Crafting a Gift This Christmas

Hand crafting a gift makes it more personal. When kids make them, there are added dimensions. They enjoy the making and the people who get them, treasure them. If this craft can double up as a toy, everyone around enjoys it all the more.

YIPL Origame Craft 2010 by Zhao !

Paper Toys

As parents we have bought our kids origami kits at some time or the other. We have also made them paper dogs from Jumpstart crafts, paper boats and gliders innumerable times. It's magical to see a flat piece of paper turn into something magnificent and 3d with just a few folds and cuts. With kids at home, a lot of paper is used up and this needs to be recycled at some point. Paper Crafts are certainly a good way to repurpose used paper. 

2d to 3d and more!

Flexagons are puzzles. A piece of paper turns into a toy which can be folded and refolded to display various designs. How cool is that! When made of card stock it lasts longer, but paper is good too. Kids can color it, and it's very interesting to see how they turn up once the folding is completed. As kids understand how the design are affected by the folding, they slowly master it and execute some wonderful coloring plans! 

Some History

Arthur Stone, a mathematician is credited with creating one of the first flexagons. Once while he was working at Princeton he had a problem fitting American sized paper into his British binder. He cut off the ends of paper and began folding them, eventually creating a flexagon. Soon there was a Princeton Flexagon Committee. Some years later Martin Gardner, the recreational mathematician introduced flexagons to the general public.

Make your Own Flexagon

You will need a printed template, coloring pens, glue, a pair of scissors and some patience. Cut it along the outlines. Color it smartly by following instructions on the sheet. Then fold and crease. Carefully glue ends as suggested. Your flexagon is ready for play!

As kids make more than one, they get better at planning the coloring and the designs they want to make for their flexagon gift. Merry Christmas and a Happy 2017!

A new type of tour

After I wrote about sensory enrichment from nature, I was reading articles on virtual worlds trying to understand their impact on young minds. In this article, the author quotes a friend who says, 'It's harder to be futuristic than ever before'. Video games started out creating worlds which were alien and unfamiliar to us. It has come full circle with video games now tying to be as real as possible.

Digital Kids by Erin Kotecki West

Pros 
Kids too sick to travel use immersive VR to visit places they can't normally go to. It's a great way to learn about things you would not normally do or understand eras you have not been in. Many of the educational games are set in virtual worlds. There's Neopets a virtual pet game where kids who cannot have real pets adopt and nurture pets. This is a boon for people who have a space crunch or for people who do not have the time for pets. Avatars are a great way to get under the skin of characters. Games like Minecraft are even used extensively in schools.

Cons
If these immersive worlds get too real, kids might forget to look out of the window or for that matter they might never know about the world that exists outside the window. People escape to these worlds and never return in some cases. The hikikomori of Japan are examples of people addicted to the Internet. Addiction to these worlds creates people who have no real world relationships. This is the psychological abyss one must always avoid. Kids who grow up this way fail at taking up the challenge of dealing with real world problems.

Every new technology has pros and cons. It's for the parents to be good examples, so that kids enjoy staying in reality even as they enjoy playing in virtual reality. New technology should be used for the betterment of our lives, and not for hiding away in. Play in an unreal world, but make sure you are back in the real one

Sensory Enrichment from Nature

Pediatricians are prescribing a new kind of vitamin for children – vitamin N. There is a reason for this. Sensory processing difficulties are on the rise in children. The reasons could be varied, but there is one observable correlation people associated with children have been noticing – as children are getting farther and farther away from natural environments, sensory problems are increasing. For kids with sensory problems, whose roots do not lie in the neurological or physiological domain, an intense engagement with nature can have marvelous benefits.

Avery Running Through the Water by Donnie Ray Jones

Fitting In

A fact which most people seem to forget is this – humans for all their progress into the digital age are still very firmly a part of the natural world. We are but a jigsaw piece on this planet. Negotiating our way in this natural environment should be instinctive, but we seem to be losing touch with these instincts. 

In the Past

Earlier generations of children naturally spent a lot of time outdoors. While virtual pets rule the roost today, real pets were more the norm some years ago. Most economies were agriculture based. Children of all ages pitched in to help. Play involved natural materials like trees, leaves, soil, water, seeds, cloth, leather etc. Kids climbed trees, swung off branches, jumped into ponds, chased their shadows, raced up grassy slopes, built sand castles, got muddy, ran in the rain, made toys out of natural materials etc. They understood seasons, felt the changes and used their senses to negotiate their way around their world. Lives were attuned to nature. This helped build their physical abilities and contributed to their emotional well-being.

