Choose a favorite story to act out as a family…but don’t start at the beginning–start at the END! Have each family member choose a different character to play and act out what happens next in the character’s lives. Extra Credit: Every
Quick Tips for Error-Proof Writing
A guest post by Brian Patterson of Grammarly For many people, there is nothing more annoying than a typo. Be it a misspelled word in the newspaper or a punctuation problem on a blog post, readers are almost immediately distracted
Summer Reading Recommendations for the “Word Smart” Child
Most kids that like flexing their linguistic mind muscles will devour the age-appropriate book lists at your local library over the summer. Here are a few additional suggestions that you may not know yet… All ages: Dark Emperor and Other
Make it Your Mission! Part 2
Talk with your child about people who do work that’s similar to what your child said his or her mission was in the last exercise. Are there careers that are close in nature? Volunteer opportunities? Do some research online and
Shape Poetry
A shape poem is one that describes an object and is written in the shape of the object. To get your child’s creative juices flowing, you can look at examples of shape poetry here. Next, have your child pick an object
Become a Story Sleuth
Tie together logic and language over the summer with whodunit puzzles! Playing detective once a day will strengthen your child's mind muscles in an enjoyable way. Timing how quickly puzzles are solved and charting the solution speed over the course
“Uno Más” Game Repurposing Post
For those of you who have enjoyed playing our repurposed Candy Land and Twister games, here’s one for another game you probably have in your home that may or may not be collecting dust. UNO! Take the subjects in which
Journal Jar
Because self smart kids generally have a good handle on their emotions, moods and reactions and enjoy self-discovery and reflection, journaling is often a favorite activity and an enjoyable way to develop linguistic acumen. But just getting your child a
Summer Reading Recommendations for “Number Smart” Kids
Growing Patterns: Fibonacci Numbers in Nature. By Sarah C. Campbell. Crisp design and clear photography introduce and depict Fibonacci patterns in nature. Fever Crumb. By Philip Reeve. A lone girl sets out on a mission to retrieve lost technology in a
Alien Invasion
Adapted from a Chicago City Parks & Rec activity recommendation (used with permission) See a familiar outdoor setting with new eyes as you and your child pretend to be aliens on a mission to explore our planet and report back to