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
Pressed for Time
Inspired by 7 Times Smarter by Laurel Schmidt Supplies Needed: thick book (old phone books work well), kleenex or toilet paper, construction paper or cardboard and glue stick or craft glue Take your child on a nature walk in your
Enlightening Film Fest
Watch a movie together, paying close attention to set design, camera angle and lighting. How do the changes in lighting or openness/closed feel of the set change the way your child interprets the emotional state of the actors? Extra Credit: Are
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
Creativity for the Crafty-Phobic Parent
Guest post by Meredith Resnick (M.Ed. & M.A.) of labelsnotlimits.com Many parents are wary of creative projects if they don’t consider themselves particularly artistic or crafty. I understand this, as I am a former-fearful-crafty-mom myself! In the past, when asked
Innerspace List Poems
Adapted with permission from the Chicago City Park District’s “Once Upon a Day Camp” Guide, which was adapted from original source “Art & Poetry Projects for Kids”, by Alice George Using a piece of butcher paper, draw an outline of
Summer Reading Recommendations for the “Picture Smart” Child
All Ages: Books by Laurence Anholt, who penned several children's books about famous artists including Monet, Degas, Picasso and van Gogh. Books by David Macaulay, whose books have won numerous awards and honors including the Caldecott Medal, about different kinds
Make It Your Mission! Part 3
Plan a date, time and place to have a gathering to talk to other “like minded people” in your community about your personal mission. Use your visual/spatial, interpersonal and/or verbal smarts to create one or more of the following to
Musical Musings
Listen to a piece of music from a ballet, then have your child draw a picture or make a model of the scene they believe is occurring at that point in the ballet. Have your child describe the picture (or