Tips For Picking Your Child's Next School!

For many children the second semester of school has just begun. This is beginning of the countdown until summer and the end of the school year. However, for some children this is the beginning of the end of their life at a certain school. Whether that child is beginning school, in grade 6, grade 8, or grade 12 you and your child have to make a decision on what school they will attend next year. This can become a difficult decision and I want to provide some tips in order to smooth out the process.

1.Word of Mouth
Have any friends or family who has a child who has already made this decision? Maybe their child is currently attending the school your child is looking to attend? Whatever the case, speaking to other parents about their child’s experience is a great way to get feel for the strengths and weaknesses of that school.

2. Look Into What Makes School Unique
This point is best directed to those children graduating middle or high school, but does apply to some elementary school graduates. I’m of course talking about unique programs in each school. Yes, every public school has a general curriculum that they must follow, however some schools have special and unique programs. For example, Northern Secondary School has a fantastic gifted program. Anyways, the point is, you should figure out your child’s strengths (our evaluation can help with that) and find a special program that may help utilize their strengths.

3. Read About It
There are many magazines and journals, such as Macleans, that rank schools on a variety of categories. These categories range from academics to campus life. Overall, I found these lists a helpful tools for students looking at secondary education because it is one of the easiest ways to compare almost every college and university across Canada.

4. Visit The School
Almost every university and college offers campus tours that you and your child could attend. For schools in Toronto, one day tour would be enough. As schools in other cities, I recommend choosing a weekend and going up with your child to see the school. Wherever you attend, your child should be with you. It is them attending the school and they must feel comfortable on campus.

To attend an elementary, middle, or high schools it is a little more difficult. I recommend calling the school before you attend to ask their procedural for visiting their school. Listen to what they say and don’t break the rules. Once again, it is vital for your child to be with you, because they need to feel at home in order to learn properly. 

5. Where Are Their Friends Going?
You’ve done everything I’ve listed above and you’re still stuck? Well for some students, especially those going into high school, having a core of friends joining them in their journey is important to make sure they are happy. Obviously, this is different for every child, but that type o safety net really could help your child achieve a smooth transition to the new school.

That’s the list. I hope it works for you and your child finds the school that is right for them!

Cheers,
David

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Books Every Child Should Read!

I hope you and your child had a great day reading on Sunday’s Family Literacy Day! Did your child by chance run out of books? Or maybe you’re interested in updating your child’s reading library. Whatever the case, I got you covered with what I believe to be some “must own” books that every child should read.

For Children in Early Elementary School (Junior Kindergarden to Grade 2)

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein: This classic collection of poems is interesting, easy to read and a really a great starting book for any child. Plus, the rhyming scheme used in the poems helps children recognize the connection between how a word is spelled and that word’s pronunciation. With so many benefits you see why Shel Silverstein’s book was the inspiration for our tutoring center!

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak: Another must own classic. Where the Wild Things Are’s beautiful pictures really bring the story to life and keeps children coming back for more. I swear, when most children pick up this book they can’t put it down. 

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelans: This book maybe better for an advanced Grade 2 student, but with that in mind, if your child can handle it I say let them read it. This is a classic, more realistic story that every child should have the pleasure to read.

For Children in Late Elementary School (Grade 3 to Grade 6)

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein: Another Shel Silverstein book (yes, we love him) for more advanced readers. The reason I categorized this book in the more advanced section is because it deals with many important, more mature issues, such as love, self-sacrifice and environmental conservation. A little more maturity that comes with age might be needed to fully grasp and understand this book.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White: Arguably the most classic book in all of literature, Charlotte’s Web has survived the test of time. For myself, the well mapped out characters really bring this book to life and make it a necessity for every person to read.

Early Harry Potter Series By J.K. Rowling (Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets): Has your child read the Harry Potter series yet? They should! They’re great books that tap and allow your child to grow their imagination. However, due to the more mature and darker content in the later books, I can only recommend the first two books in the series for younger children. 

For Children in Middle School   

Later Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling: Just like the first two books in the Harry Potter series, the final five books in the series are amazing. However, these books are more mature so it might be better for a middle schooler to read it.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen: The ultimate survival adventure story. This book is intense, adventurous and good for any boy or girl. Hard to really describe the book without ruining it. All I can say is your child should read it!

