Adventures with Kids

Travel Journalling with Kids

2012-01-26T18:56:00.000+09:30

We have recently been on a two-week trip to Adelaide, South Australia. In a bid to keep my eldest son entertained on the plane and during down time (and sneak in some learning time) I created a travel journal for him.

It included some activities for exploring the airport,

an activity to draw what he thought he might see and do on our trip,

a passport to collect stamps from all the places we visited along the way. You take this piece of paper and fold it to create a hotdog booklet. You then ask at all the places you go to for a stamp in the booklet – for example, the airport check-in, any places you visit (for example, at the zoo) and anywhere else you like.

and a map and round up of the important parts of our holiday.

Thanks to Journey Jottings for the inspiration for the stamp passport and the single page journey map.

My son declined to share his hand drawn map (not quite finished as he lost interest), but here is a version I made up with some of our holiday pictures.

I think that as well as drawing the map children might like to make a collage-style map using pictures from travel brochures or by planning photos that they could include on the map (for example, if I had planned the photos in advance for a map I probably would have taken pics of the entrance signs for example, Adelaide Zoo).

Do you keep a journal when you travel? Or encourage your children to do so?

setting up a computer for my son to use

2012-01-22T14:13:00.000+09:30

B (who is now 6 y.o.) recently requested his own çomputer space’ where he could save files, surf the internet, send email, play his favourite games and keep things safe from his brother.

We have an old laptop that the boys use when they are on the computer. So, I spent about an hour last week setting up user accounts for the boys, an email account for B and a safe internet search.

Setting up separate user accounts for your children allows you to protect your files and programs (and theirs) from access and accidental deletion and prevents children from installing unwanted programs on the computer. You can also add parental controls to each user account to control what games and programs they may access. It is also possible to set time limits on computer use for each user.

To set up a new user account on a Windows computer, go to the Start menu and open the Control Panel. Look for and open User Accounts, then Add or Remove a User Account.

At this point, if you don’t already have a password for your Admin account you need to set one (otherwise your children can bypass everything you’ve done and log on as the Administrator). Do that by clicking on the Admin account name and looking for Create a Password.

To set up a new account click Create a New Account. Create a new standard user account and name your new account. You can then click the icon for your new account and personalise it with the icon of your child’s choice and a password. You can also turn on Parental Controls, which allows you to

set up daily time limits for computer time (children can’t log on outside the allowed time limits)
set a rating for allowed games or block specific games. I initially tried setting a rating for games for my son, but many games (for example, card games) are then blocked because they have no rating. So I went in and manually selected which games my son could play. We have had trouble with some of the inbuilt games on the computer which require or incite purchase after a certain amount of time, so I wanted to block some of them.
block or allow specific programs. This applies to programs that are not games. For example, I wanted to block Skype and this is where I did that.

I then created shortcuts on the desktop (when logged on to the computer as my son) for my son’s favourite games to make it easy for him to open them.

Next I wanted to set up email and internet access within my son’s account.

I chose to use Google Chrome as the browser. I knew I could set up safe search criteria within Google searches and Google Chrome fas a very simple interface with fewer visible buttons to accidentally click and do something unexpected. And it has a great opening screen which displays icons for your most visited sites – meaning my son can find them without needing to type addresses or pull up bookmark menus. You could also add bookmarks to the bookmarks bar at the top of the browser, but as these are text they are less easy for my son who is not yet a fluent reader

To set up Google SafeSearch, click on the cog wheel icon at the top right of google.com and then click on Search Setting. Look for the SafeSearch filters on the page that appears. Strict filtering filters both explicit text and explicit images and the default Moderate filtering filters explicit images only. If you have a Google Account you can click on Lock SafeSearch to ensure strict filtering is always in place.

To create an email address for my son I followed this advice to create a personalised address linked to my email account.

All that set up, I feel comfortable to let my son search and use the computer independently without me sitting next to him. I do, however, have the computer in the living room and will be nearby when he is using the computer to monitor what he is doing (since no safety software can do everything) and lend a hand if needed.
I have found that this computer set up has motivated my son to do a lot of new reading and writing as he tries to search for his interests and interacts with family via email.

What sites is he visiting? You might like to visit a list of my son’s favourite games. He is also a big fan of Reading Eggs and National Geographic Kids. And he his web searching has led him to a variety of Mario Brothers games.

I got a lot of useful ideas about children using computers, phones and other electronic media from Vodafone’s free magazine, Digital Parenting (available in Vodafone stores). {NB. Thanks to Vodafone for sending me this useful resource} This is where I first learnt about Google’s SafeSearch. The magazine also has a lot of information for parents on the pros and cons of social networking for children.

You might also like to visit Google’s Family Safety site to learn more about protecting your child online.

How do you monitor your child’s computer use? What games/programs does your child like to play?

Australia With Kids - Sydney

2011-12-28T08:35:00.000+09:30

Today, Ramona kindly shares her favourite things to do with children in Sydney. Ramona’s blog, Learning Activities has lots of great ideas to enhance your child’s learning (including great printables) and ideas for even more fun things to do with children in Sydney.

Hi,
I am Ramona from Learning Activities. I arrived in Australia 2 years ago and am just loving life here! We settled in Sydney over a year ago and have since been discovering all that this beautiful city has to offer! Which is just loads! It is going to take us forever to see everything which means there is never a dull weekend of wondering what to do. There is a great selection of things to do for dry and wet weather, so here goes...So far here are many of the great activities we have discovered:

BEACHES

Balmoral Beach
Balmoral Beach is great for kids because it has places to climb and discover, bridges to walk over or under. In the photo above the children are running towards a little island that stands out on the beach. There is a bridge to get to it from the promenade which is a lovely walk in itself. It’s not a surfing beach therefore the water is calmer for swimming in.

CHINA TOWN

If you are heading directly into the city, take a wander through China Town. You will find some great places to eat, lots of shops full of wonderful trinkets and goodies and maybe even a dragon or two!

FERRY RIDE

You must of course go for a ferry ride, maybe to Manly and back. The reason being is that on your way back from Manly you get the most beautiful view of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House as you come round the corner of the headland past the Governor’s House on your left. Then take a wander around the harbour towards the Opera House. Or go in the opposite direction towards the Museum of Contemporary Art (which is free). Go a little further and you will reach my favourite part of Sydney, The Rocks. The Rocks is steeped in history, there is a little free museum in the pebbled back streets or even better do a ghost walk at night (but you will need a babysitter for this!)

