Cougar News

Springtime brings warmer weather, blue skies, and the itch to get outside and play! According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 20 percent of our nation’s youth are overweight, which means that being physically active is more important than ever. Outdoor activities don’t have to be expensive. Here are some great ways to get your kids (and you!) active and on-the-move.

• Walk to school or work. If you live close enough, save on the gas, and walk or ride your bike to school, work, errands, wherever! Just don’t forget the helmet if you bike.
• Visit the park. No matter your children’s ages, there is always something to do at the park. Play on the playground, roll around on the grass, or start a pick-up game of kickball or basketball.
• Walk the dog. The canines in your life are anxious to get moving in the nice weather too!
• Play a game. Check out this Kid Power website. It has a long list of indoor or outdoor activities to get your family on the move. Try some of these takes on your favorite games.
• Play inside. For those wet spring days, find an indoor play area. Indoor rock climbing or trampoline facilities are popping up everywhere. Find one close to you.
• Make a craft. Even if your family doesn’t participate in a physical activity, enjoy some great family time and create a springtime craft. The Highlights website has a list of great ideas.

Most of all, enjoy your family and get active this spring!

Though many schools promote programs devoted to accelerate reading levels and bump up test scores, don’t let your child’s math skills slip! Parents can help students apply math facts, regardless of the task at hand! Here are some things you can do every day at home to help your child flex his/her math muscle.

• Ask your child how long she thinks it takes to brush her teeth—in both minutes and seconds—then, time her. Not only will she learn the relationship between minutes and seconds, but she will reap the dental health benefits too.
• Count and sort things around the house. Be creative! Catalog DVDs by genre. Organize shoes by type. Sort clothes by season or according to whom each item belongs. The possibilities are endless!
• Practice skip-counting when walking to the car or while grocery shopping. Skip-counting is counting by 2s, 5s, 10s, etc. Young children love it. They can even skip-count the peas on their plates at dinner. It may even make it more fun for them to eat those pesky vegetables.
• Present your child with simple mathematical challenges. As he helps set the dinner table ask him how many more forks you need if you already have four, and there are six people eating. Making the situation as natural as possible allows children to see that we use math facts in the course of everyday life.
• When all else fails, online games can add an element of fun to your child’s studies. Primary Games, FunBrain, and Math Playground are great educational resources.

Overall it is important not to overdo it. Provide opportunities to practice math facts as they come naturally. Children often resist persistent drilling of flash cards; however, with clever tact, you can provide the supplemental practice your child needs to make his/her math grades soar!