Lemonade Stand – 2013

Your student’s teachers will be the first to tell you that the summer vacation has serious effects on your child’s learning if you as a parent don’t provide some type of academic stimulant through the summer. While it’s good to take a break from the books, teachers often struggle for weeks to get those brains back in gear come September.  Plus, with the new academic standards the time to do this is reduced because the volume of new material in a year has increased.  Our role as parents is to creating fun summer activities for our children that help them to exercise their brains and keep learning alive.

We have written many posts in the past on the virtues of the Summer Lemonade Stand for a child…and you.  In this installment we’ll focus on more of the educational benefits.  The lemonade stand is a fun way for your child to learn through the summer. It teaches a range of life skills and gets them to practice math all while having fun and learning the fundamentals of commerce. While you can teach a number of lessons through a lemonade stand, remember that it’s mostly about fun.

Spreading The Lemon Love
Start by working with your child to select a charity that they really love. Whether they need to raise funds for their Girl or Boy Scout troupe, or they want to give the proceeds to a local pet shelter, together you can find a worthy recipient of your lemonade income that will teach your students about the importance of community and charity. Another donation option and source of inspiration and information is Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Marketing Savvy
Once you’ve decided on a charity, the next thing you can teach is the fundamentals of marketing. Here you can discuss locations and why some would be better than others. Next, take on the lemonade stand itself. Discuss ways in which you can decorate your lemonade stand to attract attention. Get your students to make signs that advertise their lemonade stand, the charity they are supporting and the items that will be on sale. They can also make posters to advertise the lemonade stand in advance. Glitter, balloons, pictures and other decorative elements can help to add a creative facet onto your educational endeavor. Also discuss ways in which your students should greet customers and how they should help them.

Green Your Lemonade Stand
This is also a great opportunity to focus on the environment. Make your stand and posters from recycled materials.  You can use boxes from your local grocery store to create a store front and posters.  Opt for biodegradable cups or plastic cups that you can wash, sanitize and reuse.  Make sure that all the materials end up in the recycling once your lemonade stand is taken down.

Math Whizz
Keep lots of change on hand and let your child work out how much change each customer needs to get.  They can also count the money to see how much they have made.  This is a great way to get them to practice their math skills while having fun.  Working with money is a valuable skill and one which is becoming very rare due to the proliferation of registers and calculators.

Nutrition
Help your child determine the nutritional value of the lemonade and anything else they sell. If they are making it from scratch they can learn how to derive the information from the individual ingredients and then combine them. Different sizes of cups also provides some great math practice as they increase or decrease the nutritional values. Make sure to post this information for your customers.

 

Summer Learning: Not For Dummies Anymore

Building a successful sand castle requires quite a bit of skill! (Image Credit:http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/1886R-25213)

The 2012/13 school year is quickly coming to a close and it is time to put some serious thought into your child’s ‘summer education’.  I know when I was a child the thought of summer was about anything BUT school.  Summer school was for kids who failed or had issues in the regular year.  I did go one year in second or third grade for reading and once I got over the ‘trauma’ it was actually quite fun and it did help my reading.

In subsequent years while there was always the threat of summer school it never materialized since I achieved pretty good grades. However, that meant the summer was generally an educational dead zone for me. There was the occasional family trip to the Buffalo Zoo, Buffalo Museum of Science, Corning Glass, Niagara Falls, Fort Niagara and local parks that were great fun and sparked my curiosity.  Nevertheless, it was really not enough to truly advance my learning through the summer. I’d get back into school in September and be amazed at all the Math, Science and English I had forgotten.

Times have changed since then and as parents we are truly doing our children a disservice if we don’t act proactively and use the summer to supplement our child’s education.  There are many options to doing this that can be fun, low-cost, effective and engaging for all of us…including the child. Some ideas include:

Summer Camp – We have many posts on these and how to select the one right for you and your child. Remember to do your research! Camps can be overnight or just for the day. In Buffalo, the Buffalo Museum of Science,  Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo Zoo and many others have some great offers for parents. The Nickelodeon site ParentsConnect has an OK listing you can explore. In Rochester the choices are just as amazing and can be found at MySummerCamps.com. Of special note are the offers by Rochester Museum & Science Center and RIT.

Community Activities – Here in Pembroke, NY there is an excellent program sponsored by the Town that runs for 6 weeks on Mon-Frid. for 3 hours. It is free and includes a host of supervised activities, crafts and swimming for the students that range in age from 5-14. I know many other communities also offer programs like this. The best place to check on them would be your local village, town or county government office.

