While research shows that children's love of learning declines steadily from grades 3-9, this article explains how to motivate students by meaningfully connecting school to the real world, focusing on connecting science to the natural word, social studies to current events, literature to real-life experiences, and math applications to daily life.…

Discusses how parents can get their children to volunteer for community services, examining how volunteerism benefits children, how to choose a volunteer activity, and how to get children involved (e.g., having the parents serve as role models). Two sidebars focus on whether fund-raising teaches children about giving and how service-learning…

Discusses the importance of considering individual students' learning styles when encouraging them to practice their musical instruments at home on a regular basis, focusing on how to accommodate learning style preferences related to: light; time of day; persistence; nutritional intake; furniture design; practicing in pairs or small groups;…

Praise is better than punishment as a motivator for children, but both are manipulative and often backfire. Real encouragement comes in the form of honest, caring concern without strings attached. The paper presents examples of how to encourage children successfully. (SM)

Presents questions to help parents determine whether their teenagers have the drive to succeed in college. Questions examine such issues as the teenager's attitude about household tasks; ability to finish things; attitude toward school books; memory regarding school events; ability to study; ability to analyze mistakes; ability to start research…

Three basic activities can infuse classrooms with enjoyment and creativity: use of a total talent portfolio, practice of curriculum compacting, and creation of enrichment clusters. These three activities underlie the Schoolwide Enrichment Model, a blueprint for total school improvement. (SM)

These handouts describe: Respecting Differences to Find Common Ground (a PTA program to provide parents with ideas and resources for talking to their children about respecting diversity); tips for parents on helping their children understand and respect differences; and the Our Children Newsletter, which contains excerpts from the March 2002 Our…