Registration is now open for our new creative writing classes for elementary school aged kids. Our student to teacher ratios for group classes are 3:1 minimum and 5:1 maximum.  In these classes, students will learn new creative writing skills through activities centered around Medieval History. Their projects will involve games like chess for one and other multi-sensory projects. As usual, we’ll make sure to include all learning styles and modes of learning. One of the large themes for this class will be a KID-SIZED chess game where they will do a project for each piece and learn how those pieces had a pivotal role in history. Two Examples of their projects representing the chess pieces will be:

1) The Queen, where the kids will make the royal perfume Medieval queens would wear – and write about it!

2) The Castle, they’ll learn all about the architecture of castles and build one of their own!

And that is just two on the class bucket list of fun.

Here is a picture of their life-sized game with hats for pieces until they build their own.

Medieval Times Themed Creative Writing Class at Imagination Learning Center – www.imaginationlearningcenters.com

We’ll be sure to post pictures of their progress and projects throughout the class. Registration is open now. Call #503-451-3162 or Email us via our Contact Page for more info!

THIS WEEK’s BOOK RECOMMENDATION:  The Brain Gym

Or come by the center to purchase a revised and updated teachers edition!

<3 Team ILC

Even though school started for most kids earlier this month, every Monday is truly a back to school or work day for many of us. So we bring you what’s inspired us most this monday morning, a podcast from This American Life! They are on the radio but also have smart phone apps and podcasts online and on itunes available for downloading or streaming from the internet. It’s well worth it to hear such awesome news about what scholars of multiple disciplines are bringing to the forefront of the education discussion in America. There are so many parallels in this podcast to the success our ILC kids are having. It provides out-of-the-box thinking, focusing, and findings I’ve yet to hear or read from typical news outlets.

Studies find possibility for positive intervention in education for kids at any stage of development with a simple change of focus in what is taught and prioritized by educators.

 

“Paul Tough discusses how “non-cognitive skills” — qualities like tenacity, resilience, impulse control — are being viewed as increasingly vital in education, and Ira speaks with economist James Heckman, who’s been at the center of this research and this shift.” (an excerpt from the T.A.L.’s podcast description)

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST AT THE LINK BELOW:

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/474/back-to-school

 

What an inspirational way to start the week. I am so grateful that the brilliant perspectives, evidence, findings and connections in this radio program/podcast reinforce our equally current and up-to-date programs and practices at ILC.

This MUST HEAR relevant and current education hour with Ira Glass presents current interviews, personal stories, current stats, evidence, and studies from some journalists, neuroscientists, economists, social psychologists and writers. People in differing disciplines ask out-of-the-box questions and find parallel truths in their findings. They discuss current evidence about focus in education and finding positive interventions for kids at any stage of development, including empowering topics like strong character and object constancy and how to eliminate inequality in upcoming generations through building **capability** within students at any stage of their development!

Another great part of the podcast is how they describe a study where kids who believed that intelligence was something that could be developed and grown, found 100% success bridging the gap between themselves and their peers who appeared smarter and previously more successful. Children who thought that intelligence was something unchangeable, something in their genetics, or something they were just born with, continued to compound their failure and re-enforced the belief that their intelligence could not grow–even though it could! Get the word out. We’ve had parents in tears in our center finding this out as adults and feeling such grief that they had believed they were dumb or not-smart-enough for something as well. The parents learn that they and their kids are capable of growing their intelligence. They begin to advocate for their children to have confidence that will inspire success.  They give their kids the gift of seeing possibilities at an earlier stage to which they did not have access in their own childhoods. After all, we want our kids to have the best the world has to offer. We want our kids to be happier and more successful at what they love to do. We want them to learn more than we could have ever dreamed possible. This is what we want to pass onto our future generations. That is the astounding beauty of how grit, resiliency, curiosity, and the hidden power of great character in parents, family members, and teachers can be passed on to the children of our present and future.

