Guest Post By Dana Bettwy, LePort Parent

I have two children currently enrolled at the LePort Montessori campus in Woodbridge (the Irvine – Lake campus.) Our son just completed his second year, and our daughter, her first. 

Beyond finances, however, there are other factors as well—some that may not appear all that dramatic on the surface.  Still, I think these "less obvious" differences are critical to making an educated decision, one that is in your child’s best long-term interest.  Different aspects matter more or less for different parents.  For me, certain factors such as parent fund-raising, and the food they serve at school are incidental.  Social development, the learning environment and overall happiness of my child are the most important considerations for me.  Academics are important, but I am more interested "how" my child learns to learn at this stage in the game, as opposed to "what" they learn, per se. 

Read more: http://bit.ly/1auJ4cw

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• Little hooks for independent little hands
• 8 Principles for children learning sensorial material
• Dalai Lama quote of educating children
• Toilet Learning the Montessori way...was not what we did...
• Let the children choose

Flash cards for learning babies

Babies and young children have the unique ability to learn things effortlessly.

As parents and educators, we have a responsibility to help our children harness their amazing learning capacity so that they can easily acquire skills that will enable them to excel in the future.

One effective way of teaching pre-verbal children is by showing them flash cards. Child brain development specialist Glenn Doman, founder of the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, is one of those credited with developing this teaching method for the very young.

Flash cards are large cards bearing pictures, words or numbers. That can be physical cards, or virtual ones stored on the computer and shown as a slideshow presentation. Flash cards are ideal for infant stimulation and fascinating to many children, making learning a fun part of everyday play.

You should deliver lessons when your child is in a happy, relaxed frame of mind. Don't be surprised if she shows enthusiasm for the next session. Flash card presentations are good at capturing children's attention, and as the two of you go through the cards daily, your child's knowledge and understanding may increase rapidly.

Here are some points to bear in mind for a successful flash card presentation:

• Pictures/words/numbers should be large and clear.
• The presentation should be brief.

To encourage enthusiasm, you should aim to stop before your child's interest starts to dwindle.

Also, be sure to enjoy the presentations yourself! If you're having fun, your child will be that bit happier to participate, even if she is only a few months old.

Studies show that babies taught with flash cards develop their senses of sight and hearing faster than other children. As the presentations stimulate your child's brain development, they will unlock her amazing hidden potential!

Rapid learning

Scientific research shows that kids - and especially infants - learn at a surprising speed. BrillBaby recommends that you try delivering each set of flash cards three times per day for about 10 days. However, as you may not actually continue with every set for the full 10 days (see next paragraph), it is a good idea to make a note of the date when you began showing the set, so you can tell easily when (at the latest) it should be retired.

Should interest wane...

The number of times you repeat a set will of course depend on your child. Follow your child's lead and retire any category that he is showing diminished interest in, even if you have spent less than 10 days on it. Regularly adding new cards and making new sets and playlists will also help maintain your child's enthusiasm for his lessons.

There may even come a time when your child only needs to see a flash card once to learn it. If your child looks away from the presentation during a set that you have not been learning for long, do not fret. The most likely explanation is that your little one has a very good memory!

http://www.brillbaby.com/early-learning/flash-card-faqs/how-are-flash-cards-used-with-babies.php

Reading Tips Pre-K-1st Grade

By Jenks Public Schools

Read early and read often.

The early years are critical to developing a lifelong love of reading. It's never too early to begin reading to your child!

Read together every day.
Read to your child every day. Make this a warm and loving time when the two of you can cuddle close.

Give everything a name.
Build your child's vocabulary by talking about interesting words and objects. For example, "Look at that airplane! Those are the wings of the plane. Why do you think they are called wings?"

Say how much you enjoy reading.
Tell your child how much you enjoy reading with him or her. Talk about "story time" as the favorite part of your day.

Read with fun in your voice.
Read to your child with humor and expression. Use different voices. Ham it up!

Be interactive.
Discuss what's happening in the book, point out things on the page, and ask questions.

Read it again and again.
Go ahead and read your child's favorite book for the 100th time!

Talk about writing, too.
Mention to your child how we read from left to right and how words are separated by spaces.

Point out print everywhere.
Talk about the written words you see in the world around you. Ask your child to find a new word on each outing.

Talk to your child.
Ask your child to talk about his day at school. Encourage him to explain something they did, or a game he played during recess.

