community Scholars program and former director of the Arizona Dropout Initiative, notes they discovered that as early as kindergarten, behavioral differences are apparent between those who go on to graduate and those who drop out, with dropouts missing an average of 124 days by eighth grade.

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School budgets may suffer when students don’t attend. In many states, school budgets are based on the average daily attendance at a school. If many students enrolled at a school fail to consistently attend, the school has less money to pay for essential classroom needs.

How can schools increase their attendance rate?

According to the National Center for Student Engagement, schools are most effective in achieving high attendance rates when parents, school leaders and community members work together to focus on reducing absences and truancy, and keeping kids in schools. The center’s Web siteprovides 10 tips for schools and communities to improve their attendance rates. Among them:

• Make the school a place where parents and students feel welcome.
• Forge a relationship with local law enforcement and make them allies in showing the community, family and students that school is the place to be.
• Forge a relationship with local businesses so that they cooperate in encouraging students to go to school and not congregate at businesses during school hours.
• Call parents – not an answering machine – when their children are not in school to let them know the school is concerned.
• Talk to students about why they were gone and let them know they were missed.

What other factors should you consider when evaluating your school?

The attendance rate is just one factor to consider when sizing up your school. You’ll want to look at the test scores, student-teacher ratio, Parent Reviews and other data that you can find on GreatSchools.org. You’ll also want to find out more about the school climate, quality of school leadership, parent involvement and other factors that aren’t apparent from school data.

Questions parents should ask

If you are concerned about the attendance rate at your school, here are some questions you might ask your principal and your school site council:

• Does the school provide a welcoming atmosphere for students and parents?
• Do students feel safe at school?
• What actions does the school take to follow up on students who are absent?
• Do teachers call parents when students are frequently absent?
• Does the school know why students are absent? The school cannot address the problem if administrators don’t understand the causes.
• Has the school taken steps to forge a positive relationship with local law enforcement, business and community members to work together to encourage students to come to school?
• Does the school reward students for good attendance?
• What can parents do to help the school encourage all students to attend?

Get Ready for Summer! Ideas for Teachers to Share with Families

By: Reading Rockets

Reading Rockets has packed a “virtual beach bag” of activities for teachers to help families get ready for summer and to launch students to fun, enriching summertime experiences. Educators will find materials to download and distribute as well as ideas and resources to offer to students and parents to help ensure summer learning gain rather than loss.

The school bell may stop ringing, but summer is a great time for all kinds of learning opportunities for kids. Reading Rockets packed this beach bag full of activities for teachers to help families get ready for summer and to launch students to fun, enriching summertime experiences.

In the beach bag you’ll find materials you can download and distribute, but you’ll also find ideas for things that you may want to gather and offer to students and parents and for connections you’ll want to make to help ensure summer learning gain rather than loss.

In this article:

• Ideas for summer learning fun
• Ideas for summer reading fun
• Online activities for families
• Print and share with parents
• Print and share with kids

Ideas for summer learning fun

Check out Reading Rockets’ new summer website, Start with a Book. You’ll find a treasure trove of themed children’s books, parent–child activities, and other great resources for summer learning.

Offer recommendations for active learning experiences. Check with your local department of parks and recreation about camps and other activities. Find out what exhibits, events, or concerts are happening in your town over the summer. Create a directory or calendar of local summer learning fun to share with your students and their families. (Be sure to note any costs involved.)

Encourage parents to build reading and writing into everyday activities. Some ideas to pass along: (1) watching TV with the sound off and closed captioning on, (2) reading directions for how to play a new game, or (3) helping with meals by writing up a grocery list, finding things in the grocery store, and reading the recipe aloud for mom or dad during cooking time. More ideas at PBS Parents (in Spanish, too).

Summer trading cards. Kids can dive deeper into summer reading by exploring characters with the Trading Cards activity from ReadWriteThink, which provides students with the opportunity to expand their understanding of the reading by creating new storylines and characters. A nifty Trading Card interactive tool provides additional support.

Encourage writing. Give each of your students a stamped, addressed postcard so they can write to you about their summer adventures. Or recycle school notebooks and paper into summer journals or scrapbooks. Another way to engage young writers is to encourage your students to spend some time researching and writing community stories — not only does it build research and writing skills, but helps kids develop a deeper sense of place. And check out the pen pal project at Great Schools. Find more good summer writing ideas from Start with a Book: keep a nature journal, create a poetree, share a recipe, or keep a scrapbook of reviews of summer adventures.

