Homework!

Who among us is not a wee bit humbled by the questions on Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? So you may not know the homeland of walruses, but the good news is that you don’t have to be all-knowing to lend a helping homework hand to your grandkid. What you do need to be is clever enough to make it fun. If you can keep a sense of humor and a very thick skin (great protection against cranky students), you’ll soon be the go-to person when she’s stuck with math problems, an English essay or a paragraph to translate into Spanish.

“If it is something they have to memorize, make a TV show out of it,” suggests Sharla Feldscher, the Philadelphia-based author of the KIDFUN Activity Book. “Tell them, ‘Here’s your next question.’ Ring a bell when time’s up. Give a little reward, maybe a whole peanut, for every answer they get right.”
Consider turning social studies or English into a Jeopardy! game. Your grandchild has to give the right answer in the form of a question. When she gets a certain number right, she wins a small prize.
While reviewing for a test, kids tend to waste precious time going over what they already know. Increase productivity by making up flash cards with the material and dividing them into two stacks: those with facts the child knows and those with facts the child does not. Spend some time reviewing what she doesn’t know. Mix up the cards and divide the material into “knows” and “don’t knows.” Gradually, your grandchild will start to learn the new material, and the old material will be reinforced as well.
Even if math was never your strong suit in school, you can still help younger kids. For little ones who struggle with counting, make a game with something familiar. Count Cheerios, Goldfish crackers or grapes. Do math problems just for fun even when they’re not part of the assignment. For instance, talk about something the child loves, like ice cream. You might say, Mary has $5 and wants to buy an ice cream cone, which costs $1. How much change will she get back? What if she adds sprinkles, which cost an additional 50 cents?
Sometimes the best way to get a youngster to learn something is to have him explain it back to you after you’ve explained it first. Let him play teacher: Ask him to tell what he just learned to his dog, his student.
For many grandparents, the biggest challenge is understanding how the current mode of teaching has changed, says Amy Goyer, national coordinator for the AARP’s Grandparenting program. Then remind yourself that your role is to assist, not to teach your version. (And try not to grumble about your grandchild’s teachers!)
“Take a step back and realize that your job isn’t to do the homework, but to help your grandchild learn how to do it,” Goyer says. “The best thing to do is be positive, be patient and point out the child’s successes.”

Source: The Ultimate Grandparents Guide to Back to School, grandparents.com

When Reading Is a Struggle

Learning disability (LD) is an umbrella term for a variety of neurological disorders that affect the brain's ability to receive, process, store, and respond to information. Although the term has been around for decades, it remains confusing and controversial.

"The bottom line is that these kids may have trouble reading, listening, writing, spelling, and doing math, as well as recalling and organizing information," says Sally Shaywitz, M.D., co-director of the National Institute for Child and Human Development-Yale Center for the Study of Learning and Attention.

Shaywitz's team is one of several across the country that are honing in on the precise reasons for learning problems. "The field of neuroscience is exploding," says Dr. Shaywitz, author of Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Science-Based Program for Overcoming Reading Problems at Any Level. Cutting-edge imaging techniques allow researchers to peer into the brain as a child tries to read. These scans indicate that reading deficiencies are directly linked to faulty wiring in the way the brain decodes written symbols.

"In order to learn to read, a child must develop an awareness that the spoken word is made up of smaller units of sounds, and that letters represent these sounds," she notes. "In children with reading disabilities, the brain circuitry needed to do that isn't functioning normally."

One in five public school children — some 10 million — struggle to read, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) in New York City. Learning disabilities can range from mild to severe and, although they affect each person differently, most fall into two broad areas:

1. Reading and language problems, including dyslexia (difficulty decoding language) and dysgraphia (difficulties relating to handwriting, spelling, and composition).
2. Information processing disorders, including auditory or visual processing disorders. Despite normal vision and hearing, kids with these disorders have trouble with language development, reading, writing and mathematical ability.
   What's more, some children may have more than one learning difficulty.