Say silly tongue twisters.
Sing songs, read rhyming books, and say silly tongue twisters. These help kids become sensitive to the sounds in words.

Read it and experience it.
Connect what your child reads with what happens in life. If reading a book about animals, relate it to your last trip to the zoo.

Use your child's name.
Point out the link between letters and sounds. Say, "John, the word jump begins with the same sound as your name. John, jump. And they both begin with the same letter, J."

Play with puppets.
Play language games with puppets. Have the puppet say, "My name is Mark. I like words that rhyme with my name. Does park rhyme with Mark? Does ball rhyme with Mark?"

Trace and say letters.
Have your child use a finger to trace a letter while saying the letter's sound. Do this on paper, in sand, or on a plate of sugar.

Write it down.
Have paper and pencils available for your child to use for writing. Working together, write a sentence or two about something special. Encourage her to use the letters and sounds she's learning about in school.

Play sound games.
Practice blending sounds into words. Ask "Can you guess what this word is? m - o - p." Hold each sound longer than normal.

Read it again and again.
Go ahead and read your child's favorite book for the 100th time! As you read, pause and ask your child about what is going on in the book.

Talk about letters and sounds.
Help your child learn the names of the letters and the sounds the letters make. Turn it into a game! "I'm thinking of a letter and it makes the sound mmmmmm."

Tips for Parents of First Graders

Give your child lots of opportunities to read aloud. Inspire your young reader to practice every day! 

Don't leave home without it.
Bring along a book or magazine any time your child has to wait, such as at a doctor's office. Always try to fit in reading!

Once is not enough.
Encourage your child to re-read favorite books and poems. Re-reading helps kids read more quickly and accurately.

Dig deeper into the story.
Ask your child questions about the story you've just read. Say something like, "Why do you think Clifford did that?"

Take control of the television.
It's difficult for reading to compete with TV and video games. Encourage reading as a free-time activity.

Be patient.
When your child is trying to sound out an unfamiliar word, give him or her time to do so. Remind to child to look closely at the first letter or letters of the word.

Pick books that are at the right level.
Help your child pick books that are not too difficult. The aim is to give your child lots of successful reading experiences.

Play word games.
Have your child sound out the word as you change it from mat to fat to sat; from sat to sag to sap; and from sap to sip.

I read to you, you read to me.
Take turns reading aloud at bedtime. Kids enjoy this special time with their parents.

Gently correct your young reader.
When your child makes a mistake, gently point out the letters he or she overlooked or read incorrectly. Many beginning readers will guess wildly at a word based on its first letter.

Talk, talk, talk!
Talk with your child every day about school and things going on around the house. Sprinkle some interesting words into the conversation, and build on words you've talked about in the past.

Write, write, write!
Ask your child to help you write out the grocery list, a thank you note to Grandma, or to keep a journal of special things that happen at home. When writing, encourage your child to use the letter and sound patterns he is learning at school.

Child independents at home

When toddlers and young preschoolers start in Montessori, parents are often amazed at the sudden spurt in independence and skill their children display.

If your child is starting in a Montessori toddler or preschool program, and you want to witness this incredible development in your own child, it helps if you are able to prepare your home environment in ways that support your child’s new skills and desire to be independent.

Here are some ideas to consider:

1. Provide simple storage spots for belongings right inside the front door.  A small rug to place shoes or a basket to put them into and some hooks to hang jackets are a great start.  This can help your child get out of the house and back in more independently, and maybe prevent some meltdowns!  A little stool to sit on helps, as well.

2. Make your kitchen accessible to your child.  Find a low shelf or drawer to store cups, placemats, and utensils within your child’s reach.  Buy glass cups and inexpensive ceramic plates (IKEA is great!) that you don’t mind getting broken.  Invite your child to set his own place at the table.  A bigger step stool, or a learning tower can be a great help to little people who want to join you in the fun cooking activities at counter height.  And, of course, when it comes time to sit down and eat, encourage your child to feed himself:  Even young toddlers can eat finger-foods on their own, and start using a spoon; this is what they do in their Montessori classrooms, too.

3. Organize and simplify the play area.  Fewer toys, displayed on open shelves, are preferable over lots of toys in boxes that the children can’t see.

4. Small chairs and tables facilitate independent snack time and organized playtime.  Provide some buckets, sponges, rags, and child-sized brooms, and your child can even clean up after himself.

