Kid-friendly Way to Teach About Logic

Teaching what logic is to an adult is complicated enough...much less to teach it to a child. Here are a few videos that cater to teaching about logic to children ages 8 and up. Have fun with it!

...and yet MORE educational toys!

Hidden inside this perfectly made, solid wooden ball is a mechanism that produces one of Mozart’s sweet melodies. Insert the elegantly shaped key, turn it and the chime will magically play whether the ball is rolling across the floor or standing on a table as an ornament.

Let your imagination run wild and see what crazy characters come to life when you play with the smooth, colourful shapes crafted from all natural, rubberwood. You can even use the pieces as drawing templates too. 
The Montessori Reading Boards are an excellent way to explore the connection between spoken and written language. Children can start their reading practice with a parent or on their own by naming the pictures on these charming wooden cards.







For young minds, taking flat pieces and constructing 3-D objects with them is a new and exciting discovery. Magna-Tiles attract on all sides, even when flipped around. Children explore geometric shapes, symmetry, and other basic math concepts with these colorful pieces.

Part theatre, part brainteaser, this intriguing game will test your pre-schooler’s depth perception.

Spur Designs Latest Teaching App

Spur Designs latest app - PrestoBingo Shapes is quite the find at just $1.99 for the whole app. It should keep the LO busy. I love how technologically advanced kids are nowadays! It certainly is a much different world from the one I grew up in - namely DOS computers and pixelated graphics! Ahh....the good old days.

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! :)

Teaching Numbers with a Splash of Design!

I absolutely LOVE  Paul Thurlby’s numbers set!!! Want it...nay...Need it!

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!

Your Baby Can Read - What is it really?

So it's way cool seeing 8/9 month-old babies point to the object or do the action when shown the word on a flash card. I must admit I was extremely intrigued and got a copy. I went through the program and decided that it wasn't for me. (I almost felt like I could have gone to the zoo, filmed the animals with my camcorder, made my own flash cards, and still come up with a much better quality product...but hey it's sold millions of copies all around the world so who am I to complain? :) What it does is it teaches the child to recognize and remember the words. To a certain extent, your child could learn reading this way. It will take a longer time for them to recognize new words (until they form patterns in their brain that words spelled similarly probably sound similar) and it won't help with spelling. In comparison to phonics, it's still far behind. Phonics teaches your child to sound out the words. My students who went through the phonics program were all able to spell words they have never heard of or tried before simply by sounding it out. Still, any learning is better than no learning. I have known plenty of kids who have learn reading by word recognition. However, if you are going to spend the money on a reading learning system, I probably would put it towards to phonics system instead. The big difference however is that phonics will work once your child can start imitating words, sounds, and communicating. It probably wouldn't work with an 8-month-old baby. So if you are the parent who wants your child to be a baby genius and have extra cash lying around, by all means start Your Baby Can Read first and then switch to phonics once they start talking. :) What do you guys think?

Mental Math

One of the huge benefits from learning math using the abacus, is the ability to calculate mentally. Inception Learning is bringing all the benefits of abacus learning integrated with new online technology. The company will be launching their product this fall. Check out www.abacusprodigy.com and also check out our Facebook page for giveaways and latest news updates. In the meantime, check out these videos of children learning mental math utilizing abacus learning.

Abacus Prodigy! Be a fan of a Facebook page today and win a Giveaway!

It's my Birthday, an exciting new venture ...AND a Giveaway!

Can this day get any better? First off, I love birthdays! It's just so fun to have a cake...especially a big round, fudgy, chocolate one from Costco....hint hint to my hubby! Plus, it's a great excuse to indulge in such a delicacy! I also think chocolate just makes you feel young and makes the world go round! K....be prepared for a nice long post! It's only because we have such exciting news to share! Next up:

The past year has been nothing short of craziness. We have been trying to build up a new business - Inception Learning. We actually did come up with the name before the movie Inception came along. I guess great minds think alike! Christopher Nolan....we have the same ingenuity! :)  Our product is called Abacus Prodigy. We have since developed an electronic Abacus keyboard - Soropad that will be connected to our online digital platform. There, kids ages 3-8 (we be continually expanding to fit ages 9 and up) can learn Math with a strong Abacus foundation, along with a full Math curriculum, using top problem solving techniques from China, Singapore, and Korea! Our site: www.abacusprodigy.com will incorporate virtual tutors, practices, games, music, animations, videos, and assessment tests. We're still fixing a minor glitch on Mozilla Firefox. So for the next few days, it's best viewed in Google Chrome. Doesn't most of everyone use Chrome anyways? Maybe this is the PC vs. Mac talking in my head! lol... It's definitely exciting as we have been HATING the school system for a very long time. I think in Asia, it was way too academic and here-way too much focus on play and sports. I feel there's needs to be a good middle for the children to be well-rounded and be academically, physically, and socially capable! Hopefully, our products will help close up that gap! I believe that Math should be fun!!!  Why not? It can be fun solving difficult problems. Math also teaches children to solve problems creatively...which I feel is SO important in everything we do nowadays! Yes! Creativity is a MUST. The great thing about Abacus learning is that it teaches children conceptual skills at a very young age. I see the kids who have gone through my program approach things in a very different light. I LOVE the innovative spirit such kinds of learning helps instill in young children!!! 

Plus, we'll also be launching our ONE Revolution campaign the next few days! Stay tuned for that one! You'll LOVE it!

Our new Facebook page is also up: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inception-Learning/128128180594552. Please please please do help us spread the word through your very own Facebook, twitter, blogs, emails, whatever it is!!! Keep following our Facebook and blog as we will keep launching new and exciting things the next couple weeks and months!

If you become a fan, you get entered into our Giveaway! Plus, if you refer a friend to be a fan, post this on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc... you get an additional entry for each thing extra you do! So basically if 10 friends of yours become fans, you will get 1 entry plus 10 additional ones. Please comment on either our blog or Facebook page to let us know what you did to help spread the word to ensure your entry! The Giveaway will end May 15...which equates to PLENTY of chances for you to have multiple entries!  Here's what you stand to win:

A Melissa and Doug Wooden TOY Abacus

Waiting for Superman DVD, which comes with a $25 DonorsChoose.org Giftcard

1 REAL Soroban/Abacus Instrument

On a side note, I would be lying if I didn't admit that starting a business takes up a lot of time and energy - both physical and mental. It's also been difficult juggling as a mom, wife, and starting a new venture. The nice part is I get to do this with my husband which definitely makes things easier. We take turns doing developing the business and taking care of our sweet boy Talon. Talon definitely gets a great amounts of attention of both momma and da-da because of this arrangement. We get to work from home too so that helps with the juggling! In addition, I was recently called to my church's women's organization as a secretary! Talk about double duty! But, I know with hard work and sacrifice comes great blessings! As tired I am by the end of the day, it is so exciting and fulfilling to know that Abacus Prodigy will help a great deal of kids start LOVING Math! 

A World of Learning

This is an interesting short documentary about how technology is influencing our classrooms and affecting the way our children learn all around the world.  It mainly focuses on the use of the electronic white-board. Check it out.

A World Of Learning from David Betteridge on Vimeo.

KNO Tablet

There's a company named Kno that is creating a tablet for students.  It appears the textbooks are loaded onto the tablet and the student can take notes and highlight things right on the tablet.  It looks really cool!  Check out the videos.  www.kno.com

Changing Education Forever from Kno Tablet on Vimeo.

Life 360

I came across www.life360.com and thought it was a good product to share. It uses technology to keep track of important things in your life.  For example, it uses GPS tracking technology on smartphones to keep tabs on where your children are.  They have free and premium services.  Check out these videos and their website for more information.

PackIt

I just saw this product and it seemed great for families. It's a insulated lunch bag that is supposed to keep your food insulated and fresh for up to 10hours. I'm considering getting this. Have any of you tried this product? Good/bad?

It can be purchased for $19.95 on http://www.packit.com

Another Great Book!

Since we were on the topic of my toddler, Talon's favorite books...I probably should have shared his all time favorite book - There!  Every time we walk into his nursery, he turns towards the bookshelf and starts whining like there's no tomorrow. I would bring him closer to his bookshelf and he immediately reaches for this book. This silly boy can make his poor momma read his fave. book about tens times straight! Now don't get me wrong. I love books and I love that Talon loves books but really... to have to read the same book over and over again ten times in a roll, twice a day, everyday? I feel like I've lived with this book all my life! Silly silly Talon!

