Eleanor Munson, PhD

Educational Consultant

Archives for February 2011

Five Ways to Create a Whine-Free Spring Break

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spring flowersSpring break is just weeks away. Whether you’re going on a vacation or at home for a staycation, you want to create happy memories for you and your children.  Here are the top tips I’ve learned from other moms or created myself to ensure everyone has the space and quiet time they need to explore their interests, which usually results in a fun vacation.

Create a whine-free travel zone

You are not a bad mom if you think traveling with kids is stressful – it is!  As a child, did you ever ask, “are we there yet?”  It’s funny to think that when we were kids, we didn’t have DVD players built into our cars or DS’s to occupy our time.  So how do we explain the fact that kids today still ask the same question again and again?  My answer is – then and now – kids get bored without the right stimulation.

Top Four Travel Suggestions

#1  Peruse Itunes for a children’s audiobook  

Download a classic or one of your favorite childhood books…or start a series.  For younger kids (4-8), The Magic Treehouse, Curious George, or Madeline books are popular – for a reason.  Kids 8-12 might enjoy Alex Rider, Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys, Judy Moody, and The Boxcar Children books.  Older readers enjoy The Redwall, Keys to the Kingdom, and The Chronicles of Narnia series.

#2  Try something new…  
Buy games that you reserve only for travel, so your kids experience the joy of something new.  Good games include Old Maid, Travel Bingo, and Farkel. It could be something other than a game — a new sticker book, little containers of playdough, post it notes and crayons, or a disposable digital camera.

#3  Never underestimate the power of snacks
Pack some healthy foods that are a little different than what you usually have at home.  Think grapes, cherry tomatoes, beef jerky, mini muffins, cheerios, fruit leather and granola bars.  You might want to stash some little boxes of sweetened cereal or skittles just in case….

#4  Beloved technology… 
Some faithful backups include a new game for the DS or Leapster (Tip: You can rent DS and PSP games at Blockbuster), portable DVD player with movies and headphones, Mad Libs or a new kid-friendly smartphone App.

Beat the Staycation Blues

You don’t get a medal for being with your child every minute of spring break; you get (more) gray hair!  A week of vacation is a bigger routine change for your child than it is for you, so making sure they stay in some kind of routine where they spend time in a structured activity is a good thing.  Don’t feel guilty – feel grateful that there are more activities offered than ever during the week of Spring Break.

Dallas Spring Break Options
  • Canyon Creek Gymnastics and Tumbling Center  9am-1pm/1pm-5pm/or 9am to 5pm, ages 3 and up, $25 daily or $115 for the week for 1/2 day program, $49 daily or $200 for the week for full day program, early drop off available
  • Dallas Chess Club  9am-12pm/1pm-4pm/or 9am-4pm, ages 6 to 15, $250 a week for 1/2 day, $400 a week for full day, also-Introduction to Video Game Creation Camp
  • Dallas Zoo  9am-4pm, PreK-5th grade, $215, before and after care available
  • Jewish Community Center  9am-4pm, K-6th grade, $65 per day or $300 for the week (non-members), before and after care available, also-tennis, gymnastics and dance camps
  • Kids Cooking Company  9am-12pm or 1pm-4pm, ages 4 through 4th grade, $50 a day or $250 for the week
  • Sportsplex  9am-4pm, K-6th grade, $225, after care available
  • Sur La Table  10am-12pm, March 14th-16th only, ages 8 through 12, $150
  • Top Golf  10am-2pm, ages 5 to 14, $225

If you don’t travel or send your child to camp, you can always make the argument for staying at home, sleeping late, reading, and watching TV in your pj’s.  Either way, create a plan that works for your family and enjoy the week off.

© Eleanor Munson, PhD. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Eleanor Munson, PhD is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eleanor Munson, PhD with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Top Reasons to Consider an Academic Summer Program

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chalkboardHave the last five snow days given you a new appreciation for school?  You are not alone!  Every mom I’ve spoken with has run out of games, crafts, and activities for the kids.

Having your kids home day after day is not good for you or them.  SO…..let’s talk summer programs!  You don’t want to be caught without a good mix of activities for your learning-lovers which means you need to start NOW.  Read this post to get smart about selecting academic summer programs for your child.

Summer Programs of the Academic Kind

Why should you consider an academic summer program?

  1. Because it will make your kids happy.  FACT ALERT:  Research shows that spending time with intellectual peers, as opposed to age mates, is critical to the happiness and well-being of bright children.
  2. Because it will give them access to kids like themselves.   This may be their first time to be in class with true intellectual peers who share the same interests and love of learning.
  3. Because your kids can learn something new and different, which again will make them happy.  Students also have the opportunity to explore subjects not offered in their school.
Residential Academic Programs

If you have a middle-school-age child or older who is ready to spend days and nights away from you (or YOU are ready for them to) but who is more “Camp Science” than “Camp Longhorn,” you can research a residential academic program.  These are programs that offer room and board + classes – kind of like college.  Having a mini-college experience can be a big boost from a confidence, experience, and preparation perspective!