5. Facilitate getting dressed independently.  Low open shelves, low racks, a mirror and a bench with brush or comb can enable even 2- or 3-year-olds to begin to dress independently, especially if you pre-select an outfit the night before, or lay out two simple choices for a younger child.

6. Consider a floor or other low bed.  Some Montessori parents never have cribs; instead, they baby-proof an entire room and let even infants sleep on a floor bed.  While this may not work for every parent, a low bed or a twin mattress on the floor can be a great step up after a crib, instead of a toddler bed.

7. Make books accessible and create cozy reading areas.  The more that books are all over your house, the easier it is for your child to grab a book instead of asking for your iPhone or the TV when you are not available to play.

To see growth in your child’s independence, it’s not necessary to reorganize your entire house (who has the time and energy for that?!).  Just pick one or two ideas and make little changes over time.  You might think your child is too young to take advantage of these kinds of opportunities for independence—but once she starts school, you might be just as surprised and thrilled as the LePort Montessori parents who wrote the Facebook posts above! 

Thanks to Bernadette, a LePort parent of three children, ages infant to preschool, for inviting us into her house to take many of these beautiful pictures!

Related Posts

• Transitioning to Montessori: Independence (Part 1 of 5)
• What's the big deal with independence in Montessori preschool?
• The Dual Purpose of Montessori Preschool Practical Life Activities

Just not good enough: why your child deserves a better curriculum

This is a great layout of private vs public schools by LePort Schools

If you attended Elementary Curriculum Night, you had a sneak-peek into LePort’s unique approach to education. [See the videos at the bottom if you weren’t able to attend.]

In this newsletter, I’d like to offer you further insight into what makes LePort’s curriculum different. How does LePort’s approach, which we call “Knowledge for Life”, compare with the California Standards?

Almost everyone agrees that there’s something wrong with “teaching to the test”, the practice of focusing in school on memorizing and drilling for standardized tests. But this practice is based on the California Standards—the textbooks, lessons and outcome measures approved by State education committees.

Public schools have no choice about following the Standards. But even most private schools, which do have a choice, choose to stick with the same standards. Few actively explore the possibility that different content might produce superior learning.

At LePort, we think that’s just not good enough: why should you pay thousands of dollars to enroll your child in private school only to have him learn the same thing he can learn for free at your neighborhood public school? Even if his class size is a bit smaller and there is fancier equipment, it’s still amounts to the same basic “teach to the test” approach. Your child still receives the one-size-fits-all public school curriculum, just with a bit more accountability.

So LePort Schools has instead developed its own curriculum, one that we believe gives students the rich knowledge, the broad skill base, and the genuine love of learning that will lead them to success in high school and beyond.  

To help you see what I mean, here are five major differences between LePort and the California Standards:

• We teach history chronologically. In the public schools, children start with California history in 4th grade, then jump backwards in time to US history (5th grade.) In 6th grade, they jump far backward, to ancient civilizations, then move forward to medieval history (7th grade), and back to US history again in 8th grade.
  In contrast, at LePort we teach history as a chronological sequence of events.
  Our Lower Elementary program introduces students to historical time lines, going all the way back to the beginning of the earth, and gives them the context for comparing historical civilizations by discussing how people in different places and times have satisfied the fundamental needs of man (shelter, clothing, food, transportation…) We also explore world geography, so students gain a big-picture understanding of where history happens.    
  Starting in 4^th grade, our program guides students systematically forward through time, beginning in prehistory. We focus on the story in history: the key attributes of different civilizations, major historical figures and the roles they played, and begin to explore the causal connections that help explain the major events in history. By the time our students start studying the history of the United States, they really grasp why the colonists left England, and understand why the U.S. Constitution is a wondrous achievement that changed the world.
  “LePort teaches history chronologically, and thus makes it comprehensible to students. It’s such a contrast to the public schools, where they teach things haphazardly, and where students just don’t get it. When my older son was in 2nd grade, they had Black History Month in February. Recently, he recalled a game he and a friend used to play: at recess, they would sell each other to other people. They had learned that money could be made from slavery, and had made a game of it. That’s what you get when you teach history badly.  In contrast, my younger son, who had the benefit of being at LePort, really gets history. He doesn’t just memorize the dates of the Renaissance, but he understands what it was, and what it meant. LePort teaches history so well, so logically, that the kids really understand it.” – Shanan C., LePort parent

