Learning Fun for Kids Online

Love Your Flawz

2010-07-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

My 14 year-old (Emily, who is a DeviantArt devotee) found a site today called LoveYourFlawz. We discussed it and think it's better for teens (and adults!) than younger children, although the message it promotes is certainly valid for every age.

Some of the posts on the Community Blog at LoveYourFlawz are heartbreaking, and can serve to remind us all of how cruelly our kids suffer from what they perceive as their flaws -- whether it be overweight, having a big nose or simply being different. With bullying an issue in the real world and online, this site is a welcome oasis where hopefully children can learn about kindness (to themselves and others), self-esteem and acceptance.

Hug your kids, folks!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

FaceBook for Kids

2010-06-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

Worried about your kids being online? You should be. A June 2010 study commissioned by internet security giant, McAfee, reports that "almost half of youth (46 percent) admit to having given out their personal information to someone they didn't know over the Internet."

FaceBook for Kids (FBFKids) is one site that's trying to help parents protect their children online by providing -- and I quote -- "a non profit, safe, secure, monitored and moderated children's social networking site."

Apparently started by a mother of two, FBFKids is not related to Facebook. It's an alternative to Facebook, and has the following stated procedures to keep the site as safe as possible:

complete editorial control - they review input content daily and will delete if deemed unsuitable;

will investigate any messages deemed to be in violation of site and/or safety rules;

will delete anything deemed questionable;

will warn a child if s/he is engaging in questionable safety practices (ie., sending personal information or off-site contact details).

their "meeting room" has a live person as site monitor, but private chat rooms do not. All chats, however, are recorded and will be reviewed if deemed necessary.

I don't have personal experience with FBFKids -- if you do, please leave a comment. What I do like about the way the site presents itself is that it repeats several times that although FBFKids monitors the site 24/7,

we do not monitor any paticular child. It is up to you as a Parent or Gardian to monitor your own child.

Words to live by.

Related post: Internet Safety for Kids Online

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Interesting Animal Facts

2010-06-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

The Animal Facts page at a site called Vegan Peace asks you the following questions:

Did you know that seals can sleep under water?
What's the difference between a donkey and a mule?
Can you tell the difference between a frog and a toad?
Do you know how to tell African and Asian elephants apart?

If you're like me, your answers for all of the above would have been an unenlightening series to the tune of: no, I don't know, no and *sigh* no.

At Vegan Peace Animal Facts, you'll find out the answers to these questions and a lot more. I like the simple, clean approach used by site owner Wanda Embar and the choice of images (some of them, like those of the turkeys, taken by her at a rescue organization called Farm Sanctuary).

NOTE TO PARENTS: Vegan Peace has pages regarding animal cruelty, children's sweatshops and other abuses that take place in the world. Although topics worthy of discussion, these are inappropriate for and would be upsetting to young children to see, so visits to this site should be supervised.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Answer a Question - Feed the Hungry at FreeRice.com

2010-02-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

FreeRice.com is a site run by the UN World Food Program. For every answer you get right, they donate free rice to help end world hunger.

I enjoy answering questions in the vocabulary section best, but subjects include other languages, chemistry, math and more. Be forewarned: the questions start off fairly easy and then quickly ramp up in level of difficulty. If you get an answer wrong, the question will repeat itself fairly quickly, so you'll have a chance to redeem yourself.

From the FAQ: Though 10 grains of rice may seem like a small amount, it is important to remember that while you are playing, so are thousands of other people at the same time. It is everyone together that makes the difference. Thanks to you, FreeRice has generated enough rice to feed millions of people since it started in October 2007 (with over 74 billion grains donated to date).

A little number-crunching: In countries where rice is a staple part of the diet, about 400 grams of rice per person, per day is consumed. There are about 48 grains of rice in a gram. Each question you answer correctly is worth 10 grains of rice. Can anyone figure out how many questions you need to answer in order to provide one person with enough rice for one day?

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Word a Day Wonder - a Great Learning Tool

2010-01-28T00:34:00.000-08:00

By using words in very descriptive sentences, Word a Day Wonder is a truly fun and unique way to

improve your vocabulary. Each day brings an amazing fact or anecdote with an embedded vocabulary word.

This brand new site is lean, with no distractions -- one vivid image goes to the word at hand. After the interesting fact or anecdote is given (through which you learn not only the meaning of the embedded word, but also often something else of interest), a clear definition is set out, a few synonyms given and a link to further reading on the topic.

This is my kind of schooling: highly interesting, quick and memorable. Long may it prosper!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Homeschooling - Learning Fun Through Recipes

2010-01-25T01:55:00.000-08:00

There are so many wonderful packaged Unit Studies available to homeschoolers that you don't know where to start. Instead of buying something pre-packaged, how about starting with an idea and let your children's interests decide where to go with it.

Have you thought about starting a unit study in the kitchen... with a recipe?

You can certainly pick your own recipe to start your unit study, but here is an example of how it can work. The recipe I have in mind is for Beef Stroganoff. Your kids can decide which way they want to go with this, but here are some suggestions:

1. Investigate the different stories about the origins of Beef Stroganoff and decide, based on the evidence, which version may be the correct one.

2. Research the year the dish was invented and explore that time period. What important events were happening around the world then? Who was the US President and what was the US like at that time? What were the people in Russia wearing in the 19th century? What other foods were popular in Russia back then? What was the main mode of transportation during that time period? Get in as deep as you want on any of these.

3. What is a count? Draw and color a nobility tree showing the rankings of nobility from most important to lowest ranking. Is it still that way in Russia today?

4. Explore Russia geographically. Find it on the world map. Make your own map of Russia and include topographical items. Add bodies of water, mountains, cities, industry, and whatever else you want. Make charts of demographics. Create math story problems involving air or boat travel from Russia to the US, or from one city in Russia to another. Compare the size and circumference of Russia as compared to Europe and the US.

5. Learn about Count Stroganov and his family history. Create a play about his life.

6. Make a scrapbook by downloading pictures off the internet and then adding captions explaining the pictures.

7. Compare 5 different Beef Stroganoff recipes and notice which ingredients are the same and which are different. Make a bar chart of the ingredients from all the recipes.

8. Create a Russian newspaper with news items that might have happened in the 19th century. What kind of ads might they have had then?

9. Make beef stroganoff! You can have a Russian night and make a whole meal of Russian food. Visit some online Russian museums to understand what their dishes and utensils might have looked like and how they would dress for a meal.

10. Write a fictional story about a girl or boy in Russia.

These are ideas on how to go from just one recipe to a unit study. Other recipes work just as well. Take a look at your recipe for pizza and take a trip to Italy, or explore the Tollhouse chocolate chip cook recipe; there's a good story there. How can you go wrong with pizza or cookies?

The author of this article, Peggy Baron, is the editor of the popular Cookin' Kids Newsletter. Interesting themes, fun facts, silly clip art, easy recipes, kid jokes, cooking terms, and safety tips make this newsletter a hit with kids! Learn more about it at Cookin' Kids.com

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Paper Snowflakes

2010-01-22T11:21:00.000-08:00

Well, it's still cold and snowy outside where I am, so what better activity is there than brewing up a pot of hot chocolate and cutting out a heap of paper snowflakes?

At SnowCrystals.com, you get free instructions (complete with pictures) on how to fold and cut out paper snowflakes. They try to keep you honest here: they want you to hold out for real six-sided crystals -- since there are (apparently) no eight-sided or four-sided snowflakes in nature.

When you want to brave the cold and head outside and IF the snowfall looks interesting (with many crystal types of snowflakes and not just sand-like grains), grab a copy of the Snowflake Reference Guide on your way out. Have snowflake contests to see who can find the most different crystal types, and who can find the largest stellar crystals, etc.

