Kitchen Experiments for Kids

Make the most of your holidays with easily available ingredients from the kitchen. Slip on your aprons, take out your kitchen instruments, and get ready to experiment with regular kitchen ingredients for some incredible outcomes!

Science!! by Jinx!

DELICIOUS HOMEMADE ICE CREAM -

Making ice cream is one of those science experiments for kids that they will conduct with utmost sincerity because it’s difficult to find a kid who doesn’t love ice cream. You will need 2 sandwich bags, 2 gallon-sized bags, 1/2 cup half-&-half, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, ice, 1/2 cup of rock salt, and winter gloves for the fun science experiment. Pour half a cup of half-&-half into a sandwich bag.  Add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag.  Place your bag into another sandwich bag and seal. Put the double-bags inside a gallon-sized bag and add ice and 1/2 cup of rock salt. Seal and place this bag inside another gallon-sized bag. Put on winter gloves and start shaking. Take turns with other family member to shake the bags for 15-20 minutes. When done, you will have nice, fluffy vanilla ice cream inside the sandwich bag to savor!

How does the ice cream form?

Salt is considerably known to bring down ice’s melting temperature. Instead of melting at 0 degrees Celsius, the rock salt causes the ice to melt at a temperature much lower, depending on the amount of salt.  This helps you freeze the ice cream mixture below the normal 32 degrees.

SQUISH, SQUEEZE GUMMY BEARS -

Gummy bears are our favorites! We love to eat them as much as we love to squish and squeeze them. Try putting gummy bears into shot glasses with different liquids and note how they react! You can experiment with the following liquids - water, salt water, vinegar, and a mixture of baking soda and water. Soak the gummy bears into these solutions overnight. Don’t forget to measure the height and mass of the bears before and after the science experiment. If the experiment was conducted right, then you will have the following results –

• Gummy bear in water will bloat up, but without any change in color.
• Gummy bear in salt water will shrink.
• Gummy bear in vinegar will grow the most and turn fragile.
• Gummy bear in vinegar will grow slightly and lose color.

Why do the gummy bears change shape and color?

All of the gummy bears grew or contracted due to osmosis. The gummy bear in vinegar dissolved its entire gelatin which made them fall apart! You can repeat the experiment with varied amounts of salt, a solution of diluted vinegar, or sugar solution and note your observations!

Science experiments for kids can be a wonderful learning experience as kids have always loved hands-on experiences. Try the simple science experiments at home with kids and help them learn with fun!

Reposted from https://funkidsgames.beep.com/index.htm

3 Activities for Father's Day

Father's Day is celebrated to honor fathers world over and the date might vary from country to country. In the US it's celebrated on the third Sunday of June from 1966 on, although it was officially recognized from 1972 by Presidential order. Generally mothers help out kids with buying a nice gift for their father unless they decide on a made-at-home-gift. Some kids give the gift a lot of thought and find just the right one for their father.

By Marines from Arlington, VA, United States (Father's Day) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Maybe this year could be all about bonding and spending time together. The kid(s) and the father could pick one from this list of 3 activities:

1. Enjoy an activity: Find a fun Father's Day Craft activity that the kids could get together with their father and make. At the end of it the kids could gift it to the father. The gift is taken care off, but most importantly the father can enjoy some quality time with the kid(s). Many fathers do spend a lot of time with their kids, but if they are the busy types, then this is time they will definitely put aside for their little ones.

2. Enjoy the outdoors: When the kids are younger it's an excellent idea to spend time with them outside the house just walking or cycling. These are simple pleasures which get the kids out into the open. A good dose of Vitamin N can do wonders for young kids. It builds hunger, gets them wonderful exercise, enriches their sensory system and helps kids build a bank of wonderful warm memories. This is what they fall back upon when they go through tough times after they are all grown up.