• We teach Singapore Math, the LePort way. In public schools, not only is math taught very slowly (think numbers to 1,000 introduced late in 2nd grade), it is also taught in a mechanistic, algorithm-driven way.
  At LePort, we combine the wonderful Montessori materials with the renowned Singapore Math program, and our own insights into the challenges that children often face in math. With our approach, many students start on Algebra by or before 8th grade – and find that transition to abstract math as easy and enjoyable as their entire math journey with LePort!
  “At her old school, my daughter worked really hard in math, and it just didn’t work. She told her LePort math teacher that math is now one of her favorite subjects—and you have no idea what that means: this came as a total shock to me and her dad, because she used to cry doing math. It’s a total turn-around from what it was before. Two of her least favorite subjects, math and science, are now her favorites!”—Lina S., LePort parent

• Our science program helps our students become “at home” in the world. Science often is taught one of two ways: either as a series of fun, disconnected hands-on projects, or as a dry body of facts to be memorized from a textbook. Neither is right!
  At LePort, science is about the world, not about words. We teach science as an exciting story of discovery—each student’s own discovery of the world in which he lives, and the discovery of natural laws by heroic men and women of science, whose work so benefits human life. While at LePort, your child will not memorize scientific jargon or equations out of context: he will learn meaningful, practical and observation-based science in every grade.
  “LePort inspires students to think about what they learn and apply it outside of class. My younger daughter excelled in science at LePort, and then did really well in her introductory science class in high school – a class many students struggle with. Throughout her LePort experience, she’d constantly point out interesting things to me and my wife—like take me to the park to look at a plant she had learned about, observing star constellations at night, or telling me about the movements of planets. I am not very science-oriented personally – but it is great to see my daughter develop this interest, and to see her excited about science.”—Tom C., LePort parent

• We teach grammar, vocabulary, spelling and writing. Our language arts program focuses explicitly on teaching clarity and sophistication in thought and communication, both oral and written. Learning to write and speak well enables your child to better appreciate and understand what others have written and to develop confidence in communicating his own ideas. In our language arts program, your child will study spelling, vocabulary, grammar and writing: these skills are the foundations of clear communication, and are fundamental to all learning. They deserve to be taught systematically, in a dedicated language arts program, not mixed into a generic “English” class.
  “I am an attorney, and I really appreciate LePort’s writing program. It’s really unique: because they are a small school and have very high standards, the kids will do many re-writes of their assignments. And that’s how they actually learn—by doing draft after draft, correcting their mistakes under the guidance of their teachers, and learning to become better writers in the process. Many schools just can’t do that—and what does a child learn, when he writes something once, then gets a grade and that’s it?!”—Susan F., LePort parent

• We read great literature. Many schools these days serve up a bland collection of basal readers in the early grades, and so-called high-interest young adult stories in the upper grades. In contrast, at LePort, students read great literature from the beginning, because it gives children the opportunity to enter exciting worlds, to meet heroic characters, and to consider what could be. While studying the classics of yesterday and today, students not only improve their thinking and communication skills, but also learn important moral lessons, lessons they can use to guide their lives. Our students learn about independence from To Kill a Mockingbird, integrity from Antigone, and heroic perseverance from The Miracle Worker.
  “Literature is based on the classics, on great works—and students learn real lessons from what they read. The teachers always ask students to think about what they can learn from their readings, for their own lives: Would you be a friend with that person? What would you have done differently if you had been in this character’s situation, and why? At LePort, they really connect what they teach to the kids’ lives.”—Tami W., LePort parent

Curriculum matters: it’s what your child will learn at school. Unfortunately, given the state of public education, it’s wrong to assume that the learning agenda set out by the public schools is right.

I hope that this newsletter has shed some light on a few key issues in the California Standards, and how we at LePort can and will do better for your child, if you choose to enroll him with us for the elementary years.

Ray Girn

CEO, LePort Schools

---

P.S. If you are interested in learning more, below are some links to well-researched books discussing the question of curriculum, and the many other ways in which today’s public school curriculum and pedagogical approach short-change students.

Why Don’t Students Like School, by Daniel T. Willingham. A cognitive scientist analyzes why many of the common pedagogical approaches used in today’s schools actually demotivate students, and discusses what better approaches schools should use instead.

