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

193 Pages·2001·2.02 MB·English

by  Laurel Schmidt

Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION
ONE - WHAT IS SMART?
LET’S START
WHAT ARE THE SEVEN INTELLIGENCES?
THE SEVEN INTELLIGENCES GO TO SCHOOL
A WORD ON HOW KIDS LEARN
FIRST STEPS TOWARD GETTING SMARTER
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO TO HELP?
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?
HOW TO USE SEVEN TIMES SMARTER
SEVEN TIMES SMARTER— AND THEN SOME
TWO - WHO AM I?
KEEPING SECRETS
THE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM
MEMORY TOURS
FAMILY RESEMBLANCE
ARE YOU MY COUSIN?
ANCESTOR MAPS
TRACKING SKILLS
THREE - JOYFUL NOISE
SHALL WE DANCE?
THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION
WOOD CONSTRUCTION
LESSONS FROM THE SAW AND SPLINTER
BIG BAND
SMART SOUNDS
BLOCKHEADS
WHY BUILD?
FOUR - IMAGINATION INCORPORATED
LITTLE LEONARDOS
NOT QUITE MODEL BEHAVIOR
INVENTIONS
INVENTING INVENTORS
TOWER POWER
TOWERING INTELLIGENCE
DO-IT-YOURSELF SPORTS
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS IN THE AD-HOCKEY WORLD
BOREDOM BRIGADE
CRY BOREDOM
FIVE - EXPLORING AND DISCOVERING
JUNKYARD GENIUS
JUNKYARD 101
COLLECTIONS
THE SKILLS IT BUILDS
WHERE IN THE WORLD?
FINGER-TRAVELING
YELLOW PAGES
THE CURIOSITY SHOPPER
KITCHEN SINK CHEMISTRY
MIXED MESSAGES
SIX - WORDSMITHS
THE POSTMAN’S PAL
PENMANSHIP
STIFF CUFFS
WORD POWER
PENCIL PALS
WHY WRITE?
AUTHOR! AUTHOR!
THE HUMAN PEN
TOP SECRET
LEARNING IN DISGUISE
THE PLAY’S THE THING
GETTING BEYOND PRETENDING
SEVEN - FINGERSMITHS
PUPPETS
READY-MADE PUPPETS
PULP FICTION
ACTING 101
THREAD NEEDLE STREET
A STITCH IN TIME
PATTERNS
PATTERN PLAY
EIGHT - BOOKWORMS
ONE MORE STORY, PLEASE!
EARWORKS
READ ALL ABOUT IT
GETTING AN EARFUL
THE EIGHTEEN-YEAR CONVERSATION
A LIBRARY CARD
NINE - RAINY DAYS AND SUNDAYS
POTLUCK
MIXMASTER 101
HEART AND HAND
BOARD GAMES
THE BRAIN GAIN
P.O. BOX SCAVENGERS
GETTING SMARTER
A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN
DESIGNING IDEAS
TEN - THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
NO-MESS ART
PICTURE THIS
THROUGH THE LENS
GETTING AN EYEFUL
LOOK BUT DON’T TOUCH
INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING
SECRET WORLDS
SMALL STUFF
SOFT SCULPTURE
SHAPING INTELLIGENCE
ELEVEN - YOUR OWN BACKYARD
JUST ADD WATER
LESSONS FROM THE FAUCET
NATURE WATCH
LEARNING ON THE FLY
HANGING GARDENS
CULTIVATING INTELLIGENCE
PERMANENT PLEASURES
NOVICE PRESERVATIONISTS
TWELVE - THE WORLD BEYOND
THE BIG GIVEAWAY
MOTIVE, MEANS, AND OPPORTUNITY
ORDER IN THE COURT AND OTHER PUBLIC MEETINGS
IMPROVE YOURSELF, IMPROVE YOUR COMMUNITY
HOMETOWN TOURIST
WANDERING MINDS
About the Author
Copyright Page
To my parents,
who gave me the armor of a happy childhood.
Acknowledgments
Good books, like good children, are collaborative efforts. This is particularly
true in the case of Seven Times Smarter. Three generations contributed their
wisdom and liveliness to its creation. First, I want to thank my parents, Robert
and Dorothy, for their boundless love and inspiration. My siblings, Sheryl, Bob,
Richard, and David, companions in this adventure called life. My dear friends
and colleagues, Karen Boiko, Christina Cocek, Danny Miller, Pat Lem, Anne
Brown, Bill Himelright, and Marolyn Freed-man, who cheer me by their very
existence. My mentors, Paul Heckman and John Shambra. My children, Thalia
and Anthony, who are magnificent testimonies to the power of hands-on
learning. Thanks to my editor, bright, insightful Sarah Silbert. To all my students
who taught me more than I could ever teach them. And finally, to my dear
husband, Durnford King, a wonderful writer, who believes in me when I forget
to believe in myself.
INTRODUCTION
I’ve often said that my father’s tombstone should read, “I’ll be damned!” I must
have heard that joyful outburst a thousand times, whenever he stumbled across a
new idea or figured out how a strange building held itself up. It seemed he was