We are so glad to find such kindred spirits in this podcast and in the latest research and evidence across multiple disciplines. Parents, Teachers, Educators, and Education Advocates, prepare to be inspired. We are and we thank you Ira Glass, the contributors to the “Back To School” podcast released today and the team at This American Life!

Also, keep on the lookout for this week’s announcement of one of our new tutors and the latest creative writing class open for registration! It’s full of fascinating shenanigans. The last class she created involved mummifying store-bought chickens and sugar cube pyramids with corresponding drawn maps, to name only two projects. Stay tuned!

TeamILC <3

We have more than teachers and tutors in our learning center family! Meet the Family! We call these little helpers, “Squishies!” Fred, Quazmo, Lucy, Grup, and Bork help some of our more active kinesthetic learnings keep moving while sitting and listening to instructions when back in classroom atmospheres or when listening to us. These simple toys help include movement, a sense typically left for sports and out of academia, for those who need to move to learn. Many individuals are a mix of learning styles often with one or two dominant styles. We help kids and parents adapt their homework and classroom environments to include their learning styles and modes of learning through our series of workshops starting with one tomorrow night!

Join us for the first in our series of workshops for parents:

Free

Sept 11, 2012  - from 7pm-9pm

@ILC, More details and RSVP info:

http://www.imaginationlearningcenters.com/upcoming-events

We’ll learn more about the variety learning styles and latest research, the 5 modes of learning, and more. See how to understand and apply creative ways to enhance learning and comprehensive for yourself and your child!

Here is a taste of some of the great insight and creative solutions you can expect from Pam Davis at our workshops:

In a recent article in the Oregonian, it stated that only one third of 4th and 8th graders showed full proficiency in reading and nation testing. This means that two thirds of Oregon’s 4th and 8th graders are reading below grade level. Why is the system failing our children? Over the last 29 years, there has been much discussion regarding the relationship between an individual’s learning style and the student’s ability to learn (A learning style is the way a person learns best).

One of the most documented learning style models, the Modalities (types of sensory perception), analyzes how people remember. Is the predominate manner of taking in information visual, auditory, or kinesthetic? If the predominate manner of gathering information is visual, they learn through their eyes by reading, writing, picture clues, bright colorful posters, or bulletin boards. If the predominate manner of gathering information is auditory, they learn through their ears. But this does not mean that their best means of gathering info is through lectures by the teacher. These auditory learners need to hear themselves say it to remember it. These learners used to be called the “Chatty Cathy” or “Troublemaker”, those that seem to talk incessantly. Researchers are now learning that these students are not doing this verbal response to be social, but as a necessity to their learning. The kinesthetic individuals must learn by movement. The more movement the better, but they can participate in sedentary learning for short time periods if given a small object to manipulate quietly or by shaking or moving a foot or leg under the table. It becomes excruciatingly painful for them to be required to sit still for longer then ten minutes at a time.

Knowing what you have learned about these threetypes of individuals, imagine how they respond in a traditional classroom setting. The visual learners feel right at home. They love bright colorful bulletin boards, desks all in a row, and the series of workbooks, reading books and reports. The auditory learners can survive in this setting, but usually not without getting in trouble for talking to their neighbor, whispering to themselves or blurting out the answer usually without raising their hand. For the kinesthetic learner, it is pure torture unless there are frequent breaks and something to manipulate other than a pencil. Given these descriptions, it will probably come as no surprise to you that there are children in our classrooms that are “falling through the cracks”.

In the 2005 article in Latitudesby the Association for Comprehensive Neuro Therapy, it was documented that in the general population, 29% were visual, 34% were auditory, and 37% were kinesthetic learners. Since our traditional classes and curriculum are designed predominately for visual learners who comprise of a little less than a third of the population, it can be no surprise to you that only a third of the 4th and 8th graders are reading at or above grade level. We are doing a great job with the visual learners. Unfortunately that leaves two thirds of the population (auditory and kinesthetic learners) failing or falling behind the norm.

