Category Archives: Education

Coding Curriculum, Coding Education, Education

How Modern Schooling Needs to Change

SportsThere are many problems these days in modern schools. Costs are being cut everywhere in municipal budgets across the country. In many places

Teachers often bear the brunt of less and less funding. Often when one teacher is fired to account for a smaller budget, two other teachers who still work for the school are forced to take on a larger student load. This means that every student receives less attention than previously, which has a direct effect on how well any child learns. Art and music programs in some schools across the country are being cut out of the curriculum outright, and what programs that do exist in public schools are often underfunded. This also has a detrimental effect on the creative growth of students

Science and Math programs in our modern schools in the United States are not up to par.  Essentially, in this area, we are behind the times. As further evidence computer science and coding programs are nearly non-existent in public school in the country. As parents we have to make sure that we do our best to help our kids learn about STEM topics of all kinds, even if school isn’t going to help very much. CodeRev Kids is a great California organization which runs both after school and summer camp programs which are aimed at teaching children real computer skills that they will be able to use later in life. With the way technology is progressing, even if your child doesn’t end up becoming a full-time programmer, it is highly likely that she will need to know it as a part of her professional life as an adult.

It’s crazy that these days, even some sports programs are getting cut. No one takes auto shop, wood shop or any other trade class in high school anymore because those programs don’t exist in many schools where they once did. This means that more and more kids that don’t go to college don’t have anywhere to go when they graduate from high school. College shouldn’t be the only place you can go after high school, we should be doing better to help every child find what they need in their lives.

Coding Education, Education, Skills

Hot Activities for Your Kids This Summer

Youth CampIs your child bored of doing the same thing every summer? It happens. Sometimes the old Boy Scout or Church camp, no offense to those fine institutions, just stops being fun for your kid. What are you supposed to do when the old summer activities don’t work anymore? We have put together a few options for you below. Hopefully these options are varied enough that you will find something for whatever kind of child you have.

Coding camps are a great option for your kids that can’t pull their heads out of the tablets. CodeRev Kids is one of the foremost summer camps in this area. For younger kids, you can get them started in fun activities like Minecraft level building, which help to teach the basics of programming and using the computer. They can move on, or older children can participate in a variety of programs which appeal to plenty of tastes from robotics, to web design, to more complicated coding. Coding camps are an amazing way for your kids to learn great skills which can help them immeasurably later in life.

There are a number of great outdoor camps your children can attend over the summer. We won’t talk about the basics like football, baseball, or any of the other sports you might be familiar with. Instead we’ll mention some outdoor activities which you may not have thought of. Circus camp is a great option for children with a bunch of energy, and it teaches skills which instill poise, grace, and a good party tricks too boot! Rock climbing and ultimate frisbee are two more great options for outdoor sporting camps, depending on whether you child prefers individual or team sports.

Space camp is the old standby and a personal favorite of this reviewer. What better way to teach physics and encourage a love of science than with rockets! These days, space camps will also teach your kids about biology, nutrition, health, and chemistry, so there are many topics to pique your child’s interests.

Education

The Next Generation of Learning

Kids Learning CodeThese days, you might be trying to find more avenues for your child to learn and grow (and develop that college application). You might need to look outside your kid’s school to find programs which can foster their particular interest.

Coding camps and after school programs are a great way to move your child from Angry Birds to productive play with the computer. CodeRev Kids is a great organization which offers a variety of programs aimed at teaching your children computer programming skills. Your child can learn game design or website design with the help of hands-on instruction. If your child is interested in robotics, there is a wonderful intensive program which incorporates Legos and technology used in the industry today to teach the construction and programming of an automated arm or other projects.

If your child would like to move forward in various subjects related to her academic studies, Saturday school programs can be a great source of further learning. Often your kid can learn about advanced topics that he would never get a chance to investigate in depth, like microbiology or inorganic chemistry, before he would in high school or even college.

Like Saturday school programs, many community colleges offer vocational and skills training classes on the weekends which are designed for grade school children. These programs vary from place to place, but sometimes, your child can learn to work on a car before they have a driver’s license!

Art classes are also often available through your local community college, but there are many other programs which seek to encourage the arts of all types in youth. Sometimes, school art programs are basic and there is little in the way of variety of materials or mediums. Outside programs can help your child gain access to things like jewelry making, pottery, or advance music studies. Art is an underrated aspect of your child’s academic growth, and a creative understanding is known to be beneficial to the development of what other people consider “left-brained” thinking skills.

Education, Skills

Skills To Get Your Kids Into College

Kid Learning Cello

Here are some things your kids can do after school that will help them get into college. Remember to always search for activities that your child enjoys.

  1. Sports – Participating in team or individual sports can be an essential component of your child’s development. Team sports teach cooperation and individual sports teach perseverance and body confidence. Most sports or athletic activities will contribute to the physical well-being of your child, but make sure not to over-train or allow your child to become involved in activities which may be damaging. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t let your child play hockey or football if she wants to, but be aware of the possible health consequences in any sport.
  2. Code academies – After school coding schools are growing in popularity, as they are great ways to develop your child’s brain without them knowing. CodeRev Kids is a California-based company that is a great example of businesses like which are popping up all over the country. Your kid won’t realize she is learning complicated analytical skills which will greatly help them later in life as she works on programing a Lego robot arm to pick up a ball, or the next level of a computer game. Even better, your child can use her programming skills later in life to find a career, not only in tech, but in other fields as well.
  3. Music – Music is great. We all know this. Sign your kid up for some classes and see what sticks. Try to find an instrument that your child likes enough stick to. This will usually be a guitar, but every child is different!
  4. Community service – Through a church, Scouts, or other organization, community service projects are a great way to endear good values in your child, while also making sure that she learns life skills imperative to her future.
  5. Art classes – Learning other artistic crafts, from sculpture, to jewelry making, to metalworking, to painting and drawing, can be instrumental in your child’s brain development. These activities will enhance your child’s problem solving skills, as well as abstract reasoning and three dimensional understanding.