I have been looking for kid orientated history sites, and in this post I will be listing a few. I am very interested in world history but currently I have been focusing my efforts on American History. Expect to see more history sites in the future.
Way Back- Technology in the 1900’s
If you know of any additional sites which deserve to join the list please feel free to leave them in the comments.
Filed under: History on October 30th, 2006 | No Comments »
In the midst of fall and with winter just around the corner, my children find themselves spending more and more time indoors. It can be challenging to keep the entertained. Here are a few fun recipes you and your children can enjoy making together.
Bath Tub Finger Paints
Dissolve one package of unflavored instant gelatin in 1/4 cup of hot water. and let it sit for 10 minutes. Combine 1/2 cup cornstarch , 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 3/4 cups cold water into a sauce span. Stir mixture until cloudy and smooth. Cook the cornstarch mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until thick. Reduce heat, and add the gelatin mixture and 1/4 cup mild dish washing soap ( I often substitute baby shampoo or shower gel, as my children have very sensitive skin) Stir until smooth. Let cool.
Divide mixture into equal parts in small airtight containers. Add several drops of different food coloring to each (light colors are easier to clean)
***It may be wise to check brighter paints to ensure they do not stain the tub surface. Residue should be removed with either a bleach container cleaner or a powered cleanser.
Treasure Rocks
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup used coffee grinds
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup sand
1 cup water
Food color paste -if you so desire
Mix all ingredients together, and mix until the consistency of bread dough.
Drop a large spoonful of the dough onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet
Make a hole in the center and put in a treasure (coins should be wrapped in plastic) Also you may consider small plastic items which can be found in the party section of any discount department stores-trinkets such as rings, small toy dinosaurs etc.
Cover the hole with a bit more dough to completely hide the treasure. You may also sprinkle glitter on them for added effect.
Air dry for 2 to 3 days until rock hard. They dry faster if you put them by a heat source such a heat vent or a window which receives a considerable amount of light. They will shrink to a degree when dry, so please take this into consideration when determining the wet size of your rock.
Recipe should make approximately 8 rocks
Glue Goo (Homemade Gak)
2 Cups White Glue
1 /2 Cups of water at room temperature
1 Cup hot water
2 1/2 Tbsp Borax
Thoroughly mix glue and room temperature water. In a large bowl, combine hot water with Borax. Stir until Borax is dissolved. Slowly pour glue mixture, stirring constantly. Turn out and knead until mixture isn’t sticky anymore. Food color maybe worked into mixture if you so desire. Goo can be kept for several weeks when refrigerated and kept in an airtight container.
Filed under: Rainy Day Recipes on October 29th, 2006 | No Comments »
Are you a fan of classical music? In this rock-n-roll world we live in, some would say it is an acquired taste. There are some studies which suggest that classical music actually has the ability to make your child smarter. The results of these studies have come under great debate, because many believe the increased test scores students experienced after listening to classical music are in large due to an increased state of relaxation.
Other studies show that children who learn to read and play music have greater levels of achievement in school than those who do not. Ultimately, providing your child with a vast array of experiences is always beneficial. Where it may lead remains to be seen. In the meantime, you can give your child a taste of classical music without amassing a library of music that your child may be indifferent to.
Classical Internet Radio Stations
A classical music site just for kids…SFSKIds
Good luck and happy listening!
Filed under: Music on October 28th, 2006 | No Comments »
Here are a few great math sites.
http://www.homeschoolmath.net/worksheets/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/4_11/site/numeracy.shtml
http://www.funbrain.com/brain/MathBrain/MathBrain.html
If your child loves video games, allow me to recommend Math Blaster: Master the Basics by Knowledge Adventure. My son loves this game. Its fast paced with wonderful graphics. I’m ambarassed to tell you how I found about about it, but I will humble myself for the cause. One day when clicking thorugh the channels I came across E! True Hollywood Stories. This particular episode was about the Olsen twins. A large part of the segment concerned growing up on a TV set. At one point they showed the girls with their tutor who happened to be using Math Blaster to teach them math. I thought if its good enough for the 60 million dollar Olsen twins its certainly good enough for my son. Obviously it is not the same version. They have progressed since the time Mary Kate and Ashley were in primary school, but it is still a wonderful product just the same!
Filed under: Math on October 27th, 2006 | No Comments »
Is your child having difficulties with reading? Are you debating as to whether or not you should invest in an expensive learning system such as Hooked On Phonics? I would never speak ill of Hooked on Phonics. I have heard a lot of great things about their system, but for the budget minded mom, Hooked on Phonics may be a bit too pricey.
There are a lot of great websites you can use to help you child learn to read. Here are a few:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/parents/work/primary/literacy/reading_learn.shtml
http://www.tampareads.com/phonics/phondesk/index-pd.htm
Another interesting site is www.donpotter.net/ which provides numerable resources for teaching the 72 phonograms. www.gamequarium.com offers a very large assortment of links for a variety of subject matter.
Leap Frog never runs short on awesome reviews for their products. You can see such reviews at http://www0.epinions.com/mvie_mu-1127089 I personally purchased Leap Frog Letter Factory, Word Factory and Word Factory 2/Code Caper. The series was recommended to me by my best friend who happens to own a Goddard School. She told me that they use these DVD’s with tremendous success These DVD’s have made a significant difference in my son’s reading ability. They are engaging and provide children with little catch phrases which remind them of different phonetic rules.
Stay tuned for more to come…
Regards,
Kymberlyn
Filed under: Phonics on October 23rd, 2006 | No Comments »
