For those of you registered, the following is an itinerary as well as a list of Found Objects and things your child should bring!
If you didn't get a chance to register, make sure you keep an eye on our website or Facebook page as these programs tend to fill up very quickly! Alternatively, you can email us and we'll put you on our email list that will let you know as soon as registration opens for any of our Enrichment Programs.
Yesterday was Mother's Day. I happened to be in my car listening to CBC Radio and happened upon the Vinyl Cafe Mother's Day show! For those of you who do not know about the Vinyl Cafe, it is a show hosted by Stuart Mclean. The show is made up of music, stories and anectdotes, but possibly the most popular are those stories about Dave, the owner of a second hand record store, Morley his wife, their son Sam and daughter Stephanie. Today was a touching story about Morley, Sam and their changing relationship as he enters teenagehood.
It is already nearing the end of May and with the end of the school year coming up very soon, it made me think of the families I have met and worked with over the school year. As well, all those families who's sons or daughters are becoming teenagers and growing up, possibly those who are in grade 12 getting ready to venture into the wide wild world, those who are going to be going to high-school next year, or even those getting ready to go to school for the first time in the fall. This summer will be full of changes, memories and new things!
To listen to this episode of Vinyl Cafe, click on the following link and look for the May 12, 2012 edition. If you just want to listen to the Dave and Morley story, it starts at 17:25.
Each day, as I check my inbox to deal with the latest question or communication, I also get emails that make me think. I'm not one to sign up for many 'email-a-week' services, and have been able to keep my junk mail low, so these inspirational emails are always a bit of sunshine on a rainy day! Today's email was from Danielle LaPorte, an inspirational speaker, motivator, author and businesswoman.
I was first introduced to her by Amy Quarry of Adboom and Dianne Tharp of Ayami International when they held a workshop that used Danielle's "The Spark Kit" (which is now a book called The Firestarter Sessions that you can see here) as a basis for a workshop to help inspire those starting or on the entreprenurial journey!
Read the article first, its short... and zippy... and kicks your butt making you think about all those things that you want, that really... you already have! I think this is an excellent article for all those young adults out there too as it will show that you allready are farther along than you think!
If you want better grades, more money, to understand math, have different friends, want a job, don't want to go to school, think about all those things that you already have!!!
If you tend to be "glass-half-empty", you will have to stretch your brain, because most likely, you already are achieving some of your dreams, you just don't realise it! Now its your turn....What do you Want...that you already have?
Click here for more from the Burning Question series!
It seems to me that many high school students are have test anxiety. There are different degrees of test anxiety from just being nervous/anxious when you're having tests, all the way to going to your family doctor and receiving treatment in many different forms. Many of us adults all remember the feelings we went through when doing tests and exams in high school or university, and we probably don't want to repeat this either!!
I think that the majority of students are also coping with many other stressful situations at home and at school. The stress that they are experiencing is different than when their parents went to school. As society changes, so do the levels of stress and anxiety as well as their causes. This makes it difficult for parents and students to properly communicate on ways to deal with this excess stress. Some cases of test anxiety may be helped by having discussions with peers and other adults on different ways of coping, study strategies as well as exercises for relaxation and focus.
So, here is my question for you whether you are a student or adult....
What did YOU find that worked to combat the anxiety that comes along with tests and exams?
What do you wish you did that was different?
What are some things that you feel students(or yourself) are dealing with in highschool now that you (or your parents) might not have had to deal with when they went to school?
I am excited to introduce the first of many One-Day Enrichment Programs.
These will be held once or twice a month throughout the year. These programs are directed towards home-learners, as well as students in private or public school. As school schedules vary, sometimes the programs will be also held on Pro-D days so that both home-learners and school students will have the chance to attend together. Subjects will vary and include science, math, social studies and fine-arts. These programs will be best for children in grades 2-6, but children of all ages will be welcome. I do try to make sure that a range of ages are in each group so that there is a range of knowledge and skills!
Our first One-Day Enrichment program is on May 29th! Contact us now to sign up!
It seems that every week there's a new "Celebrate This problem/disease/group of people" day. Under this barrage of emails and Facebook events, comments, feeds and invites we tend to forget about them and think "Arg! Everyone's always looking for more of my money!"
I too was thinking about the best way to support a certain cause. Not all of us have extra cash that we can give out to the various charities that support each cause. Instead, I came up with a short list of other ways that you can help. The example I am using today is April is Autism Awareness. So, the examples below are how you can support this cause in different ways!
If you don't know what Autism is, do some research online or at your local library! (Please use more than just one website/book to form your conclusion). This will help you be more knowledgeable about the disorder and eliminate stereotypes that you may have.
Many people have autistic people in their family or circle of friends. Plan to spend a few hours or a day with them and their family.
Have a discussion with an autistic person to see how they see the world! This works well with high-functioning children/adults as they are more able to articulate what they see/think/feel
Do some research about local charities that are supporting the cause. If you choose to donate time or money, make sure you know some information about them ahead of time. Talk to people as well as online research!
If you want to support a national charity, speak to friends and families of Autistic children/adults. These families have all been involved in many different organizations and can provide information as to which charities help directly or indirectly. This way you can get some first hand information on how certain organizations work to help individual families!
These are just a few ways you can help to learn about and support any cause! My advise is always to start local! It is much easier to see the difference you have made by starting with someone in the community!
A big thank you to all the families that were involved in this year's Spring Break Program. We had a lot of fun!! Below are some photo collages describing the excitement!
