Learning with Kumon

Have you ever tried to teach a family member a skill, only to realize you would be doing both of you a favour if you got someone else to do the teaching?

For the past three years we have been encouraging my daughter to swim unassisted. Up until 6 months ago, she still wasn't putting her face in the water and she refused to let go of us. She did the same level of swimming FIVE times. Then we took a vacation to Florida with my parents and brother's family, where our house rental had a pool in the backyard. One day my brother said to my daughter "hey, I know you can swim. I think you should take your floaties off." Within 30 minutes of back-and-forth discussion, my daughter had taken her floaties off and was swimming short distances unassisted. Soon my brother was throwing new challenges at her, and by the end of the afternoon, she was doing cannonballs off the edge, and swimming from one end of the pool to the other (I believe there was also the promise of ice cream, but I'll take it, bribe or no bribe.)

The lesson? Sometimes it's hard to teach our children new things! Clearly my brother had a better method - we were telling my daughter to swim, but we weren't giving her measurable goals that she could complete. So "swimming" just seemed insurmountable. 

I'm sure many parents have experienced the same thing when trying to teach their children school subjects. We spend hours with our children encouraging math and reading skills, only to find ourselves going in circles (and our children finding themselves in tears!)

It's often another (objective) person who can be successful in teaching our children what they need to know. And that is what the folks at Kumon can do!

Kumon is the world's largest school reading program for kids. You may have seen their locations scattered around the city and wondered what they were all about. It's not tutoring necessarily, but a specific method that uses small steps to help your child reach the next level. The program was developed in the 1950s in Japan - looking for a way to encourage his son's love of learning, Toru Kumon gave Takeshi short, incremental assignments to complete, allowing his son to master each concept completely before learning a new skill. The method was so successful that by sixth grade, Takeshi was solving calculus problems.

Although your goal may not be to create a child math prodigy, many of us have children that are struggling with math and reading skills, and at-home tutoring by parents is just not cutting it.

What is involved?

Your child will attend a local Kumon centre twice a week for 30 minutes. For the other 5 days of the week, your child is working independently at home. Children are even taught to self-correct their worksheets, which means little involvement from parents (bonus if you have had the experience of your kid throwing his book at you and stomping to his room in tears.)

There are 'tests' when a child is ready to complete a certain level and move on to the next level. There may also be occasional meetings with the Kumon advisor to discuss your child's progress. 

As incentive, children are given "Kumon dollars" which they can save and spend on small prizes.

When do kids attend?

Kumon is open year-round, but summer is a great time to get started. Kids have some extra time to devote to their studies, without the pressure of school and extra-curriculars. As well, a summer program may give your child the extra boost they need to be reading at their skill level by the time the school year begins.

Where can I find out more?

Start by visiting the Kumon website, and you can also check out this great blog post by Montreal blogger Montreal Mom, who tested the program with her nine year-old daughter.

Just like the method my brother used with my daughter to teach her how to swim, I'm convinced that Kumon has the same idea - baby steps, so that children's confidence improves and they find themselves having FUN while learning.

Have you tried Kumon with your child?

Disclaimer: this is a sponsored post from Kumon International. All opinions are our own.

Pedalling away

I first heard about Pedalheads last year and thought it sounded like a great idea for parents (like me) who are a bit nervous about taking the training wheels off. After hearing more great reviews from friends, I signed the kid up for a week of half days. She was very excited to get out on her bike with the other kids. 

When I dropped her off, with training wheels, on her first day I was immediately impressed with the two instructors. They were greeted her and made her feel welcome, as well as explaining a few things to me. 

When I picked her up that first day she told me that on the second day she was going to take her training wheels off. 

We knew that her bike was a bit small for her, and I sought advice from the instructors on whether she needed a new one and what size it would be. They were very helpful and we dropped her off on Tuesday with a bigger bike, no training wheels, ready to go. And go she did. 

With their encouragement she was able to ride by herself by the end of the second day, and then she spent the next three days working on stopping and starting. 

They also spend time playing games and learning about road safety. One day they built a bike rack and another day they built a bike wash, which they then got to ride through. There was much giggling. 

Before the end of the first week I had already signed her up for a second and soon she'll be road ready. 

I really can't express how impressed I am with the way the camp is run. My husband and I watched from a parking spot one day before and saw how excited the instructors get for every success a child has. They seemed almost as thrilled and my daughter was and there were many high fives thrown. 

We were at the Kanata camp, but there are camps across Ottawa and some still have space for this summer! 

