The ABC of Child Whispering: S is for SMARTER

Can we REALLY help kids get smarter?

Intelligence is defined as “The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills”- Oxford dictionary.

Yet we know it is MORE- it is to do with flexibility, thinking, reasoning and insightful “noticing” and “indwelling”- ruminating and often having a “rangy” mind.

It is not so easily captured in tests and IQ profiles and in fact we may well do children a real disservice by over-reliance on these instruments. We so often look at a single result from a test and make snap judgements about a child. This has a very limiting effect on their progress- there is no doubt they become whom we expect!

Thanks to the research into neuroplasticity area we know now that intelligence can be grown and that it comes in many varieties.

Our brains are capable of far more than we ask of them! All children can be helped to be smarter and develop their particular shades of brilliance. We now know that intelligence is not fixed at birth and that careful nurturing of intelligence will lead to higher levels of academic, social and cultural achievements.

Howard Gardner’s research from Harvard University has expanded our understanding and led to an enlarged map of intelligences. We now know we can be smart in many ways- at least 8. We need to expand our understanding of the term INTELLIGENCE to encompass all the identified intelligences.

Unfortunately, so often in the past we have only been interested in language and maths intelligence and so children who are brilliant in science, music, music or sports have been dismissed as “non-academic” and therefore not smart!

The truth is we can ALL improve our intelligences but we certainly do have an individual “cocktail” that tends to shape our career choices, hobbies and personal preferences.

Here are some ideas to help you stimulate each intelligence:

WORD INTELLIGENCE

“The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.”
Roald Dahl, Matilda

  •  Read to your child and listen to them read.
  • Play word games and encourage them to do crosswords.
  • Encourage them to write stories, keep a journal, and write letters to friends and relatives.
  • Write notes to your child and leave in their lunchboxes or on their bed.
  • Encourage them to talk about their opinions and feelings. Make meal-times TALK times.
  • Buy them jokes and riddle books.
  • Provide a good dictionary and thesaurus.
  • Buy books of word searches to improve visual discrimination, spelling and vocabulary.
  • Restrict access to digital media

 

LOGIC AND MATHS INTELLIGENCE

 

Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater.

Albert Einstein 

  • Play board and card games that involve number and logic.
  • Provide brainteasers and number puzzles.
  • Encourage children to ask intelligent questions.
  • Computer strategy games.
  • Encourage children to classify their belongings and keep in an orderly way.
  • Visit museums, planetariums, and Sci -Tech.
  • Follow directions eg cooking, making models from patterns.
  • Help children to become interested in real-life maths  eg. How many litres of petrol do you think it will take to fill the car and how much is it likely to cost?
  • Use apps and websites that encourage maths understanding

 

SPACE AND VISION INTELLIGENCE

I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I had no words for.

Georgia O’Keefe 

  • Encourage children to make things with left over packaging, wrapping paper, old buttons etc. Keep scraps in a special “Making Things” box.
  • Provide clay and play dough.
  • Encourage use of different media.
  • Allow your child to draw and paint and display their efforts.
  • Jigsaws and Junior Pictionary.
  • Take them to art galleries whenever possible.
  • When you read to them, point out the types of illustrations used.

 

BODY INTELLIGENCE

Great ideas originate in the muscles.

Thomas Alva Edison. 

  • Provide lots of construction toys and help your child to use them.
  • Encourage your child to keep fit by walking, jogging, swimming or participation in team sports.
  • Encourage participation in some type of dancing or drama.
  • Allow children to pull apart old appliances and toys and put them back together again.
  • Play computer games that need fast reflexes.
  • Throwing and catching balls or Frisbees.
  • When they are doing homework, allow frequent breaks so they can move.

 

MUSIC INTELLIGENCE

An agreeable harmony for the honour of God and the permissible delights of the soul: Johann Sebastian Bach

I shall hear in heaven: Ludwig van Beethoven-last words 

  • Encourage children to listen to many types of music.
  • Help them put important facts to music- AutoRap is a great App for this! MathsRockx is a great App for times tables- put to great music!
  • Sing along to songs and encourage family sing-a-longs.
  • Show your children how to make simple musical instruments and encourage them to play along with their favourite music.
  • Buy your children simple percussion instruments and if possible let them learn a musical instrument.

 

PEOPLE INTELLIGENCE

Small things with great love. It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving:  Mother Theresa 

  • Buy your child some biographies and encourage them to learn about famous people.
  • Make sure your children have sufficient free time to play with their friends.
  • Play games with children and help them to learn to play by rules
  • Let your child join scouts, Brownies or join organised sporting groups.
  • Make sure your child has the opportunities to mix with children of different ages and interests.
  • Talk with children at meal times and make sure you stay off your devices and don’t continuously message when with children.

