SMMARTideas

2012-02-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

SMMART Reading:

Valentine Scratch-offs

My neighbor friend across the street showed me a fun idea for a valentine... a scratch-and-reveal valentine. She was making several for her son's class. She had a picture of Gavin inside a heart. Then she covered the picture with the scratch-off paint so the students could have fun discovering what was hidden inside the heart.

I was thinking this would be a motivating valentine for beginning readers. Little love notes written inside a heart and covered with the scratch off paint. I'll set them out in the morning beside their little Valentine's Day breakfasts.

First, write a little love note on cardstock. Then, cover the cardstock with a piece of clear contact paper and cut out the hearts.

Mix together 1 part dish soap to 2 parts metallic craft paint. Just squirt a little bit of dish soap and then two equal squirts of paint into a small cup.

Paint the mixture over the contact paper-covered hearts you cut out. I had a metallic silver paint that was painting on quite see-through, so I ended up adding a squirt of white craft paint and it helped with coverage. You will want to let the first coat dry and may need one to two more coats to fully hide the writing.

Give your child a coin to rub off the scratch-coat and watch your eager little readers share the hidden message of love.

2012-02-12T00:02:00.002-07:00

WATCH

"Good Things Utah"

on Wednesday, February 22nd for some SMMART Art ideas!
10:00am on abc4

2012-02-06T13:49:00.009-07:00

SMMART ART:

Kandinsky

Art class at home. I was thinking it might be a fun thing to have an "official" art class once a month at home. The girls put on their little aprons, and with a little prep from mom before, we had a nice little art class this month.

First we laid on the floor while I played different types of music. "What does this music make you think of? How does it make you feel?"
Then we learned a little about Wassily Kandinsky (http://www.biography.com/people/wasily-kandinsky-9359941) and how his possible synaesthesia allowed him to appreciate sound and colors with two or more senses simultaneously. He could see the colors of music and could hear colors. He sometimes called his artwork his "improvisations" or "compositions". We observed some his artwork and talked about what Abstract Art is. We talked about his famous circles and a way to remember these is to think of the top of a can for Kandinsky. Kandinsky felt that the circle was the most peaceful shape and represented the human soul.

Art Project #1: We sat at the table and were given pencils to draw as they were moved by the classical Chopin playing in the background. Then the girls used watercolors to complete their works.

Art Project #2: I gave each girl a half a piece of posterboard. They each got their own bowl of gluewash (elmers glue and water to thin out) and a brush. I laid out onto the table lots of shapes cut from tissue paper. The girls brushed their glue wash onto the posterboard and layered shapes into concentric "Kandinsky Circles" or even squares or other shapes. They had fun creating their own little masterpieces.

"Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul". -Wassily Kandinsky

What other ways have you shared Kandinsky art with your children? Let me know in the comments below!

SMMART MATH: You could share a little geometry lesson in circles with your child. "What is the radius of a circle? What is the diameter?" You can measure the radius and diameter of each concentric circle.
"Let's measure the circumference." Wrap the circle with a string and measure the lenth of the string.

2012-02-03T10:43:00.001-07:00

SMMART GIVEAWAY:

Disney on Ice Toy Story3

(Salt Lake City, March 7-11, 2012)
(Giveaway Closed)

Congratts to our Winner: Jamie said...

Jamie S.
We like leap frog!

WHAT: Inspired by the #1 animated movie of all time, Toy Story 3, and memorable moments from Toy Story and Toy Story 2, everyone’s favorite characters are hitting the ice in this sensational live production coming to your hometown! Catch all the heroic action when Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie and the Toy Story gang escape from the rambunctious tots of Sunnyside Daycare and race for home, in their most daring adventure ever. Plus a few new faces join the fun, including Barbie’s groovy bachelor Ken and Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear. It’s the biggest Toy Story experience ever on ice, jam-packed with fast-paced adventure such as Buzz’s galactic battle with Emperor Zurg and a hoe-down on the set of “Woody’s Roundup.” Relive the humor, friendship and charm of Toy Story when Disney On Ice presents Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story 3 takes family fun to infinity and beyond!

WHEN: March 7-11, 2012

Wednesday, March 7 – 7:00pm

Thursday, March 8 – 7:00pm

Friday, March 9 – 4:00pm & 7:30pm

Saturday, March 10 – 11:00am, 2:30pm & 6:30pm

Sunday, March 11 – 1:30pm & 5:30pm

WHERE: EnergySolutions Arena – 301 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101

TICKETS: Ticket prices range from $13, $17, $23, $40 (VIP) and $52 (Front Row)

Opening Night seats available for only $12 each (discount does not apply to premium seating)

**All seats reserved; service charges and handling fees may apply

Tickets are are available through the EnergySolutions Arena Box Office and all SmithTix locations, via phone by calling 801-355-SEAT or 800-888-TIXX and online at www.energysolutionsarena.com or www.smithstix.com.

"The Toys are Back in Town!" I have a FAMILY-4-PASS to give away!

Enter the Giveaway- 2 entries possible:

1) Comment below and leave your name (first name and last initial) and email. Tell me what your favorite educational toys or games are. Birthdays are coming up for my kiddos and I am very interested in what great toys and game you have found!

2)Comment below and leave your name (first name and last initial) and email. Tell me that you follow my blog. (Click on the "Join/Follow" button over the little face icons, in my left side bar.)

Winner's name will be posted Friday, February 17th! You will have 24 hours to email me at SMMARTideas@hotmail.com to claim your tickets, or I will choose another winner. I will email you if you have left your contact info.

2012-01-26T08:49:00.013-07:00

SMMART SCIENCE:

Valentine Day Science Fun

The vocabulary for these experiments is Carbon Dioxide.

Pumping Heart Model
Have your child breathe in and explain that their lungs are being filled with Oxygen that our bodies use. Our blood picks up the oxygen from our lungs. Our blood carries the oxygen all through our bodies and picks up the CO2 that we won't use. Then it's released from our blood into our lungs for us to breathe out.

Our heart is a huge muscle in our bodies that pumps our blood all through our bodies. This model shows how the heart muscle can pump blood.

You can make this model of a heart with your child to demonstrate how blood is pumped around the body. This model only demonstrates how one chamber of the heart would work. http://www.smm.org/heart/lessons/lesson5a.htm

1) Cut the neck off of a balloon. Place the mouth hole of the balloon over the tip of a straw and tape it in place. This will act like a valve that closes off after the water spurts from it. The straw without the valve is needed to allow air into the jar.

2) Fill a mason jar half full of water (you can add a few drops of red food coloring to make the water appear like blood). Place the body of the balloon over the mouth of the mason jar.

3)Poke two holes in the top of the balloon with a bamboo skewer. Push a straw through each hole, making sure there is a closed seal. The straws need to be submerged in the water.

4) Push on the top of the balloon and observe how the water leaves the chamber of the heart and the valve closes after the water exits.
Why does the "blood" only pump in one direction? (answer: the valves close off and does not allow the blood back into the chamber it just came from. The little balloon neck taped to the end of the straw loosely demonstrates how a valve works.)

Check out this animated model of how the heart pumps blood: http://www.mydr.com.au/heart-stroke/animation-how-your-heart-pumps

Dancing Hearts
Good 'ol baking soda and vinegar! These two substances react to form Carbon Dioxide. A solid (Baking Soda, or Sodium Bicarbonate) and a liquid (Vinegar, or Acetic Acid) react to form a gas!
CH3COOH + NaHCO3 >> CH3COONa + H2O + CO2

Fill a tall, clear glass half full of water. Let your child drop in 2 or 3 little candy valentine hearts (conversation hearts). Observe the hearts. Now stir in a Tb of Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate). Observe the hearts. Do you see any bubbles forming along the edges? Pour in a little Vinegar (acetic acid). Observe the hearts. Do you see any bubbles forming along the edges?

Wait for a moment and you will see the bubbles form along the edges of the hearts...so many bubbles that they buoy up the heart so that it rises to the top of the water. The hearts will rise and fall. Why do the hearts fall? Why do they rise again?

Remind your child that this is the same gas that we breathe out of our bodies and that plants use.

Love Potion
Another round of Baking Soda and Vinegar to create a Carbon Dioxide explosion! You've probably all done this reaction at home, but put this Valentine's Day twist on it for a lot of chemistry fun!

Pour a Tb of Baking Soda (Love Powder) into a tall, clear glass. We used a vinaigrette cruet because it looked more like a potion bottle. Drop in 2 drops of red food coloring. Have your child drop in one or two valentine candies (just for fun- they don't effect the reaction).

Now pour a tiny bit of vinegar (Valentine's Day juice) into the bottle and swirl it all around quickly. Watch the liquid turn red and dissolve the solid baking soda. It will bubble slightly. Now pour a bit more vinegar into the bottle and observe the power of the Love Potion! Be sure to do this fun little experiment over the sink:)

2012-01-23T02:12:00.004-07:00

SMMART MATH:

Yogurt writing

A new favorite way to use the yogurt writing letters...Math Practice!

(Use a yogurt without bits of fruit)

"Well good morning! I hope you slept well! So.....what's 12 - 5?" A good start to any nutritional breakfast!

2012-01-22T23:38:00.001-07:00

SMMART TIDBITS:

Book Drive for Disney on Ice

(Heads up: Stay Tuned ... Next week I'll be giving away a Family 4 Pack of passes to the show!)

Hello! A quick reminder about Monday, Jan 23, 2012

at door6 of Energy Solutions Arena in SLC, UT.

Come on down and hand me your book for a free pass to opening night of Disney on Ice/Pixar Toy Story 3!

I'll be there from 11am-noon. One free pass per person with a book for the Road to Success Organization.

Poverty has a profound impact on literacy development and a good book can be a good friend, that's why Disney On Ice supports literacy in an effort to help provide the fundamental skills required for learning how to read. The Road to Success collects, repairs, and packages used books, which are then made available to families in need - free of charge. Excitement about reading books can be contagious, so donate your new or gently used children's books to local underserved children!

2012-01-16T09:20:00.009-07:00

SMMART READING:

Door Codes

My preschool daughter came home with a piece of paper to hang up on our door at her eyelevel. On the paper were written four sight words for her to practice each time she wanted to open the door. This door code is perfect for a refrigerator door or for the outside door, where she has to read the words before she can head outside in the morning.

You could create a door code of letter sounds to practice, math facts to know, monetary coin pictures to practice or a poem or scripture verse you are memorizing together.

We made a triple door code- one section for each of my girls.

Love this idea...wanted to share!

2012-01-09T01:51:00.000-07:00

SMMART MATH:

Magneto Fun with

Colors and Shapes

Have you seen those magnetic quiet toys? The ones where you fill up a water bottle halfway with birdseed and little magnetic trinkets and toys? Then you put a magnet up to the edge of the waterbottle and try to "grab" the toys and bring them to the edge.

This is a math version of that classic mom-made toy. Cut up different colored pipe cleaners into one inch pieces. Toss them into an empty, rinsed, clear- 2ltr soda bottle.

Draw different colored shapes on the outside of the soda bottle with colored permanent markers.

Have your child use a magnet to try to "grab" one color pipe cleaner piece. Drag the piece over to the similar colored shape. "Can you drag the yellow pipe cleaner into the yellow diamond?" You can mix it up a little: "Can you drag the blue pipe cleaner into the orange triangle?"

Try to collect as many pieces as you can with your magnet. Count the pieces together. See if a bigger magnet will pick up more pieces. Have fun trying out the different magnets.

2012-01-02T01:04:00.001-07:00

SMMART MATH:

Cylinder Stackers

Geometry in action: A cylinder rolls and stacks. A right cylinder's base is perpendicular to it's curved surface height. The two base circles are parallel to each other. Go for a cylinder hunt with your kids...poke around junk drawers, your pantry and through your closets to find all kinds of example of cylinders or cylindrical objects...bottle tops, pencils, cups, oat cans...
Gather a bunch of paper towel or toilet paper rolls. You may wish to spray paint the exteriors and let them dry. Let your child paint the cylindrical rolls with tempura to make the stackers "their own". Cut the rolls in half, in fourths or thirds when they dry.

Cut two slits on the top and bottom of the rolls. The slits can be about a half inch apart or so. Slide another tube stacker into those slits. Your child can create a structure of cylindrical tubes by sliding tubes into the top and bottom slits of each stacker.

You may wish to play with the stackers and create a structure with unpainted tubes. Then spraypaint the whole structure and let your child paint the whole thing with tempura. The tubes will be sort of glued by the paint, so this may be more of a one-time use of the tubes. If you paint the tubes first and let them dry before you stack them, you can reuse them.

2011-12-27T09:59:00.004-07:00

SMMART MATH:

Marshmallow Snowmen Favors

These little guys are a lot of fun to make and are a perfect favor to take home from a winter party. In this little geometry activity, your child can feel, play with and discover the properties of a cylinder.

You will need:
Clear celophane pretzel bag
twistie tie
7 inch black ribbon to symbolize hat
9 inch festive color fat ribbon for scarf
google eyes
orange triangle nose cut from construction paper
5 marshmallows

Have your child count out 5 marshmallows and slide them into the celophane pretzel bag. Tie off the top with the twistie. Talk about the shape of a cylinder marshmallow. A stack of cylinders also looks like a loooooong cylinder. Cylinders can roll and stack!