Kids blog! Arrange for a safe, closed community so that your students can blog over the summer. Edublogs and Kidblog offer teachers and students free blog space and appropriate security. Free, disposable e-mail accounts are available at Mailinator. Students can create an account there, use the address long enough to establish the blog and password, and then abandon it.

Be an active citizen. Kids who participate in community service activities gain not only new skills but self-confidence and self-esteem. Help them zoom into action! Resources from ZOOM can help them get the most out of helping others this summer.

Real world reading. Newsela builds nonfiction literacy and awareness of world events by providing access to hundreds of leveled news articles and Common Core–aligned quizzes, with new articles every day. The bloggers on The Uncommon Corps are enthusiastic champions of nonfiction literature for kids and young adults, and offer many ideas for integrating nonfiction into the Common Core classroom (or any classroom). For more book ideas to share with parents, check out the Orbis Pictus Award winners — outstanding nonfiction for children, presented by the National Council of Teachers of English. Share these tip sheets with parents (available in English and Spanish): Getting the Most Out of Nonfiction Reading Time and How to Read Nonfiction Text. And don’t forget to check out our Nonfiction for Kids section

Active bodies. Active minds. First Lady Michele Obama is leading the national Let’s Move initiative — with the goal of raising a healthier generation of children. Let’s Move Outside has lots of ideas to help kids get the 60 minutes of active play they need everyday. ilovelibraries has suggestions for staying fit and having fun that start at your local library. This year’s theme at the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP): On your mark, get set … read! At the CSLP website, you’ll find a bibliography of children’s books, DVDs, and more all about being active

Get into geocaching. Everyone loves a scavenger hunt! Get in on the latest outdoor craze with geocaching, where families search for hidden “caches” or containers using handheld GPS tools (or a GPS app on your smart phone). Try a variation on geocaching called earthcaching where you seek out and learn about unique geologic features. Find more details about geocaching plus links to geocaching websites in this article from the School Family website, Geocaching 101: Family Fun for All, in Every Season. Or follow one young family on their geocaching adventure: Geocaching with Kids: The Ultimate Treasure Hunt.

Watch a garden grow and build research, reading, and writing skills with this summer project from ReadWriteThink. Children are encouraged to write questions and observations in a summer garden journal. Or check out the Kids Gardening website for lots of great ideas and resources for family (and school) gardening.

Make cool things. “Dad, dad, dad, can we make a samurai sword?…” Dad Can Do is a wonderful site full of crafty ideas that bring fathers and kids together. Make a wizard’s wand, paper planes, spaceships, ex libris, and quirky things like an origami cowboy shirt (think Woody from “Toy Story”) — mostly from inexpensive or recycled materials.

Help parents plan ahead for fall. Work with the teachers a grade level above to develop a short list of what their new students have to look forward to when they return to school. For example, if rising third graders will be studying ancient cultures, suggest that parents check out educational TV, movies, or local museums that can provide valuable background information on that topic.

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Ideas for summer reading fun

Make sure kids have something to read during the summer — put books into children’s hands. Register with First Book and gain access to award-winning new books for free and to deeply discounted new books and educational materials or find other national and local programs and organizations that can help.

Get your local public library to sign kids up for summer reading before school is out. Invite or ask your school librarian to coordinate a visit from the children’s librarian at the public library near the end of the school year. Ask them to talk about summer activities, educational videos, and audio books at the library and to distribute summer reading program materials.

Get to know your community public library better. Find out if your public library is part of the Collaborative Summer Library Program, a grassroots effort to provide high-quality summer reading programs for kids. The theme for 2016 is On your mark, get set … read! Colorín Colorado has tips for parents in English and in Spanish about visiting the local library. Or check out our top 9 reasons to rediscover your public library.

Let parents and kids know about the free summer reading incentive programs. At Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! program, find out how to Ignite a Summer of Reading.The Scholastic Be a Reading Superhero Summer Reading Challenge encourages kids to log the minutes they spend reading and map their accomplishments. Kids can participate in weekly challenges, earn digital rewards, and enter to win prizes. With the Barnes & Noble Imagination’s Destination challenge, your child can earn a free book after reading eight books (and parents receive a summer reading kit full of activities). With the TD Bank Summer Reading Program, kids read and keep track of 10 books and can get $10 added to their Young Saver account.