For Children in High School

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank: The Holocaust will be discussed frequently during your child’s high school education. Before beginning grade nine, I believe an introduction to the emotional and complex time period should be given. This book by Anne Frank, a young girl and victim of the Holocaust, really puts the entire situation into context. However, just a warning, expect many questions about the Holocaust after your child reads this book.

How To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: If there is one novel that will stay with a child for the rest of their life this is the book. The book is extremely emotional and really a good lesson on why people act in certain ways. Mature content is why I believe this book is only appropriate for students in grade 11 and 12.

Macbeth and/or Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: Shakespeare is hard to read. Some children might have an easier time with it, but for most of us, his style of writing is simply outdated. Even if his style of writing is outdated, his stories themes and characters are timeless. With Shakespeare’s impeccable storytelling ability, he is a must for any child to read. However, due to the difficult and vocabulary in the books I recommend buying your child a copy with some modern day of phrases translations in the footnotes.

 This is a small list of the thousands of books your child could read. What is your or your child’s favourite book to read? Tell me in the comments below!

All the best,

David 

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How to Improve Your Child's Reading Abilities!

So I ended the blog (link) last week without providing any solutions to your child’s reading problems. I understand that might seem odd, but don’t freak out, because this weeks blog will focus on the best way to improve your child’s reading skills. 

Yes, you read that right. I purposely used the singular “best way” in my description. I say this because I believe the best way to improve reading skills is to read more material, more often. In fact, as a parent you can take certain actions to promote your child to read more. Here are some of those actions.

1. Read to your Child

Your child may not be reading because they are struggling to read. This creates a catch 22. You can break the cycle and help build your child’s confidence by reading to them. As you read together, get them to read and sounds, then words, then full sentences, and finally whole pages. Slowly they will eventually be able to read basic words and sentences by themselves. 

  

2. Surround Your Child with Books

In order to boost your child’s vocabulary, they need to continue to read more material.  Yes, you could buy one or two book at a time, but I recommend having a great variety of books on different subjects. The reason for this choice is because it will help ensure that your child will find a book that they deem interesting. If your child is interested in the book they will be more engaged and read more often. 

3. Set up a Reading Time

If surrounding your child with a greater variety of books doesn’t spark their interest, it’s a good idea to become more active and make sure that they are reading. You can ensure that they are reading by setting aside a time in the day that they have to read. This can be whenever, but at least an hour (can be more) should be set aside for reading. If you need some help to ensure your child is reading, Light in the Attic learning has a homework hub with a licensed instructor who can do this, and also answer questions about a word’s meaning and pronunciation.

4. Reading is Just Not About Books

Reading can be done anywhere. I take this notion to heart and when my son was learning to read I took flash cards and labelled the entire house. This is a true story and just proves that your child can read anything, anywhere as long as they are reading. It is important to find something that interests them and run with it. The only thing is to make sure you can sustain your child’s interest in this type of material over time. Broadening the material your child’s reads will ensure they never run out of content.

Before I close this blog, I like to say that all of these options are not mutually exclusive and can be used together! Which way do you think is the best?

All the best,

David  

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Keys Signs of Reading Problems

As children head back to school for the winter semester, parents want to give their children the best opportunity to succeed. Even with the best intentions, parents sometimes let one of the most glaring problems slip their attention. I’m of course referencing reading problems. Reading is an essential skill that every child must learn and falling behind in reading comprehension is a major detriment to a child’s academic and regular life. 

Being such a detriment, figuring out the signs of reading problems is very important for both the parents and the students. In order to help you out, I’ve organized, by grade, some key signs that your child might be having reading problems. 

1. Before School, Preschool and Kindergarden 
At this time a child’s vocabulary begins to expand. They should be learning new words and sounds. If your child is struggling to understand new words and sounds, and their vocabulary seems stunted, your child might be experiencing the first signs of reading difficulty.

Here are two examples to help identify this problem. The first example is when your child is learning their ABCs. If they have trouble learning or skip certain letters your child might have trouble understanding sounds.

The second example is with nursery rhymes. Nursery rhymes are a great way to measure a child’s ability to understand sounds. Your child disliking nursery rhymes and/or having difficulty to understand the rhymes even after hearing the nursery multiple times might also be an indicator that they will have trouble reading in the future. Overall, these are some keys ways in which you can tell if your young child might or is developing reading problems.