I'm not leaving the comfort of my home (thank you), so I think I'll just make some very cool looking Ice Spikes after I finish cutting out a few more six-sided snowflakes.

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Mr. McKeague's Math TV

2010-01-13T05:54:00.000-08:00

Charles P. "Pat" McKeague is owner of MathTV.com. He's a mathematician (with a B.A. and M.S. in the field), college instructor, published author of math textbooks (covering everything from basic mathematics to trigonometry) and a speaker at mathematics conferences in California and nationwide.

He's also an excellent teacher who provides clear instructions on how to solve math problems as well as bits of life philosophy, like: Do something for the person you will be 5 years from now.

His website, MathTV.com, doesn't even require you to register -- you can start viewing the instructional videos (given by Mr. McKeague and student instructors) right away, or print out textbooks and practice tests.

Take a moment to explore the site in order to reap full benefits. If you need help with long division, for example, you click on Basic Mathematics, then Whole Numbers, then Dividing. Once you get there, you can choose which long division problem you'd like to see solved: if you want to start with a one-digit divisor, try 595/7; for a two-digit divisor, there's 9,380/35. You may prefer one instructor's style to another: I found Katrina a much more thorough teacher than Aaron, although Aaron is fine for a quick review.

If you wish to factor rational expressions to their simplest forms, look under the Algebra topic heading. Radians and degrees are found under Trigonometry, with perimeters, parallelograms and congruent triangles all found under Geometry.

Tip: full screen view makes the videos easier to see and you just press your ESC key to return to Normal Screen.

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Internet Safety for Kids Online

2010-01-12T01:55:00.000-08:00

Nothing beats parental involvement and supervision, but there's a list of 10 rules for online safety at SafeKids.com that kids and parents should be aware of and talk about.

Remember -- children are programmed to give the "right answer" when asked a question, so it's crucially important that the privacy factor (which seems so obvious to adults) not only be introduced but also reviewed from time to time. Reasons backing up the need for privacy and safety don't have to explicit enough to frighten -- it's enough for kids to understand that there are bullies online (just like at school).

With cyber-bullying becoming a truly serious issue, it's not just strangers parents need to be concerned about. If your child has any kind of social media account (like Facebook or MySpace, for instance), make sure s/he knows how to delete suggested friends and decline invitations, etc., in order to maintain a semblance of control on the messages that flood in. Look through the spam box in your child's email account once in a while (and empty it). If it's full of spam that you don't want your child to see, simply open up a new kid-safe email account.

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Physics You Can See

2010-01-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

With Magic Pen at Bubblebox.com, the shapes you draw are affected by gravity, friction and inertia. In order to complete the game (the goal of which is to collect flags by moving a given red ball or square over them), you need to draw OTHER objects in such a way that they push the shape or let it drop and roll in the right direction.

It's not just a matter of dropping a big ball that you've drawn onto the smaller given ball and letting it roll towards the flag -- sometimes you need to create a pin or hinge attaching shapes like wedges to help get you to the flag.

I'm a parent, so I'm no good at this game at all. I'm still on the first level, trying to figure out how to get my ball from one "building" to another. Any suggestions, hints or cheats greatly appreciated!

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Panda Cam

2009-12-30T16:49:00.000-08:00

Everybody loves pandas and what's better than to see how your favorite panda's doing at the San Diego Zoo on their Panda Cam?

You can read all about pandas from the Fun Facts page too:

Giant pandas are technically carnivores, but they have adapted to live mostly on bamboo.

Like other types of bears, giant pandas are curious and playful, especially when they’re young. In zoos, they like to play with enrichment items like piles of ice or sawdust, puzzles made of bamboo with food inside, and different scents like spices.

Giant pandas have unusually thick and heavy bones for their size, but they are also very flexible and like to do somersaults.

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Sketch and Smudge - online drawing lessons

2009-12-18T09:57:00.000-08:00

Sketch Studio is an easy-to-use drawing program for children with built-in drawing lessons.

The lessons feature two animated characters: Sketch and Smudge. They work together, sketching and smudging, to draw pictures in steps. At the end of each step (or demonstration) the two characters wait, allowing the user to copy what was drawn, before proceeding to the next step

The lessons range from beginner to advanced. The simplest lesson consists of coloring in the outline of a tree frog. This lesson, although simple, demonstrates how to use the powerful smudging technique that is necessary in the more advanced drawings.

Every drawing created with Sketch Studio is recorded and can be replayed, by Sketch and Smudge, within Sketch Studio. When a child has completed a drawing he/she can press the Play button and Sketch and Smudge will recreate the drawing stroke for stroke. The child in me especially liked watching that!

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Kids Know It - a network of free educational websites

2009-12-17T04:08:00.001-08:00

Did you know that the lone surviving written record of Mayan history is three codices written in hieroglyphs on bark paper or that the Egyptian week had ten days??

Well, neither did I until I hit KidsKnowIt.com, a network of free educational websites. This is a great homeschool resource as well as one for elementary students researching a topic or just looking for a quick subject review before a test.

The format is simple: select the general subject (say, Geography). It's like opening an online geography textbook, written specifically for children, with each "chapter" (earth, atmosphere, oceans, etc.) available by clicking a link.

It's pretty comprehensive -- continuing with our Geography example, the topics covered are as follows:

Chapter One - Hello Earth
Chapter Two - Describing Our Planet
Chapter Three - Our Atmosphere
Chapter Four - Atmospheric Temperatures
Chapter Five - Atmospheric Pressures
Chapter Six - Atmospheric Moisture
Chapter Seven - Atmospheric Disturbances
Chapter Eight - The Hydrosphere
Chapter Nine - The Biosphere

Other subjects include: Geology, Spelling, Dinosaurs, Biology, Math, and History. There are learning aids including educational songs, memory building activities and free movies including science podcasts with Nana KnowItAll.

You'll have to ignore the advertising on the site (it's free after all), and note that the songs are user-submitted (although apparently vetted before being posted for use).

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Children in Victorian Britain

2009-12-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

BBC's Primary History site has a section about children in Victorian Britain, including facts about chimney sweeps, children in factories and at schools. In addition to a short texts, there are captioned photos, a Time Capsule game and videos.

I'm not particularly impressed by the Teacher's Resources section (documents in PDF format), but they might be used as idea springboards from which to create something a bit more interesting than, say, coloring a picture.

The site is suitable for primary school children and also covers Ancient Greeks, Anglo-Saxons, Romans, Vikings and Children of World War II.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Learn to Sew Online

2009-12-15T05:26:00.000-08:00

Now, you'll need an honest-to-goodness sewing machine, thread, material and pattern -- no virtual equipment available, I'm afraid -- but there are some sites that can teach you how to put those things together and come out with something recognizable that you've created by yourself!

For a free sewing book called Sewing Lessons for Beginners, you'll be visiting CraftAndFabricLinks.com. The book index looks like this:

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One: Introduction To Sewing
Chapter Two: Choosing Your Pattern and Fabric
Chapter Three: Pattern Instructions
Chapter Four: Getting Ready To Sew: Lay-out And Cutting
Chapter Five: Setting Up Your Sewing Machine
Chapter Six: Now We're Sewing: Terms & Techniques
Chapter Seven: Pockets
Chapter Eight: Zippers & Buttonholes
Chapter Nine: Sleeve Installation
Chapter Ten: Darts & Pleats
Chart: Needle / Thread

and there's a Quick Index too which you can use when you simply want to click on a link to go directly to a certain task you need help with. This is not a kid's book: parents will need to read through with the child who is interested in learning how to sew.

To dive right into sewing, About.com has free Sewing Lessons available online--but to follow these particular lessons, you need to be willing to start with making an envelope-back pillow (a pillow case for throw pillows). I'd suggest saving Lesson 2 (about cording a pillow) for a bit later, and move directly onto Lesson 3, where you learn about seams (a sewing necessity!) and then maybe move on to easy-to-sew quilts.

