May 8th, 2007 Roundup of fun play activities Posted by Melitsa in play activities, Roundups, Sites to visit

There have been so many excellent posts recently that focus on fun and spending time with your kids. Here are just a few.

Funplaydates.com feature some great ideas with Fun with kids at a Museum. Whatever the weather museums are always a fun trip especially if you use these tips.

Z recommends a creative building project using paint sample cards.

Now with May here and the weather looking brighter for longer you might be thinking about getting those sand pits out. Try colouring the sand with your kids.

What about getting into the great outdoors and playing outside with the kids? But if you get stuck for ideas try GNMparents timely post The little naturalists Part 1 Simply brilliant ideas you can use whenever you are out walking , hiking or taking a stroll. Can’t wait for the next installments of

• The Beach: Games to play on the beach, lakeside, or creekside that you might not have thought of.
• Journaling the Wild: John Muir never went anywhere without a notebook. Here’s some things you can put into yours!
• Nature Party! Things to do when you do have a group of kids outside — a birthday party picnic, scout retreat, or family reunion.
• The Art of the Night Hike: All that’s fun under the… moon!

Look for unexpected toy and creative play ideas with a ruler.

Or collect your vehicles together for this homemade track

I enjoy popping over to read the thoughtful articles written at Mom is teaching. Good articles and pointers to other great websites and carnivals. Apart from the Parenting toddlers carnival mentioned here. Try out these Carnival of family life , Carnival of homeschooling and the current issue of Carnival of Stay-at-home-moms. So many great websites to visit and bookmark to watch again.

A new blog I stumbled upon yesterday was The Twinkies. An interesting perspective on toys and values. The Liberal Hippy, Sustainable living and toys. If you never really thought about your toys this article will gently persuade you to rethink and set yourself some limits.

Let’s face it . We all need a little time out and Parenting toddlers have a funny one for you here.

Another place for good articles and thought provoking reading is
The not quite crunchy parent .This one on childhood is well worth a read.

Well I’m sure once you’ve got through this little lot you’ll be excited to find more than a little bit of time to spend time playing and having fun with your kids.

Share with us your favourite blogs or websites that inspire you….

May 4th, 2007 Simple steps that make kids curious about learning~ part 2 Posted by Melitsa in Articles, Education, play activities

Play-activities first post in January showed you the first part of this series on Simple steps that make kids curious about learning. You can catch up with the first one here.

Now you’ve had chance to try some of those great ideas out. You are bound to be ready for the next installment.

SIMPLE STEPS ON HOW TO HELP CHILDREN FALL IN LOVE WITH THE IDEA OF LEARNING BEFORE THEY GO TO SCHOOL Part 2
6 PLAY

The importance of play, both directed and undirected, cannot be overestimated.

Creative play gives kids the means to explore fantasies and stretch their imagination through games and role play. A good dressing-up box can stimulate role play considerably straw hats, jackets, old dresses, handbags, jewellery and old shoes are all good. After reading a story, ask your child to act out the part of a character. Get your child to dance to children’s songs or pop music. They may also want to sing along.

I Spy is an excellent game to provoke discussion. Choose an object you are certain they know the word for and define it using colour, shape and position.

7 GET PERSONAL

Personal experience is an ideal way to link new knowledge and experience. Cut out items from old catalogues, magazines, comics and newspapers to make a scrapbook. The book can include photos of your child from birth to the present day and even include comical photos of friends and family.

Write your child’s name on the cover to give them the sense that it belongs to them.

8. READ WITH THEM

ENCOURAGING a love of books in your child is so important. By three, a child needs a story with a picture page to talk about, a few words with each picture, lively characterisation, plenty of action, humour and some mystery. When reading stories, lose your inhibitions and act out the role of the giant or the witch. For older children, there are certain authors that always hold the attention of young readers – especially books by Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series.

AT particular ages, children normally reach certain landmarks. Here’s what to expect. AGE 2 to 3: Your child won’t really understand what numbers signify. Although they may be able to count, they will probably get the numbers confused, particularly those above 10. AGE 3 to 4: They should be able to count.

They will probably enjoy board games. AGE 4 to 5: They will start to comprehend comparative numbers (that two is smaller than three but bigger than one) and should be able to sort out items. They should be capable of sorting the laundry into white and coloured items. AGE 6 to 7: They may now begin to employ basic strategies when playing games. Ordering objects by size and simple addition should also be within their grasp.

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These are all activities we probably know. Some we do and some we always plan to do but time never allows.This article is rich in examples.

I can certainly remember doing some of these when I was young. We have fun doing some of them now.Open ended play really is such a good launching pad for creativity. Playing in this way with my sons I know will produce a lot of giggles, talk, fun and a great by-product learning.