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Teaching Your Children Gardening Can Help Them Grow Too

March 21, 2017 by dadofdivas 1 Comment

Teaching Your Children Gardening Can Help Them Grow Too
Gardening will allow children to play in the dirt while learning how to eat right, and the process of photosynthesis while developing their bodies.

Introduction

Dads have fun participating in several activities with their kids while they are growing up.  However, one particular activity can be fun, a great lesson about our environment, and assist in the improvement of their motor skills.  Gardening will allow children to play in the dirt while learning how to eat right, and the process of photosynthesis while developing their bodies.

 

Focus On Gardening

In the modern world, children spend several hours consuming different media, and young teenagers spend less than a half-hour doing vigorous physical activities, which may explain why almost 20 percent of kids are considered obese.  Thus, it is more important than ever for fathers to teach their children about the importance of other activities such as gardening.  Teaching your children when they are young about its benefits will help them get more physical activity in their daily lives, and it will also help them learn about the benefits of healthy food.

Gardening will allow children to play in the dirt while learning how to eat right, and the process of photosynthesis while developing their bodies.

Gardening Affects Your Brain Body And Soul

Even the Public Broadcasting Service – or PBS – agrees.  There are plenty of ways that gardening can help your little ones.  Specifically, children will start getting curious about science issues such as photosynthesis.  Learning why plants need the sun to grow will make them more curious about how all the elements work together.  But, they will also learn math lessons while measuring how big the plants grow.  It will create a lot of excitement.

 

Another benefit from gardening is how it affects their bodies physically.  They will love getting their hands dirty while “playing” in the dirt.  The exposure to the outside elements can strengthen your child’s immunity, and overall health, as your child’s body comes into contact with things you won’t find inside the house or school.  Additionally, the physical activity will help their little bodies become stronger.  Such movements as using a wheelbarrow to move dirt, pulling weeds, and raking are great exercises that will help your child, and your garden, grow stronger.

 

Getting away from the smartphones, and tablets, will also help your child learn how to communicate, and build teamwork.  After all, a successfully created garden requires everyone working together to plant things in such a way that every plant or flower grows well.  You child will also benefit from the learned responsibility of taking care of your garden by adding the proper amounts of fertilizer, water and sunlight.

 Gardening will allow children to play in the dirt while learning how to eat right, and the process of photosynthesis while developing their bodies.

Gardening Fun With Games

As a father, you can even make a game out of it with your children.  You can teach them about photosynthesis, the different parts of a plant, and other lessons about plants.  By having them participate in these activities, they will actively learn all about the different parts of the photosynthesis that allow plants to grow.  There is little doubt that, as they learn, they will become excited, and more eager, to help grow more plants, and food, for the garden.

 

Conclusion

As you, and your children, begin the process of cultivating your own garden, it will be a fun learning experience for them.  They will begin to understand how plants grow through photosynthesis.  But, they will also get excited when they realize that they helped in the process of growing the plants, and food, in your garden.  It will be a life lesson that they will carry with them for years to come.

Filed Under: fatherhood Tagged With: education, Garden, gardening, grow, learning, teaching

Rewarding Good Grades & Big Fat Notebooks Helps

October 27, 2016 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Big Fat Notebook series

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I know that I talked about the Big Fat Notebooks in the past and especially this year for my oldest daughter these have been a great learning supplement for what she is learning in school. You see, my oldest made the transition to middle school this year and in some sense it went seamlessly and in others it was a trainwreck. There have been many times where she is now getting into more complex ideas and math and science where my wife and I looked at each other and simply said, what?? She even came home with some grades that my wife and I would never have even thought of coming home with. Things had to change.

We made a fundamental shift, using the supplemental learning materials that Big Fat Notebooks offered to help our daughter grasp some of the more challenging concepts. By referring to these books along with a few additional success strategies we were able to start a new trend that has started to change the tide on learning behavior in our own home.