MARKETS

Frenchs Forest Organic Market
Every Sunday the Parkway Hotel is turned into a market full of fascinating stalls full of seasonal fruit and vegetables, homemade clothes, ornaments and knick knacks. For kids there are bouncy castles, pony rides and toy stalls. In the photo above my daughter spent her Christmas money on a parasol and fairy dress.
(Open every Sunday 8am – 1pm. Parkway Hotel, Frenchs Forest NSW 2086)

Paddington Market
This market at the end of Oxford Street in the city. It is great for finding things from yesteryear or something a bit out of the ordinary. There are a variety of food stalls, toilets and a little climbing frame for the children. It is popular and does get very busy though!
(Open every Saturday – 10am. 395 Oxford Street)

MUSEUMS

Australian Museum
Me and my children love the Museum! We walk to it from Circular Quay, across the beautiful Hyde Park with its stunning water fountains. The Museum is a great place for a rainy day or even better still maybe you fancy sleeping there overnight!
(Opening hours - 9.30am to 5pm daily (except Christmas Day) 6 College Street Sydney
NSW 2010 Australia)

Powerhouse Museum
Another great rainy day place to take the children. Lots of hands on, interactive displays to keep little ones intrigued and occupied. There is also a great building area called Zoe’s house where the children can pretend they are builders operating cranes, pushing train carts or filling the rubble shoot. If that doesn’t take their fancy there is always the Cogs playground to play in.
(Opening hours – 10am – 5pm. (except Christmas Day))

PARKS

Clontarf Park Reserve, Manly
A great place to take your children for a run around, meet other mums, have a coffee and just watch the boats sail by.

ZOO

Taronga Zoo
The zoo is right on the edge of the water and therefore has some fantastic views of the sea and the city. It is a great day out! You can take a packed lunch for the kids or make use of the cafes and restaurants there. There is so much to see and do that you would want to spend the day there. My ‘must sees’ are:

The great Southern Oceans – with lots of opportunities to feel close to the underwater animals through huge glass walls, you will love this section!

Kids Zoo - a great place for the children to get close to bush turkeys, explore a barnyard, climb up into the sheds and play with the water mills.

Wild Australia – a walk through environment where you can spot kangaroos and wallabies close up.

You can get a ferry to the zoo from the Circular Quay. Because of it’s location the zoo is quite hilly and therefore you do get a good workout if you are pushing a pram/buggy/stroller. There is paid parking in the carpark provided or if you don’t mind a bit of a walk, there is free parking on the streets nearby.

Well I hope this gives you enough to do next time you visit Sydney, have a great time!

Have you visited Sydney? What things do/did your children love to do in the city?

This post was first published in June 2010. The links have been updated and the post republished.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T09:44:00.001+09:30

Merry Christmas.

My thanks for your support of my blog in 2011.

Catherine xx

Australia With Kids - Perth

2011-12-18T07:48:00.001+09:30

Christie Burnett is Perth born and bred (but please don't hold it against her!) She blogs at Childhood 101 about all things ‘childhood,’ with the dream to inspire families to create happy, memorable childhoods for their children. As well as being the proud Mum of one very busy and social toddler, she is an annoying wife, a domestic disaster and a passionate Early Childhood Teacher with experience teaching in schools and child care. She has also worked as a presenter, consultant and writer - educating other educators about teaching and learning. Childhood 101 is where Christie brings all of these experiences together to create a place where parents can go to be informed and feel supported in their role as parents. It was awarded Asia Pacific Best Parenting Blog in 2009.

Perth is a great city to visit with kids, especially if you like to spend time outdoors. From the beautiful beaches to plentiful parks and playgrounds, the kids can have a ball whilst Mum and Dad join in or sit back and relax! Best of all, many of Perth’s family friendly attractions are free or cost very little, you’ll just need money for a coffee for Mum!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tylerburrus/ / CC BY 2.0

Perth beaches are the best in Australia. Cottesloe, Floreat, City Beach, Scarborough, Sorrento, Rockingham, Coogee – beaches all along the Perth coastline feature clean, white sand, grassy green reserves and often nearby playground equipment, and are great for picnicking, swimming and beachcombing.

The lovely Mettams Pool (15 minutes from Perth CBD) has wonderful rock pools for children to explore and at less than 2 metres deep inside the pool, is great for introducing children to snorkelling. West Coast Highway, North Beach

Fremantle
A visit to Perth would be incomplete without a trip to Fremantle. Fremantle is about laid back lifestyles and families can’t go past Fishing Boat Harbour for fish and chips, a run to kick a ball on the large grassy reserve and time to check out the boats along the wharf. For Mum, a wander through the Fremantle Markets or the thrift and novelty stores scattered around town, or coffee in one of the many, many Freo cafes while Dad runs around after the kids – sounds perfect to me! Fremantle is 20 minutes drive south of Perth.

Whiteman’s Park
Whiteman’s Park offers heaps of family fun – mini electric cars, vintage tram and train rides, a Children’s Forest, Tractor & Motor Museum, bike hire, bushwalking trails, playgrounds, a mini pool playground (summer months), oh and did I mention… the Lolly Shop! Many of the attractions at Whiteman’s Park are free. Entrance off Beechboro Road or Lord Street, Caversham - 25 minutes from Perth CBD

Caversham Wildlife Park
At Caversham Wildlife Park you can get up close and personal with Australia’s native animals. Feed the kangaroos, have a photo with a koala and catch the keeper talks and hands-on shows. There is also a petting farm and farm show, which the children will love. Adult $22, Child (over 3 years) $8. Located inside Whiteman’s Park, see above.

Kings Park
As well as being a beautiful botanical garden with fantastic views to Perth City and the Swan River, Kings Park also has a number of great playgrounds. The Synergy Playground is perfect for primary school aged children and features a 75m-long elevated walkway, a two-tiered island fort, large-scale replicas of local dinosaurs, a timber boardwalk and an interactive water misting forest.

I have written about my love of the Kings Park Ivey Watson playground for prior-to-school aged children previously at Childhood 101. With a pirate ship, fire engine, castle with moat, a maze and multiple areas with climbing equipment, the children will be happy for hours. Both playgrounds have cafes too which is always a bonus! Kings Park is just 1.5 kms from the Perth CBD.

