The Power of Encouragement

January 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment

It’s sad but true how often we tend to get disconnected from our children’s lives. We have very busy lives, and frequently we’re left distilling an entire day’s worth of experiences into, “My day was find, how was yours?”  As parents, we could each sit down and provide a much more lengthy explanation of the day’s events, and so could our kids.  And we do that frequently, but perhaps not often enough.  This disconnect is normal, but can create a more difficult environment for our children when they are struggling with their school work.

At Academic Learning Labs, we understand the dynamic at work between parents and children.  We’re often placed in a unique position to step into your child’s life with solutions and choices that can significantly improve their life.  Here are just a few of the academic services we can offer for children from grade school through high school:

 Math

Math is one of our most popular subjects, and we’re equipped to assess your child’s math skills and step in with a tutoring program specifically designed for their needs.  We’ll work within the framework of the school curriculum, so that our tutoring will augment their in-class learning.  But with the additional attention and targeted teaching, we’ll be able to produce results that cannot be matched in a large classroom setting.

Writing

Writing skills are fundamental to virtually every other area of study, so we’re prepared to help your child overcome any obstacles that prevents them from producing high-quality writing.  Our tutors are especially skilled in creating a fun and encouraging environment to help your child learn correct sentence structure and punctuation.

Reading

Our tutors are adept at taking reading from a chore to delight.  We specialize in creating a learning environment that stimulates your child’s natural curiosity and channels it into learning.  We’ll help your child expand their vocabulary and start to look upon reading as a fun tool for learning.

Timing can make a big difference with your child.  Too often families delay getting help until their child has struggled for an extended period of time and has become very discouraged.  The sooner you seek help, the faster your child will show improvement.  Please call us at 949-5446-0800 for more information on our personalize tutoring for your child.

 

Filed Under: Academic Success, Classroom Size, learning, Studying

Spotlight on Math Tutoring

October 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Triumph at Math

Triumph at Math

In the life of virtually every student, there comes a time when a new math concept is introduced and he or she simply cannot grasp it.  There can be many reasons for the difficulty, and it’s essential that your student be given the tools to grasp the new concept.

Teachers do the best they can, but it’s just not possible for a single teacher to meet the exact needs of an entire classroom full of students.  At Academic Learning Labs we have tutoring available for all grade levels and cover every area of math from basic addition and subtraction to the most sophisticated calculus and statistics.  Getting an early handle on any difficulties is vital to help your child avoid the discouragement that comes with lowered grades.

For elementary grades K -5, we specialize in the following areas:

  • Numbers and Basic Counting
  • Addition and Subtraction
  • Multiplication and Division
  • Fractions and Decimals
  • Problem Solving
  • Time and Money Concepts
  • Geometry and Graphing
  • Measurement including Area, Perimeter and Volume
  • Basic Statistics including Ratios, Proportions and Percentages

For middle school grades 6 – 8, the following topics are covered:

  • Algebra
  • Geometry
  • Problem Solving
  • Probability and Statistics

 Our high school tutoring covers these areas: 

  • Algebra I & II
  • Geometry
  • Trigonometry
  • Pre-Calculus
  • Integrated Math
  • Senior Math
Tutoring at Academic Learning Labs will bring a fresh start for your student.  The individualized attention we offer allows us to accurately assess your child’s strengths and weaknesses, so we can create a course of tutoring designed to meet his or her specific needs and bring immediate improvement.  Your child will show more enjoyment in school, and often find that he or she can actually excel at the topic.
Call us at 949-546-0800 to learn more about our individualized tutoring plans.
Filed Under: learning, Math Tutoring, Tutoring Tagged With: ,

Simple Choices, Lifelong Results

August 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Helping our children make good choices is one of the most important jobs we have. Encouraging our children to build upon their natural curiosity is often a gateway to learning.  Just a few changes in your daily routine can made a long term difference in how your children learn from the world around them.  Here are a few tips to encourage your children along the way:

Learn While Riding

Time in the car can be a fun learning experience

1.  Travel Low Tech

Time spent in the car can bring a wealth of learning opportunities for your children, but much of the opportunity can be lost when music players or electronic game devices are brought along.  We’re not saying you should stop the use of all electronics, but it’s wise to set aside some travel time for more productive activities.  After you get over any initial resistance, you may find your children looking forward to these adventures.

