Category: Education

Parent survey data shows that more than 50% of American families* have less than 50 books in their homes, including children’s books. Moreover, over 8,000 elementary schools don’t have a school library—and the majority of teachers say that cost is the major obstacle to building a well-stocked library.

If you are lucky enough to have a child who is passionate about reading, ensuring they have an array of safe books to enjoy is only the first step. How can you encourage your child to make reading a daily priority, so that their brains and imagination can grow?

Turning Reading into a Family Affair

Best-selling author, Stephen King, often recalls how everyone in his family used to take turns reading, thus upping the fun factor and turning reading into a crucial bonding activity. Choose a book that everyone can get something different out of. Classics like Tolkien’s The Hobbit or E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web are universally enjoyed by readers of all ages. Moreover, by joining in on the activity, parents can ensure that their child is spending time on age-appropriate books.

Using Safe Search to Find New Material

Many children enjoy having the freedom to select their own reading. While parents should always have a look at their children’s chosen material to ensure it is appropriate, children can use Safe Search Kids to delve more deeply into the subjects that fascinate them. They will also find a host of handy tips on how to deal with online challenges like cyberbullying. They will learn how to negotiate their way through a myriad of apps while protecting their privacy and being aware of the permanence of digital footprints.

Having Books in Various Spaces

An important way to boost your child’s interest in books is to make safe, entertaining reading material available in various spaces in your home. Your child’s bedroom is a great place to start, but it is also a good idea to have at least a small shelf (or wall shelves) in common areas like the living room, entertainment room, and patio. Some kids even enjoy reading in the bathroom, so make sure there is always a good short story, poem, or article to pick up.

Help Children to Be Better Readers

Often, a lack of interest in reading can mean that children are struggling.  You may see that they have no trouble applying themselves to specific subjects in school.  In fact, they may even be enthusiastic about them. But when it comes to reading, they show little interest. This could many things.  From a simple thing like needing glasses, to evaluating them for learning challenges, such as ADHD – you’ll want to get to the bottom of why they don’t enjoy reading.

Creating a Magical Reading Space

Children who enjoy reading by themselves or having a little “me time” may enjoy having a private “cave” or tent where they can immerse themselves in classic stories. Cheap and cheerful ideas include creating a blanket tent in your living room and decorating it with fairy lights, soft cushions to sit on, and soft, warm throws. If you have a tent, you can set it up in your backyard during the day and entice children with a garden picnic.

In Summary

Children who already love reading have a big head start, since reading is a key skill for academic success. To foster this hobby, there are numerous strategies that parents can take.

Make reading a family activity, teach them how to use Safe Search, provide them with books throughout the home, help to create personal reading spaces for independent readers, and assess their individual needs.  In these way you can empower kids to thrive and turn reading into their lifelong hobby.

*Source – National Children’s Reading Habits Study.

How Teachers Can Use Their Allocated Budgets to Promote a Love for Reading

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in different countries including the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, and Liberia. It is observed as celebrating the harvest and the blessings of the last year to give thanks for it. In the United States, it’s held on the fourth Thursday in November, and in Canada, the day is on the second Monday in October.

Some popular activities during the Thanksgiving holiday include meals of turkey, pumpkin pie, cranberries, and feasts with family and friends. But do you know the origins of this annual tradition?

Thanksgiving dates back to 1621 in Plymouth Colony Harvest Festival. Whether you are an American or non-American you may be interested to know the history of Thanksgiving Day and how it became an important celebration?

In the United States, Thanksgiving is a four day long weekend with time with family on Thursday, followed by a big shopping day on Friday.  Today it’s called Black Friday.

Now, let’s explore the true history of Thanksgiving Day for history-loving people like you who like to know our traditions begin.

Pilgrims Thanksgiving At Plymouth

The story begins in 1620 Fall (August/September), when the vessel Mayflower left Plymouth, England with 102 Pilgrims. A group of 102 passengers who were religious separatists quit Plymouth in search of safe land to practice their beliefs.

