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Creatures of Habit
by Melanie Skelton
A friend, whose daughter was learning to drive, had this daughter ask
her a question involving the mechanics of making a right hand turn. This
was an important question for the teenager to be asking. However, her
mother had to give this some thought.
Making a right hand turn, after years of doing it, as you know,
becomes a simple thing. It had been years since this mother actually
considered the details of making the right hand turn. She relies on
habit to accomplish this task, as I'm sure you and I do.
We are truly creatures of habit. There are many things we accomplish
each day because it is our habit to do so. It would be tiring to have to
make every decision every day, rather than just doing much of what needs
to be done…simply because it is habit. “Habit is a good servant but a
bad master,” according to Charlotte Mason.
...read more
Charlotte Mason also teaches that if children are left to their own nature, they
may be good and learn some things, however some children will tell fibs, others
will be incurably idle and the dawdling child will go right on dawdling. They
will do all right, but they have the makings to do much, much more.|
How do we instill positive habits in our children?
First, establish correct habits. For example, forming correct letters in
handwriting, starting with perfect strokes until the hand and mind will form
them perfectly without the effort of thought. This takes much vigilance. Mason
maintained that a minimum of 4-6 weeks would be necessary for the forming of
most habits firmly. There is a temptation to relax your vigilance after doing
well with a new habit for a time. It is important to watch carefully for these
slips, particularly in the 4-6 week range.
Second, correcting bad habits. One way to correct a bad habit is to replace it
with a good one. How do you change the habit of eating too many donuts? Eat an
apple instead. This can be done with thoughts as well. When you, or the child,
fall into a habit of complaining, whining, or discouragement - replace those
thoughts with positive thinking, gratitude, or praise. This reformed habit takes
at least as long to establish as a new one, most likely longer. For every time
you slip back into the old habit, you must begin anew.
Third, if the child has enough reasoning ability, you can ask for a conscious
effort, becoming co-patriots in the fight against the habit you both want to
change. Charlotte Mason uses an example of a child prone to black moods. In her
example mother tried to divert the child's attention to pleasant things when she
noticed the black mood descending. Although this worked for a time, she could
not keep this up for long enough to change the habit. The father, who was prone
to fits of temper himself, decided to reason with the child. They discussed the
feelings they had when the anger came up and the father sympathized with the
son. He asked the boy if he would like help to control this anger. The boy was
willing. The father created a fantasy figure, Mr. Cross-Man, who would chase the
boy and try to catch this seven year old. If the boy would run around the
courtyard three times, Mr. Cross-Man would not be able to catch him and would
give up. This caught the boy's imagination and he was very excited to win these
contests.
I am convinced that the creation and consistency of good habits, coupled with
the careful weeding out of poor ones, will improve our home schools and ease our
task as parents. The benefits to our children will last a lifetime.
Melanie Skelton has educated her six children at home for eight years.
She is the co-founder of Utah Families Teaching at Home and assists in
teaching workshops to empower and help home educators. She is the web
designer for the website, found at http:
http://www.utahfamilies.net/ and is in the process of
co-authoring a book about home education. This book will help home
educators better understand learning styles, personality styles and levels of
learning. It will teach the reader how to apply this information to
their home school and plan out a curriculum that will meet the needs of their
children.
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Tools to Raise Bilingual Children
by Beth Butler
You want your child to be prepared for this very global economy, yet
struggle with the best way to bring a new language into your home and
your daily routine. Read on to gather tips on how best to introduce a
new language to your child.
You are not bilingual. You skipped high school Spanish class one too
many times! Now you have your own children whom you realize need to
speak more than just English, but you have no clue where to start. Based
on a book titled The Bilingual Edge by Dr. Kendall King and Dr. Alison
Mackey you are just fine to give your child a jump start on learning a
second language..
...read more
These two Doctors, who happen to be moms themselves, do a terrific job
dispelling all of those second language myths that have held many parents back
from just jumping right into a second language journey with their own family.
Both Dr. King and Dr. Mackey assure all parents that they do not have to be
bilingual in order to help their child acquire the skills to become bilingual.
First of all they suggest you not listen to all of those myths that people try
to share with you about introducing a second language to children under the age
of five. Be it your pediatrician who states that you best stick to only one
language at home unless you want a confused and language delayed child or your
mother-in-law who gasps when she hears your little darling recite a color word
in Spanish! Both mean well, but their mind set and pre-conceived notions are
based on nothing even close to scientific evidence.
In fact, the most recent research suggests that children who receive two
languages woven into their daily routine end up reading sooner than their
monolingual peers and perform better on the math and verbal sections of
standardized tests. Even the SAT, college entrance exam board, has stated that
students taking this exam perform better by many, many points if the student has
had the equivalent of four years of second language study.
Why not begin those four years of a new language for your young child today? As
the Doctors who authored the book The Bilingual Edge so wonderfully remind us,
we can do this even if we ourselves are monolingual. Read the book some day
soon, and arm yourself with the knowledge, belief and motivation that any adult
can give the gift of a second language to young children because interaction is
the key.
