Content Page What are Learning Skills?----------------------------------------------------------------" 3" Introduction to SOI-----------------------------------------------------------------------"4" The Parents’ Role--------------------------------------------------------------------------" 5" Dos and Don’ts-----------------------------------------------------------------------------" 6" Understanding the Skill: Creativity with Objects-----------------------------------"7" Activity 1: All Things Creative-----------------------------------------------------------"8" Activity 2: I Spy with a Camera---------------------------------------------------------"9" Activity 3: Milk Paint! --------------------------------------------------------------------"10" More About Creativity with Objects--------------------------------------------------"11" Contact Us-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------"12" "
2"
What are Learning Skills? Learning skills also referred to as Cognitive Skills are foundational skills needed in areas such as comprehension, memory, evaluation, processing, logic and reasoning, etc." Using sports as an analogy: In order to play soccer well, the player must first be equipped with the basic skills of dribbling, passing, control and tackling, etc." In the same way, we need to first equip our children with the basic skills of learning such as paying attention, reading words eectively, being careful with their work, retain their learning well, etc so that we can ensure a motivated, engaged and successful learner." " At ThinkersBox, we hope to help children to ‘Learn to Think and Think to Learn’ by improving and strengthening their underlying learning skills. " "
3"
The Structure of Intellect SOI The Structure of Intellect (SI) Model was established by Professor J. P. Guilford, a well-known psychologist in the 1950s, as a way to measure intelligence. " The model was further developed into the SOI by Dr. Mary Meeker, Guilford’s student and a school psychologist, in the early 1960s. The SOI profiles was used to provide classroom teachers with information on how they can plan classroom materials that could meet the different needs of their students. " " The most important contribution however, was Dr. Mary Meeker’s realization that intelligence can be taught, trained and improved. " " At ThinkersBox, we work closely with SOI Systems to assess, train and improve the learning of children and help them become successful learners." "
4"
The Parents Role In response to parents’ need for resources and ideas to help their child learn better, we have developed this series of guidebooks with simple, easy to implement home-based activities for parents to do with their child." These activities are meant to be fun, engaging and promotes parent-child bonding. " As you work with your child, you would begin to realise their potential and the true meaning of educating our children (beyond school textbooks and subjects)" **Instructions for the activities are su!ested as a rough guideline. Feel "ee to change it to suit the age and learning of your child. $
5"
Dos and Donts• q ✓ Do the activities with your child" ✓ Encourage him/her to do better"
X Scold the child if he does the activities wrongly, instead, explain to him the objective and tell him the instructions explicitly"
✓ Encourage your child to be creative X Carry out the activity for too long when doing the activities!" (once the child gets bored or tired of doing the same activity, stop for ✓ Have fun carrying out the the day)" activities!"
6"
Understanding the skill: Creativity with Objects " Creativity with objects is the basis of inventions and innovations"
" The formation of new concepts by transforming what is known to what is possible"
" Improving this skill would enable the child to be able to solve problems creatively and think out of the box"
7"
Activity 1: All Things Creative "   Constructing
using playdoh, clay, building blocks, lego (without any restrictions or following any given model)
8"
Activity 2: I Spy with a Camera " Teach the child how to use a camera " Give the child a theme to snap pictures (eg. Things that resembles alphabets, all things square, wavy lines etc.)
" Show the child a graphic example of the theme " Allow the child to go around and take pictures 9"
j
Activity 3: Milk Paint *Messy Activity!* Adapted from: http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2011/08/we-tried-it-milk-colors.html
"
"
Lay newspapers or plastic protection around the activity area
"
"
Use expired milk or left over milk that is not yet curdled
"
"
Pour the milk into a plastic container
"
"
Add different food colouring into the container (explore the different combination of colours)
"
"
Use a toothpick to mix the solution slowly
"
"
Mixture can be used for painting"
10"
More About Creativity with Objects o o o
Creativity with objects is a skill not only important in learning situations, but it is also an important lifeskill" Imagine being trapped on an island with limited resources… Improving this particular skill would enable your child to think out of the box, even in emergency situations" People who use recyclable items and turn them into a novelty product are often high in their creativity with objects"
11"
On an Ending Note... We hope that you would find these activities as fun and eective as we meant for it to be. " Let us know if you’ve enjoyed using these e-Books @ http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WS8Q9CR" For feedback and suggestions, email us @ enquiries@thinkersbox.com" For more information, visit us @ www.thinkersbox.com" For more interesting reads, follow our blog @ www.kidslearntothink.com"
k
The End! The next 2 installments are part of the “Creativity� series, namely Creativity with Symbols and Creativity with Words, which would be published by the end of January, so do stay tuned!