Our Test Prep Blogs:
Do I Need to Take the SAT or ACT to Apply to College in 2020?
If you are a rising senior who is trying to take the SAT in order to apply to college during the fall or spring of your senior year, it has undoubtedly been a stressful process. Many SAT and ACT test dates in the spring and early summer were canceled and it seemed...
How Can I Practice for the SAT at Home?
Many of you are aware that the College Board has canceled the May 2nd SAT. The College Board is promising to provide future opportunities to take the SAT in place of the canceled tests. As of now, the June 6, 2020 SAT test is still being held as planned. This leaves a...
Will the AP Test Still Be Given in 2020?
I bet a few weeks ago you did not think you would be homeschooling your student, especially not in their AP classes! We have received many questions from parents who are wondering about AP testing and whether it is still happening. They are also not sure how to best...
Should I Take the SAT or the ACT?
Should I Take the SAT or the ACT? Almost every college accepts both the SAT and the ACT. So, most students should choose the test that suits them best and prepare for that test exclusively. The best way to determine which test is best for you is by taking a released...
Do I Need to Take Both the SAT and the ACT?
Do I Need to Take Both the SAT and the ACT? This is one of the most common questions that parents and students ask when I talk with them about college admissions. Often, they have been advised by a school counselor or peer to take both tests. The SAT and ACT are both...
Not Sure How to Accomplish that Big Task? Just Get Started!
Do you spend a lot of time and energy preparing for a test only to feel like your mind goes blank once you start the assessment? This is a common experience. It happens because of the way our brain takes in, stores, and then recovers learned information. There are three phases to learning and remembering…
Not Your Average High School Final
Preparing for the ACT and SAT has come to inspire more dread in high school upperclassmen than the tedious college application process itself, and with good reason. While the ACT has become slightly easier than past...
We Already Know How to Fix Education
We Already Know How to Fix Education Just imagine if all teachers were given a break from constant new programs introduced from above and allowed to teach this way. Imagine the growth we could see. One of the most frustrating experiences as a public school teacher is...
3 Ways Switching to Google Keep Can Help You Stay Organized
3 Ways Switching to Google Keep Can Help You Stay Organized I used to love writing on sticky notes. A few years ago, if you walked into my office you would have seen an array of rainbow notes with everything from grocery lists to the details of a recent phone call...
A Really Simple Way to Achieve More Goals
A Really Simple Way to Achieve More Goals If You Are Working On A Challenging Goal, Plan Backwards As a study skills tutor, I often work with high school and college students to prepare for exams, write a lengthy paper, or plan how a project will be completed. I...
4 Apps to Help with Exam Preparation
4 Apps to Help with Exam Preparation Current technology helps make studying easier and more manageable. As smartphone ownership increases every year, mobile apps developed specifically for studying harder and smarter are regularly popping up. Parrish...
Five Simple Student Routines for School Success
Five Simple Student Routines for School Success We all want our children to grow into happy, successful, and independently functioning (as in not living on our couch) adults one day. As a teacher, study skills tutor, and parent, I have come to the conclusion that if...
Do You Wonder if Your Child Has Dyslexia?
Do You Wonder if Your Child Has Dyslexia? Do you wonder if your child has dyslexia? Maybe you wonder if you have dyslexia. You are definitely not alone. As a special education teacher and reading tutor, one of the most common questions that I am asked by parents...
5 Study Strategies for Students with Test Anxiety
5 Study Strategies for Students with Test Anxiety As the school year begins, a problem that I hear parents express most often, working as a study skills tutor, is that they see their children studying and then it seems they cannot remember the material on test day or...
When Should I Take the SAT?
In this blog, I will answer one of the most common questions that I am asked by both students and parents: “When should I/my student take the SAT?” There are five main factors that affect the answer to this question and that you should consider before making a...
Five Strategies for Surviving End-of-the-Year Testing
Five Strategies for Surviving End-of-the-Year Testing Good Morning. Testing will begin shortly after you complete the identification information on your answer sheet. Please listen carefully to the following instructions. You may not eat or drink in this room. You may...
How to Use Your PSAT Score to Prepare for the SAT
Most students take the PSAT, but I have found through talking to students and parents that many do not fully understand how to use the PSAT to prepare for the SAT. The PSAT score report can be one of your most useful tools when preparing for the SAT. You spent the...