Tie the black ribbon around the twistie tie to symbolize a top hat. Tie the festive fat ribbon around the "neck" of your snowman. You can cut a frayed edge for a scarf look. Glue on the eyes and nose. You can use a permanent marker to mark in buttons on the body.

Look for other cylinders around the house...soup cans, cups, rolling pin...

2011-12-19T03:02:00.001-07:00

SMMART ART:

Gingerbread Disguises

My daughter's class sent home an outline of a gingerbread man on a white xerox piece of paper. She was asked to bring it home and disguise it so that it wouldn't be eaten by Santa on Christmas Day. She really likes Red Riding Hood lately...

We created our own little clan of gingerbread princess to decorate their bedroom door for the holidays! We talked about some words that mean disguise like incognito, conceal and camouflage...

The girls loved cutting, drawing and especially gluing their gingerbread girls together. This is a fun activity that helps put the twinkle of Christmas in their eyes.

"Can't catch me....I'm the gingerbread man (in disguise)!"

2011-12-12T03:10:00.004-07:00

SMMART READING:

Name Practice

Look at these cute little turkeys we did for Thanksgiving...but you can use any holiday icon you can think of... Christmas would work great with stars or candy cane shapes.
First have your child draw iconic shapes for the season. Then your child will cut out the pictures. Before you begin the game, practice with your child how to write her name in her best handwriting.

Now for the fun part! Have your child hide her eyes in one room of the house while you hide the pictures throughout several rooms (remember how many you hid in each room so you can be sure that your child finds all of the pictures).

Give your child a pencil and ask her to find all 3 of the pictures hiding in the bathroom. When she finds each picture, she will write her name on it and then put it back. When she's done finding all of the pictures in that room she will report back to you. This gives your child a chance to practice her name on her own, with a little solo time to herself so she feels like a big kid on a mission.

Now ask your child to find the 4 pictures that are hiding in her bedroom. When she finds them, again, she will write her name on the picture and put it back where she found it. On and on until every picture is found in each room.

Now when she reports back from the final room, you take her hand and go to each room, where she will show you where she found the pictures and collect them all. Your child will love to run around with you and show you where she found all of the pictures!
This game is great fun and can be adapted for letter writing practice or spelling word practice. Your child can write a specific letter that needs special handwriting attention, or you can hide 26 pictures so she can write a letter of the alphabet on each picture.

Older kids can hunt for pictures to write their spelling words on. When they show you where they found all the pictures and collect the words, you can correct any spelling errors together. If there is a word or two that need more practice, then focus the whole game on those two words.

2011-12-01T00:52:00.000-07:00

SMMART MATH: HOLIDAY ADVENT CALENDAR

Whatever holiday you celebrate in the month of December...you can create an advent calendar to count down the days until THE BIG DAY(s)!

A special idea that I've heard from several sources revolves around creating your own advent calendar of traditions. Might be fun to write each day's holiday activity on a snowflake, folded up and tucked into your advent creation.

Advent Calendar ideas:

-You can decorate 24 little boxes with your children and fill each box with a piece of paper that tells the day's activity.

-24 Gifts-Wrap up 24 little boxes and each day your child can open one to discover the day's activity.

-Craft 24 little "poppers" or "crac kers" filled with a holiday activity each day. Check out these rocket poppers: (http://www.alphamom.com/holiday/2009/06/make_your_own_fourth_of_july_c.php)

...might be fun to make Holiday poppers and every day confetti, treats and an activity fall down on your child in a snow flurry...could create holiday snow chimes (without the rocket top)and wrap 24 toilet paper rolls in holiday scrapbook paper, fill, number and hang up by their strings...Tons of Fun!)
.

-Make a pop-up window calendar (cut windows out of one sheet of cardstock that your child has decorated... and paste onto a piece of paper where all of the ideas written out under each window)

-Egg Carton Advent (poke holes into the bottom of two cartons and attach them to a piece of cardboard. Wiggle a small strip of paper into each hole and each day your child can pull out that day's strip of paper with the activity for the day. Be sure to let your child decorate the cartons ahead of time.)

Here is a list of ideas that my good friends Arianne and Melanie (and family fun magazine) helped me come up with-some ideas are local to our area.

Advent Calendar…Christmas Tradition Ideas

Make your own Snowman Pizza (complete with olive buttons and mouth)

Cut out and decorate SNOWFLAKES, then hang them from your child's ceiling

Make cookies

Watch a nativity Christmas movie
Visit (temple square) lights
Act out the nativity
Go ice skating
Host a Christmas (princess) party for your child’s friends
Surprise a neighbor by doing something for them Deliver neighbor gifts Go to see decorated Christmas Trees (Festival of trees)
Decorate gingerbread houses
Decorate Christmas tree
Visit Santa
Attend the Nutcracker

Observe ice sculpture contest
Attend a (ward) Christmas party
Visit a live nativity
Watch a Christmas movie
Christmas craft Let your child pick an angel from an “angel tree” Write Christmas cards

Make gifts for your child’s friends
Play in the snow

Make Snow Ice cream
Watch first presidency devotional (lds.org)
Make ice ornaments
Make bird seed crackers
Read scriptural account of Jesus’ birth
Attend Christmas Concert/play
Write a Christmas Story

Read Greatest Christmas Pageant EVER

Zoo lights

“This is the Place” Christmas village

Play a holiday game

Draw your own nativity

Make a gift for your teacher

Wrap friend gifts and deliver them

Go to the library/craft time

Paint everybody's toenails in Christmas colours.

Make Christmas cards.

Make Christmas ornaments.

Set up the Christmas tree.

Make gift tags.

Bake Christmas cookies and decorate them.

Purchase a present to give to charity/Take food to food bank

Have a picnic for dinner.

Go out to look at Christmas lights after dark. (make a gift “award” to present to the house that your family likes the most)

Write a letter to Santa.

Make gifts for teachers and bus drivers.

Hold a family disco.

Go out somewhere special for dinner.

Eat fancy ice creams after dinner.

Watch a Christmas movie before bed.

Visit the grave of loved one

Create and deliver holiday party invites for a holiday party you host

Make a snowscape with shaving cream and action figures (in the bathtub or on a cookie sheet)

Blindfold your kids and have them guess holiday scents and spices

Write a Christmas Story together

Write a letter to armed forces

Play secret santa with snacks

Act out a Christmas story

At dinner describe what you love about each family member

Happy Holiday Memory Making!

Advent Calendar

2011-11-28T15:28:00.000-07:00

SMMART READING:

Thank you letters

This tradition that seems entirely appropriate around the Thanksgiving holiday...

Around this time of year, I reflect on those pivotal people in my life who made a difference to me. I choose a few of them each year and pen a letter of gratitude to them.

This year I will be including in my list of appreciated, the fabulous Mrs. Keefe, my 7th grade science teacher who made science tangible and an exciting world of wonder. Thank you, Mrs. Keefe!

Ask your child to think of someone who they admire or who is important in their life. Help her craft a brief message in her own handwriting. If your child is too young to write, then have her draw a picture to the special person.

Gratitude is a great gift to share with those who have influenced your child's life.

2011-11-21T00:55:00.032-07:00

SMMART READING:

Cranberry Letters

No way, you say? ...Cranberries can be THAT FUN! Oh yes!

Cranberry Letter Snakes:
Set out a bowl of fresh cranberries and a pile of toothpicks on the counter. Have your child tell you how many letters are in a word that you'd like to practice.
H-O-P-E has 4 letters, so your child will place 4 cranberries in front of her. Then, let your child write a letter on each cranberry to spell out the word HOPE. This is a favorite treat to be able to use the forbidden "permanent markers"!

Now, have your child attach the cranberries together with toothpicks to create their word.

Keep your child busy learning on Thanksgiving morning while you're basting the turkey by giving your child a list of Thanksgiving words to create with the cranberry letters. Be sure to make enough cranberry letters to build all the words. The list lets your child check the list to make sure each word is spelled correctly.

Another fun activity with Cranberry Letters:
Use a black permanent marker and write the letters of a few words you'd like to practice on fresh cranberries.

Remember those water noodles from this summer? Cut off a one to two foot piece and slice it down the middle in half to form a tube.

Now ask your child to spell or sound out a word. "How do you spell Turkey?" Your child finds the correct letters on each cranberry and rolls them down the tube into a bowl. You can help to make sure he is spelling the word correctly.
Now that you have a bowl full of the correct letters, have your child arrange the cranberry letters into the word T-U-R-K-E-Y. Voila! Your child has just spelled a word twice and doesn't even know that he was tricked into practicing his spelling words!

You can also float the cranberries that make a word in a bowl of water and let your child scoop out each letter in order with a slotted spoon. Double fun!

You can practice sight words or sounding out words too. Give your child a handful of cranberries with the letters that spell out a word you'd like to practice. Let her roll the letters down the tube and into a bowl or scoop the letters from a bowl of water. Arrange the letters into the word you are practicing. Have your child sound out or recognize the cranberry word. For some reason, your child will actually have fun reading the word is BECAUSE IT'S WRITTEN ON CRANBERRIES!

Now We're Talkin' Turkey!

2011-11-14T00:32:00.004-07:00

SMMART ART: Cranberry Pies

This activity is just for fun and to keep the kiddos busy while you're preparing a lovely turkey feast!

Break out the playdough, or make up a batch of your own salt dough/play dough. Judy, the nursery leader at our church makes the BEST playdough!
Judy's Play Dough Recipe:
-Mix together in bowl: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt and 1 Tbl Alum. Boil 1 cup of water, add 1 Tbl oil and food coloring to water after it has come to a boil.
-Pour it into the dry ingredients and stir. If it is too sticky add a little more flour. It seems to set up more as it cools down.

Set out the playdough, a mini rolling pin (you can use a fat pencil or short wooden dowel too), a plastic knife and some small cookie cutters. Lay out a bowl of cranberries too.

Roll up two balls in your hands and flatten them out for your top and bottom crust. You can shape your bottom crust and flute the edges or just build up the edges and criss-cross pattern them with the edge of the knife. Fill the bottom crust with cranberries and make a small mound.

You can cut thin strips from the top crust and make a lattice top to cover your pie. You can cut out little shapes to place over the top of your pie filling, or you can just drape the top crust over your pie and make ventilation slits with your knife.

So many ways to create the perfect little cranberry pies!

2011-11-09T23:26:00.001-07:00

SMMART READING and MATH:

Turkey Shooters

Gobble, Gobble. These little Turkey Shooters are fun and easy to make with your kiddos. Roll up a half-piece of construction paper into a tube. Make sure the diameter is just large enough to fit a cranberry. Cut 5 or 6 slits down one end of the tube. Place a pencil at the tip of one of the "feathers" you just cut and roll the feather over the pencil to curl it. Curl all of the feathers. Glue on a pair of googlie eyes and a waddle that you cut from a red piece of construction paper.

Write a list of festive Thanksgiving words: Turkey, Pumpkin, Stuffing, Thanks, Pilgrim... With a permanent marker, write each letter of the words on a separate cranberry. You don't have to write letters for each word, since some words share letters. Place the cranberry letters in a bowl.

Have your child hold the beak tip of his Turkey Shooter. He can put a paperclip on the beak tip to hold it closed if that is easier. Let your child find the letters of a word on the list from the bowl and place the letters in the correct order into the Turkey Shooter. When all of the letters are in place, your child can release the beak tip and watch the letters roll out. If he is skilled enough the letters will stay in order, but many times they roll out quickly and get a little out of order. Have your child refer to the list to place the cranberry letters in the correct order. Double spelling practice.

SMMART MATH: This would be a fun way to practice addition. 3+3= Place three cranberries into the Turkey Shooter and then three more. Release the beak tip and then your child can count up the 6 cranberries that roll out.

2011-11-07T00:13:00.004-07:00

SMMART MATH:

Cranberry Garland Patterns

Yes! Cranberry Relish and Turkey Season is approaching!

On that fine Turkey Day when all are busily baking...keep your children merrily making with a simple cranberry and popcorn garland.
Lay out a bowl of cranberries for each garland maker and a big bowl of popcorn in the center of the table for all to share. Thread a long piece of dental floss onto a large, fat needle (little hands may need some supervision).

Now, you know the routine...cranberry, cranberry, cranberry, popcorn, popcorn, cranberry, cranberry, cranberry... and so it goes. Have your child create her own garland pattern.

Go outside and find the perfect tree upon which to lay your Thanksgiving Bird Feast. Your child will be particularly thrilled they get to feed the cold little birdies while you all indulge in the cranberry sauce and stuffing inside.

2011-10-31T07:25:00.001-06:00

SMMART SCIENCE:

Spooky Skeleton Bones

Check out these great resources to help your child learn about his skeletal system! ( Most ideas from http://www.ehow.com/how_5163703_learn-skeletal-system.html)

The Virtual Body- http://www.medtropolis.com/VBody.asp Here you can rebuild a skeleton from a pile of bones, get a tutorial about bone functions and zoom in on bone locations. This site also has interactive learning activities for the Brain, Heart and Digestive Tract

Cut and Paste Skeleton- http://westerndairyassociation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Skeletal-System.pdf The cut-and-paste skeleton is on pg14, so scroll down to the last page.