Heathcote Reserve
The playground at Heathcote Reserve encourages imagination play. The pirate playground is the main feature of the play equipment, a giant wooden replica boat that kids can clamber all over, climbing up and down. It is however best suited for children over the age of 3 as the pirate ship has lots of high places and steep steps perfect for falling down toddlers! Duncraig Road, Applecross

Deep Water Point
With a fenced in playground featuring simple play equipment, the nice feature of Deep Water Point is its proximity to the river. The views are lovely, you can engage in a little trainspotting, and walk or ride along the bike path around the river. 100 The Esplanade, Mount Pleasant

Maylands Waterland
Open November - April each year, Maylands Waterland is like a water park for our smaller citizens. With 4 pools ranging from splash pool for babies to large leisure pool, mini golf course, free to use BBQs and children’s play equipment, the added bonus of it’s riverfront location makes for a perfect holiday setting. Adult $3.60, Child $2.90 (Under 2 free), Family pass available. 32 Clarkson Rd Maylands

Perth Zoo
Children love zoos! Perth Zoo features exhibits with large, more natural settings for the animals and well designed viewing windows and platforms for the visitors. It is pleasant and easy to walk around and includes a large grassy picnic area if you prefer to take your own lunch! Information regarding the daily keeper talks and feeding presentations is available on arrival. Adult $20, Child (over 4 years of age) $10. 20 Labouchere Road, South Perth.

Perth Museum
Maybe I am a nerd but I loved visiting Perth Museum as a child – the dinosaur bones and eerie stuffed animals and the MASSIVE blue whale skeleton, fascinating I say. Perth Cultural Centre, James Street, Perth

Do you have a favourite place to visit with kids in Perth?

This was originally posted in March 2010. The links have been checked and the blog reposted.

Magnetic Christmas tree decorating

2011-12-14T16:04:00.001+09:30

When I saw this magnetic Christmas tree idea on Play at Home Mom, I knew I was going to recreate it for my boys.

I glued magnets on the back of some Christmas craft decorations and garland that we had at home. I drew a tree on the fridge with window markers and let them at it.

As usual, my eldest wanted to take it further and draw his own tree.

Australia With Kids - Melbourne

2011-12-11T09:41:00.001+09:30

{This post was first published in March 2010. I have checked that the links are still correct and republished it}

This week, we continue to look at family friendly activities around Australia by visiting Melbourne. Nicole, a mum of 5, who blogs at Planning With Kids, has kindly written about her home, Melbourne. At her blog she regularly writes about parenting and organising (some might even say planning) your life with children.

It is a very parochial statement, but given that I wasn't born in Melbourne and I have adopted it as my home city, I don't feel so biased in saying that Melbourne is a fabulous city. There is always so much to do and the pace of the city is not one which makes it family unfriendly. I regularly write a monthly highlights post on children's activities in Melbourne on my blog, but below I have listed my favourites, that I would recommend visiting if you are holidaying with kids in Melbourne:

Federation Square

I love Federation Square. It is the type of place that you can visit with no plans and always find something interesting to do with the kids, without it costing a fortune! Federation Square is located on the corner of Flinders and Swanson Streets in Melbourne. As such it super easy to take public transport there, with Flinders Street Station just across the road and trams running along both Flinders and Swanson Streets. Highlights at Federation Square include:

National Gallery of Victoria

The NGV is open 10am–5pm (closed Mondays). It is free to see the permanent collections, but there are fees for some of the visiting collections. The NGV have just recently opened Kids Corner which can be accessed from corner of Flinders and Russell Streets. Kids Corner is a specially designed space for children and their families to enjoy creative installations and activities designed just for them. Access is free and while you are there you can:

Sit on the horse, elephant or rug and immerse yourself in Hiraki Sawa’s Going places sitting down video
Explore and encounter art from around the world with ‘Share and discover’ activity cards
Touch, smell and see different things next to the mirror and curtain
Find, count and describe all the animals and objects on the walls
Play in cubbies, tunnels and slide
Have fun with building blocks, animal shapes and aeroplanes

Australian Centre For The Moving Image

ACMI explores the world of film, television and digital culture. It has both permanent and touring exhibitions. The new Screen Worlds permanent exhibition is free and kids can get involved with interactive exhibits and play classic and contemporary video games. Each Sunday ACMI has Kids Flick's with tickets only $5 each. They screen an eclectic range of films, from the Classics like Wizard of Oz, to Spike Jonze's Where The Wild Things Are. Kids Flicks are also screened week days at 11am during the school holidays and are generally free. There is also an accompanying free kids activity during the school holidays which runs from 12pm - 3pm. No bookings are required and you can just drop in and the kids can make their own animation. The type of animation varies, this coming holidays in March/April they can make a claymation based on Where The Wild Things Are. The video below shows a claymation that my kids have produced at ACMI a little while ago.

Birrarung Marr

Once you have seen a movie and made your animation you can head out to have some fresh air and fun at the lovely Birrarung Marr. The park and playground is located on the north bank of the Yarra River just next to Federation Square. Its name comes from the language of the Wurundjeri people who originally inhabited this area, 'Birrarung' means 'river of mists' while ‘Marr’ refers to the side of the river. A great thing about this park is that it caters for children across a wide age group. All my children (aged 1 - 11 y.o) have a great time here. Sometimes it is doing just simple things like climbing the massive boulders or rolling down the green hills, but they never have trouble finding something fun to do.

St Kilda Precinct

St Kilda is 6km south of the Melbourne CBD and can be easily reached by a number of trams. St Kilda is a vibrant and fun part of Melbourne and you could easily spend a whole day with the kids around this area, investigating places like:

St Kilda Adventure Playground

The St Kilda Adventure Playground is no ordinary playground. It like a neighbourhood backyard, complete with chickens wandering through the ground. Open from Monday to Friday 3.30 to 5.30pmand Saturday & Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm the playground is staffed and filled with climbing structures, trampoline, cubbies and natural play spaces. This space allows children to roam freely, explore and to take risks in an environment of safety. Image by City Of Port Phillip

St Kilda Pier

St Kilda Pier is a gorgeous stroll for the family. The wooden pier dates back to the 1850s and it provides great views of the city and the bay. Near the pier is the breakwater which is home up to one hundred little penguins. The pier offers panoramic views of the city, a great spot for fishing and beautiful kiosk to visit. Image by Parks Victoria .

St Kilda Busking

The St Kilda Busking Festival is a great snapshot of what St Kilda is all about - a wonderful mish mash of people, interests and abilities! Buskers play live on the streets varying from performers, exhibitionists and general entertainers. Performances are from 1pm and 4pm on Sundays until May. You may even find the king of rock himself performing -Elvis. Image by St Kilda Busking Festival Other highlights to visit in the St Kilda area are: Luna Park and the Esplanade Markets.

Collingwood Children's Farm

Collingwood Children's Farm describes itself as Country Life for City Folk. It is only 5km from the Melbourne CBD and cover seven beautiful hectares of land by the Yarra River. The farm is open every day of the year from 9am to 5pm. Entry prices are:

Family $16
Adult $8
Children $4
Family = 2 adults and up to 4 kids
Children under 2 are free.