2. First Grade
I believe the first grade is the quintessential grade in developing strong reading skills. The reason first grade is so important is because it is the time where students begin to learn many key words. In fact, if your child currently in first grade has not learned at least 100 words by this point (mid way point of the year) they are having trouble with their reading comprehension skills. 

Another way to really tell if your first grader is reading well is to hear them read (crazy right?)  Here are some indicators that they are having trouble reading:

1. Skip words when reading.
2. Guesses words they don’t know.
3. Has trouble remembering words

I like to end today’s blog by saying that these signs are not guarantees that your child is having trouble reading. So take everything in stride and if you need help identifying if there is problem, we are here to help!

Thanks and all the best,
David

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Some Resolutions for the New Year!

Happy new year! Welcome to 2013! 

It’s a brand new year here at Light in the Attic Learning! As part of the new year, it’s appropriate for me to make a new years resolution. Regarding to Light in the Attic social media network I will make the resolution to post a blog every week. No breaks, no missing dates. I promise.

 Also, Sunday will be changed to news article Sundays. What’s news article Sundays? News article Sundays is a weekly (on Sundays) Facebook and Twitter link to my favourite education related news article of that week! The best part, the two social media platforms will have different news articles! Check out both! 

Anyways, sorry for the short post, but that’s all for today. 

All the best in the new year,

David 

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Some Educational Activities in Toronto During the Winter Break

It’s the holidays! School’s out and your children need something to do. Here are some fun educational activities you and your child can do in Toronto during the winter break.

1. Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)
Located minutes away from the Subway, this museum is fun, interactive, and educational. You can spend hours exploring the various exhibits (especially the new dinosaurs exhibits, it’s pretty awesome). This place is great for all ages and there is nothing better than watching your child eyes light up as they see the different exhibits. Plus, entering after 4:30 pm means you get 50% off admission!

2. Ontario Science Centre
Yep, another museum! Sorry, but they’re just so much educational fun. For myself, the highlight at the Ontario Science Centre is the IMAX theater. The dome shape really creates an immersive experience and is always amazing to watch. While a little out of the way for myself, the Ontario Science Centre amazing IMAX theater make it worth the trip. Oh and the rest of the museum is fun and interesting too. But anyways, trust me, you haven’t experienced IMAX or any movie until you’ve been to IMAX at the Ontario Science Centre.

3. Cavalcade of Lights
Gain some art education with this exclusive Toronto event. The lights that line downtown really bring the city to life and are a great demonstration of the power of art. Also if you want to throw in some physical education to the experience, go have a skate on the ice rink at Nathan Phillips Square. It’s always a fun family bonding experience. Plus it’s free (unless you’re renting skates), and how can you go wrong with a free activity?

There, three days used on three fun activities. Hope that helps keep you and your family busy for the rest of the winter break!

Happy Holidays,
David

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Dealing with the Sandy Hook Elementary Tragedy

Hi everyone. After a few weeks off, it’s good to be back to blogs every Tuesday. 

Today’s blog is going to be very different. As you probably already know, we experienced a tragedy on Friday when a gunner broke into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and murdered 26 children and educators in cold blood. 

As an educator and parent, this massacre really hit home. It was an unfathomable situation, and I wish my deepest condolences to the victim’s families. No one should have to deal with what the families are dealing with right now. 

For the rest of us, lets remember the victims, and not the perpetrator. Lets remember educators like Victoria Soto, who hid her students and lied to the gunman so she would be the only one shot. Victoria is a shining example of selflessness and  can truly be called a hero. In fact, all the educators of Sandy Hooks who lost their lives showed their unbreakable dedication as teachers and are all heroes. 

Luckily, my sentiment is echoed with the media during their coverage of the event. They continue to focus their attention on the victims, and have spend minimal air time on the actual killer. I believe this is the right way to handle this situation because the perpetrator does not deserve to have their face and name glorified in the media. Hopefully history will forget the killer, and remember the victims and heroes of the tragedy at Sandy Hooks Elementary.

So what do you think? How should the media handle situations like massacre at Sandy Hooks Elementary? Comment below.

That’s all for now, and tonight hold your family close and tell them you love them, because you just never know what may happen.

All the best,

David

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