The second thing you must do is to interact with your child on this second
language journey. Whether it is listening to the new language together on a
music CD as you drive over to the mall or watching a few minutes of a DVD that
features the new language right alongside your native language or reading a book
to your child where some simple words in your new target language are sprinkled
into the text (with an easy to use pronunciation guide included). As all of us
realize, it is the quality of the interaction we have with our children that
will promote future success in learning.
Thirdly, as the adult bringing a new language into your daily routine with your
family, you should attempt to remain positive and upbeat as much as possible
during the language time you share together. Our adult brain is wired
differently than that of a child, and it can be frustrating at times when you
feel as if you do not even get it. You in turn begin to wonder and question how
you can even kid yourself into believing you can give this gift of a new
language to your child as you struggle with it yourself.
The truth be told, all your child wants from you is a smile, a sense of
confidence that this is fun and easy, and a true demonstration from you that you
respect and value the learning of another language. It may not be fun at times
for you, and you may feel very far from smiling, but your child is depending
upon you to introduce him to this new language. We have all witnessed the parent
who screams at their preschool aged child to speak in one language or another,
sometimes even refusing the request of the child until he speaks in the demanded
language. Do these parents truly feel their ranting and raging about the ability
of their child to perform in one language above another is going to help this
child become successful later in life? I think not!
Parents are always the first teacher a child ever has in her life. Then the
formal educator steps onto the scene, and what a wonderful gift this child now
has! Two teachers - one at home, one at school. Both teachers are able to
provide second language learning for young children. It is simply a matter of
believing first of all that you can do it, and then interact with that child in
a positive manner in order to make the learning relevant and meaningful.
You will find a variety of tools to bring whatever new language you choose to
introduce to your child into your daily routine. Mixing up the learning process
by exposing your child to variety of learning styles will increase his chances
of success. Mix in visual learning in the forms of DVDs and books with auditory
learning via upbeat and easy-to-follow bilingual music CDs along with some
puppets, musical instruments, and coloring and activity books that highlight
both native and new language. These language learning tools will combine to
create a language classroom right in your own home every day!
Beth Butler is the creator of the BOCA BETH Language Learning Series
for young children. Find out how fun and easy it can be to raise a bilingual
child. Sample the BOCA BETH bilingual music and movies for free at
http://www.bocabeth.com
Call toll free 1.877.825.2622 or 1.813.244.1432
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Free College At Your Fingertips
by
Jean Burk
Do you have $80,000 saved up for college? This price isn't even for a
high-end college but actually the cost of a mid-range private university
these days. Over fifty-percent of tuition is paid for by student loans;
forty percent through grants and less than ten percent comes from
scholarships. With colleges tightening their belts on school loans and
grants only given to families that fall into a certain income bracket,
parents are in desperate need to find college money. But take heart,
standardized tests can be your ticket to incredible
scholarships that could yield you free college.
...read more
The SAT and PSAT/NMSQT are tests that colleges use as a measuring point to
give scholarship money -the higher the scores, the bigger the scholarships.
Besides college entrance, some of the benefits could include full tuition, room
and board, honors dorms, graduate money and stipends to study abroad.
Students could earn $500 an hour for college by making these tests a priority.
By learning how to take the test and knowing how to find the recurring patterns,
hidden strategies and test-taking techniques, students can take this information
and use it to practice with. If they were to put in 150 hours on these tests and
they received a $75,000 scholarship-it is like making $500 an hour for college.
Instead of working hard at a low paying job, they could work smart by spending
their time mastering a test that could pay off big when it comes to paying for
college.
Don't wait until it is too late to realize the importance of these tests. By
learning the keys of the PSAT/NMSQT and SAT as early as ninth grade, (7th if
doing the DUKE TIP Letter) students will have time to spend practicing up to a
couple of hours a week learning to find the relationship between the patterns on
the test and identifying their weaknesses; this will make taking the test old
hat when it really counts. They can also avoid cramming at the last minute and
therefore lessening text anxiety.
The SAT is offered seven times a year and students can take it as many times as
they want. Colleges do not care how many times they take it, but usually just
want their highest scores. They don't average them and many colleges will take
the highest score from each section from different tests to give the student
their best score. It behooves students to keep taking the test until they
receive their desired score.
The PSAT/NMSQT is only offered once a year in October and students can only take
it three times: as a freshman, sophomore and a junior. (It only counts in the
eleventh grade.) As a junior, they can qualify for National Merit status if they
fall within a certain score. (Scores vary from year to year and depending in
what state they live in.) If students reach semi-finalist range, they will have
numerous colleges begging them to enroll in their school and they will gladly
pay their way. It is a bragging right for many schools to have these students
since they represent the top one percent of the nation.