2. Where Did It Come From? 

While younger children may stay amused with simple alphabet games in the car, keeping older kids engaged can be more of a challenge.  Helping older children develop reasoning skills and deeper thought processes can be as simple as prompting them to take a closer look at common items around them while you’re driving.  There’s a world of difference between asking your child to locate a red car and asking them to explain how that red car moves down the road.  Do they understand how a car’s engine works?  How do a car’s wheels move with limited friction on bearings?  How was the metal formed for the body panels and frame?  Where did the metal come from for these parts?  The answers may remain unknown while you’re in the car, but that’s part of the game.  How do they imagine these things work?  Prompting them to solve these puzzles is helpful for growing more critical-thinking skills.

3.  Learn Good Research Skills

Many families start planning for their fall and winter vacations shortly after school starts.  This can be a great opportunity to teach your children the power of good research.  If you’re planning a trip to a theme park, ask your children to research for the trip.  Can tickets be purchased in advance?  Is there a way to get discounted tickets?  What is the best lodging for the most reasonable price nearby?  It’s a great way to teach your child the wealth of information available, how to access it, and have them build excitement about your upcoming trip.  Good research skills will be a valuable skill throughout their entire education.

4.  Get Help When Needed

Here at Academic Learning Labs we offer a support system to increase the effectiveness of the work you do at home with your child.  Frustration quickly grows with children who are struggling with their schoolwork.  We are most effective when we partnership with parents to create an environment that encourages and rewards your child as they progress in the area of study.  The overall impact on your child’s self-esteem is significant as they begin to grasp concepts in the welcoming environment we offer.  Struggles with homework will become less frequent.  Would you like more details about our courses and the results you can expect?  Give us a call at (949) 546-0800, and we’ll be glad to answer your questions.

Filed Under: Homework, learning, Lifelong Learning, Parent Involvement Tagged With: , , , , , ,

In Real Estate and Studying, It’s All About Location, Location, Location

August 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

There’s an old adage in real estate that the top three things to look for when buying property are location, location, location.  It’s a humorous way to highlight a very important factor when you’re looking to buy a new home.  There’s a part of this advice that also applies well to helping your child do their best homework.  In this week’s blog we’re going to take a look at how to improve your child’s homework by improving their work environment.

No Two Kids Are The Same

No two kids are the same

Most of us learn early on in our parenting journey that each of our children seems to arrive with at least some of their preferences and proclivities pre-wired.  It’s astonishing and at times frustrating, but there’s really no denying it.  We have a tremendous amount of influence on our children’s attitudes and opinions, but each of our children develop their own unique personality.  The sooner we recognize these patterns in our children, the better we become at helping shape the world around them in a way that is best suited to their growth.

For example, one child may be able to sit at a desk facing a window and deliver a superbly-written term paper within an hour.  Their sibling may sit at that same desk and one hour later deliver nothing except a list of who walked by and how many different cats are in the neighborhood.  Clearly, these two need to have different environments for their work.  Here are a few suggestions we have to improve the outcome for your children.

Being Easily Distracted Is Not Necessarily Bad

 The child in our example above who was distracted by the view out the window is not necessarily foretelling any trouble, but you need to work with them to find the environment that best suits their personality.  They may be better suited moving to the dining room table while dinner is being prepared.  That way you’re available for questions and gentle guidance to keep them on track.  Let them know they’re not in trouble, rather you just want to make sure they can work somewhere better suited to getting the work done.

There’s Often Improvement In Changing Locations

Take that book outdoors

You may get better results by studying outside

It can also be fun to introduce entirely new places to do their work.  You can grab a good book and sit with them in the backyard while they do their homework.  Introducing the element of hanging out with mom or dad as part of doing homework can also be a welcome factor to help your child get more motivated and stay focused.

