Pop Quiz: How many cereal brands can your child name? How about fast food restaurants? Now ask him/her to name all the birds s/he can remember. There are probably just as many bird species in your neighborhood as fast-food brands,
Butterflies & Blooms
Set a goal to help restore butterfly migration routes in your town by planting a butterfly garden with native plants or seeds. Research the best options to provide nectar, roosting, or food for caterpillars that migrate through your area. After
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
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
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
‘Tis the Season
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
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
Make It Your Mission! Part 1 in a Series
This month, we’ll be focusing in on helping your kids develop their own personal “mission statements” and weaving together the intelligences via a multitude of activities as you help your kids pursue their missions. So, we’ve added a new blog
Summer Reading Recommendations for the “Self Smart” Child
All ages Have You Filled a Bucket Today: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids. By Carol McCloud.Through simple prose and vivid illustrations, this book encourages positive behavior as children see how rewarding it is to express daily kindness, appreciation,
Make It Your Mission! Part 4
Think about how you want to set up your event. Do you want people sitting in chairs facing you at the front (e.g. stage/audience) Do you want people sitting in chairs in a round circle? Do you want people standing