Big Fat Notebook series

I mentioned that rewarding good grades and for us having benchmarks is important. We have expectations like any parents and we want our daughters to understand this but also have something to strive for. There are many ways that parents may choose to reward their kids for good grades including:

  • Positive words of affirmation
  • Quality time with a parent
  • A special reward of some sort
  • Some parents may even tie monetary rewards to this though our family does not

There are many things that you can do within these points to meet these goals, and based on the personality and temperment of your own child you will have to create something that works for your own family.

Once you do figure out if you will have some type of outcome for your child to strive for, then you have to work with your child to set up good strategies that will help them find success. The Big Fat Notebooks are full of great resources that will help you do just this, but two of the resources that we have tapped into greatly included:

  • Thinking Like a Scientist
  • How to Take Great Notes

 

Both of these resources have been very helpful in better framing the concepts that school might have touched on but did not cover in depth.

Big Fat Notebook series

ABOUT THE BIG FAT NOTEBOOKS

It’s the revolutionary study guide series just for middle school students from the brains behind Brain Quest.

 

The Big Fat Notebook series is built on a simple and irresistible conceit—borrowing the notes from the smartest kid in class. There are five books in all, and each is the only book you need for each main subject taught in middle school: Math, Science, American History, English Language Arts, and World History. Inside the reader will find every subject’s key concepts, easily digested and summarized: Critical ideas highlighted in neon colors. Definitions explained. Doodles that illuminate tricky concepts in marker. Mnemonics for memorable shortcuts. And quizzes to recap it all.

 

The BIG FAT NOTEBOOKS meet Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and state history standards, and are vetted by National and State Teacher of the Year Award–winning teachers. They make learning fun and are the perfect next step for every kid who grew up on Brain Quest.

 

Find Out More

  • Visit the Official Site
  • Follow the Workman Blog
  • Facebook
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Purchase a Copy of Big Fat Notebooks for yourself at the following retailers:

  • Barnes & Noble
  • Indiebound
  • Workman

 

 

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Filed Under: product review Tagged With: Big Fat Notebooks, learning, middle school, product review

Play-Well Promotes STEM Education And More!

July 4, 2016 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Play-Well TEKnologies is working hard to make math and science fun and build a pipeline of future science and math enthusiasts!
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At the Dad 2.0 conference I was introduced to Play-Well, a great organization that is all about science and math STEM education. Just like you see in the bow-tie that I am wearing here Play-well offers great LEGO camps, classes and parties all over the country to encourage kids and adults alike to explore and appreciate science and math!

 Play-Well TEKnologies is working hard to make math and science fun and build a pipeline of future science and math enthusiasts!

The History of Play-Well TEKnologies

Play-Well TEKnologies was founded by Tim Bowen in 1997. Introduced to the LEGO® building system in 1996 and recognizing it to be both a popular play medium and a tremendous learning medium, Tim began to develop projects which drew on his professional experience and combined the elements of fun, challenge, and learning. He began operating a summer camp program in 1997, followed by after school enrichment classes in 1998. With steady growth of the company, project development is now undertaken by a staff of instructors bent on constantly improving the programs.

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Filed Under: fatherhood Tagged With: education, learning, LEGO, Play-Well, STEM

Get Ready to Learn With New ThinkFun Games

February 13, 2016 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

 

Thinkfun Games

My family loves to have family games nights and I have to say that I am always looking for ways to bring in an educational component too. This is a reason I love ThinkFun games. All of the ThinkFun Games I have tried and reviewed in the past including:

  • Bug Trails
  • Gravity Maze
  • Hyper Swipe
  • Last Letter
  • Mathdice Jr.
  • Roll & Play
  • Square By Square
  • Snack Attack
  • Zingo!® Time-telling

All of these games challenged our girls to not only have fun but to learn. The games were all well made to last for a long time to come. The two below games are the newest from ThinkFun and they continue the excellence that I have seen in the past!

Stratos Spheres from Thinkfun Games Stratos Spheres from Thinkfun Games

Thinkfun – Stratos Spheres -2-Player Strategy Game

Take four-in-a-row to a whole new dimension with Stratos Spheres! Stratos Spheres loses the 2-D board and lets you build the game – and your logic skills – as you go. To start, add one of your colored spheres to the white neutral sphere and pass it to your opponent. Your opponent then adds a sphere of their color. This 2-player game goes back and forth until one player gets four of their spheres in a row – in any dimension. With its 3-D construction, Stratos Spheres takes a classic play pattern and adds a dynamic new level of strategy and fun!