Local Library – This is a great resource for increasing your child’s reading and language skills. Each tends to offer different types of programs but most are free. Check with your local branch and remember they tend to have programs for adults as well.

Music Lessons – Music or vocal training can be a real gift you can give to your child. Studies show the imense value music has in the development of a child. Your local school music department may often offers summer programs or you can look for a teacher yourself through the school, Craigslist or Tutor Doctor. Typically you can get someone for $20-$40 per hour. Remember to check backgrounds and get references on the instructor if you hire them yourself!

Tailored Programs – You might check with your child and find out what they might be interested in learning. From here you can try to work with a teacher, education consultant or tutor to find or develop something that meets the requirements. Two years ago we had a great request to help a student in 3rd grade who wanted to learn more about space and the universe. We developed a two week program that met his needs. We did in part with the Buffalo Museum of Science where we volunteered with the student and did our lesson in their ‘Our Place in Space Floor‘. It was fantastic and the student loved the program for what he learned and what he was able to share with others!

In closing…remember to include your child in the process. By engaging them early on you have a better chance of them liking what is decided since they had a role in the selection. It also helps them to learn how to budget, evaluate service offerings, and how they can be evaluated.  Also remember that in the summer your child would like time with their biggest educator…YOU!  Make some time for your biggest fan especially in their younger years.

Why You Should Go To Summer Camp

So you think you are being a good parent. You remember last summer and the moans of being bored from your child. This year you spent tons of money on a summer camp for your child. However, your child doesn’t want to go and ‘hates’ you for thinking of sending them away. Here are some points you can bring up with your child that can help them want to go to camp.

First know that the summer holidays are stretching out in front of your child and they may be so happy to have a break from school that they don’t want to think about summer camp. But you should; summer camp is a great way to really provide them a break from their day-to-day life and have great new experiences. Some of what they can expect are:

Meet new people
Some of the best friends they will ever have will come from summer camps. Meeting new people will help them develop their social skills and expand their circle of friends. It’s great to meet people who come from different places and have different views and perspectives.

Try new things
Get out of their comfort zone and have some interesting experiences. They will be able to partake in new and exciting activities at summer camp. They may find a new sport, hobby or interest you never had before or learn a brand new skill. Finding out how capable they are and taking on new challenges will help them to be more confident.

Get into shape
At camp, they are so active that it’s easy to get into better shape than they will sitting at home on the sofa. The activities are fun and they’re enjoying their self, so they won’t feel like you’re working out. Take this opportunity to eat well and get some fresh air. Being outside in a natural environment, doing fun activities with good friends will really help them to de-stress and rest after a tough academic year. Know that they will come home refreshed and ready for the challenge of a new school year.

Its fun!
Choose a camp that suits their personality and offers experiences you know they’ll like. While it may seem like they just want to rest after writing exams, staying home will get boring fairly quickly…remember last year? When they have a summer camp to get look forward to, they won’t find your summer vacation boring.

Summer camp can be a really great personality-building experience. Your child gets to socialize outside of their circle of friends which means they can meet new people from different schools, states or even countries. Going to camp will give them the opportunity to spend some time outdoors and in a natural setting so they can relax and de-stress.

Let your child know that challenging yourself and getting out of your comfort zone is a characteristic of successful people. They will learn new skills and surprise their self at just how capable they are. They will return from camp with more confidence and mature which will help them cope with the demands of a new academic year. Lastly let them know that summer camp is fun, and will give them memories to last a lifetime!

Note…as a parent do your homework and make sure you choose a camp that has high recommendations and check references! The last thing you want to do is worry about your child’s safety or experience at camp!

Cheap Summer Activities for the Whole Family

The summer vacation and holiday seasons are fast approaching and you know that it won’t take long before your children are ready for entertainment/action. Doing this is not an easy task and trying to link it to learning is not an easy task for parents. Then there is the cost factor. However, with a bit of imagination and planning there are some things that you can do that won’t cost a fortune and will provide your family with fun/learning activities.

Star Gazing
Take a drive out of the city and pack a blanket or some camping chairs, a picnic dinner and your smart phones. Download an app to help you identify constellations and then head out to a picturesque natural setting. You can enjoy the setting sun while snacking on your picnic dinner. Once the sun sets, hold your smart phones up to the heavens. Your GPS will track your position and help you identify the constellations and stars that you can see. You can download apps for stargazing here.

International Food Festival
Take out an atlas and ask your child to show you where different countries are. Pick a country to explore each week. You can play a game to find a country like pin the tail on the country or each sibling gets a turn to pick a country. Then find recipes from each country that your students can help you to cook. Cooking is a great life skill for students to master while reading recipes helps them to practice their reading skills. Following recipes is great practice for lab work and its fun too! This is a great way for students to learn about other cultures and cuisines.

