Seven Times Smarter 50 Activities, Games, and Projects to Develop the Seven Intelligences of Your Child

by SCHMIDT, LAUREL

• ISBN13: 9780609805091
• ISBN10: 0609805096
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-01-23
• Publisher: Harmony

Summary

What Is Smart? There's evidence of so much more than "reading, writing, and 'rithmetic" in every child -- at least seven distinct intelligences, according to the theory of multiple intelligences, developed by Harvard's Dr. Howard Gardner.In Seven Times Smarter, veteran educator Laurel Schmidt offers a parent-friendly explanation of this theory and of the ways that kids are -- simply put -- word smart, picture smart, music smart, body smart, logic smart, people smart, and self-smart. These intelligences aren't fixed at birth. They can be nurtured and strengthened, meaning that in the right environment, kids get smarter. Seven Times Smarter, an invaluable resource for parents, teachers, and caregivers, provides the perfect way to create this environment. Unlike other craft or activity books that just fill time and keep kids busy,Seven Times Smarterprompts kids aged six to fourteen to work their brains and cultivate new skills using recycled or low-cost materials found in every home -- and enjoy it! It offers an exploration of what it means to be smart, checklists to recognize the seven intelligences in your child, book lists to develop and celebrate all the ways your child is smart, and fifty creative, constructive activities that are good for kids playing alone or in a group, supervised or independently, including: * Memory Tours -- If a memory book is too straightforward for your artistic child, try an un-book, a memory box, or a calendar. * Hanging Gardens -- Indoors or out, even the smallest garden plot can yield a bumper crop of mathematical, linguistic, scientific, and kinesthetic skills. * The Boredom Brigade -- Boredom is a springboard for imagination; imaginary structures, identities, occupations, and friends are just some of the ways kids develop their inter- and intra-personal intelligences. * Junk Yard Genius -- There's an education in junk; in fact, it's easy to turn your broken radio, alarm clock, fan, blow-dryer, or scale into a project that could fascinate kids for days.

Author Biography

LAUREL SCHMIDT has been an educator for more than thirty years and a parent for more than twenty. In the past, she has worked as a teacher and a principal. She is currently the Student Services Administrator in Santa Monica, California, and an adjunct professor at Antioch University.

Table of Contents

Introduction	xiii
What is Smart?
A Word about Multiple Intelligences and How Kids Learn	1	(18)
Who Am I?
Getting Smarter about Family and Self	19	(22)
Keeping Secrets
Memory Tours
Are You My Cousin?
Ancestor Maps
Joyful Noise
Getting Smarter through Movement and Sound	41	(18)
Shall We Dance?
Wood Construction
Big Band
Blockheads
Imagination Incorporated
Getting Smarter on Your Own	59	(26)
Little Leonardos
Inventions
Tower Power
Do-It-Yourself Sports
Boredom Brigade
Exploring and Discovering
Getting Smarter with Odds and Ends	85	(20)
Junkyard Genius
Collections
Where in the World?
Yellow Pages
Kitchen Sink Chemistry
Wordsmiths
Getting Smarter about Thinking and Writing	105	(26)
The Postman's Pal
Stiff Cuffs
Pencil Pals
Author! Author!
Top Secret
The Play's the Thing
Fingersmiths
Getting Smarter through Handmade Tasks	131	(18)
Puppets
Pulp Fiction
Threadneedle Street
Patterns
Bookworms
Getting Smarter in the World of Words	149	(20)
One More Story, Please!
Read All about It
Getting an Earful
A Library Card
Rainy Days and Sundays
Getting Smarter around the House	169	(26)
Potluck
Heart and Hand
Board Games
P.O. Box Scavengers
A Room of One's Own
The Eye of the Beholder
Getting Smarter through Art	195	(24)
No-Mess Art
Through the Lens
Look but Don't Touch
Secret Worlds
Soft Sculpture
Your Own Backyard
Getting Smarter Out of Doors	219	(22)
Just Add Water
Nature Watch
Hanging Gardens
Permanent Pleasures
The World Beyond
Getting Smarter in Your Community	241	(16)
The Big Giveaway
Order in the Court and Other Public Meetings
Improve Yourself, Improve Your Community
Hometown Tourist
Index	257