My book, The Teachable Minute: The Secret to Raising Smart & Appreciative Kids, has just been released in e-book format prior to the bookstore launch in October. I now have over 800 view on my You Tube video that explains the book and its purpose. I could use any help you might offer in sharing this link so we can go up and over 1000 views!!
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdshHdXj2HKI_nOBchZNLcw
Thank you SO much….you have been wonderful at helping me reach parents and kids.
These robots share the concept of my my new book, The Teachable Minute: The Secret to Raising Smart & Appreciative Kids. It’s a golden opportunity to teach kids something, any time, anywhere, FAST!
Please visit: http://www.theteachableminute.com.
Share with facebook and twitter fans if you would.
Kids are waiting….thanks so much!
“My daughter wanted to go back to the amusement park and I told her
we didn’t have any money to do that again so soon. She looked up at
me and replied, “Well Dad, just go to the ATM. There’s lots of money
in it!”—Michael, Miami Beach, FL
What can we teach kids while we’re at an ATM machine? Here are some suggestions you might try with both younger and older kids:
TEACH them how to punch in deposit or withdrawal amounts
as you press each key and count out loud together (example: to
deposit $100.00, press the keypad while saying aloud, “ONE,
ZERO, ZERO, DECIMAL POINT, ZERO ZERO”).
TEACH them things like how to deposit a check and get cash
back or how to check the balance in the account. Help them fill
out a withdrawal or deposit form and show them the steps that are
necessary to make that happen. Kids see adults at ATM machines
all the time. It can be an interesting teacher!
Here are few questions to ask kids that will get them ‘thinking’…
“How do you think the money gets
into the ATM machine? How many dollar bills have to come out
of the machine for us to get five dollars?”
“Why do you think people have to sign
their name on the back of checks when they deposit them? What’s
the difference between a deposit and a withdrawal?” “What do you
think ATM stands for and why did someone call it that?”
Catch ‘the teachable minute’ with kids no matter where you are! I’d LOVE your feedback after you try some of these ideas. Thanks! Check out: www.theteachableminute.com
So let’s catch some falling readers in the windy city! If you’re planning to attend the conference, please email me so we can say ‘hi’…dr.conniehebert@gmail.com
My talk for ASCD includes asking kids good questions that lead to good thinking. What types of questions do you ask kids, either at school or at home? Are most of your questions YES/NO questions? Many of us tend to ask those because they’re quick to think of and quick to respond to! But, they don’t give kids opportunities to THINK! A YES/NO question has a 50/50 chance of being right. Kids can tell by our facial expression that they ‘guessed’ wrong so they switch answers…and NO thinking happens!
Here are a few kinds of questions you might ask kids, let’s say, if you were in a kitchen:
Younger Kids: ASK them things like, “Where is the butter?” Show me. “Where is the lettuce?” Show me. “Where is the milk?” Show me. Then ask, “What sound does butter start with?” Say, “Bbbbb.” “What sound does lettuce make?” Say, “Lllll.” “What sound does “milk start with?” Say, “Mmmm.” Keep this up!
Older Kids: ASK them questions that make them think such as, “How do you think the soap cleans the dishes in the dishwasher?” “Why is there a light in the oven and in the microwave?” “How does toast pop up in the toaster?” “What’s the difference between the freezer and the refrigerator?”
Ask good questions and you’ll encourage good thinking skills…eventually, you’ll get some good answers! Keep at it…
If you liked these examples, please visit www.theteachableminute.com for information about how to engage with with kids so they’ll grower smarter…and more appreciative of you. Catch ‘the teachable minute’ as soon as you can by asking GOOD questions that make kids THINK…
My goal is to help at least 1,000,000 parents and all of their beautiful kids so they can grow up to be SMART and APPRECIATIVE…
Will you please help me by clicking ‘like’ on my new book’s site? Visit http://www.theteachableminute.com. Thanks so much!
The Teachable Minute: The Secret to Raising Smart & Appreciative Kids, is my way of helping parents and kids engage with each other any time and anywhere…just like I did with our 3 kids!
Catch those teachable minutes…while you can!
AT THE LAUNDROMAT
“My daughter use to sit on a chair at the laundromat as she watched
the clothes go round and round in the dryer. She always had a scowl on
her face as she sucked on her index finger and rocked back and forth.
I just know she was thinking why, oh why, is my precious ‘blankie’ in
that thing and why can’t I have it right NOW…ah, kids and blankets
share loving moments.”
—Tamika, Houston, TX
For Younger Kids
SHOW them how to put the money in the washers and dryers,
counting each coin that is pushed in. Then show them where the
START button or dial is. Kids love to push buttons and turn dials!
ASK questions such as, “Why do we have to put clothes in the
dryer?” “Why do the clothes feel warm when they come out of the
dryer?” “Why do we wash our clothes?”
TEACH them how to fold clothes. Face towels and wash cloths
are easy to fold in half and then in half again. This is the way we
fold the clothes!
For Older Kids
SHOW them how to set the washer and dryer cycles to the
right settings.
ASK them questions that make them think about different
parts related to a washer and dryer. Examples: “What is the lint
collector for and why do we have to empty it?” “Why does a
washing machine spin?” “Where does the laundry detergent go?”
TEACH them how to sort clothes into different piles and how
to choose the right machine for the right pile of clothes. How much
soap does each load need and does it go? How much money does
each machine need and how does a change machine work? There’s
a lot to learn here!
The Teachable Minute: The Secret to Raising Smart & Appreciative Kids by Dr. Connie Hebert. Now available for preorder (discounted for parents) at www.amazon.com 
3 ‘teachable minute’ lines to use with kids: “I love how you…” or “You are SO good at…” or “Loving you is…” Catch a kid, with LOVE!
I can’t tell you how excited I am to be launching my newest book, The Teachable Minute: The Secret to Raising Smart & Appreciative Kids. Got kids? You will want to check it out!
In it, I help parents become experts at what to SHOW, ASK, & TEACH both younger and older kids, in 77 common places!! Become an expert at catching ‘the teachable minute’ with your kids! Preorders now available at http://www.amazon.com
Ever notice how kids who read well also talk well? Ever wonder why kids who pronounce words clearly also spell word correctly? Ever think about why kids who write well also reading well….and not necessarily the other way around?
Questions like these lead us to deeper understandings of complex processes.
Reading and Writing are complex, for sure! Consider the role of ‘talk’ when you are around kids. The more they talk, the more they practice using words. The more they practice putting words together into meaningful sentences, the more they learn the role of grammar and meaning. The better their diction, the better their spelling. Wow!
So…get kids to talk in the car, around the dinner table, at the bus stop, in a rocking chair, on a plane, at the doctor’s office, at the grocery store, at the laundromat, on the playground, and anywhere else you can think of. Talk, Talk, Talk…
Oh, and asking good open-ended questions (as opposed to yes/no questions), invites kids to talk more!!!
It’s not the program, it’s the teacher! We can catch kids best by becoming experts at using the following tools:
VOICE
PACE
BODY LANGUAGE
EYE CONTACT
If we focus on sending motivating messages that say, “I CARE . . .I WANT TO ENGAGE WITH YOU . . .YOU CAN DO IT” by using our voice, pace, body language, and eye contact, we can catch falling readers, quickly and effectively. Try it and see what happens…
Keep up the great job in 2013…catching falling kids is one of the hardest jobs on the planet!
Let me know how I can help you…visit http://www.conniehebert.com for more information on how to bring me to you school or district. Thanks for your interest…
Written
on April 9, 2013