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Bridgeway Voice – November 9, 2009

 
 

In this week’s edition of Bridgeway Voice
  • Homeschool Support Groups – Project Ideas 
  • Money Management for Kids – Teaching Them to Wait
  • Weekday Meal Ideas
  • Homeschool Tip: Making Spelling Fun

Homeschool Support Groups – Project Ideas

Homeschool Science Fairfrom Jessica’s blog
Each year our local homeschool groups host three major events:

  • A homeschool Science fair
  • A homeschool Social Studies fair
  • A homeschool International fair 
The science fair is a terrific way to encourage students to enjoy science and to dig deep into an aspect of science that interests them.
Students begin by researching a scientific question or area of interest and conducting necessary experiments to test their hypothesis. They will then present their findings or demonstrate their experiments to all of those who attend the science fair. It is an outstanding outlet for kids to speak to a group; to learn research skills; to plan and put together an attractive and informative display; and to become an expert on their chosen topic.
The Social Studies fair is similar to the science fair.
Students can choose to study an individual (such as Crazy Horse); an event (such as the California Gold Rush), the history of a particular field (such as jazz music, baseball, computers, etc.), or geography (such as Glacier National Park). They will spend the first part of their project researching and writing a research paper on their chosen topic, then develop a presentation board for the fair.
At the fair, attendees travel from display to display and listen to the presentations. I am always thrilled to see just how animated my children can be when they are truly prepared.
The International Fair is a little different.

 


 
Read more about the International Fair

Money Management for Kids: Teaching Them to Wait

Bridgeway Voice: Teaching Kids Delayed GratificationWould you like to raise your children to be wise money managers? 
 
Teach them to be two-marshmallow kids.  In other words, teach them how to wait.
 
Over 40 years ago, Stanford University psychologist Walter Mischel conducted what has become perhaps the most famous experiment on the power of delayed gratification. 
 
Four-year-olds were taken into a room one at a time by a researcher.  The children were seated at a table.  In front of them was a plate with two marshmallows.  The children were told that the researcher had to leave the room for a little bit and that while he was gone they could eat one marshmallow right away.  Or, if they could wait for the researcher to return, they could eat both marshmallows.
 
About 30 percent of the kids were able to wait for the greater reward.
Years later, after the children graduated from high school, Mischel followed up with them and found startling differences between the two groups. The children who could hold out for both marshmallows were found to be more confident, effective, self-assertive, and dependable. They were better able to cope with the frustrations of life, less held back by stress, more likely to embrace challenges, and still able to delay gratification in pursuit of their goals.
 
The ability to delay gratification is also one of the most important keys to wise money management. Being able to wait is what separates the “buy now!” person from the buy smart person.  It’s what enables people to put off replacing an old car in favor of paying down debt, or to patiently save for a distant goal like retirement. 
 
What’s the secret to delayed gratification? 
 
The marshmallow experiment kids who won their battle with temptation simply diverted their attention away from the treats. They closed their eyes, made up games, and even talked or sang to themselves in order to pass the time until the researcher returned. 

Learn How to Foster the Ability to Delay Gratification in Your Children

Excerpt taken from Of Marshmallows and Wise Money Management by Matt Bell, www.crosswalk.com

Weeknight Meal Ideas

Easy Dinner IdeasWeeknights can be tough!

Especially when we’re talking about dinner for the family. Need some inspiration? TLC.com (The Learning Channel) features a variety of easy weeknight meals in short, 5-6 minute videos. 

 

  

 

Quick Links

 

Homeschool
 Tip: Make Spelling Fun

from Jessica’s blog
Make Spelling Fun 
 
Looking for new ways to encourage your children to study spelling words? There are a lot of options–you just need to get a little creative.
 
From Bingo to basketball, check out my blog for a few “tricks” to try.
 
Helpful website: Spellingcity.com
Just enter your list of spelling words, select Test Me, Teach Me or Play a Game and begin.
 
No, we can’t always take the time to make spelling fun, but by selecting interactive games that the kids can play together, we can get them moving and interacting, and even teaching, one another!