Volunteering in Metro Denver over the Holidays

Volunteering is a great way to give your child perspective and teach them to be generous, caring individuals. Give your child a sense of community and social responsibility through volunteering.

Volunteering helps to create well rounded individuals and encourages them to be grateful for the fortunate circumstances of their own lives. Volunteering should be fun, so take care to choose an activity that suits your child’s interests and age. Volunteering does not have to be emotionally draining either; every small act of kindness is usually met with such positive feedback that your child’s confidence and self image will be bolstered by the experience. Volunteering teaches your children responsibility and commitment and makes them feel needed. Holidays are an especially good time to spread the spirit of the season through helping others. There are many activities to choose from.

Toy Drives

Many children live in circumstances that render it unlikely that they will receive gifts for Christmas. Get your children to donate toys to a worthy cause. Most toy drives take toys up until January or February for the next Christmas. You can get your child to donate some of the toys they got for Christmas to the toy drive. Your children can also ask family members to donate money that they would have spent on Christmas and birthday gifts to a charity of their choice. Your child can help to sort and label or wrap toys for distribution or they can work with teachers and classmates to organize a school toy drive.

Care 4 Colorado Toy Drive

CBS4 has teamed up with King Soopers, MIX 100.3, and the University of Denver Athletics and Recreation to collect new toys and cash donations for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver’s 2013 Care 4 Colorado Toy Drive. King Soopers will collect new toys at all Front Range locations from Friday, November 29 through December 24. Visit their website at www.bgcmd.org/toydrive

Helter Shelter

Most shelters appreciate volunteers who can walk the dogs every day. This will be a great way for your children to get some exercise while learning more about pets. If you have no shelter near you, your children can offer to walk pets for the elderly residents in your neighborhood.

Dumb Friends League. Please visit http://ddfl.org/ways-to-give/get-involved for more information.

Buddy Center: 4556 Castleton Court, Castle Rock, CO 80109

Clean Green

If your children enjoy the outdoors, contact your local municipality for parks or trails that need to be cleaned. Your children can go on hikes and pick up trash as they go. This will not only help to beautify your area, it also helps to protect wildlife.

Food Banks

Food banks need volunteers to sort food, check expiry dates and make up food packages. Kids can also collect coupons from newspapers and magazines to help food banks stretch their budgets. Work with schools or other community institutions to collect food for foods banks, especially over the festive season.

Ansar Pantry: Aurora, CO 80010 (303) 459-2153

A study by the Search Institute found that children who volunteer for one hour a week are 50% less likely to use drugs, alcohol or cigarettes. Volunteering is also a great activity to do together as a family. Encourage your children to volunteer and spread some joy this festive season.

Best Holiday Reads for Middle School Students

The holiday season is the perfect time for middle school students to get some rest in before the new semester. The weather is cool and they have time to catch up on some fun reading. Here are some books you can buy to encourage holiday reading or add to their festive gift list:

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Students reply to a newspaper advert and have to pass a series of tests in order to qualify for the team which embarks on a mysterious investigation. The students go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened where they discover all manner of secrets.

The Harry Potter Box Set

If your student hasn’t experienced the joys of the Hogwart’s School of Wizardry, then this will make a gift of epic proportions. It doesn’t matter if they have already watched the movies; the books are far more action-packed and intricate and will still be a thrilling read.

The Giver

This coming-of-age novel investigates the world where Jonas lives free of choices, pain or war, until (at the age of 12) he is exposed to these elements by the Giver. This is a great novel and your student will not be able to put it down!

The Hobbit

Try to get your student to read this before going to see the movie. The Hobbit is a classic for good reason as readers are taken on scintillatinly exciting adventures with Bilbo Baggins as he sets off from the Shire with Gandalf the wizard to battle dragons for stolen treasure.

Holes

When Stanley Yelnats goes to Camp Green Lakes for the summer, he is transported to a desert devoid of any greenery at all. As Stanley’s summer takes a turn for the worse, he is accused of stealing a pair of shoes and made to dig holes in the desert sand. He soon figures out that the dastardly camp leader is searching for a hidden treasure…

Twilight Saga

This is a favorite that will have your student sitting on the edge of their seats as they enter the intriguing world of vampires and werewolves and follow the tales of Isabella Swan and her romance with 100 year-old vampire Edward Cullen.