EXAMPLE:  Some of the courses offered by Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth include Politics in the Middle East, Paleobiology, and Data Structures and Algorithms.  Summer courses like these are similar in content to college courses, so gifted students are truly challenged.  There are many more like this one, and I have done significant research on summer programs, which can save you time – please contact me if you are interested to learn more!

How to get in:  Some programs require an out-of-level testing, others like IQ test scores while others will accept achievement testing done through the school.  Applications are due in early spring, so it’s important to move forward if this is something you want to pursue.

How to select the right program:
  • Talk with your child about his interests.  He will have a much better summer experience if he is involved in the planning.
  • Think about whether or not your child is ready for a residential program.  Has he spent time away from home?  How are his independent living/self-care skills?  Some schools have day programs if a non-residential placement is desired.
  • Check admission requirements.  Does the program require testing your child has not had?  If so, look online and sign up right away.  Also, some programs have specific cut-off scores, so watch for this.
  • Inquire as to how instructors are chosen.  Are instructors school faculty or are they brought in from other places?
  • Look at how the course fits in with your child’s school curriculum.  Will this be a class he will get credit for?  Is the course close in content to a class he will have to take at a later date?  If so, you might want to choose something outside the school curriculum.
  • Look for reviews of the program.  Speak with friends, look online, etc. to get a better picture of the program.
How Dr. Munson can help:
  • There are a wide range of options – from simply matching your child’s needs, your schedule, and your budget with the right programs to managing the entire process (soup to nuts) of research, final program selection, application and scheduling your child’s entire summer curriculum for you!

© Eleanor Munson, PhD. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Eleanor Munson, PhD is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eleanor Munson, PhD with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Do You Have to be Gifted to go to a Top Dallas Private School?

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private schoolThere’s nothing that elicits more conversation among parents than a mention of applying to private schools.  Few topics evoke such strong and varied emotions.  Stress, anxiety, confusion, worry, fear, and even the occasional nightmare accompany the process these days.  But it wasn’t always this way.  It’s interesting to hear what parents have to say about the application process back in the 1970’s.  Yes, there were admissions tests, but if your child was reasonably bright you just filled out the form and put down a deposit.  I don’t mean to imply that anyone could get into to Hockaday, St. Marks, or Greenhill (ESD was just getting started) but it was certainly more of parent’s choice situation, rather than the other way around.

The Admissions Process Today

Fast forward…and my how things have changed.  Officially, admissions season begins the September before you want your child to begin.  The fall is filled with open houses, tours, and CATS testing (ability testing done one-on-one with a psychologist) for younger students.  Application due dates begin in November and run into January, depending on the grade you are applying for.  Once the application is in, most schools require their own group testing on a Saturday morning for younger students.  Some schools require a parent interview as well.  For older (5th grade+) students, the ISEE (Independent School Entrance Exam) should be taken in January.  Older applicants are encouraged (and in some cases required) to spend a day at the school visiting, as well as interviewing.  And then it all comes to a halt, and you are left with the painful two-month wait.  The top Dallas private schools have adopted a tradition of sending out decision letters the Friday prior to the start of spring break (usually in mid-March).  So parents receive their letter on Saturday and must wait a week before they have contact with anyone at the school.

But do you have to be gifted?

In short, no.  Certainly schools want bright students, but your child needn’t be a genius to attend.  Ruth Burke, Director of Admission and Financial Aid at the Episcopal School of Dallas, says independent schools “typically serve students who have above-average cognitive ability and have demonstrated above-average achievement – which includes, but is not limited to, gifted students.”  Mrs. Burke notes that students who do well in independent schools have “a solid work ethic, intellectual curiosity, motivation to succeed, and support at home.”  Gifted or not, students that lack these qualities may not find academic success at a top Dallas private school.  Schools in Dallas such as ESD, Mrs. Burke says, take into consideration the whole child – intellectual curiosity, the potential for leadership, creativity, co-curricular interests and activities, special talents, and school achievement.  She strongly recommends that parents learn the mission of the schools they are researching and be sure that they match what they are looking for in a school for their child.

How to tackle the Admissions process

Experts suggest an educational consultant to help you through the admissions process.  Consultants, such as myself, can suggest schools that meet the criteria that’s important to you, your child, and your family.  It’s important to give yourself plenty of time to visit schools and decide if they “fit” your child.  Once your application is in and your child has been tested, it’s time to put it to rest until March.  Then, hopefully, you’ll get the answer you’re hoping for in the mail.  Have faith….there are a myriad of schools in Dallas to choose from.  There is certainly a place for your child.

© Eleanor Munson, PhD. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Eleanor Munson, PhD is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eleanor Munson, PhD with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.