Embedded Files
This page has all of the enrichment resources from previous newsletters posted in one place!
This page has all of the enrichment resources from previous newsletters posted in one place!
music & music theory
music & music theory
This Week's Enrichment Resources
Each week I'll post resources that offer extension and enrichment opportunities for our BVA learners.
This week I'm sharing some links to online music tools for students who want to take their compositions to the next level. With Indian Hill Schools winning the "Best Communities for Music Education' award for the sixth year in a row, it's no wonder that so many of our students are encouraged to explore a range of music-related skills and concepts. Engaging in learning music can contribute to better academic performance, provide a sense of achievement and social connectedness, building imagination and intellectual curiosity, and the development of language and reasoning. Encourage your child to do some musical tinkering in his or her free time and to entertain the family with their results!
learning a language grows your brain!
learning a language grows your brain!
This week's resources are here to support you and your child in their work to continue learning a language outside of their native tongue. We know that there are many benefits to engaging in this work and it may even be that students would like to try languages we don't currently offer in our course catalogue. These sites can help connect your child with strategies and eLearning options for enriching their minds, building their cognitive flexibility, and expanding their perspective beyond their current culture.
This Week's Enrichment Resources
Each week I'll post resources that offer extension and enrichment opportunities for our BVA learners.
As I reflect on our growth in our district in adding a remote learning option for Indian Hill families, I am proud of the work our leaders and teachers have done. Essentially, leaders found a way to create parallel schools within our current staffing and to focus on what the school COULD be and become rather than consider it to be a bandaid to the Pandemic.
One area where we can grow, however, is in our offerings to learners in World Language. Perhaps more than any other subject, students need time with peers to listen and to converse in the target language to enjoy and learn quickly. Over the course of the year, we have layered in some live teaching at the Middle School and High School levels, but we believe we can do better as we continue to make improvements this year and plan for BVA 2.0 for the future.
Social-Emotional Growth
Social-Emotional Growth
This Week's Enrichment Resources
Each week I'll post resources that offer extension and enrichment opportunities for our BVA learners.
This week I'm sharing some resources related to SEL or Social Emotional Learning. According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), "social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions."
Educators and school leaders have long understood that student learning depends on strong relationships and that students need to feel safe in their environment in order to take the risks they need to in order to improve their skills and knowledge.
In our current environment, the emotional health of all is under significant stress, making social and emotional learning even more important.
If you feel that your child is struggling with their emotions and you would like support, your child's teachers and school counselors are a great place to start.
IHPS - Jennifer Earhart - 513-272-4760
IHES - Sarah Kellett - 513-272-4714
IHMS -
Nick Carpenter - 513-272-4691
Katie Bunevich - 513-272-4642
IHHS -
Lateef Johnson - 513-272-4565
Nollis Cottrell - 513-272-4563
Lindsay Kearns - 513-272-4568
Donita Jackson - 513-272-4506
STEM
STEM
Online STEM Opportunities
Each week I'll post connections to online enrichment opportunities that might be of interest to you and your child. This week's resource was shared with me by Heidi Perry. Amazon is interested in connecting underserved students with online STEM education. Some of the resources they connect to are fee-based and some are free. What's nice is Amazon offers a run down of the features and benefits of multiple providers of computer coding and other STEM based curriculum.
This Week's Enrichment Resources
Each week I'll post resources that offer extension and enrichment opportunities for our BVA learners. Last week, I shared a link to the Super Saturday Program - there's still time to sign up! Classes begin October 31st.
This week's focus is STEM (or STEAM + Arts or STREAM + Reading & Arts). There are a host of great resources for projects and ideas that can be done at home. Perhaps you could even share some good ones that you have found?
ID Tech offers "after school" online STEM Classes. Perhaps a kit is more fun for the whole family? Maybe your child is ready to plan out his or her own STEM enrichment using vetted resources from The Ultimate STEM Guide for Kids. Finally, this might be the perfect time to take advantage of the flexible nature of BVA. Consider exploring STEM fields with the help of a mentor or an online lab course. Any way you slice it, STEM, STEAM, and STREAM give students the opportunity to solve real world problems, engage with authentic audiences, and may be a path toward future interests and passions!
ArtS
ArtS
Online Art Ideas
Looking for ways to help your at-home learner engage in artistic exploration. This resource should serve as a great start. And did you know that many art museums offer digital tours of their collections?
super saturday
super saturday
SuperSaturdayClassList.pdf
The Super Saturday Program has a long and proven history of offering engaging enrichment courses for gifted learners ages 4-14. They are now branching out into virtual spaces. Registration for this terms starts Sunday, October 4th and lasts through October 21st. Classes begin October 31st.
Costumes
Costumes
This Week's Enrichment Resources
Each week I'll post resources that offer extension and enrichment opportunities for our BVA learners. Last week, I shared a link to the Super Saturday Program - there's still time to sign up! Classes begin October 31st.