For a quick start into sewing, perhaps the most straight-forward (rewarding) introduction is to simply sew appliques onto a t-shirt, sweatshirt or cotton bag.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Involved in Living History on People Speak at History.com

2009-12-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

The website blurb says it best:

Using dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries and speeches of everyday Americans, THE PEOPLE SPEAK gives voice to those who spoke up for social change throughout U.S. history. THE PEOPLE SPEAK illustrates the relevance of these passionate historical moments to our society today and reminds us never to take liberty for granted.

Watch the videos on the site:

Mutiny in George Washington's Army performed by Mike O'Malley
The Declaration of Independence performed by Matt Damon
Susan B. Anthony's Suffrage Trial performed by Christina Kirk and Josh Brolin
J.W. Loguen's Letter to Sarah Logue performed by Benjamin Bratt

Getting the kids emotionally invested and involved in a story is one of the best ways to teach them anything -- and they're more likely to retain that information as opposed to data that's been drilled by rote, simply for the purpose of exam regurgitation.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

The Countries of Europe

2009-12-09T01:02:00.000-08:00

Most online maps tend to deal with the U.S. and State capitals, so I was happy to find a Europe Map Match Game over at KidsGeo.com.

You've got a map of Europe on your left and to the right side of the screen you'll find a country shape (and the name of that country) which you need to drop into the map. This is a great review for those places you should know (Albania or Macedonia, for instance) but forget, or the ones you get always get mixed up (Sweden and Finland anyone?).

There are twenty-one countries in total and if you (or your child) gets tired, a click on the CLUE button will light up the area on the map where you are to drag and drop the country in question.

If you're too sorely tempted by the CLUE button, and want to try without -- the Europe Map Puzzle at YourChildLearns.com might be just the drag-and-drop game for you! (It also doesn't have a timer, so if it takes you several hundred seconds to find Slovakia's home, you don't have to be embarrassed). You can also print out your map of Europe (maybe color in each country and label it) at YourChildLearns.com, ranging in size from one page to nearly 7' across!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

A Safe Place for Kids on the Internet - SparkTop.org

2009-12-02T05:08:00.000-08:00

SparkTop.org is a safe site for kids, and one that specifically helps those children with learning difficulties, including learning disabilities and AD/HD, understand that they are smart, have unique talents, and can succeed in school and life.

It's operated by the Professor Garfield Foundation (PGF), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the FREE delivery of fun, engaging educational content. Jim Davis, Garfield creator, overcame asthma and stuttering as a child and feels that ALL of us have some challenge to overcome as we learn.

SparkTop,org is a place for kids to discover their unique ways of learning, develop their strengths and self-esteem, and discover strategies to succeed in and out of school. The online community provides a safe place for kids to interact, share their worries, concerns and successes, and get feedback from kids just like them.

One of the best slogans I read at SparkTop.org is actually in their FAQs where it says -- REMEMBER: Every kid learns differently, because every kid's brain is different. That's a good thing!

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Interactive Art at the National Gallery of Art

2009-11-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

I played around with PHOTO OP (Shockwave, 7 MB) over at the Kids Zone at the National Gallery of Art.

The site says it's a

two-part interactive activity that introduces you to digital photography and digital photo editing. Use the virtual camera to create snapshots and explore lighting, focus, shutter speed, and compositional effects. After you've taken some photos, switch to the Photo Op editor and transform your pictures into something completely different.

This Art Zone interactive is suitable for all ages. Young children will find it easy to take simple snapshots and transform or recolor their virtual photos.

More advanced users can create complex artistic compositions by layering, applying filters, and experimenting with various special effects, lighting, and blends.

I'm just at the "young children" stage (as usual), but I had fun and can see how kids can learn everything from perspective (ie., blurring the foreground to radically change the viewer's focus) to making a collage of the image and so on.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

At Home Astronomy

2009-11-21T13:14:00.000-08:00

There are 10 activities at At Home Astronomy that you can do at home (naturally!), from learning about the order of the planets in our solar system to building a lunar settlement and finding out where the sun is and even calculating how big it is.

The site is made possible by the Center for Science Education at Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley, and exists to provide families with instructions for hands-on science experiments.

Each project has links for further research and more details. In the case of the astrolabe for instance (that's a device used for measuring altitude, including the height of objects in the sky), you not only learn how to build and use it, but you also get links to Encyclopedia Britannica for the history behind the device and to a page called astrolabes.org which provides an overview of astrolabe principles.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Geometry Homework -- Reflection and Symmetry

2009-11-18T09:45:00.000-08:00

A reflection isn't just what looks back at you in the mirror in the morning. Reflections are also mathematical problems to be drawn, groaned over, erased and drawn again.

Back to MathIsFun.com for geometry help, where they give two underlying principles of reflections:

1. Every point is the same distance from the central line;

2. The reflection is the same size as the original image.

There's also a definition to work with: a reflection is the image flipped over the mirror (or center) line.

If all that is clear as mud, go on and play around with the shapes on their interactive graph, then scroll down for explanations and tricks.

There's also a wonderful tutorial on Line Symmetry at LinksLearning.org that's sure to help clear up concepts behind lines of symmetry (a snowflake has 6!). After the explanations are given in each part, there's an activity to see if you understand what you've watched before you progress.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Do You Know Your Triangles?

2009-11-14T14:03:00.001-08:00

Which triangle has NO equal sides or angles: the isosceles triangle; the equilateral triangle or the scalene triangle? If you don't know, don't feel bad. No one does--except the people at MathIsFun.com of course.

At MathIsFun, you'll learn (or refresh your failing memory!) that the triangle with 3 equal sides and angles is the equilateral triangle, the one with two equal sides and angles is the hard-to-spell isosceles and the triangle with NO equal sides or angles is called a scalene.

There's more too -- it seems that triangle names can actually indicate what type of angle is inside (who knew?) and that some triangles have two names! Curiouser and curiouser...

OK, that's it for today's Sunday night homework.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Mom, what's a perimeter?

2009-11-06T00:32:00.000-08:00

Need a little refresher? Think of a fence or even a border when you need to explain what a perimeter is. Talking about it in those terms might be easier to understand than saying that a perimeter is the boundary line or the area immediately inside the boundary or defining it as a circumference.

Then go to Mrs. Glosser's Math Goodies to get diagrammed examples of how to find perimeters for all sorts of different shapes, complete with commonly used formulas. Scroll down the page, and you'll find exercises to try.

Here's one: can you find the perimeter of a triangle with sides measuring 10 inches, 14 inches and 15 inches? Type your answer in the Answer Box on Mrs. Glosser's Math Goodies page and press ENTER.

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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.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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).

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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).

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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/

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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!

categories children's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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. . .

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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?

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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 . . .

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

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...

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Pioneers - a kid-friendly explanation

2009-05-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

If you need to know something about pioneers, ThinkQuest.org has a good section for you. Things like wagon trains and prairie schooners are explained, and daily life on the trail is also briefly looked at. As an example, there's a paragraph called What Types of Chores Did Children Do? that reads:

Children had lots of chores that included milking their cows, fetching water from a stream or a river that was nearby, helping their parents cook food, washing dishes, collecting buffalo chips or wood for the fire, shaking out dusty blankets and quilts, and hanging beef jerky to dry in the sun.

It's a simple overview explaining who the pioneers were and where they went, with two of the major trails covered. There are interesting facts like the dangers they faced (including how to safely cross rivers) and the toys they played with.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Kids - don't forget Mother's Day!

2009-05-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday May 10th is Mother's Day, a custom of honoring mothers that goes back at least as far as 17th-century England, which still celebrates Mothering Sunday in March each year.

