Plant a garden

What child doesn’t like to get dirty? Take that love of dirt and turn it into a love of gardening. Spending time building a garden with your child will provide them with an opportunity to develop greater knowledge of various types of plants, flowers and trees, the seasons they grow and what they need in order to grow. It will also heighten their appreciation for nature and fill them with a sense of accomplishment as the garden begins to grow.

Just as important to the educational benefits of designing and building a garden with your child is the quality time you will spend together in not only creating the garden, but caring for it throughout the spring, summer and fall. To get started on your garden, visit http://www.kidsgardening.org/family.asp.

Go exploring

Who is your child’s favorite explorer? Is it Magellan? Perhaps it’s Henry Hudson? Whoever their favorite explorer is or even if they don’t have one, children have wonderful imaginations and they love to play make believe, so get out and explore “the world” with your child. Go hiking and pretend you’re Lewis and Clark on an expedition to the Pacific Coast. Take a boat ride and pretend you’re Columbus traveling the Atlantic Ocean.  Build an imaginary airplane from boxes, set them up outside and watch as Amelia Earhart takes off from your driveway.  There’s plenty of information online about explorers that you can use to have fun and sharpen your child’s (and your) knowledge. To begin, visit http://www.allaboutexplorers.com/explorers.

 Outdoor Art Show

Don’t want to go to a museum because it’s too nice out? Well then, let the museum come to you. Host an outdoor art show with the neighborhood kids. First, have children work on a piece of art using whatever materials they can find.  Second, hang a clothesline between two trees in your yard. Third, hang the artwork on the clothesline for everyone to view. Don’t forget to invite the neighbors and be sure the artists are on hand to discuss their inspiration. For additional outdoor educational activities, visit http://fun.familyeducation.com/play/outdoor-activities/33394.html.

Learning doesn’t have to be an indoor activity; there’s plenty to learn outdoors as well. Simply find an outdoor educational game or project that aligns with your child’s interest and enjoy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend children and adolescents get at least an hour of aerobic and/or strength-building or exercise each day.  It may seem like a lot, but remember that a number of activities count.  And with warmer weather around the corner, what child – and adult alike – isn’t looking to get outside and play?

Below are some suggestions for family fitness activities that are fun and won’t break the bank either!

Moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic activities:

• Active games that incorporate running and chasing like tag, hop scotch, capture the flag, red rover, and hide-and-seek, Simon says, red-light-green-light, etc.
• Bicycling or hiking
• Sports or activities that require running, catching and throwing, or vigorous play
• Dancing, jumping rope, skipping and hopping
• Vigorous yard or house work like raking leaves, vacuuming or mowing the lawn
• Swimming or active play in the water
• Walking anywhere – to school, the park, the store, etc.
• Some “active” video gaming (The Nintendo Wii has a few good active video games, but remember, the objective should be to get your child outside and active when the weather is nice)

Muscle- and bone-strengthening activities:

• Swinging and playing on various jungle gym or playground equipment
• Tree or rope climbing
• Physical games like tug-of-war or tumbling
• Sit-ups, push-ups (modified or regular) and step-ups, or any other resistance exercises using body weight, hand weights or exercise bands
• Hopping, skipping and jumping activities

Parents and older siblings can set a great example for younger children and encourage them to adopt a healthy, active lifestyle.  Here are just a few local places in our community where physical “play” and activity is encouraged:

Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge – open year-round and there is no fee to enter.  It is a great place to take the whole family hiking, cycling, canoeing and exploring.  Bonus: it is educational too! http://www.fws.gov/midwest/shiawassee/

Saginaw Valley Rail-Trail – walk, bike, run or skate any stretch of this 9.2-mile shaded trail way with the whole family.   For more information and a trail map visit:  http://www.traillink.com/viewtrail.aspx?AcctID=6016215

William H. Haithco Recreation Area – this park has it all for the family.  Enjoy swimming (lifeguard-supervised), beach volleyball, paddle boats, recreational fields and more.   Visit www.saginawcounty.com/parks for more information and other area parks/recreation.

Being active is beneficial for the whole family and there are a number of things you can do together.  So, with spring break upon us, try to find some time to get your children outside and active.  It will be time well spent.

If you’re looking for a fun way to get your children excited about math, try some pi. No, not apple, cherry or pumpkin, but the mathematical constant whose value is the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter. You know, 3.141593.

