Education

A Fun STEM Project to Complete Over Winter Break

At CodeREV Kids we see it all the time: A kid who once didn’t care at all about school can get so excited about science and technology classes that they’re actually sad to take a break over the holidays. The good news is that we’re here to help! We offer awesome winter camps but we’re also here to offer advice on a cool science project that can be completed over winter break.

Science that doubles as a snack

Do you remember rock candy from when you were a kid? It’s actually fairly easy to make, but it does take some planning and a lot of patience. To get a completed product, you’ll have to wait a week to ten days but it’ll be well worth it.

Your end goal is large crystals but you’ll need to start with small ones. Begin by dissolving two cups of sugar into a cup of boiling hot water. This is very hot so be sure you’re supervising or taking the lead on this part.

Then let it cool for ten minutes. Pour it into a clear glass, such as a mason jar. Take a pipe cleaner (which you may see marketed at a chenille stem) around the middle of any pencil. Leave a tail at the end that’s about four to six inches. Put the pencil on the rim of the glass to let the tail hang down into the solution. As you’re waiting for your crystals to form, keep the glass out of direct sun and away from doors or vents. The purpose is to keep the temperature constant.

Every day, take a few minutes to check the progress and track the growth. After about a week to ten days, take the pencil out of the jar. Don’t worry if there’s a layer of sugar that tries to keep it stuck, just break it off with a spoon. Then rinse your candy and put it on waxed paper to dry.

Make sure your kids write down what they believe is happening

This is a cool experiment that results in a tasty treat. Be sure to teach kids the science behind the crystals and why they’re “growing.” As with coding classes, this is a lesson taught that won’t even feel like a lesson!

If you want to learn more about winter coding classes for kids, why coding is great for them, or different ways you can get kids excited about science, CodeREV Kids is here to help.

Education

Simple Tips to Help Your Kids Learn from their Mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes. It’s those who are capable of standing up afterwards and moving on that are truly successful in life. Helping your kids learn from their mistakes is a great way to help prepare them for the real world. However, at CodeREV Kids we know it can be difficult to do so. That’s why we’re here to provide you with some simple tips that will help you prevent your kids from being paralyzed by their mistakes and installed will help the move on and grow from them.

Help your child recognize what went wrong

The truth is that 9 out of 10 times, your child knows exactly what they did wrong. For example, if they got a bad grade on their report card, then they likely know that it’s because they didn’t do well on a particular test and they know they didn’t do well because they didn’t study as much as they should.

However, kids don’t always make these connections. That’s why your first reaction after your kid makes a mistake should be to ask them what went wrong. After you’ve established what the problem is, then you can find ways to move on from it.

Set goals and offer rewards

Once you’ve come up with the problem together, you can brainstorm the solutions together. For example, it may involve studying more, doing extra work, asking friends for their notes, or getting to school a little early and talking to the teacher. Let your child come up with some ideas on what they could do differently next time and then pick one or two and set them as goals.

You’ll also want to offer a reward if your child meets their goal. Some parents balk at this part and believe that simply doing well should be reward enough. The truth is that this is an important point in their lives and you want to help increase the chances that they’ll have positive associations with working hard.

Get them extra help if they need it

It’s important to teach your child to learn from their mistakes but it’s also important to teach them that it’s okay to ask for help when they need it. For example, if they’re having trouble understanding math or science, then you may enroll them in coding classes that give them hands-on, relevant exercises to learn the basics inside and out. Reach out to CodeREV Kids for more information on the options we offer.

Education

How to Prepare Your Kids for a Holiday Road Trip

Are you heading off on a road trip this holiday season? If you are, then you may be worried about how the kids will handle it. It’s true that many kids don’t like being cooped up in the car for hours at a time but it’s also true that there are some great tips that can help you have a great time. Here are some tips we’ve used in the past at CodeREV Kids.

Make sure they understand exactly what the trip will entail

You can get your kids prepared by telling them how far you’re traveling, how long the drive will take, and any stops you plan to make along the way. If possible, print out a map that shows your route on it and show them how to read it.

You can also use reference points they understand and then compare this drive to those ones. For example, you might say, “When we travel to your Uncle Jim’s house, it takes three hours. This time we’re traveling to Aunt Ellen’s and it will take twice as long as that.”