In the Present

Even as our lives are changing and we are becoming denizens of an increasingly digital world, we must help our kids stay rooted in reality thereby helping them maintain a certain elasticity in the functioning of their senses. For this sensory activities cannot be emphasized enough. Here are a few things we must ensure that our kids explore in Nature:

1.      Soil

Get kids to play with soil. Look at it, dig it, feel it, make shapes out of it, smell it (before and after rain) and build with it. Kids love the wriggly creatures which make soil their home. Ask them to observe these creature. Point out the wonderful homes they build in soil. Show them pictures of how termite build homes out of soil which are naturally air-conditioned. Ask them to spot things in different types of soil – pebbles, rocks, sand etc. Ask kids to dig. Digging makes kids understand soil – the hardness, layers and methods to soften it. The activity is good for their joints and builds hunger. Filling holes with water and getting them to flow from one to the other, will be like a model of water flows through lakes. Educational and a great sensory activity. Dirt under fingertips might bother some parents, but such activities do wonders for kids.

2.      Plant Life

Kids in school inevitably grow seedlings in class while understanding germination. Introduce them to trees which grow from tiny seeds. Open their eyes to the wonder of nature. Babies are brought up by their adults. What about the young of plants? Get kids to observe leaves, how some close and open, how some change color, how they crumble in our hands when they are dry and how some leaves tear easily while others are hard. Get kids to climb trees. You could start with low branches and small trees. Get them to balance and jump off trees. Teach them to bend their knees when they land. Swinging on branches, tying swings to branches, plaiting pliable young branches, stitching leaf cups, harvesting fruit – all these activities are simple and yet engage multiple senses.

3.      The World around Us

Even in 2016 the fact remains that we do not know everything about our brains or for that matter the world around us. Research studies in the army have shown that kids who spent time outdoors trekking and spending time in woods hunting had the best depth perception and peripheral vision. Spending time outdoors forces our sense to expand and contract to accommodate our requirement, building in an elasticity which is lost

It’s a recorded fact that animals help children overcome challenges. Dogs have been used to calm kids with sensory processing disorders. Association with dogs and other pets is always a plus for kids (does not included kids who are allergic to dog hair)

As adults, it’s our job to make sure that the younger generations are equipped to negotiate this world. For this we as parents and caretakers need to be brave in letting our young explore Nature. Kids might fall and hurt themselves, but most will get up, brush off the dirt and be off to check out the next interesting thing. The onus is on us. We have to lead them into the world that they will one day inhabit without us. As Kahlil Gibran said –

Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

Three Must Dos for Kids Once They Are Home

Once kids start their school schedule they get rather busy. They become more independent, teachers and friends become important and interests change. With the busy schedules parents have, there is the probability of parents losing touch with their kids. Kids might grab a quick snack and disappear into their rooms to do their homework, play virtual games or work on a project or just chat with friends.

Nike and Amanda by [kajsa]

Problems of getting Busy
There comes a point of time in the lives of parents when they are real busy. This reduces their involvement in their child's life. The problem with this are many - losing out on their growing years, not enjoying the company of a child parents were very keen to have and children who might feel not cared for. Such situations might cause problems in a child's behavior, bring down concentration levels in class, alienate a child or other such problems. It is simpler to pay attention to a child in their growing years and to avid future problems. In the many decades parents live, kids need a good amount of their parents' attention for about 15-18 yeas. If parents do a good job of parenting in these years, the rest falls in place.

Here are 3 must dos when kids return home from school:

1. Talk About The Day
Sit around the table. Make or get the kids a snack. Sit and chat with them as they eat. Give constructive suggestions. Connect with them. Hear of the funny things they have to tell. Listen to their woes. Carefully find out if they are having trouble - either with a classmate or a teacher or a senior or the curriculum. Sometimes, hearing of things a little before it starts up a storm is useful. Then it gives the parent time to try and fix issues at the child's school. This time with the children will change over the many years. There will be days of excitement, laughter, sorrow, happiness and plain vanilla sadness. This is a good way to understand the many things happening in a child's life.

2.  Discuss About Things That Are Needed For The Following Day
There are always mornings when kids suddenly need things we can't pull out of our hats. To avoid such last minute issues, it is simpler to know what is needed a little in advance. If the child needs some preparation for a test or a play, parents can help the child prepare. After school, while having a snack is a good time to discuss what teachers have asked the kids to get and for what.

3.  Put Away Things
Now this is more a habit building exercise than anything else. Many habits must be ingrained in kids from a young age. It's good to encourage kids to put away things as soon as they get home and then relax. If parents keep picking up after their kids, they grow up waiting for someone to pick up after them. This might become a thorn of contention in the relationships they develop. Its far simpler and very helpful for the parents to get kids to do this.