FactMonster has some ideas about what kids can do for moms on Mother's Day, like Gift Certificates:

Choose different chores that you could help mom with (dishes, laundry, etc.)

Make and decorate a card, with the tasks you've chosen written inside.

If you're in a rush or not the artistic type, don't worry. You can get your Coupons For Mom right here.

By the way, the official flower for Mother's Day is the carnation (which will look great in your own Fingerprint Flower Vase), but if you'd rather give mom a plant, you can make her a recycled flower pot that's a great memory-maker.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Yoga For Kids - Online!

2009-05-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

You can practice yoga with your child, with simple instructions at ChildrensYoga.com. On the page called Try Yoga Now, you'll find three types of exercises.

The first is called Animal Adventure, and contains breathing, affirmation and meditation exercises with child-friendly descriptors like blowing out birthday candles and posing like a snake.

Classroom Yoga is for teachers who want to give their students a quick break to relax and re-focus, but parents can get good ideas from this, especially to use on long car trips or airplane travel. From shoulder rolls to tree poses and a reminder to drink lots of water throughout the day, there's lots of effective exercises here to stretch and re-energize.

The last is Yoga To Release Anxiety, which can be practiced by children starting with the minimum time. The rapid movements and strong breathing are to help release old thought and feeling patterns that trigger fear, anxiety and pent-up emotion.

Who knows? Maybe the next step will be a moms-and-me yoga class!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Peanut Butter Jar Storage and Cereal Box Crafts

2009-04-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

Megan, a SAHM in Chicago, has a wonderful blog called PlumPudding where she blogs about a variety of crafts for children (among other things).

If you're looking for fun crafts to do with your kids, which use both the recycle and useful themes that we all like to encourage! -- you can wash out your plastic peanut butter containers to use as storage boxes for little treasures like Polly Pockets, Leggos, tiny farm animals, etc., (keep the lids from being lost with this idea).

Cereal boxes are another item well-used by crafty moms (like using the inside as canvases for painting), and Megan shows you how to make bookmarks as well as postcards and envelopes. Remember to round off all corners as the cardboard used in cereal boxes can make them uncomfortably sharp! These are truly green crafting ideas at their best.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Why is the Ocean Blue?

2009-04-24T19:58:00.000-07:00

Parents - finally, the non-answer we've been giving all along is right: Nobody knows!

There are several theories as to why the ocean is usually blue. Some scientists believe that when sunlight hits seawater, part of the white light is absorbed and part is reflected. White light is composed of various shades (all the colors in the rainbow). Seawater does not absorb blue light, so the blue light is reflected outwards. Some scientists believe that suspended matter in the sea is responsible for its blue color.

Something else of interest:

Real forests grow in the oceans! Off the coast of California, Giant Kelp plants (large brown seaweed) can grow to 125 feet in length.

Cool beans.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Favorite Songs for Kids

2009-04-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

Parents rediscover the joys of classic kids movies, nursery rhymes and stories when they introduce them to their children -- and one site that can be a source of word and melody help and fun is over the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Kids Pages where they have Sing-Along Midis and Lyrics to movies and musicals.

Remember Baby Mine from Dumbo?

Baby mine, don't you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, baby of mine

Little one when you play
Don't you mind what they say
Let those eyes sparkle and shine
Never a tear, baby of mine

*sniff*

And who can forget Hakuna Matata from The Lion King?

Hakuna Matata!
What a wonderful phrase
Hakuna Matata!
Ain't no passing craze

It means no worries
For the rest of your days
It's our problem-free philosophy
Hakuna Matata!

*aahhhhh!*

There's Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! (Mary Poppins), The Tigger Song (Winnie-the-Pooh) and even Kermit's It's Not Easy Being Green:

It's not that easy being green;
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves.
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold...
or something much more colorful like that.

It's not easy being green.
It seems you blend in with so many other ord'nary things.
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're
not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
or stars in the sky.

But green's the color of Spring.
And green can be cool and friendly-like.
And green can be big like an ocean, or important like a mountain,
or tall like a tree.

When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why?
Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful!
And I think it's what I want to be.

*happy sigh*

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More on Stress in Kids

2009-04-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

I found an online booklet about stress in kids from the Child Development and Family Science Parenting and Caregiving Department of North Dakota State University. Called How Am I?, the easy-to-read text (in large type) explains that stress can be good or bad; tells kids the physical symptoms they feel are normal simply by getting them to check off those they have; and lists actions kids can take to deal with stress.

The "case studies" given are too simplistic. I would think it would be more useful if situations of stressors were more advanced than simply "my sister didn't come out of the bathroom", but it does demonstrate how kids can analyze a situation, including: their response to it, the consequences of their response and what they might try next time to change the outcome.

Related post is Stress in Kids.

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The World of Cleopatra

2009-04-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

Learning adventures really do take place at Cleopatra's Palace on Discovery.com's Education section. By clicking on the correct image, whether it's people or places (including recent underwater finds at Alexandria), this site provides students (of any age!) with a quick and painless review of a fascinating era in world history.

For a more in-depth look at the life of this last pharaoh of Egypt, the Cleopatra Study Guide at About.com is well done.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Fish Tycoon - for kids and kids at heart

2009-04-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

Fish Tycoon is a virtual fish breeding game, which you download onto your computer. The object is to breed and cross breed fish until you find the 7 Magic Fish and solve the genetic puzzle.

You buy supplies like meds, eggs and special plants and then sell some of your fish in your virtual pet store.

These are your fish, and like real fish, you need to take care of them. Feed them, cure them if they get sick, breed them and make lots of babies!

Some general tips:

Use the species button frequently. Once you put a fish in the small isolation tank you can click this button to get family tree information as well as a suggested price.
To get money quickly, figure out which fish command the highest prices and breed them exclusively. Try to get the second tank as soon as possible so you can get two breeding batches going.
Do not overfeed your fish!
Don't get the unusual or rare fish eggs until you have finished researching food and environment. You will also need to have the heater and aeration system in your tanks.

NOTE TO PARENTS: If a fish develops a disease, the player must decide whether to attempt to cure it or euthanize it. Obviously, this is not a game for very young kids, but it is a great way to introduce a child to the realities of what's entailed in keeping fish.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Gardening for Kids

2009-04-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

My First Garden is a site that was developed by the University of Illinois Extension for 4th grade children. Available in both English and Spanish, it's a child's guide to the world of fun and clever gardening. Kids learn the basics and fundamentals of gardening and how to care for common flowers and vegetables.

There's a teacher's guide which can also be used by a homeschooling parent of course; there's also a Garden Gallery where you and the kids can send a picture of the results of all that digging and planting.

I thought the idea of the Garden Ruler was great -- you measure your fingers and feet with a ruler, and write down the measurements. That way, out in the garden, you know that the tip of your finger to the first joint is one inch (for example). No more guess-timating or dirty rulers!

Go Green Thumbs!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Kids Celebrate Earth Day with Activities and Crafts

2009-04-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

From Coffee Ground Fossils (a recycling craft) to 5 tips on how kids can help the planet, Funschool has come up with a nice selection of activities, crafts and games relating to Earth Day (April 22nd).