Esperanza Rising

Esperanza lived on her affluent family ranch in Mexico until the Great Depression forces her and her mother to flee to California. Esperanza must learn to face life as a farm worker, as well as overcome the hardships of their new financial difficulties to carve out a life in her new home.

Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl is a twelve year old with a difference; millionaire, genius and criminal mastermind. Artemis bites off more than he can chew when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit.

Best Christmas Books for Elementary School Students

As Christmas approaches, elementary school tutor Lauren Wood has a wealth of Christmas-themed books which she leaves lying around the house. All the younger students who visit eagerly read them in anticipation of the big day. “It’s a great way to get them the read,” she says, “and there are so many great Christmas classics for them to choose from.” Here is a list of all the classic novels that every young student should have in their library.

A Night before Christmas
Clement C. Moore’s classic poem is perhaps one of the best-known classics. You can read it to your students or, better still, get them to read it to you on Christmas Eve. It’s a cute little poem that has some complex language which you can help them with. Keep a dictionary on hand so that they can look up any words that they don’t understand.

The Berenstain Bears and the Joy of Giving
While Christmas time is supposed to be about giving and sharing, it’s easy for students to get focused on receiving. This is a wonderful book by Jan Berenstain to remind students of the joys of giving. Written in 1962, this true classic is a must for every student. You can augment the tale by asking your students to pick one toy to donate to those who are less fortunate.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
The Grinch has become a staple for every discerning Christmas reader. This delightful poem about a mean, green Grinch is fun and funny. You can read the book first and then watch the animated short or the full length movie by the same name.

The Nightmare before Christmas by Tim Burton
This beautifully illustrated novel is about a well-meaning Halloween skeleton who decides to play Santa with disastrous results. It’s the perfect holiday read for those who are fans of Halloween. You can read the book and then watch Tim Burton’s masterfully crafted movie filled with ghoulish characters.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
It’s the ultimate Christmas fantasy; as a young boy lies awake on Christmas eve, Santa swoops by with his reindeer and takes him on an adventure to the North Pole. It really is a magical journey filled with excitement and adventure. Read the book and then watch the movie too!

The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett
The story of little Teeka’s attempts to train Santa’s reindeer is not only a great guide for students on how to work well with others, but it also introduces them to northern cultures and life on the tundra. It’s a magical tale of how Teeka manages to get all the reindeer together for Santa’s big night by working with them and treating them kindly. This is a great book for older siblings.

This festive season, give your students the gift of books to help expand their seasonal libraries. Reading books is a great way for them to spend their holidays and get into the Christmas spirit.

Pets can Make the Perfect Gifts!

As the festive season approaches, many families consider getting a pet for their students. While you may have heard all the reasons why this could be a bad idea, there are some ways

Merry Christmas from the TutoringK12 team

in which pets can add to your student’s life in a positive way.

Health benefits
Students who grow up in homes with pets have fewer allergies and are less likely to develop asthma. Petting a dog or a cat lowers blood pressure and boosts the immune system. In the same way pets are utilized in hospitals to make people feel better, they can have a very positive effect on the health and well being of your student and pet owners require fewer visits to the doctor. Having a pet also encourages students to be more active. Students with pets play outside more often and have to take their pets for regular walks. Getting outside and playing with their pets means that students get the exercise they need and are less likely to have weight issues.

Improved happiness
Students who regularly play with pets have improved self-esteem, impulse control and social skills. Sharing a pet fosters better relationships between siblings too which helps to improve the family bond. Cuddling a pet reduces loneliness and anxiety and leads to feelings of comfort and well-being. All of these factors help to improve the general happiness of your student.

Learning responsibility
Having a pet helps to foster the nurturing instinct in students. Having to regularly feed, walk and care for their pet teaches students how to be responsible and to put the needs of others first. Students learn to follow a routine as their pets need to be walked and fed at the same time every day.

Ensuring the perfect fit
One of the best ways to ensure that your student will benefit from having a pet is to plan carefully. Volunteer at a local shelter on the weekends or take care of a friend’s pet for a few days to see how your student manages the responsibility.

Make sure that your student is old enough to manage a pet and that they have enough time to spend with their new friend. You can get a smaller pet, like a hamster or a mouse, to see how your student deals with the responsibility.

Consider the additional cost and ensure that you have the money and space to comfortably house the new addition to your family. Pets need food and medical insurance as well as annual shots and regular grooming. Don’t buy a pet unless you have the funds you need to cover expenses.