Kids can have a turn at milking the cow at 10am and 4pm, feeding the animals, helping with farm chores, cuddle a guinea pig, waddle with the ducks, feed the chooks, look for eggs and enjoy roaming the paddocks. And for the adults the farm even has its own lovely Cafe now! The Children's Farm also has other special events like farmer's markets, winter solstice celebrations and family days. Family Days are held the first Sunday of each month and there are free pony rides, hay rides between 10.30 - 2.30pm (No Pony Rides in Term 3 as the horses go on a winter break), a BBQ and activities matching the monthly theme. Right next door to the farm is the beautiful Abbotsford Convent that is also definitely worth a visit.

The Royal Botanical Gardens - The Children's Garden

So much thought has gone into creating this beautiful Children's Garden. It is part of the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens which comprises over 36 hectares of land and displays more than 50,000 plants.

The Children's Garden is opens from 10am until sunset, but they are closed Mondays and Tuesdays and also for an 8 week period in winter. Entry is free. The garden allows children the opportunity to dig, create, roam and explore. Our family's highlights of the garden are the Tree Tower, The Isle and the Kitchen Garden. When visiting the Children's it is best to enter from the main entrance to the Gardens in the Observatory Precinct, Birdwood Avenue, South Yarra. This is almost directly opposite the Shrine Of Remembrance which you could visit as well!

Whatever you may choose to do in Melbourne, have fun!

What are you favourite things to do with children in Melbourne?

little space heroes

2011-12-07T16:08:00.000+09:30

B and I have been testing a new kids’ virtual universe – Little Space Heroes.

The game has been created by Australian company Bubblegum Interactive and is designed for kids aged 6 – 12. The Age has published an interview with the game creator which answers some questions about how and why this game was developed.

To start playing you choose and name a virtual hero. Your hero then attends the Space Heroes Academy to learn to use a Jet Pack, Bubble Blaster and Star Jet.

Your hero journal guides you as to what skills you need to acquire and where you need to go to move on in the game.

As you move around trying to achieve goals or complete quests, there are many mini-games that you can play (like Jetpack Training in the picture below). These might remind some adult players of the arcade style games they played as a child.

Once you complete you space heroes training, you can blast off in your Star Jet to visit other worlds in the Space Heroes universe, like the Jungle Planet or the Glow Planet.

The aim of the game is to solve the mystery of the missing Glows and discover the whereabouts of the dastardly Lord Shadowbot. Kids can team up with friends to play and communicate via a chat feature.

Chat is a communication tool in the game. For younger children, you can set up your child’s account to use safe chat with a variety of set phrases. Or you can allow open chat which lets your child type their own messages. Messages are then subject to filtering for inappropriate language and content.

Basic membership of Little Space Heroes is free. Or you can purchase a premium membership for US$6/month. I didn’t test out the premium membership but it offers increased levels of customisation of your character, the ability to befriend more people and access to members only planets.

I thought my 6 y.o. son was a little young to fully enjoy this game. He doesn’t have the reading level required to participate in chat or to read the heroes journal and figure out his next mission. This was a bit frustrating for us because he likes to play independently, and while I like to be close and see what he’s doing, if I sit next to him I have a tendency to take over.

However, if he was a little older I would prefer this advertisement-free adventure to many other games sites available online.

What online games do your children enjoy? Do you prefer an advertisement-free site (even if you have to pay for it)?

Australia With Kids - Canberra

2011-12-02T12:39:00.001+09:30

We are returning to our exploration of great things to do with kids around Australia by visiting Canberra with Jane from Kidaddle.

Jane is a 41 year old mother of two who took her kids to New Zealand in 2006. She loved the PureNZ website and how it made life easier when travelling over there with children. Her Kidaddle blog is her attempt to draw positive experiences of places in Australia together in one site for families. She would welcome readers contributing their own comments and experiences and hopes to open the blog to guest contributions.

Kidaddle to Canberra

When you’re born and brought up in Canberra, you quickly get used to defending the place … unbelievably, people from other places think of Canberra as little more than a destination for school excursions to learn about Parliament. Or a subject of just ridicule as the Government Town. But we natives like to say that in Canberra you have the advantages of the nation’s capital in a village. You don’t have to deal with hard core commuting. You rarely strike a ridiculous crowd or a queue. You have world class facilities to visit and learn from, alongside a community that’s into pretty much everything. And acres and acres of parkland.
But how do we boil this down to the essentials? The five things you have to do on a visit to Canberra with kids?

Well let’s leave the icons aside … Parliament House (old or new), the National Gallery, the War Memorial … you all know about those already. And let’s not worry about seasonal events. If you were to land in Canberra right now – here’s where we’d send you kidaddling off to:

Tidbinbilla

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is only a 40 minute drive from Canberra's city centre and is a great place to go with kids when you feel like getting outside, stretching your legs, enjoying the local environment and learning something about the history of the region. Tidbinbilla features a range of habitats for native animals including wetlands, grasslands, dry forests, wet forests and sub-alpine areas, supporting birds and animals including lyrebirds, kangaroos, possums, wombats, echidnas, platypus and emus.

It’s also a bit of a fixture on the Canberra landscape. The area is a place of deep significance to local Aboriginal people with artefacts and rock shelters in the park, alongside the considerably newer remnants of European pioneers.

There’s lots of things to do – drive around, have a picnic, take your bikes and ride them, go for a bushwalk. Any visit to Tidbinbilla has to take in two things established since the 2003 bushfires swept through the valley: the Sanctuary and the Nature Discovery Playground. Our kids love the playground, complete with flying fox, water course and super slides. The Sanctuary is wonderful - a series of ponds attracting and nurturing birdlife. There's no need to do a four hour “challenging" hike up front: just take the kids on the hour walk around the Sanctuary, and don't miss the side walk up the rocks (an extra ten minutes) or the kids' river crossing.

Questacon

Questacon was established to promote understanding and awareness of science and technology. Most kids don’t realise that. They think it’s a place to go to have fun. And that’s the best thing about it. The clever people behind Questacon realise that we learn best by doing and hence the exhibits are all about providing fun ways to explore different ideas and concepts.

The second best thing about Questacon is it doesn’t matter who you have in your group – you’re all going to have fun together. I have been with grandma plus toddlers, junior school age plus junior high school and father plus school children … and we’ve all had a great time together. A lot of the exhibits are old favourites – the freefall, the giant spider, the dinosaurs, but it’s kept fresh and there’s so much that’s new each time that we’ve joined Club Q (costing little more than one family entry and we can use our membership for discounts at other centres).

The third best thing about Questacon would have to be the demonstration shows. Especially the ones that involve explosions and loud noises. But then I am the mother of a seven year old boy.