My kids were recently subjected to a guest lecture at their school that they interpreted to be full of blame, fear and hopelessness. That approach is obviously not helpful in addition to being extremely frightening--adults need to present Earth Day in positive terms of nurturing and caring for something that's very precious and irreplaceable. We need to give our children hope in concrete terms of things they can do to help, such as this partial list from PlanetPals:

Things to do with paper, gift wrap or cardboard:

Use it to cover and protect your schoolbooks
Make your own paper dolls be a fashion designer and design doll clothes
Cover the walls in your dollhouse with gift wrap for wallpaper
Use bags or newspaper particularly colorful comics, for gift wrap....
Use old gift wrap, comics or wallpaper to cover boxes or cans
Use the back side of bags or gift wrap as practice paper for painting or studying the alphabet
Use your practice paintings as gift wrap--they can be colorful and special!
Cut it in squares and use it to make origami
Make a book, or album -- paper pages and cardboard cover -- use string or ribbon to tie it together
Make homemade paper
Make paper mache projects

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

U.S. Citizenship Test (for kids) and more at World Almanac

2009-04-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

There's a printable quiz at The World Almanac for Kids site (don't worry, it's got the answers!), and it asks those questions that you might just find -- some in a different format, of course -- on a real citizenship test. You'll need to scroll down on that page to find the test, for questions like:

How many stars are there on the American flag?
What are the three branches of the American government?
Who was the first president of the U.S.?
How many Supreme Court justices are there?

There are more printables available at the site, including:

an Environment Crossword
an Inventions Match
a U.S. Government Fill-In
a Fred Fabulous Fill-In (deals with geography)
an Animals Word Search

Take time to explore the entire site -- the Chapters tab alone will lead you to find answers to mind-bogglers like:

the difference between poisonous and venomous animals;
how to see heated air as it expands, with the Mystery Bubbles Experiment;
amazing facts about classic American toys (bet you didn't know Mr. Potato Head was was designed to be used with a real potato!)

Have fun!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Cardboard Medieval Castle - Free Software

2009-03-31T15:33:00.000-07:00

More on castles! In the Middles Ages, a castle served as fortress, a residence for nobility and as a means of preserving the rigid social hierarchy of the times.

Make your own model medieval castle -- a learning activity that teaches about history, feudalism and life in the Middle Ages -- with free educational software at YourChildLearns.com. It's got towers, a gatehouse and a keep. You'll understand how an army lay siege to a castle, how a castle was defended, or what it might be like to live in a castle (though this varied by who you were).

Materials and Tools You'll Need: Scissors, tape or glue, markers or crayons, paper, a PC with printer and Build a Medieval Castle free software.

Extra Materials that Would be Helpful: a large piece of paper or cardboard or several sheets of paper fastened together to go underneath the castle; paper clips to hold parts together during construction; toothpicks and colored paper to make pennants to put on the towers; index cards.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Castles for Kids on the Web

2009-03-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

It took 10 years to get the Hoernersburg (a mighty Lego castle) built--and it's still being worked on.

You can take a guided tour of this soaring make-believe castle and nearby medieval Lego town, building by building and room by room, and discover some interesting facts about the Middle Ages while you're there.

You can even learn how to build your own Lego castle by following the very detailed plans on the How To page at the site, created by a homeschooling family.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Playing With Stocks

2009-03-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

Wally The Stock Ticker Game isn't so much a game as it is a simple way to learn about stocks. By clicking on the name of the stock from a drop down menu, you can find out the company's symbol, its current price, the daily highs and lows, and so on. Each of these facts is prefaced by a short explanation of why you should know this information, and asks how you think you would use it.

When I clicked on Today's Low for KO (that's the stock symbol for Coca Cola), it read

Your stock in Coca Cola went down to $43.82 for a little while today. Does that get you worried?

It shouldn't. People trade stock all day long. It goes up and down and at the end of the day, it takes a rest for the night.

This could be a fun introduction to paper investing.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

How to Make Your Own Paper - Kid Friendly Instructions

2009-03-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

I just found great instructions on how to make your own paper -- and in this one, you don't need a food processor or even a blender or an iron either. A whisk and a rolling pin will suffice.

Too many of the other recipes call for the use of machines to blend and a hot iron to remove excess water from the pulp, which I don't think is child-friendly enough to really be able to just let the kids "own" this project.

Anyway, the instructions are in PDF format at EcoKidsOnline, which basically tell you to:

Tear scrap paper into tiny pieces and soak in a bucket of hot water for 30 minutes.

Take a handful of the soaked paper out at a time and whisk until it is a creamy pulp. Add a small amount of vegetable scraps or dye for color (or even leaves for added texture).

Pour a inch of water into a pan (in which pan you've already fitted a screen). Pour one cup of the blended pulp onto the screen, and spread evenly.

Lift screen out with pulp on top; let water drain.

Lay pulp-covered screen face down on a cloth (tea towel) or in between some newspaper. Lift the screen away, leaving the paper pulp on the cloth. Cover with another cloth. Use a rolling pin to flatten and press out excess moisture.

Let dry for at least 24 hours.

Use.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

FAQ Kids - a fun place to visit for answers

2009-03-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

FAQ Kids is the site that gives Answers to Questions Kids Ask (and some adults ask too).

Questions like:

Why is the ocean blue? (no one knows)

and

How many oceans are there in the world? (one)

and

How can you tell whether a number is divisible by another number (leaving no remainder) without actually doing the division? (you can't -- okay, I lied, you can but it's too long to put here)

and

Why are there dimples on a golf ball? (it goes farther than a smooth ball)

It's a site where you can read some facts, learn a little and have some fun -- I don't particularly like the off-topic advertising they have at FAQ Kids or the pop-ups (which I've got blocked), but I still think the site is worth a visit.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Book-Based Map Scramble and Other Fun with Word Games

2009-03-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

All the word games at KidsReads.com are based on kids' favorite books.

Have you read The Royal Diaries? The settings are in different countries around the world. In this word scramble, you unscramble the names of the places where each princess lived and match them to the numbers from the map.

What about Lemony Snicket? You can play lots of games like:
• Quiz Yourself on the Series of Unfortunate Events
• Baby Babble Crossword Puzzle
• Act Like Violet: Devise an Invention
• Match Count Olaf With Each of His Disguises
• Find Count Olaf: Uncode the Secret Message
• Draw Your Own Book

There's the Nancy Drew World Scramble and Cleopatra's Pyramid word game (the latter based on the book Cleopatra VII, Daughter of the Nile).

One of my daughters will have nothing to do with word puzzles; the other enjoys them. Sometimes the subject matter will entice the child who's not all that interested.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

African Slave Trade - Close Up and Personal

2009-03-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

From DidUKnow.com, read the stories of four slaves taken in 1780 by European traders. Each is written simply, from the perspective of the child or young person kidnapped into slavery.

Underlined words have explanations in pop-up boxes (The Igbo people, we learn, were from southern Nigeria ruled by village councils instead of a central king or chief, and heavily preyed on during the 18th century by British slave traders.)

Parents - read this first to see if the subject matter is too upsetting for your kids. It's very well done.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

All About the Legends of St. Patrick's Day - and Some Crafts Too!

2009-03-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

There's an ebook called About Saint Patrick and Saint Patrick's Day. It's free to download and print out (although you'll have to joint the site where the book is hosted (scridb.com), which is also free.

It's a nice review of the holiday, compiled from information found from all over, and put into one small package with longer historical text interspersed with kid-friendly snippets (like did you know there's a tradition that schoolmates pinch those who don't wear green to school on St. Paddy's day?). I won't tell my kids about that one!

After you read about the Blarney Stone, why not make one yourself? All you need is a stone and some paint, and you've got a paperweight memory of time well spent with your child.

If you're looking for more activities, Education World has lots of ideas, like making leprechaun traps (with paths of gold dust) and leprechaun planters with hair. You can also see how to easily make handprint rainbows from construction paper -- and this can be something for the whole family to do or just a bunch of wee friends.

I'm off to make green Jell-O now (we ate all the rainbow cups already)!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Kid-Friendly Kid-Safe E-Mail

2009-03-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

Set up kid-friendly e-mail at the child-oriented AOL web portal called KOL or a webmail service called ZooBuh. Kim Komando takes you through the various offers out there, and how to manage them, in her detailed Komando Kids Family Section article. Gmail and Hotmail accounts have features whereby parents can monitor the emails received and have options you can select to automatically delete spam mail so young eyes don't have to read the filth.