Quick and Easy Guide to a Veggie Garden

Gardening can sometimes seem daunting, and just a teeny bit terrifying.

I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be that way! We make it more complicated than it has to be. If you have a little patch of dirt that you've been eyeing, then now is the time to sow your seeds (or plants!) and get started!

I'd like to share some answers to commonly asked questions we get about our vegetable gardens. Yes, our gardens are quite large, and we grow a lot of stuff. But you don't HAVE to start out big, and in fact, a small garden may be just what your family needs. And if you happen to catch the veggie gardening bug, well then I've done something good in this world after all.

Is it too late to start?

We live in Ottawa, land of the cold, so early June is definitely not too late! It's true that some plants do well in colder temperatures (fragile greens tend to wilt in the heat,) but many plants are happy to bask in the sunshine. We're still planting seeds now, and will be putting in our seedlings (baby plants) this weekend.

Where do I begin?

Start by thinking about the three things your plants need - soil, water and sunshine. First, assess the location of your patch. Is it in full sun all day, or partial shade? That will help determine which vegetables you should choose. If you are REALLY starting from the beginning (i.e. you want to dig up some grass to actually get to the dirt,) I would suggest this really cool method to save yourself back-breaking work of grass removal. This is also a great way to kill weeds if you don't feel like pulling them.

This next step isn't necessary, but you may want to consider getting a bit of compost to mix in with your soil. And remember to use your grass clippings, leaves and food scraps (no meat or fat) to feed your garden.

Finally, you'll need a source of water nearby (duh) Hopefully you have a hose, or are willing to lug some buckets when needed!

What should I buy?

You really don't need much. A nice pair of gardening gloves will save your hands, a good shovel and trowel. 

As for whether you should start from seed or buy the baby plants, that's totally up to you. If you're reading this now and have decided to start right away, you will probably want to head to a garden centre and get some seedlings. That said, I'm still throwing seeds around like nobody's business! 

We have sadly failed at growing seeds in our home...it's a tricky business, but I'm hoping some day we will get the hang of it!

What do I plant?

This is entirely up to you and your patch location! Most veggies do well in full sun. Start with some simple things - herbs, radishes, and kale are three that I find grow easily and seem pretty pest resistant. Cherry tomatoes are great for kids! A note that squash and zucchini will take over your garden because they are GIANT plants. Think about the vegetables your family likes to consume on a regular basis, and choose from that list. Remember, though, that some of the vegetables we buy are trucked in from much warmer climates and may not grow well here.

What if I kill my plants?

I promise, if you water and maybe do a little bit of weeding, most plants will be fine (but if you have rabbits, I do feel your pain - you may need to consider some chicken wire fencing.)

Gardening is fun and exciting, and part of that comes from never knowing what you're going to get! Will something fail miserably this year? Will you run into a pesky beetle that kills all your cucumbers? Will the one veggie you thought would not work suddenly win the race? Year after year we make notes of what worked and what didn't. A "green thumb" is something that you develop over time, but even experienced gardeners can't control the environment. So don't worry about killing anything, and just have fun with it! 

Finally, make sure to involve the kiddos. Probably too obvious to say, but kids LOVE gardening. Who doesn't like getting dirty, spraying hoses and pulling stuff out of the dirt? Also, veggie gardens are a sneaky way to get your kids to eat their vegetables. Ever since they could eat solids, my babies have been pulling stuff out of our gardens as snacks. They are now quite adventurous when it comes to trying new vegetables!

Do you have a veggie garden? What made you want to start growing your own food?

Celebrating Father's Day in Ottawa

Growing up, my Mum would always say “ask Dad” whenever we presented her with a challenging question. Dad was the bastion of knowledge and facts. He was also the dispenser of punishments, whilst Mum was the hugger, the advice giver. Perhaps because of their differing styles, they made excellent parents and I often try to emulate their example in my own parenting. I still ask Dad tricky questions from time to time, and I always go to Mum for emotional support and advice.

Although my husband and I try not to promote particular gender stereotypes, we do find that we parent our son in very different ways. My favourite activities to do with him are reading together, snuggling, chatting and going for walks. My husband’s top picks are taking him to the park, playing with cars, playing soccer and giving him a bath-complete with toy boats capsizing and lots of splashing!

And in that way Mothering and Fathering are very different schools of parenting, at least in our house.