With the end of summer fun, families get caught up in the school schedule. If the summer slide has been avoided kids return from school all excited about the new stuff, else parents have to help kids for a few days brushing up old stuff.  This academic year, make sure you start off on some good habits.

Three Must Visit Places for Kids

Kids are like sponge. They absorb information from their surroundings without even our being aware of it. It is imperative that we expose our kids to sensory rich experiences. Get the kids to put away their devices. Enough of playing online games. Book your tickets and pack your bags. Here are three must visit places for kids:

1. National Parks

Bryce Canyon National Park by Quinn Dombrowski

There is no better place for sensory stimulation than nature. Many of the Sensory Processing Disorders can benefit from more time spent in nature. Pediatricians and occupational therapists emphasize Vitamin - N. The US has some of the best kept national parks in the world. From thick forests to dry deserts, the variety is all there for kids to explore. Walking around, smelling the soil, seeing the rich colors of nature, feeling the breeze on your skin, jumping around, lying in green meadows, swimming in water holes, smelling flowers, identifying insects, recognizing bird calls, checking out scat, following pug marks, photographing nests - the list of things that one can do while out in nature is endless. Kids learn about cycles of life and become keen observers of nature.

2. Maker Faires
Kids learn best while observing. Just like language learning starts with imitating sounds made by parents, learning to make things starts by observing parents. As parents we can only expose our kids to things we know, but by taking them to Maker Faires we can get them to see a variety of people working on a host of things. These are also places where one can see interaction among people with a variety of skills. Some build things from scratch while others assemble. June 17th-June 23rd in the National Week of Making. These faires are held all over the country. Even if you don't have a product, such places are great to spend a day.

3. Interactive Museums
Kids dislike museums in general, but interactive museums they like. Buttons to press, things to stand on, lenses to peer into, pedals to push, handles to turn and innumerable other things to do. These museums are designed to catch and hold the attention of kids. Some museums even have escape room type games. Some give out T-shirts. It may take some coaxing, but once in, kids will hate to leave. Most museums will have a summer program. It uses the attractions at the museum to help kids learn something. It could be exposure to art or science.

It's summertime. Best time to have relaxed outings. It could be just you and your kids or it could be you, your kids and the entire extended family. Plan a visit. Meet other families. Go have some fun!

Why Pets are good for Kids

Pets are good for kids. Kids learn to care for other creatures and through this understand sharing and caring. It's a great way to understand that we share this world with creatures of all kinds. Many families which cannot have a pet frequently get a virtual pet.

Kids and Pets 021 by Paul L. McCord Jr.

While virtual pet games like Neopets allow you to nurture creatures of our imagination and play with them, sites like Furry Paws allow you to raise your own dog by choosing the breed and the genetics. Both games allow feeding the pets and playing with them. In fact Neopets even allows a pet to have a pet pet!

Advantages of having a pet:

Learning Responsibility
Looking after pets, feeding them regularly and making sure they are happy is a big responsibility. But if a pet joins a child at a young age, the child could start with playing with the pet and slowly over time it could include walking and grooming them. Social interaction is generally the first things that comes into play. Looking after another creature as per a schedule, makes kids become responsible. This should be encouraged. Kids enjoy nurturing.

Learning Capability
Parents have the tendency to baby their kids, with the result that kids grow up not knowing their capability. While caring for a pet, kids and the parents realize the capability of the child(kids under 10 find it difficult to care for a dog on their own). Many a time parents assume that kids cannot discipline pets. Kids can get pets to be well behaved. They just might take more time or effort, but they do get around to it.

Learning to Connect with Nature
When kids grow up around pets they understand that pets and humans have a lot in common. Their involvement with Nature increases. Respect for other creatures great and small increases. As the overlap in our lives with the lives of animals increases, kids also understand how everything in nature is connected. In a way a doorway to Nature is opened up via a pet.

Kids can benefit a lot by having a pet. If there are constraints of space or other medical reasons, a virtual pet is a great alternative.  In fact here are 3 sites with great virtual pet games. If you have a wee bit of patience, you just might be able to pet your virtual pet with Virtual Reality in the near future. Until then, enjoy the real thing!

Eggs + Lights = Eggciting Lights!

Easter has a strong association with Eggs. Traditionally eggs were gifted to symbolize life. Kids got decorated wooden eggs gifts. Over time things have changed, but the association of eggs with Easter has remained strong. Interestingly on the White House lawns, the President has traditionally had families with children over for some fun egg rolling.

world egg by Javier Vieras

After all the Christmas fun, this is a a time when family gathers and shares memories. It is also a time when families and schools try out a variety of egg crafts. Kids learn egg blowing in homes where they try out crafts with actual eggs. It's a good time for Easter trivia. In many other homes, plastic eggs are used for craft. The former is a fun though messy pre step to crafting.

