I have a 5th grader & would like to teach her logic but not necessarily through just books on the topic. I’m pressed for time with her (I after school) so need a list of question or discussion prompts that are applicable to everyday life with this bent. I hope this isn’t too tall an order but I figure it’d maximize our time together, if that makes sense. Many thanks!

Hi. I’m looking for a science kit, links, or ideas on bringing to life (via hands-on activities) the concept of Earth’s various spheres. I’m not science-y so need something pre-made &/or easy to supllement some readings for a 10 year kid. Thanks!

I’d like to have my (soon to be) 10 year old conduct her 1st research project. How would you teach research skills?

I after school because I want my child to retain her heritage languages. I also see gaps in PS & try to fill them. I have a bright kid & see she requires the challenge. I place a high value on education & lifelong learning & self-study. I want to expose her to things outside the realm of regular curriculm. I like spending time with her.

They’re called open classrooms & I don’t like them either! We have a quiet household so my daughter finds them distracting & I, as a teacher, did as well. Yuck!

I do a lot of afterschooling. I clarify, reteach, & extend PS material when needed. She got turned off from math in 3rd so I’m still working on turning that around. The rest is interest-led and reflective of our family culture. I place an emphasis on heritage language learning (Spanish & French) and music & the arts. History & geography are also important. Since she’s getting older (an incoming 5th grader) she resists too much ‘mom work’ so I catch her quickly when I can. Many topics arise organically & those are some of the best moments! I am a PS teacher—now Spanish but previously ELL, math, G/T, social studies & elementary. I think it’s absolutely wonderful parents want to extend and supplement their children’s education. It’s pretty rare I get asked about working in tandem with parents/students but I revel in the opportunity to do so! I believe PS does not allow kids too much time to own their learning & I’m currently figuring out how to incorporate a ‘genius hour’ into my Spanish classroom. Ultimately, I believe in being proactive & also following my spidey sense as to what she’s missing & needs in order to get a well-rounded education that encourages passion.

Can anyone recommend a book for young natives (say 9 yr old) to teach grammar, vocab., literacy, etc.? If you know French, like the Hachette or Magnard programs....except for Spanish speakers? I’d need it through Amazon or another company in the US.

LOL! I have those bookmarked already but had forgotten them until you mentioned them.

I’m still mulling over my situation & how to best approach it. I like all ideas so far & can see incorporating bits of all of them. I have been ‘hovering’ more lately & asking questions (‘have the birds been fed/watered?’ & ‘have you brushed your teeth?’, etc.), which seems to be helping her get back on track daily. She decided to wait until 9 PM to fold clothes & was tired & therefore absolutely sobbing while doing it. I’m proud I stayed out of it. The next load got put away a whole lot quicker though. I’ll keep up this vigilance for a bit more & then see if scaling back will yield better results in the future. I really like this idea of making short-term goals & steps to reach them (along with plotting out days) so I shall also try that tomorrow, when we’ve got a block of time to do so. This idea of her grabbing the reins on managing her time (while I facilitate the planning) is appealing to me. She’s also a visual kid so a tangible weekly calendar may prove quite useful.

I’d like to promote my nearly 10 yr old’s estimation skills through everyday living (so no worksheets). When she was younger, we did estimation jars & I could do that again quickly but am looking for everyday, easy activities to refine these skills (in various contexts) so she can build the ability to estimate in a variety of ways (items, time, etc.). Do you have any ideas (I’m brain deade at the moment, LOL)?

I need some age appropriate ideas on how to help my nearly 10 yr old develop her time management skills. I’m trying to scale back on overseeing her small daily goings-on. She’s not too successful in getting some things done. For example, clean clothes will move from bed to chair for several days (despite gentle prodding to fold & put them away). She has a couple small pending projects that have gone undone for 2 weeks & are due quite soon—she will likely rush through them, get stressed, & not produce her best work. She’s currently on summer vacation so is NOT overwhelmed with other activities. I start off gentle & provide reminders, etc. but this rarely works. I end up being mean & threatening consequences—not my best self & not the path I want to take. I want to encourage self-direction, etc. so don’t want to ‘hover’. What other tactics can I use and what else can I do to promote more responsible timeliness?

I’m glad I asked for ideas b/c there are some really good ones here! I’m learning a lot too! Honest Ads is hilarious! Thanks for all the suggestions!

No, I didnt’t know about either. Neat! Thanks!

Here’s a link with many pre-made number talks. http://bps.solutions/MATH/Grade3-5_Number_Talks.pdf

Anyone doing anything interesting for the upcoming anniversary of the moon landing? Us, we’re reading a book, watching a film/docu, going to a library presentation, & will moon gaze that night (weather permitting). Since my child’s into fake news, etc. it’d be nice to tie in something retro like that, so any ideas are welcome. Whatcha up to for this event?