Word Brains

By Millard Franco

 There are many definitions of intelligence, but the one I have learned in high school claimed that intelligence in nature is the ability of an animal or a human to use the information they have learned.

I have also read about the idea that there are several levels of learning. The lowest level of learning, is just memorizing the material and being able to “regurgitate” it in the same term it was presented, and the highest levels of learning are the learning styles that use the material in other contexts, and the learning style that builds on top of the material learned.

For example, when you teach your child about addition, and he immediately understands the concept of subtraction. Or if you teach your child about the structure of the dinosaurs teeth in relation to their food, and your child looks at your pet and tries to guess the structure of their teeth, based on their food.

Well - you don’t need to wait for your child to develop that level of learning by himself. You can develop this habit and way of thinking on purpose. Here are some examples:

If you have a baby, and you are looking for books to read to your baby or to read with your baby, choose for several books with related subjects. For example, if you have a book that tells a story about an animal ( a bear, a duck, whatever animals often appear in children’s books), prepare another book that gives different information about the same animal. The child will associate the information in one book to the information in the other book.

For school age children: if you are helping your child with math, always find a use for the concept you are learning. For example: addition. Tell a story that demonstrates the use of addition: for example: “John went to the store to buy candy. He bought one bar of Snickers that cost him 1 dollar and 1 bag of Chocolate Kisses that cost 2 dollars. How much did he spend?

If you help your child with history, and the discussion is about a certain place, pull out a map and show him exactly where the place is, and learn something about the geography of this particular place.

You don’t have to wait for your child to do some school activity. Whenever you discuss something, or observe something that calls your attention, when you come home find a piece of information about that subject in the encyclopedia, to read about. For example, you have taken your child to visit a friend, and you have heard that one of the friend’s parents is a lawyer. When you come home, find a story about a famous lawyer, or some other bit of information about lawyers. Remind your child that the friend’s parent is a lawyer, just like in the story.

In this way, you are developing in your child the habit of looking for a way to apply the information they acquire. To look for the association between different bits of information. To relate their knowledge to other fields and subjects. This is true intelligence.

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Knowing if Your Child Is Ready for Preschool

By Millard Franco

 Many parents enroll their children in preschool programs without considering whether or not their child is really ready for preschool. Many parents are eager to give their child a head start in the race to educational success so children are starting preschool at younger ages. However, enrolling your child too early in preschool can cause long-term problems with your child’s education rather than giving the head start you intended.

How can you judge whether or not your child is ready for preschool? Take a look at three key areas: physical development, social development, and emotional development.

You should also look at the program itself. For example, some programs are specifically geared to a young age group and are less about formal education and more about play and social experience. Some programs have very limited time periods (only a few hours a week) and are intended to introduce young children very gently to the educational experience. However, the standard preschool program is generally geared toward children ages 3 and 4 in preparation for kindergarten. Just because your child falls within the correct age group does not mean your child is ready for preschool. Forcing a child who is not ready physically, socially, or emotionally into a formal school setting could set the child up for failure, which could then result in a life-long problem with school.

Physically your child should be able to attend to most personal hygiene issues independently or under supervision. This means the child should be potty trained as well as able to clean up afterward (including unfastening and fastening clothing). Your child should also be able to feed herself with little or no supervision.

The child should also be able to focus on a task, such as coloring, as well as listen attentively, to a story or conversation, for longer than a few minutes.

Another important physical development issue is whether or not your child is able to maintain the school schedule. Will the snack and meal breaks meet your child’s nutritional needs? Will he be able to stay awake until it is time to leave or take a nap?

Preschool is often a time and place when children learn a great deal about friendship and social interactions, but if a child isn’t ready for this level of social activity it can be tough on the child, class, and family. Children should have some experience playing with their peers, learning to share and take turns, and working out their differences before attending preschool. Children should also have some experience taking direction from adults who are not their primary caregivers. For example, a child who has only been in the care of a select few relatives may have difficulty adjusting to the care of a strange new adult.

Emotional development is another key consideration when determining if a child is ready for preschool. Is your child ready for the separation from home and parent or previous day care provider? How does your child adjust to new places and people?

If you think your child is not ready in one or more of these important areas then you should put off starting preschool. It may be that in a few months time your child will have leaped past those hurdles and be ready to start. You can also work with your child on the areas you feel need work, such as personal care or social interaction. Many programs also allow you to ease your child into the program with only a few hours a week gradually stepping up to full participation.

Remember, young children grow and develop at a tremendous pace so simply giving your child some time to grow into a program is much better than forcing the issue. In later years your child won’t feel the impact of those “missed” months on their education but a positive preschool experience will have a lasting effect on self esteem and learning.

Starting your child’s preschool experience when they are ready, willing, and able is the best way to set your child on the road to educational success.

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Improve Your Future with Obama Scholarships for Moms

By Fred Jackson

 Even though the US economy is going through some hard times, there are some bright spots that should encourage you to look to the future. By offering Obama scholarships for moms, the government is encouraging women to go to college. Mothers of all types have an opportunity to get a quality education. This will no doubt benefit their families and future employers.

Federal Pell Grants make Obama scholarships possible. The Obama administration made some changes to Pell Grants to put emphasis on getting moms to go back to school. Now Pell Grants can be awarded in amounts over $5,000. That’s an increase of more than $1,000 over the previous maximum for Pell Grants. Pell Grants are designated for low-income students, so in many cases single mothers are eligible. The government is encouraging moms to go back to school to deal with this. Having money to go to college could benefit both stay-at-home mothers and working mothers.

Also, there are other benefits to these grants to add incentive for mothers to enroll in college. It’s typical of many students to go to large colleges and universities. For many single mothers this isn’t an option, and it has prevented them from going to college. However, the Pell Grants will take this into account. These special grants make it possible for a working mom to attend college part-time or a stay-at-home mom to take online courses. You can study anything: nursing, business, education and more. Single mothers now have more opportunity to study, and this is the important part.

The Obama scholarship could be the break that a single mother needs to start on a different path. The steps to look into applying for a scholarship are quite simple. The first step is to go online and fill out the application for federal student aid, or FAFSA. It’s a free application, and there is plenty of information to help you learn what’s available. Also, remember that the American Opportunity Tax Credit program says that the first $4,000 to pay for your education is free. Consider this tax credit as well as the chance of getting a grant when weighing your options.

Working or stay-at-home single moms now have a great opportunity to continue their education in college. Government grants and free opportunities are meant to help moms care for their families and increase the money they can earn by being vital members of the workforce. Obama scholarships for moms give women the chance to improve the future for themselves and their families.

So what’s holding you back? Take advantage of a $100,000 scholarship drawing. Registration is free if you visit http://www.scholarshipsformomsfinder.info/

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