Help kids build math and science skills over the summer. Share our Literacy in the Sciences series with families. Each one-page tip sheet (in English and Spanish) suggests easy hands-on activities as well as fiction and nonfiction books to extend the learning. In this section you’ll also find links to great science websites for kids, blogs about children’s science books, and links to PBS KIDS science programs and activities.

Encourage parents to start a neighborhood book club with other families this summer. It’s a great way to keep the summer learning social and low-key. Warmer weather can inspire some not-so-run-of-the-mill meeting places, too: a tent or picnic blanket in the backyard. If the book club catches on, it’s something to continue throughout the school year. PBS Parents has a wonderful collection of tips on how to start a club and encourage great discussions. Our special education blogger, June Behrmann, shares ideas (and title selections) for starting your own mother-daughter “accessible ” book club using print alternatives.

Suggest to parents that they set up a summer listening program which encourages their children to listen to written language. Research shows that some children with learning disabilities profit from reading the text and listening to it at the same time.

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Online activities for families

Share examples of good interactive educational websites that parents and young kids can explore together. PBS KIDS Lab offers the newest educational games, activities and mobile apps, for kids PreK to grade 3.There are lots of other quality websites for kids — here are a few more of our favorites:

• National Geographic Kids: Great nature videos, activities, games, stories, and more
• Discovery Kids: Video, games and activities to explore dinosaurs, sharks, space, pets, history and more
• Smithsonian Kids Collecting: how to start your own collection and see what other kids collect
• Explore Dinosaurs: FAQs and top 10 myths about dinosaurs, a virtual dig, behind the scenes tours, and more from the National Museum of Natural History
• NASA Quest: Interactive explorations that engage students in real science and engineering. Topics include robots, helicopters, lunar exploration, and designing your own human-friendly planet
• My Wonderful World: A multimedia tour of our seven continents
• Time for Kids: Fun games (The Great State Race), an online weekly magazine written for kids, and news from around the world

Introduce your students and their families to stories from around the world. Let them know about the International Children’s Digital Library, an amazing (and growing!) collection of international children’s books available to read online in their original languages. Big Universe is another online library of fiction and nonfiction books for kids 0-12. The site also offers adults and kids the chance to create and publish their own stories.

Suggest audio books as an alternative to print, especially for kids with learning disabilities that make reading a struggle. You can now download stories to iPods and other mobile devices, perfect for car rides or a lazy hot afternoon. Tales2Go offers high-quality kids’ books through a mobile streaming service. AudibleKids has an extensive collection of downloadable books, and some of them are free through a partnership with RIF. Find more options for audio books here or browse our list of Favorite Audio Books.

For students with vision or learning disabilities, tell your parents about Learning Ally (formerly Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic), which provides free audio books for kids to listen over the summer. Find lots more ideas and resources for accessible print on the blog, Aiming for Access.

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Print and share with parents

Distribute a checklist for parents that provides tips on how to find a great summer program. This one, developed by the National Summer Learning Association, is a good basic resource.

Build background knowledge. Put an article about summer learning in your school or PTA newsletter.

Use books as a springboard for conversation, creativity, and acquiring new background knowledge by sharing the Reading Rockets Reading Adventure Packs with your students’ families. These themed packs combine fiction and nonfiction books with simple, hands-on activities that kids and parents can do together.

Give parents a tool to help them promote healthy and balanced media use at home during the summer months. The PACT from the National PTA may help families come up with good screen time compromises. The PTA also offers this helpful article, Hitting the Off Button: How parents can stand up for less screen time at home.

Help parents create a literacy friendly house for the summer (and all year round) with these summer reading resources from Reading Is Fundamental — including booklists, activities, tips, and more to keep kids reading and learning throughout the summer and all year long.

Offer reading reminders to parents with these tip sheets from Reading Rockets available in 11 languages.

Recommend good summer reads that match your students’ interests. You might start with our Summer Reading Booklists with suggestions for kids 0 to 9 years old.

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Print and share with kids

Promote simple, fun items that support the reading habit. Reading Rockets has created a “Warning! Reading Rocket in Orbit” door hanger in English and Spanish.

Recommend some great summer reads that match your students’ interests. Books about summer stuff are fun summertime reads. Download the Reading Rockets summer reading booklists — lots of good suggestions for kids up to 9 years old. Or ask your school or public librarian for an age appropriate reading list.