Why can’t we revamp our school system or traditional school setting to incorporate aspects that are more conducive to learning for the kinesthetic and auditory learners? I know it can be done, because I’ve seen the curriculum I’ve developed and use at Imagination Rehab work successfully in a classroom setting, as well as in a tutorial setting. I does take additional effort on teh part of teachers. They frequently have to step out of their comfort zone because 89% of teachers are visual learners. It can done; it’s worth the effort.
We could help by making the classroom environment more compatible for kinesthetic and auditory learners. Have ball chairs available for those kinesthetic learners that need to move while sitting. Have ipods or walkmans available for auditory learners to block outside noise and help them focus. Have students chance position every ten minutes or break for a couple of Brain Gymexercises before continuing the class. Let children know how long they will be in each position and stick to it. Make sure there is equal time for everyone: time to talk, time to move as well as sit. Who says everyone has to set in a chair at a desk to write or read. Some may prefer a pillow on the floor, standing at a taller table, or pacing with a clipboard to write on. I think we need to reconstruct our classroom space and our concept of appropriate behavior for learning. In the lease, we need to be more flexible and accepting of different learning needs. If a child were in a wheelchair, he wouldn’t be asked to leave the wheelchair outside the door to his classroom. Why are we sentencing two thirds of our children to a similar fate because we can’t see the way they are different or what their needs are? How many children in our classrooms do you want to learn, three out of ten or ten out of ten? I don’t think we will see any remarkable increase in the percentage of learners reading at grade level until our school systems address teh inequity of the instruction of students with various learning styles.

Another thought to consider is revamping the present curriculum, greatly decreasing the number of workbooks used to teach, and allowing more diverse methods of instruction. How about giving the other two thirds of our students and equal chance to succeed in learning, and therefore, providing them with better opportunities in life?

That is what we love to offer and give to our kids at the learning center every day. Even kids who learn well in ways typically practiced will learn and retain more with our curriculum and programs. Often we get to work with kids who are brilliant but bored in school. We show kids how smart they really are, that they can meet great challenges, and how fun learning can really be every single day. Let us know how we can help you via the contact form on our site or sign up for a free assessment for your child!

We hope to see you there. We have plenty more informative and fun resources to share!

All Our Best To You and Your Family,

ILC Team <3

Kiddo: “Oh, not math! I can’t do it!”
Teacher: “Well if you can’t do it, then a puppet can. Go pick out a puppet to play.”
Kiddo: “Okay!” (Kiddo brings back enough puppets for each student in the class to also use if they’d like.)
Teacher: “Okay everybody, we need one puppet to be the leader. Who wants to be the leader for this game?” 

Kiddo: “I do!” She said, using her puppet. The kiddo proceeded to do a great job learning while doing the math exercises and games using the puppet to speak her questions and answers–and the rest of the students joined right in with her. They all accomplished a lot of learning together that way. And the truth is, this particular kiddo is afraid of math but she’s really pretty good at it. There is a lesson for us adults in there, too.

Arnie Airmail

Chicken Mummification in our Archeology and Ancient Egypt Themed Creative Writing Classes. We give the kids a memorable and awesome hands-on experience to write about!

ARCHEOLOGY & ANCIENT EGYPTIAN THEMED CREATIVE WRITING CLASSES ARE NOW ENROLLING AT ILC!

CHICKEN MUMMIFICATION PROJECT SUMMARY: Here is our “How To” Blog for one of the most fascinating and fun hands-on projects we do with our creative writing students using, in this case, a historical Ancient Egypt theme. Over the course of 5 weeks, our students learn different styles of writing. With this project, they learn how to write step by step directions after following step by step instructions for mummifying a chicken the way Ancient Egyptians mummified people! Kids learn about ancient Egyptian burial traditions and strengthen their sequencing and comprehension skills as they write about mummifying a chicken!