Simon Says- Using this list of bones to play a game of "Simon Says". "Simon Says touch your tibia. Touch your fibula." When Simon says to do something, play continues, but if a player touches a bone area on their body when Simon doesn't say to do so they are out of that round of the game.

Skull             Ribs            Ulna           Fibula
Mandible      Sternum      Humerus    Patella
Vertibra        Clavicle      Pelvis         Phalanges
Sacrum         Scapula       Femur
Coccyx         Radius         Tibia

Hokey Pokey- Using the list of bones above, sing the Hokey Pokey song as you place each bone area in front of you and shake it to the music.

"You put your femur in. You take your femur out.
You put your femur in and you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!"

The Human Body-Discover your Skeleton- http://www.areyougame.com/interact/item.asp?itemno=JH12495
This skeleton model game helps you learn and identify bones of your skeleton. Ages 8+

2011-10-30T15:59:00.002-06:00

SMMART READING:

Favorite Halloween Stories

Just a few of our favorites:

by Alison McGhee

by Steven Kroll

by Jerry Smath

Speaking of good stories, my parents recently visited Gardener Village (south of Salt Lake City, UT) and experienced a wonderful "Ride to a Witch". They were entertained by a few witches brewing stories of their own. My mother emailed me about their experience. It sounds like so much fun, I thought I'd share:

"We paid at the booth and were given cockroaches to give to the tractor trailor man for our entrance on the trailor. He drove us to the witches village.

Witch Prudence met us and took us to her house where they train witches and showed us some of her formulas that had some floating eyeballs that she proceeded to drink.

After showing us around her place and entertaining us with her wit she encouraged us to go see the Disco Diva witch next door. There we danced disco with the disco witch.

We proceeded on to the Cauldron Cooking Class where the witch had a large cauldron of bats eyes and wings and various other things that we might want to try when we get home. She then took us to the witches market and instructed us what to buy for our stews.

Then on to the the story telling witch who enjoyed her own stories very much. She would cackel after each story. We also enjoyed them.

Then on to the witches graveyard for burial of a headless cockroach. Other dearly departed crickets, dead rats and fellow cockroaches rested there.
Prudence, our first hostess, told us that the witch actors there all had to compete for the witchs' positions and that they come from all around to compete. They have to have their witch's name and dress and persona. Prudence was truly a convincing and funny witch. Just ask the little girl that wouldn't come near her!"

Next year we'll definitely be "Riding to a Witch" for a Halloween treat!

2011-10-24T09:42:00.001-06:00

SMMART MATH:

Halloween Estimation

So your little Goblin is going to scare his way door to door this Halloween and come back home with a stash of candy...hmmmm...what to do?

There are a few methods of consumption that I've experienced or heard about:
-Let your kids eat their guts out on Halloween night and then ask them to select 20 more pieces to keep for future treats.
-Your children sort out the types of candy into piles and then only keep the piles of the candy that they really like.
-Turn in your candy for money at certain dentist offices.
-Your children gorge themselves on candy Halloween night and then leave the rest of the candy as an offering to the "switch witch" who, in exchange the next morning, leaves a nice gift for each child.
...I'm sure there are many options...but I like having my kiddos work for their candy!

For example, in subsequent days when your child asks for a few pieces of candy, first have them spell a word to you. Have your child answer a math problem or recite a poem or scripture.

How about trying out this Estimation Activity?
Let your little Gobblins pour out their candy stash on the table. Then have them sort their candy by name/type. Ask your child to estimate how many pieces of camdy are in each pile. Write down everyone's guess. Have your child count out each piece in a pile and write the name of the candy and how many are in the pile (great spelling/handwriting and number writing opportunity).

Have your child compare what they guessed to the actual number of candy in each pile.
Your child can write math phrases showing how their guess compared to the actual number of pieces:
-Greater than/Less than practice: "17 is more than 12"
-Subtraction practice to determine how off their guess was: "17-12=5"

Compare everyone's guess to see who came closest to the actual number of candy in each pile. It's fun to see who comes closest to guessing correctly.

After all of that math work, reward your child with...yes, of course, a piece of candy!

2011-10-20T00:08:00.000-06:00

Brigham City Women's Forum

Saturday, November 5th

I am excited to share SMMARTideas at the

"Women in the Year 2011" Conference

in Brigham City comin' up soon!

Maybe I'll see you there...be sure to say hello!

Sponsored by MountainStar Brigham City Community Hospital

Check out the program to see the amazing presenters!

BCCH Women's Forum Brochure 9 11 FINAL

2011-10-18T22:31:00.001-06:00

SMMART GIVEAWAY:

Disney on Ice "Treasure Trove"

(Closed)

Congratts to the Winners:lesleyC said...I treasure our outside time together, anything outside.
Leslie Lund said...as a family we like to eat kalua pig and have a big fat luau!
MandyA said...We recently just went to Disneyland. It is a memory I will always treasure. We hope to make this a tradition!
Jennica and Preston said...We love to go to my parents lake house! We have so much fun boating, going on walks and four wheeler rides and having campfires and eating our smores. We try to go at least 3 times a year and it's so nice to have a whole weekend together as a family and not have any other distractions!

Families can expect to get tangled up in the Walt Disney Studio’s 50th animated feature with Tangled stars Rapunzel and Flynn, and enter the worlds of other favorite Disney princesses – Tiana, Cinderella, Jasmine, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Mulan, and of course, the one who started it all, Snow White. Youngsters of all ages will enjoy setting sail with Peter Pan, the always sassy Tinker Bell, and the cantankerous Captain Hook & his pirate pals on an adventure beyond Never Land and trekking the wilds of Africa with Simba, Nala, Pumbaa and Timon as they discover the true meaning of the ‘Circle of Life.’ And no one wants to be late to a very important date with Alice & the Mad Hatter as they march with the Queen of Hearts’ Army of Cards. Relive magical moments in this ultimate Disney animation celebration!

WHEN: November 9 - 13, 2011
Wednesday, November 9 – 7:00pm
Thursday, November 10 – 7:00pm
Friday, November 11 – 4:00pm & 7:30pm
Saturday, November 12 – 11:00am, 2:30pm & 6:30pm
Sunday, November 13 – 1:30pm & 5:30pm

WHERE: EnergySolutions Arena – 301 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101

PRICES: Ticket prices range from $13, $16, $23, $35 (VIP) and $50 (Front Row)
Opening Night seats available for only $12 each (discount does not apply to premium seating)
**All seats reserved; service charges and handling fees may apply

Hmmm...a Treasure Trove...there are so many things our family treasures...
Of course, sharing time together is a cherished treasure. I think one of my favorite family treasures is spending time boating out on Stansbury Lake. We take out some duck bread and a snack and pedalboat around, enjoying the sunshine and being together. What is your family's favorite treasure?

So let's give away some passes!!!

I have four Family-4-Packs to give away!

ENTER the Disney on Ice "Treasure Trove" Giveaway:
1) Leave a comment below this post and tell me about your favorite family treasure (recreation you like to do together, favorite tradition, food you like to share, person that you esteem, big bean bag where you watch TV...). Leave your first name/ last initial and your e-mail address in your comment.

2) Leave a comment below this post telling me that you follow my SMMARTideas blog. (See that button in my left column "Join This Site" with the little faces icons underneath?- click on it!) Leave your first name/ last initial and your e-mail address in your comment.

Winners will be announced Halloween Day, October 31st! I will notify you by e-mail if you won. You have 24 hours to reply to me to claim the tickets. If you don't contact me within that time, I'll random.org another winner.

Good Luck!

2011-10-13T10:08:00.007-06:00

SMMART READING:

The Mummy (Un)Roll

Oh my bats and black cats! Kids LOVE being rolled up in toilet paper like a mummy! Love it!

The only prep you need to do is grab a few rolls of toilet paper, and grab some little plastic spiders. You're going to spell out a spooky word on the belly of each spider. Write ONE letter on each spider's belly with a permanent marker. (The orange plastic spiders might work better for this so you can see the letters...you could also use any little halloween trinket that is light weight.)

Have one child start rolling up another child in toilet paper. Periodically you will place a spider in the toilet paper streamer as the child is rolling up her mummy, until all of the spiders are gone.

Now, on the countdown-"3 Bats, 2 Lizards, and 1 witch's eyeball...GO!" Your child starts to unroll the mummy as fast as she can. She may just rip all the toilet paper off as fast as she can. The spiders will drop to the floor. Both the unroller and the mummy now work as a team to gather up the spiders and try to figure out what the SPOOKY WORD is scrambled on the bottom of all those spider bellys.

This makes for a great relay game if you have two or more mummies and unrollers! If you are playing wtih smaller children who are only familiar with their ABCs and not yet reading, then you can write all the letters of the alphabet on the bottom of the spider bellys. After unrolling your mummy, help your child put the spiders into alphabetical order. This game adapted from (http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/halloween-games/)

Spider Spelling!

2011-10-13T10:05:00.002-06:00

SMMART MATH:

SUCKING SPOOKS

You'll need:
Straws
Bat cut outs
Pumpkin cut outs
Two bowls
(*Optional: Karo syrup and red food coloring)

PREP:
-First you'll need to cut out a few small bat and pumpkin shapes from colored paper. Make sure the shapes are small enough that you can pick them up with the end of a straw as you suck through the other end. Write a number on each cut out. For smaller children, you'll want to use simple numbers and for older children, you can use more complex numbers.

-Now drip a drop or two of red food coloring into a small amount of Karo Syrup and stir until the color is ubiquitous. Drizzle a little of the "bloody" syrup onto the rim and sides of your bowls.

GAME:
-Give each player a straw and lay a bowl in front of him.
-On the count of "Crows feet, Broomsticks and Warlocks...GO!", each player will suck on their straw and try to pick up the bat and pumpkin cut outs with the other end of their straw. They'll drop the cut out into the bowl.
-Players continue to pick up all the cut outs until they are gone. Then, each player dumps out his own bowl of cut outs and looks at the numbers on them.
-As quickly as they can, players will add up all of the numbers on the bats and subtract away the numbers on the pumpkin cut outs. When a player has figured out the final answer, they yell the number out loud. After a quick check to make sure their math is correct, that player is the winner.

Of course, this could be a lot of fun for older children if it was MULTIPLY the numbers on the bats and DIVIDE the numbers on the pumpkins. Younger children can sequence the numbers in 1,2,3 order or sort similar numbers into groups. This game adapted from (http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/halloween-games/)

2011-10-13T08:22:00.000-06:00

SMMART MATH: Counting Eyeballs

Counting Eyeballs (Halloween favor)...or marbles, or bouncy balls...

We just happened to have a water noodle that had been bent, bit and loved way too much. Instead of tossing out your worn water noodle, cut off a 1 to 2 foot piece and slice it down the middle to create a long channel for a ball to roll down.

Place a cauldron (or a bowl) on the floor on one end of the room. Have your child stand by you on the other side of the room. Place a small ball on the edge of the noodle channel while your child holds it horizontally.

Your child will balance the ball on the noodle while he walks across the room. When he reaches the bowl, he will attempt to drop the ball into the bowl.

Sing a spooky halloween song and see how many eyeballs your child can drop into the cauldron by the time the song is over.

Decide how many points each eyeball is worth. If you want to practice counting by 2s, then each eyeball is worth two points...5 points if you want to practice counting by 5s...10 points to practice counting by 10s...

Together, you can count up how many points your child won.

2011-10-06T20:01:00.002-06:00

COSTCO MAGAZINE!!!

I am so excited to be in the "Member Connections" section of the October 2011 issue of Costco Magazine!

(Sorry, I couldn't get the two layouts to overlap)

http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/201110#pg99
Below, I posted the "Ghost Krispie" activity that was pictured in the magazine.

Thanks to Maria Bellos Fisher for a great write-up!
If you like these activities, be sure to "Follow" my blog!

2011-10-06T19:09:00.001-06:00

SMMART SCIENCE: RICE KRISP GHOSTS

BOO!

Why do toasted rice crispies SNAP, CRACKLE and POP?

"When Kellogg's* Rice Krispies are toasted the cooked and dried rice "berries" expand their size (puff) to many times their normal size. Since the weight of the rice berry and its material mass remains nearly the same, the rice material is stretched to form very thin walls of the Rice Krispies structure. This is much like a very thin glass crystal. When subjected to a change in heat, a severe "stress" is set up and the thin wall fractures - creating a Snap, Crackle and Pop!
This happens in the cereal bowl when cold milk (i.e. heat stress) is poured in the Rice Krispies and presto SNAP! CRACKLE! POP! The sounds are made by the uneven absorption of milk by the cereal bubbles." (http://www.kelloggs.ca/whoweare/scp.htm)
Pour your child a bowl of crisp rice cereal and let her listen to the little rice "berries" after you pour a little cold milk on them. Observe how the toasted rice "crystal" cavities fill with milk.
Now for the experimenting...Set up a few bowls of dry cereal and a few cups of different liquids. Let your child pour the different liquids onto the dry bowls of toasted rice.
Do the rice "berries" make the same amount of sound when you pour a different type of liquid on them?

