What kind of learner are you? I am a visual learner and have known this about myself for quite some time. I need to see something in order to gain an understanding. Back (way back) when I was student teaching, I put up a Christmas tree in the classroom. My lead teacher told me she had some ornaments that the students made each year to decorate the class tree and I could use those. She instructed me to have the children color the different holiday shapes and then use clothespins to attach them to the tree. I did as she explained and when the tree was finished, I thought to myself, “Well, it looks like a tree full of clothespins.” The next day, when she entered the room and saw the tree, she about fell over laughing as she informed me, “The ornaments are to be glued to the clothespins and then hung on the tree!” Whoops. Since I hadn’t seen what the finished product was to look like, I couldn’t visualize.
Knowing your child’s learning style can be very helpful, not only with school work, but in so many aspects of life. Does your child work better in silence or with the radio on? Can he learn a new concept after reading it? Or does he do better when a project is involved? Karen Johnson takes a look at learning styles and provides steps on how to determine your child’s style.
It’s November, so naturally our thoughts turn to gratitude and giving thanks. Do you sometimes feel that your kids have trouble understanding just how much they have for which to be thankful? Local mom Sara Keenan has some really great ideas for gratitude games to play with your family in order to help reawaken appreciation in your family. Plus, our resident Kansas City expert Kristina Light takes a look at the history of Thanksgiving and its Kansas City beginnings.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, dear readers!