Blanket Forts
This is a great activity for a rainy day which you are never too old to enjoy. Think big by converting your living area to an indoor fort city. Furnish your indoor blanket fort with comfortable cushions and a picnic dinner. Plan activities that will keep older children engaged like board games, or bring your laptop in and watch a movie. You can also tell scary stories or listen to audio books.

Trivia Night
This activity takes some preparation, but if your students are old enough, it’s a great way to keep them busy. Invite a couple of families for games night. Pick a couple of children to be the game masters. They must compile general trivia questions over a set number of categories like sports, history, literature, pop culture etc. They should also create answer sheets for each round (5-8 rounds work best). Families make up a team and get to answer questions in each round and the family with the most points wins the game.

Campfire Storytelling
Storytelling is perhaps one of the oldest entertainment activities humans have engaged in. It can be quite a compelling, entertaining and insightful experience to listen to a good storyteller. Being a good storyteller does take practice and some planning. Some useful help can be found at Building Blocks or FDCC. Often another good way to get started is to read from a book. Remember to invite your children to add to your stories or to provide them the opportunity to use their imagination and entertain you! Now add a fire and s’more for the ultimate summer activity.
You don’t have to go on vacation to have a good time in the summer; just a little planning will ensure an action packed summer that’s fun for the whole family.

Summer Learning Suggestions

As the summer holidays approach, it’s great to have a number of arrows in your activities quiver for when you kids get bored. Combine education with fun and make your kids more environmentally aware. There are many fun activities that can help to make your children more eco-friendly over the summer holidays. What follows are some suggestions

People Power
Encourage your kids to help you reduce your family’s carbon footprint. Use a carbon calculator to determine your current carbon footprint. Get the kids to outline a plan for reducing this carbon footprint. They can get everyone in the family to use their own volition to get places rather than relying on the car. This means that your family should walk or bike to destinations in your neighborhood. They can help you to switch your light bulbs, install water-saving shower heads and use electronic equipment less. They can work out how much they reduce their carbon footprint and get some exercise too! You can set carbon goals with rewards to make it more interesting.

Urban Farming
Growing your own food is enormously rewarding and a really great opportunity to educate your kids about the natural world. Dedicate a portion of your garden or use containers to grow vegetables and herbs. Not only will you save money, but you will have a carbon neutral source of locally grown organic food all summer long. Making an urban farm can be as simple or as complicated as you like. You can just grow a couple of herbs in a pot, make a vegetable garden, build a green house or explore hydroponics.

Internet Research
There are tons of green documentaries and websites which are designed for the younger viewer. Make sure the content is age appropriate, but get your child involved with issues that they care about. They can sign petitions, help spread the word or raise funds for causes that preserve our planet. Teens with a social conscience who get involved with causes that they care about get to network with other like-minded individuals, are more well-rounded and care about the world and community that they live in.

Eco-travel
Many of the most beautiful natural places are being lost to progress and climate change. You can take your kids to see endangered animals or habitats before it’s too late. You can also take adventures that increase your knowledge of the natural world or give you an opportunity to volunteer. Volunteer holidays enable your kids to see other parts of the world and help to preserve them.

Snow’s Falling But Still Thinking About Summer Camp

Sure winter is not quite over and Spring has not started, but that doesn’t mean it is too early to think about Summer Camp or activities to keep your children active and learning through the Summer months.  Parents often ask us ‘what questions I ask when considering a summer camp for my child?’ In responding we remind them that Summer camp should be a fun experience for their child that helps them to grow and develop socially. It’s really important to take into account their needs and desires when choosing a summer camp. Together you and your child should ask yourselves the pertinent questions that will help you form the questions that will help you to make the right choice.

Here are some suggested questions to try to get answer to when choosing a summer camp