Lanyon

Did you ever watch the ABC TV series Seven Little Australians when you were a kid? Some of it was filmed at Lanyon and kids today seem to enjoy it just as much as the Seven did. There is the homestead to look over, but also beautiful gardens to run around and outhouses to explore with interesting carriages and bits and pieces. There is a lovely café with tables overlooking the Murrumbidgee and I can’t think of a nicer place to have morning tea on the weekend in the winter sunshine.

Weston Park and the Miniature Train

You’ll think I’m mad proposing this one, but if this is truly about what kids enjoy … then the miniature train at Weston Park has to be included. You can find Weston Park adjacent to Yarralumla and beside the lake. Aside from a decent playground, the miniature train has been loved by generations of Canberra children. It’s cheesy, very amateur and extremely run-down, but kids absolutely love it … the controversy over the train is played out in comments on Canberra blog The Riot Act when word got out that the Miniature Train might not survive the local government’s planning for the park.

A local unwritten law says you can’t go on the train without a gelato from the café firmly in one hand. They’d have to be the best gelatos in Canberra.

Kingston Old Bus Depot Markets

We could have nominated the zoo, but in an effort to round out the selection let’s go with the Bus Depot Markets.

Big winners of local tourism awards, the Markets satisfy a mother’s need to go shopping while delivering a cultural experience to the child/ren. There’s plenty of beautiful food produce to sample including food from Ethiopia and Latin America, as well as the amusement of watching fruit turned into juice through a very entertaining machine. Highlights for us have included balloons, having a go on a pottery wheel and collecting our own fired pot a week later, admiring the handmade model ships, or watching the freshly squeezed fruit juice come out of the strange machine.

It’s painful to stop there. There’s heaps to do in Canberra. It’s quite simply a great city to explore with kids. Don’t tell anyone.

I hope you think differently about visiting Canberra after reading this. I grew up there and have fond memories of many of these places, especially the water playground at Weston Park.

Have you visited Canberra with kids? What places do you recommend in Canberra?

Christmas with kids Post round-up

2011-11-30T18:26:00.001+09:30

With Christmas approaching (you can see we put our tree up this weekend), I thought I would do a quick round-up of past Christmas-themed posts on Adventures With Kids.

We usually create an Advent Activities Calendar with some Christmas fun for each day of December. It is a great way to really get into the spirit and make some time for Christmas play, rather than just being too stressed to remember to play with your kids.

Some other Christmas play ideas we have tried are a Christmas shopping centre Scavenger Hunt, Christmas Lego building, making Christmas crackers (bon-bons). These two posts – Christmas play for toddlers and preschoolers and the 5 senses of Christmas – also explore some ways to explore Christmas traditions with toddlers and preschoolers.

Merry Christmas!

Lego Ideas

2011-11-25T12:42:00.001+09:30

I bought the Lego Ideas Book, by Daniel Lipkowitz, online a little while ago. It is a manual to inspire you to create Lego ideas of your own. It does not

“show building steps or brick lists because it’s unlikely you will have all the bricks for each model.”

Instead, each page shows detailed views of models from different angles, building tips and tricks for each model and suggestions that will help you make your own similar style model. There are also pages (like the one pictured) that suggest pieces that are especially useful for building particular types of models.

It is a wonderful resource for encouraging kids to think of other ways to use the Lego pieces that they have. For example, we have a Lego Kingdoms castle and catapult. There is a section of the book – In Days of Old - which takes pieces from these sets and shows other castles, traps, wagons and siege weapons, that could be built with the sorts of pieces you get in these Lego sets.

B was inspired by the Planes, Trains and Automobiles section to build this …

and when we saw the minifigure display ideas

we thought we should build something to display our minifigures …

Since it is that time of year again (Christmas, that is) I would have to recommend this a fabulous gift idea for Lego enthusiasts.

If you are looking for other Lego building inspiration, you might want to visit my list of Lego building challenges.

What has your child build with Lego lately?

Australia With Kids - Tasmania

2011-11-20T19:37:00.001+09:30

Veronica, a mum of 2 living in Tasmania, has been kind enough to share some things to do with children in Tasmania.
Veronica blogs at Sleepless Nights and Veronica Foale. Her writing is very compelling and when she writes she “tells it like it is, good and bad”, which is what I find I like when I’ve had a difficult day.

When Catherine approached me and asked me to do a guest post about things to do in Tassie with Kids, I thought YES! That's something I know all about.

Then I thought about it a day or two later and realised, wow, I don't actually.

See, I live in the middle of nowhere. We go into Glenorchy once a week to supermarket and stuff, but mostly, we don't go out. So things to do with kids? Well, let me see.

I love Bonarong Park located at Brighton, the animals are used to being hand fed and if you can get over your terror at having 7ft tall kangaroos eating out of your child's hand, you'll have a great time. I personally couldn't, so we spent a lot of time finding joey's to feed and leaving the large males alone. Something about 2 inch claws makes me not trust them so much.

Mostly, we stick to parks. The memorial park at Pontville is a good place to play, with BBQ's and seats around it, as well as being mostly fenced in for the kids safety. The only thing is, it's often packed with other children, so if you want a seat and a BBQ on a sunny weekend, then get there early.

I love love love Waterworks Reserve - we used to live on Waterworks RD at Dynnyrne, when Amy was born and mother's group picnics at the reserve were always fun. The ducks and geese are used to being fed and will come right up to the bbq areas looking for food. Great fun if you've got a handful of active toddlers and a bag of bread, not so fun when you watch a cheeky duck steal half a sandwich off a child.

We don't go out to cafe's very often, Amy's coeliacs keeps us eating at home more often than not. That said, when she was a baby, I used to go to the Botanical Gardens for coffee and cake quite often. On a nice day we would let the babies crawl all over the grass, before heading up to the cafe and getting coffee. The wait staff there were lovely and always happy to oblige and if the kids got fractious, we could always grab coffee's to go and let them eat flowers and things. They've also got a duck pond and when spring hits, I expect we'll spend a fair bit of time at the gardens, so that I can take photos of the flowers. The upside to that is the kids getting a whole lot of space to run around in.

There is also the Salmon Ponds which is good fun, but I couldn't get over the terror of having Amy fall in the water and having to fish her out of the middle of 30 rather large fish. She was only 2 and a half when we visited last though, so it's on my list of things to do. What child doesn't like fish that come right to the edge of the water to eat the pellets you're throwing? The fish are huge and gorgeous and I recommend it if your children are old enough to not run away and get soaking wet. They also have a cafe on site and BBQ areas.

Myer in Hobart's centre has a great baby change area with small rooms for either private feeding, or like I used them for, keeping the toddler contained while you feed the baby.

So there are my 'things to do in Tasmania with children'. Tassie is rather small and you'll find most businesses are quite accommodating of children.

Have you visited Tasmania with your children? What things to do with children in Tasmania would you recommend?