Try warm water, cold water, soda, warm milk and cold milk. Talk about your observations with your child.

After eating a bowl of toasted rice cereal, we made RICE KRISP GHOSTS:
Whip up a batch of "Rice Krispie Treats":

-Melt 1/4 cup butter

-Add 10oz marshmallows and mix around in the butter. Put back in microwave for about a minute so the marshmallows are melty
-Stir together to help melt the marshmallows down.
-Add 8 cups of toasted rice cereal and stir mixture all together until rice cereal is mixed in well.

-Pour mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Shape the mixture into a ghost form...like a hay stack.

-Sit the mound onto another sheet of plastic wrap and smoosh the bottom of the mixture to flatten the bottom.

-Refrigerate to allow mixture to harden.
-Melt white chocolate chips in microwave. Remove chocolate and stir till smooth. Use a spatula to smooth chocolate over the toasted rice/marshmallow mounds.

-Refrigerate till chocolate hardens.

-Use a little melted white chocolate as "glue" to secure two black chocolate chips onto the ghosts as eyes.

These make fun little Halloween gift treats for your friends (wrap in celophane and tie with pretty black and orange ribbon!)

YUMMY!

2011-10-05T18:12:00.000-06:00

SMMART TIME-OUT for TIDBITS

Halloween is right around the corner.

Here are some great safety tips word-for-word from:

http://www.halloween-website.com/safety.htm

Halloween Costume Safety Tips:
Wear flame retardant costumes.

Make sure your Halloween costume is colorfast so the color doesn't run onto your other clothes if it rains.

Try on costumes before Halloween to allow time for altering.

Hem your costumes so you don't trip and fall.

Apply reflective tape to your Halloween costumes.

Avoid cumbersome masks. Use make-up instead.

Make-up should be hypoallergenic and non-toxic.

Wear comfortable, practical shoes.

Double tie your shoelaces so you don't trip.

Keep your costume and wig away from candles.

Don't carry fake swords, guns, knives or similar accessories that look authentic. Make sure they're flexible and cannot harm anyone.

Trick-or-Treating Tips:
Carry a flashlight with fresh batteries after dark.

Take along money for a phone call. (Charge your cell phone)

Wear identification that's easy to read.

Always trick or treat in groups, accompanied by an adult.

Follow a curfew and take a watch with a backlight.

Plan your route ahead of time.

Stay on the sidewalks and out of the streets. Cross only at intersections and designated crosswalks.

Walk. No running.

Don't trample through flower beds and gardens.

Watch out for open flames in jack-o-Lanterns.

Trick or treat in familiar neighborhoods.

Walk with your head up and be aware of your surroundings.

Only visit well lit houses. Don't stop at dark houses.

Don't enter any houses unless you know the people.

Carry a spare Halloween bag -- in case yours breaks or you fill your original one.

Don't approach unfamiliar pets and animals.

Don't cut across yards and stay out of back yards.

Follow traffic signals and don't jaywalk.

Always watch for cars backing up or turning.

Review the "stop, drop and roll" procedure in case your costume catches on fire.

Never accept rides from strangers.

Respect other people and their property.

Be polite and say "thank you."

Don't eat any candy until it's inspected for tampering under bright lights.

Avoid candy that has loose wrappings, is unwrapped, has puncture holes, or is homemade.

Small children should not be allowed hard candy they may choke on.

Report any suspicious or criminal activity to an adult or the police.

Consider having a party instead of Trick or Treating.

Happy Trick-or-Treating!!!

2011-09-26T08:05:00.000-06:00

SMMART SCIENCE: Atmosphere

Even WITH the strata of our earth's atmosphere, the sun's penetrating heat is so powerful, that it warms the earth, and can burn our unprotected skin after a few hours

"We are enveloped by an atmosphere that consists of 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen and 1 percent other ingredients. The atmosphere affects Earth's long-term climate and short-term local weather, shields us from much of the harmful radiation coming from the sun and protects us from meteors as well: most of which burn up before they can strike the surface as meteorites. Earth-orbiting satellites have revealed that the upper atmosphere actually swells by day and contracts by night due to solar heating during the day and cooling at night."(http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Earth&Display=OverviewLong)

These activities will help your child recognize two purposes of our atmosphere-to insulate, and to protect.
Gather five mason jars or mugs and fill them each with a cup of water. Place various covers on each mason jar lip and secure with a rubber band. You could use wax paper, a wash cloth, celophane wrap, and a brown paper bag piece. Leave one jar uncovered. Place the jars in the sun for a few hours. Have your child use a thermometer, or just use their finger, to determine which jar holds the hottest water. Which cover allowed the most sunlight through and which jar cover allowed the least sunlight through? All of the covers insulated the area inside of the jar. By definition, Insulation prevents or reduces the passage of heat, electricity or sound. Did any of the jar covers reduce the passage of the sun's heat the best?

This activity shows a visual effect of the sun's power:
-Cut the top and bottoms from 5 rinsed tuna cans. (You could also cut 5 strips of construction paper and tape into a circle to use as your base.)

-Place covers on four of the cans and secure with a rubber band. You could use wax paper, a wash cloth, celophane wrap, tin foil, or the bottom of a balloon stretched over the rim. Lay the cans on top of a piece of construction paper in a sunny area for the day.

-Label the paper beside each can naming the type of cover on the can. After a day, have your child remove the cans from the construction paper. Notice the faded circles on the construction paper. Observe which cover allowed more of the sun's rays through and which covers allowed the fewest rays through. Explain that our atmosphere protects the earth, the plants and our bodies from too strong of sunrays. The more faded circles had an "atmosphere layer" that allowed more penetration than the less faded circles.(http://www.kids-science-experiments.com/)

2011-09-19T15:20:00.003-06:00

SMMART SCIENCE: ANIMAL CARE

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus

"Fully Charged"

How to approach and pet a Dog

Can you believe that the Circus is almost in Utah...September 22-25th! Not sure if I would ever be bold enough to kiss a tiger, but you can have a chance to get an up-close look at the animals of the Ringling Brothers Circus during the hour pre-show, 90 minutes before the performance (free to all ticket holders). "Dance with the dancers, high-five the high wire act, take pictures with acrobats and aerialists, laugh with the clowns, and enter to win an original pachyderm Picasso created by Asia, the painting Asian Pachyderm."

You will also have a chance to meet the circus animals' care-experts and learn about the lives of these amazing animals. It's an opportunity to ask questions about your favorite circus animals! Great care is taken to provide a healthy environment, medical care and respectful training of these animals.

You may not see exotic animals outside a trip to the zoo or a circus visit, but our children have opportunities to interact with animals almost daily. It's important to remind them of how to properly care for (or avoid dangerous) animals in our neighborhoods.

My cousin, who is visiting this week, is in her third year of Vet school. My girls have loved spending time with her and her dogs, Homer and Zoe. The first thing that Cousin Ann taught my girls was how to correctly approach a dog. This is a good reminder for all of our little ones before sticking their hand out to an unknown animal:

-Never approach a stray dog or a sleeping dog.
-Never sneak up behind a dog
-Don't try to take a toy or food away from a dog.
-Ask the owner if it's okay to pet his dog and if it's friendly.
-Approach the dog from the side and not head-on, but be visible.
-Put your hand out and let the dog approach you.
-Pet the dog on the shoulders or back, or wherever the owner says you should pet their animal.
-Give the dog a treat if the owner has one for you and says it is okay.

Share these tips with your child and be safe playing in the neighborhood!

2011-09-15T00:27:00.003-06:00

(See more photos under "belly" at http://jenbullockphotography.blogspot.com/)

SMMART BABY

.
He's finally arrived...and we are in love...again!
.
Thank you for your patience as I regroup after our son's birth. His three older sisters are showering him with LOTS of love:)
.
I'll start my weekly Monday post again...soon!

2011-09-05T16:05:00.002-06:00

SMMART MATH: Banana Fractions

How Does an Elephant Eat an Unpeeled Banana?

The Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus will be in Salt Lake City from Sept. 22-25th. The iconic circus animal must be the Asian elephants... especially when there's a little baby elephant. Some types of elephants can eat up to 660 lbs of vegetable matter a day! So do they bother to peel the bananas? No way! Their stomach's strong digestive enzymes take care of the peel too.

This is a fun trick to help teach your children fractions...sneaky fractions.

When your child opens this peeled banana, they'll find it evenly cut into FRACTIONS!

Poke a long, skinny, cleansed pin into the banana and move it from side to side to cut the banana inside the peel. Cut the banana inside the peel into even segments.

When your child opens the banana (SURPRISE!), have him child count the number of pieces of the banana. Put one piece aside and have your child repeat "one sixth" (if there are 6 pieces). Then put two pieces aside and repeat "two sixth". When you put three pieces aside, say "three sixths and this is half of the banana!" Ask your child to eat a sixth of the banana and to share two sixths with you.

2011-08-18T23:07:00.029-06:00

SMMART SCIENCE:

Rubber Band Wind-up Boat

This easy to build boat uses resources you should be able to find around the house. Remember Newton's III Law, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction". So, as the flipper pushes against the water, the water pushes back and the boat is propelled forward.

You will need:

Small water bottle and cap or recycled plastic bottle

Two pencils

duct tape

rubber band

flipper (plastic gift card works great)

1) Fill your water bottle with a little bit of water to give it some weight. Tape the two pencils to both sides of the water bottle. You'll want to leave at least 2/3 of the pencil length hanging down from the bottom side of the bottlle.

2) Place a rubber band between the two pencils.

3) Make a flipper by cutting down an old plastic gift card or solicitation credit card to size. You want the flipper to slide in the rubber band and not touch the pencils or the bottle. Twist the flipper over and over in the rubber band. Hold onto the flipper so it doesn't unwind yet.

4) Place the boat into the water and release the flipper.

5) As the flipper unwinds and pushes against the water, the boat is propelled.

2011-08-08T04:42:00.000-06:00

SMMART MATH: Juggling Patterns

Circus Jugglers

The Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus will be in Salt Lake City, UT from Sept.22-25th! Along with the circus come the amazing Fusco Brothers and Smaha Troupe of juggling experts. Focus, dexterity, skill and a lot of practice!

The Fusco Brothers were actually born in the circus and began their entertainment career as part of their mother and father's act. The twins began juggling as something to pass time, but soon proved their skill and talent to be the some of the greatest jugglers on earth! "Emiliano and Maximiliano have a unique advantage being twins. They often spin in unison without planning or signals, simply acting on their own impuses. Added to that, they put in six to eight-hours a day practicing. It's no wonder few jugglers in the world are capapble of doing the tricks the Fusco Brothers perform."

For twins Petr and Lenka, and older sister Zuzana, the circus was a tradition in their family for generations. Their circus-performing parents coached their children to become a world-class juggling act, the Smaha Troupe!

Juggling is more than just throwing balls up in the air. There are many mathmatical patterns that dictate just which ball is thrown, how high it is thrown into the air, and how many balls are included in the computation.
There are actually numbers assigned to how high a ball is thrown:

Then comes the pattern that could include up to eight, nine or more objects flying through the air! In it's simplest form, the three ball toss that many of us can perform (not me:) is the 4-4-1 "site swap" pattern where one ball is thrown into the air and the other that just landed is shifted to the throwing hand.

Show your child the chart above and toss a soft foam ball up in the air. Ask your child what number the ball would be. Pass the ball between your hands and show him a 1. Toss it below your chin for a 3 or at eye leve for a 4. Have your child toss up a ball and try to make it a 4 or a 5.

You can create your own pattern by throwing one ball at different levels. Ask your child to show you a 3-3-1, 3-3-1, or even show you a 4-1-4, 4-1-4...

Depending on your child's age and ability, he may be able to juggle a few balls in the air!

2011-08-01T07:41:00.000-06:00

SMMART SCIENCE: Solar Art

Just this summer we introduced the girls to the power of the magnifying glass, burning a small hole into wood and smelling the smoke. (Of course, parental supervision needed.)

This activity takes a bit of patience, but the result is a pretty cool display of harnessing the sun's magnificent power.

You'll need a magnifying glass and a piece of wood...and a sunny day.

Find the right distance of the magnifying glass from the wood where the sun's light is concentrated into a pinpoint of bright light. Slowly, slowly, slowly start to burn the wood with the concentrated light. Move the pinpoint of light down and around to draw a picture or write the first letter of your child's name.

It's a pretty cool memento to display-"harnessed sunlight".

2011-07-22T09:32:00.067-06:00

SMMART ART: Fun in the Sun!

These fun outdoor activities let your child express herself while at play.

Sandcastle Keepsake

You'll need:
3 c fine sand
1 1/2c water
1 1/2c cornstarch
(glitter-optional)
old pot
plastic trash bag (tape)
large spoon

Combine the water, cornstarch in an old pot over low heat. Add the sand and stir continually until the mixture becomes thick. You may need to add a little more sand till the mixture is "sturdy" enough to be molded into shapes. Take the mixture off the heat and let cool. Dump the sandy mixture onto a plastic trashbag that is laid out like a tarp. Let your child mold the mixture. Use measuring cups and spoons, little funnels or cookie cutters to create unique shapes for your sandcastle.

