It’s cold outside! Have fun inside…

Here are some ideas for you and your kids to enjoy, without leaving the driveway!!

Bake or cook. Your New Year’s resolutions can wait as you indulge in sweet treats or comfort foods that warm up the house (and your belly).

Fashion shoot. Play dress up with old costumes, take photos, crank up the dance music and have fun on the hallway runway.

Arts and crafts. Why not make a birdfeeder (add peanut butter and seeds to any pine cone), paint a masterpiece, make your own Play-Dough or try other crafty ideas.

Make snow ice cream. Her View From Home suggests putting 4 cups of clean snow (or shaved ice) in waffle cones or cups and adding 1/2 cups of half & half or whole milk, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Blend the milk, sugar and vanilla together until the sugar dissolves, then mix it all together until it looks like ice cream. Add chocolate syrup, whipped cream and leftover holiday candy as toppings.

Puzzles. Going to pieces? Put them together.

Board games. Bored? Games like Monopoly, Life, Risk and chess can help with that.

Build a fort. Whether you want to build a fortress for an epic pillow fight or have tea inside a princess castle made out of blankets, a fort will keep the kids occupied and make you want to play along.

Story time. Get cozy on the couch, by the fireplace if you’ve got one, and read to your kids.

The Sound Of Music Fills The Academy

The sound of music will fill the air at the Apple Tree Academy! At the Apple Tree Academy we are so excited to welcome Mr. Steven Thorne as our new Music Teacher. Mr. Thorne is a music educator that is going to share and teach the art and science of music for the good of the whole child! Did you know that music naturally contributes to the joining of the analytic side of the brain and the creative side?  To assist in the music education, Mr. Thorne will be teaching the upper level kids will be learning how to play the recorder – a popular wind-instrument from the midevil to the baroque eras of society. While it has lost its popular music luster, the recorder is the perfect instrument to educate young students.  Our parents and staff will get to enjoy the fruit of their labor with an end-of-the year musical performance!

Seven Tips To Choosing The Right School For Your Child

Seven Tips To Choosing The Right School For Your Child

One of the most important decisions  you will make as a parent is deciding which school is the best fit to enroll them. Make the right decision and you could put them on a path toward lifelong learning, a prestigious college education and a successful career. Choose wrong, and the path can be challenging. Talk about pressure. If you are facing this decision or know of someone who is – here are some questions that you should ask  when you’re evaluating a school — whether your child is entering a learning center at a very early age or starting pre-K and up.

1. The Relationship Between The Child and The Teacher Is Key.  The connection between child and teacher is more important than any curriculum.  A child that is preschool aged – (3 or 4 year old) – is used to being surrounded by loving people constantly.  When you enroll them in a school  program, this may be the rist time that they are spending a large portion of their day away from those loving individuals.
2. Seek out a learning center that has a teaching staff that is engaged with their students and communicates with the parents.  It’s best to speak with a prospective teacher about their classroom – listen to their expectations from a student. In addition, ask them about how they deal with a student’s strengths and weaknesses. You want a teacher who can communicate with you, is willing to share insight even before they have your child as a student, and takes great pride in his or her students’ progress and is consistently open to their improvement
3. Surroundings Should Be Filled With WORDS!  Your child should be surrounded with words, especially in the early years. You want to look for books in the classroom and be sure the teachers use books on a regular basis with the students. You also want to ensure the teacher sets aside lots of time for reading, reading instruction and storytelling. In the preschool and kindergarten years, be sure the teacher is providing the building blocks for learning to read.
4. Math Cannot Be an Afterthought. No matter the age,  your child should be exposed to math concepts.  A certain kind of math ability seems to be innate in all of us and has been measured days after birth.  Which means, in your child’s preschool class you should hear teachers discussing basic math concepts with students. Things like greater than, less than, bigger, smaller and reinforcing the number concept (“How much is three?”). As a parent you can follow up on these things at home by doing something as simple as counting the number of Cheerios in the morning. Don’t like math or convinced you are bad at it? Don’t tell your kids. Be on the lookout for a teacher who expresses a great deal of enthusiasm about math,  because the last thing you want is a teacher who is scare of math!
5. Ring The Bell For Recess.  We all understand the importance of exercise and the need for movement in a child’s school day.  Studies have shown recess also increases cognitive functioning.  Every child needs downtime — a break from the rigor. Twenty minutes a day, at least. This holds true for the teacher as well –  they need breaks too.
6. Teachers Matter — Even More than You Think.   While not even a superteacher can entirely alleviate the effects of poverty on students, excellent teachers not only teach more, but they can even accelerate the rate of learning among their students. And great schools grow great teachers. Look for schools that provide teachers with mentors, instruction and discussion of best practices.
7. Don’t Choose A School Based On The Name.  A well-known name of a school does not  guarantee quality. Just the word charter or private does not mean the school is a success. Do your homework. Pick the school that fits your child the best!