Australia With Kids - Brisbane

2011-11-13T14:19:00.001+09:30

Cath from SquiggleMum invites you to Discover Brisbane. Cath blogs about everyday mothering and making the most of time with your kids at SquiggleMum.

Hello! It’s SquiggleMum here, giving you a guided tour of my hometown – Brisbane! Having lived overseas, and visited many different countries and cities, I can honestly say I think Brissy is a great place to bring up kids. If you ever come to the sunshine state, make sure you check out a few of these...

Discover Brisbane City

Brisbane isn’t a large city, and it is easy enough to explore on foot. A better way to check out Brissy with kids though is on the City Cat! Our water ferries are fast and fun!! From the river kids can see the city buildings, Wheel of Brisbane, Story Bridge, Kangaroo Point cliffs, mangroves and more. There are lots of places you can stop for a picnic lunch, or you can visit the Cultural Centre with its wonderful art galleries, science centre, library and museum.

Discover Play Spaces
There are awesome parks around Brissy, if you know where to find them. Roma St Parklands, in the heart of the city, is the world’s largest urban subtropical garden. There is always something happening at Roma St, including regular guided walks for mums with under-fives. New Farm Park is another great park nestled along the Brisbane River. My kids love the wooden climbing equipment tucked under massive fig trees. On the south side of town Rocks Riverside Park is worth checking out too. An oasis of reclaimed industrial space, Rocks Riverside Park has a sand play area and brilliant water play area too.

Discover Local Habitats
Brisbane is surrounded by wonderful natural environments. In under a 40min drive from the CBD you can find yourself exploring rainforests, bushland, mangroves, or wetlands – depending on which direction you head! This is one of my favourite things about living in Brisbane. I just adore getting my kids out into different habitats and introducing them to the birds and animals living there. Try Boondall Wetlands for an easy walk to a hide (for birdwatching) on the mangroves, or Mt Glorious for a family friendly rainforest experience.

Discover Another World!
Of course, a list of Brisbane highlights wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the various “worlds” you can visit on both the Gold and Sunshine Coasts just over an hour away. Dreamworld, Seaworld, Movieworld... Ok, so they’re not really my cup of tea – but they do make for an exciting day trip for kids. Our favourite without doubt is Under Water World because it provides an opportunity to show the kids creatures we wouldn’t normally see.

Australia Zoo is worth a visit too . We’re taking the kids in a couple of weeks. Might see you there!

To check out what’s happening in my town any time, go to http://www.ourbrisbane.com.

What else would you add to the list of places to discover in Brisbane?

Australia With Kids - Darwin

2011-11-04T07:19:00.001+09:30

Continuing with great things to do with kids in Australia's capital cities, we have my home town Darwin (which has just been voted one of the top ten cities to visit in 2012!)

I live near Darwin. It’s a friendly town with beautiful weather for most of the year.   A visit to Darwin is a perfect chance to experience North Australia’s different flora and fauna.

So, here is a mum’s view of the best attractions for children in or near Darwin. These are the things that I think most kids will enjoy doing on a visit to Darwin. I’m leaving out visiting Kakadu National Park, which you should definitely try to do if you visit the Top End, because there is no way that you can do this properly from a base in Darwin.

I’ve included links to the websites of various attractions when I can, so that you can investigate prices, location, opening hours and plan your visit. One drawback of Darwin is that it is hard for families to experience without their own transportation. Public transport will not get you to all of these attractions, so your option is to join tours (often difficult for families) or have your own transport.

Aquascene Fish Feeding

Hundreds of fish visit Doctors Gully at high tide to be fed. The complex provides bread and you can throw it off the steps or go down the boat ramp to feed by hand or even touch the fish. It’s a great place to see many different types of fish – mullet, milkfish and catfish being the most common types that visit. You may also see barramundi and shovel-nosed rays, which are fed by Aquascene staff (they don’t eat bread!). It is magical for children to see so many fish in one place and to be able to interact with and observe them so closely.

You will need to supervise younger children closely as there is direct access to the water (no barriers). The other drawback when visiting with children is that it is often very busy and can be difficult for children to get to the front where they can see. But if you are patient, the feeding time is quite long and the crowds come and go, so that you can find a chance to sneak into a good spot.

See some crocodiles
You can visit Crocosaurus Cove in the city centre, which houses the crocodiles of all sizes in an aquarium-like situation, so that you can clearly see them from many different angles. Children can even poke their head up into a viewing bubble in the middle of the baby crocodile enclosure and eyeball the baby crocs. Crocosaurus Cove also offer interactive opportunities like holding a baby crocodile or snakes (as you can see from my picture). If you are very brave you can take your bathers and swim in a tank next to a fully grown crocodile.

Another way to see some crocodiles, is to take a jumping crocodile cruise. There are a number of different operators. The cruise offers an opportunity to see crocodiles in their natural environment and very close. It is very creepy to see crocodiles sliding into the water and swimming over to you. On these cruises, you could reach out and touch the crocodiles. You will also see many other animals in their natural environment, for example, jabirus and eagles are common.

Territory Wildlife Park
This wildlife park, in a natural bush setting, houses mostly native NT wildlife. You will see wallabies, emus, crocodiles, turtles, whip rays, dingoes, frill – necked lizards and much more. The park is large but easily accessible, as trains run to all the exhibits. The keeper talks are also really interesting and interactive. Our favourite’s are “Tucker time at the Billabong” where you can see the freshwater crocodiles and barramundi being fed and the “Birds of Prey” presentation which has birds flying round your ears.

Right next door to the Wildlife Park is a beautiful swimming spot, Berry Springs, so bring your bathers and plan for a picnic or quick dip.

Leanyer Water Park

I’ve included Leanyer Water Park, not because it is an attraction unique to the NT, but because visiting is free. So, in Darwin’s hot weather, this is the perfect activity for families. Leanyer Water Park is a large park with water slides, a pool and a water play area for young children (pictured). There is also a large playground and a skate ramp nearby. There are bbq’s and shadecovers so that you can bring a picnic.

Those are my top activities to do with children but here are a couple of other suggestions of things to do:

dinner at the Waterfront Precinct. There is a food court-style eatery with views over the harbour. There are often large ships docked at the wharf. And if you visit at dusk, fish come to the pylons to be fed by diners. Watch out though, as there are no barriers on the edge of the wharf. There is also a wave pool and a beach lagoon for swimming.
visit the markets. These are very popular with tourists and locals which makes them very busy. This can be overwhelming for children which is why I haven’t included them in my best attractions list, but they offer lots of entertainment from buskers and people-watching and have a variety of food and handicrafts. The smaller markets at Parap or Palmerston might be more suitable for children than the best known Mindil Beach Markets.
visit Litchfield National Park. Close enough to Darwin to make a day trip, there are lots of wonderful natural places to swim for adults and older children. Some of the swimming spots are a bit difficult to access or dangerous when you are with younger children. You will also see lots of unique Territory landscapes and natural features, like the magnetic termite mounds.

