Tag Archives: winter break

Education

Making the Most of Winter Break: Check-In Tips for Parents

Most California schools are halfway through the school year and that means it’s time to consider what your child has accomplished this year and what they have left to do. At CodeREV Kids, we encourage parents to talk over the following check-in topics with their kids. Winter break is the perfect time to get caught up – or get out and learn some new skills.

Do they understand backward mapping?

Many adults don’t fully understand backward mapping so it’s no surprise that their kids don’t either. Essentially, backward mapping is looking at the due date for something and then setting dates for progress. For example, if a project is due on the 30th of a month, backward mapping might include setting the 5th as the due date for an outline, with a draft by the 15th and a second draft by the 25th.

Let your kids tell you when things are due

When you check-in with your kids, don’t sit down and go over everything that they should have done or should be doing. Instead, get them to tell you. Ask them to go over milestones that are coming up. This might be challenging at first but it’s important for them to learn these skills. Don’t interrupt them or correct, give them time to find the right answer on their own.

Talk about progress daily

As a parent you do want to be actively involved in your child’s academic success but you also don’t want to do everything for them. This can be a difficult balance to achieve. One way you can do so is by encouraging progress and asking them every day how they’re coming on their projects.

Remember they likely have more than one project

Backward mapping is very important but don’t stop after you’ve had them do it on a single project. The reality is that, depending on their school and their age, they likely have a number of projects. Encourage them to map them one at a time so they won’t get overwhelmed.

Give them breaks and appreciate the results

It’s hard to stay on task and it’s even harder for kids. Don’t expect them to sit down and study for four hours without a break. Encourage them to build in break time. They might take a walk around the neighborhood, get a healthy snack, or even get on their devices for a few minutes. Once their break time is up, it’s back to work. And of course, encourage them with fun rewards like Minecraft classes.

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.