The Internet is a common tool for research today, but it can be helpful to turn off the computer.  Grab your car keys, and tell your child, “we’re going on an adventure to the library.”  It becomes a memorable outing when you have them pick one or two books for their schoolwork and one just for fun.  This “change of venue” can be a real plus and is one of the advantages we see with the children we tutor.  Our setting is away from the distractions at home, and we help children become better organized with better study habits.  Our tutors are skilled at building a fun working relationship with their students, so kids who may have once dreaded studying a specific topic are eager to spend time with their tutors at Academic Learning Labs.

Want to learn more about how we can help?  Call us at  (949) 546-0800.  Or feel free to visit us at  31951 Dove Canyon Drive in Trabuco Canyon.  We’ll be happy to show you around and answer any questions.

Filed Under: Friendships, Homework, learning, Lifelong Learning, Studying, Tutoring Tagged With: , , , , ,

Capitalizing On Curiosity

August 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

When our kids are younger, it seems that much of our time is spent following them around and keeping them out of harm’s way.  Their natural curiosity compels them to open doors, turn knobs, flick switches, and chase almost anything that moves.  We often get exhausted just trying to keep up with them during this phase of parenting.  But it’s also a time we can start to learn about our children and the things that interest them.

As our children begin to read, it’s wise to expose them to a wide variety of topics.  It’s exciting as a parent to walk into a library with your young child and realize that somewhere in these stacks of books is likely at least one book that tells about a profession or hobby that may end up becoming a lifelong passion for your child.  It will help shape the friends they make, the learning they do, and perhaps even be the path from which they’ll meet their future spouse.  We so seldom take time as parents to “big picture” things like this, but it’s important that we allow ourselves to dream big for our children and encourage them to do the same.  Encouraging them to follow their curiosity is really nothing more than encouraging them to learn.

Riding Curiosity To The Stars

Follow Your Curiosity

Where Will Your Curiosity Lead You?

We all watched in amazement recently as NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory landed the Mars rover, “Curiosity.”  It was an amazing feat and one that inspired many of us.  It’s also a great time to show our children the exciting side of some school subjects that may be a struggle to them.  Here’s a great video posted by NASA that asks,  How Hard Is It To Land on Mars?  Taking something from recent news like this is a great opportunity to show our children how they can pursue their curiosity and eventually accomplish huge things.

The people who were able to land the Curiosity rover on Mars came from all different backgrounds and virtually every area of learning.  There were people who followed their math curiosity to learn how to calculate the exact speed and time it would take to land the craft on Mars.  People who were curious about chemistry studied to learn the exact type of fuel that would be best to propel Curiosity.  Engineers learned exactly what kinds of designs and materials they should use to build Curiosity.  People who love to write asked questions and wrote stories about Curiosity to keep us all updated. Each person involved started out by being curious how something worked and wanting to learn more about it.

At Academic Learning Labs we love to take your child’s natural curiosity and encourage it to grow in areas that may be a struggle for them.  We also delight in helping talented children excel in areas they’ve already demonstrated a skill.  Call us at (949) 546-0800, and we’ll be happy to show you how we can help your child’s curiosity get them to Mars — and beyond.

Filed Under: learning, reading, Studying, Technology, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

What Your Children are Teaching You

July 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
We often are so focused on making sure we teach our children everything possible, that we forget to take a step back and look at what our children are teaching us. At Academic Learning Labs we meet amazing children every day, and even while we are teaching them, they are also teaching us. Below are just a few things your kids are teaching you.

Happiness and Satisfaction

Children have an incredibly simple level of happiness. Something as easy as cooking their favorite meal, or learning a new skill, can send them over the moon and make them feel like they have the best life. When you are feeling overwhelmed, or focusing on all the things you haven’t been able to get done, take a moment to watch your child’s simple satisfaction and happiness and suddenly you too may see that all those other things can’t take away from your love of life either.