There are also several myths about the SAT that need to be dispelled. Some of
them can actually cause a student's score to go down if they don't know the
truth. For example: The SAT tests a student's knowledge; The SAT should be taken
as a senior; The PSAT is only a practice SAT; Test questions are in order of
difficulty; Guess on the test if you don't know the answer; Only the
“advantaged” kids get the high scores; All test prep books are created equal;
The essay is graded by a computer; Perfect scores require perfect answers, etc.
Studies have proven that on average, a person with a college education makes
twice the salary of an individual with only a high school diploma. A college
education is a great way to help combat the current economic crisis that our
nation is facing. It affords students more options as they reach adulthood and
start their own journey out into the real world. In order to help ensure your
student a future of financial success, you will want to make sure they have the
opportunity to pursue a university degree.
Standardized tests are the gateway to college entrance as well as scholarships.
With some knowledge and preparation, the SAT and PSAT/NMSQT are tests that can
be figured out. The high scores can open up doors to numerous free college
offers coming in your mailbox. Regardless of your economic situation, your only
dilemma could be which college to choose from - not how are you going to pay for
college.
Jean Burk is the author of College Prep Genius and has written numerous
articles about the SAT and PSAT/NMSQT. She has been featured as an SAT expert on
Good Day Dallas (Fox 4) and KXAS (NBC 5 Today). She currently travels and speaks
about the importance of college preparation, how to get free college and teaches
her “Master the SAT” Prep Class all over Texas as well as other states. Both her
children received incredible scholarships because of their PSAT and SAT scores.
Her teaching DVD was released in the summer of 2008. The first edition of her
brand new VocabCafé Book Series, “The Summer of Saint Nick” is now out. These
books are intended to help teenagers and younger children increase their
knowledge of SAT-level vocabulary words.
Contact Jean at
jean@collegeprepgenius.com or 81-SAT-2-PREP
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Vision or Revision?
by Shelley Tzorfas
My child will pick up a magazine like “Sports Illustrated”, “Teen USA”
or even “People Magazine”. It is funny because as soon as I tell them
it's time to read a real book or a novel, they procrastinate or seem
reluctant no matter what I do. Is it because they like the pictures or
because I ask them to read?
Answer: This is more common than parents realize and is really not
funny. It is often due to a set of circumstances that few are aware of.
Most of the time the child has a “visual tracking” problem in which
the left eye and the right eye do not coordinate. Sometimes the eyes do
not converge properly. Magazines
are designed in narrow columns. This alleviates the problem because the
eyes can scan more easily.
...read more
Both children and adults can get a kind of double vision that they are not
aware of. Sometimes words can seem to move off the page or have a shadow image.
Because they have seen this way throughout their life, they do not how to
explain the problem.
How will you know that the eyes are not tracking together smoothly as one unit?
Answer: The child will lose their place at the end of sentences. He or She will
reread the sentence over again. Their comprehension will be weak. They will
complain that they get sleepy or get headaches. The most telling sign will be
the position they are in when reading, writing or doodling. You will often see
them hunched over with their left arm extended out on the desk (if they are a
right- handed) and their head leaning onto the crux of their arm. It looks like
he or she is not motivated and has poor posture. What they are doing in
actuality is compensating by burying their face, thereby blocking one eye while
reading out of the other eye. Parents may remember telling the child, “sit up
straight!”, “How can you read bent over?” Well folks, sitting up straight makes
matters worse if they have word double vision.
So what should you do??
You should contact a person who has a strong emphasis in vision training
therapy. The vision therapist will exercise the muscles of the eyes so that the
eyes can learn to work together as a team. The exercises can often be a lot of
fun. I call it a “gym” for the eyes. Toys, games, 3D glasses etc. are utilized
when done properly. The problem is that few eye doctors even test for eye
tracking. You would waste a lot of time and money asking the average eye doctor
who is not knowledgeable regarding this subject.
Learning experts and people who sell specific reading programs, are
often unaware. No one-size-fits-all-program can work if the child is seeing
double. In order to find someone in your area you might want to contact the
Optometric Center of New York affiliated with the S.U.N.Y. higher learning
institutions. They had a seven story building for just eye care in NYC. Tell
them where you live so that they can refer you to someone in your neighborhood.
Like most things, some eye doctors will claim that vision training is a lot of
nonsense, but I can say from personal experience many years ago that I could not
read a real book until I accidentally came upon this information. It was the
first time that I understood why things seemed smaller as I got further away.
Shockingly, the term for this is called perspective. Perspective requires both
eyes to see. So… if your kid is hunched over, or tilts their head, or you notice
that one eye seems to drift, and you are unsure of which eye to look at when you
are scolding them, then I have great news. Their reading is fixable in a few
months with the proper vision therapy. When I get a new client, it is one of the
first things I look for. When corrected, their learning abilities improve
dramatically, and it makes me look real good.
SHELLEY TZORFAS is the Founder of Specialized Tutoring/Learning Assessments, and has been tutoring students with ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia as well as undiagnosed kids for nearly twenty-five years.
