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2 4 - The Oakville Beaver, W e d n e sd a y F e b ru a ry 8, 2006 Create the right homework Prepare preschoolers to read environment in six easy steps (NC)--According to a survey, half of Canadian children are doing their homework in noisy environ ments. The survey, conducted by Ipsos-Reid for Kumon Math and Reading Centres, found that in 50 per cent of house holds, people are talking, the radio or television is on, or pets are making noise while children are trying to do their homework. Dr. Donna McGhieRichmond, Educational Specialist with Kumon offers these tips for creating an optimal learning envi ronment at home that even busy parents can follow: won't get into the routine. 3. Help your child focus by provid ing a well-lit work area. 4. Eliminate visual distractions such as clutter in the workspace. 5. Turn off the TV and radio to elim inate as much noise as possible so your child can concentrate. 6. Provide the necessary tools paper, pencils, sharpeners, coloured markers and a dictionary - so your child's homework time won't be inter rupted by having to search for supplies. Dr. McGhie-Richmond says there's no reason why children cannot do their homework in the kitchen. But, because it's often the hub of the house, activity and distractions should be eliminated as much as possible to provide an environment that's con ducive to doing homework. - News Canada (NC)-- "All the research continues to tell parents to get their children reading early, if they want them to start enjoying the learning process." That's the message of education expert Dr. Nick Whitehead of Oxford Learning. "Reading is an appealing entree into the world of learning when it's intro duced in a fun and rewarding manner at an early age."^ He offers six proven ways to get three to six-year-olds ready to read: · Make time every day to read to your child. It doesn't have to be the same time. Read whenever, wherever and whatever you can. Seize the moment! · Start with short stores with won derful photographs or illustrations. Make sure your child is interested in the book before you take the book home from the library or bookstore. Make him/her your partner in discov ering the books you'll enjoy together. · Move up to longer stories once your child can sit through them. Don't expect miracles and remember to take breaks to stop and discuss the story. Forcing your child to sit quietly and pay attention will only take the magic out of process. · Read the same books and/or sto ries over and over again. Often, the more repetitions, the more loved the S ix steps to success: 1. Encourage good study habits from an early age. 2. Establish a regular time for homework. If there is no expectation that chil dren do their homework at a certain time each day, they H alton L e a r n in g F o u n d a t io n b e r t in A nn u al G eneral M eetin g o f the NOW BOOKING W inter & Spiring Lessons M arch B reak & S um m er Cam ps S tables · Weekday Lessons 4/$107 or $35/Lesson · Saturday at Farm 10am-3pm $40 (Children 5-12 yrs.) H alton L earn in g F ou n d ation Monday, February 20, 2006 · 5:00 p.m. Georgetown Room Bay Area Learning Centre 860 Harrington Court, Burlington Ontario Further Information Call 905-3 3 3 -3 4 9 9 ext. 123 (905) 827-4678 www.bertinstables.com story becomes. Children aren't bored by a good story. They love hearing it again and again. In fact, it can be much more fun the tenth time. · Turn books and stories into plays. Create a princess crown for your child to wear. You be a prince or the evil queen. Get on your hands and knees and act out the book. Giggle, laugh, fall over and have fun! · Begin to teach your child the sounds that letters and groups of let ters make (phonics). Kids who love sto ries will easily learn the code of the lan guage and become accomplished and life-long readers. Reading counts (NAPSI)-If you want your child to be a good reader, pick up a book. Researchers say children whose parents read to them 20 minutes or more a day pre-school years have substanhigher literacy skills when they enter kindergarten compared to those arents didn't read to them, time with your child may be only the first step, however. The way you read could be important as well. "We now know that parents should read with their kids, not just to them," says Sue Ritchie, editorial direc tor of Family Education Network (FEN), which offers online learning-based con tent for teachers, parents, home-schoolers and students. That means the more the experience resembles an interactive conversationwith back-and-forth questions and answers about the book from all involved-the more a child will get out of it. One statistic consistently stressed by education experts like FEN, an arm of the world's leading education publish ing company Pearson Education, is this sobering one: Only two percent of a child's entire life will have been spent learning to read. And yet, as numerous studies have shown, mastering the skill is highly pre dictive of who will succeed in life. That's why parents would be wise to follow even such simple suggestions as show ing how much pleasure they get out of reading books, taking frequent library visits with their kids, and generally encouraging them to read almost any thing around-from cereal boxes to road signs to movie listings-whether they're at home, in the car, or even the bath room. For more information, visit www.familyeducation.com. 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