 

SELF INTELLIGENCE

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us: Oliver Wendall Holmes

  •  Encourage children to keep a journal for reflection.
  • Talk about your own feelings regularly so that they learn that it is O.K. to do this.
  • Model strong I MESSAGES to help them to become more assertive. Eg. “ I feel sad when you call me names and I would like you to stop it.”
  • Drawing self-portraits
  • Making a family tree.
  • Keep records of all your children’s milestones and regularly let them have access to these records and old photos so they can know themselves as well as possible and be aware of their changing lives.
  • Allow children spare time so they can THINK and REFLECT

NATURALIST INTELLIGENCE

 

 “No matter how few possessions you own or how little money you have, loving wildlife and nature will make you rich beyond measure.” :  Paul Oxton Oxton

  • Make sure your children get to experience nature as often as possible
  • Take time to stop and look at plants, insects etc
  • Talk to your children about pollution and ways we can help to save the earth.
  • Establish a nature study table for interesting rocks, plants etc.
  • Allow children to start their own garden plot, choose plants and care for it.
  • Encourage children to have pets and to look after their physical needs but also to pay attention to how their pets are feeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE A BALANCED LIFE?

 

Increasingly we are working with children experiencing serious sleep disorders and reporting problems with tension and “letting go.”

Our daily mindfulness and brain- body connection time although only 5 minutes, is becoming crucial if children are going to be able to concentrate and give of their best during our sessions.

Last Friday and next Friday (13/21 Oct) we have had WORK-REST-PLAY balance as our themes for our ART FROM THE HEART program. This week the children are exploring Kandinsky’s concentric circles using 3 colours to represent this much needed balance.

It is crucial that children are helped to find this balance and we also need it. The best way to teach kids about healthy, balanced lives is to model it! Let them see you relax and show them you have interests- whether these be hobbies/ special reading/arts/crafts etc.

Many children who spend HUGE amounts of time on digital media are very un-familiar with the term “hobby” and we are trying to help them develop their intrinsic interests in our GENIUS HOUR and within our ART FROM THE HEART sessions.

Here is a helpful link about hobbies – let’s all try for some healthy balance this week!

http://www.creativechild.com/articles/view/the-benefits-of-hobbies-for-children-and-where-to-begin

Call 92714200 to enquire about our courses or email me on victoriacarlton@iinet.net.au for more info.

 

 

The ABC of Child Whispering: S IS FOR STRANGE

Kids LOVE strange things.

They absolutely love-

Aliens

Black holes

Horrible histories

Strange animals

Weird inventions

Leonardo da Vinci

Black holes

Giants

Dragons

Mythology

 ……….

You can never get bored when you work with children!

They have that amazing sense of wonder and awe and a HUGE curiosity for their surroundings.

We are offering GENIUS HOUR time on Saturday mornings to help kids explore projects of passion to them and I am pretty sure there will be some VERY strange subjects!

This week during our SUPER SCIENCE SATURDAY time we are learning about the collision of black holes and the kids will LOVE it. They love “frontier learning.” They love to play around the edges of what is known and unknown. They love to speculate and this is where we leap into writing projects- in this case: I was sinking into the spinning black hole…….

This is a great list to help your kids- and you- to celebrate the strange!

https://www.bustle.com/articles/162670-13-weird-childrens-books-that-every-book-lover-read-as-a-kid

Friday 13th and Halloween are both approaching. Let’s celebrate the strange this year. I have learning packages on Teachers Pay Teachers for Friday 13th (tomorrow!) and Halloween- https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FRIDAY-13TH-Multiage-learning-package-2204331

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/50-PAGE-HALLOWEEN-LEARNING-PACKAGE-2170776

After all – the strange of today will be the known of the future.

Remember when a trip to the moon was a really weird, strange concept?

THE SIMPLICITY OF HAPPINESS

I am in Bali to work with some schools and knit myself back together! (A few dropped stitches to pick up!)

I am trying to get away here twice a year to “just be” and plan and write.

After rest and sleep the words start flowing in and the simple happiness and kindness of the Balinese washes me clean of the crazy pressures I willingly take on!

When I can’t stare at my computer screen any longer I  walk through fields and stare at rice paddies instead. I watch very old men working hard in the fields, cheerfully calling out to me as I slosh past in the new mud and puddles!

I meet heaps of giggling kids as they run up, ask our names and try out their English. (FAR better than my Balinese!)

Grandmas and Grandpas delightedly cuddle and play with babies and toddlers- no play-pens, walkers, bouncinettes needed here!

I watch the faces of the Balinese women as they watch their kids at play. They take real pleasure in their children’s carefree happy antics. There is time to play.

I am lucky enough to meet a family in a traditional village and have kids stare at me in amazement when I ask them, “Do you have much homework today?”

I request a coconut juice and the guy climbs up, picks me a perfect coconut, chops off the top and hands it to me. The warm, sweet juice is about as close to heaven on earth as i can imagine.

People here are not concerned about

  • wasting time
  • using spare time wisely
  • filling up every minute of the day

They don’t proudly describe themselves as SO BUSY.

Time has a different meaning here. Balinese people truly do know the thing we have forgotten-

HOW TO JUST BE

Everything is on a different time-line here.

It’s like entering another dimension. There IS time to think, reflect, chat, meditate and solve problems at a deep level.

