“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.”   BB King

 

 

Grandparents’ stories

This past weekend, my father won a prestigious award from Cornell University. As I listened to his acceptance speech which covered a range of topics including him meeting First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt as well as his experiences in World War II, one thought hit me. Many times, we find ourselves trying to connect with our kids in a way that is also educational. We look outwards towards things like museums. But sometimes, all it takes is a visit to your kids’ grandparents.

Recently, my oldest nephew had been applying to film schools. One of the applications asked him to provide a synopsis of a film he would like to make. My first guess was that he would write a story somehow dealing with skiing, which is his main passion. But to my surprise, he wrote a narrative story that involved a lot of what his grandfather went through at the beginning of the war.

So, the next time you are looking for something to do, why not take a trip to the grandparents’ house? I imagine they would be thrilled to see their grandkids too.

 

 

What’s New at Funderstanding

Are you one of the 1,000 people selected for a one-way mission to Mars?

If you are, you’d better see how you are doing on the moon first! Our survival hike game will help you with that. Will you be able to pick the 3 essential items to hike to Gassendi LEX? Be aware that you cannot bring Maurice On The Moon – it would be too easy!

Ask Funderstanding

A question via Email: This winter, the schools have been closed a lot due to snowstorms. What kind of fun learning can you do in the snow? I don’t want them to sit in front of the tv all day.

Eric Cohen: Dear Reader, Yes, there are a series of things I’d recommend for your son to do given the weather. Here are a few:

1. collect snow samples from different sections of the yard, and compare their melting points. Does it vary?

2. compress snow until it turns to ice. Now see how long it takes for the ice to melt vs. a similar amount of snow.

3. compare the height of snow in your yard in different areas. What do you think causes the variance?

Do those ideas make sense for your child? Hope not – just kidding! Want a better idea?

Play!

Yep, the best learning activity for a wonderful snowy day is to play. Sled. Make a snowman. Bonus points for shoveling.

A snow day is a great opportunity to disengage. That provides an opportunity to reengage.

“The richest, happiest, and most productive lives are characterized by the ability to fully engage in the challenge at hand, but also to disengage periodically and seek renewal”–Loehr and Schwarz, The Power of Full Engagement

This includes you too. Get out there and have some fun!

Ask us your question on Facebook or Twitter or by commenting this post!

Technology in Learning

Pardon me while I throw this back at all of our readers. Without question, we love that people are following us. We hope that we have been good about providing valuable information to you. Like you, we have our favorite sites that we follow. But sometimes, that can be a crutch. We want someone to tell us what’s good for us and things we should know.

Let’s try something different.  If you don’t know the answer already, ask your kids these questions.

– What computer/video game do they love playing and why? 

Comment on this post, post your answers on our Facebook or Twitter pages or email us and we’ll look at each answer. Who knows, maybe we can crowdsource our own answers on how to create learning scenarios that revolve around what our kids already love. If you see someone post something, feel free to add your own thoughts. We think we can come up with learning scenarios for almost anything.

G Whiz Moment

Sometimes the best way to listen is to monitor the way that we talk. More specifically, the more certain we seem to be, the less likely others will feel listened to. Here’s a tip. When stating your opinion use the phrase “in my opinion.” For additional oomph, when you use that phrase, mean it!

From Geoffrey Caine, author of The Listening to Life Series.

Funderstanding Authors

Do you have a book that needs attention and better marketing? Do you have a book that needs to be converted into a digital format? We can help. Please contact us.

Below are some of our latest publications-just another way we deliver great content.

Maurice on the Moon by Daniel Barth, is a fun, sci-fi fantasy book for 5th-9th graders. Best of all, it fits into the structure of the new Common Core standards and is currently being used in U.S. classrooms.

9 Skills for Listening to Life by Geoffrey Caine, helps you to learn the art and skill of great listening, which is critical for not only improving personal and business relationships, but also for increasing everyday efficiency and effectiveness.

The Inspiring Teacher by Bob Sullo, is for every teacher and parent committed to making a difference and positively impacting the lives of their students and children.

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