Math Dice Chase from Thinkfun Games

Thinkfun – Math Dice Chase

Math Dice Chase is one part hot potato and one part math! Players begin by arranging themselves in a circle. You and the player directly across from you each roll a set of 12-sided dice and race to multiply your numbers together. Quickly shout out the answer and pass the dice as fast as you can. Think fast – this math game is a race and you don’t want to get caught with both sets of dice!

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Filed Under: product review Tagged With: education, educational games, games, learning, product review, ThinkFun

Khan Academy Launches Pixar in a Box

August 27, 2015 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Pixar-in-a-box

Khan-Academy

Khan Academy launches Pixar in a Box, a behind-the-scenes look at Pixar Animation Studios’ creative process

 

Free online curriculum shows how Pixar filmmakers use science, technology, engineering, art and math to create movie magic 

 

Pixar in a Box is a new online resource that explores the academic concepts behind Pixar Animation Studios’ creative process – goes live on KhanAcademy.org. Through a series of video lessons, interactive exercises, and hands-on activities, students will discover how the academic concepts they learn in school enable Pixar filmmakers to create new worlds, animate unique characters and tell stories through animation. Although designed especially for students in middle and high school, these resources are available to learners of all ages, completely free of charge.

 

“Our mission at Khan Academy is a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere,” said Sal Khan, Founder and CEO of the not-for-profit Khan Academy. “Sparking student interest in math and other academic fields is a key part of that, and we’re delighted to collaborate with Pixar to achieve this goal. Pixar in a Box gives students a new way to engage with key academic concepts and see how creative these concepts can be.”

 

“Learning makes us beginners again,” said Ed Catmull, President of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios.  “In my experience, creativity involves missteps and imperfections, which is one more reason it is important for every one of us to keep learning – in order to remain flexible and keep our brains nimble.   By working with Khan Academy on Pixar in a Box, we hope to encourage the excitement of learning and creative thinking for middle and high school students and to provide the tools to do it.”

 

“For years, we’ve heard from teachers at every grade level interested in creating animation-based curricula,” said Elyse Klaidman, Director, Pixar University and Archives.  “We’ve wanted to provide free online resources for them, and Pixar in a Box makes that dream a reality. We hope that it not only gives students a behind-the-scenes look at how our movies are made but also gets them excited about STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) concepts.”

 

Khan and Catmull officially unveiled Pixar in a Box at a special event yesterday evening on the Pixar campus in Emeryville, CA. After an introduction from Klaidman, local educators learned the story behind the project and then received a live demonstration of Pixar in a Box from two of its creators – Brit Cruise, Content Producer at Khan Academy, and Tony DeRose, Senior Scientist and Research Group Lead at Pixar. The evening concluded with a question-and-answer session moderated by Klaidman.

 

“Many students start to lose interest in academics in middle and high school, partly because they don’t see how academic concepts relate to things they care about,” said DeRose. “Pixar in a Box aims to address this disconnect by showing how Pixar filmmakers use these concepts for creative benefit in their everyday work.”

 

Starting today, students can access Pixar in a Box and learn:

  • How combinatorics are used to create crowds, like the swarm of robots in WALL?E.
  • How parabolas are used to model environments, like the forest in Brave.
  • How weighted averages are used to create characters, like Buzz Lightyear and Woody.
  • How linear and cubic interpolation are used to animate characters.
  • How trigonometry is used to create the worlds in which Pixar stories take place.
  • How simultaneous equations are used to paint all of Pixar’s images.

 

“These lessons are the first phase of the project,” said Cruise. “While the first year focuses on math, future Pixar in a Box lessons will explore science, computer science, arts, and humanities.”

 

All Pixar in a Box resources are available free of charge at PixarInABox.org. The site will be updated as additional lessons become available.

