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Fun & Cool ways to teach Kids about Nature

October 16, 2017 by admin

There’s nothing better you can do for your kids than helping them understand how the world they live in works. Mother Nature is all around us, so it’s good to protect her as much as we can. And since kids love to use games to learn, here’s how playing can help them develop a better understanding of the world.

Take them outside

You can’t teach children about nature if you’re not going outside, right? So it’s good to plan different sorts of outdoor activities even from a very young age, like a few months. An infant, just like a toddler or an older child will adore playing with the grass, discovering new sounds, smells, and textures.

Hiking is a great activity and you can start doing that immediately after a child learns how to walk. Taking them in such hiking trips will help them understand rules as well as see different landscapes and ecosystems.

Now’s your chance to explain how volcanoes work, how glacial landforms appear as well as to discuss the fauna and vegetation of a certain place. You should also take the time to answer the children’s questions as they go. Don’t be afraid to explore either, particularly if you get the best survival watch. The children will love this new adventure, and you can get plenty of learning opportunities.

Play “what if” games

Allow your children to make up stories about the things they see. That enhances their imagination, helping them make better correlations between the things they see outside. Storytelling helps connects different plants, animals, and landforms, and the kids are doing all the guesswork.

For example, you can hike on a mountain with abrupt, calcareous cliffs, little vegetation, and scarce water sources. So ask the children how they think evergreen trees or mountain goats can withstand in this type of terrain. Ask them how they think these mountains got to have these steep cliffs in the first place and if they can find a link to the weather.

You can actually start by personifying a certain animal you see on your way, like Roger the Badger or Annie the Deer. What are their stories? Where do they live? What do they eat? What skills do they have? All these games will help kids remember more about the things they see.

Help them collect things

Collecting some of the most important things on a hike is like having a memento of all the great stuff they saw. Of course, you can always take lots of photos as well, so you can connect the dots and have the story of your hike.

You can gather leafs from the trees you saw on your way, and attach printed photos of those trees with a few background information for each. You can do the same with pebbles, snail shells or feathers.

After each trip in the wilderness, you’ll get an album that your kids can revisit anytime they want to. They can also add new information to this album, new photos as they visit the same reservation again, or start a new album from scratch.

You can also build toys from the things you collect. If you collect enough chestnuts, for instance, you can paint their white parts in different colors then use the chestnuts for various games that require teams or keeping a score.

Sleep under the open sky

If you want to combine the children’s sense of adventure with stories, awe, and mystery, then spending a few nights outside is the thing to do. You can teach kids how to set up their shelters for the night, how to build a campfire and how to make sure this doesn’t spread out into a wildfire.

You get an invaluable chance of looking at the night’s sky, to admire the stars and moon, but also to teach children a bit about galaxies, constellations named after the Ancient Gods or more advanced things like black matter, black holes and the origins of the Universe.

Teach them survival skills

This is another great way to teach them how they can interact with nature. It’s good that kids learn all sorts of information and trivia about animals, plants, and landscape, but it’s even better if they learn how to use all these facts.

The first thing children should know is how they can take care of their equipment. And since it’s not always wise for them or for you to pack a ginormous backpack, it’s great to find out how to choose and use versatile items.

For instance, you can teach them how to waterproof boots, so they can wear them in different weather. You can also teach them how to make knots that hold, how to set up a tent or improvise a shelter when they have no tent. Learning how to use a map and compass to find their location is another very useful skill to have outdoors.

Get them a pet

It’s great if you can take kids outdoors in Natural Reservations or in safaris so they can see the wildlife around them. But it’s also a good idea for the kids to have a pet, whether at home or a class pet.

That will teach them how to take care of another living being, what that pet eats, when it sleeps, and how it interacts with the world around it. If you decide to get an ant farm, this teaches children certain information about working together. Or you can help them make such a cool dwelling place for ants on their own, it’s likely they’ll feel more invested in the ants’ lives this way.

What will you do?

With so many wonderful activities you can do with your children, the ones we’ve discussed are just the tip of the iceberg. But at least you have an idea of how you can combine stores and games to raise the kids’ curiosity so they’ll want to find out more about Nature and what it can offer us.

Author Bio

Rebecca lives in USA, but loves hiking all over the world. Her favorite is Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal. It usually takes 16 days, but she likes to slow down, enjoy mountains, company of other adventurers and take more pictures, so it took her 28 days last time. Another of her passion is the ocean, so all short and long hikes along the ocean shore bring a lot of joy. She also writes for HikingMastery.com.