About one-third of those with LD also have attention deficit disorder (ADD), with or without hyperactivity (ADHD), which makes it difficult for them to concentrate and focus on specific tasks. The common denominator: Each child shows a discrepancy between his overall intelligence and his ability to learn in one or more of the traditional ways.

"A learning disability as an island of weakness in a sea of strengths," says Sheldon Horowitz, Ed.D, president of the NCLD. "They can't be 'cured' and they're not outgrown. They can learn — they just have to follow a different path."

What's more, just because a child is slow to read doesn't mean he has a learning disability. "Every child progresses at a different pace and developmental lags are perfectly normal," says Sue Korn, M.S., a reading specialist in New York City. Still, early identification and intervention can be critical. "The earlier a problem is diagnosed, the faster a child can learn the specialized strategies and skills he needs to compensate for his difficulties," Korn adds.

 http://www.grandparents.com/grandkids/education-and-school/reading-roadblocks

Your Grandchild Doesn't Like to Read

Amy Mascott, founder of TeachMama, shares a few ideas on how to encourage reluctant readers in her article “What to Do When Your Child Hates Reading” on PBS Parents.  Among her ideas are these: start small and share reading.
Start small. Just because your grandchild likes to ride horses doesn’t mean she needs to start by reading The A-Z History of Horseback Riding; that may be intimidating—especially for a reluctant reader. Instead, consider watching a horse race with your grandchild. Talk about the jockeys, the scores, the owners and the trainers. The next day, read the box scores in the newspaper or watch a movie about horses, like Seabiscuit.  If the topic of interest doesn’t lend itself to watching a related program or movie, start small by finding a magazine or graphic novel at the library that relates to the subject. Reading doesn’t need to begin with a chapter book; many other texts and various genres can be worthwhile for these readers.
Practice shared reading. Shared reading or reading as a collective experience could entail taking turns reading pages, sections or chapters, or you and your grandchild silently reading the same book. Shared reading can vary depending on your grandchild’s age and needs. For the ideal shared reading experience, choose texts that are rich, engaging and sure to lead to discussion. Part of the “sharing” in shared reading involves talking about the book.

Source: "Your Grandchild Doesn't Like to Read," grandparents.com

Is Your Grandchild Gifted?

Verbal ability is often the most obvious sign of a gifted child, says Jill Adrian, director of family services at the Davidson Institute for Talent Development in Reno, Nev., but other indicators include:

• insatiable curiosity
• an ability to learn and process information rapidly
• an unusually good memory
• quick wit and an advanced sense of humor
• longer attention span
• increased intensity or sensitivity
• a high concern for morality and justice

Source, "Is Your Grandchild Gifted?", grandparents.com

Balancing Academics and Serious Illness

When your child/grandchild has a serious or chronic illness, it's hard to think beyond the next treatment. While health is the first priority, education also is important. You'll want to help your child stay on top of schoolwork as much as possible and plan for when he or she can return to school.

Not only does staying connected to school bring academic, cognitive, psychological, and social benefits — it's also your child's legal right. Under federal law, kids with chronic or life threatening illness and/or disabilities are entitled to educational support, and your child might qualify for free services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). If your child attends private or parochial school, you might consider enrolling him or her in your local district, as services are more readily available than in the private sector.

With a little planning and a lot of communication, you can help your child balance treatment and academics.

Plan Ahead

First, talk to your doctor about how long your child is likely to be away from school and whether the treatment might interfere with concentrating, doing homework, and meeting deadlines. Are there side effects that might have an academic impact? What does your doctor recommend when it comes to attendance, tutoring, or studying?

Then talk to the teachers and school staff, and encourage your child, if well enough, to do the same. It may be necessary to set a reduced schedule or shift due dates for papers and tests. With your help, your son or daughter can work with teachers to help plan the workload. The more notice teachers have, the easier it will be to come up with a flexible solution.