If you are using a sandcastle mold, use a little cooking spray to coat the mold and the packed sand mixture should slide out more easily. Let your child decorate her sandcastle with shells, glass jewels or other adornments. You can try incorporating glitter into your mixture while it cooks or sprinkle some on your finished project and shake off the excess when the castle dries.

Sunny Name

Scour the beach or your yard for unique shaped objects- twigs, leaves, rocks, shells. Have your child lay the objects out on a piece of construction paper to form her name (or the first letter of her name). Leave the paper in the sun for the day. When your child removes the objects she'll discover that the sun has faded the paper around the objects and your child's name is left unfaded by the sun.

2011-07-18T11:20:00.001-06:00

SMMART SCIENCE: Solar Still

Sun Power...amazing! An hour and a half at the pool yesterday and not getting enough sunscreen on my own back...a beautiful, (slightly painful) pink burn. It's amazing how strong the sun's rays are and the magnitude of power from so far away in the solar system.

"The sun is the closest star to Earth, at a mean distance from our planet of 149.60 million km (92.96 million miles). About one million Earths could fit inside the sun. It is held together by gravitational attraction, producing immense pressure and temperature at its core. The sun has six regions -- the core, the radiative zone, and the convective zone in the interior; the visible surface (the photosphere); the chromosphere; and the outermost region -- the corona.

At the core, the temperature is about 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (15 million degrees Celsius). The sun's surface -- the photosphere -- is a 500-km thick (300-mile-thick) region, from which most of the sun's radiation escapes outward and is detected as the sunlight we observe here on Earth about eight minutes after it leaves the sun." (http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Sun&Display=OverviewLong)

The heat of the sun evaporates water, which changes water from it's liquid state to a gaseous state. Help your child see the power of the sun by making a simple Solar Still. (www.pbskids.org/zoom)

You will need to fill a large bowl with a few cups of water. You can get creative with the water...put some food coloring in the water for a visually effective lesson, or mix in salt to represent ocean water. You can even try this activity with orange juice or cola. The evaporated water will be purified by the sun's evaporation/condensation process, so you should have a clearer, and less-salty version than you started with.

Place a glass or bowl inside the pool of water, with the glass being just above the water level and lower than the rim of the large bowl. (You may wish to see if a metal bowl works better at recovering purified water than a glass bowl). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place a stone in the center of the plastic wrap, just over the glass. When the water evaporates and condenses onto the plastic wrap, the weight of the stone will lead the purified water droplets to drop into your glass.

Set your Solar Still out in the sun. When you have collected your purified water, have your child observe and taste the differences between your original liquid and the purified water.

2011-07-11T22:41:00.000-06:00

SMMART TIME-OUT:

10 ways to recycle tin cans

Get a Free Ticket to the Circus in SLC!

Yes! FREE!...and it only requires 10 non-perishable food items and missing out on a little bit of sleep...

The public is invited to come to the EnergySolutions Arena Plaza Door Six Monday, August 8th. The FIRST 200 people to come to front doors at the arena on the Plaza and donate 10 cans of food at 6:00 a.m., the FIRST 200 people to come to front doors at the arena on the Plaza and donate 10 cans of food at 7:00 a.m. and the FIRST 200 people to come to front doors at the arena on the Plaza and donate 10 cans of food at 8:00 a.m. will receive a free pass to the opening night performance of Fully Charged, the all-new surge of circus entertainment from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey where megawatts of thrills explode off of the arena floor with breathtaking dare-devilry, superhuman stunts and never-before-seen performances that energize Children Of All Ages, playing at the EnergySolutions Arena Thursday, September 22nd through Sunday, September 25th.

I'll be there bright and early trying to collect the MOST food in a friendly competition between bloggers. Come donate, get a free ticket per person, and help the Utah Food Bank! (and help me win:)!

That got me thinking about canned goods-what to do with all those cans? Of course, you can toss them in your blue recycling bins and bags...or you can get a little creative!

10 ways to re-use a Tin Can:

1) Discard the paper label, rinse out the can and punch a design through the sides of the can. Place a candle inside and you can arrange a beautifully striking tin can votive display.
2) Cut the top and bottom off of a tuna or chicken/ham meat can. Rinse and lay it down in the skillet to keep your poached and fried eggs perfectly round.
3) Spray paint a large coffee can with acrylic spray paint and finish off with a clear acrylic spray paint sealer. Tie a ribbon around the center and stuff with tissue paper= lovely gift box.
4) Cut the top and bottom off of a tuna can, rinse. Use the can to cut dough for bisquit rounds.
5) Set up a10 cans in a triangular formation and let your child bowl them down.
6) Make a "phone". Poke a hole through the bottom of two rinsed cans. In each can, push each end of a piece of string through and tie a knot. Listen in one end as someone speaks in the other end.
7) Decorate the outside of a tin can with paint or paper. Make a pencil holder.
8) Set up a row of tin cans on the edge of a table and try to knock them over with a sling shot or rubber bands.
9) Clothespin Game. Set a can down on the ground, place a clothespin or a penny between your knees and walk over to the can. Try to drop the clothespin into the can.
10) Poke drainage holes in the bottom, fill with potting soil and use the cans to grow herbs.

Be sure to cover those sharp can edges with duct tape and have fun creating!

2011-07-04T00:12:00.002-06:00

SMMART READING:

Icing Letter Journal

What else to do with left over icing from birthday cupcakes?

Yeah, go smear it on your bathtub tile wall.
Let your child journal on the wall with her finger about how to make cupcakes and ice them.
It can just be key words or whole sentences.
Sure, even draw a few pictures in the icing. Clean up is as easy as spraying down your walls...and maybe even your child.

Don't forget to use the chalkboard as a journaling tool too!

"We need a variety of approaches to help humanity (and our "school's-out" insanity)" -Dalai Lama

2011-06-27T01:05:00.000-06:00

SMMART MATH: ICE CREAM PARTAY

Well, "partay" might be kind of a stretch, but math is fun, right?!?

Actually, I think this could be a really fun way to entertain one night. No stress of having people over and you have to worry about making a full-on dinner...have friends over for an Ice Cream "Partay" this summer...ColdStone style.

Display all the fixins in fun glasses and jars out on the patio table. Then, BRING OUT THE ICE CREAM!
Everyone gets to choose their favorite candies, cookie crumbles, fruit and toppings to add into the ice cream. Have your guest add their add-ins right into a large ceramic bowl and mix it up with two large spoons, then dish into waffle cones.

Okay, now for the math. Have your kiddos answer math questions to earn candies and add-ins.

"4 + 6= the number of chocolate chips you can add into your ice cream"
"50% of 12 is the number of gummy bears you can add to your ice cream"
"Count 7 lemonheads and put them into your ice cream...good counting!"

I suppose you could even touch on a little geometry...cone shape of the icecream cone, sphere shape of the malted milk balls, are there any cube-shaped or pyramid-shaped candies?

Cool summer fun! Thanks to my sister, Leslie for the perfect way to spend a SMMART Math summer night!

2011-06-17T09:00:00.016-06:00

SMMART SCIENCE: Air Power

I brought out two Fourth of July pinwheels from storage in anticipation of the big parade next month. My girls had fun with the toys they only see for about a month each year...blowing them and waving them around so the shiny foil would spin and spin. This started me thinking about other "machines" we could make that use air power (curiosityzone.com).

Air Powered Pinwheels

These little pinwheels brought hours (no exaggeration) of fun discovery and entertainment for my girls. They loved blowing up the balloon and watching it deflate over and over and over and over. I'm surprised the balloons lasted as long as they did. The pinwheels didn't work so well after the first few trials, but they still provided plenty of fun.

You will need:
Bendy straw
Balloon
Tape
Stick pin
pencil with an eraser

Tape the open end of the balloon onto the long end of the bendy straw and create a seal. Make sure the straw is bent into a perpendicular position. In the straw (closer to the balloon), pin the straw onto the top of a pencil eraser. You want the straw to be horizontal with the floor. Now let your child blow up the balloon by blowing through the straw. When your child releases the straw from her mouth, the force of the air leaving the balloon and pushing on the existing air should push the pinwheel around in a horizontal direction.

Air Power Hover Craft

You will need:
Water bottle top that opens and closes (spout)
CD (old one you don't need and can be scratched up)
Hot glue gun
Balloon

You will also need a smooth surface for your hover craft to glide over (table, counter top). Hot glue the bottom of the water bottle cap over the hole in the CD. Slip the opening of a balloon over the open water bottle top. Blow up the balloon by putting your mouth over the hole on the bottom of the CD. When the balloon is full enough, twist the balloon to hold in the air. Place the CD hover craft over the counter top in gliding position. Untwist the balloon to release the air and tap the CD slightly. Observe the CD glide down the counter, as the air released from the balloon pushes against the counter.

Newton's Law III "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction". In both of these activities, the air released from the balloon is pushing against something (existing air particles or the countertop that pushes the air back up against the CD). The other object "pushes back".

2011-06-13T01:45:00.001-06:00

GUEST POST:

Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational

Write Like An Egyptian

,
Hi, I’m Jana from Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational. I’m thrilled to share this fun activity with you on Lisa’s blog!!
,
When my son and I got to the sixth chapter of Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House book, “Mummies in the Morning,” a light bulb went off in my head.

The third book in the Magic Tree House series takes Jack and Annie back to ancient Egypt where a ghost-queen asks for their help translating some hieroglyphs.

With a big plastic tub of card-making stamps collecting dust in our basement, I seized an opportunity to put them to use. First I picked 26 small stamps, one for each letter of the alphabet and stamped a key.

Then I stamped a “hieroglyphic” message for my son. Just like in Pope’s book when the code led the two young children to the Book of the Dead, the message my son decoded would reveal a hidden treasure under his bed (an inexpensive toy concealed in a brown lunch sack). I also made a blank sheet so he could stamp his own “hieroglyphic message” for his Dad to decode.

Before my son started to read and write like an Egyptian, though, we read the First Facts book “Hieroglyphs” by Kremena Spengler.

To check out more ideas and activities, stop by my blog at Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational.

2011-06-06T00:53:00.002-06:00

SMMART READING: Tracing Shadows

Finally some sunshine comin' our way...get out there and chalk up the sidewalk!

Break out the chalk and have your child trace your shadow as you stand in some fun, crazy position. After your child traces your shadow, he can label it "Mom".

Trace different family members and various objects you find around the house or yard...a ball, a flower, a stick or a bike...and have your child practice handwriting and spelling by labeling each item he traces.

2011-05-31T00:13:00.000-06:00

SMMART READING: STICKY LETTERS

Got any party blowers lying around the house? Let's put it to use. If you don't have a fun party blower, then you can use a wooden spoon, a magic wand, or maybe even a toy backhoe truck.

Lay out alphabet letters. I used our magnetic plastic letters, but use whatever you have on hand. You could even just print out or write the alphabet on paper and cut them into squares. Place a piece of double side tape on each letter, or wrap each letter with tape so it's sticky side-out.

Letter Sounds: Ask your child to flip out her party blower like a froggie and catch the letter of the sound you make. "Catch the letter that says 'buh'"

Letter Starts: Ask your child to use her wand to find the beginning letter of a word. "What's the first sound/letter in BUBBLE?" Of course, you can practice middle and ending sounds of words.

Spelling: "Spell the word BOX" and have your child capture each letter with her wooden spoon to try to spell out a word.

Ribbit..Ribbit...Ribbit

2011-05-23T01:09:00.000-06:00

SMMART MUSIC/ART: Mighty Books

Wow! Art masterpieces serenaded by the musical classics...slideshow and animation. You really need to check it out!

http://www.mightybook.com/art_and_music.html

You can access Van Gogh and Bach, Remington and Dvorak(a personal favorite Czech composer), Renoir and Geig slideshows when you click on the left tab "Art and Music".

I am especially excited about the "Go to the Museum" tab where you can find an artist and see several pieces of his work, read a biography and learn about the art movement of his time.

There are animated stories, songs, puzzles, animated Beatrix Potter stories and even some great science links "Pexi has a question" and "Pluto Rap". All of the above is offered free! You can pay a yearly subscription to open more options, but this is a super start!

Thanks to http://TeachKidsArt.blogspot.com for the heads up on this great educational tool!

2011-05-13T07:08:00.018-06:00

SMMART READING/MATH:

STONE SOUP

"THREE MONKS, Hok, Lok and Siew, traveled along a mountain road. They talked about cat whistkers, the color of the sun, and giving. 'What makes one happy, Siew?' asked Hok, the youngest monk. Old Siew, who was the wisest, said, 'Let's find out."... And so begins the story told and beautifully illustrated by Jon J Muth.