Shelley views Dyslexia as a "processing of information problem, either in the visual, auditory or kinesthetic mode," and strives to educate the general public about learning disabilities.Like other dyslexics, Shelley has had varied, successful careers. These range from appearing on a PBS documentary, and exhibiting artwork in museums. She is currently writing a book on learning differences.
Shelley, nee Gelfman, is a single mother of two boys and lives in New Jersey. She is available for consultation and/or tutoring, and may be reached at her website at www.betterschoolresults.com . Her email is stzorfas@gmail.com , phone number is
(908) 735-9053.
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Making Memories
by Seth Prezant
Two city kids, a Jew and an Italian, go camping in the woods. It may
sound like the opening of a joke, but it was the beginning of new great
memory. I was eight years old when my father showed up in front of our
Oceanside, New York brownstone dragging what resembled a very large
grilled cheese in tow. The square object turned out to be a Colman
pop-up camper. It looked like a sandwich when closed and a tent on
wheels when opened. Hooked up to our canary-yellow Pacer and parked
along the street, it made for an awesome site. My father was a closet
woodsman. While other Jewish dads from New York planed trips to FLA, my
father was dreaming of a campout at the KOA. Being first time campers,
my mother thought it would be best to do a mock campout in our driveway.
I watched in utter amazement as my father turned the block on wheels
into the most spectacular tent. It had pull down beds, a sink, and a
table. "Hey Dad, where's the bathroom?" I asked. "In the woods," he said
with smile. That night Mom brought out dinner to the camper where dad
and I ate. We looked over books he checked out from the library about
animal tracks and then I fell asleep in the camper, under the Long
Island sky. In the middle of night I awoke and had to go to the
bathroom. Dad walked me in the house and he decided we broke in the
sandwich long enough. Dad tucked me into my own bed.
...read more
The following weekend our family was off to the woods for real. My best
friend Dennis Carletta was allowed to come with us on the trip. I was glad
because not only was he was my best friend, but his mom had packed enough
cannolis to last a month…just in case we got lost in the woods. We arrived at
the KOA around lunchtime. While Mom broke out the PB&J's, us boys popped up the
camper, and if that's all we did it would have been fine with us. "Dennis look,
a lake." We spent the afternoon looking for snakes, bugs, salamanders, and…
"Seth, hurry…and bring the net!" Dennis had come upon the largest bullfrog we
had ever seen. I can clearly remember holding it way above my head like a
trophy, feeling the massive weight while its meaty legs dangled underneath. Dad
took us down a trail. The grass stood above our heads and Dennis and I imagined
lions and tigers stalking us from the brush. To our surprise we spotted a fox
darting past the trail and scat that belong to either a big rabbit or small
deer. Yes, sir. We were far from the city and loving it! That day felt like it
lasted for weeks. We climbed trees, skimmed rocks, roasted marshmallow over a
camp fire we built, and ate baked beans from a can. The only trace of the city
we left behind was the residual crumbs of Italian cannolis right over our lips.
That night, after we retold stories of the lions we spotted, drank hot
chocolate, and told monster stories, we all fell asleep. It wasn't until hours
later when I heard the noise outside our camper. "Dad, I think there's a bear
outside," I whispered. "Well it's a good thing we're inside," my father said.
What my father didn't know was that I had to go to the bathroom. The bathroom
was "in the woods" we both recalled. My father grabbed a flashlight and I
closely followed him out of the Colman with my Swiss Army knife, blade opened on
one side and the fork opened on the other for good measure. My father didn't
show he was scared but he moved a bit slower and more cautious than usual in the
pitch-black night. As we turned toward the back of the camper two glowing eyes
attached to a furry body leaped out from behind a garbage can, causing my father
to jump back and scream "holy shit!" It was nothing more than a big raccoon that
was rummaging though the trash but when we got back to the camper we told things
differently.
My mother, little sister, and best friend Dennis listened wide-eyed as Dad and I
told them how we surprised a bear and chased it into the woods. Bull frogs,
salamanders, lions, tigers, bears, and hearing my father curse. We not only had
a great camping trip, we made great memories.
Seth Prezant is the founder and Bugmaster of
www.CoolBugStuff.com
His award winning web site was created to help promote fascination and education
in science using nature’s most abundant creatures…Bugs! Seth is a true EEE
(Education & Entertainment Entrepreneur) providing educational and entertaining
nature shows for schools, camps, aftercare programs and home school groups all
around South Florida. The Bugmaster can be reached @
seth@coolbugstuff.com
You can find many more easy parent/child projects to do together on Seth's
website
www.coolbugstuff.com.
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Kinesthetics & Gender
by Stephen Guffanti
"As (my son) grew older, sometimes he would set up a worktable to do
repair work on electronics as I read aloud. As he seemed to be
concentrating so hard on what he was doing, I would stop every so often
to ask him a question about the material I had been reading. He knew the
answer.
The next day, before continuing the book we were studying, I would ask
him what had been happening in the story when we stopped the day (or
two) before. He knew. (I couldn't recall as much as he could!)