Some students enjoy doing worksheets while others get very excited about puzzle books and word scrambles, so you might send home a few of these types of activities as an option. Teacher Planet offers loads of links to summer-themed printable activity sheets. And HarperCollins Children’s Books has literature quizzes, games, and printables in their Games & Contests section.

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Reading Rockets (2012)

Reprints

You are welcome to print copies or republish materials for non-commercial use as long as credit is given to Reading Rockets and the author(s). For commercial use, please contact info@readingrockets.org.

12 Ways To Help Your Child Love the Library

Have you and your child been to your local library lately? In addition to wonderful books, today’s libraries offer multimedia options, community events, fun activities, and more—and all for free.

by Patti Ghezzi

Whether you’re a kid or an adult, local libraries have always been an ideal place to savor a quiet moment with a good book. And today’s public libraries offer so much more. Increasingly, the stereotype of the library as a place where librarians frown and insist that patrons “shush!” is being replaced with images of libraries as places for fun and family-friendly programs.

Libraries have not wavered in their devotion to books. But librarians live in the real world and say they know that modern families also crave technology, music, and physical activity. Some libraries have introduced Lego centers—places where kids can build and design with the iconic plastic toys—while others stage puppet shows and musical performances. Many libraries today celebrate literary figures such as Curious George with crafts and storytelling, and pay homage to the likes of Beatrix Potter with gardening activities.

At your local branch, you might also find cooking classes, game nights, or book clubs devoted to a singular genre or theme such as science fiction or Harry Potter. A paleontologist might give a lesson on dinosaurs, and a children’s book author might give a special reading.

One aspect of the library that hasn’t changed? It’s still free. For families seeking bargains in entertainment and educational enrichment, the library is the best deal around.

“These are exciting times, with so many choices of materials and programs,” says Carolyn Brodie, president-elect of the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association. “You’ll find a welcoming, creative, and exciting place, comprised of free and open access to a variety of materials and programs, with appeal to all ages.”

Kathleen Fox, a former school librarian who has made it her mission to make libraries fun and accessible, says there is one key ingredient to a wonderful library experience: “Finding that magical children’s librarian.”

“They’re still around, and they can still hand you a great book. They can also help you get the most out of all the resources your library has to offer,” says Fox, author of Fun-brarian, a collection of library activities to engage even the most reluctant reader, and owner of the website LibraryGames.com.

“Children’s librarians help children develop a zest for learning and a lifelong love of reading. They also assist in finding answers to questions, and bring children and resources together,” Brodie adds.

12 Tips on Making the Most of Your Public Library

1. Get your child a library card.Show your child the joy of checking out books from his local library. At some libraries, kids can also check out videos, educational games, and puzzles. Teach your child to take care of the books and other items he checks out and to make sure the items get returned on time.
2. Visit often.Make the library a routine place that you visit with your kids, like the park or a favorite pizza place. Become regulars—get to know your way around your library, and get to know the librarians.
3. Teach your child how to find books and media at the library.Though most libraries have moved to all-digital systems, some still use card catalogs. Others that have shifted away from the Dewey decimal classification system—a method of assigning numbers and letters for organizing books—now arrange books similar to bookstores, with certain subgenres organized and shelved together. Since most libraries generally evolve to meet the needs of their patrons, in many places kids can also learn to use the interlibrary lending system for libraries within a network and other book-finding procedures, giving them more options for how they use their local library.
4. Visit different branches.Every library branch has its own personality. “Try several branches and see which one you like,” Fox says. “It might be worth traveling a little farther to get to the branch that has the most to offer.”
5. Get a calendar of activities.Make it a habit to check your library’s event calendar each month. Some libraries host events off-site, such as a composting or gardening workshop at a local park.
6. Consider your child’s interests.It’s important to help your child choose the right books, especially if she is a reluctant reader. Start with a favorite movie and see what books and media would complement it, Fox says. For example, Dolphin Tale is a great family movie, and kids who like it might also enjoy reading about dolphins.
7. Like the movie? Love the book.If there’s a film your child loved, suggest that she might also enjoy the related DVD or audio book about the film, Brodie says. For example, if your middle schooler loved the film Tuck Everlasting so much that she was sorry to see the story end, check the library for the film’s audiobook or DVD. Then, check for other books by the same author.
8. Explore magazines.Kids who struggle with reading may be reluctant to pick up a chapter book. But they may love magazines, especially those about their favorite topics, such as sports or animals. Libraries often have a fantastic selection of magazines, Fox says.
9. Be a role model.Show your child how much you enjoy the library. Check out books for yourself and read them at home, in the car, and while waiting for your child at soccer practice. “Children follow the example of their parents and caregivers,” Brodie says. “Supporting and using public libraries as a source for lifelong learning can be one of the greatest gifts that parents give their children.”
10. Make suggestions for improvement.Suggest adding a few beanbag chairs in the children’s department to encourage young readers to settle in with a good book. If your library does not carry books by your child’s favorite author or in her preferred genre, let the librarian know of your interest. Finally, suggest local authors who might come for a visit or programs you think families would enjoy.
11. Be an advocate.Libraries must compete with other government services for increasingly shrinking resources. Let your elected officials know how much the library means to you, your children, and your community.
12. Make the library a family priority.Between sports, the arts, community groups, church, and other commitments, families have many activities tugging on their free time. Though it may be difficult to squeeze in visits to the library, by doing so you’re letting your child know that reading is important—and that libraries are, too.

