Activity Book of the Day

What can I say? Love the design...Love the teaching element...Love that it entertains a bored child...Love that it has stickers! You can't ever go wrong with stickers!

Babba Box

I am a sucker for these cute monthly box of goodies subscriptions! Babba Box is a:

• Monthly delivery of a theme-based box with activities, knowledge, and experiences.
• All physical materials + know-how content to engage your kid are included.
• Designed by our panel of experts to encompass all the ways kids ages 3-6 love to learn.

Sample Box

I'm definitely loving the idea. It can be quite a challenge to constantly think of new stuff to engage your little child in - in my case my ultra-active toddler! Some days I get so lazy that I just bundle the kids up in the car and head to the mall for a stroller walk! I know...bad mom!!! This would be so great to not have to think of new ideas and have everything ready. I especially love how it comes with a theme too. What a great learning tool!

Once again...not a sponsored post but Babba Co...I'm open to getting a free box anytime! lol...

The Power of Video Games

I was reading an article the other day about video games and how educators can learn a thing or two from video games when it comes to teaching. Here's an excerpt from the article "Games Help Kids Turn Failure into Learning":

One of the reasons video games are so compelling is that you fail a bunch of times before you "win." Without the struggle there's little satisfaction. You try, find out right away that you failed, adjust and repeat the process likely several more times. And when you finally figure it out, it feels pretty good. That’s because the brain’s reward center provides a satisfying dopamine hit to help validate the effort. We could call this failure-adjustment loop “learning,” and fundamentally it's nothing new. Thoughtful (and not so thoughtful) trial-and-error is a tried and true mechanism for learning across the animal kingdom and always has been. Well-designed video games, though, provide a vehicle for really focusing and scaling learning through failure in lots of disciplines.

As we are in development of creating games, albeit Math-related games, for Abacus Prodigy, we have to tread very carefully between having the child learn through wanting to challenge the game's difficulty level and wanting to get better scores to simply having fun. We all know how addictive gaming can be but I feel that gaming in the right environment can help trigger children to push themselves harder to do better without even realizing it. What are your thoughts on allowing children to play video games in the name of education?

Development Toys

These are so unique! I have to get them! What a great way to teach colors and animals with the little one. I love how simplistic and beautiful it is. I think we have too many plastic toys cluttered in our family room! :)

Creative Play Spaces

I am such a sucker for pretend play or any play that uses the imagination of kids. As much as we need to start teaching and building the basics in our kids from an early age, it is just as important for them to still be a child and allow their imagination to roam free. Plus, "owning" a cafe might be a great and sneaky way to teach your kids about "money" and "business".

Check out these cardboard "playhouses". I love the idea and I love that you can put it away when you need to!! Although it looks so chic and cute, you might not want to put it away. It's from Little Play Spaces, costs $79 each and shipping is only $10. This would be a fun Christmas gift!

Early Childhood Education - How much time to spend on it?

I think the questions most parents struggle with are "When do I start sending my kid to school?" and "When do I start teaching my child?"  Personally, I wouldn't be sending my child to preschool until he is 4. To be honest, sending him at 4 is really more for the social aspect than it is for the learning. I feel most of the learning can easily be taught at home. The important thing to remember is to keep learning FUN for kids at such young ages. My little boy is definitely not one who will sit still and listen to mom or dad lecture on about learning which makes me mentally start preparing to be extra creative when he's truly ready to learn more. You can always teach your child/baby at any age; however, true collective learning will probably start once your child can communicate well with you. When that happens, start with learning and recognizing numbers, counting numbers, phonics (individual letter sounds - not words), colors, shapes, and more of the basics. Most preschools charge a fee to have your child there and most schools require your child to be potty-trained. If a social aspect is what you're seeking for, join a local play group or start your own.  Some churches have a childrens' class on Sundays. My 21-month-old goes to "nursery" class at church for 2 hours each Sunday and he loves playing with the toys and kids there. You can even start your very own mini-preschool with friends at your homes. Take turns being the "teacher". At such young ages, it is great to not only learn the fundamentals needed for kindergarten and elementary school, but it is a great time to learn music and the arts. Allow your little one to immerse in creativity. For ages baby-4, I would rather spend my extra cash on sending them to music, tumbling, or art classes!

