Learning Fun for Kids Online

Monster Mind Reader - Fun With 2 Digits

2009-11-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

I revisited a favorite site of mine, CoolMath.com, and got a little weirded out by the cute little Mind Reader. Why? Cuz he's right every time!

I've seen it before (think of a 2 digit number; subtract the sum of the two digits from the original number, and your answer appears on the screen), but I've never really understood how it's done. I guess magic is the only explanation available to me.

Now I'm off to study the geometry of crop circles. And no, I don't think magic is at work here. Little green men seems perfectly reasonable.

Homework Helper - The MIssissippi River

2009-11-01T07:53:00.000-08:00

My Grade 6 daughter is writing a report on the Mississippi River, and I'm surprised at how difficult it is to come up age-appropriate fact sheets. I've been doing some digging and am putting links to those that I think kids can most easily use below:

From Kent ICT (which will be moving to www.kenttrustweb.org.uk?kentict in December 2009), there's a comprehensive fact page which talks about transport and agriculture;

From Byrant University, there's a page that contains a brief section on animal life in the Mississippi;

From The Center for Global Environmental Education, there's a page that talks about the use of the river:

Millions of people each year use the Mississippi River for recreation, but the Mississippi is, and always has been a working river. An average of 175 million tons of freight are shipped each year on the Upper Mississippi.

From Hucks.com, there's Mississippi River Facts, which can be very helpful when explanations are needed for specifics of river life (for example: locks act like elevators to raise or lower your boat from the water level on one side of the dam to the level on the other side; and each individual barge holds 1500 tons, the equivalent of 15 railroad cars or 58 semi trailers.

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More on Math and Multiplication

2009-10-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

Math bingo is a fun method of reviewing times tables.

All you need is bingo cards that have numbers on them (the numbers of course being the correct answers to the times table you're working on), then call out the calculations that make up those number.

For example, let's say you're working on your 9 times table. You call out 9 times 7; your kids need to figure out the answer and see if that number (63) is on their card.

Having trouble with the 9 times? Use the 9-method!

Let's say you want to see how much 9X7 is.

Just hold out all 10 fingers, and lower the 7th finger. There are 6 fingers to the left and 3 fingers on the right.

The answer is 63!

Go ahead: practice building your speed with Underwater Times Tables, at a great site called What2Learn.com.

For more suggestions on how to help kids (Grades 2 - 6) memorize their times tables, see this page.

Okay, now who can tell me what 8 X 9 is? Come on!

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New Online Virtual World for Kids

2009-10-27T05:40:00.001-07:00

Based on the books by John Bittleston, The Travels of Wiglington and Wenks, an online virtual world for kids aged 7 to 14, is due to launch in the Christmas of 2009. I've signed up for the notification of its launch, and will try it on for size.

If reality lives up to the hype, it sounds good. The site says "parents can look forward to an educational and safe site for their children where they will be learning about history, geography, landmarks, famous people, inventions, animals and more. And for the children, they can expect hours of exploration fun."

Kids will be able to:

travel to factual and mysterious places around the world
travel through time and space
meet famous people from the past
play dozens of enriching and fun games
make new friends and party with them
buy exotic islands
build culture-inspired houses
wear clothes from different countries
explore secret locations
solve mysteries and puzzles

I've never read the books, so that's another thing to explore.

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Long Division

2009-10-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

Long division (called the algorithmic process) is the next on my list -- I mean, my kid's list -- to learn.

The standard approach to solving long division is broken down into five steps:

Divide
Multiply
Subtract
Bring Down
Repeat (if necessary)

In case you need a bit of a refresher, here are a few sites that explain and illustrate the process:

the Long Division page at Math is Fun

the Long Division page at AAA Math

the Long Division lesson at Cool Math 4 Kids (you can test your skills at their Number Monster page)

DoubleDivision.org is a site that introduces a different method of doing long division and has an easy-to-understand calculator that works the problem through with you step by step. Instead of five steps, double division has three:

Step 1 - Double, double, double.
Step 2 - Subtract off multiples.
Step 3 - Add up your answer.

