As a child I remember how much I used to love reading fiction books and detesting non-fiction books. No matter how many encyclopaedia and education books my parents had bought for me, I would always have a strong desire to read my fantasy fairytale books. There was something magical about immersing oneself into the creative world of the author and sharing their imaginative made up story. This for me was escapism, before the age of games consoles and online RPGs.However, nothing is more important than getting your children into the habit of reading education books, not simply as a short researching tool or quick resource book that they can look up. Education books do much more than simply aid a person when researching a topic for a project or assignment. Many people will agree that we all prefer to read up on the subjects that take our interest, but for those subjects we care very little about we avoid.Books that are boring to children will not inspire them to read. In a recent study involving the observation of school children being instructed to spend a set amount of time quietly reading, most of the children reacted with a few moans and groans, and whispering amongst them instead of reading. This study showed the lack of motivation for reading, making the task almost pointless and less effective. The problem is the lack of motivation to read, resulting in a lot of children feeling bored. The trick is to entice or introduce the children to the books in an interesting way.There are ways in which children can be encouraged to read education books through some simple and methodical approaches. These approaches are much more practical and involve some work on the parent or teacher. These guidelines are based on what has worked for past individuals who have successfully been able to regain interest into their children for reading non-fiction and education books. The method is not an easier approach, but will nonetheless involve plenty of interaction.The first thing to do is to engage some excitement in the exercise you are about to undertake. If you want the children to take an interest in history, it might be work taking a field trip to the local history museum or going on an excursion to look at some historical and monumental buildings. This will require some preparation and planning, as well researching in your part to make this work. Be sure to take some pencils, pens and sketch pads so that when you take the children out they can be creative in what they had seen. Speak to them about the buildings and give them some insightful information about the place you are visiting.The next thing to do is to point out how you found the information out, through reading. You can demonstrate your passion for reading by introducing them to the books that you sourced the information from. The trip will have raised some questions from the children and in turn they will want to find out more. If they see you reading they will want to do the same thing.An important step to take is to read aloud to your children, even if it is an education book about Ancient Rome. As long as they can understand what is being read to them, keeping them engaged by changing the tone of your voice and being animated in the way you deliver the words will help them to continue learning and further give them some encouragement to continue reading on the own accord.You can then work with your child or with a class of children to make a collection of information. For instance if the aim was to have your child develop an interest and understanding on Roman history then they can perhaps draw pictures of the Roman period, costumes, equipments etc. This can be compiled together to produce a work book or project folder that they can refer back to when they like. The main method of succeeding in this is to keep it fun yet insightful.For classroom activities, teachers can refer back to the subject at the end of the month and distribute activity sheets, assign each student to write an article complete with an image or take a trip to the same location and a different one relating to the topic you had studied previously, where you can test their knowledge. Taking trips to the library at the end of each month will keep their exposure to reading and books consistent.
Get Listed on Google Business Maps
Did you know there’s a FREE listing on Google for your business, and it’s just waiting for you? Have you claimed it yet?It’s called Google Places and it’s a fast and easy way to build your online presence, even if you don’t have a website!With Google business maps -1. Reach millions of Google users, quickly and for free – More people search for businesses online than anywhere else, so it’s important to make sure your business listing can be easily found on Google Business Maps. Creating a listing is easy, takes just a few minutes and it doesn’t cost a thing!2. Easy to edit – Your business may already show up on Google, but you will need to claim it and make sure the details are correct. Any changes you make will appear on Google as soon as you complete the verification process.3. Practical and easy to manage – Your Google Business Maps listing is an easy way to maintain an online presence even if you don’t have a website. Visit Google Places anytime to edit your information and to see how many people have seen and clicked on your listing.4. Add photos, videos and other custom options, all for free – Make your listing really shine with photos, videos, custom categories, your service area, brand name products you sell, how to find parking; and coupons to encourage customers to make a first-time or repeat purchase.Signing up for Google Places is simple. I’ve listed the steps below to create (or claim) your FREE Google Business Maps listing for your interior design business.1. Get a Google Account – If you don’t have one, go to Google.com or Gmail.com and set up an account. It’s a good idea to create a new Gmail account just for this. That way you won’t mind sharing it with others or passing it along, in case you wish to transfer ownership of your listings at a later date.2. Local.Google.com – On the left side of the screen, look for “Put your business on Google Maps.” Click there.3. Google Accounts – Look for the link that says “Google Places”. Click there and you’ll see a page that looks like this:4. Fill in the Blanks – Add your business information and click continue.5. Claim or Create – If you see your business listed there, Google will offer you a chance to claim the existing listing. If you see one that looks like it could be yours, but there are errors, go ahead and choose it. You can fix the errors. If you don’t see your business listed, follow the rest of the instructions to create a new listing.6. Main Form – Complete the rest of the form and click Submit.7. Verify – Google asks you to verify your submission by phone or postcard. They want to be sure that only the right people are able to change any public data about your business. I recommend the phone call option – it’s fast and easy. Either way, you’ll receive a 4 digit code that you will have to enter into the appropriate box on the page.8. Success – You are now done claiming your listing!9. Customize – Be sure to add in photos, videos and descriptions to fill out your listing fully. If you don’t have them handy you can always go back to add them later.Claiming your Google business maps listing is an extraordinarily important factor in determining how you show up in Google, especially when competing with other interior designers in your area.