 

*****

 

About Khan Academy

 

Khan Academy is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to change education for the better by providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. We believe that students of all ages should have free, unlimited access to the best educational content, and that they should be able to consume and master this content at their own pace. In addition, we believe that there are incredible opportunities to use intelligent software development, deep data analytics, and intuitive user interfaces to more effectively surface and present these educational resources to students and teachers around the world. Our library of content covers kindergarten to early college math, science topics such as biology, chemistry, and physics, and reaches into humanities with tutorials on economics, finance, music, philosophy, and art history. We have over 26 million registered students and to date, we have delivered over 580 million lessons and 3.8 billion exercise problems. For further information, visit KhanAcademy.org.

 

About Pixar Animation Studios

Pixar Animation Studios, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is an Academy Award®-winning film studio with worldenowned technical, creative and production capabilities in the art of computer animation.  Creator of some of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time, including “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Cars,” “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” “WALL•E,” “Up,” “Toy Story 3” and “Brave,” the Northern California studio has won 30 Academy Awards® and its films have grossed more than $8.7 billion at the worldwide box office to date. “Inside Out,” Pixar’s fifteenth feature, is currently in theaters worldwide.

Filed Under: disney, Entertainment Tagged With: art, disney, Disney Pixar, education, entertainment, learning, pixas, trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr5

Replacing “entitlement” in praise and creating selfespect

February 28, 2015 by dadofdivas 1 Comment

Replacing “entitlement” in praise and creating selfespect

by Mary Jo Rapini, MEd, LPC

No matter where you are, if little ones are around, it won’t take long before you’ll hear “You’re so smart,” “You’re so pretty,” as well as, “You’re the best on the team.”

It’s normal to think your child is  brilliant, better looking and more capable than anyone’s child you know; however, that attitude taken to extreme might be moving us toward creating a society of kids who feel entitled.
Surveys from freshman classes show that kids work less in college than they did 10 years ago, and they think more highly of themselves. The majority of freshman college students score high on narcissism. What did we expect? These kids have been raised by parents who praised their every move. With that praise, they have instilled an attitude of entitlement. Kids actually believe they deserve a high paying job, a beautiful home and exotic trips. When you talk to them in depth, and ask them how they plan to acquire these privileges, they have no plan other than knowing their parents had it, so they will too.
The sad part is, they won’t. In fact, they cannot because they have not suffered consequences of not being good at something. Their weaknesses have been overlooked or brushed aside in an attempt to build their confidence with praise.
Praise doesn’t build confidence; in fact, too much praise makes a

child less motivated to take risks and try new things. If you continually tell a child how well they spell, they expect and are motivated to get more praise for spelling. Forget the other subjects, or sports, because they get praised for spelling well. This narrows the child’s world and they don’t branch out or build confidence by trying new things and failing at some.

A much wiser approach is something we call “process praise.”Process praise means you begin to notice and comment on the strategy the child used to figure something out. You focus less on natural talents and more on effort. You teach them that the brain, just like their other muscles, can grow, which helps the child understand that the more effort they make, the more success they will likely see. This helps children understand that challenges are good, and the brain can learn new ways of doing things.
Here are three suggestions for starting a plan of process praise.

  1. Don’t praise as much as you may have in the past. When you do praise, begin with praising effort or attempts at trying new things. Telling a child you like the way they tried something new is going to be more helpful to them than praising them for something at which they are already good.
  2. Praise their strategy, or thinking. “Wow, you really had to use your out-of-the box thinking to come up with that plan.”
  3. Never lie to them or tell them they are good at something they are not. Kids know the truth. If you say it’s a good job and it isn’t, they will stop trusting you or believing you.
Kids get discouraged and when parents give blanket praise such as “You’re so smart” or “You’re such a good pitcher,” kids begin to think this is what they are, or do. A child can be compassionate, smart, musical, and so much more. When parents teach kids to accept challenges, try new things and risk not being the best, they challenge them to grow and exercise their brain. In a world of entitlement and everyone being a winner, we’ve gone too far. Everyone has natural talents and weaknesses. The key is to help a child feel confident enough in their strengths to risk appearing weak in areas that need more strengthening.
Let’s bring back good old-fashioned effort and teach our kids the value of working toward their dreams.
Mary Jo Rapini, MEd, LPC, is a licensed psychotherapist and co-author with Janine J. Sherman, of Start Talking: A Girl’s Guide for You and Your Mom About Health, Sex or Whatever. Read more about the book at www.StartTalkingBook.com and more about Rapini at www.maryjorapini.com.