Exercise for School Success

Regular workouts benefit the brain and the body.

by June Allan Corrigan

If you’ve ever told your kids to quit playing around and do their homework, here’s something to think about. While hitting the books is important, encouraging your kids to hit a ball around the yard might be just as necessary. Research shows that regular exercise can help children succeed in school.

In addition to the health benefits of regular physical activity, a growing body of research indicates that the brain benefits tremendously, as well. Cardiovascular exercise has been linked to better performance in math and reading and on IQ tests, according to Natalie Muth, a pediatrician, registered dietician, and spokes-woman for the American Council on Exercise. “It’s also really effective for working memory and problem-solving,” she says.

Physiologically speaking, physical movement increases blood flow to the brain as well as the flow of oxygen, and it contributes to the growth of nerve cells in the part of the brain associated with learning and memory. All the evidence supports physical activity’s advantages, but unfortunately, many kids these days simply aren’t getting enough physical activity during school hours.

If your child doesn’t get 60 minutes of exercise each day at school or in after-school sports, the ball may be in your court to make up the difference at home. The good news is that it’s possible to incorporate fitness into even the busiest of days.

“You need to concentrate on keeping their feet moving more than anything else,” says Kristy Hilton, a physical education professor at the University of Southern California. “It’s also got to be fun or kids won’t want to do it.”

A former K-12 PE teacher herself, Hilton suggests throwing paper plates on the floor and having kids put a foot on each plate to slide around and dance to music. Encourage silliness, because even boys who are uninterested in dance will still leap and move around to the beat of a good song. Simple equipment like a Hula-Hoop or a jump rope provide fun activities sure to get kids’ heart rates up, and both can be used indoors or out. Walks around the neighborhood are great, perhaps with a family dog. If you’re feeling ambitious, you might arrange a scavenger hunt to find nature items.

One thing Muth has noticed is that the mere act of going outside makes a child more active. “You don’t have to organize or schedule what it is they’re going to do. Just get them outside and kids will move,” she says. The result might be a crazy game of freeze tag or hopscotch, climbing a snowbank, or jumping into piles of leaves.

The point is that limiting kids’ screen time and getting them up and out of the house automatically translates into increased physical activity. If bad weather keeps you inside, try setting up an indoor obstacle course or leading a session of “animal yoga”—having kids strike poses resembling various animals. Even a round of Simon Says will do in a pinch. Another idea: Inject an element of competition into the activity by, for example, seeing how many times kids can go up and down a flight of stairs in a minute.

Weekends present more opportunities for families to be active together. Depending on where you live, choose an activity that’s easy to arrange. If you have snowshoes or cross-country skis at the ready, set off on a course. If there are hiking trails nearby and the weather is good, pack a picnic and start trekking. Or perhaps a simple game of touch football in the backyard is all you need to get your child’s heart pumping.

Capitalize on the brain benefits that physical activity provides and try working in some additional ways for your children to be active during after-school hours. Not only will it boost their academic success, it will also deliver a valuable side benefit—more time together as a family.

Get Moving Before School

One way to schedule more physical activity into your child’s day is to do something before school, whether it’s walking or biking to school or joining an organized activity. In addition to boosting a child’s brain power, exercising before school has the added benefit of reducing behavior problems during class.

That’s why a group of moms created a curriculum-based before-school exercise program called Build Our Kids’ Success, an initiative of the Reebok Foundation. Through the program, elementary students arrive at school about an hour early, two or three times a week. Trainers, often parents or school staff members, lead students in classes that include a running activity, time to practice a skill like sit-ups or squats, an organized game, and a few minutes of free play.