The benefit of this system over the five-step system is said to be that

double division does not depend on memorizing the multiplication facts or estimating how many times one number goes into another. It may take 50% longer, but it is far less frustrating and probably easier to understand than long division.

Whatever works works for me!

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Spelling It Right

2009-10-15T04:41:00.000-07:00

Maybe good spelling doesn't seem to be all that exciting or fun, but sometimes that's because too much guessing goes on.

Unlike spelling, math is an exact science: you learn the rules and apply them, you get the right answer. This makes it more like a game or competition. (Review multiplication tables by bingo and you non-believers will see how math can become fun).

When kids have to guess at spelling, they don't "win" when they get something right. They just get lucky--there's no "building blocks" going on. English teacher, Roger Smith, thinks that educated guesses are a step in the right direction.

For example, at his site Spelling It Right: Learn How to Spell Confidently, he gives weak spellers a fighting chance when it comes to spelling words with iffy vowels.

When you say words like "relative" or "information", the middle vowels aren't clearly stressed which can make spelling those words correctly a bit tricky. Mr. Smith has a trick up his sleeve that can help: think of another word from the same root, and maybe you can figure it out.

With "relative", he shows the word "relation".

With "information", he shows the word "inform".

Once he's shown you how, he gives you an exercise to complete:

Here's the root word: define. Complete this word: def_nition
Here's the root word: sedate. Complete this word: sed_tive
Heres' the root word: explore. Complete this word: expl_ration

and so on.

It's not just how to spell difficult or tricky vowel sounds -- the free worksheets cover syllables, consonant blends, prefixes, suffixes and word endings. Mr. Smith even goes into subject-specific words taken from science, geography and maths where he shows how the word is spelled and what the difficult bits might be.

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Free Mah Jong online

2009-10-12T12:02:00.001-07:00

It's harder to find truly free games online. I like mah jong solitaire, and this version at by-art.com is absolutely free (no registration, no payment) to play online.

Follow the link to the home site of the author of the famous Mahjong solitaire game, Kyodai mah jongg. From there you can download a free copy of one of the older mahjongg games, a freeware, 16-bit, 50KB very simple game that runs on Windows 3.1/NT 3.51, 95 and up.

Notice all the variations on the spelling of mah jong. My dictionary even shows mah-jongg, but the definition is always the same: a Chinese game played by 4 people with 144 tiles.

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Mind Your Manners! A Victorian-Era History Game

2009-10-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

You can choose from several games with various historical themes at Montreal's McCord Museum of Canadian History.

There are two games in the Mind Your Manners section: the first I tried was The Victorian Period and it is very well done, with a welcome dose of humor--watch the answer-lady roll her eyes!--along with the lovely-to-look-at costumes and interesting factoids. My 11 year old found the vocabulary a bit daunting, but the gist of most of the messages is clear. The Roaring Twenties is more pointedly directed at Canadian history (Prohibition and so on), but it's still fun to see what people wore and what polite society dictates were.

Watch the Birdie is a similar type of interactive game, but it's not about manners per se. In this one, you take on the role of a customer or an apprentice photographer in a Montreal-based photography studio around 1870. You get to learn about what people wore, when telephones were commonly used and how photography was developing as an industry and an art form.

Well done Canada!

PHOTO CREDIT: Julia Freeman-Woolpert, http://www.sxc.hu/photo/706638

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Pumpkin Life and Preservation

2009-10-04T02:46:00.000-07:00

My definition of a good site is one that has useful information and which is updated from time to time. That describes Pumpkin Carving 101 (which I blogged about last Halloween) to a "T".