3. Have a cartoon or movie night: This can be fun especially if there is access to online content. The kids can pick some cartoons from their father's childhood with help from their mother or any other grownup. Help the kids set it up. Keep some popcorn and juice all ready. Once the father is ready to settle down, get comfy in front of the couch and start it rolling. Imagine his surprise when cartoons from his childhood start playing. Enjoy the evening.

Whatever the kids decide, do remember that as a mother you'll have to put in some effort to organize things. In the melee don't forget that the grownups need to wish their fathers!

Easter Worksheets and Easter Eggs

With Easter around the corner, families are getting busy for the celebration. Chocolate eggs are flying off the shelf in stores and families are planning meals and shopping for them. Although a religious celebration, many join in for its cultural aspect, especially if there are kids at home. The once homely celebration is now quite the commercial hullabaloo.

Easter Eggs from Tracy Hunter

Keeping Kids Busy

Most parents get busy around the holidays. They use the extra holiday to catch up on long pending chores and cleaning up the house. It's also a time when parents and kids can bond over some play and food.

Here are a few things parents can do to keep the kids busy while they wrap up their chores:

1. Get the kids to work on a simple craft on their own.
2. Start a drawing activity and let them finish.
3. Parents who want their kids to use their time constructively could print out some science worksheets
4. Give the kids some simple chores to help with the big meal.
5. Ask the kids to lay the table
6. Get the kids to put together some table decoration.
7. If your guests have kids, get the kids to come over early if possible, so they can hang out together.
8. If they like online games, let them play it for a while.
9. If the kids would rather just read, let them enjoy their time.
10. Ask the kids to put together some active Easter games.

Make sure the kids and the adults don't consume too much chocolate with all its sugar. Do make sure you do not waste the chocolate for it's a water intensive product. If kids are kept engaged, there is a lower probability of their getting cranky. It's a holiday. Bond with the kids. These are precious moments which will never come back. Happy Easter to all of you!

3 Valentines Day Craft Ideas from Nature

Valentines Day is a good time to get the kids to make gifts. There's something special about hand made gifts. They may not look as classy as store bought gifts, but they are personal and each piece is unique. When kids make them, each gift will definitely look different!

From historic times people have made gifts using materials from nature such as flowers, leaves, twigs, bark, seeds, natural colors etc. It's a good time to get the child to leave behind online games and get excited about Nature. Here are 3 gifts you could get the kids to try and make using easily available material from the great outdoors: 

1. Twig Figurine

13254b Grand Canyon_Split-Twig Figurine by Grand Canyon National Park

The figurine in the image is part of the oldest record of human occupancy in the Grand Canyon. It's supposed to be over 4000 years old. Anthropologists think they were part of the rituals ancient people performed to get the blessings of the spirits of the animals. Making a craft like this one is a great way to get kids interested in both a spot of history and in the variety of things nature offers to make things. Kids can learn about seeing form in twigs, using the strength of grass to tie things down or weave and understanding the nature of materials. All that kids need is collecting twigs, grass or some bark strips. 

2. Dried Flower Cards

hydrangea for drying by dogeared

This craft involves many parts of learning for a child when they go out into the outdoors. They learn about the plant they are collecting, colors, pigments etc. Kids can collect and dry flowers, twigs and leaves. Then they can figure out ways to use them. One of the simplest gifts is to make a dried flower card. People who receive them will happily keep the card for a long time. 

3. Twig-o-mobile

Kids like to collect twigs and small branches with or without leaves. They like to drag it on the ground behind them or just run with them waving it in the air. Take one of these gently branching twigs and dry it out well. Ge the kids to clean it up. If you have varnish, use it to give it a nice coat. Get the kids to tie dried leaves, feathers and some empty eggshells (with faces) on the twig. The egg shell can be attached to the thread using glue. Kids might need help tying these things to the twig. 

When you wrap it for gifting, make sure the egg shells stay safe. Valentine's Day is a perfect opportunity to gift something hand made - it'll be treasured. Happy Valentine's Day!