The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn, by Diane Ravitch. Renowned historian of education Diane Ravitch provides a well-researched and disturbing inside view into how pressure groups determine what curriculum is “adopted” by state authorities, and how as a result children learn not only less, but may even come away from the standard public school curricula with many wrong ideas about the world.

The Schools We Need: And Why We Don’t Have Them, by E.D. Hirsch. Discusses how a disdain for a well-thought-out, content-based curriculum, abandoned in favor of process-based “standards”, hurts children, and is a driver behind the U.S.’s deplorably low scores in international academic comparison tests.

The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Children Need—and What We Can Do About It,by Tony Wagner. Wagner, an education professor at Havard, shows why and how U.S. schools today fail to equip students with the thinking skills and deeply-understood knowledge of the world they’ll need to thrive in the global economy.

Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading, and What You Can Do About It, by Kelly Gallagher. Discusses how a focus on basal readers, and “overteaching”, which focuses on drilling children in state-mandated standards, kills the joy of reading, even in children who come to school ready to become strong readers.

Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, by Bernard Nebel. A practical handbook on teaching science, this first volume of Dr. Nebel’s series also contrasts an observation-based approach to science with the progressive and traditional approaches that dominate the standard curriculum.

26 Amazing Facts About Finland's Unorthodox Education System

Brought to you by Business Insider

Finnish children don't start school until they are 7.


Elinag / Shutterstock.com

(Source: NYtimes)

Compared with other systems, they rarely take exams or do homework until they are well into their teens.


Flickr

(Source: NYTimes)

The children are not measured at all for the first six years of their education.


Shutterstock / BlueOrangeStudio

(Source: NYTimes)

There is only one mandatory standardized test in Finland, taken when children are 16.


Getty: Tony Lewis

(Source: Smithsonian)

All children, clever or not, are taught in the same classrooms.


(Source: Smithsonian)

Finland spends around 30 percent less per student than the United States.


(Source: Smithsonian)

30 percent of children receive extra help during their first nine years of school.


Max Topchii / Shutterstock.com

(Source: Smithsonian)

66 percent of students go to college.


Flickr/Ari Helminen

The highest rate in Europe.

(Source: Smithsonian)

The difference between weakest and strongest students is the smallest in the World.


Getty: Tony Lewis

(Source: Smithsonian)

Science classes are capped at 16 students so that they may perform practical experiments every class.


OnlineDegrees.org

(Source: TNR)

93 percent of Finns graduate from high school.


Shahram Sharif via Flickr

17.5 percent higher than the US.

(Source: Smithsonian)

43 percent of Finnish high-school students go to vocational schools.


Mika Heittola / Shutterstock.com

(Source: Smithsonian)

Elementary school students get 75 minutes of recess a day in Finnish versus an average of 27 minutes in the US.


AP

(Source: TNR)

Teachers only spend 4 hours a day in the classroom, and take 2 hours a week for "professional development".


Flickr: Leo-setä

(Source: NYTimes)

Finland has the same amount of teachers as New York City, but far fewer students.


upload.wikimedia.org

600,000 students compared to 1.1 million in NYC.

(Source: NYTimes)

The school system is 100% state funded.


Wikimedia Commons

(Source: Smithsonian)

All teachers in Finland must have a masters degree, which is fully subsidized.


Tom Plesnik / Shutterstock.com

(Source: NYTimes)

The national curriculum is only broad guidelines.


_Shward_ via Flickr

(Source: Smithsonian)

Teachers are selected from the top 10% of graduates.


Flickr

(Source: Smithsonian)

In 2010, 6,600 applicants vied for 660 primary school training slots


Nadia Virronen / Shutterstock.com

(Source: Smithsonian)

The average starting salary for a Finnish teacher was $29,000 in 2008


jeremy.wilburn via Flikr

Compared with $36,000 in the United States.

(Source: NYTimes)

However, high school teachers with 15 years of experience make 102 percent of what other college graduates make.


Natursports / Shutterstock.com

In the US, this figure is 62%.

(Source: TNR)

There is no merit pay for teachers


Anton Balazh / Shutterstock.com

(Source: TNR)

Teachers are effectively given the same status as doctors and lawyers


Flickr

(Source: Smithsonian)

In an international standardized measurement in 2001, Finnish children came top or very close to the top for science, reading and mathematics.


katutaide on flickr

It's consistently come top or very near every time since.

