Talk to Kids Early and Often
Here’s something that will catch your attention. For about twenty years researchers have been recording an hour’s worth of daily typical conversation in forty diverse families. Guess what? The kids...
View ArticleDo Math With Kids, Early and Often
Last week we talked about the importance of talking to young kids, building their vocabularies and fluency. This prepares them for school, strengthens their verbal skills. Kids from “word poor”...
View ArticleDo History With Kids Early and Often
For the past few weeks we’ve been discussing how to help prepare kids with early school success. Talk with them early and often to develop language proficiencies. Encourage them early and often to...
View ArticleStay Away from Gossip
It’s never been particularly difficult to gossip. Talking about someone is pretty easy, and it seems to be a universal pastime judging by the number of TV shows, websites, newspapers, magazines, and...
View ArticleLet Kids Come Up With Answers
I’ve learned a lot working with kids over the years, but no lesson is more important than the one I learned early in my career: I don’t need to know all the answers all the time.This lesson works at...
View ArticleTechnology Alone Won’t Guarantee School Success
Here’s something that needs to be said. Technology skills alone won’t guarantee school – or any other kind of – success. Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely, positively support technological skills...
View ArticleGet Involved in Your Kids’ Schools
I’ve taught in lots of schools – public and private – over the years, and there are many similarities among them. Kids whose parents are involved do better than kids whose parents aren’t. Parents who...
View ArticleWhy Kids Raise Their Hands in Class
Teaching has certainly changed a lot during my long career. Technology allows us to do things we only dreamed of in the days of film-strips, 16-mm movies, and record players. (Overhead projectors...
View ArticleSome Fun Summer Activities
Well, we’re fully into summer vacation from school, and regular readers of the Dr. Rick Blog know my mantra for this time of year. “Summer’s a time for slowing down, not shutting down.”You may quote...
View ArticleTwelve More Summer Math Ideas
Summer’s for slowing down, not shutting down. Last week I shared with you thirteen fun activities that can keep kids’ math skills from atrophying over the summer. Today, here are twelve more. These...
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