Some kids who spend a lot of time away from school or in the hospital have Individual Education Plans (IEPs). These are customized goals and learning strategies created by the teachers, school psychologists (or other specialists), and counselors.

IEPs take a child's individual needs into account. Under the IDEA, kids who qualify for an IEP will receive one at no cost, in addition to receiving free support services (such as a tutor) to help them reach educational milestones.

Your child may also be entitled to a 504 Plan, which will specify physical accommodations necessary to help him or her navigate school grounds, access classrooms and bathrooms, acquire an aide, or qualify for special transportation.

IEPs and 504 Plans can be requested by you or anyone on your child's education team.

Seek Out Hospital-Based Support

If your child will be spending long stretches in the hospital, ask a doctor, nurse, social worker, or child-life specialist about onsite schooling. Many hospitals provide hospital/homebound instruction free of charge to their patients.

The two most common types of educational support include bedside schooling and classroom schooling. Typically, bedside schooling is for children who are too ill to leave their hospital rooms or have weakened immune systems due to chemotherapy. Other kids who are well enough might be educated individually or in small groups in an onsite hospital classroom.

Licensed teachers who are K-12-certified in a variety of subjects and special education work intensively with students to make sure that they don't fall behind in their studies. To stay on track, hospital-based teachers work closely with teachers from a child's school to maintain curriculum continuity, create IEPs and 504 Plans, arrange for homebound instruction upon discharge, and ease reentry into the classroom when the child is well again. School is scheduled around medical tests and therapies, and always takes a child's medical condition and strength into consideration.

Whether your child is being educated at school, in the hospital, or at home, remember that getting better is the main priority. So be realistic about what he or she can handle. Kids may feel an unspoken pressure from parents, teachers, and themselves to continue with schoolwork, and this anxiety could hurt their recovery.

Stay Connected

Maintaining ties with classmates and teachers can help your child retain a sense of normalcy during this difficult time. Your child might even be able to Skype into a lesson at school over the computer. Programs nationwide offer free or low-cost laptops for use in the hospital. Check with your social worker, hospital school program, or the hospital IT department to see if this service is available to you.

In addition to academic isolation, your child may feel cut off socially from friends and classmates. Online social networking sites, email, instant messaging (IM), text messaging, and talking on the phone can help kids stay connected. Also ask teachers to encourage a letter-writing, email, or care package campaign from classmates — you might even set up a collection box at school where teachers and classmates can deposit notes and pictures.

Arrange for visits from your child's friends and, if the doctor says it's OK and your son or daughter is up to it, encourage him or her to attend school plays, sports events, classroom parties, and other social gatherings.

Staying connected will make for a smoother transition socially and academically when your child returns to school after treatment.

This information was provided by Willis-Knighton Health System. For more medically reviewed health information written for parents, kids, and teens visit <www.wkhs.com>. ©2008 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. Used under license.

 

Are You Parenting/Grandparenting a Troubled Teen?

Parenting a teenager is never easy, but when your teen is violent, depressed, abusing alcohol or drugs, or engaging in other reckless behaviors, it can seem overwhelming. You may feel exhausted from lying awake at night worrying about where your child is, who he or she is with, and what they're doing. You may despair over failed attempts to communicate, the endless fights, and the open defiance. Or you may live in fear of your teen's violent mood swings and explosive anger. While parenting a troubled teen can often seem like an impossible task, there are steps you can take to ease the chaos at home and help your teen transition into a happy, successful young adult.