SAFETY RULES AND NOTES: All parts of this project should be conducted with adult supervision. Adults, please be attentive to any surface the raw meat touches. Use proper kitchen clean-up procedures for any surface the raw chicken has touched(especially hands and counters). Do not refrigerate.

SUPPLIES and INGREDIENTS needed for one chicken mummification for all five weeks: If you want to have each kid mummify their own chicken, multiply the supplies below by number of chickens you plan to mummify.

• One whole store-bought chicken.
• Two 25 lb bags of table salt. (Egyptians used natron instead of salt)
• 1/3 cup of any cooking oil
• 3 TBSP cinnamon
• One yard of Muslin (cut or tear into 1 inch strips across the width of the fabric)
• 5 jumbo sized recyclable Ziploc bags (Obviously, Egyptians didn’t use Ziploc bags for people, they used a technology of the wooden box variety)
• Optional:  Beads or Egyptian shaped foam stickers of scarabs, the sacred eye, and ankh symbols to represent the stones and gold originally practiced by the Egyptians. The Ancient Egyptians used symbols carved in stone or gold tucked into the muslin strips (visible) once the mummification process was complete. They believed these symbolic objects would help the person in their afterlife.
• A clean baking sheet
• 5 recyclable plastic coverings for the counter and table surfaces the chicken will be set on throughout the weeks of the project.

WEEK #1: Prepping chicken and placing it in an air-tight bag of salt.

• Step 1 – Unwrap and place the store-bought chicken on a baking sheet.
• Step 2 – Take out the innards of the chicken and fill the inside of the chicken with salt.

• Step 2.5 – What to do with the innards? We throw them all away and focus on the large chicken mummification process. However, we explain to the kids that the Ancient Egyptians threw away the brains and other innards but left the heart inside for Anubis to find and weigh (Anubis, the Egyptian god of cemeteries and mummification). They removed, saved, and mummified the intestines and other selected organs on a smaller scale. They put these mummified parts in what they called, Canopic Jars. Canopic Jars were made of stone and buried with the mummy.

• Step 3 – After Filling the chicken with salt, put the chicken inside a Large Ziploc Bag.

• Step 4 – Fill the bag with salt surrounding the whole chicken.
• Step 5 – Seal the plastic bag.

• Step 6 – Place the bag with the chicken and salt in a safe place and let it sit for one week unopened.
• Step 7 – Clean and disinfect hands and any other surface the raw chicken touched.

WEEK #2: Change the salt for the first time.

• Step 1 – Open the Ziploc bag
• Step 2 – Take the chicken out of the bag of salt and place it in an area designated for the salty chicken. We recommend placing it on a baking sheet again or placing it on a surface covered in plastic.
• Step 3 – Remove the loose salt from the inside of the chicken.
• Step 4 – Discard used salt and bag. **Notice the dark areas where the chicken is beginning to mummify!

• Step 3 – Fill the inside of the chicken with fresh salt.
• Step 4 – Put the salty and partially mummified chicken into an unused Ziploc bag and surround it with fresh salt.
• Step 5 – Seal the plastic bag.

• Step 6 – Place the bag with the chicken and salt in a safe place and let sit for one week!
• Step 7 – Clean and disinfect hands and any other surface the salty chicken touched.

WEEK #3: Changing the salt again! Repeat Steps from Week #2.

**Notice where the chicken’s surface is darkening and mummifying more than last time.

WEEK #4: Change the salt for the 3rd and last time. Repeat steps from week #2 or #3. (we’ll put them below so you can just keep scrolling down more easily but not they are the same steps with more of the chicken darkening and mummifying over time)

**Notice where the chicken’s surface is darkening and mummifying more than last time.

WEEK #5: Time to take the chicken out of the salt bag for the final time and add oil and spices! Then wrap the oily spiced mummified chicken in muslin strips!