Choose your Mood

We are always teaching our kids about making choices. They can have this, or that, but not both; you can go this way or that way; pick right from wrong. In the midst of a difficult day, where you may feel stressed, frustrated or angry, remember that you can choose your emotion. A child may ask “is mom mad”? You can choose to continue being frustrated, or learn that just like you teach your children, you have a choice of what mood to be in.

Turn To-Do’s into To-Enjoy

We try to teach our children that they should do things without being angry or upset, but to take a chore and take pride in our work. As parents, we often get bogged down with all of our “chores” and errands, and forget that lesson. You may be raking the leaves in the yard, and be exhausted and frustrated, but looking over at your child who is finding such pleasure in the crackling sound of stepping on a leaf, can teach you that some chores can also be a pleasure.

Redefine Success

A big lesson we teach our children is that success isn’t always measured in numbers, and that part of success is taking the journey. As a parent, you may have started a new business, or a taken up a new hobby that may not be going as successfully as you had hoped. As you have taught your child, getting 5 new clients may not be the 10 you had hoped for, but you have still succeeded. It reminds you to take pleasure in what you accomplish rather than be disappointed but what you haven’t.

We hope that you have enjoyed reading about some of the many ways your children are teaching you something. We would love to hear from you about other ways your children have taught you something.

Filed Under: learning, Lifelong Learning, Parent Involvement Tagged With:

5 Tips to Encourage Summer Reading

July 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Summer is reminiscent of beach days, sprinklers, and lazy days, but it’s also a great opportunity to read a book. At Academic Learning Labs, parents often ask us how they can encourage their children to stay active mentally during the summer months. No one is a fan of required summer reading, but there are many fun ways to encourage summer reading.

Below are five tips on how parents can encourage summer reading.

1. Make sure your kids have plenty of books. Give your kids an opportunity to get new books by taking them to the library or the bookstore and letting them pick out new books that interest them. You can go to the library weekly to find new books or organize a book swap in your neighborhood. Find new ways to keep a fresh supply of books around your kids.

2. Always take books whenever you go somewhere, for you and your kids. Make sure your kids see you reading books and give them opportunities to read wherever you go. Whether you are at the beach, waiting in the doctors office, or waiting for a dance class to begin, use this downtime to these get in even a couple of minutes of reading in. You can also read the same books your kids are reading and then you can discuss the book.

3. Encourage social reading. If your child comes home from a friend’s house wanting to read a book because they are reading it, this is a great opportunity to encourage them to read socially. This really reinforces the idea that reading is cool and allows your child the chance to talk about the book with others. You can encourage social reading by buying two copies of a book for your child and their friend, so that they can both read it. You can also start a book club or take your children to see a movie that is based on a book they have read. Find opportunities to make reading cool and a social experience.

4. Try not to get hung up on whether or not your child “could” be reading more advanced books. As much as you want reading to be educational for your child, it is important to understand that reading provides a solace for your child. You can always suggest a book that is more advanced, but don’t push too hard. If your child finds reading enjoyable they will want to continue reading, which will allow them to push themselves. The most important thing is just to give them time to spend reading.

5. Try to keep some time available for reading. This is often the hardest tip to follow. Summers get busy and schedules start to fill up quickly. Finding some quiet time to relax and read is a great way to unwind and find respite from the busy days. We suggest you schedule some reading time each day for your child and make this a part of their summer adventure.

We hope that these tips have been helpful. We would love to hear other things you have done to encourage summer reading with your children.

Filed Under: learning, Lifelong Learning, Parent Involvement, reading, Summer, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Healthy Eating linked to Increased Student Learning

June 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
As children, we were always told “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” or “we are what we eat,” and many of us never really questioned what that really meant. We pass this information along to our children, but what about when they ask what that means? At Academic Learning Labs, we know that there are many things that equate to a head start when it comes to learning. Below are some of the different ways that healthy eating habits have an impact on the learning effectiveness of our children.