If his hands were busy, his mind was free to listen and absorb what his
ears heard. Otherwise, his brain was too busy thinking of something for
his hands to do for him to be able to pay attention."
This pattern of children who move having better attention than when they
are stationary is a hallmark of the kinesthetic learner. For the
kinesthetic movement activates the thinking process and thinking
activates movement. They make great athletes and surgeons. But if their
teacher has a different learning style they often get diagnosed as ADHD....read more
How do you know your learning style and your child's? For simplicity lets use
the 3 learning styles: kinesthetic, auditory and visual. Kinesthetics learn
through movement and touch. If you live with a kinesthetic you will see a trail
of items touched and left behind throughout the house. Visuals like their world
neat and tidy. They start every project by cleaning up. Kinesthetics drive them
crazy. Auditory learn from hearing. They are great for lectures and discordant
noises really distract them. They can go to a movie once and repeat the dialogue
line for line.
My workshops are usually filled with visual moms with kinesthetic kids. I never
realized how much our movement irritated them until I started working with my
artist wife (high visual) on projects. When my movement starts to distract her
she tells me to get out of her visual field. (I pace behind her, but not near
the door where I might just keep walking.) If she can see that she won't need me
for a while, but doesn't want me to disappear, she has me sit on the bed. These
simple adaptations go a long way to a happy relationship.
By the way if you see these things happening in your home and you are not the
kinesthetic parent then your spouse is. The learning style trait is highly
genetic. So what works for your child will work for your spouse.
There is one other issue that is very important - your child's gender. Studies
show that until the age of 7 or 8 boys brains are developing targeting and
spatial thinking. All these things require movement no matter what their
learning style. During the same years the female brain is developing social
skills which makes them much more verbal.
In Boy's Adrift Leonard Sax, MD points out that younger boys get turned off to
school because to learn they must sit down. Fortunately, there is a homeschool
curriculum that allows children to learn to read while running around. So if you
are seeing this problem with your son coming home complaining school is dumb
consider pulling him out of school until he is 7 or teaching him at home. If by
seven it is clear he is still kinesthetic your choices are Montessori school or
homeschooling. Any other choice will simply teach the child that he is wrong for
being kinesthetic and no amount of drugs or behavioral therapy will help him.
I would like to leave you with one more parent testimonial.
"I listened to your talk and I was so impressed! The next day, when my
6-year-old son was standing in his chair looking at and feeling a clock face,
[what kind of learner is the son?] I thought, "Why not see if the doctor is
right?"
So instead of saying my usual "turn around, sit down, look at me, and listen,
"[what kind of learner is the mom?] I asked him the questions in his book, never
in a million years thinking that he was hearing me. Without even turning around,
he'd answer the question and continue touching the clock. When I would say, "Now
do (whatever action was next),” he'd get down, do the required action, climb
back up and look at the clock. We did his entire lesson (5-10 minutes) that way
and he never missed an answer. I couldn't believe it! We're doing a lot more
physical activity with his letters now and he's finally "getting it!" (Or maybe
I'm finally getting it.) Sincerely, J. G."
Sometimes all it takes to make homeschooling a dream come true is understanding
of your child's learning style.
Note: Dr. Guffanti has spoken at WHO's annual convention the past two years
on the topic of ADHD and learning styles, with attendees responding, “This is a
life- changing class,” and “The best and most helpful of all.”
A medical doctor, tutor, teacher, author, and homeschool parent, Dr. Guffanti
was born with a passion for education. Dyslexic and a kinesthetic learner, he
has served as the medical director of a clinic specializing in learning
disorders, and has focused on creating education that meets the needs of all
children. He is the author of Rocket Phonics and Is It Really ADHD?
Stephen Guffanti, MD
CEO of Children's U.com
Home of Rocket Phonics
www.rocketphonics.com
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Fun with Forensic Science
by Kate Lormand, M.S
On an early fall morning Lydia came downstairs only to find her mother
wringing her hands at the kitchen sink. “What's up Mom?” she asked. Her
mother was visibly upset, “I left my ring on the window ledge and now it
is gone, did you happen to take it?” It was then that Lydia happened to
notice the sticky fingerprints on the glass and the ink stained napkin
that were sitting on the window ledge…..
Crime scene investigation has become a hot topic in science education.
In 2006, Time Magazine pointed out how America is flunking in science
and suggested that forensic science may be a way to reenergize interest
in science education. When science is presented to students as difficult
with lots of memorization and math computations, students tend to shy
away from the discipline. Unfortunately, Parents often contribute to
students' general fear of science because of their negative past
experiences with scientific concepts presented in a dry, complicated
manner.
...read more
Forensic Science provides a unique way to tap into the natural curiosity that
is the basis of science. The framework for the scientific method is present at
any crime scene, making observations, asking questions, formulating hypotheses,
and finally testing the ideas are all part of the who, where, and what of a
crime scene. Forensic science via deductive reasoning and experimentation will
provide the vehicles to deliver science to a new generation of students. There
are many simple and safe experiments that can be done in a home setting that
will not only introduce forensic science to the student, but also teach
deductive reasoning and critical thinking skills.
