Our son’s teacher created an awesome homework assignment. And it’s something parents could do, too. I just asked my son and his friend if they’ve finished their homework (it’s just two days into the winter break). They both said yes. Even though there was a lot of reading involved, and […]
Other News
Toys for the CHUM Christmas Wish
I had some unopened toys that companies had sent me to review. Some of them weren’t literacy-based, so I hadn’t opened them. And others didn’t need to be opened in order to review them. Anyway, I had quite a stash, so I brought them over to the CHUM Christmas Wish. […]
Club Penguin
My son is hanging out in Club Penguin these days. And, um, so am I. Club Penguin is a virtual world for kids – each kid is a cartoon penguin. You take your penguin around the island, into various buildings, down ski hills, onto a pirate ship. (Still with me?) […]
Wonderful book – Tiny Tyrant
Here’s a masterpiece kids will love. I’ve never thought of a graphic novel (high-end comic book) as a masterpiece before, but I think the moniker fits Tiny Tyrant. The hero is a six-year-old king; a kind of likeable spoiled brat. King Ethelbert rules Portocristo – and we have no idea […]
A great "travelling" word game
Here’s another great word game. Our family recently travelled to Ottawa. Early one morning, we broke out a game we’d brought called Scrabble Apple. We really enjoyed it. What I like about it is that it’s portable, all of the pieces go back in the apple when you’re done, and […]
Make a book for Christmas
This is a great time to make your child a book for Christmas or Hannukah.Children of all ages are motivated to read a book about their favourite subject – themselves. Here’s how*Buy a small scrapbook with stiff pages. (Craft stores have them. You can also use a photo album.) *Select […]
Great learn-to-type website
Get your child typing! Kids get frustrated because they can think up story ideas faster than they can write them. Unfortunately, they may give up on writing stories, or end up writing one- or two-line stories because their hands get sore or tired. The principal at our school had a […]
Boys don’t like school
Send the message, “I want to hear the story you want to tell.” OK, here are some final highlights from the Leonard Sax seminar: 1) Many more girls than boys graduate from university. This is true for Canada, the UK, and the US. Sax says boys have given up on […]
Boys’ and girls’ brains develop differently
Part II of our coverage of Dr. Leonard Sax’s seminar in Toronto about how boys and girls learn.It’s not that boys’ brains develop more slowly than girls’ brains, according to Leonard Sax. “It’s more nuanced than that.” Researchers have found that:* the areas of the brain involved in language and […]
Getting boys reading – start in the middle
Start from the middle.This was Leonard Sax’s counter-intuitive (and possibly brilliant) suggestion to English teachers who want boys to enjoy great literature. Boys’ and girls’ brains process information differently. Girls process emotional information throughout their cerebral cortex, where language and analysis are also processed. Boys, however, process emotional information in […]