Research has shown that students learn better when they are well nourished. Healthy eating has been directly linked to higher grades, better memory, better information processing, alertness and better school attendance.

Breakfast and Learning

Many of us know that ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’, but what is it that makes it such an important meal When a child eats a high-quality breakfast, they tend to perform better than those of a lower quality. The quality of breakfast was based upon where foods fall on the glycemic index, or GI, and those found lower on the index were associated with faster information processing. Some examples of low-GI foods are fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole-grain breads and cereals.

Eating and Memory

Food is fuel for your child’s brain. Children need to consistently refuel their brains, so snacks and regular meals can help boost any decline in memory and attention. Some foods that are linked to better memory are yogurt with blueberries, a hard-boiled egg, and celery with peanut butter.

Eating and Alertness

According to the Mayo clinic, kids who eat healthy are more likely to participate in school and attend classes more regularly. Children who are not getting the proper nutrition or enough calories will not have enough energy to power the brain, which can lead to fatigue and learning problems. Additionally, alertness and mood is improved in students who eat a balanced meal and can help improve academic performance by helping students boost their eagerness to learn.

Junk Food and Learning

According to a study published in the “Journal of School Health”, students who drank more sweetened beverages, such as sugary sodas, scored lower on math tests. Diets high in junk food have also been linked to childhood obesity, which can result in lower cognitive functioning and decreased attention span.

We hope that some of these tips and explanations have helped you in understanding the importance of healthy eating habits and how it can affect learning. We would love to hear your feedback on how healthy eating has helped your child’s learning or any healthy food options your child enjoys.

Filed Under: Healthy Eating, learning, Lifelong Learning Tagged With: , , , ,

The Harmful Effects of Larger Class Sizes

June 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

With changes in the economy in the United States, schools are being faced with budget cuts that are causing the obstacle of big changes in the school system. Some schools are being shut down, there are teachers being let go and all this is leading to larger classroom sizes in schools nationwide. Increasing classroom sizes can cause a student to be distracted and with less supervision it may cause more chances for them to lose interest and slack off. Children and teenagers tend to have a lower attention span and one-on-one student-teacher interaction can help alleviate this distraction.

According to the Student Teacher Achievement Ratio study, or STAR, reduced class sizes were shown to increase student achievement by an amount equivalent to about three additional months of schooling four years later. Optimal classroom sizes is between 13 to 17 students per teacher. Another benefit of smaller classroom sizes is how it affects the teacher. Education.com states “Many teachers report a higher job satisfaction rate when dealing with smaller class loads, and academic achievement tests seem to indicate favorable results across the board for smaller classes.”

We hope this post has helped you get a better understanding of the effect of larger class sizes. We would love to hear your thoughts on classroom sizes and how this may have effected your child’s learning.

Filed Under: Classroom Size, Education Changes, harmful effect of class size, learning, Lifelong Learning Tagged With: , ,

School Spotlight: Capistrano Unified School District

May 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment

At Academic Learning Labs we find it important to highlight changes in our local schools. Capistrano Unified School District has just announced that they will be offering the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program of fall of 2012.

In order for students to qualify, children must turn five years old on November 2 – December 2, 2012. Transitional Kindergarten is offered to students who, because of the kindergarten age rollback, will miss the cutoff to enter kindergarten.

This is the first year of the two-year kindergarten program provided for in the SB 1381 legislation or the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010. Transportation is not provided for these students so parents will need to plan accordingly. At the end of the TK year, students will matriculate to their home schools for regular kindergarten.

Parents can pre-register for the program by going to CUSD’s website and click on Parent Links- Transitional Kindergarten. You can find the Intent to Register and then email this directly to the District. Pre-registered students will be assigned to one of the three sites throughout the District (Crown Valley, Benedict and Bathgate Elementary Schools).

For additional questions, contact Becky West at bwest@capousd.org or call her at 949-235-9261.

Filed Under: Education Changes, learning, Lifelong Learning, Preschool, School Spotlight Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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