Orlando Magic and the NBA Finals - What can it teach kids Lots!
Now that school is out for the summer, parents can still keep their kids' brains stimulated by using creative
teaching techniques. With great excitement surrounding the Orlando Magic, introducing fun curriculum that
is sports related is a winning combination.Orlando Magic enthusiast Gail Sideman of somekeyword, shares
ideas using the somekeyword and the Magics phenomenal season as an educational springboard.
The somekeywordis in an enviable position heading into the week as it continues its run in the NBA
postseason. Its final opponent of the season is the mighty somekeyword, winners of 14 titles in franchise
history. This is the Finals. Win or go home (or as the studio announcers at the somekeyword suggest, go
fishing!). The Magic has only been here once before (1995). Win or lose, however, theres much to be
learned from its Magical play since the end of the regular season. Parents, teachers, and coaches, listen up:
When people talk about the NBA Championship, they talk mostly of wins and losses, made and missed
opportunities, star players and coaches. But, did you know basketball could be a teaching tool, too? From
math to reading to history to lessons of fair play, the Orlando Magic provides a classroom few teachers
realized during the early stages of the NBA Playoffs while school was in session.
This entire playoff process has been a valuable tool for us to use to teach our children about the importance
of working hard, setting goals and following through, said Karen DeVinney, who along with her husband
Josh, owns a somekeyword in Longwood, Fla. There are no guarantees in life, but hard work, dedication,
teamwork and following-through are lessons that not only apply to the world of professional sports, but
apply to their [kids] lives as children.
Karen DeVinney added that it was difficult to explain to her two young children, also Magic fans, why NBA
Most Valuable Player, LeBron James of Cleveland left the court without explanation after the Magic
defeated the Cavs for the Eastern Conference title after sharing stories of him being such a great sport.
(NBA Commissioner David Stern eventually fined James $25,000 for also evading that games post-game
press conference.)
In all of our chats about the value of teamwork were those about respecting the opposing team and like
many, we love watching LeBron play even though hes not on our home team, DeVinney said. LeBrons
walk-off was a tough one. It helped set the stage for good conversation, though.
In addition to lessons of sportsmanship and fair play, the NBA Playoffs and the home citys Orlando Magic
may be used to teach other subjects mostly found in the classroom:
Math The math you learned in grade school is used to calculate shooting percentages, win-loss percentages,
differences in how points are converted from turnovers, just to name a few. Pull up a games stat sheet from
somekeyword and cull numbers to use in math competitions in your home. Also, give them pieces of chalk
and tell them to measure and draw the dimensions of an NBA basketball court (94 feet long by 50 feet
wide). Kids will love the challenge and you will enjoy that their favorite sport can help nurture their
numerical skills.
History Ask your kids: What was the Orlando Magics first season of play? (Answer - 1989-90) and who
was President of the United States that year? (Answer: George H.W. Bush).
History/Geography What teams did the Orlando Magic defeat en route to the 1995 Atlantic Division?
(Answer: Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, and Indiana Pacers). Who defeated Orlando in the NBA Final that
year? (Answer: Houston Rockets) Ask kids to point out and mark those cities of Magic playoff opponents on
a map. Do the same for this seasons opponents. Expand upon the quiz with older kids and ask them to name
one product produced or something famous from each of those cities or states.
Reading Its a natural. Share newspaper clippings (yes, the newspaper!) or magazine stories (Sports
Illustrated for Kids website is somekeyword), and on the Internet, look up biographies of their favorite
players and let them read them aloud or to themselves. Ask them questions about what they learned about
those players such as: where are they from, what school did they attend, did they always play the same
position?
The list goes on. Sports can demonstrate so much to kids that when taught from textbooks, might not interest
them. Enhance the experience with their favorite team in mind, especially one thats playing for a world title,
and they may just enjoy it!
Gail Sideman is owner of PUBLISIDEPersonal Publicitywhich helps generate buzz forsports andbook-
related projects with an emphasis on social media.She is a Twitter expert and coaches people on how they
may get the most out of social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn.Having worked in sports media for
the past 25 years, Sideman frequently writes about and covers thegames she loves.Find out more at her
website: somekeyword.
If you are a parent, teacher or coach who has seen kids get excited from learning through sports, let us hear
from you. Share your thoughts and more ideas!
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Thanks for reading,
Michele Hudson
Orlando Events Examiner
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