It actually is quite an insightful book. Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick actually won the Children’s Book of the Year Award 2010 from Children’s Books Ireland, known as the “Bisto Award”, for her picture book There. There is a magical and charming allegory about growing up. Carrying a large satchel, the eager child strides down a sidewalk as he asks, 'When will I get There?' His innocent questions take him over hills, through daisy fields and up into rainy skies. The full-page, softly rendered landscapes dwarf the inquisitive narrator, who wants to know, 'Will I wear sensible shoes and say sensible things? Will I never say anything silly again?... Will I know all the secrets?' In a clever spread, he wonders about finding her way through a 'jungle,' as the facing illustration shows him amid shadowy apartment buildings where wild animals lurk and a stocking on a clothesline is really a snake. Older readers will take heart in her hopefulness and determination to 'still build snowmen and sandcastles. Definitely.' In the end, he decides he won't go There today because 'I've got lots to do.'

Where is Baby's Belly Button?

We have recently been reading Where is Baby's Belly Button? to our 1 yr old son and he loves it.  It's written by Karen Katz.  Our child enjoys it because it's a lift-the-flap book where the child can flip up/down the flap and discover whats underneath.  It makes the book much more interactive and enjoyable to the child.

Butterfly Garden

I saw this product on a commercial on TV and thought it was something children would enjoy. https://www.livebutterflygarden.com/

For about $20, they basically mail you 10 caterpillars and all the food needed for it to grow and become butterflies.  Children can interact and learn about the metamorphosis of a butterfly.

I definitely think my boy would enjoy this when he gets a little older.  Would you get something like this for your children?

Students and Technology

According to a recent survey, teachers believe that access to more technology would benefit students. “Teachers say that more opportunities for collaboration with other teachers and greater access to technology and other instructional tools would significantly improve their ability to help diverse learners succeed, both now and in the future.” 

A high school in Delaware believes in this concept, that next fall all of their students will be carrying IPads instead of textbooks.  "The goal is to prepare them for life after high school in a high-tech world, officals say."  





I would have loved to have that option when I was in high school.  What about you?

Exergames

With all the new technology out in video gaming, it seems that some kids are having fun and getting their exercise from video gaming as well.





With games like the Wii Fit and Kinect Sports, kids are able to burn calories as well as have an enjoyable experience playing games.  
BYU recently did a study on this and found that "children of middle school age who played active video games like Dance, Dance, Revolution, and Wii Boxing, experienced moderate to vigorous exercise. In some cases, the energy burned was the same as walking a fast-paced mile."

According to another article, "Exergames became part of the P.E. curriculum at Sierra Vista Junior High in Canyon Country around 2003, when department chairman George Velarde decided to update the school's philosophy about gym. He added an exergaming room to the school's fitness center, complete with 16 Dance Dance Revolution games, 16 virtual reality bikes, and more.

"The kids don't even know they're working out," Velarde said. "But they are working out even more at moderate to vigorous levels because of exergaming."

A good thing to note is that although exergaming is fun, it shouldn't replace regular outdoor activity.  What are your thoughts on this?  

Smart Game for your kids!

2010 Parents' Choice Award Gold Winner - highest honors!

Acuity - The New Game of Sharp Vision & Keen Thought!

Acuity is the clever matching game of quick visual perception where players race against each other to discover and match hidden patterns. 

Be careful! Your mind's eye could trick you. With simple rules, Acuity is a game the entire family can play together. No reading required... simply the ability to flip, turn and match!

Players race against each other or work together against the clock to find the patterns hidden in the grid. Each time a tile is turned over, the pattern on that tile may be created by combining two or four of the tiles in the playing grid.

Featuring 70 durable and vibrantly mind-bending pattern tiles, Acuity will delight all ages while reinforcing the importance of visual spatial skills and pattern recognition.

I thought this customer's review of interesting:


Acuity
Posted 14 days ago by Sammy Coleman 

Rating: 

I work in a vision clinic under the direction of a developmental optometrist. We use many different games along with other prisms or flippers to improve a patient's vision and perception. This game is an excellent perceptual exercise. I like the fact that no game is the same and every time I pick it up to do with a patient, I'm not sure what to expect from the grid or the patient. It is a great tool to teach focus and perseverance.