S – P – E – L – L – I – N – G: It's a Sport!
ESPN – that's where I caught the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. I was reluctantly coaxed into watching the bee. I avoid television, and watching kids spell on stage sounded boring. I was wrong. I was riveted. We played along. We all know that good spelling is a key part of written communication skills, but practicing spelling is not usually seen as F-U-N. I witnessed kids and adults get excited about building spelling skills after watching the bee.
The Blue Lake take on it:
Don't wait. Watch a spelling bee movie with your kids this weekend. We highly recommend Spellbound, the Oscar-nominated documentary of the 1999 National Spelling Bee, and Akeelah and the Bee, a moving, fictional account of an 11 year-old girl's journey from a troubled home to Scripps. You will be hooked. Then, you will want to start with the most common 1,000 words, move on to spelling coach tips from a UK English teacher, and maybe even play the online spelling bee game at the site of Broadway Musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."
First off, it's fun. That's the most important thing. If it's not fun, the rest doesn't matter. I am quoting Wayne Gould, the one-man team at sudoku.com. If it has not already caught on at your house, check out Sudoku. It's a very simple concept. Fill a 9 by 9 grid with numbers 1 through 9. No number can be used twice in any row, column, or 3 by 3 square. It's easy for kids to get addicted to Sudoku, and that's a good thing. As Gould points out, Sudoku is one of the few puzzles and games that reward children for using applied logic. Sudoku encourages children to apply principles of deduction and induction – skills they don't often get to exercise. It sharpens their powers of concentration and reasoning.
The hustle and bustle of the holidays can leave all of us, especially young children, feeling stressed, overtired and even a little stir crazy. The winter season is an important time to remember the value in outdoor play. The simple change of scenery can help channel energy in children. Spending time outdoors also allows your child time to practice important physical skills and exercise and strengthen muscles. David Elkind, professor at Tufts University, says, “Children’s outdoor play is not a luxury. It is critical in children’s ability to learn about the world, others, and themselves.”