For older kids, use the distance to create some unique math problems. For example, you can tell them how many miles away it is and ask them how long it will take if you average 60 miles per hour compared to 50 miles per hour. At CodeREV Kids, we’ve learned over the years that hands-on learning like this is one of the best ways to get kids excited and to ensure that the knowledge sticks with them for the long term.

Travel either late at night or first thing in the morning

The more of your time driving your kids can spend sleeping, the better their overall experience may be. Some families actually start out at 7 at night and drive through the night. By the time the kids wake up, it’s morning and their family has arrived in their destination. Other families start driving early in the morning and let the kids sleep for the first few hours.

If you’re not going anywhere for the holidays, consider our camps

If you’re staying in town for the holidays, don’t forget to check out our winter camps schedule. It’s a great way for your kids to make new friends, learn new skills, and boost both their problem solving and critical thinking skills. Give us a call with any questions.

Education

Is STEM Really Helping Kids Succeed in the Classroom?

There’s a lot of talk about hands-on STEM projects in classrooms and how they help kids, but do they really? At CodeREV Kids we’ve seen plenty of evidence that they do but we know that not everyone is convinced. Let’s cover some of the basics of STEM based learning and perhaps even those who are skeptical will have a better understanding.

Why a focus on STEM now?

Many parents wonder why all of a sudden they’re seeing a huge focus on STEM. The truth is that the U.S. Department of Labor statistics are a big part in why educational facilities are encouraging kids to get involved in STEM projects at an early age – because there are going to be an estimated 1.4 million new jobs in information technology by the time our kids are ready to start out in a career.

Not only are there are a lot of jobs in STEM fields, but these are jobs that pay higher than other jobs do. In fact, according to the most recent statistics, the most in-demand jobs in STEM fields include technology and engineering.

Jobs aren’t the only reason that parents are turning toward STEM though. STEM projects in schools can help kids prepare for the future in a number of ways, including giving kids the skills needed to tell the difference between a fact and an opinion.

Learning in a project-based atmosphere

Think about how you learn best. Is it by reading something in a book or by getting hands-on experience with it? If you’re like most people, you know that you learn best when you’re able to try something out for yourself. Do you think children are any different? Of course not. STEM topics are perfect for hands-on learning through robotics, Minecraft games, and much more.

Are you interested in getting your kids involved?

If you’re interested in getting your kids involved in coding, one of the most interesting STEM-based projects for kids, then CodeREV Kids welcomes the opportunity to work with you. We have classes after school throughout the year, camps available during school breaks, and we even offer programs at individual schools. If you have questions about your child’s options, or you want more information on why they should get involved, feel free to reach out to us. Our passion is helping your kids discover and build their own passion for technology.

 

Education

4 Things Every Parent Should Know About Common Core Standards

There’s a lot of negative talk about common core standards and we understand why. It can be confusing for some and to many parents it feels like a new complicated system when the old system was working fine. At CodeREV Kids we understand these feelings but there are also a few things we want every parent to understand about common core standards.

1. Common core requires more critical thinking

We believe it’s important for kids to not just memorize facts but to use their critical thinking skills. The type of thinking kids learn doing common core are the same types of thinking skills they’ll need when they get a job, work toward college, or get into a trade. Yes, kids need to learn facts but they also need to learn how to think critically. In fact, that’s one of the reasons more kids are learning how to code.

2. Expectations should be high

In our experience, there’s no better way to predict how successful a child will be than to look at how much their parents expect from them. You should expect your children to do well with common core and in turn they will. However, if you give them the feeling that it’s something they’ll never learn, then chances are decent that they’ll never learn.

3. You’ll need to monitor their progress

Part of your job as a parent is to monitor your child’s educational process and this is true of common core as well. You’ll need to make sure they’re on track and that they are participating, taking active roles, and thinking creatively inside and outside of school.

4. It’s time to recognize that all kids can learn

It’s true that not every child learns in the same way. That’s why we offer flex coding courses for kids that allow your child to learn at their own pace. However, just because every kid may learn differently doesn’t mean that some kids can’t learn. Some kids may pick up info quickly while others need more time and patience. Some need more time with a class while others need more one-on-one time with a tutor.

No matter what your child’s learning type is, the reality is that you can provide them with the tools they need to succeed in their education and in their life. For many kids, learning to code is an important leg up that helps them for their entire academic career – and well beyond!