Due to the cold weather and lots of difficulties, almost half of the Pilgrims died and 66 of them lasted. They anchored the ship in Cape Code, which was far north of their desired place i.e. mouth of the Hudson River.

One month later, Mayflower reached the Massachusetts Bay. And the Pilgrims intended to establish Plymouth village here. The weather was too cold in the winter thus they suffered from a scarcity of food, water, and shelter and contagious diseases are also outbreak there.

As they were unprepared for the winter thus the brutally cold weather wiped out almost half of the crew and passengers. In the Spring (March), the remaining migrants shifted ashore. They were also concerned that Native American Indians Might attack them anytime.

One sudden day, Samoset, a member of the Abenaki local tribe visited the settlers and greeted them in English. A few days later, he came with Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who was a Native American.

Squanto taught the Pilgrims different life-saving hacks and cultivation methods such as malnutrition, illness and revival tips, catching fish, hunting animals, growing corn, avoiding poisonous plants, extracting sap from maple trees, preparing medicine from plants, and so on.

Peace Treaties with the Native Americans

Pilgrims also took the opportunity to create a peace treaty with the Native Americans through Squanto. And Squanto also helped the Plymouth inhabitants to build an alliance with a local tribe Wampanoag for 50 years that was a successful treaty between Native Americans and European colonists to protect them from other tribes.

In November 1621, the Pilgrims proved themselves to harvest corn successfully in the first year. Pilgrim Governor William Bradford arranged a festive feast after getting a bountiful harvest to give thanks the God and their alliance tribes. They invited their Native Americans Allies including Squanto and Wampanoag.

Wampanoag chief Massasoit with 90 braves joined the feast and it lasted for three days. They feasted on fruits, turkey, delicious meals, and many more. This harvest feast before winter wasn’t called Thanksgiving at that time but this was the first Thanksgiving Day in history actually.

Two years later, the Pilgrims suffered from drought. Then Governor Bradford ordered them to pray and fast to God. It’s said, after their praying and fasting, rain comes and they become happy. So, they declared the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day.

Edward Winslow the chronicler of Pilgrim wrote about it:

“Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a more special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruit of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the company almost a week, at which time amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest King Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain, and others.  And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.”

–Edward Winslow, December 11, 1621

Ancient Origins of Thanksgiving

Although it’s widely accepted that Thanksgiving originated from the Pilgrim Feast at Plymouth. But this was also found in ancient traditions among Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians. They feasted and paid tribute to God after getting their harvest.

Thanksgiving is also seen among the ancient Jewish, as they arranged the harvest festival Sukkot. As Native Americans had rich traditions thus, they set their footprint in Thanksgiving history before Europeans.

Thanksgiving Controversies

Some historians jury still confused about whether the Plymouth Feast was the first Thanksgiving or not. There is proof to historians that the tradition of giving thanks was recorded among the European Colonies in North America before the Plymouth Thanksgiving.

In 1565, Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilé arranged a dinner feast and invited the Timucua tribe in Florida. After the safe reaching of the crew, they arranged a thanksgiving to God. In 1619, 38 British settlers reached their desired destination on the banks of Virginia’s James River, Berkeley Hundred. Then, they declared the day as a day of thanksgiving to the God.

Today, Wampanoag Indians point to a different telling Thanksgiving.  In subsequent years, there would be many conflicts that would result in thousands of deaths.  The idea of Native American’s and pilgrims eating together was not in the tradition of big celebration of giving thanks for a large harvest.  Food preparation for Native American’s already had daily rituals of giving thanks to the Creator for their food and survival.  While the English and the Wampanoag Indians did eat together at times, the celebration of the first harvest in 1961 looked very different to the ancestral natives of the land.

How Thanksgiving Became a Holiday

Pilgrim Thanksgiving celebration become very popular among New England settlements quickly. In the 19^th century, Sarah Joseph Hale, an American writer campaigned for a national Thanksgiving Day in the United States. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln also encouraged Americans to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.