……Springing into action Lydia carefully observed the scene and made a quick
sketch of the location of the items remaining on the ledge. “Don't worry Mom, I
will figure out who took your ring!”….
Your student can help Lydia and her mom solve the mystery of the Missing Ring by
performing the following experiments. As you'll see, forensic science labs can
make science learning a lot of fun!
The Case of the Missing Ring: While the basic elements of the experiments below
can be performed on their own, it is more fun and provides a more relevant
learning experience if you involve friends and create a CSI drama for this
exercise. There are two related experiments which will help solve this mystery:
Finger Print Analysis and Napkin Chromatography.
Materials Required:
o Three or more friends and/or family members to play the roles of suspects
o A different brand of non-permanent black felt marking pen for each participant
o A small, clean dry glass for each participant plus one extra
o A full or half sheet of black construction paper
o Talcum powder, may substitute loose face powder, corn starch, or similar
o Two white napkins for each participant
o Pencils for each participant o Magnifying glass
o Ruler o Scissors
o Clear tape o Water
Set-Up Procedures:
1. Invite three or more people to participate in creating the evidence for this
mystery and solving it. Give each participant:
a. A different brand of non-permanent, black felt marking pen
b. Two white paper napkins
c. A short, clean dry drinking glass
2. Instruct the participants that you will leave the room and need each of them
to:
a. Tightly grasp and release their drinking glass as they set it down on a
counter or table
b. Use their marking pen to draw a 2.5 cm (about 1 inch) long line 1 cm (about
4/10th of an inch) from the bottom left edge of each of their napkins as shown
in the illustration at right.
c. Use their marking pen to also draw a unique symbol such as a square, circle,
triangle, etc. on the upper right corner of each napkin. However, the mark
should NOT be their name, initials, or anything that personally identifies them
d. Place their two marked napkins in a line behind their drinking glass so each
participant's glass and marked napkins are grouped together.
3. Ask the participants to leave the room. When they are gone, select one set of
drinking glass and marked napkins to be the Suspect in this case.
4. From one of the Suspect's napkins, tear off only the upper left corner
containing the unique symbol. Place this piece of napkin in a drawer or out of
sight until the experiment is complete.
5. Carefully pick up the Suspect's glass by gently gripping only the very top
and/or bottom to avoid smudging the existing prints and arrange the glass and
the torn Suspect's napkins on a window ledge as described in the above crime
scene. While not absolutely necessary, this step provides authenticity to the
experiment.
6. Remove the remaining participants' glasses and store them for later use
7. Throw one of each of the remaining sets of napkins in the trash. All that
should remain on the counter or table at this point are one each of all the
participants' marked napkins.
8. Call the participants back into the room so they can observe and participate
in the actual experiment.
Question: By not observing the participants mark their napkins and thus not
knowing which set of drinking glass and napkins belong to each participant, you
will be a “blind” or non-biased examiner when you evaluate the evidence. Why is
it important to have blind examiners evaluate evidence in crime scenes and other
types of scientific investigations?
EXPERIMENT 1: Finger Print Analysis:
Background: Genetics plays a role in not only how you look but also in the
details of your finger prints. Every person has a set of finger prints that are
unique to them. This is why investigators can use fingerprints to identify if a
suspect was present at a crime scene.
A latent finger print is one that is hidden and cannot be seen with the naked
eye. One way to make latent fingerprints visible and more evident is by
“dusting.”
Finger Print Analysis Procedures:
1. Carefully pick up the Suspect's glass by gently gripping only very top so you
don't smudge the existing prints.
2. Gently shake a light film of talcum powder or similar over the glass to
expose the finger prints. Blow off the excess powder and carefully set the
Suspect's glass aside for comparison with the finger print records you will
create.
3. Instruct the participants that you will leave the room and need each of them
to :
a. Gently place a piece of sticky clear tape over their thumbprint and a second
piece of tape over index finger print. .
b. Carefully peel off their two print tapes and stick them in a row onto the
black construction paper.
c. Draw the same unique symbol used on their napkins next to their row of finger
prints on the construction paper
d. Call you back into the room when all finger prints have been taken and
secretly identified.
4. Use a magnifying glass to carefully observe the sets of finger prints
collected and compare them to those “dusted” on the Suspect's glass.
Question: If you have a match then it is possible that the suspect was at the
window ledge where the ring was left. Do you think this would be enough to
accuse someone? Always consider all evidence before you make an accusation.
“Mom we can rule out Dad! His prints are definitely not on the glass but Aunt
Susan's are. Let's check out the napkin, Aunt Susan was jotting directions down
last night, but I also saw Billy doodling on napkins as well”.