Education

6 Ways to Help Kids Focus

At CodeREV Kids, we work with parents all the time who struggle to get their kids to focus. We understand that this is a real issue and we’ve come up with six of our favorite tips to help your kids get on board.

1. Make it clear that you expect them to take their time

Often times, kids don’t meet their parent’s expectations because they don’t understand those expectations. Make it clear that you don’t want them to race through everything. Encourage them to pause, take their time, and understand tasks in front of them.

2. Encourage plenty of breaks

When you give your kids plenty of brakes, they’re able to expend their energy and focus better. Work with them to come up with the right amount of time to work and how much of a break they’ll take. When they have a say in how the time is allotted, they’ll be more likely to be on board.

3. Show them how to do one thing at a time

We live in a world that values multi-tasking but kids must learn how to do one thing at a time before they can learn how to do several things at once.

4. Get rid of distractions

If kids have something else to focus on, it’s not surprise that they’re going to focus on. Don’t allow them to study with the TV on and don’t expect them to be able to concentrate if you’re in the same room talking to another family member. Give them private, distraction-free spots to work.

5. Come up with a plan

Teaching kids how to plan their day can help them focus but it can also help teach them general organizational skills. You don’t need to buy a day planner for them, but you can break down a large task and help them see how working towards it a little each day will result in a big pay off in the end.

6. Find fun ways to teach them

The reality is that kids are going to have a harder time focusing when they’re learning via tasks that don’t hold their interest. With some subject matters, there’s likely no way around this. However, when it comes to STEM subjects, supplement their school learning with coding classes. Why coding? Because it teaches them a host of skills including focus, problem-solving, and much more. Let CodeREV Kids help you get your kids on track.

Skills

STEM Can Be a Part of Your Holiday Celebrations

At CodeREV Kids, we’re always looking for kids to get involved with STEM related activities and as the holidays creep up on us, we’ve been thinking about ways to keep kids excited. We came up with a way for kids to get into the spirit of Thanksgiving while becoming involved in STEM activities – and all it takes is toothpicks and cranberries.

The easiest way to get started is to divide up your cranberries and toothpicks and give each child their own baking sheet with their own supplies. This helps to ensure you don’t have to deal with crushing cranberries under your feet while you’re preparing your Thanksgiving feast! Begin by making a structure so they’ll know how it works. Essentially, you take a toothpick and put a cranberry on each end of it. Then add more toothpicks to each cranberry and before you know it, you have a structure that can be built upon.

Depending on how old your children are, this is a good time to talk to them about STEM issues like what the center of gravity is, and why a structure that has a larger base can be stable at a much higher height than a base that’s smaller.

Once they have the basic idea down, you can get creative and ask them for some interesting projects. For example, you might ask them to build a Christmas Village, or a rocket to the moon. Ask them to build something that’s even taller than the table, or even something taller than they are! If you have several kids working, you can also ask them to work collaboratively.

Remember that this project isn’t about your kids creating a perfect result. Instead, it’s a way for them to learn. If their structure breaks apart, help them figure out why. This is a great hands-on way for kids to begin to understand some of the basic principles of gravity.

At CodeREV Kids, we think projects like this are very interesting but of course we encourage kids to get involved in our comprehensive coding classes too. Like the above project, they give kids the chance to learn STEM concepts in a hands-on environment. In fact, our students wouldn’t know they were actually learning new things if we didn’t tell them – they just think they’re having fun, gaining confidence, and making new friends! The fact that they’re actually increasing a host of other skills is just an added bonus for them.

Education

Is Your Child on the Road to Scholastic Success This Year? A Checklist to Find Out

The last thing any parent wants is to find out that their child is behind in school but it’s even worse when you find out when it’s too late to do anything about it. That’s why CodeREV Kids has come up with this simple checklist you can do. Now that it’s November, your child has likely been in school long enough to have a pretty good idea of how they’re doing. Use this handy guide to assess their progress.

Are you still moving towards the goal you set at the beginning of the school year?

We always recommend that parents start out every school year with specific goals for their child. Older kids can come up with their own goals, but they should be clearly defined with easy to follow steps to achieve those goals. For example, one goal might be to improve science scores and one of the steps to get there could be to engage with coding classes. Whatever their goals are, November is a good time to ensure that they’re still on track.

Is extra help needed?

