SMMART READING: SHAVING CREAM WORDS

As your child plays in the bathtub, spread some shaving cream up on the bathtub wall. Use your finger to spell words and ask your child to read the words to you. If the word is too difficult, have your child sound out the word or tell you the letters that make up the word.

Your child can practice letter shapes by writing letters and words into the shaving cream. This would be a fun activity to practice spelling words. You can ask your child to spell “S-A-T” as you write the letters on the bathroom wall. Your child can even practice cursive lettering in the shaving cream.

You can also use the shaving cream can and spray the letters directly onto the bathroom wall. When your child has read the word, then your child can smear the shaving cream around to erase the word and make shaving cream artwork on the wall. This is a fun way to retain interest when your child is just beginning to read.

Another reading idea is to write two letters of a three-letter word on the wall with the shaving cream. Write the third letter on the wall. When your child has read that word successfully, smear off the third letter and replace it with another letter to form a new word. For example, fist you write “_AT” and fill in the blank with “S” to form “SAT”. Then smear off the “S” when your child has successfully read the word. Now write in “H” instead of “S” to form “HAT”. Your child will practice reading words with the same sounds.

The shaving cream rinses off easily into the bath water with a handheld shower head or a few cupfuls of water. (Take notice to make sure that the shaving cream doesn’t irritate your child’s skin.)

Lisa

GOOD THINGS UTAH
WATCH ON JULY 29!
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You may have seen me on "Good Things Utah" when I was able to co-host for the day. It was sooo much fun. I demonstrated a simple science project and introduced this blog to GTU viewers.

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WELL... The senior producer thought that SMMART ideas was a great idea and has asked me to do a science segment on JULY 29!!!! So, mark your calendars and watch the SMMART ideas segment!

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The producers asked me to do the science segment as a trial to see if they'd like to have me back again. So, if you would like to see fun, educational, SMMART learning activities as a regular segment on "Good Things Utah", PLEASE LET THE TV STATION KNOW OF YOUR SUPPORT!!!!!! I sure would appreciate your support!

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Give abc4 a call AFTER you watch the SMMART ideas segment on JULY 29!

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Thanks so much!

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The abc4 TV station phone number is: (801) 975-4444

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The "Good Things Utah" e-mail is: goodthings@abc4.com

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SMMART ART: ICE ART

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Help your child collect small waterproof items of interest around the house and outside.

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Some things that will work well are glitter, small toys, colored yarn, twigs, leaves and small pebbles. Your child can help you cut up the string or ribbon into small pieces. Help your child fill up a bundt cake pan, plastic bowl, ice cube tray, or any other type of mold with water.

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Let your child stir up the treasures in the water.

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Sprinkle the waterproof trinkets all over the water. Many items will sink to the bottom, but when the mold freezes, those items will show nicely on top of the ice. Place the water molds and trinkets in the freezer until completely firm.

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Unmold the ice and place on a plate or outside on the sidewalk. Enjoy the beautiful ice art that you have created. You may wish to time how long it takes for your ice art to melt.

Lisa

SMMART MUSIC: JUMP ROPE RHYTHM

Hold one end of a jump rope and let your child hold the other end. Turn the jump rope together or shake the rope back and forth. You can also let your child hold both ends of the jump rope and try to jump over the rope as you help him. As you play with the jump rope, sing a simple song or chant to keep the beat of the moving jump rope. You could also count to 10 to the beat of the jump rope.

Reciting poems or counting, and singing songs to the jump rope beat helps build rhythm skills.

Memorize a song, nursery rhyme or poem to the beat of the jump rope. First, you will recite the poem to the beat of the jump rope. You may wish to recite it a few times. Now recite the poem and leave out a word for your child to fill in (probably slower than the beat). Pick the beat back up as you continue with the poem and drop out another word. After reciting the poem together a few times, you may be surprised to realize how much your child remembers.

Lisa

SMMART MATH: HIDDEN TREATS

This activity can be adapted to many ages and use many different math skills.

Fill little containers with one kind of treat (toasted “o” cereal pieces, mini marshmellows, tiny crackers…). You can fill Easter eggs, Tupperware containers, rinsed out yogurt containers, or whatever else you can think of.

Hide the filled Easter eggs around a room. Encourage your child to find one hidden egg. Empty the contents into your hand and lay out the cereal pieces in a line. Help your child count the pieces and then let her eat them. Let your child find the next egg and continue counting.

You can also place several types of treats inside of the egg. Let your child sort the treats that are similar.

Now, here are a couple of ways to adapt this activity to an older child, using one or multiple types of treats in one egg:

*Have your child find two eggs at a time. Lay the pieces out in two lines on a table. Count the number of cereal pieces in each line and add the two numbers together, or subtract the two amounts. (eg. 3 + 4 = 7 OR 4 – 3 = 1)

*You can let your child find all of the eggs and lay the cereal pieces out in separate lines. Count up the pieces in each egg, write down the number on a piece of paper and let your child add up several numbers at a time. (eg. 3 + 4 + 2 = 9)

*You can let your child find two eggs and count up the number of cereal pieces in each egg. Your child can write down the numbers on a piece of paper and multiply or divide the numbers. (eg. 3 X 11 = 33 OR 12/ 3 = 4 OR 4/ 3 = 1.33)

Happy Hunting! (and counting)

Lisa