UT Literacy Camp

Leprechaun Finger Puppet

East Nashville Hope Exchange

enhopeexchange.org

eastnhe@gmail.com

East Nashville Hope Exchange (ENHE) operates a six-week summer program designed to improve literacy and leadership skills of children grades 1 through 3 and to strengthen caregiver and community involvement in the children’s education.  During the school year, Hope Exchange provides continued support to families through Family Workshops and Home Visits.  Priority is given to struggling readers attending public schools in the East Nashville area and who qualify for free or reduced lunch.

2014 program dates:  June 16-July 25

Registration fee:  $30 (can be waived if parents attend School Year Family Workshops)

Tuition:  Free

ENHE is housed at the St. Ann's Episcopal Church, 419 Woodland St., Nashville TN 37206 - (615) 254-3534

Key to Middle School Success? Get Organized!

Middle school can be a tough transition for many students.  They go from having a single teacher facilitating their learning experience, to having multiple classes, lockers, binders, and even more homework! For some kids, this challenge can be overwhelming and it may negatively impact their grades and/or self-esteem.

One important skill for developing adolescents is ORGANIZATION! The ability to organize takes practice and, as a mentor or parent, you can empower your student to build his or her organizational skills.

Here are some tips!

1)      Encouragement! While this may sound silly, encouragement can help a child focus on organization, which can be the greatest barrier to overcome!

2)      Prioritize! Talk to the child about “breaking the load down.” Stress and anxiety creep up when work becomes ambiguous and too many details overwhelm the bigger picture. Learning how to categorize tasks into lists that show the level of priority and keep the work load feeling manageable is key! Start the conversation and allow them to lead the process if they can.

3)      Set up a system! Whether you organize a binder together, color code folders, or just have a checklist; create a system that you and the child can use to hold him or her accountable for being organized. It is important to let the student be actively involved in the process because he or she will be more willing to follow their own rules.

4)      Do organizational activities together!  Games and activities can be a fun way to begin the learning process. Below are some links to fun organizational games and activities. Remember to do them together if you can!

a.      http://www.ehow.com/list_6524726_games-organizational-skills.html

b.      http://www.ehow.com/list_6893544_organization-games-kids.html

c.       http://www.ehow.com/list_6464006_activities-organizational-skills.html

d.      http://www.ehow.com/info_7813109_ideas-calendar-activities-middle-grades.html

e.       http://www.ehow.com/info_7983587_organizational-skills-middle-school-students.html

5)      Lead by example. Show your child your planner or organizational system and any appropriate tools you use to keep organized to give him or her ideas. Tell the child why your way works for you and encourage him or her to discover an individual style or plan.  

6)      Remember that organization is a journey, not a destination! Perfection is unrealistic and can prevent children from wanting to build the skill. Focus on practicing, not perfecting!

7)      Have fun! Developing these monumental skills can be a great vehicle to spend quality time with your child.

Ali and Rian

Simon Says... fun and silly commands!

Simon says:

"Everybody have a seat in the middle of the floor! We are about to play Simon Says!.... Okay... everyone knows the rules, right? Nobody does anything unless Simon (that’s me) says so, and if Simon says you must do it! If you are called out you must leave the floor. Are we all clear on that? You sure? Okay! We'll start now.

Everybody stand up so we can get going! .... (to everyone who stands up) YOU'RE OUT! Okay, okay, just kidding, that was a warm up. Simon says stand up so we can get started.

Simon says to Swing your arms.

Simon says to Pat your head (Don't Stop!)

Stop. (if they stop, they’re out)

Simon says to Turn around once

Hmmm, that wasn’t very good. Everybody try that again. (if they do, they’re out)

Simon says to giggle

Educational sites for students

This website has a good number of links to helpful educational websites for students. http://www.yllc.org/students/