• Talk with your child on what they want from a summer camp. Including a child in the decision-making process will help them to feel empowered. Use their input to formulate questions designed to see if the camp will provide what your child would like.
• Ask yourself what you want your child to gain from their summer camp experience. Summer camps have many benefits which enable your student to learn new skills, hone old ones, excel at sports, live a healthier life or make new friends. Camps can be a combination of these things too.
• Review your budget and your traveling capabilities to decide which camps you can afford and how far your child can travel.
• Decide whether you want a small camp where children will receive individual attention and get to know the other ‘campers’ and staff members well or opt for a bigger camp where your student will have the opportunity to mix with a large variety of people.
• Examine the camp’s ethos and philosophical approach to ensure that they reflect values that you support and would like to impart to your child.
• Ensure that the counselors are well trained and friendly so that your student gets all the support they need.
• Did you read the references? Read reviews and comments from camp attendees to get a feel for the place. Long lists of impressive activities don’t tell the whole story and hearing good reviews from trusted friends and family members help you to make the right choice.
• Look at the ratio of counselors to children and the return rates of previous campers. Discuss the methodologies councilors employ to resolve conflicts between campers to see if your child will fit in.
• Ensure sure that the camp is accredited and that it has adequate medical facilities to deal with emergencies. Check that counselors are properly trained and are old enough to cope with problems that may arise.
• Are the meals healthy?
• Does the camp have indoor recreation and activities will help to alleviate boredom in the event of inclement weather?

Make a short list of four or five summer camps or activities that tick all of your boxes. Discuss your choices with your student and get them to pick their top three. Use this as a guide when making your final decision. There are a number of websites that list camps according to various criteria. This will make it easier to find camps in your area.

Helpful US websites:
My Summer Camps
American Camp Association
Camp Page

Helpful Canadian Websites:
Our Kids
Summer Camps in Canada
Camp Page

Thanks for reading this and if you have a chance please vote for our school on the WGRZ WEATHER WORD…

If you have a few minutes this evening your vote to help our school get the WGRZ weather machine would be appreciated. Here is how to vote:

1. Go to the Weather Machine Voting page link
   http://b5.caspio.com/dp.asp?AppKey=bfca20007a0f19933b8145ffa709
   
2. Select the County Name in the drop down box: Erie
3. Select the School Name in the drop down box: St John the Baptist (Alden)
4. Enter the Weather Word: Air
5. Enter the Security Code that is displayed:
6. Check the Rules and Submission Boxes
7. Click Submit
8. Do it again!  The word is good all weekend.

Planning For Summer

As the first days of Spring grow nearer summer vacations are not much further away. If you are a teen or college student you may be wondering what to do with your summer vacation. Although it’s nice to have free time to spend with your friends, you will soon find yourself with more time than you know what to do with. With busy school schedules and heavy workloads, you seldom have time to do anything extra for yourself. Summer is the perfect opportunity to learn something new, have an adventure or make a little cash while developing your career skills.

Get a Job
Employment is a great choice for the holidays as you can earn a little extra cash while learning vital life skills. Gain independence, learn to manage your own finances and learn how to conduct yourself in the workplace. Experience gained at summer jobs can give you the edge over other candidates when you apply for a job after school. Try to choose something that you are interested in or a job that gives you experience towards your career. There are a number of sites you can utilize to find the perfect summer employment opportunity.

Teens4Hire
YMCA
Summerjobs

Grow Your Own Food
For those who are environmentally minded, growing your own food is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, eat locally and grow food that is organic and higher in nutrition than the produce from the store. It’s also tons of fun! If you grow more than you can eat, sell your produce to friends, family members, neighbours and at local farmers markets. Utilize unused garden space, empty lots or allotment gardens in your local park. There are resources online on how to grow your own veggies, but most garden centers will help you with tips, tricks and ways in which to grow the best veggies in town.

Mother Earth News
Sunset
Gardeners

Ever wanted to learn a musical instrument? Or speak Spanish? Set yourself realistic goals for the summer and spend just a couple of hours every day acquiring a new skill. By the end of the summer you may not play tennis like Serena Williams, but you will be well on your way! New skills need not cost lots of money; if you don’t have the cash for lessons, there are plenty of resources online. You can also ask friends and family members to help teach you special skills that they have. If you learned a new skill every summer, you’d be a regular renaissance genius by the time you graduate.  Choosing something to keep yourself busy this summer can really help to develop you as a person. Of course you must leave yourself some time to relax and enjoy the weather too! Planning ahead is key, so decide what you want to do before the summer comes and make sure you have all the resources you need.

Thanks for reading this and if you have a chance please vote for our school on the WGRZ WEATHER WORD…

If you have a few minutes this evening your vote to help our school get the WGRZ weather machine would be appreciated. Here is how to vote:

1. Go to the Weather Machine Voting page link
   http://b5.caspio.com/dp.asp?AppKey=bfca20007a0f19933b8145ffa709
   
2. Select the County Name in the drop down box: Erie
3. Select the School Name in the drop down box: St John the Baptist (Alden)
4. Enter the Weather Word: Radar
5. Enter the Security Code that is displayed:
6. Check the Rules and Submission Boxes
7. Click Submit
8. Do it again!