EXPERIMENT 2: Napkin Chromatography:
Background: Chromatography is a very useful tool in forensic science that allows
for the analysis and identification of complex mixtures by separating them into
the chemicals from which they are made. Each different marker brand manufacturer
has a unique formula that makes up the black ink in their marker. In this simple
experiment you will use chromatography to separate the color pigments of each
ink brand and to identify which marker was used to mark the napkin left on the
window edge. Chromatography is often used in forensic science with many
different water and alcohol soluble substances.
Napkin Chromatography Procedures:
1. Set out a separate drink glass for each participant's napkin on the table and
one for the Suspect's napkin on the window ledge. Place approximately 2cm of
water in each separate drink glass.
2. Starting with the participants' napkins and finishing with the napkin from
the ledge, perform the following for each napkin strip:
a. Cut a 2.5 cm (approximately one inch) wide strip from the bottom left to the
top left and of the napkin. This strip should have a black mark about 1 cm from
its bottom.
b. Roll the top end of the napkin strip around a pencil. Hold the pencil and
napkin strip outside of the glass and roll or unroll the napkin strip so that
the bottom of the strip will just barely touch the water. You may need to add or
remove water in the glass so the strip's bottom will just barely touch the
water. Tape the properly adjusted napkin strip to the pencil.
c. Set the pencil with the strip of napkin on top of the glass so that only the
tip of the napkin strip is in the water as shown in the image below. Make sure
that the ink mark is NOT in the water!
d. Place the remaining portion of the napkin containing the identifying mark in
front of its related glass.
3. Observe how the water is absorbed by the napkin strips and separates the
marker ink colors as it moves up the strip.
4. Once the chromatography process has completed and the ink colors have
separated out, and working with one participant's napkin strip at a time, remove
the strip and compare it to the Suspect strip. When you find the strip that has
the same separation pattern as the Suspect napkin strip from the crime scene,
you have one more piece of evidence to accuse the suspect with.
5. Check your results and confirm the identity of your Suspect by:
a. Verifying if the symbol associated with the chromatography matched napkin
strip is the same as the symbol on the piece of napkin torn off of the Suspect's
napkin at the beginning of this exercise.
b. Verifying that the symbol associated with the matched chromatography strips
also matches the symbol associated with the matched finger prints.
“Mom, I think you had better check with Aunt Susan, she is possibly the one who
may have your ring”.
Question: What do you think Lydia found when she compared the napkin strips from
the chromatography experiment?
These experiments are examples of how science can be reframed into a creative
investigative discipline. Students are taught to observe, to systematically
collect evidence, to experiment and to come to rational conclusions. Although
these are very simple examples, there are many other experiments that can be
done at home for more advanced students. More detailed experiments might include
plaster casting foot prints or tire treads, microscopic analysis of glass,
fibers or hair, even blood typing; these can all be done in an at home setting.
Kate Lormand, M.S. has been an adjunct biology professor for 20 years and
teaches online as well as face-to-face courses. Her Masters Degree is in Plant
Genetics and Agriculture. Kate also works with Hands-On- Labs, Inc. (www.LabPaq.com)
as a biology researcher to develop effective laboratory experiments for
inclusion in LabPaqs. LabPaqs are academically aligned collections of science
equipment and supplies that allow students to perform traditional science
experimentation at home. Various LabPaqs in biology, chemistry, geology, and
physics are used by thousands of online and alternative high school and college
students each year. Kate has three sons, and her family spends a great deal of
time gardening and attending swim meets.
Designing science experiments to coordinate with a crime scene mystery is a
wonderful way to actively engage students in science study and introduce them to
the genuine joy and thrill of discovery a study of science provides. Those
parents interested in more advanced forensic science experiments for their
students will be happy to learn that Hands-On Labs, Inc.
www.LabPaq.com is currently developing a
forensic science LabPaq that should be available in 2009.
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Goldfish Lessons
The crunch and squooshing sound of a milk carton being stomped brings
the lunch line to a halt. Every kid in the line looks to see if it was
chocolate or white shooting across the floor, and then looks up to see
if they will be blamed. As usual, no one has done it. But the Lady has
seen it happen; tomorrow someone will lose the privilege of purchasing
milk…
As an adult you recognize that only by accepting responsibility for the
consequences of your choices do you keep the freedom to make them. Your
children too must learn to recognize this fact if they are to mature
into self-reliant and successful adults. Every sensible parent wants
their child to learn this lesson, but how does one teach it on a daily
basis?.
...read more
Privilege and responsibility are two sides of the same coin. When a child
begs for a pet and starts out with the ubiquitous goldfish, who is in charge of
it; whose fault is it when the fish dies of starvation? If a child can handle
the privilege of having his own pet, he should handle the responsibility of
caring for it; and if he does not care for it he will face the fact that
neglected fish don't live long. That is a hard lesson for a child, but many of
us can tell stories of our own goldfish lessons.