Is it Procrastination, Anxiety, or Avoidance?
Have you ever had an important project or paper to do and found that you suddenly had an urgent need to reorganize your pictures on Facebook, browse “how to” videos on YouTube, or clean out your closet? Procrastination is a thief of time and a guaranteed way...
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Barnes and Noble Storytime
Head over to Barnes and Noble for a variety of free events and storytimes. Storytimes usually take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday with many special events also held on Saturday. The storytimes are held in the children’s section of the store and include...
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Alum Spring Park – Fredericksburg, VA
Alum Spring Park is located within the limits of the city of Fredericksburg at the end of Greenbrier Drive. It is a great place to take the kids on a sunny day. There is a shaded playground with a variety of slides and swings including baby swings. There are also...
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Regal Summer Movies – Fredericksburg, VA
Summer movies are a great way to escape the hot weather, and this is the last week for $1 summer movies at the Regal Cinema. Regal Cinema is located at 3301 Plank Road in Fredericksburg, VA. This is the movie theater in Central Park off of Route 3. This week’s...
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Loriella Park – Fredericksburg, VA
Loriella Park is located at 10910 Leavells Road, in Spotsylvania County. Loriella Park has baseball diamonds, a 2.9 mile trail, multi-purpose fields, several playgrounds, disc golf course, lighted tennis courts, picnic areas, and a swimming pool. The playgrounds at...
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Children’s Museum of Richmond- Fredericksburg, VA
Monday August 15th is the $.15 kids day at the Children’s Museum of Richmond- Fredericksburg. This is a great opportunity to see what CMOR Fredericksburg has to offer at a reduced price. On the 15th day of each month, children can attend for $.15, but the...
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Braehead Farm – Fredericksburg, VA
Braehead Farm is a great place to take the kids for some family fun. It is conveniently located right in Fredericksburg at 1130 Tyler Street. Admission is $5 for kids over 2 and adults. Kids can see farm animals, play games, swing, or play in the sand pile. There...
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Hunting Run Reservoir and Ni River Reservoir – Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania, VA
Going on a canoe or paddle boat ride is an excellent way to get some exercise while also working on skills like following directions, coordination, and motor skills. Many local reservoir parks like the Hunting Run Reservoir and Ni River Reservoir offer boat rentals....
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Pots and Palettes – Fredericksburg, VA
Pots and Palettes at 1104 Sophia Street is a great place to visit on a rainy or hot day with your elementary or middle school child. Kids can select their own pottery, at a variety of price points, starting at $6. During the summer, kids get half off of the studio...
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Miller Farms – Spotsylvania, VA
Miller Farms is located on Orange Plank Road in Spotsylvania and is open Monday-Saturday 9:00 am- 5:00 pm. It is an excellent place to go with the kids if you are looking for a relaxing trip to the farm. There is no fee to get into the farm. Right now, Miller Farm...
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Kenmore Park – Fredericksburg, VA
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Kenmore Park - Fredericksburg, VA Kenmore Park is a great place to take the kids on a sunny day. It is located on the corner of Kenmore Avenue and Mary Ball Street in Fredericksburg. The park has a basketball...
Community Partnerships in Education: It Takes a Village to Raise A Child
Many teachers are overwhelmed. With an increase in state and federal demands for accountability in student achievement, there seems to also be a failure to recognize a very important piece of the puzzle. Although teachers are...
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Motts Run Reservoir – Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania, VA
The Motts Run Reservoir Recreation Area is an 860-acre natural area serving residents of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania. In the summer, the reservoir is open Thursdays-Mondays. At the reservoir, there is canoe and kayak rental, fishing, hiking, and picnicking....
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Central Rappahannock Regional Library
If it’s rainy or exceptionally hot, then it’s a good day to stop by your local branch of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library. Browse for books or participate in one of the many programs or events offered over the summer. The library has a summer reading...
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Bowling
Bowling is a great way to get kids out of the house to do something active, but did you know it can be a good way to practice math as well? Try to let your kids score their bowling game the old fashioned way and then check their math on the screen. Directions...
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Canal Path and Heritage Trail in Fredericksburg, VA
In Fredericksburg the Canal Path/Heritage Trail is a great place to take the kids for some exercise. The Canal Path is 1.8 miles and the Heritage Trail is 1.6 miles. They connect together to make a 3.1 mile loop. The loop is paved and has a bike path. Not only is...