I’m not naïve or romantic enough to think there are no problems here. Of course there are major poverty, sanitation and water supply difficulties etc but the rituals, ceremonies and nurture of village life help people KNOW they belong and are loved.

Kindness dwells here.

We are here for a full moon celebration and watch lines of white clad men women and children joyfully join another village to celebrate. They walk along tracks and through rice paddies with a single purpose- to unite, celebrate the joy of this special celebration and spread blessings.

I know one thing -the Balinese HAVE got it right. They know better than to sacrifice their entire lives to the great money god or to become like “machines addicted to machines.”

Bali does more than provide a holiday. It teaches us how to stop, become sane, get off the pointless “busyness” cycle and reflect, think and get back to important values such as kindness, tolerance and patience.

Balinese live their religion every day- rather than appearing for a fast “feel-good” pharisaic hour on Sundays.

They deserve their happiness. Coming here is worth thousands of self-help seminars and books. To BE happy we need to BE with happy people and study them deeply.

There is a tangible beauty of spirit here that we lack.

They get stuff done- but at a rate that allows reflection, smiles, chats and yes- happiness!

It’s not too late to dismantle the “busyness cycle “ and allow a small stream of Bali sanity, warmth and friendly spirit to creep in.

It could transform your lives- just one week of it has transformed mine!

To get my experience try Putri Ayu cottages (super cheap, massive room and huge private balcony and best vegetarian brekky ever!) JL Bisma, Ubud , and Wayan Suweca – best guide ever if you want to dive deep below the surface of Balinese culture- he taught us so much!  (facebook: Bali Hidden Paradise Tours)

Suksema   Bali

The ABC of Child Whispering S is for SEARCHING

 Kids are natural searchers.

We all are really except kids have not given up!

They are curious about EVERYTHING and with any luck our over- teaching strategies will not kill that. They are not frightened of being wrong but we quickly change this when they
come to school.l.

I want to awaken curiosity and encourage children to think and take risks.

In fact that is what my programs are designed to do. I want to wake up their brains- not put them to sleep!  Read this very sad piece of writing I was given from a young child after the holidays. She was crying as she handed it to me!

I will translate: “All my imagination has to be locked up. I feel sad about this. Because school has started again. There is no time to imagine any more!”

What a perceptive child!

We need to stop giving answers to questions that are not being asked and concentrate on stimulating yet more questions- questions that MATTER to children!

As teachers we need to ask more questions about practices we blindly follow rather than consider more child-friendly alternatives.

We also need to control the amount of time spent on digital devices because they STOP thinking. Yes- they DO and all parents and children know that. I now have high-school kids coming to me for coaching about HOW they can break their addiction. These kids tell me they cannot think, lose sleep because they find the devices no matter WHERE their parents hide them and generally CANNOT academically succeed.

I couldn’t care less about wonky figures from researchers claiming to show kids only use devices for 4 instead of 6 hours per day- anything more than 2 hours is OUT as far as I’m concerned. If you give a fig about the kids you teach or parent (and I’m sure you do) you need to take this very seriously and act.

Your children CAN’T control this but you are able to. You can model self-control and practice BEING THERE IN THE MOMENT and impose reasonable controls. Otherwise your children will lose the ability to focus, think, create, ask questions and enjoy their naturally curious natures.

Read about the ways that creativity is killed in schools- Sir Ken Robinson is a leader in the creativity area.

He believes creativity is at least as important as literacy.

https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity?utm_campaign=tedspread–a&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

Then watch this entertaining but sad video- you won’t regret it!
https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms

 

We CAN act and for the sake of our children we need to.

 

The ABC of Child Whispering: S is for SINGING

 

 I am fascinated by the high musical intelligence of many of our children. These children learn so well when we develop songs and rhymes to help them to remember important facts.

We have recently started using a great app: Maths Rockx to effectively help children to remember times tables. This is working for many children.

http://www.mathsrockx.com/

We have also developed some GRAMMAR songs to help children remember learning from Jolly Grammar.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/GRAMMAR-revision-with-SONGS-FOR-GRAMMAR-AND-SPELLING-1775336

The LEARNING STATION have many songs to help children to remember important facts.

http://www.learningstationmusic.com/

Most children will respond well to regular use of music within their learning programs. Both parents and teachers can improve their children’s learning by utilising  music, rhymes and songs to help children remember concepts.

Music is also useful for maintaining calm and concentration while children are writing or completing written work assignments.

Try playing quiet music when you want children to calm down, do their homework or improve concentration as they read or write.

 Try this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LXhPbmoHmU

Singing aids brain and language development as well as being a great aid for learning.

http://www.teenstarcompetition.co.uk/advice-for-unsigned-singers/benefits-of-children-singing#.Wa529tFLfIU

 

Encourage your children to put facts to music, raps or poems. This will make them SO much easier to learn.

There is no doubt that singing raises the enjoyment level of any classroom and is a great aid to learning.

We ALL have voices and can sing.  The benefits far outweigh the slight embarrassment you might feel as you lead your youngsters in song!

“The only thing better than singing is more singing.”

– Ella Fitzgerald

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.”

– Plato

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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