Have you visited Darwin? What were your family’s favourite things to do?

Do plants eat?

2011-11-02T14:12:00.000+09:30

B was wondering the other day, Do plants eat?

They don’t have mouths so they obviously don’t eat in the same way that animals do. But, animals eat to get nutrients for energy and growth. Plants also need to get nutrients for growth.

Plants get their food through photosynthesis. They use energy from the sun to change carbon dioxide and water into the food the plant needs to grow.

Plants get the water they need for photosynthesis and any other nutrients they require from the soil, by drawing water (containing dissolved minerals) up through the plant.

This website simply explains the different nutrients plants need and what they are for – Kids World Plant Nutrients

Celery Experiment
You can see the capillary action plants use to move water from the roots to the leaves by performing the following experiment.

You need:

fresh celery sticks with leaves
a glass or vase
red food colouring
water

Half fill the glass or vase with water.
Mix in around 20 drops of food colouring
Place celery in the water (leaves up!)
Put the celery in a sunny position and watch what happens over the next few days.

Leaf Wrap
Without enough light plants cannot use photosynthesis to make food. This experiment will show you the effect of blocking light from a plant’s leaves.

You need:

a plant
aluminium foil
paper clips

Cut or tear a piece of foil to cover half of a leaf on your chosen plant.
Put the foil on a leaf. Fold some of the foil piece around to the back of the leaf to help stop the foil from falling off. Add a paper clip to hold the foil on the leaf.
After 4 days, remove the foil and compare the covered part to the rest of the leaf (or other leaves on the tree).

For a more dramatic experiment, you can get 2 pot plants and place on in a sunny position and one in a dark cupboard and observe what happens.

While talking about plants eating, my son made the observation – but plants can’t eat meat. So, we now have a new addition to our garden, a Venus Fly Trap …

When an insect crawls onto the leaves of a Venus Fly Trap they shut tight trapping the insect. The plant then releases enzymes that eat away at the insect.

Carnivorous plants grow in places where the soil has poor nutritional value and gain some of their nutrients from the insects they trap and digest. These areas are mostly wet and boggy.

Some carnivorous plants, like the Venus Fly Trap, move to catch their prey. Others, like a pitcher plant, catch insects by secreting a sticky substance that traps the insects.

You can see some pictures of different types of carnivorous plants in this National Geographic photo gallery.

Aren’t plants fascinating? What does your child wonder about plants?

Australia With Kids - Adelaide

2011-10-28T15:03:00.000+09:30

Since I am currently planning a family holiday for the end of year school holidays, I thought I would repost my Australia With Kids series. Perhaps some of you are also planning holidays for the Christmas-New Year period.

This post was written by Kirsty from Coffee, Cake and Sunday (originally posted in May 2010). I’ll let her introduce herself.

Hi,
This is Kirsty from Coffee, Cake and Sunday. Adelaidian, mother of master two, wife of husband and uni student. A big thanks to Catherine for asking me to do a guest post on what to do with your little people if you live or ever find yourself in my town, Adelaide.

I love Adelaide. The weather is fine, the people are great and you can spend the morning at the beach and the afternoon in the hills which you can’t do in many other places. Here is my list of the fabulous things to do with kids in Adelaide.

Adelaide Zoo

Right in the city (seriously it isn’t more than a 15 minute walk from the centre of town) is the Adelaide Zoo and it is fab-u-lous. It’s home to the only Panda’s in Australia – Wang Wang and Funi – as well as lots of other fabulous animals. We love going to the zoo (we’re zoo members actually) and it’s easy to get too, easy to get around and super dooper fun. Make sure you book if you want to see the Panda’s. You’ll find all the details on the website.

Monarto Zoo
As you can see we’re a little zoo obsessed. Monarto is a day trip out of the city but worth the adventure. It’s an open range sanctuary where you hop on a bus which takes you around to look at the giraffes (my master’s favourite), meerkats, wild dogs... it’s a great adventure and the knowledge of the tour guides is spot on. They’re mostly volunteers you know? They do a great job.

The South Australian Museum
This Museum is awesome! During school holidays they have special programmes where the kids can colour, glue and make to their hearts content and usually they are free! Not much is free these day’s but the Museum is and it’s great. Make sure you go right to the top and check out the In the Footsteps of Mawson exhibit and get the kids to put their hands on the ice wall. The priceless look on their faces is enough to make a trip to the museum worthwhile. And if you have time the Art Gallery is right next door which is another great place to see.

Tram ride to Glenelg Beach
Glenelg is a-pumping in Summer. The best way to get there is to hop onto the tram in the city and enjoy the smooth ride down to the foreshore. It’s a great shopping precinct, the beach is awesome and there are plenty of places to eat. A highlight for the smalls is theBeachouse where the children can run riot on the waterslides, playing mini gulf and generally having heaps of fun. This is actually a great one for the not-so-smalls as well!

The Garden of Unearthly Delights

Actually not just the Garden but the whole Adelaide Fringe Festival. Now if you’re going to come to Adelaide on a holiday you’re likely to be coming during February/March. This is when Adelaide is bursting at the seams with stuff to do. The Garden (and the Fringe) are just two of the things going on but the Garden is a favourite in our house. During the day and early evening it is a great place to take your kids with sideshows, food, free busking and lots more. We love it but then we love the Fringe Festival. So make sure you go there. It’s usually open for a month, so that’s plenty of time!

Have you visited Adelaide with your children? What are your recommendations?

Dinner and Diamonds

2011-10-26T10:16:00.002+09:30

Thanks to San Remo, I travelled to Adelaide on Monday night for dinner with the Australian Netball Diamonds. The dinner was held a beautiful St Marks College and cooked by chef Adam Swanson (owner and head chef of Zucca).

Dinner, which was lovely, was

“poached SA king prawns with spiced saffron, angel hair pasta and lemon balm for entree followed by a choice of veal and pork polpette ragu with bucatini pasta, or baked wild barramundi with tomato, pea and dill risoni.”

It was a wonderful opportunity to meet the inspirational players from the Australian Netball Diamonds. They are fantastic role models for one of Australia’s most popular sports for girls and women.

You can see some photos from the night on San Remo’s Facebook page.

San Remo are a major sponsor of all levels of Netball, from the Australian Netball Diamonds through to the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship, and even San Remo NetSetGO! – a national netball participation program aimed at primary school children.