This year we ran two groups, an AM group starting at 9AM and a PM group starting at 12PM.
Yes, I know this is a bit late, but last Wednesday was PI Day and I thought it would be fun to write a little bit about this fun math number!
The reason for this post is last Wednesday was PI day. This was because it was March 14th, and, put into numerical form 3/14 (or 3.14). This is a fabulous day to celebrate the mathematical number Pi.
A brief history, Pi is a greek word for the letter/symbol that we use to stand for the constant 3.14... (the dots are because this number is non-repeating and non-terminating, meaning it never ends!!). This fancy number shows the ratio (or relationship) between a circle's circumference (measurement around the outside) and its diameter (measurement straight across the circle). Generally, we use it in math when we're measuring, or for my grade 10's throughout lovely Unit 1!!
Now, in elementary school we are generally not allowed to use our calculators much, so will use Pi as exactly 3.14. However, in highschool we are then introduced to the calculator button Pi. The reason we use this is because it is MUCH more accurate, and because how many people WANT to remember the first 10 digits of Pi? Not I!!
I do have a side story though. I always remember, during elementary and high-school, my dad reciting out at least the first 15 digits of Pi because he HAD to learn it in highschool (or university, I can't remember). Consequently, because it was repeated so many times, the most I can remember is 3.1415926 although I much prefer to just press the Pi button on my calculator. So, you ask in amazement, he had to MEMORIZE the number?? Yes, this was much before the days where calculators had fancy Pi buttons...... Perhaps it was before the invention of the calculator? (I'm only teasing, as I'm sure that he just might read this!)
In case this amusing anecdote inspires you to read more, a quick search brings this wikipedia article on Pi and its history. It is a bit wordy, but skimming you will get the gist of it!
As I thought more about Pi, I remembered this video clip I had seen a few years ago. We had been on the topic of people on the Autistic Spectrum (including Aspbergers), and how so often these children are Brilliant at certain skills or subjects. Someone then forwarded me this video. Amazing!!
Imagine!! MEMORIZING Pi to over 22,500 places!!! THOUSANDS of digits!!! That is unimaginable to me! The world is sure filled with amazing minds!!
Here is a great workshop hosted by Quesnel Literacy (in the same building as Momentum, just across the hall). I hear there are just a few seats left, so make sure you register now!! There is also a 1pm - 4pm workshop in case you need variety!
Another project I have been working on gathering the materials for is the Montessori Bead Chains.The two pictures below show a bead chain in action, and the whole set of them.
There are sets of chains representing each number.They can be used for counting, number order, skip counting, learning about squares and cubes as well as many other things.The best thing about them is their tactile nature.Little tags also accompany the numbers for marking the numerical equivalent of the chains.
Here is a description from a mom who went to the parents Montessori Maths night at her school.
I was able to order my beads through Bolek’s Crafts, as recommended on Montessori at Home.Here this crafty mom shows her process of making her own set of Bead Chains.I have all the materials I need now, and soon I’ll have the time to start, as this is definitely a labour of love.Once I get started I’m sure I’ll be able to work on the chains while doing something else at the same time.This is the guide that I will follow as I make mine.
Montessori at Home has five parts to her blog where she describes her journey in making these chains.Here they are: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
I'm excited to use these in my sessions and with other programs within Momentum Learning Centre. I will definitely post pictures as I create them and when they are in action!
Kimberly Simpson is a BC Certified teacher who currently holds a valid teaching certificate through the BC College of Teachers. Her own curiosity, creativity and flexible thinking helped inspire her own students to think ‘out of the box’ when working on tasks and projects. As well as fostering mutual respect between herself and her students, she was able to help engage their creativity and curiosity about learning. Kimberly grew up in the Shuswap. After completing high school there, she started off her university career at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. In 2000, she transferred to University of Victoria where in 2004 she completed her Bachelor of Elementary Education and graduated with honors, as well as receiving her British Columbia Teaching Certificate. In 2004 she moved to Williams Lake, where she finished off the school year working in the school district. Throughout the next two years, she was able to enjoy many different teaching opportunities, from working in remote communities such as Alexis Creek, to the diverse schools within the city. Each position gave Kimberly greater knowledge and insight into how children responded to daily education. Kimberly then moved to Quesnel, where she currently lives, and worked as a Teacher On Call with School District #28. Here, she had more opportunities to work with high school and learning assistance students. She discovered that techniques to help young children learn also helped teenagers to regain their creativity and curiosity. As a Teacher On Call, Kimberly was exposed to many different classroom situations. However, Kimberly remained consistent, friendly and respectful, which helped to put the students at ease. Continuing to learn about education, she discovered the online, alternate and homeschooling world. While continuing to work with the school district, she found that these students were able to learn and teach themselves in many different situations. This intrigued Kimberly, and her innate sense of curiosity and enthusiasm for learning led her to a job with an online school. Here, she was given the task of going into the houses of homeschooling families and helping children with disabilities adapting and modifying the curriculum to suite the child. In the three years she worked with this school, she was able to see her three high-functioning autistic students graduate. These students were the ones who encouraged and inspired Kimberly to set up Momentum Learning Centre. Through her many experiences, Kimberly saw a need to develop a place where children can explore that curiosity and excitement for learning. By becoming creative and curious learners, they can learn to cope with everyday life, support their skills in school, and expand their knowledge in areas they might need assistance. Kimberly is excited to share her enthusiasm for learning with you. So, come visit Momentum Learning Centre or give us a call!
