One of the most important things we can teach our kids during our current obesity epidemic is the basics of eating right. And *many* of those basics are grounded in math…from portion control to how much of what foods to
Room Re-arrangement
Lots of “new” things are coming up fast… new teachers, new classmates, new school clothes, new learning material, new afterschool activities. Why not help your kids to get their outside-of-school lives better organized with a new bedroom arrangement? Starting with
It’s (Math) Party Time!
The common core standards set forth the following criteria for math proficiency are grounded in 8 math “commandments” that include contextualizing, strategizing, modeling, precision, reasoning, structure, content proficiency and perseverance. We feel these standards are missing a crucial first step…
Calculation Composition
Musical notations are intrinsically tied to mathematics. Whether the fractional notes need to add up to a complete measure, each measure needs to be equal to the time signature, how the written notes are essentially “graphed” on the ledger or
Haiku and Tanka
Pick up a child-friendly Haiku collection like If Not for the Cat or Cricket Never Does to introduce your child to the art and science of Haiku and Tanka. Talk about the structure of Haiku (5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in
Out-of-the-Box Gaming
Much of the appeal of video games for kids lies in flexing their logic/strategy muscles and developing spatial aptitude via the game’s fast action and leveled challenges—not to mention getting the opportunity to be a “hero”—all of which can be
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
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
Math Frisbee Golf
Frisbee (or disc) golf is a fun way for the whole family to get some low-intensity activity on pleasant sunny days. And while a “normal” game of disc golf sharpens hand/eye coordination and visual/spatial skills, it’s easy to sprinkle in
Yoga for Young’Uns
Yoga is one kinesthetic activity that kids can enjoy no matter which multiple intelligence lens they prefer to look at the world–just select an appealing entry point below: Visual-Spatial kids: Without worrying about movement flow at first, challenge your “Picture