This week's focus is costume design! Does your child have Halloween on the brain? Check out these resources on designing costumes and level up for trick-or-treat!
For grades 6-12 - this site includes a rubric to judge the success of your costume creation.
This site focuses on costume design for theater and has links to children's productions for inspiration.
This site focuses on using recycled materials for costume design and has links to activities for different ages of learners.
We can't wait to see what your child makes! Be sure to share photos with us @BraveVirtual!
writing
writing
This Week's Enrichment Resources
Each week I'll post resources that offer extension and enrichment opportunities for our BVA learners.
This week's focus is writing! We're on the cusp of November - National Novel Writing Month. National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November. NaNoWriMo is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people of all ages write early and write often.
There are a range of resources online for writers of all ages to be found here.
Power of the Pen is our competitive creative writing team and creative writing club available for middle schoolers. We meet online on Wednesdays at 3:30pm.
Contact Mr. Millard at the High School if you'd like to learn more about the creative writing extracurriculars there.
We can't wait to see what your child writes! Be sure to share a synopsis with us @BraveVirtual!
get outside!
get outside!
This Week's Enrichment Resources
Each week I'll post resources that offer extension and enrichment opportunities for our BVA learners.
This Week's Theme - GET OUTSIDE!
"There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes."
It may seem counterintuitive after freezing temps last night to suggest that now is the time for getting out of the house, but if there was a year to brave the elements, this one is it! If you haven't already embraced nature walks as a family, this post by Melissa Lennig offers some ideas on where to begin and what to do. Jamie Neef suggests playing games while on hikes and walks to pass the time and call attention to the environment. I would just like to say, you have not earned your true outdoor nerd badge if you haven't experienced the joys of geocaching (yup, I'm bringing it back!). I'm not sure which part is more fun, hiding the treasure or finding a new one.
We can't wait to hear about your and your children's outdoor adventures! Be sure to share a photo with us @BraveVirtual!
Games & Gaming
Games & Gaming
This Week's Enrichment Resources
Each week I'll post resources that offer extension and enrichment opportunities for our BVA learners.
This week is all about fun and games. Really!
"There is evidence that games can have positive effects on reading, reasoning skills, and mathematics achievement" (Pond, 2018). Games can be useful for learning and also for building a sense of fun and community at home. Engaging in games builds resilience and social skills.
We can't wait to hear about your and your children's fun and games! Be sure to share a photo with us @BraveVirtual!
The Importance of Play
The Importance of Play
This Week's Enrichment Resources
Each week I'll post resources that offer extension and enrichment opportunities for our BVA learners.
This week we're focusing on the importance of play. The value of play in a child's social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development has been well documented. We should also remember that play is still important for teens, although it may look different from toddlers.
In thinking about play, you may find that your children could use some fresh input to find more joy and playfulness during their days. I like the New York Times' Toy Matrix as a way of finding the right gift for children ages 1-10. It appeals to my love of bringing thought tools to organize the chaotic.
Fatbrain is a good site to find toys for tinkerers and explorers. Smart Toys for Every Age suggests what is important at each level of a child's development and what toys support that growth.
Feeling a little dull while working and learning from home? Check out these games that can make you smarter!
If Black Friday or Cyber Monday left you questioning our quest for new things, consider play ideas that don't require a new purchase, focusing on the joy of reading or being outside.
Let's Make a Movie!
Let's Make a Movie!
This Week's Enrichment Resources
Each week I'll post resources that offer extension and enrichment opportunities for our BVA learners.
This week, we're going to the pictures! Teachers are starting to ask learners to make videos to share their learning, given feedback, teach a concept to others, and as a way to tell a story. Video and movie creation can be an amazing creative outlet and with online tools, is becoming easier for the novice and younger learner to manage. Student Created Videos in the Classroom gives you an idea of how teachers are using this tool with learning. You can build upon these ideas, or go in a different direction. Maybe your child is interested in learning more about the art of movie making or wants to start their own youtube channel. In any case, there is value in allowing students to explore their world through their own lens.
enrichment: In the Kitchen
enrichment: In the Kitchen
This Week's Enrichment Resources
Each week I'll post resources that offer extension and enrichment opportunities for our BVA learners.
This week, we're talking about time in the kitchen! As we look at our upcoming winter break, that time may afford more opportunities for students to learn how to plan and make their own lunches and to participate in making recipes, family style. One of the positive things that some of our BVA families reported is that by having their children at home, there was an opportunity to for them to help with caring for themselves and other family members. One family has their second-grader plan the menus for each day. Another family reported that their child is in charge of his own and his mom's lunch each day. Kids spending time in learning how to cook increases confidence and can even be a source of connection with others and stress release. In any case, a little more practical skill building in the kitchen can't hurt.
Page updated
Report abuse