Mission Possible - The secrets of the Success Academies Giveaway

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) says that one-third of all fourth graders in the United States can not read at a basic level. Seriously? This just amazes me. 

These are statistics we've heard over and over again, and everyone is ready to point blame at the teachers, the schools, the parents, the government, fast food companies, sports.... 

The red herring is always shifted, but teachers do get a lot of flack and their morale is pretty low. How would you feel if your job was constantly under attack? 

According to the authors of Mission Possible; stagnation, being unable to accomplish one's job at a high level, is one of the greatest sources of low teacher morale. 

Why are teachers held to a different standard than other professionals? I think the main reason is the importance of their job. 

Teachers are fundamentally important to the success of our children and the success of our nation. They (along with parents) have THE pivotal role in helping develop good citizens, so everyone wants to have a say in how they perform their duties. 

When things go wrong, they are quick to point fingers. Because of the many issues involved: the unions, the government's role, funding, standardized testing, parent involvement, crime, income disparity, and so many others - it's hard to make meaningful change. 

Mission Possible gives a road map for academic success by sharing the tips and tools that have worked for some of the top schools in the country.  As a mother of two elementary children, I love to dive into what makes a school tick and what makes it succeed. I've often wondered what a principal actually does and this book is helpful in sorting out the various roles and responsibilities. 

One of my favorite takeaways is the importance of raising the bar - FOR EVERYONE. I think this is one of the key issues in improving our schools and improving our economy. You get what you expect and you get what you put in.

But you can't just throw money at the problem. This book covers what to do instead of how to spend more money. 

As we've traveled through the school system, I have seen amazing teachers and ho-hum teachers and let me just say that a good teacher is worth her weight in gold. They make a huge difference. But they are only half the story. They are part of a team, that with parents, shape the future of their children.

We have been blessed to have had many amazing teachers and though my kids are only in 1st and 3rd grade, they read at 5th and 6th grade levels. Involved parents and informed teachers keep kids from falling through the cracks and motivate them to succeed. If you have a school aged child or are involved in your local school system, you'll want to take a look at Mission Possible.

And one Suburban Jungle reader will win a copy of Mission Possible! To enter the contest, leave a comment telling me your best tip for schools, teachers, and/or parents to improve academic success

This contest will end on August 2nd at 11:59 PM EST. I will select a winner at random and notify the winner by email.

*I received compensation for this post and all opinions expressed are my own.

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Leap Frog and Brave Product Review

A while back, we got a tag reader and leap pad system for our children. They absolutely loved them, and I have been telling moms everywhere about how great they are.

Recently, we had the chance to review two new products for LeapFrog. My children have been busy reading the New Disney Pixar Brave Tag Book and playing the Disney Pixar Brave Explorer cartridge on their leap pad.

Before I tell you what we thought of the individual products, let me take a second to tell you how I feel about the LeapFrog products related to these products.

My children are 6 and 7 years old and they absolutely love their Leap Pad. We take it on all long road trips and they fight over who gets to play it!

My seven year old is very against doing homework, but he will play games on the Leap Pad that reinforce his math skills and help with spelling and vocabulary all day long! While I wish he would learn the "traditional" way, by using the Leap Pad, he still practices the things he needs to learn.

It's been a huge positive in teaching my six year old reading and math. Now it's "just easy" to her. The only downside to the Leap Pad is the way it uses batteries. We corrected that by buying an A/C adapter and plugging it in while they play. No more battery drama.

Having said all that, my children were so excited that we had a new game to go into the leap pad. I usually only get them new games before long trips so they have something new to occupy their time.

And occupy them, it did! They went right to the game and started playing it. They played it for hours the first time. They were so into it that they "weren't hungry" when it was time for lunch. They just wanted to play.

What mom doesn't fight with her daughter over combing hair?  At least we don't get turned into bears...

The game has a lot of options. You can play an adventure or play smaller games. It also teaches a lot of animal science and natural science facts. Most of our Leap Pad games focus on math or reading, so this was a nice change. Plus, my kids loved Merida's accent.

I only wish I could have used those hours of non-fighting focus in the car....

The Tag reader is something that my kids also like, but have almost grown out of. When they were 4 or 5, it was great for them to use to "read" books on their own and as they became better readers, they used the tag reader to help with words they didn't remember.

