Forget what Miss Manners once said and start encouraging your kids to talk while they eat (after they swallow, of course)!  Dinnertime is the perfect time to hear about their day, their opinions, and what’s going on in their little heads.  Get past the one word answers and make your kids give you a mouthful of conversation.  While getting to know your kids on a deeper level, you’ll also be giving them practice at thinking quickly, forming arguments and opinions, and expressing their thoughts.

Simple conversation starters will get the ball rolling and before you know it, your kids will be bringing a lot more to the table than hungry bellies.  Try some of these conversation starters or make up your own:

• What was the __________ (choose one: funniest . . . most surprising . . . most predictable . . . dullest) thing that happened to you today?
• If you were writing a newspaper article about your day, what would be the headline?
• Teach us one thing that you learned today that you think we don’t know yet.
• If you had one hour alone with the President of the U.S., what would you want to discuss or talk about?
• Which cartoon character would you most like to have as a next door neighbor?  Why?
• If you won the lottery (or won $100) what is the first thing you would buy?
• Imagine you had an identical twin; name three things that would be really great about having an identical twin and three things that would be “not so great.”
• Which fairy tale character would you most like to take a vacation with?  Why?
• If you were a plant and could be planted anywhere in the world, what kind of plant would you be?  Where would you like to be planted and grow?
• If you could go on a vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?
• If the sky suddenly started to rain candy, what candy would you want it to rain?
• If you were to take a time machine 50 years into the future, what do you think life will be like?  What will you do with your free time?  How do you think people will communicate or prepare food?
• What kind of car would you say you are most like?  If you could be any car, which one would you choose?
• If you could invite any famous person to your birthday party, who would it be?  Why?
• If you could create a national chain of restaurants designed for kids, what would you call it?  What kinds of food would you serve?  What would the theme of the restaurant be?
• If you had to choose one modern convenience, appliance, or technology that you just couldn’t live without, what would it be?
• What was the best birthday party you remember having?  Tell what you remember about it.
• Where will you be, and what do you think you will be doing in 10 -15 years?
• If you had a choice, would you rather live in the city or the country?  Why?
• If you could be a TV producer, what would be the name of your new show?  Who would you get to star in it?  What would your show be about?
• In the movie about your life, what actor would play you? Your best friend? Your family members?

Another way to get the table talk going is to play a little game.  President Obama plays a game with his family called “Roses and Thorns.”  Everyone takes a turn describing a good thing that happened that day (rose) and a low moment or tough problem they had to deal with (thorn) during the day.  Whatever the approach, set your dinner table with conversation to strengthen relationships and make memories to last a lifetime.

Tell Your Buddies to Set the Table!

Last week, the office was caught in a festive tornado of creativity as lamps were given to everyone, along with a randomly drawn name. Each member of the JumpStart Team was asked to design a lamp for the co-worker whose name they drew. Everyone drew upon their artistic talents or hid the lack-there-of behind loads of stickers and paint to create a masterpiece. From incredibly creative to just plain strange, all of the lamps were like nothing you could ever find in a store. Check out a few of the standout lamps:

You love lamp? Me too!

For the accounting department

Yep, those are all clothespins!

Our very own Kisha

For the Stargate Fan

Eyeballs and stripes...hmmm.

It's Mardi Gras!

Still hunting for some last minute holiday gifts? Your kids can create lamps of their very own to give to family members and friends! TJust pick up a blank lamp at a local store, grab some supplies and get creative!

Our Decoration Supplies

Whatever you decide to do, we at the JumpStart Team would like to wish you Happy Holidays!  Stay warm and be safe!

Show Everyone How Talented We Are!

Christmas lights, Hanukkah menorahs, the Kwanzaa Kinara…the holidays are full of symbols that represent a variety of cultures, beliefs, and traditions, making this the most wonderful time of year to help your little ones notice that not everyone celebrates the season the same way they do.