Filed Under: #dadchat, fatherhood, Guest Post, parenting Tagged With: father, fatherhood, guest post, learning, parent, parenthood, praise

Rock ‘N Learn 10 DVD Preschool Pack #bpopevents #giveaway #dadchat

December 5, 2014 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

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Blog-Pop-Christmas-WishesThe holidays are upon us and that means that it is time to celebrate with the Blog Pop Team’s Christmas Wishes Event! Between December 4-7 the 10 bloggers from Blog Pop are working together to bring you some awesome giveaways! So go and check out the following blogs for some other great prizes, and remember to come back here a lot over the next few days to enter for some great prizes! The 10 blogs that are a part of the school rules  event include:

Daddy Mojo Still Blonde After all These years Dad of Divas Being MVP Way to Go Life
Momma Told Me
My Life with Rats Keenly Kristen Modly Chic Andrea’s World

My next giveaway is Below!

rocknlearn
About the DVD Set

Rock ‘N Learn’s educational programming, presented here via DVD, pairs basic reading and phonics lessons with the kind of toe-tapping tuneage that appeals to kids aged 2 and up. Tots interact with the music, as well as the whimsical onscreen characters, during lessons that span from everything from rhymes and sight words to phonics. Rock ‘N Learn’s multisensory model is a fun, riotous method of learning that’s racked up more than 100 national awards in the last 25 years. This new set brings all of Rock ‘N Learn’s best together in one place! In this 10 DVD pack your children will be given so many learning lessons that do so many things to encourage early literacy and more.

DVD Features

  • Helps teach preschool lessons with animated characters and catchy music
  • Nursery rhymes encourage literacy skills
  • Lessons on letters, colors, shapes, counting, shoe-tying, and more
  • Sight words DVDs cover over 170 words
  • Discs run 30-45 minutes apiece
  • Ages 2-5

First-Sight-Words
Set Contents

  • Nursery Rhymes
  • Let’s Play School
  • Colors, Shapes & Numbers
  • Alphabet Fun
  • First Sight Words
  • Sight Words
  • More Sight Words
  • Phonics for Beginners
  • Phonics for Reading
  • Rock ‘N Read

Giveaway

How would you like to win this DVD set for your family? All you need to do is fill out the below form to enter. The contest will run for one week and will end on December 19, 2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

    • Enter any of the giveaways below

 

 

Winner must be a resident of the U.S.

Winners are chosen at random, if you want all your chances counted, make sure you leave individual comments, not all of them in one!

Winner has 48 hours to contact me or another name will be chosen.

As required by the FTC: Blog POP! received no monetary compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are those of the writer’s alone.

THE FINE PRINT: All entrants must be 18 years of age or older. Please read each giveaway’s directions carefully as entry methods may differ, and giveaways may be open to different world areas. Please make sure you leave a way (valid email address) with your entries to be contacted if you win. Please note that Dad of Divas, Blog POP! or the Blog POP! bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. We will make every effort to assist you obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor please notify the blog you won a prize from within 30 days for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you. Good luck!

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Filed Under: Blog Pop, giveaway Tagged With: blog pop, blogpop, education, giveaway, learning, Rock 'N Learn

The ClickN KIDS Tablet Offers Apps and More! #dadchat

October 11, 2013 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

 