So how long should you spend teaching your child everyday? Honestly, every child is different. Some kids can sit for hours at 2 years old while others can only do 5-10 mins sessions at a time. Go with your child's personality! When your kid starts fussing, whining, acting out, or even crying, that's when you definitely know enough is enough. That being said, it is always good to have time structure at home. Dedicate a specific time each day to teaching and learning with your child. He/she loves structure and will soon get used to the routine. Please please do not push your child so hard, they end up crying. They are young enough that if they are a little slower at learning, it does not matter as much. You just need to keep teaching the same thing in different and creative ways until your child gets the concept. Encourage them with reward charts, stickers, or treats. Kids respond well to positive reinforcements!!! Remember, learning needs to be FUN! This way, your child will gain an appreciation and hunger for learning. That being said, you don't have to dress as Barney every time to teach (but hey...if it works...let me know).  "FUN" means the child is having a positive and good time learning and looks forward to your one-to-one learning sessions each day!

Please do share what you do with your children and how you get them to be interested in learning. Will love to hear all your stories...good and bad! :)

Fun Holiday Education Incentive

This is a great idea to reward your kids for making strides in school or at home. Start a prize box and fill it with individually wrapped prizes. They can easily be fun trinkets form the dollar sections. If were a kid, I think I just might start liking homework if I had a prize box! What else do you do to encourage your kids?

Let Your Child Surprise You!

Love it!

Ever have your child bug you for a dollhouse or castle? How about picking up some free cardboard from supermarkets instead?

Innovation starts at a young age!

Design studio aruliden, together with Bernhardt Design, conceived Tools at Schools as an initiative to teach eighth graders the value of design as a problem-solving tool at The School at Columbia University. Forty-four eighth grade students were immersed in the entire design process, from research to ideation to 3D modeling and ultimately launch. What started as a simple effort to get involved in the community grew into a much larger realization that design has a role in the classroom. Their success was not only in their concepts, but in the awareness each student gained in the process. The result was a collaborative vision of today’s classroom – designed for kids by kids. Wouldn't you love to see programs like this at your local schools?


Tools at Schools : Introduction to Project from Tools at Schools on Vimeo.

Tools at Schools : Research and Big Ideas from Tools at Schools on Vimeo.

Tools at Schools: Final Design and Mockup from Tools at Schools on Vimeo.

Tools at Schools: 3-D from Tools at Schools on Vimeo.

Tools at Schools : Modeling from Tools at Schools on Vimeo.

Tools at Schools: Final Project Launch at ICFF from Tools at Schools on Vimeo.

Peter Thiel Gives Whiz Kids $100K To Quit College, Start Businesses

It sounds like a reality show pitch: The legendary Facebook investor, PayPal founder, and thorn in the side of college deans everywhere announces what happens when 24 people, picked to live among mentors and innovation experts, stop going to school and start getting real--in business.

One climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Another started college in third grade. Another opened a business at age 9. And yet another scored 5580 on the SATs (on a total of 5 tests, but still).

Now they're all getting two years of mentoring from a network of tech and entrepreneurial experts and $100,000 to start a business. The benefactor? PayPal founder, early Facebook investor, and Stanford's least favorite alumnus, Peter Thiel. Least favorite because Thiel has been making waves by arguing that college is an overhyped, overpriced bubble, and that the world needs better ways to recognize young talent. It's all been great fodder for debate, but little more.

Read more here

2011 Easter Egg Roll Poster Contest

The White House is hosting a competition with the DC, Virginia, and Maryland elementary and middle school students, to create a winning poster design.  The theme this year is Get up and Go! In an effort to promote health and wellness in collaboration with Michelle Obama's initiative to combat childhood obesity in US.  If you live in one of mentioned states, your school can apply here   
The student and class with the winning design will be invited to attend a White House event showcasing the poster.  

Find the inner engineer in your child!

A great way to encourage your kids to develop conceptual skills is through model building. It'd be a fun thing for a parent and child to do together, individually, or with the other siblings.  I believe it also encourages patience as well.  How early can you start your child on a project like this? I would say as long as he/she isn't putting things in their mouth and can sit for a period of time, that would be sufficient. You may have to be more hands on with the younger kids, but it will excite them and development a love for such engineering spirit in them. Even a quick 5-10 mins a day working on such a project will be a wonderful time you can spend with your child. As a child, I loved building things so please don't leave your girls out of these projects! They will love it too!  Here are some fun model kits you can purchase for your children to work on:

Revell 1:48 P - 51D Mustang

Vintage Plane - I love the color and style of it. It will be a great room decor for your little boy!

Zoob Mobile Designer Kit - More constructive than Lego.

K'nex has a TON of model kits for all arrays of projects - from building your mini amusement park to vehicle models to building models. I was pretty impressed with their low price too.

Teaching our children to save not spend

I came across this site Kidworth.com.  I really like the concept of the website in teaching our children to be "financially literate." 

