My SD Moms 
There comes a time in every child’s life when the word “homework” brings about utters of protest, deft maneuvers out of sight, and other less-than-enthusiastic reactions. Reinforcing school lessons at home is important to your child’s growth and development, but when can a busy mom find the time and energy to combat a child’s negative sentiments about extra study time?
Making your child’s school lessons relevant to his or her home life doesn’t have to be a hassle. You can incorporate lessons learned in the classroom into your child’s daily routine in many fun, unassuming ways.
Here are a few tips on how to reinforce your child’s school lessons at home without eliciting grumbles and groans:
Utilize your time together – For starters, make the best use of the time you already spend with your child. Take advantage of daily routines – such as walking or driving your child to school – as perfect opportunities for alphabet refreshers, impromptu spelling bees or test review. Dinner preparation using measurement tools and Monopoly game nights can also serve as great inconspicuous math lessons. Storytime can also be augmented with a discussion about how your child’s bedtime story relates to a story he or she read in the classroom.
Real life science experiments – Opportunities to learn about biology, ecology and life cycles abound in a child’s everyday life. Take to the backyard garden or the local zoo to discuss plant life cycles or animal classifications, or take a walk around the neighborhood to identify different flora and fauna your child learned at school. For an astronomy lesson, take a look up at the stars during a backyard camping trip and see if your child can name all the planets in the solar system.
Take advantage of family outings – Although family trips to the zoo, nature conservancies and museums are obvious learning opportunities for your child, everyday routines, like a trip to the grocery store or dining out at a local restaurant, also provide perfect settings for mathematics lessons with tips, discounts and totals to be calculated at every turn.
Lessons outside the classroom – Supporting your child’s school lessons may involve teaching them what it means to be a Good Samaritan. Emphasize the importance of “reducing, reusing and recycling” by taking your child to a local recycling center, or teach them about donating goods and volunteering time for worthy causes. For the perfect fusion of both, have your child lend a helping hand in your next DonorNation campaign. Not only can your family clean out your closets, but you also demonstrate reuse at its finest and donate a portion of the proceeds from your sales to local schools.
[DonorNation Edu-Blog]