Oftentimes limited experiences and infrequent interactions with backgrounds different from their own lead kids to make assumptions or judge others who do things differently than they’re used to.  You can make the season even brighter by helping your kids realize that our society is a mixture of people- no two the same.  All of these differences bring new ideas, energy, and flavor, enriching the world we live in.

Many kids are way ahead of us when it comes to acknowledging and respecting differences.  Playgrounds, play groups, and classrooms are increasingly diverse, and we as a society have become more aware of tolerating and embracing a variety of cultures, traditions, and beliefs.

Still, as parents, it’s our job to ensure our kids are prepared to live, learn, and work in a diverse world.  Teaching tolerance is important not just because it is the principle our country was founded on, but because the child who learns to be open to differences will have more opportunities in life.

Like all attitudes, tolerance is often taught in subtle ways when we don’t even realize it.  Even before they can speak, our kids watch us closely and imitate what they see.  Modeling tolerance, respect, and acceptance early on can help set your child up to positively embrace differences.  There are a variety of other things you can do at home to help your kids realize that being unique and different is good.

• Encourage your kids to ask questions – Kids are naturally curious about the world around them. Instead of letting them reach their own conclusions or assume things, make sure your kids ask questions when they wonder about things.  Many times a simple question can spark valuable conversation and learning for both you and your little questioners.
• Answer questions – When your kids come to you questioning their own traditions or the values and beliefs of others, take the time to listen.  Spend time learning, researching, and exploring other cultures together. Attend festivals and events around town to expose your family to new celebrations and practices.
• Respect and honesty – Model respect and acceptance for your kids.  Teach your kids to appreciate their own differences and those of others. Be sure the words you use are not offensive and do not convey judgment.  Help your kids realize that every person deserves to be judged as an individual, not grouped in a category that’s based on religious beliefs, skin color, or cultural differences.
• Learn together about other cultures and traditions that are different from your own.  Honor your own family and teach your children to be proud of their traditions.  Discuss how your family traditions began and what they mean to you and your ancestors.
• Make sure your kids have a positive self image and strong self-esteem.  Confidence and self-respect lead to respecting others.  Also, a strong sense of self will help your kids be proud of who they are and where they come from, so they can help share their culture and experiences with others.
• Give your kids opportunities to play and interact with others who are different from them.
• Help your kids understand that images and dialogue they see and hear in the media are often biased and do not represent an entire group of people.

Of course, celebrating differences of others doesn’t mean giving up your own heritage. Your family may have its own long-standing cultural and religious traditions that are something to be proud of.  You can find ways to celebrate differences of others while continuing to honor and pass down your own cultural heritage and traditions.  May this holiday season be a joyous celebration of the diversity around you.

We’ve placed 20 Thanksgiving items throughout the world.  10 of which will be located on MainStreet, and the other 10 will be found in the Downtown district.  This post will unveil the secret locations of all the hunt items, but Shhhh!  Keep this revelation quiet, unless your explorers are really having a tough time.

Some items will be easy to find.

Others will be more challenging, such as this set of Pilgrim clothing off a Downtown beach.

Our designers did a good job hiding the items, so don’t be surprised if your smaller explorer might need some extra direction.  If that sounds like your child, dive into these spoilers.

Spoilers start HERE!

Downtown District Item Location Explanations:

1. Cornucopia Feast – In between the Ridez and Petz shop, near the gas pump at ground-level
2. Fall Harvest – Under the rock arch on the Beach to the east of Threadz, ground-level
3. Ship – Northeast corner of Downtown’s northern-most ocean, near the boundary behind some standing rocks at sea-level
4. Balloons – By the rocks and wood bridge in the back lot, beyond the backside of the Newsstand, at ground-level.
5. Ship – In Downtown’s southern-most ocean, east of the orange slide drop-off, at sea-level
6. Balloons – At the base of Downtown’s southeastern-most waterfall, at second-story-level.  Walk along the cliff ledge, accessible by walking up the stairs at the blue slide base and over the two wood bridges.
7. Fall Harvest – Behind Petz shop’s back  brick wall in the corner, at ground-level
8. Cornucopia Feast – behind the brick wall behind the House Hut in the corner at ground-level
9. Pilgrim Clothing – by the blue stairs at the blue slide base, at ground-level
10. Pilgrim Clothing – On the south side of Downtown’s northern-most ocean, behind some beach rocks on the sand, at ground-level

