Letter from Betty for October 2016

Hello Friends,

You’ve probably noticed that young toddlers love books! They carry them around and ask adults and older siblings to read their favorites over and over again. They also sit quietly and enjoy the pictures on their own. They are natural book lovers. For some children though, they lose that passion as they get older. Reading is a skill and not a natural born talent. It is something that needs to be introduced early and tended to as time passes. If your children resist the world of books, or you want to rev up the excitement about reading, check out our feature article for October, "How to Change Their Minds When Your Children Say They Don't Like to Read."

Learn more about the month of October and its many holidays, traditions, and interesting history in our bonus article: "Did You Know? Fun Facts About October."

Also, for the project lover and DIY dining room decorator, enjoy our festive second bonus article: "Fun Stuff to Do: Mason Jar Centerpiece."

As always, please remember that whatever your educational needs, Foundation for Learning is ready to assist you with caring, one-on-one, individualized tutoring, SAT/ACT test prep, and educational evaluations. Please don't hesitate to give us a call at 973-425-1774 for a free consultation.


Best regards,

Betty

Betty Bodenweiser
Director
Foundation for Learning

October 2016 Test Schedule

Mark your calendar! Here are the latest test dates.

October Update: Sign Up for Chess Club and Math League

Chess Club

Saturdays, 2:30-3:30, October 22, 2016 - November 12, 2016
• Students entering 3rd - 8th grade are welcome to attend.
• Club size limited to 6!
• Cost: $90


Competitive Math League Lessons

Saturdays (times below), October 22, 2016-December 3, 2016
(6 sessions-no session Nov. 26)
Cost: $120 for 6 sessions 

Saturdays (times below), October 22, 2016-January 28, 2017
(12 sessions, no sessions on Nov. 26 or Dec.24 or 31)
Cost:$ 200 for 12 sessions

3rd/4th Graders 3:30-4:30
5th/6th Graders 4:30-5:30     
If interested in grades 7-12, see Betty.

• Class size limited to 6!

Students strengthen math skills by working through problems and by preparing for math competitions like Math Kangaroo and American Math Competitions (AMC)!                                      


For more information and to sign up for any or all of these sessions, contact Betty at (973) 425-1774 or Betty@foundationforlearning.com                                                                            

Foundation for Learning
914 Mt. Kemble Avenue, Morristown, NJ

How to Change Their Minds When Your Children Say They Don't Like to Read

Your Child Says He Doesn’t Like to Read. What’s a Parent to Do?

Despite our best efforts, there will be children who will try to convince us that they do not like books, and that they dislike reading. What’s a parent to do?

Here are a few ideas:

• Take a trip to the library or book store with your child and let him choose a few books by himself. 
• Keep books on hand at home and in the car. Make books available! 
• Consider graphic novels. This type of book is popular today and the illustrated volumes just might get those juices going!
• Snuggle up on the couch and read aloud together. 
• Talk about the book that you are reading together. Ask questions, explain new vocabulary words, develop alternate endings.
• Consider keeping an audio book in the car so you both can listen to stories while you’re traveling or even just running errands.
• Let your child see you enjoy reading! Be a role model and let your child see how excited you get when picking out books for yourself!
• Designate a cold, rainy day as lazy pj day! Keep the TV off, have everyone remain in their pj’s and spend a lazy day with a book or a pile of books and magazines. Even you, Mom and Dad!
• Create a book nook or comfortable space in your home, set aside just for reading.

How do you create a book nook?

Any space can be transformed into a cozy spot to curl up with a good book. An awkward corner, a window seat, or an outdoor area can become a comfortable spot for peaceful reading. Even the space under the stairs or an unused top bunk can turn into a reading area!



While designing your space, keep in mind::

To start, you’ll need to plan for comfortable seating and good lighting. Natural streaming (but filtered) sunlight is best, but a nice reading lamp works too. Seating can be a comfy stuffed chair, a cushioned bench or even a stack of fabulous pillows. Anything that your young reader can sink into.

Add shelving or baskets for book storage and maybe a side table to hold a drink, if space allows.


A fun idea is to create a reading cave!

Remember making a tent out of sheets and blankets when you were a kid? Fun, right? A reading cave will be super inviting for young children. Just drape a bed canopy or lacy white curtains from the ceiling, add a hanging lantern and presto – you’ve got a reading cave! Set it up in the corner of a little used room and leave it for the readers to enjoy.

The only rules here are that the space must be used for reading only, and all electronics (including phones) have to be left outside of the nook.

Do you need recommendations for good books? Find them here and here and here!


Have you tried the above suggestions and your child  continues to show a lack of interest?

There may be underlying issues that need to be addressed. Your child might have trouble understanding what he is reading because of basic decoding or word recognition issues. Troubles with reading fluency, or the ability to recognize words quickly rather than having to sound them out, may make reading slow and frustrating. Focus and attention issues may be another reason that reading is not the fun activity we hope your child will have. Distractions can effect memory and make it difficult to comprehend what is being read. Or it could be a problem of reading level. If your child is trying to read books too far above his current reading level, introduce books that are more appropriate.

We can help with evaluations to see if there are specific areas that need attention and we can develop different strategies to help your child become an effective and life-long reader. Just give us a call!

Did You Know? Fun Facts About October

You know that the most notable October holidays are Halloween and Oktoberfest, but did you know that other events, holidays and celebrations this month include: Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, Computer Learning Month, Cookie Month, National Pizza Month, National Vegetarian Month, National Popcorn Month, Yom Kippur, National Dessert Month, Country Music Month and National Book Fair Month!

And brace yourself – it’s time for pumpkin flavored everything!

October also has notable history:

• On October 1, 1896, free rural delivery of mail started in the United States.
• October 4, 1957, the first artificial satellite was launched by the Soviet Union.
• October 5, 1947, the first presidential telecast address from the White House was made by Harry S. Truman.
• October 18, 1867, the U.S. flag was formally raised over Alaska.
• October 31, 1864, Nevada became the 36th state of the United States.

  Fun October Facts:

October ends on the same day of the week as February every year.

The last week of October is a great time for sports fans. It is the only time of the entire year when four major American sports (MLB, the NHL, the NFL and the NBA) play games.

Oktoberfest originated on October 12, 1810 when Prince Ludwig of Bavaria wanted to celebrate his marriage to princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen with his people. Ludwig held horse races and invited all of the people of Munich to join him on his special day.

Cincinnati, Ohio, claims to hold the “largest authentic Oktoberfest” in the U.S. and draws about 500,000 people.

October is one of the original Roman calendar months and the name  literally translates to “eighth month.” Because the original Roman calendar began with March, October was the eighth month. Today, our calendar begins in January so October is now the 10th month of the year.

The holiday of Halloween began as the ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain. The ancient Celtic people used to celebrate the day to mark the end of the harvest season and winter’s beginning.

Fun Stuff to Do: Mason Jar Centerpiece

This is a perfect October project that you can use to decorate your dining room table for a whole season!

You’ll need 3 Mason jars (other decorative jars will work too)
3 votive candles and 3 votive candle holders

Now don a warm sweater, grab a basket or bag, and take a walk! Collect acorns or other pretty nuts that have fallen to the ground this month. Maybe find some pretty pebbles or seeds.

Search your kitchen cabinet for unpopped popcorn, candy corn or coffee beans.

Now fill the bottom of each jar with a single type of item that you collected.

Place the votive candle into the candle holder and center that in the bottom of your Mason jar.

There you go…a festive autumn centerpiece!