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Show THE DAILY HERALD. (www.HarkTheHerald.com), Provo, Utah, Monday. June 4, 2001 Page Alp THE SECRET SCHOOL Use summer break to hone children's skills By AVI Illustrated by Brian Floca I'd like to title today's discussion the "7 Habits of Highly Effective Parents During Summer Vacation" ... so they produce highly effective kids. With apologies to Steven Covey for the blatant borrowing of your excellent title Steve, I hope you're at Island Park when this comes out. Back to the subject, let's look at. what you can do during the school break to help keep your kids tuned up. NOTES FROM THE CLASSROOM THE STORY SO FAR; Having kept the school open with Ida as teacher, all the children were required to take final exams. The results will come in by mail. one-roo- CHAPTER EIGHTEEN fly-fishi- 1) See that your kids read. Kids of all ages should read every day. Reading is the single most important skill your child can develop. Don't let reading skills erode over the summer. See to it that your younger chil- dren read at least 20 minutes a day. Your older children should read 30 minutes a day. 2) Read to your kids. Kids of all ages love to be read to. Select a book you can read as a family; start with something shorter and funny. (Try "The Best School Year Ever.") Read articles from the newspa- Mike Rutter minutes per subject, once a week. 5) Expand your child's horizons. Visit several educational sites during the summer places you wouldn't have time to visit during school months. Consider museums, art galleries, interpretive centers, zoos, historical centers. Talk about what you see. 6) Take the time to teach geography on site. If you travel in or out of state, buy each child a map of where you're going. Each child should trace the progress on a map. Talk about deserts, mountain ranges, rivers and cities as you go. Show your child how to read a legend. per. In the winter when school is in session, it's d easy to get into an reading routine. In the summer when things' are less regimented, try setting a time eaich day. out-lou- Make outings an adventure. It doesn't matter if you're going up the local canyon or to London, to a local park or to 7) 3) Take your kids to the library. Our public libraries are wonderful resources. They also have a lot of interesting activities for kids during the summer, from special displays to storytellers. Each kid should get to pick out a few books and do some browsing. Librari-- . ans can help your child find just the right book. 4) The Results Refresh your kids. Save last year's tests, worksheets and assignments (or you can buy grade level workbooks), and go over your child's major subjects during the summer months. Divide the work into sections, about 15 to 30 Disneyland. Family outings are fun; go on lots of them. A child should feel a sense of adventure when you do things together. Grab a bucket of chalk and make a mural on the sidewalk. Go to a drive-imovie and eat homemade popcorn. Do things together. n Michael Rutter is a Christa McAuliffe Fellow who has authored numerous articles and textbooks. He teXiches English at. Provo High School and at Brigham Young University. The week following the exam was a nerve racking time for Ida. Felix, as usual, was happy to be home, and loved to tag after his sister or his parents, trying to be helpful in whatever way he could. But having been at school each weekday save for the days Mr. Jorand dan had closed it having become used to being in charge, staying at home was difficult for Ida. At least there were always things that had to be done, like helping her mother in the house or with the baby, or working with her father in the pastures or in the barn with the sheep. But Ida could barely wait for the end of each day. Then she and Felix drove down to check the mail! Their mailbox was about a mile away, one of a line of seven battered mailboxes for those families living at the head of Elk Valley. It was the end of the road. The postman ventured no further. For six days the red mailbox flag was down when Ida and Felix arrived. Then, exactly one week after the day of the exam, the flag was up. "It's here!" Ida screamed at Felix as they drew close. "Clutch. Brake!" The car skittered to a stop. Without waiting for Felix to get himself out, Ida untied the door, leaped out, then raced to the . mailbox. ; Inside were two pale tan envelopes, each one addressed in an elegant, scrolling hand. One was for "Miss Ida Bidson," the other for "Master Felix Bidson." 