There are products you can buy to prolong the lifespan of your jack-o-lantern, but before delving into the recommended product, Pumpkin Carving 101 gives you a free tip, saying:

One technique is to coat all cut surfaces of the pumpkin with petroleum jelly immediately after they have been carved. This includes a light coating of the entire inside of the pumpkin. If you can't do the whole inside, at least try to coat the design that you've cut into the pumpkin.

The petroleum jelly acts as a barrier to seal in the pumpkins internal moisture to help slow down the dehydration process of the pumpkin. You can use a finger to coat the eyes, nose and mouth but you may want to use a paper towel with jelly on it to coat the inside. It's less messy that way.

If you've got kids who love to get their hands messy, this'll be loads of fun!

Cold temperatures help pumpkin preservation too, so if you're going through a warm spell at the end of October, remember to keep your jack-o-lanterns out of direct sunlight.

About the photo: I like to use different members of the squash family to decorate not just for Halloween, but throughout the season. This photo is courtesy of a user at stock.xchng (www.sxc.hu).

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Find the Hidden Objects

2009-09-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

When the kids need a little mindless downtime after school (or when they're home sick), sometimes an old stand-by is fun.

Highlights Magazine has a web page where they (and you!) can play Find the Hidden Objects -- with three levels of difficulty. I went straight to Level 3, and hardly had to cheat at all. . .

If you like your hidden pictures printed out, try Hidden Pictures Publishing (scroll down to the bottom of the page for a second print-out).

Have fun and no hiding!

UPDATE: I just found another page of hidden objects you can play online. There are actually two at this site, one in a classroom and this forest one (which I like better).

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Math homework, anyone?

2009-09-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

Oh, boy! Grade 5/6 math homework has reared its head, and I'm as baffled as my kids!

Some resources I've found, used and liked include:

This interactive multiplication table. Once you enter the equation, you not only get the answer (yay!) but you also see both paths of numbers light up -- ie., 6 X 9 will also "remind" you that 9 X 6 gives you the same answer.

A page of definitions all about fractions *shudder* Not only do you learn what the term means, you also find out how to get the answer. For instance, when you get to the bit about Converting and Reducing Fractions, the text reads:

For any fraction, multiplying the numerator and denominator by the same nonzero number gives an equivalent fraction. We can convert one fraction to an equivalent fraction by using this method.

and then gives numeric examples like this: 1/2 = (1 × 3)/(2 × 3) = 3/6

At MathPlayground.com, there's a game where you convert mixed numbers to improper fractions (but it shows you how, first of course!).

If you're trying to simplify fractions, there's a good page at a site called MathIsFun.com. First, simplifying is explained and a few methods on how to do it are shown. There's a tool you can use to quickly (and automatically) simplify fractions -- an explanation on how the answer is reached is offered with the answer.

More to come, I'm sure. And, please -- if you've found a helpful site, let us all know by leaving a comment.

Thanks!

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Hurricanes for Kids

2009-08-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

Now that those of us who live along the Atlantic coast in North America came through Hurricane Bill relatively unscathed, maybe it's time to educate the kids about hurricanes.

Hurricanes are severe tropical storms (with winds of at least 74 miles per hour). They form in the southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific Ocean, gathering heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters.

Hurricanes rotate in a counter-clockwise direction around an "eye." When they come onto land, the heavy rain, strong winds and heavy waves can damage buildings, trees and cars.

These heavy waves (called storm surges) are very dangerous and a major reason why you MUST stay away from the ocean during a hurricane warning or hurricane. In Hurricane Bill (late August 2009), some people were swept away from a "safe" rock barrier wall, from which they had been watching the massive waves.

Kids can help parents prepare the house for a tropical storm or hurricane - by putting all toys and lawn furniture away; and making sure their pets are inside the home with the family. Children can be quite fearful if they've heard dire warnings on the news, so a special Hurricane Flashlight might provide a good sense of security in case of power outage.

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Back to School Family Calendar

2009-08-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

It's nearly that time again! September is just a few weeks away, and many of us need to think about school shopping lists as well as enrolling the kids in after-school activities and lessons.