Of course it’s quite sexist to suggest that all mothers are nurturing and all fathers are fun, but even if they are not traditionally different, parenting styles between the sexes do differ.
Something that brings me great joy is to spy covertly on my husband when he is playing with our son. I find their father/son interactions are so radically different from the way I play with him, and I am able to see my husband in an adorable role of doting father. Some things that they do together sans Mama, include:

•    Laying on the floor, playing cars, complete with engine noises
•    Gentle teasing- “Oh no-you don’t like going to the park, do you???”
•    Chasing-around and around the living room
•    Tickling and wrestling
•    Making up silly songs (many include the word bum)
•    Wearing empty toy boxes on their heads and calling each other “box heads”
•    Watching classic Transformers episodes

In all these ways and more, I appreciate the balance, enthusiasm and affection my husband brings to our child’s life and activities.

So this Father’s day I am going to let Dad sleep in, while I take our toddler to the basement and try and take a leaf from Daddy’s playbook, get on the floor, make car noises and wrestle until we can’t catch our breath.

And then later we’ll treat Dad, by doing one of these awesome Father’s day activities right here in Ottawa and the surrounding area:

Cumberland Heritage Village Museum

2940 Old Montreal Rd, Cumberland: Take a look at all the tools and trades. Participate in a carpentry activity, and watch blacksmith, woodworking, and sawmill demonstrations.

The Aviation Museum

11 Aviation Pkwy, Ottawa - Get an up close look at all types of planes and helicopters.

Billings Estate National Historic Site

2100 Cabot St, Ottawa - Father’s Day Antique Car Show, cars, BBQ, and live music.

Pinhey's Point Historic Site

270 Pinhey Point Rd, Dunrobin - Learn about traditional crafts such as blacksmithing, woodworking, and more. 

Fiona Tapp is a freelance writer, Educator and Mum to one. Check out her blog and portfolio, and find her on Facebook and Twitter.

The Journey of my Dancing Girl

Many of us can relate to being a competitive dance mom. It really doesn’t matter whether your child does dance, hockey, ringette, soccer or swimming. Once your child is competitive the obligation on us increases dramatically. There are extra classes, rehearsals, travel, hotels and let’s not even discuss expense! Do we complain? All the time. :)

But once I see my daughter up on stage dancing it’s all worth it. My daughter, Olivia, started dancing at three years old. So, for the past 8 years we have watched her blossom on the dance floor. Why do we do this? Is she going to be a prima ballerina? I really don’t think so! Is she going to have a career dancing? Who knows! What does she learn by dancing 20 hours a week? 

She learns that she has to say no. If she has an obligation to rehearse at the studio then maybe she can’t always attend a friend’s birthday party. Sometimes there are tough decisions.

She learns time management and has to get her school work done and tests studied for around her dance schedule. 

She knows how to do hair and makeup.  It’s amazing at 11 years old this girl can apply a full face of stage makeup including waterproof eyeliner.  She can do her hair in a beautiful bun better than I could ever do for her.

She’s not afraid to be in front of people. Where I see such a difference is in her presentation skills. On stage performing at competitions there is a lot of pressure on these dancers. It is a wonderful skill that transfers to life. At school she has no trouble presenting in front of a classroom. At events she can speak in front of a group of people.  Dance helps prepare her for her future.

Fitness - She is flexible, graceful and toned. She doesn’t always eat perfectly, but it’s all about balance. 

Friendships - Spending a lot of time with the same group of girls creates a special bond. It’s amazing that even when she is away from the dance studio she is still in contact with her dance friends!

Competition - She learns that sometimes you get marked well and sometimes you don’t. And that it is a few people’s opinions. As long as she has done her best I am happy with that. We listen to the judges tapes and use them as a guide to improve. 

We are blessed! We attended another dance school for many years then left to find a better fit. The original school gave Olivia many skills, nurtured her love of dance, and made many friends that she still has and for that I am grateful. 

This year is amazing.  With the direction of owner Miss Caroleen Harding (who just turned 20 years old by the way) we found where Olivia has blossomed. She is given opportunity, training and a lot of attention because the school was in its first year and small. It’s exciting to see a young lady who followed her passion for dance and open her own studio Creative Edge Dance Academy. Already there are amazing camps such as the Ultimate Dance camp where the dancers will talk about social media, nutrition and respect along with dance. 

I know at 11 years old my daughter hasn’t faced a lot of these issues yet, but I want help her if I can. 

If I think back to my days before children and I watched the other families spend tons of money on activities for their children. I swore I would never be one of those moms! Well, today I am admitting that I was wrong - I am totally wrapped up in the whole dance world and I love it!

Submitted by Connie.