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Did you know that June is National Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Month?  What a great time to plant a few vegetables in a pot!  Gardening is a great language enrichment activity with the added bonus of health eating! When you plant a seed or seedling, you can enhance vocabulary, learn a sequence of events, and practice describing by attribute. Check out this link to the Chicago Botanic Garden for more information: http://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/gardening_children

Did you know May is Better Speech and Hearing month?  To participate, I encourage you to have Speak Week.  The purpose is to support conversations by decreasing texting, emailing, instant messaging, and facebook.  Instead you are encouraged to have real conversations face to face, on the phone, or via skype.  You may be thinking, WHY??? There are many benefits of having “real” conversations!!!   Socially, so much can be lost and misinterpreted in written messages (even with emoticons).  Think about the look on someone’s face when you share something important.  It’s priceless, right?  Or think about the importance of the tone of voice or casual sign when on the phone with a friend.  It provides you important pragmatic clues about your

  With spring break quickly approaching you may be starting to wonder, “What are we going to do for a whole week?”  Spring break can be complicated to plan for because of the weather.  It may be too cold, wet, or muddy for outdoor activities but not cold enough for the outdoor adventures that winter offers.  The following is a spring mix so you have a plan when the kids say, “I’m bored.” 1. Get in the kitchen Kids love to get in the kitchen and help cook, so let them! Not only will they be more apt to try what you make together, but they also can learn valuable life lessons about feeding themselves.  For younger kids, try making

The use of a cell phone is an integral part of our daily routine, but it’s slowly changing the way people communicate.  We can check emails, make phone calls, send pictures, etc. all in a matter of seconds, but fail sometimes to be present in the moment.   Have you ever sat in a crowded room and observed the number of individuals with their heads bent down looking at their phones possibly getting a neck cramp?  Teaching cell phone etiquette may be an opportunity to slow down for a minute and reconnect with your child at the end of the day.  I came across this article that suggests ideas to teach cell phone etiquette for teenagers, but thought we all may

Do you have a child heading to kindergarten in the fall?  Now is the time to assure he or she is ready!  Your child may be excited or have many questions.  Addressing these questions, supporting academic readiness, and providing emotional support will ease the transition and build a foundation that will foster a love for learning.  The following are some general skills students are expected to have upon entering kindergarten, according to the Illinois Early Learning Project: Hold and use a pencil, crayons, and scissors. Speak well enough for others to understand what she is saying. Say her full name and how she gets to and from school. Handle self-care tasks such as hanging up her coat, going to the

  As we all experience this snowy, bitter winter many thoughts come to mind.  Will my car start?  Will school be cancelled?  What am I going to do with my kids all winter?  Winter can be long, but remember winter is an exciting season.  This year the 2014 Winter Olympics will begin in February!  As the Olympics approach, take this opportunity to learn about the host country as well as all the sports.  What is curling?  What are the different types of skiing?   Yes, we cannot get outside as much, but we can still find activities to keep everybody busy.  Gather the troops and create a list of winter activities to do as a family.  Have each family member contribute

As we gear up for two big sporting events in February, many people will be talking about the super bowl and the winter olympics.  Not everyone is interested in participating in a conversation about sports, so I’ve developed some questions to make talking about sports more interesting. Super Bowl Questions: What is the NFL? What NFL team is from your state? How many teams are in the NFL? Where will the  NFL play offs be held in 2014? When is the super bowl? What two teams will be playing in the super bowl? What states are the two teams from? Winter Olympics: What events are in the winter olympics? In what city will the winter olympics be held? In what

The first week of January, is a good time to reflect on the past year and an excellent time to work on language skills.  A fun activity for you and your family is to make a time capsule for the year 2013. You can use a snack tube (Pringles container) or jar and choose any items you want to decorate the outside of it.  While decorating your container, make sure you talk about what decorations you are using and why.  To fill the inside, you can use family photos, tickets from trips, memorabilia, or anything else that can symbolize events from the past year. This is a great time to work on summarizing and sequencing as well as using the

The Museum of Science and Industry is my favorite Chicago museum. They currently have a new Walt Disney exhibit that I look forward to visiting. Going to museums with a family can be pricey, but here are some Free Days for Chicago museums: Adler Planetarium: free general admission with valid Illinois id on December: 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17 Art Institute of Chicago: children 14 and under receive free admission always; Illinois residents get free admission Thursdays from 5-8pm Chicago Children’s Museum: free admission for everyone Thursday evenings 5-8 pm, free admission for all ages under 15 the first Sunday of every month Chicago History Museum: free admission for Illinois residents January 20th, with free special

Brr…brr…brr…As winter approaches, many words come to mind-boots, hats, melting, mittens, chilly, cold, snow, wet, hot chocolate, etc.  Can you think of other winter words?  Here are some activities to build language skills. Look in a magazine for clothing items you wear in winter. Have your child describe his or her favorite winter item. Name foods that are chilly. Make hot chocolate with your child.  Have your child tell you the important steps. Compare and contrast winter clothes.  mittens versus gloves or hats versus earmuffs Find a winter craft to do. Make a list of winter sports. Have your child draw a picture of a favorite winter memory. Ask your child to think of winter words that start with each