Having a pet can help to make your student a happier, healthier, well-rounded individual. They can learn valuable lessons about nurturing and responsibility while forming a relationship that is sure to bring the whole household tons of joy. Pets can be a really great asset and a very positive addition to the family if you get them at the right time.

Best Holiday Reads for Colorado High School Students

High school students require good reading skills the most as they have the largest volume of texts to work through during the school year. Not only will excellent reading skills make studying faster and easier in high school, it will also be a very valuable asset at college. Here are some excellent reads that are sure to be a hit with high school students.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

911 had an immeasurable impact on the psyche of the people of New York, not least for nine-year-old Oskar Schell who lost his father in the tragedy. When he finds a mysterious key among his father’s belongings, he sets out to find its matching lock on an adventure that will take him through the five boroughs of the city.

Kick-Ass
If you have ever wanted to be a super hero, then this amazing little book is for you. This is the story of teens brave enough to don capes and fight crime despite having no superpowers at all. Bullied in their own lives, they overcome their fears to fight crime and, well, kick ass.

Life at these Speeds: A Novel
Kevin Schuler was a pretty good athlete before the accident, but when a bus crash claims the lives of his fellow students and his girlfriend, he finds the track the only place that makes sense anymore.

The Six most Important Decisions you’ll ever Make: A Guide for Teens
Teens face several important decisions that impact the rest of their lives, but few have been taught the skills on how to make the decision that right for them. Sean Covey’s book will help to equip teens with the skills they need to make decisions that will positively impact their lives.

Angela’s Ashes
Frank McCourt’s luminous memoire of his childhood as a poor Irish Catholic raised in the Limerick slums. Although the setting is bleak and the children poor, McCourt’s humour, forgiveness and exuberance for life makes this a glorious book.

Flowers for Algernon
Charlie Gordon is a mentally challenged custodian who, through an experimental operation, becomes a genius. This poignant and powerful novel has been made into a movie by the same name.

Tuesdays with Morrie
This is a touching and inspiring novel written by Mitch Albom about his interviews with Morrie Schwartz. This illuminating novel is a wonderful tale of a life well lived. Inspiring, touching and luminous, it’s a must-read for everyone who wants to live a full life.

The Perks of being a Wallflower
This insightful trip through the troubled life of a depressed teen is a wild ride that touches on many difficulties of being an awkward teen. Its deep, funny and fun and anyone who has ever been in loved or shared a kiss with a crush will enjoy this crazy little book.

Hand-written Thank You Notes: A Great Learning Opportunity

The holidays are a mixed bag for parents who enjoy spending time with family but may be struggling to keep their bored students occupied. One tradition that has been neglected in modern society is the hand-written ‘Thank You’ note. Writing ‘Thank You’ notes not only helps to establish ties with family and friends, it perpetuates a wonderful festive traditional and helps students remember all they have to be thankful for.

It’s good for you!

A recent study showed that writing ‘Thank You’ notes actually reduces anxiety and stress. This is because when you take the time out to write about all the things you are thankful for, you realize how much you have.

‘Thank You’ notes help to strengthen family ties and friendships and teach students appreciation. Thank you notes also teach the art of good manners and diplomacy. If your student masters these skills, they will be able to navigate social and (later in life) professional circles with ease. Good manners set you apart from the crowd and effective networking is what makes for a happy, well-adjusted adult.

How to go about it

Start by recording all the gifts your students get over the festive season. Provide them with stationary or let them make their own. For most students, writing all their ‘Thank You’ notes at once may be a bit daunting, so it’s best to spread it out over several days.

Let your students pick out the ‘Thank You’ note stationary, or let them decorate cards with stamps, scrapbooking supplies or pictures that they can draw or paint.

Your students only have to write a sentence or two in each note, so try to encourage creativity with wording.

Learning opportunity

Writing ‘Thank You’ notes is a great exercise in grammar and spelling. Students can develop language and communication skills while practicing their handwriting. It can be fun for them to experiment with different styles of handwriting too.

Sure, emails and text messages may be quicker, but nothing shows appreciation quite like getting a hand-written message in the mail. If your students enjoy receiving mail, you can carry on the writing tradition by getting them pen pals in exotic locations.

It may seem old fashioned, but a hand-written thank you note is a wonderful way to express appreciation for the thoughtfulness of a friend or family member. ‘Thank You’ notes are a great holiday tradition that should be preserved. They have the power to teach a number of valuable lessons and will help your student to appreciate all that they have received and show their appreciation in a meaningful way.