The following President George Washington issued an announcement on November 26, 1789, for a public thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. From then Americans, particularly North Americans celebrated the public holiday as Thanksgiving Day.

Canadian Parliament declared the second Monday in October as a general Day of Thanksgiving to God for the blessings of Canada and bountiful harvest.

Conclusion

Thanksgiving Day is now an important day for Americans and Canadians. And more countries have adopted this tradition to be thankful for for their blessings. Today’s Thanksgiving festive celebration adds more fun and events but the origin was the Plymouth Harvest Feast in 1621.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Explore how other special days and holidays came to be:

• The History of Mother’s Day
• The History of Valentine’s Day

Do you sometimes feel stuck in a rut when it comes to your education? Are you not learning in the traditional school system as you expect to? If so, consider autodidacticism as an option. Autodidacticism is a self-directed approach to learning, and it is an effective way to get more out of your education.

In this guide, we’ll outline some tips for becoming a successful self-learner. So if you’re ready to take your study into your own hands, keep reading!

What Is an Autodidact?

An autodidact is someone who self-teaches a particular subject or skill instead of acquiring knowledge through formal instruction. Actually, many well-known historical figures were self-taught, including Leonardo da Vinci and Abraham Lincoln.

Nowadays, with the vast amount of online information and new emerging avenues in education, it has become more accessible for people to educate themselves on any topic they prefer. While formal education is still valuable, there is no longer a need to rely solely on institutions to learn. Anyone can be an autodidact.

Is this something you’re looking forward to?

If so, you’re at the right place! Let’s discover eight proven practical tips to help you get started.

1. Find Your Field of Interest

We all know how challenging choosing a field of study can be, especially with many available options. To narrow your choices, you must find what you are passionate about. What topics do you think about even when you’re not in class? What are the subjects that inspire you?

For example, consider studying environmental science if interested in ecological and sustainability issues. On the other hand, if you enjoy learning about social justice, consider studying sociology or criminology.

Choosing the field study that excites and inspires you will set you up for a lifetime of learning and discovery.

2. Develop Self-Discipline

 Autodidactic learners are not born with extraordinary abilities but share one important trait: self-discipline. This quality allows them to teach themselves new skills and knowledge on time. With self-discipline, it is possible to maintain the focus and stimulation required to learn independently. So how can you develop this skill?

The first step is to set realistic goals. Learning an entire subject overnight is doomed to failure. Instead, break down your goals into manageable pieces and set a timeline for each goal.

As you work towards them, track your progress and document any challenges you encounter. You can also use tools to help you count your studying hours, such as time trackers, virtual notes, and task management apps.

Most importantly, remember to reward yourself for your accomplishments. A little positive reinforcement will keep you motivated and on track.

3. Focus On One Thing at a Time

In today’s fast-paced world, learning new things quickly and efficiently it’s more important than ever.

One of the key characteristics of an autodidact is fitting into the requirements of real-life challenges. In our era, people of all ages constantly seek to learn new things. According to a recent study, the average person will change their working careers 5-7 times during their life.

That’s where “just in time” learning comes in. This educational aspect is all about acquiring the skills you need when you need them. There’s no need to waste time learning something you may never use. Instead, focus on the things that will affect your life or career the most.

This form of learning can take many forms. For example, it might mean watching a tutorial on YouTube when you need to learn how to solve a problem—or reading an article when you want to learn more about a particular topic.

4. Match the Proper Learning Methods

There is more than just a one-size-fits-all approach to learning, especially in subjects like language learning. For example, some people understand best by listening to audio recordings, and others by speaking with a native speaker. The key is to find the right mix of methods that work for you.

If you’re a visual learner, you can start by watching a few episodes of your favorite TV show in the target language. Then, you can build up your viewing with related reading material, such as books.

Another effective way to practice what you’ve learned is conversing with friendly native speakers. This will help you quickly match your learning experience to your needs and goals.