You can make your own school calendar, choosing from some of these calendar templates, or print off this PDF Back to School Family Calendar from eversave.com.

I also like the myriad of resources at FamilyEducation.com (note that you must provide your email address in order to obtain free registration at the site). Their Fun Facts Calendar is fabulous to have on hand: September 1st is when the Titantic wreckage was located "way back" in 1985; Elephant Appreciation Day is on the 22nd; and you can fill in my birthday on October 19th! :-)

About the photo: this is an Aztec calendar in stone, which I obtained from www.sxc.hu. The photographer's site is at http://garrisonphoto.org/sxc/

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Monopoly and Junior Monopoly - great learning tools for kids

2009-07-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

Parents are always looking for ways to teach kids the value of money, and have a variety of tools at hand from allowances to rules about how any money, from allowances to cash gifts should be spent.

For example, you can agree to split the money evenly between

a long-term savings account;
a "half-and-half" account, where the child and parents each contribute half the cost of a special item purchase; and
a "free fund", where the child is in charge with how the money is to be spent.

An old stand-by board game, now of course available in electronic form, is Monopoly (with Junior Monopoly for the younger kids). There's a lot to be learned in this game, from simply counting by ones, fives, tens and so on to ideas of long-term investment vs short-term gain and even to seeing how keeping a "rainy day" fund might just come in handy in case of emergency (or jail).

If you've lost all your Monopoly money, you can go to the official Monopoly site to print more out -- but no cheating!

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Kids Love the Shakespearean Insulter

2009-06-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

Instead of retorting to schoolyard taunts with hurt silence or an ineffective "Oh, yeah?!", I (grown-up that I am) instructed my kids to find their favorite come-back at the Shakespearean Insulter:

For example, hissing something along the lines of

Why dost thou converse with that trunk of humours, that bolting-hutch of beastliness, that swollen parcel of dropsies, that huge bombard of sack, that stuffed cloak-bag of guts, that roasted Manningtree ox with pudding in his belly, that reverend vice, that grey Iniquity, that father ruffian, that vanity in years?

sounds so much better than "I'm TELLING!".

And a little more seriously, it's actually a novel way of introducing the Bard to youngsters, putting him (and the intricacies of language) in their corner.

Let's say some kid, who is know to lie, falsely accuses your child of lying. A withering look, and a line from Hamlet:

Assume a virtue if you have it not.

and it's all she wrote.

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Father's Day Games for Kids

2009-06-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

Get the little ones into Father's Day mode with some online fun.

At AKidsHeart.com, the Tie Memory Game is a simple matching game, with a nice message when you're done. I like the mini-golf as well (although I didn't see which way the arrow was pointing at first, and was 13 over par on the first hole. . .) If jig-saw puzzles are a favorite, there's a Victorian one that's very sweet.

Something sure to be treasured is a recording of your child explaining why his or her daddy is so special. Encourage lots of chatter by asking questions (phrased for age-appropriateness, of course:

What does daddy look like?
What is his name?
What is your grandfather's name?
What is daddy's job?
What do you like to do most with your father?
What is your dad's favorite activity?
What is your father's favorite meal?
Tell me about a fond memory you have about you and your dad.
What does your father do in his free time? Does he have a special hobby?
Does your dad play sports?
Which games does your father play with you?
Does your dad have tools?
Tell me about your father's car.
Which chores does your father do around the house? Groceries? Dishes? Take out the trash? Cooking? Mow the lawn?

(source of daddy-interview: Educatall.com)

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Singing Lessons for Kids

2009-06-12T16:53:00.000-07:00

In answer to the question How Young is Too Young to Study Singing?, professional singer and voice teacher Elizabeth Prescott says that the "generally held view is that the optimal age to begin to develop the voice is in the mid to late teens because the vocal chords have reached relative maturity".

