1. Have a "READ, READ, READ" time after dinner one night a week. This is like the reading that we have done everyday after lunch. At home, each family member has something to read (magazine, newspaper, book, etc.) to read, and a specified time is set aside for quiet READING.

2. When your child asks a question you can't answer, such as "Why can't I see the wind?" write it on an index card. When you're by the library, get a book on it or check with the reference librarian to help you, and discover the answer together.

3. When you travel, play a license plate game to learn the states. Provide each child with a U.S. map and have them color in the states as they see corresponding license plates. The player with the most states colored in by the end of the trip wins.

4. Take your child to a "hands-on" science museum.

5. Take your child to the grocery store and have him weigh the produce, count the change, and price the best buy in cereal.

6. Help your child mix a cup of liquid dishwashing soap and a teaspoonful of glycerine. Then let her go wild, blowing bubbles with a straw, a six-pack plastic top, or a colander.  

7. Gather up the neighborhood kids and go on an Outdoor Scavenger Hunt in your nearest park. Give each child a list of things to find, such as a bird's nest, tree bark, three different pine cones, types of leaves and wildflowers.

8. Let your child set up a cookie, lemonade, or snack stand in the summer to get some real practice handling money as he decides how to price his product and spend the profits.

9. Turn everyday chores into learning opportunities by doing them with your child: sorting laundry builds classification skills; picking up her room together can help her with organization.

10. Let your child make an original book. Older children enjoy writing and "publishing", but even preschoolers can dictate a story to you and then illustrate it. Covers can be made of contact-paper covered cardboard or heavy construction paper, and pages can be sewn or stapled.

11. Plan a family outing to a working farm or a history museum.

12. Give your child a disposable camera for picture-taking on your next trip. After the photos are developed, let him arrange them in a scrapbook and write captions under each one.

13. When your family takes a trip, let your child make an ABC book about the city or state you visit and its special features. You can provide the information for each letter and have her illustrate them.

14. Allow plenty of time for your child to play because children learn a lot from it. They need unstructured time to daydream, make forts, or READ.