MainStreet Item Locations Explanations :

1. Pilgrim Clothing – By the movie theater’s front-left corner, behind the art billboard, at ground-level
2. Fall Harvest – By the tree on the left from your very starting position near the stone ramp, at ground-level
3. Fall Harvest – On the beach north of the AdventureLand Sub, at ground-level
4. Balloons – In front of the Adventureland Sub, on the boardwalk, at ground-level
5. Ship – In the southeast corner of the ocean, beyond the MarineLand portal and lighthouse, at sea-level
6. Cornucopia Feast – On the beach, leading up to the lighthouse, to the southeast of AdventureLand, accessible by swimming through the ocean, at ground-level
7. Balloons – Up the stairs to the Hall of Fame entrance, at ground-level
8. Cornucopia Feast – by the West giant waterfall with the aqueduct, in front of the statue to the right of the water, at ground-level
9. Ship – At the base of the small waterfall north of the Speed Drome near the western wood bridge, at ground-level
10. Pilgrim Clothing – Between StoryLand and the FutureLand back-entrance, hidden behind a tree and a pile of leaves, at ground-level

Click to enlarge this map with numbered item locations, marked with stars.

Know Somebody Who Needs the Inside Scoop?

Way to go, Champ!  You did so well! I’m impressed! You are simply amazing!  Wonderful job! I can tell you’ve worked hard!  I’m proud of you!  You’re incredible!  I really admire that kind of effort!

After reading a list like that, your self-esteem can’t help but shoot through the roof.   Now, imagine how your child’s confidence would soar after hearing a few of those remarks.  Although positive communication most often comes up in conversations relating to reinforcing good behavior and eliminating bad behavior, did you know that positive praise can also boost brainpower?

We learn by taking in new information through our senses and storing the useful bits of information for later.  The effectiveness of our storage system directly correlates with the effectiveness of our memory.  Do we remember where we stored the information?  Intelligence is the ability to locate this stored up information and use it in the proper situation.  In order to effectively learn and act intelligently, there cannot be any interference in this process.

One of the major factors that interferes with learning is feelings or emotions.  Emotions are attached to every situation we experience.  These emotions tag along with the information and could enhance or prevent an effective storage process.  Negative emotions get tangled up with new data making the learning process a mess.  They take up space that should be clear for fresh thinking, learning, creativity, and storage.  When there are other things on our minds that make us feel anxious, worried, or upset, it is far more difficult to pay attention and learn something new.

For learning to take place, the learner has to feel good- physically and mentally.  This means in addition to not being tired or hungry, you should also not be feeling depressed, angry, or confused when trying to learn.  We all can look back on an experience of being criticized, humiliated, or embarrassed.  If we were not able to let go and release these emotions, they will also be associated with the experience- and may have gotten tangled up in other experiences in the process.  For example, think back to a particular day in your high school Algebra class.  After staying up most of the night working on homework, your teacher calls on you to walk the class through a problem on the board.  Your brain is already tired, your acne and head gear aren’t the best accessories for being the center of attention, and you have no idea how to attempt the problem.  You give it your best shot, only to be ridiculed by the teacher and laughed at by your classmates for making silly mathematical mistakes.  From then on, this negative experience is intertwined with all learning opportunities involving math.   We all carry around feelings of invalidation and insecurities.  And, this affects the learning process.

Positive praise can help eliminate these negative thoughts and self-conscience preoccupations.  Every child is born with an incredible potential for intelligence, a natural curiosity, and a love of learning.  As parents, we must nourish and nurture these characteristics, not damage them.  We can do this with a little positivity.