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Wilderness Presidential Resort Mini Golf
Occasionally, we enjoy going to Wilderness Presidential Resort to play a round of mini golf. A value at only $2 per guest, it is an affordable excursion even for larger families and groups. A fun way to practice hand-eye coordination, patience, colors, and...
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Triathlon
My daughter brought home a small green pamphlet from her school for the Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Triathlon. This is a summer reading program for elementary students in grades 1-5. Forms can be found at your local Barnes and Noble store, in the kids section....
Fun, Cheap, and Easy Ideas to Do With Your Kids Today- Michaels Camp Creativity
Did you know that Michaels has a craft class for kids 3 and up on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:00 am? They offer a variety of crafts that appear to be mostly geared toward the elementary age group and each week has a theme. It is five dollars to register...
Learning: It’s Like Riding a Bike
Learning: It’s Like Riding a Bike This year for my daughter’s birthday, we got her a big girl bike. Shiny and pink with training wheels. If you live in our part of the country, you know that we are in the midst of an unending monsoon. It has rained for days. My...
The last day of school is right around the corner…
Summer is here! Where has the time gone? Now is the time to start thinking about your plans to stay ahead of the learning curve throughout the summer. A Smart Summer begins with additional enrichment that you wouldn't otherwise receive. We offer a lot of...
Should Your Student Take the SAT or ACT?
Share -Nina Parrish, M.Ed. Owner | Parrish Learning Zone, LLC 540-999-8759
What’s So Different About the New SAT?
Students taking the SAT on March 5th will see a new and completely redesigned SAT test. Many parents have contacted us regarding their concerns about this new test, and there is a lot of misinformation floating around! Here is a quick comparison of the new and old...
Resolve to Look at Learning in a New Way in 2016
Frequently, I get a phone call from a concerned parent that sounds something like this: My child did so well in elementary/middle school. At that time, the work was easy. They rarely had homework and always made good grades. Now that they are in middle/high...
Best Educational Toys Under $50
If you are a parent, December is all about shopping for the perfect holiday gifts for your little ones. As an educator, I like to think about how I can sneak a little learning in whenever possible. So, in the spirit of the season, here are the first five fun and...
6 Ways to Prepare Your Preschooler for Kindergarten
As many of you know from my previous blogs, my oldest daughter just started Kindergarten. If you are about my age, and were in elementary school in the 80’s and early 90’s, you probably think of Kindergarten as very similar to preschool. Maybe you remember days...
Teachers and Parents Give Their Best Back to School Advice
As many of you know, my oldest daughter started Kindergarten this week! I can’t believe that I have a child old enough to be in school when it feels like just yesterday that she was a baby, we were first starting our tutoring business, and I began writing a blog! So,...
Is School Causing You Stress?
I have been working this year with Riverbend High School Senior Abigail Williams on her Commonwealth Governor’s School Culminating Project. The focus of this project is working through procrastination. I am going to present Abby’s research in a two blog series....
How to Combat Procrastination
I have been working this year with Riverbend High School Senior Abigail Williams on her Commonwealth Governor’s School Culminating Project. The focus of this project is working through procrastination. I am going to present Abby’s research in a two blog series. This...
Tara Hefner Named Barnes & Noble National “Teacher of the Year”
Congratulations to Tara Hefner!! We are blessed to have such a wonderful teacher working with our students at Parrish Learning Zone! We are so happy that Tara is receiving national recognition from Barnes & Noble for the amazing things she does for her students...
Riverbend High School’s We Are One Campaign
Read on to learn about a campaign that local students at Riverbend High School in Spotsylvania have launched to promote inclusiveness and decrease bullying at their school. This year, Burke Swanson, the Senior Class President at Riverbend High School in Spotsylvania...
Become a Savvy Studier
Several times a week I have a conversation that goes something like this: Parent: My kid studies; I think; I see them studying. Then they take the test and they do poorly. It’s like they don’t retain what they have studied. They see the test, get nervous, and forget....
Kick-starting the 2nd Half of the School Year with Dee Daniels
Nina Parrish was recently a guest on the B101.5 talk show "Sunday Mornings with Dee Daniels" discussing how to kick-start the 2nd half of the school year. Click the link below to listen: Link to the interview with Dee Daniels. Share -Nina Parrish, M.Ed....