Normal Teen vs. Troubled Teen Behavior

As teenagers begin to assert their independence and find their own identity, many experience behavioral changes that can seem bizarre and unpredictable to parents. Your sweet, obedient child who once couldn’t bear to be separated from you now won’t be seen within 20 yards of you, and greets everything you say with a roll of the eyes or the slam of a door. These, unfortunately, are the actions of a normal teenager.
As the parent of a troubled teen, you’re faced with even greater challenges. A troubled teen faces behavioral, emotional, or learning problems beyond the normal teenage issues. They may repeatedly practice at-risk behaviors such as violence, skipping school, drinking, drug use, sex, self-harming, shoplifting, or other criminal acts. Or they may exhibit symptoms of mental health problems like depression, anxiety, or eating disorders. While any negative behavior repeated over and over can be a sign of underlying trouble, it’s important for parents to understand which behaviors are normal during adolescent development, and which can point to more serious problems.

When Typical Teen Behavior Becomes Troubled Teen Behavior
Typical Teen Behavior	Warning Signs of a Troubled Teen
Changing appearance. Keeping up with fashion is important to teens. That may mean wearing provocative or attention-seeking clothing or dyeing hair. Unless your teen wants tattoos, avoid criticizing and save your protests for the bigger issues. Fashions change, and so will your teen.	Changing appearance can be a red flag if it’s accompanied by problems at school or other negative changes in behavior, or if there’s evidence of cutting and self-harm or extreme weight loss or weight gain.
Increased arguments and rebellious behavior. As teens begin seeking independence, you will frequently butt heads and argue.	Constant escalation of arguments, violence at home, skipping school, getting in fights, and run-ins with the law are all red flag behaviors that go beyond the norm of teenage rebellion.
Mood swings. Hormones and developmental changes often mean that your teen will experience mood swings, irritable behavior, and struggle to manage his or her emotions.	Rapid changes in personality, falling grades, persistent sadness, anxiety, or sleep problems could indicate depression, bullying, or another emotional health issue. Take any talk about suicide seriously.
Experimenting with alcohol or drugs. Most teens will try alcohol and smoke a cigarette at some point. Many will even try marijuana. Talking to your kids frankly and openly about drugs and alcohol is one way to ensure it doesn’t progress further.	When alcohol or drug use becomes habitual, especially when it’s accompanied by problems at school or home, it may indicate a substance abuse issue or other underlying problems.
More influenced by friends than parents. Friends become extremely important to teens and can have a great influence on their choices. As teens focus more on their peers, that inevitably means they withdraw from you. It may leave you feeling hurt, but it doesn’t mean your teen doesn’t still need your love.	Red flags include a sudden change in peer group (especially if the new friends encourage negative behavior), refusing to comply with reasonable rules and boundaries, or avoiding the consequences of bad behavior by lying. Your teen spending too much time alone can also indicate problems.

Source: HelpGuide.org, Help for Parents of Troubled Teens

Get Them Writing

Many Benefits, for Them and for You

Looking for a way to give your grandkids a step up academically and boost their self-esteem? Get them writing. Many educators and parents fear that writing well is becoming a lost art. According to the federal government's latest National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as "the nation's report card," only 33 percent of the country's eighth-graders are proficient in writing. Inspiring your grandchildren to put words to paper — starting when they are young — will help them get ahead and give you some priceless keepsakes. Here are five ways to get started:

1. Sending Letters

Kids love getting mail, and sending letters to your grandchildren (when they are away) is a great way to prompt them to write. You can encourage them to write back to you by including a self-addressed stamped envelope or postcard with your note. Fun stationery can also motivate them.

2. Let Them Set the Agenda

Invite your grandchildren to run some errands with you. (You can assure them that there will be treats involved.) Before going out, have the kids help you come up a list of tasks for the day, but make them responsible for writing everything down. As you finish each task, give the children the satisfaction of crossing it off of the list.

3. Make Them Your Travel Diarists

When the family goes on vacation, encourage the children to keep travel journals they can share when they return.  Give your grandchildren writing prompts before they leave, like "Did you see anything historical?" or "What was the best thing you ate?" The website Lucy Travels offers tons of writing prompts that are sure to get a child's creative juices flowing. Younger kids who aren't ready to maintain a journal may be able to write captions for photos from their trip.

