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Author: Maria Arana

Hi, I am Maria, a mom to three wonderful kiddos. My family and I live in Phoenix, Arizona. We love the beauty of the desert southwest. I am a former primary teacher and elementary math coach. I love to encourage my children to follow their interests and passions. At Guided Learning Studio, I offer private personalized lessons and enrichment classes. Tutoring services are best for families seeking long-term educational support over a semester or school-year.

A Kid-Friendly Home

November 15, 2018December 29, 2018 Maria Arana2 Comments

     Over the weekend we moved around the furniture in our house in an effort to connect our learning space (formerly the dining room) with the living room to create one learning space.  I like to think of it as a learning studio, where I can tutor students, hold art classes, and a placeContinue reading A Kid-Friendly Home →

The Value of Handwork and Handicrafts

November 8, 2018December 29, 2018 Maria Arana1 Comment

“Busy hands, happy heart.”      I enjoy creating items with my hands.  I was influenced by my dad who enjoyed to making handicrafts in his free time.  I grew up watching him make beautiful things with his hands.  When he was very young he was ill and my grandparents wouldn’t let him go out toContinue reading The Value of Handwork and Handicrafts →

Invitations to Write

October 30, 2018December 29, 2018 Maria AranaLeave a comment

“Writing is making marks that have meaning.” -Jennifer Hallissy      It is an exciting time when children begin writing.  Young children make marks and scribbles on paper and imitate the letter forms they see around them when they start writing.  As some children move from early childhood to childhood their interest in writing wanesContinue reading Invitations to Write →

Creative Thinking

October 22, 2018December 29, 2018 Maria AranaLeave a comment

     When many of us think about creativity we think of the arts.  I often imagine an artist painting in a studio or a musician composing music but creative thinking also exists in mathematics, science, and athletics.  Children exhibit interest in different areas and we can encourage the behaviors that lead to creative thinkingContinue reading Creative Thinking →

Open-Ended Play

October 17, 2018December 29, 2018 Maria AranaLeave a comment

Emergent WritersWhen children play freely they make sense of the world, they explore, experiment, and problem solve.  Mr. Rogers said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning.  But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”       There are many different kinds of playContinue reading Open-Ended Play →

Guided Learning

October 5, 2018January 7, 2019 Maria AranaLeave a comment

     This week I have been reflecting on the learning and teaching process and thinking about what it means to support children as they learn.  This post is about what guided learning means to me. I will also describe the influence educators and learning philosophies have on my beliefs about learning and teaching. GuidedContinue reading Guided Learning →

Connecting with my Kids

September 24, 2018January 7, 2019 Maria AranaLeave a comment

     I’ve written a few posts about taking time to slow down and spending quality time together with my kids.  In this post I would like to share how we as a family spend time together and how we spend quality one-to-one time with each of our three kids.      One of reasons,Continue reading Connecting with my Kids →

Tips for Visiting Art Museums with Kids

September 19, 2018December 28, 2018 Maria Arana1 Comment

     I know it is not easy to visit art museums with kids, especially young kids.  We visit natural history and science museums a lot more often than art museums but I love art and have wanted to instill an appreciation for not only making art at home but also for looking at art.Continue reading Tips for Visiting Art Museums with Kids →

Building Number Sense

September 14, 2018December 28, 2018 Maria AranaLeave a comment

     Hello!  This is just a quick blog post about helping your child build number sense.  People who have number sense can use numbers flexibly.  They rely on their understanding of numbers and quantities to solve computation problems.  Children can strengthen their number sense by engaging in fun games and activities that provide the opportunityContinue reading Building Number Sense →

Prehistoric Art

September 12, 2018January 7, 2019 Maria AranaLeave a comment

     In my last post Learning About Art, I wrote a summary about our study of western art in preparation for visiting museums in Europe.  Before sharing my thoughts on visiting museums with kids and looking at Modern art, it would be helpful to see how we studied each art period or artist.  Continue reading Prehistoric Art →

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Welcome

Welcome to the Guided Learning Studio! I’m Maria. A mom of three and a former classroom teacher turned tutor. I am committed to providing engaging learning experiences based on a learner’s needs and interests.

Top Posts & Pages

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