MSI Press Blog

  Cndy McKinley is a parent, a teacher, and a writer.  She grew up in Milford, Michigan, and has lived there for about 40 years, attending Huron Valley Schools.  Cindy has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in the Teaching of Reading from Eastern Michigan University.  She taught lower elementary for seven years, also in Huron Valley Schools, both at Kurtz Elementary and Country Oaks Elementary.  Her children attended the very same elementary, middle school, and high school as she did! She now tutors children of all ages in the community and teaches English at Oakland Community College in Royal Oak.  She’s been teaching for over 25 years. In 2002 her first book, a children’s book called  One Smile,  was published.  It won the Benjamin Franklin award that year.  In 2013 her second children’s book,  One Voice,  came out. It immediately won the Preferred Choice Award and the Carol Reiser Award.  Both books show how simple random acts of kindness can change th

🌟   5 Tips for Surviving This Time off of School and in the House!  🌟 To be sure, this is an unprecedented time, and an unusual break from school. Your  kids might feel frustrated they aren’t getting to go to school, see their friends, and engage in their favorite sports and activities right now.   But every time your family chooses to stay home, help your kids see that they are actually being brave and helpful. You can help your kids think of this time not like a punishment, but rather like they are giving their community a great gift. Staying home, as many are, is a true act of solidarity. It’s a sacrifice they can give so that nurses, doctors, and all those for whom it is not possible to stay home and protected (from first responders to grocery store personnel, and many, many others) can continue to do their jobs and keep the rest of us safe and keep our lives as normal as possible. Here are a few ideas from an article I wrote about stopping Summer Slide and from my boo

Exceptional teachers Cindy McKinley and Patti Trombly have put together a book that can help any parent through this extended period of sheltering in place. Packed with home activities for learning, readers can pick any number that appeal to them or fit their personal family circumstances. Here is one example that is bound to make the time spent in lockdown more fun: #231 What’s the Matter? Matter is everywhere, but what exactly is it, anyway? Matter is something that is observable with some of our five senses. Matter has weight and takes up space. It is all around us. To help your child understand the concept of matter, as well as its various phases, here are some facts to share and activities you can try: (1) Discuss what is and is not matter. (For instance rocks, milk, and air are matter; ideas, words, and feelings are not.)  (2) Make a chart of what you come up with. Look around your home, even take a walk or a drive to find examples around you.  (3) Further

Exceptional teachers Cindy McKinley and Patti Trombly have put together a book that can help any parent through this extended period of sheltering in place. Packed with home activities for learning, readers can pick any number that appeal to them or fit their personal family circumstances. Here is one example that is bound to make the time spent in lockdown more fun: #144 Steal the Beat From a very young age, parents and teachers use song and rhyme to teach children information. From teaching the different sounds animals make in “Old McDonald” to learning the letters of the alphabet in the “Alphabet Song,” children grasp concepts and information easier when it’s presented in rhyme or song or both! Keep that in mind when you see your child struggling with a difficult task or concept. Try brainstorming with your child a rhyme that might help her spell a certain word or remember a definition.  It is usually easiest to utilize a song that everyone is familiar with. Songs su

Exceptional teachers Cindy McKinley and Patti Trombly have put together a book that can help any parent through this extended period of sheltering in place during the current covid 19 pandemic. Packed with home activities for learning, readers can pick any number that appeal to them or fit their personal family circumstances. Here is one example: #203  Bug Off!  (Game for +, −, ×, ÷) Materials: a new fly swatter; flashcards, or note cards. 1. Hand your child the fly swatter and tell her she’s going to practice math. Already she’s interested and ready to enjoy this game to help improve basic math facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. 2. Place cards with the answers to math facts she is working on in school or struggling with, face up, spreading them fairly far apart. Then, simply ask a question such as, “What is 3x4?” and have her slap the fly swatter on the index card with the correct answer. Variations: • Use another fly swatter and play the