She knows the downfalls that can occur in choirs (like building or shaping voices) and remembers her own elementary school choir director encouraging the children to sing louder (which usually means shouting).

Elizabeth also talks about what to do with your hands while singing (usually relaxed at your side is best: "A good nothing is better than a bad something").

Bottom line:

If your child isn't more relaxed after their voice lesson than before it, then it's probably not the right time and place for them to study. Some of my favorite students state that they only come to voice lessons for a weekly break from the pressures of their academic life. Their parents know their kids don't practice. Many parents of my high-school students have told me the lessons are a kind of therapy. These kids don't want to be pushed. They get pushed enough. They just want to come in, work on technique a bit, sing through a few songs, and leave happy. Their skills improve over time even if they don't really care. Other students have serious goals and serious work habits. I keep their lessons very structured, and that's a joy for me as well.

I concur. Singing is and should always be a joy.

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Kids Can Clean Their Own Rooms - No, Really!

2009-06-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we forget how literal kids are. The sweeping parental order from on high CLEAN YOUR ROOM needs to be broken down into steps in order to make sense to them, and if your tween or teen is anything like mine, a printed list might help. (A lot.)

Try printing out How To Clean a Kid's Room in 15 Minutes from About.com.

In this short, numbered article, author Sarah Aguirre starts with Step One: Grab Your Supplies. She then links to a list of cleaning supplies; however, I'd just skip this step and provide your child with some heavy-duty wipes or paper towels and a bottle of vinegar.

Step Two: Put all dirty clothing in a hamper.
Three: Put all trash in trash can.
Four: Make the bed. (smoothing is acceptable)
Five: Pick up and fold or hang clean clothes.
Six: put all toys in appropriate container or closet.
Seven: put all items that don't belong in the room in a container or basket.
Eight: Vacuum.

When a To Do list is easy to follow and very specific, there's a better chance of it being followed.

Of course, I'd like to add a step: shovel out everything from under your bed. . .

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Kids Gardens In Boots and Other Unusual Places

2009-06-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

At Planning My Garden, there are great ideas for WHAT kids can grow their gardens IN -- and they've come up with some unusual plant containers that are environmentally friendly (because they're big on recycling) and are sure to spark more ideas for creative flower pots. Some of the suggestions on the site are:

Old boots and shoes
Cinderblocks
Pipes (they call them sewer tiles)
Plastic bag (that holds the potting soil)
Old tires or pots
Wooden barrels
Piece of rain gutter or eavestroughing (which can be affixed to a fence or wall)

Another idea I thought was great was to have a mini-veggie garden by way of hanging baskets! We all admire the flowers that decorate our porches, but wouldn't it be kind of fun to plant mini-tomatoes in a hanging basket? This time it isn't the container that is unusual--it's the idea of planting something other than decorative flowers in a hanging basket.

Do you have any unusual ideas that make gardening with the kids even more fun?

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Unique and Easy Homemade Gifts for Father's Day

2009-06-04T10:08:00.001-07:00

A personalized pillow case, designed and painted by your child, is a useful and very unique Father's Day gift. It's fairly inexpensive and can be extremely easy to make: purchase a linen pillow case in any solid color, and some fabric paint and markers.

Depending on the age of your child, the designs can be intricate or simple -- from baby footprints and handprints to meaningful messages.

The best method of controlling a movable surface like a pillowcase (or t-shirt for that matter) is to insert a piece of cardboard inside it -- the snugger the fit, the better the hold. No large pieces of cardboard lying around? Get a poster board and fold it up, or use a telephone book.

It's nice to have a matching set, of course . . .

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All About Ears, Hearing and Dangerous Decibels

2009-05-27T16:29:00.000-07:00

At a site called Dangerous Decibels, there's a virtual exhibit on how we hear and how we can take care of our hearing.

You can listen to various sounds, and then see how tiny hair cells change vibrations into electrical signals which are sent to the brain. There's a picture a hair cell that's been destroyed by a loud noise and will never send signals to the brain again.

