School Specialist

Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Imagination plays an important role not just in your children’s learning, but also their success in life.

Imagination helps children solve problems by helping them think through outcomes to various situations and role playing ways to solve or cope with difficult or new circumstances. Imagination allows children to practice real life skills, from shopping at a pretend grocery store, or having a tea party with dolls or puppets. Imagination also encourages a rich vocabulary.

Think back…

As a child, do you remember using pillows, blankets, boxes and chairs to set the stage for an afternoon of creative fun? Well, here are some new products that will encourage your children’s imagination.

Whether building a fort, managing a store, having a pet show or developing a circus, the Yoodo and Spaceframe Builders Kits can help encourage your child to explore the world on their own level. These products gives children a chance to pretend what they might want to be when they grow up. The Yoodo and Spaceframe Builders Kits also encourage cooperation among children, and helps them develop leadership skills as they gain confidence in their performance.

One great way to improve creativity is to have your children read, and then let the children set a stage and act out what they have read.

Pretend play helps children learn and better understand how these skills are used in todays world. There are many ways to encourage creativity in children, so making use of these methods will encourage educational learning, and help children become more creative and curious adults.

Imagination helps children grow up to be creative thinkers as adults. And adults who were imaginative children often become problem-solvers, innovators and those outside-the-box thinkers that lead industries.f

However, children grow up all to fast… Give them time to be, and remember being, children.

From music lessons and computer skills to baseball and soccer practice, there is no shortage of skills for children to learn. While all these things are good for children, they can stifle the kind of play that is essential for developing an amazing gift of childhood: imagination

The Yoodo and Space Frame Kits are two great products that will encourage the development of your children’s imagination. Plus, they are convenient and easily stored. For teachers, they are a great activity for indoor recess time.

Tomorrows Classroom encourages you to buy educational learning toys and games for babies, toddlers and school children.

Just Google “Reading Levels”!

If you take a few minutes and browse through the list of age-appropriate and guided-leveled books, I’m sure you will find just the right one to hold your child’s interest, as well as involve them in the joy of reading.

Because grade level divisions vary in so many different ways, it is important to consider what is appropriate for the reader. Children are exposed to many different experiences and you should focus on what is developmentally appropriate for your child, rather than what others think is above or below a child’s grade level.

Leveled reading removes the “one size fits all” approach to reading, and gives each child the opportunity to develop essential skills at his own pace.

Leveled reading book lists have been developed for two reasons.

• For parents, who have requested help in finding books in their child’s reading level.
• For teachers, who have requested a leveled book list or have asked for help in building a leveled reading library in their classrooms.

How wonderful that these list exist! There is a book on virtually every topic, so find out what interests your child, and then make your selection - maybe even together.

One way to find the reading level of a children’s paperback book is to turn it over. Many books include the reading level in various forms. However, publisher designations can be confusing, particularly when you pick up one copy of a book and it is designated as 0812 in a bookstore. Then, you pick up another version of the very same book and see it designated as 0712.

(Note: Reading levels are generally only printed on the paperback versions of books.)

The most fundamental aspect of teaching guided reading is that the children should have plenty of help.

• Encourage working in groups.
• Encourage reading out loud, as well as silent reading.
• Consistently test comprehension and retention. (At home, you might do this with your child by talking about the story later in the day, and asking each other questions.)
• Better yet, spend an afternoon with your child at the local library. Introducing new topics broadens your child’s small world. Plus, paying attention to your child’s interest level is a good way to get to know your child even better!

If you are looking for other innovative products to give your child an extra edge in school, visit Tomorrow’s Classroom. Here you will find the Royal Inspiration Station, as well as other Reading and Writing Centers.

Tomorrow’s Classroom also promotes the Carpets For Kids learning rugs, which can help your children learn. With these colorful classroom rugs, you can transform an ordinary bedroom, classroom or play area into an educational haven. What a unique place for them to enjoy reading!

OFFI offers furniture as unique as yourself, your home and your child. The company creates simple, beautiful and practical furnishings that address the modern urban lifestyle. Their design vision is clearly high tech - clean and modern.

OFFI has about 16 designers/teams on its roster and a select group that routinely creates products for the youth line.

OFFI’s EVA foam collection is sturdy and durable. Each piece can support about 300 pounds, yet it is easily washable, soft and light weight. This makes it easy for the child to move the pieces around in their bedroom or playroom.

Their vision for the home office is clean and modern. Moving into other areas of the home OFFI kept the same ideas. Now offering work surfaces, lounge seating, storage solutions, organization accessories and even a “Kids Collection” they are committed to delivering great design by continually creating the most innovative furniture for the modern urban life style.

OFFI products can be found at the best retailers throughout North America, Europe and Japan.

So… let your child’s room express their special personality, a room to have fun in and a room they will always remember as they grow up. Display your personality in the other areas of your home, using the OFFI products that match and demonstrate your uniquness.

I stumbled upon this message in one of my newsletters today and thought it might be of interest to all of you parents and teachers out there…

Good luck!

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Here’s a great project for videographers, schools, nonprofits or other groups.

Help end cyberbullying–kids who harass each other online–by creating a public service announcement on the issue. Sony Creative Software, the National Crime Prevention Council and the Ad Council want entries from independent producers and schools (K-12). The top submissions may be eligible for national broadcast, and their producer or sponsoring school will receive a complete multimedia editing suite valued at over $18,000.