One of the most interesting egg craft ideas revolves around light. Here are the details:

1. You need about 10 hollow egg shells.
2. A string of fairy lights
3. Tape or a glue gun

Gently insert a fairy light into each egg shell. Tape the mouth neatly shut or use the glue gun to seal. Well, that's it. Hang it up and enjoy the lights.

Happy Easter!

Activities to Keep a Sick Child Occupied

It kid of gets dull around the house when a child falls ill. The schedule which is built around the child changes. Regular childish babble disappears and the house is abnormally quiet. Crankiness and tiredness are common in sick kids, and it tests our patience.

Don't Want to be Sick by Korean Resource Center

Here are 18 activities to keep an unwell child busy:

1. Make easy and simple Valentine's Day Gifts.

2. Play virtual pet games to give the child a feeling of happiness and comfort. Feeding and playing with a pet is kind of calming.

3. Pull out old images and recall happy memories. Talk of times when the child had a good time. Not only doe it take the child's mind of the sickness, it also helps solidify the memories.

4. Get the child to speak to a grandparent he or she loves a lot. Talking to an older much loved relative can make a child very happy. 

5. Play simple games the child enjoys and understands well. That way the child does not have to tax her brain. Count cars or play an 'I spy' game. 

6. If your window overlooks a park or a road, sit and watch the outside world along with the child. 

7. Start an art project the child would enjoy. 

8. Introduce the child to instruments and their music. 

9. Makeup a game of your own and play it. 

10. Try some homemade puzzles.

11. Build a land of your own and decorate it. 

12. Get a whole bunch of empty cardboard boxes and have some fun. 

13. Watch animals on TV. Then try and imitate them - walk or make sounds like them. Its a great way to 'talk nature' with kids. 

14. Go fishing!

15. Get the books out. It's a great time to catch up on some reading.

16. Try out a recipe where your kid can help you with. Make sure its not a strenuous activity. 

17. Build a tale. Alternately add a line to the story you build as you go. See how long you can sustain it. 

18. Talk about numbers. What they represent and how they look. Things you know which are in a certain number. Like 5 fingers and 2 hands. Make it fun. Try to count the hair n each other's head. 

In the duration a child takes to recover, she might go through a variety of moods. It's for us to gauge what might entertain the child in question. Picking one of these activities is sure to keep an unwell child busy for a long time. 

Resolutions in the New Year

Well the New Year has rolled in and some of us have gotten back into our routines. Every New Year, we make resolutions, and for the next month or so, we try hard to keep them. As the year rolls on, we get lax and the resolutions are forgotten.

Apple Bonanza by Mads Boedker

This year I decided to help kids with healthy New Year resolutions, that they could keep. What's the point of helping them with resolutions, if we don't help them in keep them. Just nagging them about their resolutions is pointless. It leaves the child feeling negative about trying to bring change via resolutions and it will only make them them give up easily on their resolutions. So, I decided to help them keep it. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Writing out lists

Encourage kids to write out their resolution. Pick a place they see regularly at home, and put it up there. If the kids are too young to read, get them to draw or put up a picture which will remind them. E.g.: If the resolution is to eat more vegetables, get them to draw something which will encourage them to eat more vegetables. Perhaps smiling vegetables or a funny cartoon.

2. Specific reminders

If a kid is trying to change something specific associated with a habit he or she is trying to break, encourage them to put up a reminder to do so at that specific place. E.g. If a child is trying to spend less time on say dragon games, they could put up a reminder near the device/computer. This helps in reduced reminders from the parent and helps the child build good habits.

3. Making things easy

LEGOs by davitydave

Many of the resolutions most of us make are for better habits. Children are encouraged to do the same. E.g. They might put down 'Clearing toys after play'. In such instances grownups can help by encouraging kids to put the toys into a large carton or plastic tub, if the kids are unhappy about putting things back into a cupboard. This way it's easy enough for the kids to stick to their resolution and the toys get cleared.

4. Non-nagging reminders

As grownups it's our job to help kids in their growing up. This includes what I call a timely reminder service. We do need to remind kids to stick to their resolutions, but we must avoid becoming nags (for the greater good!).

If at any juncture, we feel a resolution is too hard for the child to keep or that the child is simply too young, encourage the child to scratch it off the list. Perhaps they could add it as a resolution in the future when they are ready for it.