(Source: OECD/PISA)

And despite the differences between Finland and the US, it easily beats countries with a similar demographic


Neighbor Norway, of a similar size and featuring a similar homogeneous culture, follows the same same strategies as the USA and achieves similar rankings in international studies.

(Source: Smithsonian)

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/finland-education-school-2011-12?op=1#ixzz2TwiU334P

Benefits of craft for kids

http://advancedkidseducation.blogspot.com/2013/05/tissue-paper-stained-glass-crafts-for.html



Tissue Paper Stained Glass: Crafts for kids

We all know that getting our kids involved in arts and crafts activities is a great way to entertain them, but did you know it is also a fantastic way to help them develop in their fundamental milestones?

Not only do they develop fine motor skills, but they also develop concepts like colour and shape recognition, and get to actively experiment with scientific processes such as glue and paint drying too.

Craft allows kids to explore their creativity and imagination and to express ideas that they might otherwise lack an outlet for. Plus they learn and discover so much, all while they're having fun!

As a learning activity, arts and crafts have traditionally been passed over in favour of more academic pursuits . But craft – particularly developmentally appropriate craft activities – can aid learning in other areas like language , music , art , social studies, science , maths , health, and nutrition.

Crafts have been around since the beginning of time when people made everything they used with their hands. Crafts were initially created for trading, selling, spiritual or artistic expression, as well as creating personal and household articles.

Today, crafts are a great pastime and educational tool for kids. It can not only keep the kids entertained on a rainy day, but also extend a child’s fine motor skills , develop concepts like colour or numbers and see scientific processes like gluing and paint drying in action.

Craft allows kids to explore ideas or concepts and then express it by making something to keep, entertain others with or simply look at for visual pleasure.

Craft for the under-5s

At this age, craft is more about passing the time when it’s too rainy to go to the park, but it’s a great way to engage your pre-schooler, toddler or baby in ideas that provide foundation for future learning.

Benefits can include:

• Extending their thinking across multiple patterns of intelligence
• Develop higher thinking skills
• Enhance multicultural understandings
• Build self esteem
• Gain positive emotional responses to learning
• Engage through a variety of learning styles

Craft for older kids
Art and craft ideas encourage children to use their imagination to create their own entertainment. Making something on their own endows them with a confidence in their abilities to make individual decisions and choices.

Activities to complement craft as a learning tool
Music – learning to play an instrument can be a great hobby to introduce to kids.

Creative writing – writing stories as a hobby is a great way for children to enhance their literacy skills and use their imagination. They can turn their stories into drawings and make their own books.

Storytelling – the oldest art form in the world is to tell stories orally, and it lies at the heart of the way we think and make sense of our world. Stories could include real and fiction events.

Debating – this will give your child the ability to present an argument persuasively, to understand that there are two sides to most arguments and the confidence to speak in front of a room full of people, to name but a few skills.

Things to avoid when doing craft with your kids
Never force kids to complete a project they simply aren’t interested in – all you will do is alienate them from ever trying craft again. Simply encourage them and reward them when they do finish something. Here are some of the pitfalls of craft:

Don't get too complex

It's easy to overestimate your own ability (and your child's) when you see something you like in a picture, but there's nothing more discouraging than getting part-way through a project and finding you don't have to skills to complete it. Determine how much you and your child can actually do.

Start simple

If you're learning a craft for the first time, start with something extra-simple to get the feel of the tools, materials, and techniques. Practice the techniques on something that doesn't count first before actually beginning a project. If the project is relatively easy, your child will gain confidence and quickly want to try something more challenging. 

 
Allow enough time and space

You need time to do things right, and that's true of any activity, no matter how seemingly uncomplicated it is. Give yourself and your child time — to think, to enjoy what you're doing, to be creative, to experiment, and to enjoy each other.

Children love to do crafts
So if they can be taught something using crafts it is likely they will learn it easily and without complaining. Crafts can be used as a tool to teach subjects like alphabets, numbers and colours to students of any age. Younger children can be taught basic lessons like colours and numbers. Crafts can be used to expand textbook lessons of older students by helping them to figure out how to express ideas and concepts visually.

http://www.kidspot.com.au/discoverycentre/Joy-of-discovery-Development-Benefits-of-craft-for-kids+5382+553+article.htm