There are also decibel measurements and suggestions on ear protection -- and even how to answer back to peer pressure.

Save your Ears!

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Virtual Knee Replacement Surgery

2009-05-23T17:49:00.000-07:00

NOTE: Recommended for Grade levels: 7 - 12 and up

The only flaw with this game is how quickly you have to read (if you don't have speakers) -- but other than that, the Virtual Knee Surgery game is excellent for anyone interested in what the operation consists of, how it's done and how long the replacement knee lasts.

My 10 year old daughter watched me go through the procedure and deemed it totally gross. I admit the thought of drilling into bone made me a bit queasy, but the fascination factor took us all the way through. What can make you retch a little are the actual photos from real surgeries! *yeech*

There's a teacher's guide which gives prompts for class discussions such as:

why did certain steps of surgery occur in the order they did and/or why these steps were performed at all?
why don’t patients need painkillers during surgery?
what was the FIRST knee replacement surgery like?

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Industrial Revolution -- Concentration Game for Grade 7 Students

2009-05-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

There's a concentration game developed by a Grade 7 teacher where you match definitions to words and people's names to their accomplishments all with respect to the Industrial Revolution. It's a fun review for kids who need to study for a test.

The terms that are included in the game are:

emigrate -- to leave (EXIT) one's homeland to go to another country
immigrate -- to come into (IN) a new country
rural -- a term referring to the countryside
tenement -- a large apartment building that is overcrowded and rundown
monopoly -- complete control over an industry by a person or company

patent -- a document that legally protects an inventor from his/her idea copied by another inventor
assembly line -- system of production in which workers can mass produce products and they can be sold cheaper
subway -- a train that runs on underground tracks
laissez faire -- philosophy that government should leave businesses alone
refinery -- a place where oil from the ground is cleaned

Knights of Labor & AFL -- labor unions which fought for the rights of factory workers
specialization of labor -- learning a specific task through repetition
Andrew Carnegie -- known for dominating the steel industry
Henry Ford -- famous for the Model T
Thomas Edison -- invented the light bulb and over 1000 other inventions

Joseph Glidden -- invented barbed wire
John D. Rockefeller -- famous for dominating the oil industry
stock -- certificate showing ownership in a part of a company

If you find (as I did) that the definition has too many words to fit into the "cards", look down at the bottom of the puzzle -- the terms also show up there.

If you like concentration, hangman and other word games as a learning tool, there's quite a list of them at the Shared Activities page.

In order to create your own games, you must subscribe. Quia's standard annual pricing for educational subscriptions is $49 per instructor.

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Hands On Crafts for Kids

2009-05-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

At HandsOnCrafts, you'll find lots of projects -- many you've probably seen before, but it's a good place to click through for reminders.

For instance, I found this easy-to-do but very pretty Japanese wall hanging with a simple cherry blossom painted onto textured paper. What made this very interesting, though, was that the Japanese brush strokes for the words "cherry blossom" are shown in detail so that you can paint it onto the wall hanging. Very cool.

The brick bookends are pretty too.

What's nice about all the projects on this site is that detailed instructions are given, so that the older child can really perfect the craft, while the younger kids can still have lots of fun. So what if the wee ones don't want to use stencils and the butterflies come out looking like flying beach balls? It's all creative and learning and family fun.

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Fun Science Experiments for Kids

2009-05-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

There's an experiment that demonstrates iso- and thixo-tropy properties of certain emulsions (fluid mixtures) -- say what?

Well, think glop; gooey, squeezy, yucky GLOP - and you've got it!

By mixing cornstarch and water together and then playing in it, you can learn all about Isotropy -- the property of a fluid to become firm when agitated -- like at the beach when you walk in wet sand: walk slowly, and the sand starts to become more fluid (and you sink a little). Run quickly, and the sand remains firm.

It was some feat typing this, I'll have you know. There's glop everywhere...

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