Raising Lifelong Learners: A Parent's Guide

by Lucy Clakins, Lucy McCormick Calkins, Lydia Bellino, et al.

Book Overview

Here the nationally acclaimed educator who transformed the way our children learn to read and write in school shows us how to nurture our children's imagination at home, from the earliest days of babytalk to the time when we see them off to school. Drawing upon her influential philosophy of active learning, as well as her personal experience as a parent, Calkins shows parents how to stimulate curiosity and spark creative thinking in children. Having...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0738200247
• ISBN13: 9780738200248
• Release Date: August 1998
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful approach to helping kids explore the world

Calkins makes the case for embracing a child's natural curiosity and encouraging their interests into definable disciplines. She spends a lot of time on how to approach writing. She gently points out that it is not initially a fine motor skill to be mastered but an avenue for the child to record his or her own stories and experiences. Her constant message is how to encourage rather than perfect the child's ability which is refreshing in a world of standardize testing. Through sharing of her own experiences she provides ideas on how to help further develop a child's natural inventiveness into lessons on reading, writing, science and math. This is not a hard line method to expose a child to everything available but rather an encouragement based approach to explore ideas with your child.

Creating a Rich Learning Environment

_Raising Lifelong Learners: A Parent's Guide_ is full of practical suggestions, many of which are helpful to teachers as well as to parents. The book's principal author, Lucy Calkins, is a teacher educator, yet she considers the teaching of her two young sons to be her most important work. Calkins relates many vivid examples from her own experience.Although Calkins discusses things parents can do to maximize school success, _Raising Lifelong Learners_ is not a book about helping children with their homework. Instead it tells how to make the home a rich learning environment, how to arouse children's curiosity in all academic areas. Calkins says, " . . . the qualities that matter most in science and math, reading and writing -- initiative, thoughtfulness, curiosity, resourcefulness, perseverance, and imagination -- are best nurtured through the everydayness of our shared lives at home." Calkins believes in leading children very gradually along the path of learning in all academic areas. She says, "My rule of thumb is to help the child do today what she will be able to do tomorrow. I don't want my assistance to be too far beyond the child's independent abilities or she will be put in a dependent position, always waiting for and wanting assistance."Calkins places heavy emphasis on both work and play. The latter provides an opportunity for children to develop imagination, resourcefulness, and language skills. Calkins believes that parents, not schools, have the primary responsibility for developing a work ethic in children. This is cultivated through hobbies and projects as well as through chores. After Calkins discusses the nurturing of language arts, math, science, and social studies as children progress from infancy through middle school, Lydia Bellino, a reading specialist and school principal, addresses school issues in half a dozen appendices. Most of these, such as curricular choices and various assessment methods, can also apply to the homeschool situation.

A Wonderful Resource

This book changed the way that I looked at my children's learning and the way that I conducted myself around them. It's full of practical ideas that anyone can do and vindicated some of my own instincts. It may bother people who think their children need to be in organized activities all the time. The book stresses that creativity often comes from having the time to think and dream. It also gives ways to help you communicate with your child and also about how what you say about your life reflects in your child's view of the world. Another item which was helpful was the idea that it's okay for kids to try things and fail or not do them perfectly as long they keep trying. I'm the mom of two very creative, bright kids and I think this book is partly responsible.

Excellent Resource!

This book was very helpful to me and my husband. We are not "educators" by trade and it provided alot of thought provoking material. We are in the process of deciding on where to send our son for kindergarten and found many of the suggestions in the appendices very helpful. I never realized how many different ways we can make reading and writing a fun and natural part of our children's lives. We have already made changes at home and are seeing the benefits. Both our 2 and 5 year olds are picking out books from their bookshelves each night and excitedly listening as Mom or Dad read. I especially found the recommended authors listed helpful.

A must-read for parents who want literate children

The author gives great, practical suggestions for preparing your child to read. The ideas covered begin with how we speak with infants and toddlers to helping older children raise their reading skill level. The author also gives concrete title suggestions. It is a terrific book.