Stone Soup will be the story that I share this summer with the children who are part of our summer reading group. There are 10 moms who are each sharing a different story each week over summer break. Each of us are hosting 20 kids one time at our home and then the kids get to visit a different home each week for another story book adventure. The mom who is hosting the summer reading group that week prepares two hours of learning activities and a fun snack to go along with the book. It's a great way to continue structured learning over the summer! Email your friends today to organize your own summer reading group! Below are some of the activities I'll be sharing this summer. Here is a link to past summer reading group ideas: http://smmartideas.blogspot.com/search?q=summer+reading+group

STONE SOUP TUNNEL BOOK

I loved this idea when I saw it on Teach Kids Art. She has the exact details on how to craft this fun style of book. I put the story title and author on the front, and a picture of each child holding a wooden spoon. The next page, each child glues three stones onto their pot and tapes the pot to the corner of the "window". The next page shows the three monks. The next page is a pile of vegetables that the villagers share to complete the soup. The backdrop is a brown tree that each child glues little pieces of pink tissue paper on with the back of a pencil eraser. I love how these storybook tunnel books turned out.

VEGETABLE FRACTIONS

Get out those extra plastic knives...and some carrots, celery sticks, cucumber slices... Let's practice fractions! Have everyone cut their cucumber slice in half. Now help everyone cut their halves in half again so they have 4 pieces. You can talk about 1/2 and 1/4. You can have the children put two 1/4 together to make 1/2. You get the idea. Cut the celery stick into 3 equal pieces. Have the children put 2 pieces together to make 2/3. Each child can eat their fractions when they're done.

MATH ROCKS

Yes, I know it's math, but I'm telling you that it's a lot more fun with rocks, or "stones".

Gather 20 stones for each group of 10 kids. With a paint pen, paint the numbers 1-10 on half of the stones and paint dots to represent the numbers 1-10 on the other half of the rocks.

GAME 1: Let each child grab two stones from a bowl or bag. Each child then lays down one stone, number or dot side up. Then they each try to find the stone lying on the floor that matches the stone in their hand and lay it down beside the one on the floor.

GAME 2: Memory Match. Place all of the stones number and dot-side down. Each child can take turns turning over the rocks to make a match. If they don't make a match, it's the next child's turn. When a child makes a match, they can try again.

2011-05-09T01:32:00.003-06:00

SMMART ART:

Stained Glass Sculpture

Since we're in the Dale Chihuly mood, I found this great idea for making a faux glass sculpture at Frugal Family Fun Blog.

Cut a long piece of thin-guage wire and secure into a circle. Place onto a piece of clear contact paper, so it's sticky side up.

Let your child adhere small pieces of tissue paper that they have previously cut or torn.

Adhere another piece of contact paper onto the back and cut around the edges of the wire. Let your child bend her masterpiece into an exotic shape and hang in front of a window.

Lovely!

2011-05-02T00:38:00.006-06:00

SMMART ART: Dale Chihuly

We just came back from spring break, tagging along with my husband's business travel trip to Opelika, Alabama...so beautiful! We had a lovely time swimming, playing on some super-fun playgrounds (hickory dickory and monkey park), exploring the Louise Kreher Ecological Preserve, Auburn University's campus, and visiting a few museums. We were greeted by a stunning Dale Chihuly glasswork in the lobby of the Julie Collins Smith Fine Arts Museum that hung suspended from the ceiling, bathed in natural light from the skylights.

You may be lucky enough to admire a Dale Chihuly masterpiece in a museum or garden around where you live. Locals to the Salt Lake area can visit Abravenal Hall and introduce your children to his works.

Check out this video about Chihuly from the CBS early show: (Kudos to http://TeachKidsArt.blogspot.com for the heads up on this video...check out her site-you'll love it!)

http://www.chihuly.com/cbs-early-show.aspx

2011-04-25T09:46:00.006-06:00

SMMART READING: Letter Matches

Okay, so break out the magnetic letters, or foam letters, or even letter stickers for this activity. Write a few words down that your child can sound out, write down spelling words for school, or write down a few letters that your child can match.

Have your child place the magnetic letters on top of the written letters in each word, or place a letter sticker above each letter of a word.
Easy fun!

2011-04-18T09:52:00.001-06:00

SMMART READING:

LETTER HUNT

Scrabble? Bananagrams? Magnetic letters, perhaps? Any of these will do.

Hide one letter tile or magnetic tile in a plastic Easter egg. Hide the letter filled Easter eggs throughout the yard or living room. Let your child go for a letter hunt and fill her basket.

Now as you open the eggs together, have your child say a word or two that starts with that letter. Encourage your child to sound out the word and spell it.

Refill each egg, and let your child hide the eggs this time. Now, hunt!

2011-04-08T10:00:00.004-06:00

SMMART MATH:

Tube Tunnel and Chocolate Bunny Ears Probabilities
Nothing like probability to jump right into the Easter Candy festivities!...as I've said before, it's always a triumph when our children "work" for their candy.

This was a super fun activity to do with my girls. The 2 1/2 year old LOVED rolling her gumball down the tubes over, and over, and over... She would hear the "plink" of the gumball into the plastic bowl and run over to see which bowl it landed in.

At times one side was favored, but after some adjusting it was hard to say just what side the gumball would shoot out.
So, first you need to build your tube tunnel. Hopefully you've been saving up those paper towel and toilet paper rolls! Use masking or duct tape to secure the first tube to the back of a chair, the counter, or somewhere elevated.

Tape tubes together until you have formed a tunnel. For a little fun and variation, you can even make a tunnel with several entrances and exits for more variation. When you feed two routes together, cut a hole in one tube and snip off the end of the other tube at an angle. Insert the angled tube into the hole. This allows for a pretty clear tube route (so the inserted tube doesn't block the route). Be sure to secure the tube tunnel onto an object for stability in a few places along the tunnel route. Place a bowl under each exit.
Now let your child roll a small rubber ball, gumball, holiday candy or other small round object through the tube. Keep track of how many times the ball falls into the right/green bowl or into the left/red bowl during 10 runs. What number of times did the ball roll into the green bowl? ...and into the red bowl? Multiply that number by 10 and this is the percentage of times that outcome was realized. So, the ball rolled and landed in the right/green bowl 4 times out of 10...that's a 40% outcome!
Probability is the measurement of how likely an event (one or more outcomes of an experiment) is. (http://www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol16/intro_probability.html)
Probability of an Event Equation:
The probability of event A is the number of ways event A can occur, divided by the total number of possible outcomes.
P(A)= The Number of Ways an event can occur
...........The Total Number of Possible Outcomes

P(red bowl) = 1 (#ways ball can fall into red bowl) =1/2
......................2 (Total number of bowls)
This is a bit over a young child's head, but it's helpful to understand a bit of the concept so you can teach PROBABILITY.
Now, this Chocolate Easter Bunny activity will help illustrate the principle of Probability again.

Cut off the tips of the ears on a hollow chocolate Easter bunny. Have you child drop a jelly bean into one of the bunny's ears. Ask your child to predict which ear the jelly bean will drop out of. Will it be the ear that is closest to the face or to the tail (on a sideways looking bunny-If you have a forward facing bunny, you need to mark one ear to differentiate between the two...maybe an extra notch or bite from the top).

Flip the bunny upside down, taking care to not tilt one way or the other. Notice which ear the jelly bean drops from and record your observations during 10 different attempts/trials. Your child can keep track on a piece of paper.

Now help your child label a piece of large square grid graph paper (http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/grid%20paper%20large.pdf) at the bottom with the two possible outcomes..."Nose-side Ear"/or "Shorter Ear" or "Tail-side Ear"/ or "Longer Ear". Let your child glue a jelly bean onto each square that this outcome occurred. Now you'll have a very yummy graph.

Keep in mind, these activities are for learning purposes and obviously, the flip of your hand on the chocolate bunny or the sleek exact glide of the ball/Easter candy in the paper towel tunnel are not going to offer the perfectly exact and equal settings....but eating the candy after these activities sure will be fun!

2011-04-04T13:42:00.003-06:00

SMMART MATH:

JELLY BEAN FLIPPER and PROBABILITIES.
Super Fun way to play with your food!

Build your own jelly bean flipper with a lever (spoon), duct tape and a fulcrum (Duplo lego, wooden block, cup or some other toy or object that you can hold still when your child is flipping). Twist a piece of duct tape into a cord. Slide a spoon inbetween the cord and the fulcrum. Tape both ends of the cord down on either side of the spoon (don't tape the spoon) to secure the spoon in place. The height of your fulcrum may determine the distance that the jellybean is hurled. You are creating a "first class" lever...if you want to learn more about 1st, 2nd and 3rd class levers, check out this link (http://www.professorbeaker.com/lever_fact.html).

Now place a jelly bean into the spoon's cradle and quickly apply force to the handle end of your lever/spoon. This will propell the jellybean into the air.

Use masking tape to put a line down on the carpet or place a stick in the grass to separate two areas outside. Now, with each flip, record the number of times (out of 10) that the jellybean landed on the side closest to you, or on the other side of the tape away from you.

You can help your child graph the number of times that the jelly bean landed on a certain side, or just determind the percentage of times that the jelly bean landed on one side or the other. If the jelly beans landed on your side 7 times (7 X 10 = 70%), even though there is a 50% probability that it will land on this side.

Flip those brightly colored jellybeans outside in the grass, and your child will have a super-fun time "hunting" where they landed.

Remember...Probability of an Event Equation:

The probability of event A is the number of ways event A can occur, divided by the total number of possible outcomes.

P(A)= The Number of Ways an event can occur

.........The Total Number of Possible Outcomes

P(launch) = 1 (#of ways can be launched) ..........

2(# of sides it can land on)

is=to 1/2 or 50%

2011-03-28T11:51:00.002-06:00

SMMART Science:

Nighttime Nature Walk Bracelet

What brings more wonder and imagination than a nighttime stroll, hand in hand, with your child? Now that the weather is warming up and spring is upon us, make a bonding memory with your child as you imagine your world during twilight. If it's cool, bundle up. Bring along a flashlight. During warm summer nights, you can even pack an evening snack to share. Spread out a blanket on the grass and enjoy a fun treat, lit by the beams of your flashlights.

Imagine yourselves as two fairies who are gathering accessories to adorn your fairy homes. Perhaps you are night owls on the hunt for prey, finding bugs and vermin that come out at night. Maybe you're just out on a nature walk together. Observe the budding tulips...poke around your garden...gaze at the moon. Gather your treasures on a Nature Walk Bracelet.

Tape a piece of duct tape, inside out, around your child's wrist. As you find nature's little treasures, adhere them to the bracelet. When you are finished with your evening adventure, cut the bracelet off your child's arm and set it aside until morning, when you can more closely observe the magical pieces you collected.

This will certainly be an adventure your child will remember with nostalgia as he grows.

2011-03-21T07:39:00.006-06:00

SMMART GUEST BLOGGER:

Macaroni Kids Layton

Hey Utah mommas! If you are always looking for something to keep your kids happy and busy, check out Macaroni Kid Layton-Farmington!
We are 2 Utah moms and together we publish a free weekly eNewsletter where we promise to bring you a HUGE list of family friendly events happening in and around Davis County. Each week you will find fun crafts, activities, giveaways, product reviews, movies, book reviews and more for kids of all ages. We strive to find great toddler activities, elementary aged events, and tween\teen hangouts.

Now, go to Macaroni Kid and subscribe--Its Free!!!
We are a national website so subscribe where ever you live!!!
Here is an example of an educational article we send in our newsletter:

How to Try Until You Succeed

By Sherrie A. Madia, Ph.D.

Have you ever tried to do something only to find it was harder than you thought it would be? Learning something new—like riding a bike or working on a homework assignment—can sometimes seem impossible. It’s times like these when you might feel like just giving up. But if you put your mind to it, you can succeed at even the hardest task.

Here are four surefire ways to help you try until you succeed:

1. Ask for help. If you really get stuck trying something you haven’t done before, ask someone to help you. A parent, teacher, or older brother or sister is a great place to start. Even if you still don’t succeed right away, having someone there with you to think of ways to solve the problem can make trying easier. Remember: Everybody needs help sometimes, so never be afraid to ask.

2. Walk away … but then come back. If you are trying something new—like learning to skateboard or teaching your puppy to roll over—but find you are getting nowhere, take a break from what you are doing. Walk outside to get some fresh air, read a favorite book, or take a quick nap. Then, come back and try some more with a new outlook.

3. Think creatively. Write down the problem or task you are having a hard time succeeding at. Then, write down three things that could help you solve the problem. If these don’t work, go back and write three more. Repeat this until you succeed.

Example:

Problem: Learning the notes for piano

Things to Try:

1. Practice

2. Make up a song about each letter note

3. Ask Mom to quiz me

4. Don’t give up. It may seem as though the easiest thing to do is just give up. But giving up is no fun. The real fun comes from trying—and trying again until you succeed.

Don’t worry if it takes you longer than everybody else to succeed at something, and don’t worry if what you do isn’t perfect. The real success comes from not giving up. When you learn to throw a fastball or perform a pirouette, you will feel proud and happy, and with this great success, you’ll be ready to try again when the next hard task comes along because you will know you can do it!

Happy trying!

Sherrie A. Madia, Ph.D. is an educator, author, and communications coach. She is author of the children’s book Bumblelina (2010), the first in a series of books for preschoolers based on life lessons including friendship, sharing, respecting the environment, the importance of trying, and more. For more information, visit www.Bumblelina.com or www.SherrieMadia.com.