Now is a good time to take a look at your child’s schoolwork and grades so far and decide if they need extra help. You never want your child to get so far behind that it feels impossible to catch up. If they need a tutor, to join a study group, or one-on-one time with you, now is a great time to assess how much help they need to move forward.

What are your attitudes like?

It’s important to remember that if your child has a positive attitude, that they’re more likely to do well in school. However, don’t forget that your attitude is important too! Even if your child has a teacher who’s unfair, remember that there are actions you can take to have behavior corrected but you must also ensure that you keep a positive attitude. Don’t kid yourself: Your children are watching.

These are just a few of the steps you can take at this point in the school year. Of course, at CodeREV Kids we have a lot of ideas for extracurricular activities your children can get involved in, from coding classes to Minecraft servers that allow their creative minds to shine. Get ahold of us today to learn more about how we can help your child build life-long skills.

Education

Are Grade Trackers a Good Idea for Kids?

At CodeREV Kids, we’ve seen a lot of advice for parents to use grade trackers. In fact, we’ve seen this suggestion so much that we put on our thinking caps to try and decide if it makes sense or not. For those of you who don’t know, a grade tracker is exactly what you’d imagine: It’s a spot where you list and monitor the grades of your child. Your child’s school may have this available through their website or you can use an academic planner to create your own.

Are they good or bad?

As with virtually any other recommendation for kids, grade trackers have both positives and negatives and it’s important to know that your student will out get something out if it if it’s used consistently and in the right way. In fact, it’s similar to our coding classes in that if kids are open to them, they’re likely to do well. Here are some of the things we like about grade trackers for kids:

  • You get a real-time overview. Kids are growing up in a world where we all get instant updates on almost everything. Why not extend that to grades? Why wait until the end of the term to find out if your child is struggling? Grade trackers give you an update on a regular basis, which allows you to make adjustments when there’s still time to make a difference in their grade.
  • Your child will have a better idea of their teacher’s expectations. It’s no secret that different teachers expect different things from their students. A grade tracker makes it easy to see which classes your child needs to focus on and allows you and / or your child to discuss expectations directly with the teacher when necessary.
  • It has an effect on goal planning. More and more research is showing that it’s a good idea for kids to have both long-term and short-term goals and to learn early how important it is to meet them. Grade trackers allow them to follow up on their goals and see how they’re doing.
  • It can boost confidence and motivation. One of the things that parents love so much about the classes offered at CodeREV Kids is that they not only teach kids things, but they boost their confidence. Grade trackers have been shown to have the same effect.

Are grade trackers good for every kid? Probably not. But when used in conjunction with other measures, they’re a great way for kids and parents to stay up to date on education.

Education

Out of the Box Ideas to Help Improve Your Child’s Writing

Regardless of your child’s future educational or career goals, there’s no question that being able to clearly, concisely, and compellingly write is a skill that will serve them well in school, work, and their entire life. Being able to write clearly reflects the fact that a child is able to think clearly. Many parents just have their kids write something every day, but at CodeREV Kids, we’re always looking for unique ways to get kids motivated. Here are some of the out of the box ideas we’ve come up with.

Visit the grandparents

Before teaching your child how to write things down on paper, they first must understand how a story is told well and organically. The stories older folks can tell are truly amazing! Take your child to an elder and prompt that elder to tell a unique story. Afterwards, sit down with your child and have them re-tell the story. Give them constructive ideas on what they could have left out or added in to make the story more compelling or clearer.

Get a pen pal

One of the things we’ve learned at CodeREV Kids is that kids will learn better and absorb more information when it’s not just told to them but when they’re learning it in a hand’s-on environment. If you want your kids to learn to write more clearly, then get them writing about something they’re interested in. There are all sorts of pen pal programs out there that can pair up your kids with a child down the street or across the world.

Boost their confidence

In many cases, the issues with writing come from a child lacking confidence. They don’t think they’re a good writer and so they’re afraid to try, or they don’t think they have anything unique or interesting to say and so they’re afraid to pick up a pen. When you change the focus to something like coding classes, your child will experience a boost in confidence. They’ll also get a better understanding of the many different types of creativity out there.

Are you ready to get your kid ready for the rest of their life? If so, CodeREV Kids is just the partner you need. Check out our classes online, sign up for options at your own pace, or give us a call for advice on what will work best for your kid.