Kim also talks about desktop email programs and walks you through one of the more popular ones called Outlook.

If you've got kids who have got email accounts, this article's worth your time.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Playing With Water and Magnets

2009-03-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

Kids like to get wet - but since this is virtual, you don't have to worry about wiping up puddles!

At The Magnet Game, you squirt water at magnets to find out that water is actually attracted and pushed away by them. It seemed a bit pointless to me at first (then again, I get in over my head pretty fast) -- but as you move the two "magnets" around (one that repels the water and one that attracts it), it's become pretty addictive, and pretty fascinating.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Math is Mental - Really!

2009-03-04T13:21:00.000-08:00

The article below, adapted from Kenneth Williams' original, gives pointers on how to help your children develop an interest in math -- so that math becomes a fun subject (and even one they can get good mark in) rather than a subject to fear or dread. You don't even have to be a math teacher to help!

Here are 5 ways to get your kids excited about math and get them actually looking forward to the next math class:

Inspire them

Because they just don't see the point of math, many children don't enjoy the subject. Unlike art or reading, all those symbols and numbers don't seem to mean anything. What you need to do is show them how important math is in the real world.

For example, tell them stories about the great engineering feats throughout history. Without mathematics and mathematicians, the Great Pyramids of Egypt would have long ago crumbled into dust and the Hoover Dam (as thick as two footballs fields lying end-to-end, and on top of which 20,000 cars a day drive) would never have been built. As for space travel? Please! We'd still asking: Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me.

Get practical

Get the kids involved in some real world math away from the classroom. Find something your child is interested in and relate it to math in some way.

For example, do they like baseball? Terrific. During a game, ask them how many points the losing team has to score to beat the other one. And how many games do they need to win before they have enough points to win the league?

If they enjoy helping around the home then let them do the "clever stuff". Ask them to work out the sizes for pieces of wood (or construction paper) you're going to cut. Get them to measure out the ingredients whenever you're about to bake something.

When you're in a store, ask your kids to add up the prices and keep a running total while you shop. See if they can calculate how much change you should expect at the checkout -- and if they get the answer right, maybe a small reward would be in order here!

Take life "step-by-step"

Success in math -- as in life -- is largely about breaking big projects down into manageable, bite-sized pieces.

Many kids feel overwhelmed when they see a list of math questions, and it's at this point they may decide that math is "boring" or "hard". Show them the magic of taking one question at a time, and breaking it into tiny steps that make it easy.

Remind them that they didn't always know that 2 + 2 = 4. Back in the "old days", when the kids were just babies, 2 + 2 seemed like higher mathematics!

Encourage creativity

Kids sometimes become mentally "stuck" on a topic because they're only looking at it in one way. Perhaps they need to step outside the box and see it from a different angle. This isn't only a math-related skill, of course. Showing them the beauty of alternative viewpoints and helping them to see situations from other people's perspectives are skills that will help your children throughout their lives.

Get them into the habit of exploring different ways of solving any problem. Even something simple tasks like tidying up a room can have several possible "solutions" or ways of approaching it. Crosswords and lateral thinking puzzles are good for this kind of flexible thinking.

Certainly when it comes to math, use drawings and/or manipulatives to present concepts in ways that are literally hands on.

Be positive

Eliminate negative statements like "math is hard" (even if you think so yourself). Explain that everyone has the innate ability to do math and that solving math problems isn't so different from solving other kinds of problems in life -- math is just a skill learned over time, one "block" of learning on top of the last.

By encouraging your children to accomplish even in areas they find difficult, you will give them the gift of confidence when they do succeed. By teaching them persistence and the belief that there's always a solution to every problem (as long as they keep trying and don't give up), you'll give them hope together with concrete strategies for accomplishing life goals.

And keep it light! Remember, we all perform better when we enjoy what we do, and getting kids interested in math is the real key to success.

Now who said your kids couldn't do math?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I recommend the ebook Fun With Figures as a great math resource. It shows anyone -- whatever their math ability or grade level -- the easy way to do mental math.

Visit the site today and find out what you didn't learn in the math class.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Anyone Wanne Be An FBI Agent?

2009-03-03T18:11:00.000-08:00

The FBI Youth Page (for grades 6 -12) is really well done and quite varied -- you can go through an investigation file in the U.S. or by choosing a case from one of the FBI's international Legal Attache offices (located in 52 different countries around the world).

The Day in the Life section has videos in addition to text, and the link to FBI Working Dogs gives overviews of the jobs these animals do (from drug detection to search and rescue), with photos of the dogs and chatty write-ups.

Unfortunately, the games section isn't very interesting -- but overall, it's a good site to explore.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Dr. Suess, I presume?

2009-03-02T18:54:00.000-08:00

Theodore Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, would have been 105 today (March 2, 2009). In his honor, let's all go over to The Seussville Playground and have a little fun with Click-and-Play Games based on his famous characters and book titles:

The Grinch Grow Your Heart Game
The Lorax Sticker Game
Catch a Thing
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Sam-I-Am Says
One Fish Two Fish Concentration
Fox In Socks Matching Game

My eldest is performing in Seussical The Musical, and has chosen Dr. Seuss as her subject of a biographical book report. We're pretty much knee-deep in Horton Hears a Who too.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Kids Know It - The Totally Free Children's Learning Network

2009-02-28T20:27:00.000-08:00

The blurb at History Games For Kids reads

Innovative history games that make learning and retaining history facts fun. These online history activities have been designed to help you review the history concepts you have learned on our website, while also capturing and holding your attention. These games are much more than just an online quiz.

It's all true.

I played the one called Brick Busters History Game. It really was well done -- the answers to questions are written so that you nearly always choose the correct one (learning); then the questions come up again and again, but the choices between the answers become more challenging (retention).

Every subject is represented at KIDS KNOW IT - The Totally Free Children's Learning Network, and some extremely good advice is there for the taking. If you're working on spelling, for instance, you can select an appropriate spelling list from over 6,600 words arranged in over 400 lessons.

The words in Lesson 407 are:

cone, cylinder. equation, evaluate, formula, inequality, order of operations, parentheses, pyramid, solution, solve, sphere, surface area, three-dimensional, variable, volume

A click of the button will load this vocabulary list into the games and off you send your child for a fun way to learn!

Scroll down to the bottom of the spelling page, and you'll see advice for the level, how many lessons it's advised to do and how to encourage spelling success.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Let's Go Play at the National Gallery of Art!

2009-02-26T21:10:00.000-08:00

I nearly didn't get here I was so busy playing with my still life over at the National Gallery of Art.

According to NGAkids Still Life, I was actually creating "interactive compositions that mirror the paintings of the old masters". It goes on:

This Art Zone activity is suitable for all ages. Young children can explore spatial arrangement, perspective, proportion, and balance while creating engaging, interactive still life compositions that mix everyday objects with elements borrowed from famous works of art. More advanced artists will enjoy creating complex arrangements, and then switching to the painting mode to add and manipulate textured 'brushstrokes" that give their art a more abstract, painterly quality.

Well, I don't know about all that. I just liked tossing stuff off the table. :-)

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Meet the Composers!

2009-02-25T16:59:00.000-08:00

At The Piano Education Page, there's a Meet the Composers section where kids can click on the name of the composer they'd like to read about.

Try it -- you'll find out stuff like Mozart liked to bowl and Johannes Brahms' favorite cafe was called The Red Hedgehog.