Check out http://Layton.MacaroniKid.com

2011-03-14T07:20:00.000-06:00

SMMART SCIENCE:

Baby Chicks Hatching

Welcome SPRING!!!!!

Check out this intriguing video...your kids will adore watching these baby chicks come into the world.

http://www.msichicago.org/online-science/videos/video-detail/activities/the-hatchery/

2011-03-07T12:19:00.000-07:00

SMMART TIME-OUT for Tidbits

Already plotting and planning your St. Patrick's Day morning? This Shamrock egg-over-easy will be a hit!

Crack an egg inside a sliced green bell pepper ring. Cover on low heat until the yolk pinks over.

BTW, for another morning's breakfast, cook your egg-over-easy inside a fresh onion ring slice...very yummy!

2011-02-28T16:44:00.001-07:00

SMMART MATH: SNOW GOO

What is white and used to build a snowman?

Snow...well, yes...but SNOW GOO is the correct answer!

Combine a little white glue and a lot of shaving cream-don't worry about exact measurements. Let your child use a spoon as a paintbrush or his hands to smear it onto construction paper and create a snowman. Talk about the shapes you are creating. You can make a triangle snowman, square snowman or even just a traditional circle snowman (or snowgirl in our family). You can use construction paper shapes for a hat, boots and scarf.

If your child is a bit older, let your child smear the snow goo onto a piece of construction paper and then use their finger to practice writing their numbers.

Let your snow goo snowgirl dry. Observe the texture dry as compared to wet.

Winter fun without gettting cold.

(This activity was found on ProTeacher)

2011-02-21T09:00:00.002-07:00

SMMART SCIENCE:

ICE and SALT ACTIVITIES

Has your child noticed that sometimes there is salt sprinkled on the ground to melt the ice in the wintertime? Well, salt plays a magical role in these great learning activities.
.
First, to establish a little background with your child, you might wish to set out two plates of crushed ice. Let your child sprinkle salt on one plate of ice and observe together which plate of ice melts first. Now your child will see that salt helps ice to melt.

This is because the sodium and chloride ions from the salt intermingle and dilute the water molecules. This makes it harder for the water molecules to join together to form ice crystals. Actually, it's still possible for the water molecules to form ice crystals, but now instead of freezing at 0°C, it's freezing point drops to below 0°C.

SMMART SCIENCE: MAGIC ICE

Now, for the activity, Fill a small glass with water and ice cubes. Give your child a piece of cotton string or yarn about a foot long. Let your child hold both sides of the string and rest the remaining middle part of the string on top of the icecubes. Take care to leave the ends of the string hanging over the edge of the glass.

Have your child count to 15. Now instruct her to take both ends of the string and pick it up, while lifting up a piece of ice with the string. The string is not attached to the ice and will not lift the ice.

Now, have your child lay the string back onto the ice with the ends of the string laying over the sides of the glass. Have your child sprinkle salt all along the string laying on the ice. Now count to 15 slowly.

Ask your child to pick up the ends of the string and try to pick up the pieces of ice now. Voila!

SMMART SCIENCE: Color Ice Sculptures

Fill a disposable paper cup, cardboard milk carton, or other container with water and freeze over night. Let your child help you remove the ice from the container and place it on a cookie sheet to catch the melting ice water. Let your child sprinkle rock salt onto the ice and observe the ice melt more rapidly.

Check out the reason that the salt melts the ice more quickly at http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/solutions/faq/why-salt-melts-ice.shtml. This site has a fun, interactive demonstration when you click “Add Solute” that further demonstrates this principle.
.

Now help your child drip drops of food coloring onto the top of the ice. The food coloring seeps through the cracks of the ice. You’ve created a beautifully colored, melting ice sculpture. Quick! Snap a picture before it melts away! (http://www.placeofourown.net/activity.php?id=137)

2011-02-07T21:21:00.003-07:00

SMMART Giveaway:

DISNEY ON ICE: Let's Celebrate!

(CLOSED)

Week 1 Winner: Janell R. Cropper said..

If I had a lucky $8, I would buy a fun activity book to do some fun things with my 3-year old.
Week 2 Winner: Mandy A. said..I would take my daughter to Mc Donalds
Week 3 Winner: Cassie said...We are trying to save up for a trip this fall, so if I happened to win $8? It would go directly in our disneyland piggy bank! (along with all the spare change my husband leaves on the dresser - every little bit helps right?) And what better way to start off the disney madness than tickets to disney on ice?
Week 4 Winner: kdschirado said...follower
.Feb.3, 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit according to Chinese New Year
tradition.That is one party that goes on for 15 DAYS!!! Boy do they know how to CELEBRATE! People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity". On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes ($8 is a lucky amount). The Chinese New Year tradition is a great way to reconcile; forgetting all grudges, and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone. wikipedia

Mickey and Minnie get in on that action during one of the many celebrations in Disney on Ice: Let's Celebrate!

I've never attended a Chinese New Year Celebration, but what would you do with $8 gifted you on this special occasion?...Go wild at "Everything's a $", Buy an eyeliner, Tics to a dollar movie for the fam?... We'll get back to that...

Audiences are invited to make an ordinary day extraordinary and enjoy some of the world's most popular festivities with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, including a Very Merry Unbirthday Party with Alice and the Mad Hatter; a Mardi Gras parade with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen; a Hawaiian luau with Lilo and Stitch; a winter wonderland with everyone's favorite toys - Woody, Jessie & Buzz Lightyear; a Halloween haunt with the Disney Villains; a Valentine's Day Royal Ball with the Disney Princesses...and more in the celebration of the century! Disney On Ice presents Let's Celebrate! features more than 50 characters from 16 Disney stories live on ice, including Tiana, the newest Disney Princess from Walt Disney Pictures' The Princess and the Frog.

Location & Showtimes
EnergySolutions Arena - 301 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Wednesday, March 9 7:00 pm
Thursday, March 10 7:00 pm
Friday, March 11 4:00 pm; 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 12 11:00 am; 2:30 pm; 6:30 pm
Sunday, March 13 11:00 am; 2:30 pm; 6:30 pm

Ticket prices for Disney On Ice presents Let's Celebrate! range from $13, $17, $23, $40 (VIP) and $52 (Front Row) - prices do not include service charges, handling or facility fees. Tickets are available from the EnergySolutions Box Office and all SmithTix locations, via phone by calling (801) 355-SEAT or (800) 888-TIXX and online at www.energysolutionsarena.com or www.smithstix.com. To learn more about Disney On Ice, go to www.disneyonice.com, or visit Facebook and YouTube.

ENTER TO WIN A FAMILY 4 PACK!!!!

1) Comment (leave your first initial, last name and email) and tell me what you might do with a very lucky $8 gifted to you on the prosperous Chinese New Year?
2) FOLLOW SMMARTideas and comment (first initial, last name and email) telling me you follow (look in the left column at the photo thumbnails, click on "Follow").

SMMARTideas is giving away a FAMILY 4 PACK for four weeks! Last one will be chosen on Tuesday, Feb. 22nd! I'll email you if you won and you will need to respond within 24 hours, or I'll choose another winner.

gōng xǐ fā cái -"Congratulations and Be Prosperous!"

2011-02-07T20:08:00.001-07:00

SMMART SCIENCE:

Solar System Online

Wow! What a super-great learning site I stumbled upon...

http://www.kidsknowit.com/

There are learning games, learning diagrams, learning songs to download!

This post I want to spotlight a cool Solar System Diagram. You click on a planet and learn so much!

Check out: http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm

It's part of the "KIDS KNOW IT NETWORK". When your child clicks on a planet, you can learn together about the many interesting facts that make each planet unique!

Enjoy this learning adventure!

2011-02-07T20:06:00.002-07:00

SMMART SCIENCE:

SCIENCE FAIR

So, a few moms have asked me to give them a little more background on the scientific method and so I'll share a few ideas with you. It's important to make sure that your child has a firm grasp on these steps and what they mean. It seems the scientific method can be broken down into a various number of steps, but these are the basics.

First of all, you need to demonstrate the Scientific Method through a well-executed project.

PROBLEM: What are you trying to discover or determine? Keep in mind this needs to involve some sort of "action" or "effect", not just a research project display (information about the planets) or a scientific principle demonstration (like a volcano). "What is the effect of music on plant growth?" "What is the effect of acid on egg shell degradation?"

HYPOTHESIS: What do suppose will happen?

MATERIALS: What supplies will you be using?

VARIABLES: This is not really a step of the Scientific Method, but it may be worth displaying somehow on your board that you understand this concept and show each variable in your experiment.
First of all, you have CONTROLS in your experiment that you are trying to keep the SAME so that they do not effect your dependent variable. In the "effect of acid on egg shell degradation", examples of controls would be the same size of cups, the same volume of liquid and the same temperature of liquid.
Your DEPENDENT VARIABLE are the egg shells. The dependent variable is being acted upon.The only things you want effecting your dependent variable are your independent variables and not the things that should be your controls.
Your INDEPENDENT VARIABLE will be the types of acids you use (orange juice-ascorbic acid, vinegar-acetic acid, wine or grape juice-tartaric acid)

RESULTS: What happened in your experiment? A good experiment finds a way to QUANTITATE the results. Observing how much egg shell is gone seems more like a QUALITATIVE observance. After day one, you need to be able to find a way to prove how much egg shell has disappeared, by measuring. Honestly, I can't think of a good way to quantitate how much egg shell has been eaten away by the acid. Unless you could think of a solid way to QUANTITATE this measurement, your observations are interpretive and relative.

DATA: Show the results of your experiment through a bar or line graph. Show the log where you recorded your data and trials. The graphs will show quantitative data, but I may share a little qualitative observation with the judges as well, and perhaps explain why I think I observed these things.
Also, you need to have several TRIALS! Make sure you perform this experiment more than once and take the average of each trial for your results. For example, make sure you have three glasses of grape juice, three glasses of vinegar and three glasses or orange juice= three trials.

CONCLUSION: Summarize what the results of your experiment were and why you think your experiment turned out like it did. What factors effected the results? How did the results compare with your hypothesis?
What would you do differently if you were to repeat this experiment?

2011-01-19T17:52:00.001-07:00

SMMART SCIENCE: EGG DROP and MONSTER TRUCK FRAMES

Engineering is the key to a successful egg drop. I have always wanted to participate in an egg drop contest...and decided to hold a family event.

The structure of the egg drop container reminded me of the similarities between the Monster Truck Jam vehicles. (Just attended my first event...free tickets!) Those trucks cradle their drivers and attempt to protect them from impact and danger.

Hold a fun Egg Drop Contest of your own with your family!

Gather boxes, string, styrofoam, pantyhose, egg cartons and whatever else you can imagine to create your very own Egg Drop protection frame.

First you may wish to decorate your little egg and name him or her...complete with yarn hair?

Now create a protective frame for your egg pet. Perhaps your frame can even have a theme too!

Take your pet eggs outside and drop them from the deck or from somewhere high, one at a time. After all of the eggs have been launched and crashed to the ground, see which egg frame was the most successful at protecting your egg pets. This might be a great opportunity to discuss the importance of wearing seatbelts in the car and safety equipment while riding bikes and scooters!

Here are a few Monster Jam truck facts:
Today’s monster trucks use lightweight bodies and tires so more strength and weight can be put into the frame without sacrificing speed, maneuverability, or safety.

1. Body – Made of fiberglass, a monster truck body is custom designed to create a character or theme for the truck. Custom body trucks can be carved by hand out of Styrofoam and wood to create a “plug” which is then used to create a fiberglass body mold or created by computers.

2. Driver Seat – Most monster trucks have the driver seated in the center of the vehicle so he or she can best see the track for weight distribution. The seats are custom molded to each driver’s body and all drivers use head and neck restraint devices to keep their heads secure during rough landings. As a safety measure, all seatbelts employ a 5 point harness to restrain the driver’s body.

3. Paint – Most Monster Jam® monster trucks feature highly designed, customized airbrushed artwork on their bodies. Airbushing is expensive and time consuming as some trucks require more than 40 hours of paint time. Monster Jam body fabricators are always assured lots of work though, as their custom creations are routinely destroyed during the shows.
4. Engines – Custom-built, supercharged and methanol-injected, a monster truck engine burns up to 10 liters of methanol per run (approximately 80 meters) and delivers about 1,500 horsepower.

5. Suspension System – In order to allow the drivers to withstand the punishing impacts of jumping and crashing a monster truck during a performance, each Monster Jam monster truck is equipped with specially-engineered extra long 76cm shock absorbers filled with oil and nitrogen gas that are installed with each tire.

6. Tires – Each monster truck tire is custom made. They must be 66 inches high and 43 inches wide. The average monster truck team will go through 8 tires in one year. Tires are designed differently to satisfy various track conditions and driver preference. Carving just one tire requires over 50 hours of exacting labor.

2011-01-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

SMMART ART: SNOW COLORS

Yes, with three little girls...even SNOW can wear bling!

So, upon my daughter's request, we brought in a few snowballs and dumped them into bowls. Then came the drops of food coloring. The girls stabbed their bamboo skewers into the snow and broke up the snow as the color diffussed through the snowflakes. It's amazing how millions of tiny snowflakes come together to form the quintessential winter play medium.