But now that they are fluent readers, it's almost insulting to ask them to use the reader to read the pages. They just won't do it. Instead, they read the book then use the reader to play the games. They always like the games.

So when we had the chance to read the new Tag Reader Brave book, my daughter pulled open the book and went right to the story. It's an exciting story about bears and witches and a girl with crazy red hair and a bow and arrow.

And as to be expected, my kids loved the games and the cauldron of riddles found inside the book.

These were both great products and very well suited for the 4-8 age range. My kids have not yet seen the Brave movie and having played these games first, they are even more excited to see it.

This post is sponsored by LeapFrog. I was selected for this opportunity as a member ofClever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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Team UmiZoomi Preschool Math Kit Review & Giveaway

Do your kids love Team UmiZoomi? Mine do! Why not use that love of the Team UmiZoomi characters to help teach your child math? 


Nickelodeon's Team UmiZoomi has created a set of Math kits designed to help lay the groundwork for preschool math skills. 


We had a chance to review the UmiZoomi: Sorting, Classification, and Reasoning Kit.


The kit contains:

• 48-page workbook that amplifies the curriculum covered in each episode, setting up problems and providing opportunities for practice and repetition
• 24-page storybook that invites kids to join Team Umizoomi on a math adventure
• 24 Mighty Math Mission Cards - portable cards that provide math-based challenges for kids
• 48-page activity book that reinforces math skills through simple games and activities
• Team Umizoomi episode on DVD
• Pencil case, pencils, and eraser

The first thing my daughter wanted out of this set was the pencils. She got busy sharpening them and then wanted to get right to work. She breezed through the workbook and felt really good about "how good she was at math." 

Whenever you can make learning fun and encouraging - you're on the right track. The DVD and storybook are a nice touch and could even be used as a reward for successful workbook completion. 

I would recommend this set for the 3-5 year old range. You would get a lot of mileage out of the Math Mission cards in the 2-5 year old segment and they lay a great foundation for "critical thinking." Plus they are fun. 

My almost 7 year old rolled his eyes and declared the set to be "babyish" and "baby math." How soon they forget the level they were once reading, computing, etc. 

All-in-all this is a nice set full of fun and learning. Want to try it for your preschooler? Nickelodeon is giving one Suburban Jungle reader a Team Umizoomi Preschool Math kit. 

To Enter: Leave a comment sharing your best tip for teaching a child to love math.

Extra Entries: Leave 2 Extra comments if you share this contest on twitter, facebook, or your blog. You may earn up to 6 extra entries.

*This contest will end on August 24, 2011 at 9:00 PM EST. This contest is open to US residents 18 years of age or older. The winner will be selected by random.org and notified by email. No compensation was received for this post. I did receive a complimentary math kit for review purposes. 

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Improving Learning for Students

What makes a child succeed at school? The fact is - it's different for each child. We have had quite a  a time making sure our son succeeds at school. He's an average 6 year-old-boy and I could only imagine the challenges for special education students and children that come from troubled homes.

What did we do to help him thrive in school? First - we stayed involved.

We read books, helped with homework, stayed in contact with the teacher, met with his friends and had regular play dates. We also made sure he had adequate nutrition, proper rest, and plenty of play time.

But since everyone had a unique learning style,  it's also important to seek out information for your particular child.

Our son is more of a visual learner. So for him, I've included visual and hands-on components to learning. I still include auditory instruction because that's what he receives in school, but I include "extra" parts.

For example, I had him draw pictures to go along with his sight words. That way he could remember them based on the pictures he drew. We also turned a lot of our lessons into games. Games that included colors and physical activity.

If your child struggles in school - don't let him/her fail. Start now and start early. Problems in kindergarten become problems in first grade and so on. It's all cumulative. Search out the help you need. It's out there!





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The Shut-Down Learner - helping your academically discouraged child

Sending my son off to school has been one of the most frustrating (and exhausting) experiences of my life. Ever since his first day in kindergarten, we've been waging an uphill battle against his hatred for school.

I'm not going to sugar-coat it: my son hates school. As a concerned and involved parent, I have tried everything I can think of to change it around for him.

I can't tell you the number of books I've read and websites I've visited: looking for the way to motivate an unmotivated student. We've held numerous play dates and parties.