Here's a list of the great composers and musicians you'll find at Meet the Composers:

Johann Sebastian Bach (Leipzig, 1740)

Clara Schumann (Frankfurt, 1879)

Robert and Clara Schumann (Dresden, 1848)

Domenico Scarlatti (Madrid, 1752)

C.P.E. Bach (Vienna, 1786)

Frederic Chopin (Warsaw, 1835)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Vienna, 1786)

Franz Liszt (Constantinople, 1847)

Franz Schubert (Vienna, 1819)

Johannes Brahms (Vienna, 1870)

If you've got a school project coming up and you need information about music or composers, The Musical Reference Shelf is a seriously great resource as is the enormous Listening List which covers (and I paraphrase here) piano repertoire necessary for a basic overview of some of the important elements of piano literature.

Now, this is what the internet is supposed to be all about!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Mah Jong

2009-02-24T16:36:00.000-08:00

I used to play Mah Jong quite a bit a few years back. My daughters would often come alongside the computer to help, and made it a fun time for all of us.

The look of the tiles can be exquisite (I think that's what attracted me to the game initially) and now that I think of it, I've never played in real life, only virtually -- a situation I'd better rectify!

In the meantime, maybe you'd like to introduce (or re-introduce) your kids to this matching game. At GameHouse.com, you can choose between several patterns and lay-outs. You can also play online or download a game for free. I like the traditional look of The Medley, and now I'm going to buzz back there and clack my tiles a bit more.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Zodiac Girlz - just kinda sorta cute

2009-02-23T18:03:00.001-08:00

If you want to be silly for a while, sit your child on your lap and ask the frog questions.

The site is called Zodiac Girlz, and while I wasn't too impressed with the games, the froggie was kinda cute and (if truth be known), I liked the crabby Siamese over at the Tic-Tac-Toe game even though she was a bit snide.

Save this one for a rainy five minutes.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Are You An American Girl?

2009-02-22T19:43:00.000-08:00

We've got the books, the dolls, the movies and I just realized that you can play games online at AmericanGirl.com too! At the Fun For Girls page, there's a Ceramic Studio (Chrissa's dad is a ceramic artist). You don't have to know the reasons behind the games, but if you're interested, there's a little paragraph to read before you play called The Story.

You can take the Procrastinator Quiz (I'm a Pro!) at Quiz Corner, and learn quite a few tid bits at Edible English.

By the way, I'm extremely impressed with the quality of these products sold by this company (which I now understand is owned by Mattel). I hope they keep up the high standards -- the prices reflect the quality, but this is a case (at least as I type this) that you really do get what you pay for.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government - for kids!

2009-02-21T20:12:00.000-08:00

At Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government, the snippets of information are broken down by grade groupings (from K-12), with the last section for parents and teachers.

A quick look through the site shows that it's well organized and thorough. As usual, I didn't get much past the K-2 level, where I was stopped by the history of The Liberty Bell. Maybe I learned it and maybe I didn't, but isn't it cool that:

The Bell was cast in London, England in 1752. It is made mostly of copper and tin. After it arrived in the U.S., the Bell cracked. A new bell was made from the metal in the old one, but this one also cracked. A third bell was built from the same metal, and now this one has a crack too!

Boy, I gotta start paying attention!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Babysitting Tips

2009-02-20T15:49:00.001-08:00

Like everything else these days, babysitting's changed since I was a kid. Little girls are getting a minimum of $8/hour (*GASP*) for watching the kids. That's a far cry from when I happily sat for 50 CENTS an hour.

The Red Cross has some good pages about babysitting. The first one is called Tips for Having a Safe Babysitting Experience. This deals with how to get babysitting jobs and has an incredibly detailed interview form with questions to ask the family your child is sitting for. (No wonder kids make $8!)

The second is actually an Activity E-book in PDF format. At first glance, most of it seems pretty inane (like roll the ball with baby), but that may be because I'm a parent. Maybe 13 year-old girls without toddlers in the house need explicit guidance like this. There was a Cross The River game that looked like it could be fun on a rainy day (kids cut out paper circles and tape them to the floor; pretend they're crossing a river).

The e-book also contains easy snack ideas and nursery rhymes (which I know for sure we all forget -- I had to rush out and buy a few copies when my kids were born!)

My 12 year old daughter recently took a babysitting course with a friend of hers, and the kids enjoyed themselves very much. Her first experience in sitting was when a couple was giving a dinner party and wanted their 5-year old daughter entertained and taken care of -- a very nice introduction to the world of babysitting!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

The Magic of Magic School Bus

2009-02-18T18:15:00.000-08:00

I've always loved the Magic School Bus (and I'm not ashamed to admit that I've learned stuff right along with my kids!). We had disks or downloads of games we used to play on the computer, but I have no idea what happened to them, so I'm really glad I thought of looking up Scholastic's site, where they have a Magic School Bus section.

The Maze Craze gets you to collect plants and animals for points (watching out for point-eating mud pits), and there's a Teacher Feature that shows you how to create an Earth Worm-ery, complete with kid-friendly and printable instruction sheet.

Before getting into worms (again), though, I think I'll start with something called Shine On, which explains why we can't see stars during the day (even though they shine day and night). But first, I'll probably print out Magic School Bus Coloring Book.

For the kids, I tell you! For the kids!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Demolition Division and Word Frog

2009-02-16T18:23:00.000-08:00

Over at 4Kids.org, I had fun with a game called Demolition Division. (Firing canons and destroying things has always been a hobby of mine.) It's a fun (and fast) review of division facts -- I had my speed on "normal"; I don't think I'd be able to put it up to top speed without getting a little stressed.

The Verb Viper wasn't as much fun -- it's a good game, but there seemed to be a delay (when I clicked on the answer) so that some questions were either skipped or received the answer to another question. Frustrating to get several wrong when you know you're right!

Word Frog, on the other hand, was cool! It's an exercise in matching antonyms, synonyms and homophones -- sounds boring, but when it's done by a frog's tongue flicking out to catch flies, it's kind of hard to stop.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Valentine's Day Jokes for Kids

2009-02-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is sure not about romance when you're 8 years old! It's about candies and chocolates and silliness -- and lots of jokes, of course:

What do squirrels give for Valentine's Day?
Forget-me-nuts.

What did the caveman give his wife on Valentine's Day?
Ughs and kisses!

What did the boy octopus say to the girl octopus?
I wanna hold your hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand.

What did the boy sheep say to the girl sheep on Valentine's Day?
I Love Ewe!

What kind of flowers do you never give on Valentine's Day?
Cauliflowers!

Knock knock!
Who's there?
Frank
Frank who?
Frank you for being my friend!

What do farmers give their wives on Valentine's Day?
Hogs and kisses!

Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Harry Potter Lessons

2009-02-12T18:33:00.000-08:00

For ideas that make elementary lessons fun, teachers and parents can visit cyber-prof.com. Having gone through the whole Harry Potter series of books and movies (to date) with my children, I thought the ideas of how to use the Harry Potter props, character names and ideas to stir interest quite good.

Suggestions on how to implement these ideas pertained mainly to science lessons, and included:

magical disappearing water (through evaporation)
making a magical rainbow (from prisms)
magical potion concoctions (from Kool-Aid)
growing "Basilisk Fang" plants in a pot dirtless, hydroponic soil

Gardening is already done to some extent in most schools, but Cyber-Prof suggests choosing plants that do indeed seem to be somewhat magical, such as the Venus Fly Catcher.

Another idea is to incorporate Hermione's Time Turner into your history lessons. Turn back time to enter the world of the historical figures or events you're teaching.

I really liked the idea of using Harry Potter sheet music for kids to play. I would suggest simplifying it (ie., treble clef only) as most schools use soprano recorders in their elementary music classes and many of the children are playing at a beginner level.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Spelling Rules

2009-02-11T18:12:00.001-08:00

I was trying to help the kids with their homework tonight, and got stuck (again), this time on SPELLING RULES. All I remember from my school days is: "i before e, except after c and sometimes y".