Talking With Kids

Kids enjoy the Zoo. Rarely do they realize that it's not the best way for the animals to live. Free and egalitarian living for all creatures under the Sun is not a difficult thing to understand, but it's hard thing to wrap one's head around if no one speaks about it. It's okay to talk about things which might not all be simple and cute.

Eva Pets baby Huey by Erik Przekop

Most kids can be remarkably good at understanding things we might think are much beyond their comprehension. Try this. When kids are playing with their pet or even if they are playing virtual pet games, talk about pets, animals kept in captivity, the animals in the sanctuaries and wilderness and other kind of situations. Such conversations help kids understand the world around them. As they grow, such conversations helps them form opinions, develop empathy, understand problems and it gives them the ability to solve them. 

Difficult topics to talk about

Talking about prejudices and biases is difficult. Biases are of all kinds. Kids can feel it when there is bias against them. Humans have the in built ability to 'feel the bias'. It's for us to teach kids to deal with it, when its happening to them and also when they see it happening around them. Then they can how they want to deal with it. One of the first steps is to start a conversation about such things. Kids can spot differences between themselves, but this does not naturally make them bigots or haters of all the people unlike themselves. 

Prejudice based on color, creed, financial strength, superior abilities, language, country of origin etc.; these are just to name a few. Kids who grow up with prejudices might be emotionally stunted. We have to help them develop a well rounded view of the world. Once parents too get used to talking about difficult subjects, they also send the child a message that they are open to discussions. If at a juncture in life a child is in a difficult position, it's not hard for them to approach the parent for some advice. 

What not to talk

Kids are always listening, even if they appear to be engrossed in other things. They may not react to what we talk, but you can be sure that it's being absorbed. This must make us careful about how we talk. We must be careful about our choice of words. If we speak without empathy for a fellow human or creature, kids learn that. When we hear our kids speak carelessly or see them do something with little or no care, we might be caught by surprise. We should always lead by example. A good example. 

Research has shown that kids are reacting to their environment right from when they are in their mother's womb, Good parenting is all about being around for your kids. As parents, we want our kids to grow up to be well rounded individuals, and the onus is upon us to talk about a variety of things to bring up well rounded and well informed kids. 

A Tree Which Gives and Gives

When kids play outdoors, they learn of things which they otherwise would not. A couple of months ago, the kids came across a pine tree which had something lumpy on it. It turned out to be some dried up sap. We broke it off and took it home. From various angles, it looked like different things. Occasionally a bird, then a bear and sometime later even a face!

Kulshan Creek Youth Program - Walking through Schriebers Meadow, Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest 

by 

Forest Service

At home we spoke of the various ways pine trees could be used - melting sap and mixing with charcoal gave a high quality glue, the oils from the pine needles could be used in aromatherapy, the branches as building material, roots could be used as cordage, nuts were a good source of food, the plant itself offered shelter to innumerable creatures and when dried up the pine needles and wood make good kindling. Every part of a pine tree is useful.

Kids learn to climb small pine trees using the branches as steps. They learn to test a branch before climbing. The climbing familiarizes them with the roughness of the bark and the texture of the needles. The climbing improves there sensory awareness. Try and play simple games to keep the kids moving.

Playing outside is the best way for kids to understand how we are a part of nature. It's sensory rich. and very rewarding. Understanding this will hopefully contribute to a safe future for our forests. Here's hoping the pine trees don't go down the road of the giving tree.

8 Fun Activities for This Summer

Summers inevitably bring back memories of long lazy days filled with laughter and play. As parents, we need to encourage our kids to go out and play to create such memories. In fact we should go out and play with them. This helps them put aside their dragon games or animes they are reading on their devices. Playing on devices is okay, but the summer vacation is meant for outdoor play and projects.