Access To Online Learning Courses

October 5, 2017 by admin

For those who do not know or have not heard of Online Learning Apps, you can now search and download these online learning apps through Google Play services. These subscription based online learning apps provide unlimited access to many video tutorials by great instructors or well recognized professors. There are video tutorials on all kinds of topics and skills e.g. photograph and all kinds of designs, etc. These online learning apps and video learning apps can be downloaded to your desktop or mobile phone. Before you download, do check to confirm if it is compatible with your device.

When you sign up with the Online Learning Apps, some are conducted more or less like a class study. A syllabus and an overview of the topics covered will be provided. The projects will be given with their completion dates stated. You can either order and purchase the textbooks online or have them downloaded in the e-book format. As the course progresses, the student is assigned to read certain chapters, and questions to be answered and submitted after certain chapters. Some professors may require the student concerned to virtually attend a class at a certain time. There will also be assignments to finish and submitted by a certain date. The student is also required to take exams and these are also conducted online, depending on the instructors of the particular online learning app. Responsibility and self-discipline is needed for the student concerned to complete all assignments and to submit them on time.

Through Google Play you can access to some of the best video learning apps. Once you have downloaded into your device, you will be able to have access to many of the videos and lectures taught by experts in whatever subjects or topics you have signed up for. You can stream videos to your device, or download and watch them offline as and when you are free to do so! Through these video learning apps, subscribers from anywhere get to learn almost everything about anything from great professors as their instructors.

You can download the free trial to have a go first and before long, you will want to subscribe to the app. You can either sign up for the monthly or the annual subscription. But If you want to cancel the free trial when it is only half way through, you will still have access until the end of the trial period.

The Benefits of a Global Montessori Education Program

September 27, 2017 by admin

Maria Montessori is known for her theory of philosophy and education which is widely being used by various schools today. Here system, aptly called the Montessori Method, focuses on developing a child’s own propensity to take initiative and improve their natural abilities. This is done especially through applying the theories and concepts that they have learnt in class. The Montessori Method also encourages children to learn at their own pace, which allows educators to consider and understand the individual needs of the children.

To accomplish the environment the Montessori Method envisions, schools will need to set-up a learning environment specifically for three significant age groups:

2–2.5 years
5–6 years
6–12 years

Then various activities are created that will involve repetition, abstraction, communication, and exploration. The idea is to teach children in the 2-2.5 year-old age group will be taught to be inquisitive and explore their environment, the children in the 2.5-6 year-old age group will be taught to understand and repeat definitions of concepts, and the last group of children are taught to discuss abstract concepts through reasoning and creativity.

International schools adapt the Montessori Method because of its holistic approach. Particularly in a school called the Global Indian International School (GIIS), they use a Global Montessori Program (GMP) that works hand-in-hand with their award winning ‘Nine Gems’ educational framework to make sure that they are able to produce students who are socially responsible leaders who value empathy, critical thinking, and community. So there are obvious advantages to adapting the Montessori Method and combining it with an educational system that can support the method’s goals.

Creating a stimulating learning environment through the Montessori Method

As was mentioned earlier, the Montessori Method focuses on three developmental stages, each of which has learning goals that needs to be achieved. This means that schools and its educators should be able to provide an environment that encourages intellectual, emotional, and physical development throughout their whole stay in school.

International schools like the GIIS accomplishes this by adapting an ‘understanding by design’ educational format, which they famously call the ‘Nine Gems’. But without needing to enumerate all nine, the best way to comprehend ‘understanding by design’ is remembering that this kind of learning is divided into this basic taxonomy:

Repetition of knowledge – when students can define textbook definitions after acquiring knowledge
Application – when students can apply the knowledge through collaborative projects, reports, and so on
Creative thinking – when students can articulate their own thoughts that may or may not agree with the knowledge

Once a student is able to go through this taxonomy, it is the only time when we can truly say that they are able to arrive at their conclusions logically and soundly. The Montessori Method and the GIIS Nine Gems does this for various aspects of school life — meaning, it is not just for the academic, but also for performance and visual art, sports, and community care.

If we wish for our kids to get the best that education has to offer, look no further than an international school, with its diverse educational landscape, that adapts the Montessori Method of holistic development.

