All ages Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse. By Marilyn Singer. Read the poem in one direction and it tells the folktale from one point of view. Read it in the opposite direction and the point of view is
Get in Gear for Back-to-School :: LANGUAGE ARTS
One day closer to the first day of school… Below, we’ve compiled our favorite 10 language arts activities we’ve featured over the summer (as well as our Summer Reading Lists) to make sure your child gets in gear ahead of
Poetry Puzzle
Adapted with permission from Chicago Park District’s “Once Upon a Day Camp” Guide Read selections from an anthology like The Rattle Bag and compare the word choices of the authors from different eras. How has the English language changed over time? What
Backyard Bug Banquet
Use your child’s gifts for observation and analysis and use your backyard or nearby park as a math & science lab. One way Deborah Churchman of American Forests suggests is to mix overripe fruit and honey in a blender, then
Using Personality Type to Enhance Music Education
Bonnie TeVelde wasn't always a music school director—she started as an accountant and business operations consultant that helped clients develop their businesses. She was frustrated and started a music education on the side to fill her soul in a way
Animal Antics
Watch a short documentary or TV show about animals (e.g. Meerkat Manor or Wild Kingdom) with the sound off. After it’s over, talk about what your child thought was happening during the episode and the “characters” each animal played. Replay
Scripted Summer
If your child cringes at the thought of summer reading lists, try having him/her read screenplays with you from some movie favorites instead on http://www.imsdb.com/genre/Family. (Or, if your child is still an early or pre-reader, read a few scenes from
Fireworks are Popping Up All Over!
People often mistakenly associate body smarts solely with gross motor coordination (e.g. sports, dance). But kinesthetic intelligence also encompasses fine motor skills. Take advantage of your kids’ excitement over tonight’s fireworks to flex your kids’ kinesthetic and visual-spatial mind muscles
Cute “Creepy Crafty”
With October starting this weekend, many of the topics of conversation in our house have started to orbit around Halloween. What should we wear? How are we going to decorate? When can we get a pumpkin? Which neighborhoods are we
Just Dreamy
No matter whether you believe that dreams can help you solve problems, give insights into what’s to come into your life, or simply are strange jumbles of emotions and images from your day…they do offer an interesting look at your unconscious