The K5 - elementary education for parents

Teaching Similes & Metaphors Through Art!

It’s time for similes and metaphors next week. And do you remember the difference between them?  And how do I explain them to my kid?  Arghhh…does it bring you back to that nasty grammar class in 6th grade.  Help is here.
It’s all about “as or like” and “is”.
Let’s start with a simile.
A simile is an [...]

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The Beginning, Middle & End of a Story

We all know that reading is an important and great activity to share with your children.  But what can you do to help your kids pay more attention to the content of what they are reading?  Here’s a terrific activity that is simple and easy to do, and will create great artwork to stick on [...]

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Death & Parenting

Not the most pleasant topic, but I have read this blog a few times and author Dave Bry has some very funny things to say about parenting and well, explaining death to his fiver-year-old son.  Take a break and read it. I guarantee you’ll relate to what he says and find yourself laughing in minutes.  Click [...]

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Can Your Kid Find Canada On A Map?

I love the Winter Olympics.  I love the way only the Olympics brings together the world for two weeks.
But if you are watching the Olympics with your kids, I bet they don’t know where Estonia is.  Or Lithuania?  How about The Netherlands? Or even Finland?  Egypt? Australia?  Japan?  Can you find all of these countries [...]

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The Idiot Proof Valentine’s Day Card

Everybody gets so fancy when it comes to Valentine’s Day and to be honest, I think it stresses out both kids and adults.  Here is an easy Valentine’s Day little something that most everyone can make.
Materials:
Two pieces of different colored paper
A pencil, pen or marker
Glue
Scissors
Fold one piece of paper the long way (the “hot dog” [...]

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Teach Your Kid What You Love

One of the most important and rewarding activities for you, as a parent, is to introduce your kids to topics that YOU find interesting. The subjects don’t need to be part of the school curriculum or even something your kids will eventually study in school, but they need to be something that you feel passionate [...]

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Playful Learning: Letter Writing with Younger Children

I think letter writing is one of the best ways to encourage kids to write. They can choose to write a full-blown letter or a simple postcard.
Either way, Mariah at Playful Learning (www.playfullearning.net) has some terrific tips for doing this type of activity.  She also has ready-made paper that you can print right from her [...]

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THe MystEry OF CapitAliZatIon

i knOw A LoT of Adults wHo gEt confUsed as to wHat To  capitAlize. Here aRe the basics to help explain it your kid:
1. Someone’s name or their title, when used before their name:
Otis
President Obama
Doctor Herdez
2. The name of a group of organization:
San Francisco Giants
The New York Times
The United Way
Stanford University
United States Congress
3. At the [...]

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How Do I Help My Kid With Their Writing? Grades K/1

Something I absolutely love about teaching the lower grades in elementary schools is being witness to the process of kids learning that they can write down their own ideas. I would watch a kid struggle making the circles and lines that form our alphabet, then to copy simple, dictated sentences and then something would [...]

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How To Help Your Kid’s Writing Without Fighting – Grades 3-5

Can’t stand to watch your kid make the same error over and over again but every time you try to correct them they swat you away with a third arm that has the strength of an alligators tail and the skin of a shark. You fly across the room, but being a parent, you crawl [...]

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