MSI Press Blog

  We cannot tell the back story of 10 Quick Homework Tips without telling the story of is sister book, 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents . So, here is the link to that back story , which we shared last Sunday Back Story of  10 Quick Homework Tips by Cindy McKinley Alder & Patti Trombly [Please do read the back story for 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents to learn how Cindy and Patti met.] A few years ago, after listening to the frustrations of parents trying to find time for everything as well as struggling to work with their kids at home more during the pandemic, Patti and I decided to create a “quick tip” book to help. It seemed homework issues were especially overwhelming and challenging for busy parents.   So, we worked together again and wrote a short book on   easy ways parents could help ease the frustrations of homework battles.   10 Quick Homework Tips was not as time-consuming, but just as fun for us to write.   It feels great to share so man...

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...

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 .

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...

  Continuing our Caturday specials of sharing our authors and their cats, we present Cindy Alder and her family of cats.         Cindy is co-author of 10 Quick Homework Tips and 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents .  For posts about Cindy and her books, click HERE .

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. Song...

  Many thanks to Cindy McKinley Alder, co-author with Patti Trombly  of 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents and 10 Quick Homework Tips ,  for this guest post Preventing Summer Slide Cindy McKinley Alder     Summer Break is long and, often, when kids go back to school in the fall, they have lost a bit of learning.   This is called “Summer Slide”.   While the amount of time out of school is not likely to change, you can absolutely cut down the amount of learning loss over the summer months.   The key is to make things fun and authentic.   Handing out workbooks might be fun for some kids.   But if you think your kids would just roll their eyes and protest, try to find some real-life (and fun!) ways to get them practicing their skills.   For most kids, having some READING time every day during the summer is an excellent way to keep skills current over the months without school.   You can read to them if they are young or the...

  Well, oops, gee whiz, we missed this one when it came out, but the advice, like so much advice from Cindy is super, so, finally, here it is in our blog in the event you did not see it in Authority Magazine: The Five Things Parents Can Do to Help Their Children Survive and Thrive in School For more posts about Cindy and her books, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

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 .

  Today's tip for parents (from two talented teachers) comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly (yes, those are the two talented teachers). #17 Having a Homework Policy   How doth the little busy bee improve each shining hour And gather honey all the day from every opening flower! ~Isaac Watts   If your child is like most, he is probably as busy as a bee. Whether he has homework every day or seldom, truckloads or not much, it is important for your family to have a Homework Policy. This may include rules for when homework is to be completed, where, and how. Many fights stem from kids trying to put homework off until later in the evening or even for another day. If you establish rules that must be obeyed, your child will feel no need to argue. Choose a time when you or another responsible adult will be around to help out if needed. You could try first thing after school, just before or after dinner, bef...