1 Handing Felix his envelope, Ida tore open her envelope. Inside was a printed form, but with parts written in blank Teachers, Parents, Educators! $ 4 spaces: This certifies Check out The Daily Herald's Newspaper In Education Website for tun activities, lesson plans and so much more! www. hera ' ntt that Ida ft Colorado, has completed the course of study with honors prescribed for common schools, and is entitled tb enter the high school at Silver Springs, for the year beginning Sept. 14, 1925. Yours truly, assured him. Graduation exercises were held a week later in schoolhouse. the The students had bedecked it with flowers. A trestle table had been Herbert shouted out, "But you'll have to pay her then!" . After the ceremonies, food and refreshments were served. Someone had brought some fireworks, so that at dusk a final celebration was held. In the glare of the explosions, the Valley. surrounding mountaintops seemed to glisten with one-roo- m brought in. It was laden with enough food and lemonade for the whole over The ceremonies which Mr. Jordan presided Miss Gertrude began outside with the Sedgewick raising of the flag. Then County Examiner everyone trooped inside. Even Herbert was there. On a separate piece of I One by one the students paper a note was included. were called upon youngest first, then on to through the oldest My dear Ida: I have been most impressed by recite. There were poems, excerpts from famous orayou and what you have done. If you would care to tions, speeches from Shaketake board in my home in speare, and other bits and the fall so you could pieces from literature attend high school it everything taken from could be arranged. It their readers. Interspersed would cost your parents were songs sung by all the children. Finally, the stu nothing. You may consider dents were called up, handit a scholarship. G.S. ed certificates of promoThere was yet a third tion, and given a handanothof shake from each member of with paper, piece er note. the school board. Ida was the last one to Dear Miss Bidson, be called. As she stepped up to I'm happy to inform you receive her diploma, Mr. that all of your students Jordan cleared his throat. except Herbert Bixler "In addition to graduating completed their exams from eighth grade, Miss with varying degrees of success. Congratulations! Ida Bidson, who acted as our schoolteacher, deserves special recogniGertrude Sedgewick tion. Even I can see that." "I passed!" Ida ' The adults applauded. The children cheered. screamed. "Most everyone "And here's hoping," Mr. passed!" "Did I?" asked Felix as Jordan continued, "she'll he studied his paper go on and become a real teacher, then come on intently. "You sure did," Ida back to this same school." Your r "3. Bidson, age 14, a resident of the town of Elk Valley, of Royce County, State of 1 fire. "We're real proud of you, Ida," her mother said as the family drove home. Mr. Bidson was in the driver's seat. Felix and Ida were in the back. n "Real proud," Mr. agreed. "Only thing is, you've got some real work cut out for you this summer." "Why?" Ida said, slightly alarmed. "Well, you'll be going to high school in the fall, right? Boarding with that Miss Sedgewick. That means we'll be losing a strong pair of hands. The more work you get done this summer, the easier it's going to be for the rest of us when you go." "Get Tom up here!" Felix shouted. "He'll do anything for Ida." The family laughed. Ida's face turned red. And though she closed her eyes, all she could see was brightness. Bid-so- The End Text copyright Avi 2000 by Illustrations copyright 2000 by Brian Floca Reprinted by permission of Breakfast Serials source for buying and selling 3 ldexira-nie.co- m iiisiiii 1 ((i) 0 & ti tp r DBooDecCi 2ii 1 -a - ... i I 1 1 5 2 oo js" " V m I ( y i, -- '.".. fJ-- "" "' '"' " ... .' '"? "J! mm'. long-taile- d pterosaur had a short wingspan and probably could maneuver well in the air. It had very long, curved teeth, well suited for snclching fish out of the water. It is one of the oldest This ., I J jr f 'in ,:: ; .. ; .!.'., ivr;.. ".v.- r vr y-' n known Jura ;sic pterosaurs. n 1 so mm (dot -- USZUM VNacNTljrc Order- - Pterosaurs D 3 Species - banthensis Suborder- - Rhamphorhynchoidea Family- - Rhamphorhynchidae Size- - 3.3 feet wingspan Artwork, Kelly Pugh, Copyright WM. 2000 3 a |