Image Credit: https://pixabay.com/p-1434698/?no_redirect

Here are 8 activities for you to pick from for this summer:

1. Water Games with a Bucket of Water
It's amazing what a bucket of water and some imagination can provide. Entertainment for a long time. Kids could be encouraged to lob stones into the bucket, from a distance. Alternatively, they could see how many stones can be put into the water, They could try this with various sizes of stones. Kids could also be encouraged to float things on water. Natural things like stones, leaves and flowers or actual store bought toys. Talk about things which float and those that don't.

2. Try some Gardening
Kids try these things at school, but the home environment is a great place to encourage growing plants or seedlings. After kids plant seeds get them keep track of the number of days seeds takes to sprout. If the seeds are good and the beds are not trampled on, then they might go on to harvest some produce.

3. Swing in the Open
If you have the space in the yard, tie the kids an outdoors swing at home. They can spend hours doing nothing but twirling around. You'll notice them using the rope in a variety of ways. This is because kids can get real inventive with a rope!

4. Climb trees
If you are lucky enough to have trees around, start them to do some tree climbing. They'll need your help, and adults need to be watchful when they negotiate tricky bits. Low branches can be useful in climbing.

5. Traditional Outdoor Games
These are inevitably old world games which have morphed over time, but have remained great favorites of kids. Some of these can be played indoors, but they are more memorable when played outside. Some of the games are are hopscotch, shadow tag, hide-and-seek etc.

6. Try some outdoor painting
Put up some paper on the side of the garage. Use a squirt gun or a big piece of cotton or anything that can absorb to start the artwork. Splash on color and paint up a storm.

7. Design simple play equipment
Got some rope, spare tires, energy and time? If the kids are still young, make some outdoor equipment for them. Use help that kids offer, appropriate to their age.

8. Try some Leaf Beating
This is a simple activity to set up outside and requires very little preparation. It can e tried out on both paper and cloth. All you need is a hammer, some leaves and flowers, and some paper or white cloth. Place the leaf on paper.cloth. Cover it with a piece of tissue and hammer the areas with a leaf underneath, Peel the tissue to see beautiful designs!

With kids around in the summer, parents need to get creative and innovate with things that are easily available. This can make for some exciting activities with wonderful bonding, all the while making memories which will last a child a lifetime!

2 Made-At-Home-Gifts for Father's Day

Father's Day is around the corner in June. It's always a good time to try making some home made gifts instead of the traditional tie. Which father wouldn't appreciate a gift, however shabby, made by their own kid? Kids like to make things, and the messier it is the better!

Image from here

Here are two ideas we have shortlisted:

1. A Terrarium

The word might sound big and complicated but it's just a few plants in a nice looking container. If you are not into gardening, get the kids to make a fake one. Here are a few ideas for faux terrariums. This will help kids explore their creativity and they can also explore soil and plants which will increase their Vitamin Nature quotient. Father's will love this unusual gift and its very low maintenance. 

2. Collage 

This requires some stealth. Collect pictures of the father from childhood. Get photocopies of the images. Then get the kids to arrange them on card paper (size of their choice). Once they are satisfied, stick them on. On Father's Day, surprise him with memories from his entire life!

Both these gifts need some help from the other parent or any other adult. Once complete, keep it hidden away and surprise Dad on June 18th. Have a blast!

Don't Stir and Talk

Children need out attention. Not the attention we can give them as we stir a pot on the stove, but our full attention. A child must know that the parent is listening. Has her full attention. They must not feel like you don't pay them any attention.

Family Games by Matthew Hurst

Parenting requires many skills and they are not taught in parenting school. We learn as we go. Some we remember from our parents. Occasionally we see other parents practicing a habit that we happily adopt as our own. Quality time is important. Here are three things we can do with our kids to increase the bonding:

1. Play with them
Pull out a board game, get comfortable and roll the dice. Kids don't want to play that? Move to their turf and play a video game with them. If there's nothing in common that you like at the beginning, pick a pet game and adopt a pet. Feed it and play with it. Soon you'll come up with other games that you can all play on. Don't forget the old saying - a family that plays together, stays together.

