Play a piece of classical music that is supposed to take place during a certain season. Can your child guess what season the composer wanted you to see in your mind’s eye? What about the music helps you see that
Cardboard Kingdom
Developed by Laura Manriquez of Santa Barbara’s Kids Love Art! program. Used with permission. The parents I know always remark after birthdays and holidays that their kids seem to have more fun with the BOXES than the toys inside. This
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
The Music of Poetry
Pick up a copy of The Music Lover’s Poetry Anthology at your local library or bookstore. Choose a few of the poems that you think your child would enjoy, then download some of the musical pieces by the composers that were the
Boredom Buster Board Games
Whether you choose a perennial favorite or a newer version, your interpersonal child will enjoy keeping their math skills sharp over the summer by playing math-based board games with family and friends. From oldies but goodies like Monopoly, Parcheesi, Cribbage
Limerick Epitaphs
Talk to your child about what an epitaph is (a brief poem or other writing in praise of a someone who has passed away so that others could get a sense of who the person was). Then read some limericks
You’ll Hit It Out of the Park with Me In Your Corner
One of the most critical vocabulary elements to “nail down” when learning American English (or any culture’s language) is the use of idioms. An idiom, as defined by dictionary.com, is a group of words whose meaning cannot be predicted from
Color De-Coding
Depending on your child's reading level, use color coding to help kids see patterns in spelling, vocabulary or grammar. For instance, if your child is learning to read, find an article in a magazine at home or print out a
Math Music to Your Ears
More than a quarter of a century after learning the states to the tune of “Do your ears hang low”, I still remember the states alphabetically in this way. And even though I’ve never had ANY use for the greek
Broadway Baby
Watch a broadway show or musical theater movie with your child. Have him/her make up a song for one of the other characters in a scene that wasn’t singing…or compose a song for “after Happily Ever After”–what happens to the