This time, my daughter had to know when to use "tion" or "sion" -- for example, the word permit becomes permission (not permition) and the word complete becomes completion (not complesion).

So, what's the rule? (And what are the exceptions to the rule, because you know there'll be some!)

A couple of straight forward pages of spelling rules can be found at:

Reading From Scratch
and
Just Mommies

The google search I made to find these sites was spelling rules: when to use tion and sion.

OK, back to HW!

Oh, right -- you want the rule. Here it is, from Reading From Scratch:

How do you tell whether to use tion or sion?
If the root word ends in /t/, use -tion: complete, completion
If the root word ends in /s/ or /d/, use sion: extend, extension
suppress, suppression
If the sound of the last syllable is the "heavy" sound of /zhun/ rather than the light sound, /shun/, use s: confusion, vision, adhesion

Exception: The ending, --mit becomes -mission:

permit - permission omit - omission

submit - submission commit - commission

Clear as mud, eh? :-)

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Valentine's Day for Kids

2009-02-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

Whether you choose to make Stuffed Felt Valentines or print off cartoon character Valentine's Day cards for all the kids in your child's class, you can keep this day of love inexpensive and family oriented. Even if you opt to buy the cards, just by helping your kids add stickers (some scrapbooking stick-ons are really nice) and candy hearts turns this holiday from purely commercial to a celebration of togetherness.

There are even life lessons to be taught. For instance, my Grade 4 daughter has to give everyone in her class a Valentine's Day card (meaning even the bullies). So we talk about feeling left out and forgiveness and setting examples, and so on. After all, Valentine's Day is all about relationships.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Animal Land for Kids (and kids at heart)

2009-02-09T17:22:00.000-08:00

ASPCA Animaland is a website for kids who love animals (and I like it too!).

There are sections about animal careers and pet care. You can send in a photo of your pet -- maybe it will be featured as The Pet of the Week.

The Animal ABCs tab opens onto an alphabetized index, where you can click on animals from aardvarks to xenosaur and more! I didn't have time to play the online games (with a virtual dog), so let me know what you think.

Don't miss the link to ASPCA Education.org for parents and teachers looking for lesson plans, worksheets, and articles.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Stress in Kids

2009-02-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

I've been learning a lot about how anxiety can affect children. After six months of tests, doctors ruled my youngest healthy, chalking up her tummy aches, dizzy spells, rashes and aches and pains to social anxiety disorder. I've found lots of information online about all of this, and am compiling so other worried moms will have a convenient one-stop site.

The term my daughter and I called her anxious thoughts are "bully thoughts". This online balloon popping game (Poppit!) can be used a visualization of how bully thoughts are destroyed when you employ certain behaviors (ie., like making fun of them or answering them rationally).

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Trivia Archer

2008-12-21T20:02:00.000-08:00

Trivia Archer is a "Mind Game" over at Zeeks.com, and gives multiple choice answers to general knowledge questions about history, geography, science, math and culture.

Of course, first you have to shoot your arrow to hit the type of question you'll be getting (and the point value). If you're not a great shot, you'll lose points, so aim carefully!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Taking Care of Babies

2008-12-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

Kids like to take care of babies, and under Strategy Games at FreeArcade.com, there's a demo game called Kindergarten where babies need to be fed, changed, put down for naps, and otherwise kept happy. There's a tutorial, but I think it's more for us parents than the kids!

The better you do at keeping the babies happy, the more babies will be in your care and the more complex the game grows. Hint: turn off the sound before you begin!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Mary Queen of Scots

2008-12-18T18:03:00.000-08:00

If you've got a child interested in the saga of Mary, Queen of Scots, send them to the BBC. Their game Burgh Life in Mary's Time is informative and fun. There are four sections to a quiz that must be completed before entry to the castle is allowed.

To explore what the BBC has for kids, go to their History for Kids page, and from there you can Walk Through Time, find out what life was like for Children in WWII, or discover the world of Ancient Rome.

The activities are for kids ranging in age from 4 to 14, so parents should check first to what difficulty level is presented.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Pixie Hollow

2008-12-17T06:57:00.000-08:00

Disney's movie, Pixie Hollow, has an online game that's free and fun to play. Within Tinker Bell's world, you can make three fairies and there are 4 talents to choose from: water, light, garden and animal. If you're not happy about how your fairy looks, you can always remove her and customize a new one, from her wings to her hair to her toes.

There is a paid monthly membership offered as well. This lets you buy things from the stores, like furniture, clothing and decorations, many of which are not available to non-paying members. It's a fairly nominal fee of $6/month. Just remember to cancel the membership when your daughter's no longer interested!

My 10 year old likes Pixie Hollow (the movie and the game), but my 12 year old isn't quite as entranced by it.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Grade 4 Math

2008-12-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

My daughter is working on symmetrical shapes, which they call lines of symmetry in her class. I needed to help her, but it's been a while since I've had anything to do with symmetry or shapes (unless it's pie-shaped of course!).

Anyway, I was very happy to find a Grade 4 Everyday Math Resource page, with Unit 10.4 titled Lines of Symmetry. The instruction was clear and the manipulative made both of us able to easily understand the concept of mirror image.

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Pumpkin Carving 101

2008-10-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already carved out your jack-o-lantern, there's a go-to site in case you need a little guidance, called Pumpkin Carving 101.

It's kind of fun to read about the background of pumpkin carving and to be reminded (or discover for the first time) that pumpkins aren't vegetables. If you don't believe me, look it up. I did, and the definition of pumpkin reads: A coarse vine widely cultivated for its large pulpy round orange fruit with firm orange skin and numerous seeds; subspecies of Cucurbita pepo include the summer squashes and a few autumn squashes.

At the site, you'll see photos showing exactly how to use stencils, and also a section on traditional pumpkin carving. It's informative and well-done; a site that leads to family time. Can't get much better than that!

If you'd like to read how people celebrate this time of year in another country, there's a true story you can read called Halloween in a Graveyard (by yours truly).

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Fun on agame.com

2008-01-06T16:24:00.000-08:00

My kids are enjoying the games at a site called agame.com. Most, like Trampoline 2 are fun for a few minutes and other games like The Bartender keep their attention (and mine!) for a bit longer.

Truth be known, the Burger Restaurant is kind of addicting too!

categories children's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Spelling With Bookworm

2006-11-09T16:24:00.000-08:00

He's cute, he burps and his library explodes once in a while. Adults take this word game more seriously than kids, but kids love Bookworm! (Mine especially like when the burning tiles bring down the house).

Don't let the rugrats know this game's educational. :-)

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Fill-in-the-blanks Word Games

2006-10-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

Hickory, dickory ______

Sure, you know the answer and most likely even your youngest can complete that line verbally.

But writing out the words can be different story. So at Quizville, The Capital of Learning, they've put together great word games where "children explore classic literature and improve context clues and spelling skills." Texts include Aesop's Fables, Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson, and more.

There's also math, geography, spelling and vocabulary - pretty much enough to get you started, eh?

categorieschildren's learning games preschooler learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Drag and Drop US Map

2006-09-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

Here's an easy drag-n-drop map of the US, which not only tells you if you place a state in the wrong position, but how many miles off you are.

Yes, it can get a little embarrassing when you hit the thousands of miles: but it'll bring you up to speed pretty quickly!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

Stuff On My Cat

2006-09-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

This is just for fun: pictures of cats with stuff on them. Hence the name - Stuff On My Cat, a gentle (but hysterically funny) look at cats (with stuff on them), all masterminded by a whiz-kid designer by the name of Mario Garza.

Yet another bookmark!

categorieschildren's learning games kids sites educational fun homeschool

permit - permission	omit - omission
submit - submission	commit - commission