Erie County Fair Summer 2012

It isn’t quite summer in Western New York until you’ve taken a trip to the Erie County Fair. While I can’t say with any certainty that I’ve attended the fair every year since my birth, it has definitely become a staple in my life. Aside from all the food and the rides, there are plenty of opportunities for education. Here are a few educational things that stood out to me on my trip today. Feel free to add more in the comments!

Not that you need an excuse to go to the fair, but incorporating education into everyday events is a great way to enhance learning! (Image Credit:http://byzantiumshores.blogspot.com/2010/08/day-at-fair-report.html)

Where Does Food Come From?

A huge part of nutrition, I believe, is education on where food comes from. Whether it’s seeing the dairy cows in the animal barn or viewing prize-winning vegetables, the fair is a crash course in food education. 4-H does a great job putting up factual signs in their exhibits, so make sure to have your family stop and read them. A particular highlight is the full-sized cow replica in the Ag-sperience building, where you can learn how to “milk” a cow!

Mad Skills

Seeing all the ribbons on everything from azaleas to quilts makes me want to become more skilled in certain fields, and it may have the same effect on your child. Whether its the 8-foot tall crocheted giraffe in the former casino building or the amazing carved fish in the woodworking building, your child might be inspired to try something new. Encourage your child to talk to the volunteers who are around the buildings. Many of them seem to have first-hand knowledge of the exhibits they work at and if not, are able to point you in the right direction.

Inspirational

The fair provides plenty of opportunities to exercise your creative side. This year, they even had a section of the fine arts exhibit dedicated to photos that were taken at last year’s fair! Whether it’s the inspiration to try a new craft (like crocheting) or to take a picture of a baby cow or to draw a Ferris wheel, the fair offers a unique opportunity to get the creative juices flowing.

Math Whiz

Whether it’s figuring out prices at food stands or counting out how many tickets needed for a ride, there are lots of ways that math can be easily incorporated into a day at the fair. The rabbit barn provides a great opportunity for young learners to practice their counting in a fun way. Asking a child to count how many white rabbits or black rabbits they see is great, but why not take it a step further and have him or her create a graph when they return home?

 

 

Farmer’s Markets

Usually, when it comes time to do grocery shopping, time is a commodity. The less stops my family has to make the better. Unfortunately, this often means that we sacrifice quality experiences for expediency. Having a quality food experience usually takes time, whether it’s time spent cooking, growing food, shopping for food, or planning a menu, or a combination of those factors.

A farmer’s market can be a great way to encourage kids to try new foods, too! (Image Credit:http://www.davisenterprise.com/media-post/fridays-table-photos/attachment/kids-farmers-market-4w-2/)

While I don’t necessarily enjoy running errands, I do enjoy changing my experiences with food. After all, my transition from eating frozen pizzas to making my own pizza has transformed my food attitude. When I do my own thoughtful cooking and food shopping, I feel more connected to my food and my health. Rather than blindly consuming calories and chemicals I can’t even pronounce, I now eat food that I have had an active part in creating beyond just pre-heating the oven.

Making trips to the grocery store more meaningful is possible, if you are attentive to the produce you’re purchasing. While frozen fruits and veggies can often be just as good for you as the other options available in the store, there’s something to be said for eating seasonally and getting produce at the peak of its ripeness. Many grocery stores promote local produce, but for a truly local experience, you can’t beat the farmer’s market. Luckily, Western New York in the summer is rife with farmer’s markets. I love the farmer’s market experience because you have the opportunity to talk to the people who actually grew your food. For kids, the opportunity to be a step closer to where food actually comes from can be a great experience. I’ve also realized that a farmer’s market encourages me to buy more fruits and vegetables, simply because that’s what’s readily available. At a grocery store, it’s easy to fill your cart with more processed foods, but at the farmer’s market healthy options are on full display. Also, the green beans we picked up at the farmer’s market today made for a delicious side dish.

Crossing Borders

Growing up, crossing the American/Canadian border was second-nature in my family. Half my family lived in Canada, and the other half in the United States, so a trip to Canada wasn’t necessarily a big deal. When I finally learned that there were lots of people in Western New York who hadn’t ever left the United States, I was surprised. The border crossing was less than 30 minutes from my hometown. Another country was within easy driving distance.

Traveling is obviously a privilege, but in Western New York, at least, it is an accessible one. Crossing borders can be a great learning experience, and a fun summer activity for your family. What are some of your favorite things to do in Canada?

Bienvenue! (Image Credit:http://blog.firstreference.com/2011/12/15/canada-u-s-beyond-the-border-action-plan-proposes-immigration-related-initiatives/)