Given a growing number of states with stay-home orders, many parents find themselves home with their children whose schools have been closed and searching for ways to both entertain and education them. Here is one easy-to-use at home tip from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents . #11 Thinking Out Loud    Enthusiasm is contagious. Start an epidemic.  ~Unknown     Did you know that talking to yourself not only helps you organize your thoughts but also helps your child? When you are working through a problem, make it a point to say what you are thinking out loud. Look for opportunities to do this. For example:  "I need to make 100 cupcakes for the bake sale. If each muffin tin makes 12 cupcakes and I have 2 muffin tins I can make 24 at a time. So, let’s see… how many batches will I need to bake? I will divide 100 by 24…."     Your child will realize that adults, like children, must go through a series of steps to conquer a problem. If you're enthusiastic

And, as the school year re-starts, reminding parents of Cindy McKinley's tips for a successfull school year seems to be quite in order -- these tips were publishing on the Finding Your Path Project website last fall, but they are every bit as good for the winter. Here they are: the 8 tips . For a whole year's worth of tips, see her book, 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents .

As school starts again, here are some great books for parents. All are available from online sellers, through local retailers, and at discount (code FF25 for 25% discount) from the MSI Press webstore. Want to read some excerpts first? Here you go: 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents (McKinley & Trombly): #11 Thinking Out Loud   Enthusiasm is contagious. Start an epidemic.  ~Unknown Did you know that talking to yourself not only helps you organize your thoughts but also helps your child? When you are working through a problem, make it a point to say what you are thinking out loud. Look for opportunities to do this. For example: "I need to make 100 cupcakes for the bake sale. If each muffin tin makes 12 cupcakes and I have 2 muffin tins I can make 24 at a time. So, let’s see… how many batches will I need to bake? I will divide 100 by 24…." Your child will realize that adults, like children, must go through a series of steps to conquer a problem. If you're e

Cindy McKinley, co-author of 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents , contributed recently to " How to Become an Elementary School Teacher, According to 3 People Who Did It " by the editors of Up Journey . If you are interested in becoming an K-8 teacher or know someone who is, the article has some great inside information.

MSI Press author, Cindy McKinley, has contributed another helpful article to The Finding Your Path Project, that supports youth through school transitions. The article is called, "8 Tips for Parents for a Successful School Year" and can be read in its entirety at the Finding your Path Project website .

What are the benefits to being a teacher? Long-time teacher and MSI Press author ( 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents ) knows! Recently, Cindy was requested to contribute to an article in Up Journey : " The Benefits of Being a Teacher, According to 9 Teachers ." The journalist writes: What are the advantages and benefits of the teaching profession? We asked experts to provide some great insights. MSI Press's Cindy was one of those experts. Yes!

The Finding Your Path Project recently published 30 back to school tips from experts: five of them came from MSI Press author, Cindy McKinley ( 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents , co-authored with Patti Trombly),

Cindy McKinley ( 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents , coauthored with Patti Trombly) shared some of her secrets for avoiding summer learning loss with reporter Kerry Griffiths.

Our author, Cindy McKinley (365 Teacher Secrets for Parents, written together with Patti Trombly) was featured in "11 Parenting Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List" on TODAY Parenting. The book is available at our webstore: www.msipress.com/shop and at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, other online retailers, and select local bookstores. For more information about Cindy and her writing, check here .

Cindy McKinley, co-author of 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents , is posting a weekly set of activities for kids to keep their skills sharp over summer -- in a fun way. Her first post is above. To follow her over the summer on her Face Book page, click here. Visit Cindy's web page for all sorts of parenting help. More information is available on Cindy's book on her MSI Press book page. As with other MSI Press books, the book can be ordered at 25% discount, using code FF25 when checking out, for followers of this blog at the MSI Press webstore. And, a bonus -- an unrelated by heartwarming story by Cindy on The Real Us .

With Summer Vacation just around the corner, now is the perfect time to check in with your child's teacher and see what s/he suggests your child works on over the loooooong break.     Does he need to memorize multiplication facts?    Does she need to improve comprehension? We'll check in every so often and give you FUN ways to STOP that SUMMER SLIDE.   To start you off, try something like this to make sure your child at least gets in some reading and writing every day. Happy Summer! (from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents )