SMMART...AND KREATIV!

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Room Mom 101 @ www.room-mom101.blogspot.com was nice enough to think of me and pass on the Kreativ Blogger Award...in July. She actually awarded me this honor the very day that I was in the hospital giving birth to our third daughter! Now that I'm chasing after three little cutie-pie girls, I've sort of been feeling like a chicken with her head cut off...not able to keep up on anything...praying for patience...and loving the feel of pillow fluff under my tired head. So, I'm a little late in accepting this award, but THANKS SO MUCH!!!!

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So, here are the rules for this award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.

5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.

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"If I am unable to assume the duties associated with this title"...It's because I'm face down asleep in a bowl of cheerios (my breakfast, lunch and dinner lately)...but I digress:

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7 things about me:

1. I am half Hawaiian and half German. My father grew up on the Big Island (where most of our family lives...and on Oahu too) and left after college when he joined the Air Force. He is a handsome, dark, poly-looking man...and I am the most caucasian looking Hawaiian you've ever seen, while my siblings pulled the natural tans from the gene pool...oh well. OH, and yes...I hula!

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2. My favorite flavor of ice cream is Breyers Vanilla Bean- Love it! Love it! and yes, I loved it a little too much during my recent pregnancy!

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3. I always remember loving Science. Some of my first memories are doing all of the "extra credit" activities in our science book in 5th grade (digging around for rolly pollys, recreating Pangea from continent and island shapes, diagraming the inner core of the earth). I had an AWESOME science teacher in 7th and 8th grade that nurtured that love and brought science to life! Thanks, Mrs. Keefe!

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4. When I was in 4th grade my family lived on the beach in Cocoa Beach, FL. Every time Cape Canavral would launch a space shuttle, the whole school would go out into the grassy field and we'd all be lined up in our classes and watch the shuttle blast into the air and then drop it's boosters. That was sooooo cool! We need to get back there to show our kiddos and eat space ice cream.

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5. I speak Czech. "Ano, mluvim Cesky!" I served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for 19 months in the Czech Republic, Prague Mission. (My husband and I have been able to visit Europe and our mission a couple of times since.)

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6. I studied Molecular Biology/Chemistry minor in college...but sometimes wish I had studied nursing or pharmacy...there's always tomorrow!

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7....and the 7th "thing" about me is...my favorite thing to do in the kitchen is create over the top desserts that are asthetically pleasing and make you want to take a picture (that is...when I have the energy to do so and I'm not in this cheerio rut!)

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Okay, so let me introduce you to my 7 Kreativ Blogger nominees:

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1. http://www.skiptomylou.org/

2. http://thislittleproject.blogspot.com/

3. http://porterpreschool.blogspot.com/

4. http://lets-explore.net/blog/

5. http://teachkidsart.blogspot.com

6. http://www.notimeforflashcards.com

7. http://oodlesofart.blogspot.com/

7.5. http://deepspacesparkle.blogspot.com/

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So, check out these fun sites...and enjoy!

Lisa

SMMART MATH ideas on "GOOD THINGS UTAH"

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Watch "Good Things Utah", abc4 at 10:00am on October 13th

I'll be presenting fun SMMART Halloween Math ideas!

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Also...on October 13th, stop by

www.giveawaytoday.blogspot.com

where I'll be featured and giving away a fun SMMARTidea giveaway!

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Lisa

SMMART ART: BREAD BUGS

I thought a smmart way to spend our summer would be to fill our summer weeks with different themes. This week has been all about insects. Boy, have I learned a lot! (Like, did you know that lady bugs are actually called Ladybird Beetles and turn onto their backs to excrete a smelly ooze from their legs when birds and predators come threatening?)

Early this morning I thawed out a few balls of frozen roll dough (or you can whip up a batch of dough from scratch) and shortly after breakfast the dough was thawed enough for us to sculpt our masterpieces.

We made sure to talk about an insect's head, thorax, abdomen...as we secured the six legs and wings to the insect's thorax.


Our littlest helper even placed the 7 ladybug spots onto her little bug.

Then, into the oven...Brush with melted butter...and Voila!


A yummy snack. The girls really liked pulling off the wings, legs, spots, antenae...and eating those separately as they dipped each bite into cream cheese or a little butter.

Oh the possibilities...what other bread sculptures we could make to go along with our weekly themes.

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Lisa

A Quick Trip to Bear Lake...But I'll post again next week!

SMMART MUSIC: ALLITERATION/ ASSONANCE RING

Alliteration- n. The repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables, as in “on scrolls of silver snowy sentences” (Hart Crane). Modern alliteration is predominantly consonantal.

Assonance- n. The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, especially in stressed syllables, with changes in the intervening consonants, as in the phrase tilting at windmills. www.answers.com

You can find lyrics of a song, nursery rhyme or in a book that shares several examples of alliteration or assonance, or you can make up several phrases of these forms and use them in a story that you create. You can find these concepts in the rhythmic lyrics of music, prose and poetry.

Give your child a bell or rattle. Share with her some examples of what alliteration and assonance would sound like. Tell your child that you are going to read her a story and she should listen for several words together that have the same letter sound. Every time your child hears alliterative or assonance words, your child should ring her bell or rattle.

You could even create several phrases using alliteration and assonance and give your child two different noise makers (bell, rattle, whistle). Have your child make a noise when she hears alliteration and a different noise when she hears the assonance phrase.

Lisa

THANKSGIVING POINT GIVEAWAY WINNER!

-(PRIZE CLAIMED)

The winner of the family four pass to each Thanksgiving Point venue is...

Jennifer Slaugh said...
One of my favorite things to do with my little family is go to Remember the Maine park in Vernal and let the kids dip their feet in the water or they have an awesome dinosaur musuem that my kids love

Thanks to all of you for participating!

So, Jennifer, you have until Midnight on Thursday night to e-mail me your mailing address (SMMARTideas@hotmail.com) and claim your prize! If Jennifer doesn't claim the prize, then I'll choose another random winner.

Lisa

SMMART MATH: Popsicle Fractions

This activity works well with those long, thin, colored icepops in a plastic sleeve.

Cut a popsicle in half.
Let your child place the popsicle halves side by side to indeed compare and see that half means two of the same size.

Draw sharpie lines on an icepop. Divide the pop in half and then in fourths with the lines. Ask your child which line we cut to cut the popsicle in half.

Count the number of segments. Where would we cut the popsicle to create ONE/Fourth? What about THREE/Fourths…as you count out three segments.

Divide a popsicle into thirds with a sharpie. Where should we cut the popsicle to create ONE/Third? TWO/ Thirds?...as you count out two segments.

Discuss that the popsicle in its entirety is the WHOLE.

You can even add... 1/2 plus ½ = whole popsicle
1/3 plus 2/3 = whole popsicle
¼ plus ¼ = half popsicle…or subtract.

So, have fun doing popsicle fractions before summer ends!

Lisa