Given that yesterday was March 14, or 3-14, why not celebrate Pi Day at home one day this week or next by participating in a variety of activities related to Pi. Courtesy of www.TeachPi.org, following is a list of ways to make Pi Day entertaining, educational and tasty for your children.

• Eat some Pi – Bake cakes, cookies and pies, of course, with a Pi Day theme.
• Memorize Pi – Sure we all associate Pi with 3.14, but the numbers go on forever. Hold a competition with your children to see who can recite the most digits from memory. Do this once a day for a few days to see who can get the farthest. Then celebrate with a slice of pie.
• Ode to Pi – Have your children compose an original song, poem or piece of art about Pi Day.
• Accessorize with Pi – Sure it’s a funky symbol, but that’s what makes it cool. So go ahead and decorate some of your children’s older clothing with the Pi symbol. Perhaps the new fashion statement will catch on.
• Pi Toss – Not afraid to get messy? Then have a good, old fashioned pie fight with your children. Toss cream pies at each other to see who has the best aim.
• Hula Pi – They’re circular. They’re fun. And they’re good exercise. Break out the hula-hoop and hold a contest with your kids. It’s not as easy as it looks. 

When you’ve had your fill of Pi, find other fun activities to increase your child’s understanding and appreciation for math. For more information or for other helpful tips on making math more enjoyable for your child, do not hesitate to speak to your child’s teacher or visit www.familyeducation.com.

Make Time to Read

Try to read with your child every day at a regularly scheduled time. If possible, choose a time when you can be relaxed and not rushed. If you have more than one child, spend time reading with each child separately, especially if they’re more than two years apart. On days that are particularly hectic, bring a few books when you take children along on errands. Taking time to read to children on a regular basis sends the message that reading is important and worthwhile.

One More Time…PLEASE?!

As every adult who cares for children knows, they often ask to hear the same story again and again. They delight in knowing what comes next and often learn a favorite book so well that they can quote it on their own. That favorite story may speak to your child’s current interests and emotional needs, so it’s important for the adults in their lives to be patient during this phase. Young children are eventually ready for different stories if they are continuously exposed to a variety of books.

Slow Down

It’s not just what you read to children, but how you read that matters. If adults rush through stories or read without enthusiasm, children quickly lose interest. Try to read with expression and use different voices for the characters. Reading at a leisurely pace with occasional pauses gives children time to take in what they hear, mull it over, and imagine the people, places, and events.

Choose Books with Care

Reading together often, you learn a lot about the kinds of books your child likes and understands. Saginaw is fortunate to have a number of exceptional public libraries, http://www.saginawlibrary.org/, so don’t hesitate to utilize these as a resource for you and your child. Frequent trips to the library open a world of literary exploration to your child. Additionally, libraries often run fun and engaging programs, such as Books for Breakfast, that present excellent opportunities to increase your child’s love of reading. 

Start a Children’s Book Club

Nobody said reading needs to be done alone, so why not start a book club with a bunch of your child’s friends? Not only will this strengthen your child’s reading skills, but it will help develop his social skills as well. Simply find a group of parents who wouldn’t mind rotating as hosts and allow a different child to pick a book for the group to read each week. For more tips on starting a children’s book club, visit http://www.kidsreads.com/clubs/.  

Don’t Pressure Children About What or When to Read

Nagging children about their reading habits may cause them to resist reading all together. Some school-age children choose to read only comic books or fan magazines after their homework is finished. Try not to criticize – after all, they are reading. If a child makes a mistake when reading aloud, don’t interrupt. If the mistake doesn’t change the meaning, let it go.

Strong reading skills are the foundation of academic success. For that reason, we urge you to celebrate National Reading Month throughout March with your child. While we’ll certainly do more than our share of reading in school, your support will reinforce the importance of reading, so pick up a book and have some literary fun with your child.

And because North Saginaw is a vibrant community made up of our students, staff and parents, you won’t just be hearing from me.  This blog will be the voice of the school and, as such, posts will come from our talented staff members, as well as the occasional guest post from a student or parent because we know they have great things to share as well.  North Saginaw wouldn’t have achieved the success it has without the teacher –parent –student partnership that is so crucial.

Thank you for visiting us today.  Please add us to your favorites and come back on a regular basis.  We appreciate your support!

Tonya Reed
Principal
North Saginaw Charter Academy