With the way our society and economy is headed, teaching our children to be financially responsible can go a long way.  Check out the website to see how it works and if it's something that would be an asset for your family.  Either way, it's a good reminder that we are raising the next generation of leaders, and teaching them the right principles while they are young is crucial.  What do you think?

Family Challenge

This article - "First Grader Proves "Yes, We Can" Isn't Just for Adults" by Megan Cottrell has been nothing but inspirational. A teacher, Sue Veni, read her students the book "The Goodness Gorillas" that was about a group of school kids who try spreading kindness around their school and community. Veni then gave each of her students an envelope with $10 in it, asking them to "think outside the envelope," to use the money to do good in   their own community.  One of her students, Jake Levine, took the challenge. He took the $10 plus a little of his own to buy stamps. He proceeded to write letters to his friends and family, asking for donations for the Leukemia Research Foundation. It was a cause close to his heart as his own grandmother had died of Leukemia in 2009. Jake raise $1501 for the foundation. This is truly amazing!  This might be a fun project to work together on as a family and it will only cost $10.  Come up with something fun and share it with us via email! Tell us what you did and send us pictures! We will feature every project on our blog!


 

Jake Levine poses with his Certificate of appreciation at the LRF office in Wilmette. Photo courtesy of LRF  Credit Fruzsina Eordogh 

A Splash of Creativity for the weekend!

Don't you just love this idea? I bet your kids will get lost in their own home-made city for hours and hours!!!

Christmas Wish #8: Crazy Forts

Not sure what to do with all the kids/cousins under the same roof this week? Now this is a fun way to get your kids or grandkids stir up those creative juices and spend hours of fun together this holiday season. Your lil' ones can construct all different kinds of playhouses/forts and simply throw some blankets, sheets or old drapes over, and ta-da...they have just built a cool hideaway from all the adults! You can Crazy Forts online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Christmas Wish #2: Scribble Press

If you are heading down to NYC or L.A. anytime soon, it might be fun to hit up Scribble Press!  Scribble Press is a fully stocked studio to help your child write and illustrate their own book, and they will bind it as a hardcover or board book while you wait!  In-store publishing projects start at just $15. Scribble Press even has onsite designers to help you turn all your kids' artwork into a beautiful custom book. In addition, you can host your child's birthday party at Scribble Press! Talk about fun! I love the whole concept!!!!

The art of strategy

I know...I know...a lot of people think chess is boring or it's just for "nerds" but I beg to differ. On the contrary, chess can teach your child some essential skills from a very young age. Chess can help a young child develop good memory, intuition, creativity, analytic skills, deduction skills, problem solving skills, while promoting patience and a sense of calmness. You don't have to be an expert at chess but it certainly helps when you try not to let your child "win" every single time. It's true that they may get frustrated if they can't beat you or throw a temper tantrum. However, you can combat this by teaching your child what he/she could have done differently. You can borrow chess strategy books from the library or buy them at your local bookstore. Teach your child to first mimic and mirror those strategies. From those first few steps, your child will slowly progress in the game and actually learn to form strategies of his/her own.  A cool website is Chess Kids Academy. It allows your child to learn chess while playing with a computer and offers a bulk load of tools such as strategy sheets and what you need to start your very own chess club!!! Plus, getting a fun chess set from the store may do wonders for your child. We personally have our very own set of Transformers Chess Set!!! Try this out for your child. Who knows, it may lead your child to be the next genius! After all, "Skynet" was developed from a simple game of chess! :)

Is your refrigerator too cluttered with your kid's art?

Doesn't it make your toes curl and your heart flitter by seeing what cool art your little one's cute fingers create? You want to post it all over your refrigerator...WAIT...you probably already do that! You may even have a whole wall dedicated to your budding artist. A cool way to keep all your child's art is to create an artbook or photobook of all the art. You can either scan the artwork or take a picture of it with your camera. Online products such as Blurb is an awesome venue for you to create a lasting memory of your child's creations. You can even have it published for sale online. This may be a great way to start your child's college fund or help out a charity your family supports!!! I love Blurb because of how easy it is to create a professional looking book!

It's also fun to put your kids' artwork in frames and replace them with new art every month. Not only does it bring a whimsical feel to your home, it's an original and cheap way to put art on your walls! Want to add some educational insights to your children's art? Pick about ten to fifteen art pieces and have your child write a short story about it. Although they may be completely random pieces, this exercise will help develop your child's creative thought and writing process. Plus this way, you can create children's books/poems authored and illustrated by your own child. Now, how's that for added coolness?

What do you do with your children's artwork?   

Image courtesy of Sarah Jane Studios