A few weeks ago, we decided to share and brainstorm creative writing ideas at our staff meetings. Rather than the traditional approach of writing an essay based on a given title, we looked at how other activities (such as incorporating crafts, visualizing & verbalizing, drawing pictures, taking turns continuing a story, etc) can make creative writing much more fun!

It also gave us a good opportunity to try these activities out and experience what it is like being in our students’ shoes for a change.

Every now and then, we receive cards or letters from our past students and parents, reminding us why we do what we do. Here’s a beautiful one by Lea that we received recently.

Help me, hand me your hand,
pull me out of this abyss.
I can’t read,
tell me what’s wrong.
Why am I different,
Why can’t I read.
Help me, bring me,
to someone like me.
Teach me, give me,
all that you can.
Get me out,
set me free.
Let me fly,
let me be me.

Thank you Hilary, for setting me free.

We’ve been having fun exploring our huge collection of picture books at Hils over the last few weeks. One of the biggest misconceptions that we often hear about picture books is that they are only meant for younger children.

Picture books are great learning tools as they build on vocabulary, comprehension, predictive and deductive skills, all while drawing the reader into a highly imaginative and creative world! They are also great for interactive shared reading as well as acting as a platform for branching out into an endless list of fun activities.

Only a month left till Dr. Campbell-McBride’s half day lecture on Gut & Psychology Syndrome and we’re all very excited!
To find out more on the Gut and Psychology syndrome, please visit http://gaps.me/

To register for the lecture, either:
Email us at workshops@hilslearning.com
Register online at http://www.hilslearning.com/gaps
Or call us between 9am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday at 03 6012 0029.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Children who have great difficulty with numbers and number concepts are said to have Dyscalculia or the Math version of Dyslexia. For these children to gain access to the mysteries of Math, one of the most successful approaches is multisensory.

We’ve always known that learning by doing is the best way to promote understanding and very often, foster interest! By creatively manipulating everyday objects, children are able to better understand Math and its concepts. Abstract numbers become more apparent. Activities like measuring objects in the classroom, cutting cookies into halves and quarters, classifying groceries in the supermarket trolley; all bring Math to life!

We promote hands-on Math lessons at Hils because it works AND it’s fun. It puts true understanding and meaning to Math, that simple pushing numbers does not.