5. Attend Seminars, Workshops, or Courses

One exciting and effective way to learn more about what you are passionate about is to attend beneficial activities related to it. This allows you to hear from experts in the field and learn about recent developments in the topic area. While there are courses like Coursera Plus, a paid subscription model, most of Coursera courses are entirely free to audit!   Courses also include interactive exercises and real-world projects.

Attending events also helps you network with others who share your interests on a range of subjects, including business, computer science, and history. This can lead to new opportunities and collaborations and inspire fresh ideas for pursuing your passions.

6. Think Outside of the Box

As an autodidact, you have the advantage of tailoring your education to suit your own interests. However, only pursuing information reinforcing your beliefs can get you stuck in a rut. To truly be creative, you must seek diverse perspectives and open yourself up to new ideas.

Fortunately, there are many free resources to do that. For example, online forums and chat rooms offer a great way to connect with people worldwide and share international experiences.

7. Take Notes and Create Action Plans

As an autodidact, you can choose your own learning materials and pace of study. However, it’s easy to get overwhelmed or lost in all the information out there. That’s why taking valuable notes and creating action plans as you go is essential.

You’ll manage your time effectively and learn more adequately by tracking your progress and organizing ideas. Connecting with other autodidacts or in person is also helpful. There’s nothing like sharing ideas and motivating each other to keep learning!

8. Use Study Affirmations

As a self-learning student, a study affirmation is the easiest way to keep your motivation high. This includes a positive statement you repeat to yourself regularly. For example, you can say, “I will complete this today,” or “I am a successful student.”

Repeating these statements will make you believe them, keeping your productivity and commitment on track. The most important thing is to stay consistent in your use of affirmations. Say it to yourself daily, even write them down, and eventually, it will become part of your routine.

Tools for Autodidacts

There are many free tools available for self-taught learners. First and foremost, a good dictionary is always essential. Not only does it provides definitions for unfamiliar words, but it also helps with pronunciation and usage.

Another great resource includes self-education books. But, again, countless options exist on every imaginable topic, many of which can be found for free.

In addition, many universities offer free online courses that provide a structured introduction to various subjects.

Here are some of the free resources to help you on the self-education journey:

Wikibooks

Wikibooks is a Wikimedia Foundation project which serves as an online library of free online textbooks. This project started in 2003 and has grown to involve over 33,000 books. Wikibooks is one of the largest and most popular projects, with over 1.5 million monthly visitors.

While most books are in English, the project is also home to many works in other languages, including Spanish, French, and Chinese. As the world’s largest provider of free educational content, Wikibooks is a critical resource for students.

Bookboon

If you love reading, there’s a new website that you’ll want to check out. Bookboon is a free online library that offers thousands of ebooks for readers of all ages.

Many textbooks help students learn for free and can be easily downloaded as PDFs. Best of all, Bookboon is free to use – so why not start browsing today?

Khan Academy

You’ve probably heard of Khan Academy already. This non-profit organization offers students free online classes and resources. The Academy was founded in 2008 to provide “a free, world-class education for anyone worldwide” and now has over 20 million students using it.

You can find courses in various subjects, from science to history and art. Besides its online classes, Khan Academy provides practice exercises, video lessons, and articles.

YouTube

Recently, YouTube has become an increasingly popular resource for educational videos, along with the safe alternative KidzTube, which features screen educational YouTube videos.. So whether you’re looking for a tutorial on how to solve a math equation or want to learn a new language, you’ll find what you’re looking for on YouTube. Also, you can often access this information for free.

Bottom Line

Understanding how self-education works is one of the most significant experiences you can cultivate as an individual. It’s a skill that will always serve you well, regardless of your working industry. And luckily, it’s something anyone can develop with enough commitment and effort.

If you’re interested in becoming an autodidact, the above guide should give you a good starting point. So what are you waiting for? Start browsing and learn something new today!

Additional Resources:

• Explore how a lack of education, knowledge, and experience can mislead people because of the Dunning-Krugger Effect.
• Discover how to learn a new language faster.