All entries must be received by January 11, 2008 to be eligible.

Read more about this project…

I was surprised yesterday when I saw that my son, now 28 years old, was still using the school backpack I purchased for him in high school. It is an L.L. Bean backpack.

When I first purchased his school backpack, it had a flaw (can’t remember now what it was) - and yes, they did honor the lifetime warranty. He has continued to use this school backpack for a good ten years. Today, he uses it for a quick overnight bag.

Over the years, I had bought many cheaper school backpacks when my children were in school. And although this school backpack cost more than many of the discount ones, it ended up being a great bargain after you consider how long it’s been used, as well as the extra features it had.

I only suggest you involve your child in selecting the color and features of their new L.L. Bean school backpack, because it will be part of their school equipment for a long time. And while, I’m sure there are equally well-made school backpacks out there, my personal experience was with the L.L. Bean school backpack - and I was not disappointed.

While surfing on the web, I came across this web site which I found interesting:

Children and Nutrition by the American Heart Association.

This site will help you keep your child healthy and happy. Take some time to find out how you can help teach your child to make healthy life choices.

If you’re looking for cafeteria tables for your school, you may want to consider Biofit’s lines of school cafeteria tables. (BioFit Engineered Products is an industry-leading manufacturer of ergonomic seating, tables, and stools for office, industrial, education, health care and high tech environments.)

Visit Tomorrow’s Classroom if you’re interested in purchasing Biofit’s Cafeteria Tables. They offer discount pricing and volume pricing. (To save 5% on your order, use promo code: SchoolSPBio.)

Biofit 10 Seat Oval Cafeteria Tables

This is just one of the cafeteria tables made by Biofit. I’ll review the others soon, but this table impressed me, so I thought I would tell you about it first. Most cafeteria tables only seat 8 people. Biofit’s seat 10, which means that instead of buying 63 tables to seat 500 people, you only have to buy 50. That cost savings alone is a huge reason to consider Biofit’s tables. But you actually can fit more students in the same amount of space with these cafeteria tables.

Plus, they have many other great features which makes them a good choice for any school.

• The cafeteria tables are one of the largest available. They measure 6 feet in diameter and spacious enough for 10 cafeteria trays. Most cafeteria tables are only 5 feet in diameter, although some brands like Midwest Folding, Virco and AmTab do offer the larger size. The Biofit cafeteria tables come in 3 heights, too: 27-inch, 29-inch and 32-inch, so it is well-suited to any grade level.
• The tables are made so that one person can easily fold and move them, too. It has a system of 4 torsion bars and a recessed vertical hinge, so that you don’t pinch your fingers.
• Another thing that impressed me about these cafeteria tables was the attention Biofit gave to food safety. The seats don’t table any holes or fasteners. And it has a tight, durable Armor Edge, so there are no cracks or seams. This prevents the collection of food and bacteria - and makes cleaning a breeze.
• Storage is also a concern for most schools. Biofit’s 10-seat round oval cafeteria tables are folding, so you easily store them. In fact, you can store 40 of these tables (seating capacity = 400) in a 50 foot by 24 foot, 6-inch floor space. KI, Midwest or SICO cafeteria tables take more space. You can store 45 of them in a smaller space (50 foot by 20 feet), but you only have seating for 360. With just an extra 4 feet, you’re getting an additional 40 seats. (Biofit’s cafeteria tables take up 40-inches by 98-inches of floor per table. The others average 40-inches by 80-inches.)
• The seats are ergonomic and come in several different colors, ranging from black, red, blue and green to oak and several speckled versions. They’re made from a durable ABS plastic. The frames are available in chrome or powdercoated (gray, black or putty).
• The tables come with a 12-year warranty, a 14-gauge steel frame, neoprene casters (so you don’t mar the floor). Wheelchair accessible version is available - and you’ll still be able to seat 9 people (8 people, plus one person who uses a wheelchair).

According to SmartStartBaby.com, Baby Einstein Products provide fun and stimulating ways for parents and caregivers to interact and enrich their children’s lives. The Baby Einstein Company has won several awards in the infant developmental media category for their creation of Baby Einstein children’s educational videos. DVDs and audio CDs specifically designed for babies and toddlers. The baby Einstein VHS videos and DVDs , discovery flash cards, books and audio CDs help your little ones to discover the world around them through the use of real world objects, music, art, language, science, poetry, and nature. They also carry  the best-selling Baby Einstein puppets and musical infant toys. Baby Einstein was born to fill the the void in developmental toys for infants and toddlers. Babies are naturally curious, They are fascinated by the sights and sounds from the world around them. During a baby’s early years, each moment of every day is another opportunity for interaction and discovery. This simple principle is the foundation for the Baby Einstein Company and its products.

A lifetime thirst for knowledge begins with your baby’s first cry. As a nurse in a Special Care Nursery, I am amazed at how newborns and older children react and are fascinated by the Baby Einstein Videos. In our nursery we are able to show the videos on a small mobile TV/VCR/DVD player. One can only imagine the effect a HD-Big Screen would have on the little people. The scenes are slow moving, holding their interest, the colors are vibrant, and the music is cheerful and calming. What a great, convenient and inexpensive way to interact and teach the little people.