4. Help Them Become Family Historians

Ask your grandchildren to work on a family history with you by interviewing other relatives about their memories. You can ask older children to think of questions before each visit, then record their subjects' answers and work with you to type up the responses. They can also transcribe your own memories of late relatives. "The older they are, the more you can lean on them to produce a fair amount of it," says Celia Webb of children's book publisher Pilinut Press. "If you are working with a teenager they can do all the writing."

5. Teach Them to Say Thanks in Writing

Encourage grandchildren to send thank-you notes whenever they receive birthday or holiday gifts. Urge kids to come up with a special, personal message for each card, including the name of the gift they received, and what they liked most about it. If the present was monetary, or a gift card, ask them to mention how they plan to spend it.

 

Source: Grandparents.com, 5 Ways to Get Grandchildren Writing by Jessica Jones

What Will Your Grandchildren Learn This School Year?

Source: Grandparents.com

The Grandparents Guide to Education

Curriculum experts tell what grandchildren should learn in school, from grades K through 8

So, what are you doing in school this year?
It's the opening line in many conversations between grandparents and grandchildren. Unfortunately, as many grandparents learn, children are not always so forthcoming with the details of what they're doing in, say, third-grade math or sixth-grade science. Now Grandparents.com has asked some experts to help fill you in — a team of teachers and writers who produce textbooks, magazines, and other products for the nation's classrooms. They helped us compile a clear and concise guide to what your grandchildren should be learning, from kindergarten through grade 8, in the subject areas of English, math, science, and social studies.
Each article summarizes what grandchildren will learn during the school year; introduces controversial issues that students and teachers may face as they study together; recommends books and websites that will expand your grandchildren's knowledge; and suggests activities you and your grandchildren can do together to reinforce and extend their classroom lessons. Now you'll be prepared not only to talk with the kids about what they're learning in the classroom, but to help them excel there as well.

Click on this link for the guide K-8:

 http://www.grandparents.com/grandkids/education-and-school/grandparents-guide-to-education

Going to Court: Some considerations

Burden of Proof
Grandparents seeking visitation or custody must prove that the parents are unfit or that the grandparents' custody serves the best interest of the child. Often, proof refers to physical or sexual abuse allegations, which are difficult to confirm. Courts tend to favor parents' rights to custody and care of their children.
Hearing a Case
Custody cases may be heard in the grandparent's home state if it is the home state of the grandchild, OR if the grandchild has resided in the grandparent's home state within the last six months prior to the beginning of the custody petition.
Custody cases may also be heard in the grandparent's home state if (a) one of the parents lives in that state or (b) if the grandchild is physically present in the state and has been abandoned or is in danger of abuse.
Adoption
Adoption is permanent and results in the loss of legal ties to biological parents and relatives (i.e., grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles). (Virginia § 63.2-1230) The biological parents or legal guardian may choose the adoptive parents as stated by the juvenile and domestic relations district court. The home state of the birth parent or guardian has court authority for custody matters. (Virginia § 20-146.11)
Custody
Custody is not permanent. It continues the legal ties of biological parents and relatives, although the person with custody holds parental rights.
Financial Strain/Court Costs
Caregiving includes emotional and monetary responsibilities. Grandparents also must consider the emotional and financial costs of pursuing a case. The financial strain may be greater for grandparents with fixed incomes or at risk of poverty. Court costs and lawyers' fees will vary with the complexity of the case.

Source: Grandparents Rearing Grandchildren Rights and Responsibilities, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Tammy L. Henderson, Ph.D., Assistant professor and Michelle L. Stevenson, Ph.D., Assistant professor and Extension gerontology specialist, Department of Human Development; Virginia Tech. Based on a previous publication by Pamela B. Teaster, Ph.D., and Tammy L. Henderson, Ph.D.

Need to Smile?

Look at this facebook page; it will inform you and make you smile.  Check it out and share your experiences with Grandparents and Grandkids.

https://www.facebook.com/GrandparentsandGrandkids