 

click n kids
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The ClickN KIDS Family Tablet is the only tablet preloaded with Looney Tunes Phonics. This fully loaded tablet comes out of the box with a matching gel case for superior protection and style. The ClickN KIDS tablet is the first of its kind to offer a dual-purpose interface, which means this tablet is designed for both kids and grownups. The Kids Place experience offers access to more than 30 pre-loaded apps including Looney Tunes Phonics, Talking Tom 2 and Talking Ginger, Diversion, Team Awesome and more. Your ClickN KIDS Tablet comes with the best parental controls available today with web content filtering, built-in monitoring and controls that let you protect your child’s identity, monitor their time usage and even prevent your child from downloading new apps and performing other functions that can cost you money. The grownups section offers everything you need from a full-featured tablet. Simply tap on the grownups button, type in your secure pin number and you’re in.
click n kids

ClickN KIDS with WiFi 7″ Touchscreen Tablet PC:


Technical Specifications:

    • 1.5GHz Dual-Core processor
    • 1GB of system memory
    • 7″ touchscreen, 800 x 480 resolution
    • Built-in 802.11b/g/n WiFi

click n kids

 

Additional Features:

  • Front webcam with microphone
  • miniUSB port, 3.5mm jack
  • 8GB on-board storage memory, additional memory via microSD card slot
  • stereo speakers
  • Up to 5 hours of run time on a full charge
  • Weighs 0.7 lbs; 7.48″ x 5.04″ x 0.46″ dimensions

Software and Applications:

  • Android 4.1 OS (Jelly Bean)
  • Looney Tunes ClickN Read Phonics, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Voice, Google Books, YouTube, Google Drive, Google+, Google Earth, Google Finance, Twitter, Facebook
  • Android browser and Google Play (for applications)
  • Android Music Player
  • Media Formats: Popular media formatsclick n kids

What’s in the Box:

  • Tablet and AC adapter
  • Gel case
  • Looney Tunes sticker

My Take on the Tablet

I had never heard about these tablets until recently. I love technology and thus my kids do too, thus, when I brought this out they swooped in, took it and gave it a workout. Initially in taking this out of the box I have to say that I was impressed that they provided you with a case (made of rubber). Not only does this save you money, but they come in a number of colors that you can tailor to your childrens’ own personality or style.
The Tablet itself is fully loaded with a ton of educational and safe games that will give you peace of mind knowing that what they are doing on the tablet itself is going to benefit them and that they will not get into things that you really don’t want them in. Even better is that there is a grown up side to this that allows you to turn off the safety and get on your favorite apps or even check things on the internet.
The Looney Tunes Phonics was great for my youngest daughter who is in Kindergarten as it really pushes her to practice and learn about her letters and about words in general. The learning happens in a fun and interactive way and thus far she loves playing in it!
The battery life is extensive for a tablet with about a 5 hour life. I have tried other tablets in the past that definitely do not have this type of life. That being said I am still trying it out and am interested to see how long the battery ends up lasting in general. I recommend running the battery all the way down and then charging, as I do with all of my electronics as I find that this lengthens the life of the battery overall.
Overall, thus far I am quite impressed. The tablet works well, the parent controls are amazing, and the learning apps are great. I recommend that all check this out for yourself as you will see that for less than $100, this is a great gift for any child!

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Filed Under: product review Tagged With: Application, apps, games, Google, Google Play, learning, Looney Tunes, Looney Tunes ClickN Read Phonics, Looney Tunes Phonics, tablet, Tablet computer, technology, Touchscreen, Wi-Fi

How Online Learning Games Help Your Child Explore the World

March 7, 2013 by dadofdivas 2 Comments

Nowadays, younger children are using computers from an earlier age. This is because they help children to learn, to become more accustomed to technology and explore the world that we live in today. There are many different games for children to play. There are educational games which are based on a wide array of subject topics, including; maths, foreign languages, the economy, geography, the environment, and much, much more. There are also other games which are based on cartoon characters, such as Tom and Jerry and Scooby Doo, whilst the sole purpose of these games is to have fun, they also possess several advantages because they have learning aspects and are good when it comes to helping children explore the world.

 

Develop specific skills (e.g. map reading)

Online games help your children to develop specific skills. For example, if your child is playing an adventure game then they may need to use a map in order to get to the place they need to be. This is something which may prove to be extremely beneficial and thus can aid them with map reading which then consequently helps with regards to maths and geography.