Positive Pump-Ups:

1. Listen to your kids with full attention. Set aside a special time to do nothing else but actively listen without interruption.
2. Encourage your kids to fully express their emotions- hurt, anger, embarrassment, fear, boredom, etc.  If they can get their negative emotions out, there will be less interference during the learning and storage process.
3. Play games and have fun together.  Games teach through positive and fun experiences.  Kids will easily be able to recall learning experiences when they’re associated with positive memories.
4. Provide as many different learning experiences as possible- for all different learning types.
5. Reward your kids for improvement and performance, not just for achievement.  Focus on the effort put forth as opposed to the outcome.
6. Drown your kids in praise as much as possible.

With a little positive influence, your child’s brain will flourish.  Stay positive and start pumping up the little brains in your life.  You’re an all-star! What a great try!  Nice work!  That was splendid!  Hot dog!  You’re really on a roll now!

My son is having trouble with writing book reports and I was never very good at it myself (he is in 2nd grade). Where can I get some help to help him?

Answer:

You might check with your son’s teacher for any specific instructions on writing a report. The teacher might have certain details that he or she is looking for. If there are no specifics from the teacher, here are some general suggestions:

• Choose a book carefully. Make sure it is a book you want to read. If you enjoy the book, you will find it easier to write about.
• Pick a place where you can read with as little distraction as possible. Of course, it is necessary to read the book at least one time, but if the book is not too long, it sometimes helps to read it more than once. If it is a long book that you need to read over a number of days, try to reread the important parts just before you write the report.
• If you do not have a form to fill out, there are four important things to tell about a fiction book.
  • The setting – Tells where the story takes place. If the book doesn’t specify the setting, look for clues that tell where the story is unfolding.
  • The genre – What kind of a book is it? Is it realistic fiction, a fantasy, a folktale, etc?
  • The main characters – describe the most important characters. Give details.
  • The plot – What are the most important events that happen in the story. Did the character have a problem to solve? Briefly retell the most important events.
• If you are reporting on a non-fiction book, you will need to write an initial paragraph about the general subject of the book. Then summarize the information you gathered while reading the book.

During writing:

• Be sure and start every sentence with a capital letter and end with the appropriate punctuation mark.
• Write complete sentences. Make sure that every sentence has a subject and a predicate.
• Proofread for spelling errors.
• Make sure a paragraph begins with a topic sentence and has supporting details.

Hello! I am tutoring a 7th grader who is able to read pretty well, but comprehends at a 3rd grade level. Do you have any suggestions on how to help her with comprehension? Thank you! Jessica

Answer:

Comprehension is just one of the components to reading. If children are not fluent readers and stumble on vocabulary, practice oral reading and play vocabulary games to increase those skills. Once children achieve some level of fluency and broad vocabulary they can involve themselves in understanding meaning. Probably the best activity for developing comprehension is for them to read a variety of genres, both fiction and nonfiction.

When you are dealing with informational books—such as school textbooks on science, social studies and health—there are several strategies that can help:

• Read through any pre-reading questions that the teacher has provided. These will give the student ideas to keep in mind as she reads.
• Preview the reading assignment. Take a look at the pictures, the headings and subheadings, any summaries that are provided, and the introduction.
• Talk briefly about the topic of the reading assignment. Ask the student what he already knows about the topic, and what she would like to learn about it.
• Read the first section together. You can do this silently or aloud, whichever seems more appropriate.
• Talk about any words or sentences that may pose problems, and then ask the student to tell you the key ideas from the section you just read.
• Work through the entire assignment this way. At the conclusion, talk about the most important ideas that the student has learned. If possible, she can highlight these in the text.

I was just wondering if you have any tips for children with special needs. I have two sons 11 and 12 years old with fragile x syndrome and autism. They both love the computer but always want to stem on games like spongebob. Any help is appreciated, Elise.