We joined an all boys book club. I spend every evening working on homework, spelling, writing, and reading. He's met with the school counselor and worked on improving friendships. I've even made his lessons and spelling words into visually focused games.

I regularly communicate with the teacher to make sure he's not falling through the cracks.

He's a shy kid and could easily fade into the background. In fact, he'd prefer it! So I keep the teacher informed of the positive progress he's been making at home so she can reinforce it at school. She calls me when she sees him recycle his spelling test instead of bringing it home. We're working hard and have made considerable progress.

He's a much better reader now.....but he still hates school. It's a constant source of conflict in our home. Both because of the battling and also because my father was the same way. My parents were high school dropouts. My dad hated school from day one and spent his entire school career wanting to escape.

He's suffered financially and emotionally ever since. I will NOT let that happen to my children. My husband and I are very motivated people and I honestly think that makes it harder to understand my son's lack of motivation.

When I saw the title "The Shut-Down Learner - helping your academically discouraged child," I knew I had to read this book. Within the first few pages, I knew this book was talking to me.

Right away, it outlines the symptoms of a Shut Down Learner:

• A sense that your child is disconnected, discouraged, unmotivated
• Fundamental skill weaknesses (reading, writing, spelling) and lowered self esteem
• Avoidance of homework and school tasks
• Dislike of reading
• Hatred of writing
• Little to no gratification from school
• Increasing anger toward school

Every single sign fits my son to a tee. Now, you might think it's because he's one of the youngest in his class. Maybe. But I think that's a poor excuse. I think it has more to do with his personality. Or maybe something else. He may be the youngest, but he can read and compute as well as the 8 year olds. He is also very mature and composed for his age.

We could certainly "hold him back," but it would most likely cause more harm than good. He's smart enough to know that repeating a grade is failing. And if he didn't dwell on it, other kids would surely bring it up to him.

He may have the "f**k you attitude" but he is respectful and obedient enough not to act that way towards his teachers. At home...that's a different story.

So I wanted to read this book and figure out how to save my son. Here's what I've learned:

This type of issue (battling over homework, a disinterest and hatred for school, etc) is common and if not caught early can become a serious issue. Like many of the books I have read on raising and motivating boys, it emphasizes the fact that schools just aren't set up for visual/spatial learners.

That's okay - for the most part - but you need to know how to work with your child to make their school days more success rather than failure. There are tips in this book, but also a lot of stories and information to help a parent's understanding of the issue.

The best thing this book does is give you (as the parent, teacher, adult) an idea of what is causing the problem and how the student actually feels.

People are quick to shovel drugs for every single problem (weight loss, learning issues, everything!) but this book isn't like that. Surely, there are some people that require drug therapy. I know my son is not one of them.

Check it out if you have a Shut-Down Learner in your family. They can be boys and girls. It's never too late to change the course of someone's life.

I'm glad to have found this information early on and will be working with my son diligently to make sure he doesn't completely "shut-down."

From our own experience, I'd like to share with any parents out there what has and what hasn't worked for us.

What hasn't worked:

• Yelling
• Rewards
• Blaming each other
• Bribes
• Suggesting that he's lazy or just needs to be motivated
• Punishments
• Letting him take control over his own education

What has worked:

• Making reading fun. We gave him a light to read in his bed at night. He can only use it to read. So he uses it to read and stay up SUPER late. But it's all good...he's been reading a lot of books!
• Praise for the areas he is good at (building, making crafts, staying focused, running, listening...even reading!)
• Practice, Practice, Practice. He has a writing journal and writes books for our cat. Any writing practice is good and when it's not wrought with fighting and frustration, it's so much better.
• Spending quality (not homework fighting) time together
• Supervising homework from start to finish - without fighting, but trying to help him keep a focus and work through the reading one bit at a time.
• Making time for outside activities and things he enjoys or can feel like a success doing. 

All-in-all, it's an uphill battle that is easy to lose. I intend to stick it out (though I often feel like quitting and running away) and help my son to succeed. 

Also, keep in mind that not all students are A-students. Not everyone is going to be a high profile litigator or neurosurgeon. The world needs all sorts of workers. But school doesn't have to be a miserable, constant source of failure. No matter what they do (in school or in life) try to teach them to do it with excellence. And remember to praise their successes, and teach them to brush off the failures. By the way, I'm giving this advice to myself. ;)

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