The rapid boom in online classes and courses made it essential for every student to own a laptop or a PC. As per stats, around 95 percent of undergraduate students in the United States own a laptop.  Even after having powerful machines in their hands, most students are unaware of how to make the most of their laptops.

In this article, we have shared the top 8 ways to improve your productivity as a student using your laptop.

1.  Say Hi! to Productivity Tools

Productivity tools aren’t meant just for professionals, you can also use them to improve your productivity as a student. These tools include reminders, calendars, and other applications that can help you keep track of your schedule.

Install these applications and tools on your laptop, and you will have everything in one place. We also recommend installing ad-blockers as they will help you maintain focus while browsing, and those unwanted ads won’t disturb you during the class.

2.  Avoid Installing Distracting Apps

Modern laptops have plenty of storage space, and that’s why most students install numerous apps on their computers. However, in order to make the most out of your computer, you need to keep it free from distracting apps.

Uninstall all applications that you do not use and are not helpful to you for anything. A clean laptop runs much more efficiently, so there will be fewer lags, and you will get better performance.

Do not forget the extra space you get by deleting unwanted apps! You can utilize this space to store the recorded classes and other essential files.

3.  Learn How to Take Notes Effectively

Much of the criticism of laptops for students pertain to note-taking. While most students believe that writing notes by hand is the best way, typing them on your laptop is better, as per experts.

When you take notes using your laptops, you don’t have to be selective since you can write fast. Install applications such as MS Word and Grammarly to ensure you can take notes quickly without making any mistakes.

Also, sharing these notes is easy, and you can have them on any device you own, such as your smartphone.

4.  Have Shortcuts to Important Apps for Ease Access

Nowadays, students have to attend multiple online classes in a day, which calls for the need for applications like Zoom. Searching for the app on your laptop may not be that convenient, so having its shortcut will simplify things for you.

Similarly, organize all shortcuts in one place so that you can launch the app you want. You can even create shortcuts based on the lectures to save your precious time.

5.  Clean Up and Organize Your Laptop

As kids, we all had a computer with a messy desktop, and finding an app to launch was a task back then. However, this should not persist now, and if you are doing this, it’s time to put a full stop.

Cleaning a laptop is one of the most important tasks every student should do to ensure proper usage. By cleaning, we mean removing the files that you do not use anymore. Also, you should organize the PC to ensure that you don’t have to find the programs you want to launch.

Everything from the recorded classes to the applications should be readily accessible.

6.  Install All Apps Required in the Class

While opting for most courses, you’ll come to know about the laptop configurations required to enroll in them. Similarly, you can find information on the apps and tools required for a class.

For example, in a drawing class, you will need MS Paint and other apps that help you paint. Having these apps already installed on your laptop saves precious time, and you can keep up with what the tutor is teaching.

A Pro Tip

Make sure to update these apps to the latest version to avoid technical glitches and bugs.

7.  Always Keep the Battery Charged Fully

Most students pay attention to the installed apps and the aesthetics of the laptop. However, the battery is its soul, and you should never ignore it. If you are studying from a classroom, you should keep the battery charged to 100% before you leave your house.

Imagine your laptop running out of charge when the teacher is explaining an important concept. Not every desk in the classroom has a charging port, so keeping your laptop’s battery full every time is important.

8.  Always Create a Backup of the Essential Files

Another hack for students to make the most out of their laptops is creating backups of the essential files. Always create a backup of those recorded class videos and notes to ensure that you do not lose important data if your laptop gets damaged or in the event of any other unforeseen event.

Save the backups somewhere else, for example, in an external drive or on cloud storage, to have access to it at all times.

Closing Thoughts

We hope these eight ways will help you be more productive and get the most out of your laptop as a student. Always choose a laptop that meets your needs and has the right configuration depending on your course or class’s needs.

Here’s some detailed information on which is the best laptop configuration for students in case you need some help in choosing a machine.

Lastly, don’t forget to install a reliable antivirus since students usually connect to external wireless networks, so safety is a must for improved productivity.