Answer:

Here are some suggestions for working with your sons:

• Understand their learning styles. Children sometimes learn best when they are taught according to their learning style. Here are some examples of learning styles:
  • If your boys are physical, you can play games that require them to move around and jump on words or math problems.
  • If they are artistic, draw or cut out pictures of words, sounds, and numbers.
  • If they are musical, listen for rhythms and beats and add words or numbers.
• Use pictures, logos, words, sign language and concrete examples or materials to present new ideas, concepts, etc. For example, when learning new vocabulary words, have the boys draw pictures to show a definition. With math concepts, use real objects to introduce new ideas – cut a round cake into pieces to show fractional parts. Then you can eat the answers!
• Provide opportunities for your sons to be active and move around. There are lots of ways to learn with moving around. For example, put cards on the floor with math problems (you might want to tape the cards to the floor for this activity). Make a spinner with numbers or find one that might go with an old game. Spin the spinner and whatever number it lands on, have player 1 jump to the card that has the correct math problem (or crawl or walk backwards, etc).
• Sounds like you are already using computers and educational software. Games like Spongebob have logical thinking built into the game. If they like Spongebob, use the character to introduce other learning opportunities. There are probably Spongebob books available. Create a Spongebob poster board with a cutout mouth. Get some small plastic balls and write some math problems or vocabulary words on them. You can shout out an answer or definition and have the boys find the problem or word that matches your answer. They can throw the ball through Spongebob’s mouth!

Although this is not my area of expertise, I hope these suggestions help!

My daughter is entering the first grade, but still cannot read! What can I do to help her along?

Answer:

Learning to read is a process, and of course all children learn at different rates. Many children don’t start reading until first grade so that is not unusual. Does she know the sounds that each letter makes? That is an important first step to grasp before she can start to put the sounds together to make words. Here are a few ideas to practice letter-sound connections:

• Have “Letter of the Day” at your house. Practice its sound and see how many places you can find the letter and its sound. Have your child cut out words or pictures that use the sound and make a letter/sound book.
• Go on a sound scavenger hunt. Choose a group of letters and have your daughter find objects around the house or at the grocery story that has the letter and sound. Help her write the words that she finds. Let her draw pictures (or cut them out of a magazine) to go with the words.
• Read print aloud on newspapers, packaging, maps, mail, shopping lists, signs and more. Point out letters that she knows.
• Read picture books, including predictable books with rhyming words. Look at the words together, noting the letters and their sounds. Leave out a word now and again, and let her fill in the rhyme.
• Help her to write letters to friends and family.
• Write down her story ideas when she creates drawings to make a book!

The more practice she gets in hearing sounds and relating them to letters, the sooner she will be able to start to put the sounds together. Before you know it, she’ll be reading!

Be sure and discuss your concerns with her teacher. Your daughter’s teacher should be able to give you exercises to practice at home, too.

Hope this helps!

What is the best way to help a good reader master the confusion they have with b’s and d’s?

Answer:

Here are some suggestions that approach the challenge of differentiating b from d in different ways:

• Practice the difference between the letters in a physical game. Let your child practice these letters by writing with their finger tips on different surfaces. Cover a counter top with whipped cream or chocolate pudding. Demonstrate the letters and let the child practice to their hearts content.
• Give your child a visual cue for each letter. The b can be drawn as a bat with a ball next to it. The d can be drawn as a dog with a tail. This visual will help your child to remember the shape of each letter and be connected to a picture that uses it’s sound.
• Play with sounds and hear the differences between the two letters. We recommend using the Letter Book inside My Cabin in JumpStart World. Your child can turn to any letter page and experience the letters by listening to the letter sounds, hear the sounds in alliterative songs, recording the sounds and songs with their own voices and finally decorating a letter page with stickers of words that all start with that beginning sound.
• Make a letter collage by finding pictures of words that start with the sound b or d. Draw the shape of the letter on a large sheet of paper. Then help your child find as many examples of words beginning with the sound as possible and paste them onto the letter collage. Hang the picture on the wall as a reward and a reminder.

These ideas work for learning all letters and sounds and especially the letters that look alike!