Seven Steps to School SuccessWritten by Lisa Harp
Continued from page 1 4. Keep student involved in what he is good at - baseball, soccer, gymnastics, tennis - whatever motivates him. I often encounter parents who take away these activities because student's grades are poor. This only adds to an already poor self esteem. A great activity to help a struggling learner is martial arts, not only for focusing and discipline involved, but also because student is constanly crossing his vertical midline, and this helps to coordinate left side of brain with right side. I have noticed that most kids who stick with martial arts long term have reasonably good grades. 5. Don't do marathon nights with homework. Most districts have guidelines about how many minutes of homework a child should have. If your child is in 5th grade and is spending three hours a night on homework, then this is too much. Contact teacher and principal if neccessary and have work load decreased. I am constantly amazed that so many parents don't know this and feel they have to work for hours on end every evening on homework that usually isn't even worthwhile. 6. Regularly work on simple eye exercises. 80% of what we take in is through our eyes. I consistently find strain on visual system of kids who struggle in school. No, they usually do not need glasses. What they need is to strengthen their eye muscles. One way to do this is to purchase an eye patch. Put patch on child's eye. Move a pen or pencil in front of unpatched eye. Move it slowly back and forth, diagonally, and in a circular pattern. Next, patch other eye and repeat procedure. 7. Turn off television. Unplug video games. Limit computer time. Play board games and cards. Get those kids outside and exercising. Children sitting in front of media are not actively learning. This is passive learning, and it will only hinder school learning. Too many parents think that if they plug in an educational game or movie that learning is taking place. Yes, that is true, but kids today are inundated with technology, causing their brains to become lazy in a sense. Without even getting into current problem with childhood obesity, please understand that body and brain are connected, and those kids need exercise and interactive learning in order for their brains to work properly. There are many more things that you can do to help your child succeed in school. There are numerous learning programs available. Anything done is better than nothing. So, you are on right track to start getting help for your child.

About the author: Lisa Harp, a teacher and educational therapist, offers a line of learning products designed to help the struggling learner in a quick, effective, and affordable setting. http://www.learning-aids.com
| | ImaginationWritten by Debbie Long
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‘Storybuilding with Imagination’, second in Imagination Series, uses proven techniques Debbie has developed and helps walk child through general principals of story writing. Following her lead helps child untangle confusing trail of mazes, and feel pride of a job well done. ‘Storybuilding with Imagination’ is written simply, visually and interactively, so that children can follow along, regardless of reading and writing capabilities. Kid’s Writing Place could be called an Internet learning room where children are mused and/or become muse to others, helping to spark children’s imaginations and promote writing skills. Encouraging use of imagination helps a child build strength and courage, thus fostering a child’s self-image. At Kid’s Writing Place, children that are intimidated by that blank page can come and get story beginning ideas, or those that are full of ideas but just can’t seem to finish ending can get help with their ideas. Those that are well on their way to becoming next generation of authors can have their work read and critiqued by others. This not only enhances skill improvement but promotes interaction between others. The goals of Kid’s Writing Place are to Foster Literacy through Imagination. This is achieved through interaction, cooperation and brainstorming of children working together and learning how to build on their ideas. This on-line forum was inspired by a writer’s fascination with ability to motivate creative process within children using their imagination. Visit www.designsbydebbie.ca/kidswritingplace and join in fun of letting your own imagination soar and be amazed at places that it can take you. “The kids of today are our future,’ says Designs by Debbie founder, “I believe that we are all capable of helping to improve our children’s futures, starting with their own imaginations.”

Debbie Long is a writer/illustrator and founding member of 'The Muse Program', a literacy program for children. She has currently published her first children's book, in the Imagination Series, 'Short Stories with Imagination. The second is due to be released July 2005. For more details visit http://www.designsbydebbe.ca
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