Sleep Like a Violinist
January 10, 2014
By Sarah Vander Schaaff If one of your goals is to resist the urge to over-schedule and pressure your kids, then the New Year is a good time to revisit your intentions. I found myself slipping into an old habit just a few days ago when talking with my third grader about her homework. She’d already had a big day and done her most pressing homework, but she still had to complete a Spanish assignment due later in the week. “Don’t put off to tomorrow what you can do today,” I said, thinking my advice was wise. Then I thought about what I was asking my eight-year-old to do: mimic me. In my effort to “stay afloat” I try to… Read More
Summer Reading Advice to Avoid the Summer Slide
May 14, 2013
Summer Reading: Why It Matters Thanks to a few tips from the National Summer Learning Association summer reading can be a bit less stressful and a lot more effective. If there is one tip I inferred from looking at their 2009 Research Brief, “How to Make Summer Reading Effective” it is this. If you want to increase your child’s reading comprehension, spend less time on quantity and more time on quality. The quality of the book (is it a right fit) and your discussions afterwards count most. While it’s true that low-income students lose two months in reading achievement over the summer, all students regress if they don’t read. According to the NSLA, students “typically score lower on standardized tests at the… Read More