One Step At a Time:Taking Your Kids On a Financial Learning Journey

April 19, 2017 by admin

Source

One of the most valuable lessons you can teach your kids is about the importance of money. However, long, laborious lectures aren’t going to work. Instead, you need to turn day-to-day things, like going to the bank or the ATM machine, into lessons about money.

When your children are young, you can turn imaginary games into real-life money concepts that they can learn from. So, here are some lessons you can incorporate into your child’s day that will provide them with savvy financial advice for the future:

Where Does Money Come from?

It’s easy to understand why kids think money grows on trees, especially in a day where reams of cash come straight out of a hole in the wall. That’s why it’s important to teach them where the money comes from, and that it isn’t an endless resource. Explain that, in order to get money from the bank, you need to work hard first, and that the bank is just a safe place to store it (understandably, after the recent economic crash, you will have to remove some of your cynicism from this remark)!

How Can I Budget for Things I Want?

One of the easiest ways to teach your kids how to manage money is to give them an allowance. Therefore, if they spend all of this on the latest video game, they’ll learn they won’t have enough left over for the new pair of shoes they’ve been looking for. This allows them to gain first-hand experiences of what happens if they overspend and don’t budget properly.

Why Should I Save?

Impulse buying is easy when you’ve been given some money, but your child needs to learn that you shouldn’t spend all your money as soon as you get it. So, when you go shopping, create a list and allocate a budget to each item. Then, look at prices online and for any offers, comparing these to make sure you’re getting the most for your money. This routine planning will help them to make good financial purchases in the future.

Why Should I Be a Bit Skeptical?

Even though you don’t want to make your child feel as though every company is corrupt and out to get them, it’s important they understand the need to look into every deal or contract in detail. For example, if there’s an offer on the TV, it’s key they understand the company is trying to sell them something by making them feel a certain way. I.e. if you have these clothes, you’ll be the most popular kid in school.

This will provide them with important skills they can use when taking out loans or credit cards in the future, teaching them to learn more about the application before proceeding.

Why Should I Keep Track of My Spending?

You child’s money management skills will be enhanced just by knowing exactly where their money is going. To keep track of their spending, encourage them to set up a spreadsheet on their computer or in a notebook, making a file for all their statements and receipts.

With these simple tricks, you can start to teach your child important life lessons that will help them significantly in the future.

Stop Learning Loss: Keeping Your Child’s Mind Sharp Over the Summer Break

April 15, 2017 by admin

Kids love the months of summer vacation, but sadly, these weeks out of school can be a detriment to their education. Many children suffer from learning loss during the summer; that means they can lose up to two months of academic learning depending on their grade level and the subject. Math learning loss is the most common. So how can you make sure your kids don’t experience learning loss this summer? One solution is summer school. Here’s a look at the pros and cons of summer schooling.

What the Advocates Say

Structured learning: Kids need a plan of structured learningso that they retain their growing foundation of knowledge. Many parents would prefer to have year-round school so summer school is a good substitute to help kids stay on track.

Extra-curricularlearning: Some kids may be reluctant to take summer school classes. One way you can get round this is to put them into a class that you think they really need and let them pick another one for fun.

Start early: It’s best to weave summer school classes into your kid’s lives from the beginning of their schooling. That way it’s a normal part of their routine. If you want to find out more about different types of available summer school programs, check out Cambridge summer school.

What the Opposition Says

Summer is for fun: Kids need time to relax and recharge and this is what the summer vacation is for. They need this time for unstructured play, which is just as important as their education.

Learning on vacation: Learning isn’t confined to the classroom. Children need different life experiencesto grow into well-rounded adults. Summer vacation is a good time for the family to do things together and some of these things can be educational, like visiting a museum or a day trip to a nature preserve.

Letting off the pressure: Kids need a break from school so they have time to be kids. Time at school can be stressful with all the testing and pressure to perform. Why shorten their childhood even more with summer school?

How to Pick a Summer School

If you do decide on a summer school program, you’ll want to pick the right one for your child’s age and ability. Most summer programs are less formal than the regular classroom and kids are taught in smaller groups. The best programs include hands-on learning, sports, field trips and reading and math skills. To make sure your children get the most out of their summer program, enroll them in something they enjoy. For example, if your son is crazy about science but not really sporty, baseball camp will not interest him but science camp will. If your daughter has a talent for learning languages, immersive Spanish classes may be just the thing.

You don’t have to put your kids in classes all through the summer vacation. You could set up a mixture if classes here and there so they get to spend time at home with the family as well as learning.