The tool you need for building your family
Teach your children well
Over the summer, keep your kids learning. Here are some fun ways to do that. Have your children plan a day trip under your supervision. They have to:
☼ Use the map scale to calculate mileage, how many tanks of gas, approximate cost of gas, and
traveling time.
☼ Use the map to figure out the most efficient route. (Short is not always efficient. They will have to consider type of road, straight vs. bendy, etc.)
☼ Keep a family journal of the trip, including at least 3 facts the family learned about the destination. They can take photos and must write in full sentences and paragraphs.
☼ Insist on ½ hour (under 3rd grade) or 1 hour (3rd grade and over) of reading for EACH hour of television, video game or computer use. This may seem stringent, but the research supports it. (After a while, they’ll get accustomed to it.)
Change is always stressful, so when you introduce it, keep your voice calm and matter fact. Then make yourself available for countless questions and loads of encouragement. The younger your kids are when making a major change, the better. Teens generally do not accept any kind of major changes
The Fun Families’ Resources
The Fun Families’ Response
This issue’s fun education tip:
You’re never too old to color. On Saturday evenings, we used educational coloring books and sat around the dining room table coloring as we listened to A Prairie Home Companion. Can’t vouch for all the humor, but we sure did laugh a lot!