Learning a foreign language

Learning a foreign language is something which is very much recommended in today’s day and age. This is because it presents children with a wealth of job opportunities for when they grow up. Lots of people underestimate the importance of learning a different language, because they take the fact that most people know English for granted. Nevertheless, languages prove to be extremely beneficial and children are better off learning them as early as possible because they will find it a lot easier. There are lots of online games which are focused on teaching languages. These can be both fun and educational. Moreover, as your child gets better you can actually find their favorite games, e.g. Tom and Jerry games, in the language they are learning, e.g. Spanish. This progresses their learning because the instructions and the storyline will be in Spanish.

 

Learn more about the world

In general games can broaden your child’s general knowledge. This is because the more that they are exposed to, the more they learn. After all, your child may be playing a game which is based in a certain country; this alone will enhance their general knowledge as they will discover a new place; where it is situated and what it is like.

 

Embrace history

There are lots of games which help children to explore history. Some of the games you find will be set in a certain time frame, this will lead them to ponder further and thus they will be likely to ask you when this was and probably if you were around then to (so try not to get offended!). They may also get to enrich their knowledge with regards to certain artifacts and history pieces, the Greek gods are often featured in a lot of games for example. Moreover, there are games whereby your child makes their own mosaic and alike.

As you can see, there are lots of benefits to be had by allowing your child to explore the games which are available on the internet and thus consequently explore the world we live in today. And the best thing is, your child will be learning and absorbing information without even realizing that they are doing so because they will be having so much fun.

 

Author bio – 

Celina is a qualified multimedia journalist. She played various cartoon games, including Tom and Jerry and Batman, in order to research for this article. 

Filed Under: Guest Post Tagged With: games, learning, online

How to Talk Politics with Kids

October 8, 2012 by dadofdivas 84 Comments

While you may want to avoid talking politics in social settings, the same is not true at home.  In fact, children are witnesses to our most honest opinions on most matters, including politics.   As parents, you are responsible for introducing the idea of politics and debate to your children, and launching their personal journey toward being part of the democratic process.  No small task.

How can parents help their children to understand the importance of politics and debate while reassuring them that they’re safe?

According to Claire Haas, vice president of education, Kiddie Academy (www.kiddieacademy.com), “The key to making sense of the election is explaining politics in a way that a child can understand and digest.  In fact, parents shouldn’t miss this great opportunity to teach their families about expressing and respecting differing opinions.”

Claire offers the following tips and electionelated activities for children:

Have a Party: Encourage your child to create their own mock political party. They can decide on their platform, create a symbol and even debate siblings or friends on the merits of their party.  Perhaps the winner gets to choose the next movie to see or meals for a week.

Vote on it: Macaroni & cheese or tacos for dinner? Create a mock voting booth and ballots for each member of the family. When all the votes have been cast, tally the results and talk about the process and how it relates to choosing a president.

Dinnertime Debate:  Give each member of the family 2 minutes over dinner to discuss why they prefer one candidate over the other.  Be sure to include younger children – it may result in some unique perspectives.  Children can practice important life skills, including active listening,  respect for others and taking turns.

Provide Age-Appropriate Answers:  Younger children may simply want to know what an election means, in the most basic terms.  Older kids will likely want more details.

Explain Yourself:  Particularly if you are passionate about the candidate you prefer, take the time to explain why.   Defend your position, and what you like or don’t like about each candidate.  Encourage your kids to ask questions or choose a candidate they prefer, even if it’s not the same as your own choice.

Write a Letter:  Whether electronic or old-school ink and paper, writing a letter to a politician is a great way to demonstrate the democratic process, and the importance of sharing opinions.  In an election year, it’s likely your child will get a response.

Here are the addresses:

President Barack Obama, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500  (Link to email form: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments)

Romney for President, PO Box 149756, Boston, MA 02114-9756 (LInk to email form: http://www.mittromney.com/forms/suggestions)

You can also find your local representatives by starting at www.(your state).gov.

To download more tips and ideas for introducing politics to children, parents can visit the Kiddie Academy Family Essentials blog at www.kafamilyessentials.com

Filed Under: Guest Post Tagged With: education, election, learning

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