2. Spend Time in Nature 
Leave your digital devices behind. Just go for a walk. If you have a long weekend, sped time at a national park. Can't leave home? Just sit out together and look at a tree. Get an indoor plant. Get the kids to climb a tree and swing from a branch. Kids like to collect rocks and twigs. Even as they do this, it's a good opportunity to explore the world around us - how things grow, the environmental impact of what we do, nature's mysteries, cycle of life and interdependence of various life forms on Earth. This also helps children understand how important it is to live cooperatively within a family and outside.

3. Give them Space
Teach them well and as they grow step back to watch them negotiate the world around them. We help them walk, bu once they walk we step back and let them walk on their own, all the while making sure that they don't go into areas they are not prepared for. It's the exact same in other facets of their life. As parents we prepare them to live their life, we cannot live their life for them. They might make mistake and we might be tempted to stop them by bringing up their past failures, but we have to grow in our parenting and step back. Sometimes you have to be the wall between other well meaning people who want to stop them, and your child.

Always remember, don't talk as you stir. Stop the stirring. Attend to the child. Listen to them. The stirring can wait. Just don't forget to switch off the stove!

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.

Christmas Fun!

Kids are excited about Christmas. Especially when they are young. They love the run up, the excitement, the planning, creating lists and all else that is associated with it. It's also a good time for family to bond, be it over games, food, cooking, travelling or just spending quality time together.

Christmas-postcards-348 by artvintage1800s.etsy.com

This excitement for Christmas is a great tool to play some fun games. Here are 2 simple games based on Christmas:

1. Making Giveaway Bags

Make giveaway bags with the help of your kids. Give each child empty bags and the goodies they need to pack in. Ask them to ready it all and then start the timer. Whoever finishes packing all bags with every item correctly in the shortest time is the winner.

2. The Blindfold Game

Load a bag with pairs of things, be it candy or small toys. Make sure none of these things can cause harm. By turn, blindfold a child and start a timer. Give each child a minute or two (this is dependent upon the age of the children) and see how many pairs of things they can fish out. The winner is one who pulls out the the most pairs within the given time.

The tricks to games is keeping it simple and fun. Simpler the rules, easier it is for kids to slide into these games. 

Three things to do this Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a harvest festival. The earliest recorded religious Thanksgiving Day in Plymouth is from 1623. When the rains came after a two month drought, the colonists gave thanks. Initially it was celebrated along with the Native Americans. The celebration included merry making, drinking and included local produce of deer, corn, roasted meat and shellfish. Yes, nothing to do with turkey and pudding, which is standard fair nowadays. In fact most of our celebratory food was not even available in the 1600s!

Happy Thanksgiving by liz west

Over time, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared two national Thanksgivings. Yes two. One was in August to remember the battle of Gettysburg and the second was in November to give thanks for 'general blessings'.

Today it is a weekend over which families gather, eat, celebrate and bond. Here are three things for families to do together this year:

1. Feast
Yes, a great time to gather and feast together. Seasonal produce like squash and sweet potato are a must. Vegetarian get a tofu turkey, while others get a turkey and use their own recipes to cook it or it could be a store prepared one. Everyone pitches in to cook a part of the meal.

2. Play
Yes, families can gather and play games - board games, outdoorsy games or perhaps some scavenger games, to make it big, noisy and fun. Nothing can be better than playing together for families to come together.

3. Explore
This is a great time to explore your city. Walk, drive or take the bus. Make it multi-generational. Get the older members to show you places you did not know about. Great way to bond with grandparents. Explore parks. Make sure you bundle up. The good time must not lead to unwell times.

Food is essential to human survival. Even after all these years, it feels perfectly natural to give thanks to the bounty that nature gifts us. Tell us how you plan to celebrate this Thanksgiving.