• Step 1 – Open the Ziploc bag
• Step 2 – Take the chicken out of the bag of salt and place it in an area designated for the salty chicken. We recommend placing it on a baking sheet again or placing it on a surface covered in plastic.
• Step 3 – Remove the loose salt from the inside of the chicken.
• Step 4 – Discard used salt and bag. The chicken is officially mummified!

• Step 5 – rinse the salt off the chicken with water and dry with paper towells.
• Step 6 – Rub the mummified chicken with oils.
• Step 7 – Rub the mummified chicken with spices (cinnamon)

• Step 8 – Wrap the chicken with the torn strips of muslin fabric until the whole chicken is wrapped and covered with muslin.

HOORAY!!!! HERE IS THE FINISHED MUMMIFIED CHICKEN!!

Now, kids can add beads or Egyptian symbol stickers by tucking them into the muslin or leave it as is! Theoretically, the chicken can also now be stored indefinitely smelling of oily cinnamon but it is up to the adults in charge to decide how long, where, and whether or not the mummies are kept once completed in class.

Thanks for following us! We hope you love this project as much as we do. Stay tuned here for more fun projects and learning tips from our Owner/Director, Pam Davis, at Imagination Learning Center!

"My kids have so much fun learning and growing here with all the games--and they retain the lessons! When their classes are over it's like trying to get them to leave a playground. You have to promise them they can come back again." - ILC Parent

This Summer, at Imagination Learning Center, we’re introducing our new Egyptian Archeology Themed Creative Writing Program!

Kids and parents request we tailor a creative writing class for this Summer. And we are ready!!! As an exciting and challengingly fun way to continue learning over the Summer, kids will explore various projects designed to capture their imaginations and help them to take personal ownership of the writing projects that follow each hands-on activity. As many of you probably know, the more of the senses included in learning processes for kids, the better they retain the material learned and the process used to get that information. We will learn about archeology as we explore mummies, pyramids, the pharaohs, and daily life in ancient Egypt. From digging in the mud for artifacts to mummifying store-bought chickens, these 3rd-6th grade boys and girls will have plenty of adventures, historical content, and wonderful activities to write about!

Our adventure themed, game format, hands-on Reading, Math, Writing, Handwriting, and Spelling group classes and private sessions are open for registration now and throughout the Summer.

Stay tuned here for pics, free parent workshops, how-to’s, tips, and insights!

Call 503-451-3162 to sign up for classes or sessions! We are happy to offer a free assessment for your child throughout the Summer in the subject of your choice!

Treasures and Spy Glasses Await,
The Imagination Learning Center Team

LEGO COMMERCIAL:

Sometimes kids arrive to their first class at Imagination Learning Center kicking and screaming because they’re kids who’ve struggled in school and who’ve had their parents take them to various tutoring services or programs that were unsuccessful and painful. Recently, a very bright boy started out with us a few weeks ago very upset and frustrated about having to try another program for writing. His mom expressed how much he hated to write but knew ILC would help. Well!

We are super happy to report today that he wrote a phenomenal paragraph and ended up turning his writing assignment into a monologue for a commercial for Legos 14 sentences long! He was so excited and talking on and on about his commercial. We made sure he was writing on a topic he was interested in but he took it to a whole new level! Do we have a director or screenwriter in our midst? Perhaps!! Whatever the case, he’s having a great time now and adding his own creative twists to already fun writing games!

ADAPTING READY-MADE GAMES FOR LEARNING:

For a student we work with who is within the Autism Spectrum, we’ve adapted some games from Highlights Magazine for him to continue to explore comprehension and fluency in reading (detective style, of course!):

Takes 3 weeks (one session per week) for each mystery to be solved and each mystery occurs in a foreign country. So students get to learn about countries as they read and solve the mystery! They basically read a story, work puzzles in their “puzzle book” to get clues, and they read maps of the country throughout. So they navigate different kinds of reading and problem solving throughout the process and are curious to get to the next clue! There are 6 suspects and the kids have to use the clues to solve down to one.

