Reading Game

I’m very proud of the reading game I created with a Toss Across and stickers. It’s for early readers who are learning simple sight words and those who still are sounding out words. I took the Toss Across board and put large letter stickers on each side of the spinning triangles. So instead of X’s and O’s I have consonants and vowels. I arranged the letters with purpose. The idea is for the child to throw the bean bags which rearrange the letter. Then they try to spell out words. If they can read a word on the board, they … Continue reading →

Cranium Calendar

I love to browse through the calendars on sale this time of year. I picked up one the other day that I know will add a lot of fun and thinking to our family’s year. It’s the Page-A-Day calendar from Cranium. We love the Cranium games and own many of them. The full color calendar is a mini-game for each day. On day one we were asked a “polygraph” which means a true or false question. “Humans and giraffes have the same number of vertebrae in their necks.” Turns out that giraffes and humans both have seven neck vertebrae. My … Continue reading →

Google Earth and the Universe – Space Travel Fun

A few months ago, Jeff talked about Google Earth and how much fun it was to explore the program in one of his blogs. Now, with their latest version, Google Earth has gone into space. Now, not only can you type in San Francisco, you can type in Andromeda, Horsehead Nebula, or Orion. Google and NASA have compiled over a million Hubble Space Telescope and satellite images into a map of space. The project is mind boggling. And so is traveling through the universe! It’s so fun! You can type in an address and view the night sky from that … Continue reading →

Magnetic Poetry Fun

Is there poetry on your refrigerator? Magnetic poetry is a great addition to your house if you have children who are old enough to read and old enough to not eat the magnets! Besides, it’s a lot more fun than regular refrigerator magnets. The magnetic poetry kits come with lots of words printed individually on small thin strips of magnets. I love having these random words on my kitchen appliances. I’ve never seen a child (or an adult for that matter) who can resist rearranging the words. Playing with words encourages original thought, experimenting with language, and creativity. It’s a … Continue reading →

Homework Station

Even if I’m not ready for summer to end, there’s something about shopping for back to school supplies that is fun. At least until I hand over the credit card, that part isn’t fun. Still, it’s fun to see bright shining backpacks, newly sharpened pencils, and lunch boxes that aren’t stained by juice boxes. None of that will last, but it’s still a neat time of year. Part of our back to school routine is setting up a homework station. We pull together all the things that the kids think they will need in the coming months. Our supplies include … Continue reading →

Family Fun with Facial Recognition Software

Have you ever been told you look like a celebrity? My mom’s heard she looks like Shirley Jones (though I think she’s even prettier). My dad used to hear how he looked like Charles Bronson. When we lived in Southern California as teens and twenties, my little brother often made reservations with the last name Van Halen. He was mistaken for Eddie enough times. While there are no true doubles, I think a lot of us look alike. We’ve been having a blast playing with facial recognition software. It compares different facial features to photos in their database. Of course, … Continue reading →

Summer Reading Fun

I’m a big fan of summer reading programs. Many children lose a lot of ground in reading and math skills over the summer. With a little daily practice you can avoid that loss. Besides, when it’s too hot to play, it’s really fun to read a great book in the shade with a glass of lemonade. Our local library offers marvelous incentives to read every year, like free ice cream, free admission to swimming pools, and free toys. They even offer a celebration party for kids who read so many hours during the summer months. As an added plus, the … Continue reading →

Fun, with a side of understanding – hold the nuts

My gal likes to be the one to find us a plum spot when we pull into any parking lot. She will scan the area, swinging her head from side to side, and do her best to line up a prime location for our car to rest while we shop. Recently, on a trip to Whole Foods, she thought she had a great one, right in front of the store. Little did she know it was a handicap spot, complete with blue paint on the ground and a sign planted into the earth. She was upset that I did not … Continue reading →

Sudoko Fun

I enjoy teaching kids to do Sudoko puzzles. Many children don’t want to try them at first because they think are math problems. The first thing I explain is that no math is involved. Sudoko puzzles use logic and reasoning skills which many kids lack or need to develop. I only tell them about the logic part – not that they lack skills! For children you want to start with easy puzzles. While the basic Sudoko has 9 squares of the numbers 1 through 9, you can find simple ones with 4 squares of one through four. You can also … Continue reading →