Drop in another food color and mix together to see what color results.

Now, for the bling...

Glitter Snow.

2011-01-06T21:26:00.003-07:00

A New Year Wrap Party -Disney On Ice & KSTU's Big Budah

Invite the Public to Celebrate and Help the Utah Food Bank!

Salt Lake City, January 13, 2011-The public is invited to come to the the EnergySolutions Arena Monday, January 24th. Starting at 6:00 a.m. the FIRST 600 people to come to arena plaza Door 6 and donate 10 cans of food will receive a free pass to the opening night performance of Disney On Ice presents Let's Celebrate on Wednesday, March 9 at the EnergySolutions Arena. There will be a limit of one ticket per person, and each donator must be present with 10 cans of food in order to receive a free pass (applies to ages where passes are required). This marks the sixth time Disney On Ice has teamed up with Big Budah and the Utah Food Bank to help in the collection of food for Utah communities.
Local Mom Bloggers will face off in a Utah Food Bank Let's Wrap this up event, competing against each other in wrapping up food items collected during the Drive. Timed events will include, fastest gift wrapping, prettiest gift wrapping, most unique gift wrapping, in addition to other events.

Watch for me on air from 6-7am.

Audiences are invited to make an ordinary day extraordinary and enjoy some of the world's most popular festivities with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, including a Very Merry Unbirthday Party with Alice and the Mad Hatter; a Mardi Gras parade with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen; a Hawaiian luau with Lilo and Stitch; a winter wonderland with everyone's favorite toys - Woody, Jessie & Buzz Lightyear; a Halloween haunt with the Disney Villains; a Valentine's Day Royal Ball with the Disney Princesses...and more in the celebration of the century! Disney On Ice presents Let's Celebrate! features more than 50 characters from 16 Disney stories live on ice, including Tiana, the newest Disney Princess from Walt Disney Pictures' The Princess and the Frog.

Location & Showtimes
EnergySolutions Arena - 301 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101

Wednesday, March 9 7:00 pm

Thursday, March 10 7:00 pm

Friday, March 11 4:00 pm; 7:30 pm

Saturday, March 12 11:00 am; 2:30 pm; 6:30 pm

Sunday, March 13 11:00 am; 2:30 pm; 6:30 pm

Ticket prices for Disney On Ice presents Let's Celebrate! range from $13, $17, $23, $40 (VIP) and $52 (Front Row) - prices do not include service charges, handling or facility fees. Tickets are available from the EnergySolutions Box Office and all SmithTix locations, via phone by calling (801) 355-SEAT or (800) 888-TIXX and online at www.energysolutionsarena.com or www.smithstix.com. To learn more about Disney On Ice, go to www.disneyonice.com, or visit us on Facebook and YouTube.

2011-01-06T21:06:00.001-07:00

SMMART SCIENCE: DINOSAUR EGGS

Since January 7th is "Old Rock Day", I thought I'd stretch the "rock" motif and introduce these wonderful Dinosaur Egg ideas. Children are so excited to break one of these open and find the baby dinosaur inside.

SALT DOUGH EGG
The first method is to enclose a small dinosaur toy in a handful of salt dough.

SALT DOUGH (Ruth Asawa's recipe)
4 cups flour
1 cup Salt
1-2 cups Water
You can gradually add a little sand or dirt to the dough to create a more natural or "dirty" appearance. Using 2 cups of wheat flour and 2 cups of white flour helps to create a more natural look too.

Press the salt dough into a flat cake and wrap around the dinosaur toy. Press and mold the dough into an egg-looking shape. Let the dough sit for a few days (turn over every day to make sure all of it dries) until the egg gets hard.

You can let your child decorate their egg with tempura or acrylic paints and let it dry.

PAPER MACHE DINOSAUR EGG
You'll need:
Small Dinosaur Toy
Balloon (latex-not inflated)
Newspaper- cut into 2 inch strips
Flour, salt and water
Paint (spray paint to coat the egg and tempura for details)

Carefully slide a small dinosaur toy inside the mouth of an uninflated latex balloon. Blow up the balloon slightly to the desired size of your dinosaur egg.

Prepare a paper mache mixture by putting a cup of flour, and a few Tb of salt into a bowl. Gradually add water until you get a thin paste. Dip the newspaper strips into the paste and slide the excess paste off between your fingers. Lay the pasty strip of newspaper onto the balloon. Continue the process until the balloon is coated in paper mache. Let your Dinosaur Egg dry overnight or until dry.

Spray paint the Dinosaur egg a desired base color. Let your child embellish the egg with tempura or acrylic paints. They can add glitter and jewels if they want to bling their egg.

Hide the eggs in a back yard sandbox or inside the house in a bin or dry oatmeal flakes and Go for a Dinosaur Dig! Watch the excitement as your child scrapes open their salt dough egg or rips into their paper mache egg to discover a special dinosaur baby toy! They'll LOVE IT!

2011-01-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

SMMART SCIENCE: DINOSAUR FOSSIL PRINTS

January 7th is "Old Rock Day"! I'm sure citizens around the nation will be celebrating the occassion. Even if you've never heard of it, here are a few activities to help you celebrate this random holiday!

SALT DOUGH is a great medium for Dinosaur Fossil Prints.
(This is a Ruth Asawa's recipe from a previous post.)
4 cups white flour (you can use 2 cups wheat for a "dirtier" look)
1 cup salt
1-2 cups water

You can also gradually introduce a little sand or dirt as you add the water for a "dirtier", more natural look.

Knead the dough until it's a workable consistency and cut into 8 even pieces or whatever size you desire.
Form a small piece of dough into a flat cake.

Gather leaves, sticks, and tiny dinosaur toys. Press an object into the top of the salt dough cake to leave an imprint or faux fossil.

Cook the individual salt dough faux fossils on a cookie sheet at 250-325 degrees until the salt dough is very hard (over an hour). Let them cool for a bit.

It's fun to let your child paint their faux fossils with tempura or acrylics. When they dry, you can hide the faux fossils in the back yard sand box or in a bin or dry oatmeal flakes inside the house. Go for a fossil dig!

As you create your faux fossils, you can talk about how real fossils form. Read a book together on the subject or look up fossil pictures on the internet. There are some great dinosaur coloring pages with information about each one at http://www.zoomschool.com/subjects/dinosaurs/.

2010-12-20T23:01:00.002-07:00

SMMART ART: Ruth Asawa

and Salt Dough Christmas Creations

First weekday of Christmas vacation, so we played with Salt Dough!

We talked about Ruth Asawa who is an American artist with Japanese ancestry. During WWII her family was interned in a prison camp since The United States feared that Japanese Americans may not be loyal to the U.S. At age 16, Ruth was one of the 40,000 United States citizen children who was interned. Her family lived in tar-paper barracks by a swamp and in two horse stalls at a repurposed race track. After 18 months, a charitable organization arranged for her to study art at a college in Wisconsin.

(photo by Laurence Cuneo)

Asawa is known for her wire art sculptures, her fountains, panels and art activism. She sometimes uses bakers clay to create her artwork. Ruth suggests that as you add pieces of baker's clay together that you slightly wet or lick the end that you are adhering to keep the pieces together better. She also suggests putting a paper clip or metal wire in between the pieces in back to hold them together better.

(photo by Allen Nomura)

Make yourself up a batch of Ruth Asawa's Baker's Clay (Salt Dough):
4 cups white flour
1 cup salt
1-2 cups water

Have your child help you measure out the ingredients. Work the ingredients with your hands until you form a dough -add water until nice dough consistency. (Not part of the recipe: You may wish to add 2Tb oil and I think this may create a more springy dough). Cut dough into sections to work with. Refrigerate left over pieces. Bake artwork at 250-325 until hard. Time varies on thickness of pieces-you shouldn't see an indentation when you poke it with a spoon or your nail. Ruth seals her artwork with varathane, but mod podge may work for your purposes if you wish to keep your artwork for a long period of time.

So we used this great recipe for creating Christmas sculptures.

We baked them for about an hour and let them cool for a little bit.

Then the girls painted their creations with tempura paints (the girls liked mixing the colors to create new colors).

Fun holiday activity on a wet snow day.

2010-12-12T11:55:00.002-07:00

SMMART SCIENCE: MAGIC ICE

Has your child noticed that sometimes there is salt sprinkled on the ground to melt the ice in the wintertime? Well, salt plays a magical role in this great learning activity.

First, to establish a little background with your child, you might wish to set out two plates of crushed ice. Let your child sprinkle salt on one plate of ice and observe together which plate of ice melts first. Now your child will see that salt helps ice to melt.

This is because the sodium and chloride ions from the salt intermingle and dilute the water molecules. This makes it harder for the water molecules to join together to form ice crystals. Actually, it's still possible for the water molecules to form ice crystals, but now instead of freezing at 0°, it's freezing point drops to below 0°C.

Have your child count to 15. Now instruct her to take both ends of the string and pick it up, while lifting up a piece of ice with the string. The string is not attached to the ice and will not lift the ice.

Now, have your child lay the string back onto the ice with the ends of the string laying over the sides of the glass. Have your child sprinkle salt all along the string laying on the ice. Now count to 15 slowly.

Ask your child to pick up the ends of the string and try to pick up the pieces of ice now.

The salt caused the ice under the string to melt slightly. Then the cold water aids that thin bit of melted ice to refreeze. Since the string has soaked up water, it freezes to the ice cubes. Ice crystals reform, trapping the string. Now your child can pick up the ice cubes along the string like a necklace.

2010-12-05T01:05:00.001-07:00

SMMART ART: Snowman Crayons

This might be a fun holiday gift for your child's friends. Stars, cupcake tin, snowmen...whatever mold you can find. Drop a festive crayon into a celophane baggie tied with a ribbon and gift with a holiday coloring book.

As you remove the paper from the broken crayons, name the colors together. You can sort the colors to create single-colored crayons or mix them up for this rainbow effect.

350 degrees...keep an eye on them...

Put them into the freezer, or...

Carefully remove them from your mold (we broke a few).

SMMART SCIENCE application- Observe as crayons go from a solid to liquid and then back to a solid state. This activity demonstrates a

physical change, where the form of matter is altered but one substance is not transformed into another.

2010-12-03T23:10:00.007-07:00

SMMART Discount

to "The North Pole Express"

on the Heber Valley Railroad

Families can experience a magical holiday journey aboard The Heber Valley Railroad's "The North Pole Express". They are offering a discount to SMMARTideas readers: $5 off coach tickets on December 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 and 16. You will need to call the train directly at 435-654-5601 and ask for the “Utah Blogger” discount and be sure to tell them you saw this discount on the SMMARTideas blog.

Guests aboard the North Pole Express will enjoy singing carols, sipping hot chocolate and eating cookies while reading along or listening to the “The Night Before Christmas.” Children are encouraged to wear their pajamas for the ride. Upon arrival at the North Pole, Santa and his sleigh will greet the children and give each child a special Christmas gift.

Tickets are now on sale for this popular holiday train, which is a long-standing tradition for thousands of Utah families. First class service is available most weekends during the North Pole Express schedule. Due to the high demand for tickets, the Heber Valley Railroad is offering two matinee excursions on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 23-24, 2010.

The North Pole Express will depart every Monday through Saturday through December 24, 2010.
Nightly Excursions
Depart 5 p.m.; return 6:30 p.m.
Depart 7:30 p.m.; return 9 p.m.
Matinee Excursions (December 23-24 only)
Depart 2 p.m.; return 3:30 p.m.

Schedule and Fares
Family Night: December 1, 2, 6, 13
$29 adult, $26 senior (ages 60 and above), $18 child (ages 3-12)

Coach: December 3, 4, 7-11, 14-18, 20-23
$32 adult, $29 senior (ages 60 and above), $21 child (ages 3-12)

First Class: December 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 20-23
$47 adult, $44 senior (ages 60 and above), $36 child (ages 3-12)
Matinee: December 23, 24
$29 adult, $26 senior (ages 60 and above), $18 child (ages 3-12)

Tickets can be purchased by calling SmithsTix at 800-888-TIXX or by calling the railroad at 435-654-5601
Order online at www.HeberValleyRailroad.org, or at the Heber Valley Depot, 450 South 600 West, Heber City.
For more information and directions, contact the Heber Valley Railroad at 435-654-5601 http://www.hebervalleyrailroad.org/.

The Heber Valley Historic Railroad dates back to 1899, when trains served the pioneers who first settled the valley. Experience a piece of history and a hearty helping of holiday spirit!

Our train departed at 7:30pm so we could see the holiday lights outlining the homes as the train pulled out from the station.

The girls were bundled up in two-layers of pajamas and their robes as we sang carols, sipped hot cocoa, ate a Chocolate cookie and answered Christmas trivia.

Mrs. Clause and Santa came on board to speak with each child, give them a special gift and take pictures with them.

The "Polar Express" ride was about 45 minutes each way to the "North Pole" and back to the station. The time went quickly with the cute MC on her microphone engaging families in singing and stories.

The train was decorated with Christmas garland and lights inside, the cocoa chefs wore their chef hats and the conductor even looked the part.

We enjoyed our magical ride upon the "North Pole Express"!