1st week –  Who did it?
2nd week – What was stolen?
3rd week – Where was it hidden?

This is also one of the game examples we show parents in our parent workshop that covers how to adapt store-bought or “found” games for learning. Keep an eye out on our events page for this workshop as we repeat it a few times a year!

BRAIN GYM:

What movements engage different parts of the brain for you and your kids? What movements help us relax? What movements help us focus? What movements help us focus on certain subjects?! For answers, Join us in April at our next Brain Gym Workshop!

RSVP via our contact form and look here for more information: http://www.imaginationlearningcenters.com/upcoming-events

All our best,

The Imagination Learning Center Team <3

Related Event

• Event Title and Host: Discovering The Brain Gym! By Pam Davis, Director of ILC
• Date: Tuesday, April 10th 2012
• Time: 7:00pm
• City: Discovering The Brain Gym! By Pam Davis, Director of ILC in Portland
• Venue: Imagination Learning Center
• Address: 15280 NW Central Drive #101
• Country: United States
• Admission: FREE
• Notes: Exercises that activate different parts of the brain to help kids focus. Especially great for active kids or kids who need to move to learn (who learn kinesthetically). The Brain Gym book will be available for purchase during this event. Childcare provided during event (ages 6-16): video and crafts to keep them entertained!
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal

FREE OPEN HOUSE & KID’S CONCERT
When: September 18, 2011
Time: 1pm-4pm (concert starts at 3pm)
Where: Imagination Learning Center
15280 NW Central Dr. #101
Portland, OR 97229
Music: – Marianna and the Vamps- Outstanding live music for the whole family!
What: An open house offering a meet and greet, refreshments, demonstrations of our game format programs, FREE prizes, and live music!

FREE KIDS CONCERT
When: September 25, 2011
Time: 3pm-4pm
Where: Imagination Learning Center
15280 NW Central Dr. #101
Portland, OR 97229
Music: Guitarist and Songwriter, Hans Barklis, will be joining us for an interactive kids concert to share some of his new songs off the kids album he’s writing! Hear him online at www.hansbarklis.com

Email us at: info@imaginationlearningcenters.com
Website: www.imaginationlearningcenters.com
Follow us on Facebook for more free events and important family educational resources: www.facebook.com/imaginationlearningcenter
Follow us on Twitter: @imagineLC

For those of you who’ve been asking, here it is! We are very happy officially to announce that we offer group classes! There are exciting things in the works and it’s going to be a wonderful summer!

This year has been peppered with inspiring successes. From kids within the Autism Spectrum, Down Syndrome, and ADD/ADHD to general needs kids who have a renewed love and appreciation for learning while having fun. We are honored to share that we’d now offering group classes! We’ve been surrounded by some great little detectives, pirates, and construction workers (some of the themes in our programs) and we’re looking forward to expanding!

Bring your child to learn with us through play in a safe, imaginative, creative, and loving environment unlike any other learning center in the city. Our unique, original, and ground-breaking programs are tailored to each child and each class using all learning styles and a multi-sensory approach.

Subjects offered for group classes are:

READING (detectives)

MATH (pirates and mermaids)

LANGUAGE ARTS (construction, tools, roads)

HANDWRITING (mixed media, building blocks, detectives)

SPELLING (detective clues!)

Bean bag and ball chairs, wide open space, and games await!

All Our Best,
The Team at Imagination Learning Center <3

• Balderdash
• UpWords
• Travel Scrabble
• Boggle
• Bananagrams
• Apple letters
• Pair in Pears
• MadGad
• Word Teasers
• Sidewalk Chalk
• Race Track

Parents can also adapt these traditional store bought games to help their kids learn specific lessons. Look at your child’s homework and see what games might be most helpful and what you may need to adapt, limit, or expand in the rules of the game to make it relevant to where they are at. Think outside the game box so there is more joy in learning for everybody!!!

~The Imagination Learning Center Team