always making discoveries and sharing them with my sister, three brothers, and
me.
Dad was curious about everything. A self-educated man, in love with learning,
he intuitively furnished our world with everything we needed to flourish. Years
before Howard Gardner ever thought of his theory of multiple intelligences, my
dad had discovered all there was to know about how to grow smart kids.
Our desks were overflowing with pencils, rulers, and stacks of recycled paper
that we’d cut and staple into tiny books, turning the bedroom into a small press.
The garage was another favorite work space. It had the cool dark smell of
sawdust and motor oil, and just inside the door was a miniature workbench with
tools that fit perfectly in our pint-size hands. Outside, a garden plot waited for us
each summer. We were successful with carrots and lettuce, never with corn.
While weeding, my father taught us the Latin names of the plants, how to prune
a rosebush—and never to eat castor beans.
On winter nights he delighted us with treasure hunts, and if the evening was
perfect it ended with five kids and a book tumbled together in his huge chair,
mesmerized by the sounds of Brighty of the Grand Canyon, The Littlest Angel,
or Paddle-to-the-Sea . The rest of the world dropped away during those evenings
in the turquoise chair.
So we learned in that natural way that kids do, first watching, then getting in
the way, then imitating while my father gently fine-tuned our efforts. Not
surprisingly, I emerged from childhood with a fistful of skills. I could paint and
sew and design furniture. I knew the difference between Gothic and
Romanesque buildings and that camellias like shade. Corn doesn’t. I didn’t need
much to have a good time. Given the freedom to browse and rummage, I could
entertain myself for hours creatively and productively. I saw my mind as a tool
for creating and solving interesting problems.
But more important, I had internalized six powerful beliefs that enrich every
waking hour of my adult life. Here they are: Curiosity is the best toy in the
store.
Problems are opportunities to feel smart.
When in doubt, read.
Expect adventures.
The human parade is the most fascinating event in town, whether you’re
leading the band or warming a seat on the sidelines.
A parent’s love and genuine interest are the best armor against the
challenges of life.
I also knew with unquestionable certainty that I wanted to teach. I studied a
lot of theories about how kids learn, but my success as a teacher came down to a
single, indisputable fact. The more life in my classroom felt like my childhood,
the smarter my kids were. Over the years, I learned to spot intelligence at fifty
paces and coax it out of kids convinced that they were dumb.
Now I’d like to share with you some of the lessons I learned during one
precious childhood and twenty-three memorable years in the company of kids.
Seven Times Smarter is a salute to my four siblings, without whom childhood
would have been an odd and lonely endeavor. It’s a celebration of every
eccentric, difficult, and outrageously intelligent kid who graced my classroom
over the years. Most important, it’s a footlocker crammed with ideas for helping
parents have smart kids who will grow up to be productive adults with a knack
for happiness.
You’re probably a lot like my mom and dad—already doing lots of the right
things. And I’ll bet there’s a lot more that you’ve forgotten, including some
wonderful pastimes from your own childhood. Like making your own
skateboard or organizing your pets into a circus. You probably thought you were
just having fun, but chances are you were also getting smarter. Now your kids
can, too.
Maybe you grabbed this book because it’s clear your kids are sharp and you’re
pulling your hair out wondering what to do next. Good news! Without signing
them up for another class or giving up your Saturdays or buying one more
educational toy, you can open a playground for your kids’ minds. Welcome to
Seven Times Smarter. You’re going to have fun!