On the other hand there are parents who won't trust even a ten-year-old with a
goldfish; underestimating the child with the result of not assigning enough
responsibility to him. I knew a woman, Lana, who was a very helpful Mom. She
could not bear to see her child struggle. When Tom was in 4th grade she was
'helping' him with school projects. Rather than ask, “What would be a good
headline on this poster?” Lana would say, “Here you should write, 'the origin of
the pumpkin seed' in big orange letters.”
Then she would pick up the marker and write the letters for him, since “If he
wrote it, it would be too messy.”
Lana very carefully taught Tom that if someone else can perform the job more
neatly it is fine to have someone else do your schoolwork, or your housework, or
your office work.. At 18 years old Tom saw his friends becoming self-sufficient
adults, while he still had his Mom making his bed every morning. This did not
impress girls the way he wanted!
If you satisfy your child's every whim, then don't be surprised when you have a
16-year- old who expects you to wash her clothes, feed her, dress her, and give
her the car keys. Better yet, just buy her a car of her own so the car is ready
when she wants it. If a child grows up with all the privilege and never the
responsibility she will learn to expect all the privileges, and will take for
granted that you, dear Parent, are here on Earth to fulfill her wishes.
If we always cover for our children, they never realize that action, or lack
thereof, results in consequences, and they end up whining when facing situations
they consider unfair. Life is seldom fair, but mature people do not whine about
the vagaries of reality, as they realize there are situations over which they
have no control. It is only our own actions we control.
You probably know adults who still do not take blame - or credit - for their own
actions. There is the man who never apologizes for any mistakes, but tries to
blame anyone else who happens to be standing around.
I would bet you know a woman who takes the blame for the mistakes of everyone
else; “Oh, no, it wasn't you! It is allmy fault!” These responses are two sides
of the same coin.
Standing up and acknowledging ones actions is a sign of courage and sometimes of
wisdom. Parents must allow children to face the music independently now and
then. This is so hard for most of us; most parents don't want to see their
children disappointed, reprimanded, or failing. Many parents, especially
mothers, find it very difficult to be the disciplinarian, but discipline is part
and parcel of teaching the reality of consequences. Just remember that after
negative discipline there must be hugs and those magical words, “I love you no
matter what.”
There are times when we will shield our children from their just desserts, when
the child sets in motion a chain of events that lead to an overwhelming
conclusion. One example is hitting a baseball through the neighbor's car window.
Can your child afford to pay to replace the windshield on an SUV? I would guess
not. However he could certainly wash that SUV for a month to help pay the
damages and to impress upon him that he is the one who smashed the window, not
you, nor the owner's insurance company. Too many parents allow damage caused by
their children to be repaired solely by the adults. Let's teach our children to
make reparation for their own errors. This is not punishment, it is teaching
them to be honest and fair to the persons who own those broken windshields.
Children need to have the opportunity to prove they are self-reliant. They can
carry their own snacks, their own shoes, making their own beds. Even a
two-year-old can pull a blanket off a bed; teach him to pull the opposite
direction, and then comes the privilege of sleeping in the 'big bed'. Learning
how to set the table earns the privilege of being considered 'a big girl'.
Taking on the completion of his own school projects will earn a boy the
privilege of being passed to the next grade.
Will the bed look perfect? Will the flatware be straight on the table? Are you
going to walk in and rearrange it all while your child watches you? If you do
that, don't expect them to do it tomorrow; what's the point when you are just
going to do it over as soon as they finish? You may as well tell the child their
work sucks, and do it yourself in the first place instead of wasting their time.
Teaching a child these simple chores requires that you sit on your hands, and
that you not see the crooked blankets and off-center plates. Or you could do
things with your child, so they can imitate your movements, share time with you,
and improve in their efforts. This takes more time of course, but it pays off
when they are 10 and can do it correctly all on their own. Most important is the
sense of accomplishment the children gain, and the knowledge that they are
contributing members of the family. That is a lesson well worth a little more of
your time as they grow, is it not?
And what about that boy, Tom; is Lana still washing his clothes and making his
bed? No. Very happily Tom figured out that the reason he was dissatisfied with
everything around him was really due to having no self-respect. He realized that
unless a person takes responsibility for his own life, he is only a poser.
“Privilege” means nothing unless it is earned, and when all is handed to you on
a silver platter you have no pride in accomplishment. Tom moved out of his
mother's house, read the washing machine manual, figured out how to take care of
himself; in short, Tom grew into a self-reliant, sensible man. Lana is very
proud of him, with good reason.
May all of us be as blessed in our children.
Diane Spoehr is a 3rd Dan Degree Black Sash in the
ancient Korean Martial and Healing Art of Hwa Rang DoŽ, with 10 years of
experience teaching children and adults of all ages. She has taught many
children and their parents how to develop self-discipline, demonstrate courtesy,
and achieve their goals. Diane Spoehr is the Head Instructor and Owner of the
Hwa Rang Do School of Jacksonville, located in Mandarin and Julington Creek.
Website:
www.hwarangdofl.com
Email:
hrdjax@bellsouth.net
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