In an era of teaching to the test in school and avoiding mistakes at all costs, one of the most important things we need to teach our children these days is that failure in-and-of-itself is not a negative thing. It’s
Wordless Walk
Make a date to go for a wordless walk with your child each evening. Use the opportunity to silently reflect on your days, just enjoying the sounds of nature as you stroll away the day’s stresses. Think about what you
Dance Party!
Choreograph a routine to the chorus of a favorite piece of music and teach the whole family the dance. It’ll be like your own personal macarena! Anytime you hear it on the radio, family members listening have to do the
Forces of Nature
Inspired by 200+ Active Learning Strategies by James A. Bellanca Play some nature-based music (we recommend trying some of George Winston’s Seasons based piano solos from the early 1980s on YouTube). Have your child pretend to be either the forces
Selecting the Best Sport for Your Child
Selecting the Best Individual Sport, Team Sport or Sports League for Your Child If you’re like most parents, you feel that youth sports are an important part of growing up. Youth sports can help encourage activity in a fun way,
Make It Your Mission! Part 5
Attend a trade show or conference with some of your fellow advocates and/or a parent that is in alignment with your mission. (Maybe one of your new email pen pals will also be attending and you can meet!) Walk the
Autobiographical Cube
Inspired by an activity in Multiple Intelligences in the Elementary Classroom: A Teachers Toolkit by Susan Baum, Julie Viens and Barbara Slatin. Take a square box (or die) and put 4 of your child’s FAVORITE multiple intelligences on the sides
Thumb Ball
Via Childrens-Choice.org (used with permission) Blow up a multi-colored beach ball, then using a sharpie, draw an “equator” on the ball, then number each section from 1 to 12. Toss the ball to different family members and call out the operation to
Tongue Twisters
Adapted from a childrens-choice.org activity recommendation (used with permission) Depending on your child’s language level, place varying words on post-its on a twister board, then place the word types on the different spinner sections (e.g. short vowel/long vowel, verb tense,
Parking Lot Parade
Getting bikes all gussied up, then parading around on two (or three) wheels with friends is one way to get both fine and gross motor skills moving this summer. And while parents are growing increasingly wary of letting kids play