BOKS provides free lesson plans and training for adult leaders, as well as awards startup grants to cover the cost of equipment and supplies. For more information or to apply for a grant, visit www.bokskids.org.

A Balanced Day

Simple steps toward a well-rounded daily routine.

by Joanna Nesbit

School’s out, and your child arrives home hungry and ready for a break. After giving you a hug, he grabs a bag of chips and goes to play a quick video game before starting homework. Two hours later you realize he’s still parked in front of the TV. Sound familiar?

We can’t stop our kids from wanting to veg out on technology, fill up on snacks, and text late into the night, but we can take steps to counteract the behaviors. The key is setting limits to ensure that your kids are getting healthy foods, physical activity, and plenty of sleep. Here are a few tips for working balance into your family’s routine.

Eat Well

Besides starting the day off right with a good breakfast of protein and healthy carbohydrates, one of the most important things parents can do is make snack time count, says pediatrician Jennifer Shu. Instead of letting kids fill up on crackers or chips, offer them fruit, vegetables, Greek yogurt, string cheese, or dried fruit, like raisins. If your kids don’t like vegetables, double up on the fruit and offer as many colors as possible for vitamin variety.

Shu also recommends thinking of the dinner plate as half fruits and vegetables, a quarter protein, and a quarter healthy or whole grains, with dairy on the side. Your child’s fist size is a good guideline for portion size. For the child who fills up easily, parcel out food groups to ensure she’s eating vegetables or fruit at some point during the day. If your child is finicky, it can be helpful to view her eating habits over the week to avoid seeing individual meals as a failure. For these kids, it’s useful to offer just two or three items you feel are important to minimize choosing the same food over and over.

For tweens who might be hitting a growth spurt—or wish they were—encourage them to eat protein over carbs, as well as calcium-rich foods such as plain yogurt, cheese, milk, spinach, or almonds, Shu says. Limit the junk food to one treat a day and one junk meal a week. Perhaps most important, model good eating habits yourself. (Take that bag of cookies to work if you must!)

Stay Active

With busy schedules and kids’ extracurricular activities, it’s easy to let physical activity slide. But students should get at least an hour of exercise a day, says Shu. That can involve a structured activity such as soccer or an unstructured activity like walking to school or playing during recess. Because most kids won’t get enough physical activity at school, Shu recommends building activity into your schedule, whether it’s shooting hoops, going for a walk, or heading to the park after dinner. Getting outside is important because children have more room to be active, and fresh air can have a positive impact on moods. But if the weather is particularly nasty, try an indoor activity like a round of Just Dance as a family.

The best way to help kids want to be active is to make physical activity part of your family culture, says Betsy Brown Braun, child development specialist and author of Just Tell Me What To Say. Sign up for a sport, hit the community swimming pool regularly, or head out for Saturday bike rides. To get kids to adopt exercise habits, it’s important to make fitness a family routine.

Limit Technology

It’s understandable that during their limited free time, children may want to text friends or use smartphone apps. Add in e-readers, tablets, and iPods, and kids’ tech activities can creep well beyond bedtime if left unchecked. The result? Sleepy students in the classroom.

It’s not easy monitoring pocket-size screens and getting kids off the Xbox; however, it’s important to consider what children are not doing—exercising, sleeping, or studying—when they’re involved with technology. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours a day of screen time, but kids are averaging a whopping seven hours a day. Shocked? Here’s what Shu and Brown Braun suggest for balance in your family:

• Keep televisions and computers out of kids’ bedrooms.
• Create a central charging station for all electronic devices.
• At least 30 minutes before bedtime, turn off the TV and have kids turn in all devices.
• Discuss tech policies as a family, especially with older kids, so they understand the whys behind them, such as why uninterrupted sleep and exercise are important for growing bodies.
• Ensure that your kids have time for creativity and socializing. It’s important for all kids, but younger children are still developing imagination and social skills, and interacting with their environment is an important learning tool.
• If students are rushing homework to get to their favorite video game, consider limiting screen time to weekends only.

With multiple household tech devices and hectic schedules, it’s easy to slip up on too much technology, so kids need adults to provide limits. As in most areas of life, children learn by example, so it’s important for parents to model good screen behavior themselves. Keep your family’s guidelines simple enough that you can stick with a plan. Your child’s teachers will thank you.

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