Last week, I put out a call for your questions for the Netball Diamonds and here are the answers. Confession: I emailed the questions prior to the dinner to be sure that there would be time for them to be answered. These answers were kindly supplied by Julie Corletto.

For my US readers, what is netball?
[Editor's Note: I did not know that they didn't play netball in the US. Netball is one of the most popular sports for women and girls in Australia. So, I guess I had one of those moments when you assume your reality is the same as everyone else's reality]

Netball is a sport similar to Basketball, although you cannot dribble the ball and there is no backboard. There is 7 a side and all players are only allowed in a restricted area. You can only hold the ball for 3 seconds, can only take one step and must be 3 feet when defending. The game is 4 x 15 minute quarters.

When did you start playing netball?
I started playing Netball when I was 9 years old. I started playing Netball because my older sister (Karen) played and I used to copy everything she did.

[Editor's Note: I sat next to Catherine Cox at the dinner and I asked her this. She has been playing since she was 11 years old. She is still playing today at 35.]

Did you play any other sports as a child?
Yes, I used to do Athletics, Swimming, Basketball and all sports at school. I grew up in a very sporting family. My older brother Ian was a Victorian & National champion runner and then went on to play AFL for Carlton Blues Football Club. My elder sister Karen also ran for Victoria and represented Victoria for Netball also.

How do you get to be a champion?
I train hard, I'm determined to be successful and I will do anything it takes. I enjoy what I do!!!!

[Editor's Note: I also spoke to Catherine Cox about this. There is a lot of practise involved. The Diamonds train every day and between State teams and playing for the Diamonds they play netball just about all year around. Not everyone on the team is professional and many of the work part-time or study as well.]

How does it feel to be woman and champion in a man's world?
I enjoy what I do and I love playing the sport. I love to play Netball at the highest level. We won the World Championships this year and that's something I will always have with me and be able to reflect on. I know that male dominated sports tend to get more media coverage and have a bigger audience. However it doesn't take the significance of a World Championship away from us.

Do you think playing sports has helped you in other areas of your life? In what ways?
Absolutely. Obviously, you live a much healthier life if you are fit and active. I've met some great friends along the way that are lifelong friends. There are also so many great people I have met because of Netball, but off the Netball court, that I respect greatly. Sport is social, fun and allows you to reach your goals.

Thank you to San Remo for inviting me to the dinner. Thanks to Julie for answering our questions. And good luck to the Australian Netball Diamonds tonight when they take on the Silver Ferns!

If you have a child interested in playing netball I recommend you visit the website for San Remo NetSetGO! and find out where you can play in your local area.

So tell me, Do you have any netball players in your family? What do you love about the game?

What would you ask an Australian Netball Diamond?

2011-10-19T07:54:00.000+09:30

Next week, thanks to San Remo, I will be attending a dinner with the Australian Netball Diamonds.

What would you like me to ask them? What questions would you ask a first-class sportswoman? What would your children like to ask? B wants me to ask them 'How do you get to be a champion?'

Leave a comment with your ideas for questions.

good reads - 16 October 2011

2011-10-16T06:52:00.000+09:30

Some things I've enjoyed reading lately ...

a helpful list of ideas of videos you might want to make for memory keeping

the difference between pushing and challenging your child

why boys love diagrammatic and cross-section books

and a review of Press Here, by Herve Tullet, and an invitation to spend some time suspending disbelief

Monster Truck party, Part 2

2011-10-12T12:15:00.000+09:30

Over the weekend my boys had their Monster Truck birthday party.

We had an obstacle course with obstacles mimicking those that monster trucks encounter in their shows …

a truck wash …

and a monster truck cake …

The other party games were pass the parcel and a treasure hunt. If you wanted to do a monster truck party I also considered pin the number-plate on the monster truck and Lego truck building.

The refueling station had traffic light jelly (red, orange and green layers), honey joys, fruit, cheezels, tool-shaped fairy bread (I make this by cutting the fairy bread with biscuit cutters), fruit juice poppers and sausages.

Our party favours were hot wheels cars, flavoured milk straws, balloons and bubbles. I also printed monster truck colouring-in pages.

And the boys (and I hope their guests) were very happy with their day!

the best ways mums can use their iphone

2011-10-07T17:03:00.000+09:30

Apart from using it as a phone that is …

Use it to keep in touch with family that are a more expensive phone call away

I use Facebook as an instant messenger to far away family (like you might use a text message) and Skype is available on the iPhone for cheaper calling and video chatting.

Play games to entertain you or your children

Games are very useful for long waits, as might happen at the doctor’s office. Some of our favourites are Angry Birds, Create a Car, Tozzle (puzzle game suitable for toddlers), Tetris and Ultimate Mastermind (a logic game to guess a pattern of colours).

Listen to music, podcasts or audiobooks

Again, these are perfect for long waits or trips in the car. Here is a list of our favourite silly songs. There are also some great podcasts such as Barefoot Books (stories for children) or you might want something stimulating for mum (recommendations welcome).

Use it for memory keeping

You almost always have your phone with you to catch a quick snapshot of a memorable moment and the iphone has great apps for taking interesting and memorable pictures. My favourites are Instagram, 360 Panorama and Pocketbooth.

And I will be using this method described by Meet Me at Mikes to create our own audio books and to record my children talking and reading.

Use the iphone to keep you organised

Create calendars for menu planning, cleaning, upcoming events and more. I just sync my Google Calendar with the phone but there are also plenty of apps for this purpose.

Store a to-do list on the phone, so you don’t forget any of your errands when you are out and about. I use the Notes that comes with the phone, but there are many other apps for note keeping.

Use a shopping app to create your shopping list (and possibly even organise it to suit where you shop). I am trialling the Woolworths app to create and organise my shopping list. It lets me organise the list by supermarket aisles and access weekly specials to add to my list.

You can also use a pdf reader on the phone to access recipes, books to read, instructions for craft projects or anything else you might need that can be made into a pdf. I like GoodReader.

And my favourite app is the one from my bank that lets me pay bills or transfer money just about anywhere.

How do you use your iphone (or other smartphone)? What are your favourite apps?

silly songs for kids

2011-10-02T15:24:00.001+09:30

Sharing some of my family’s favourite silly songs to sing …

Yellow Submarine (The Beatles)

The Oompa Loompa Song (from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

Mr Clicketty Cane (Peter Combe)

This Is the Song That Never Ends

Agadoo (Black Lace)

On the Ning Nang Nong (Spike Milligan)

Never Smile at a Crocodile

I'm finding that playing or singing silly songs in the car sets a good mood (unlike the more usual fighting that happens in the car!)

What are your or your children’s favourite silly songs?

Staying Connected with Far Away Family

2011-09-29T18:30:00.000+09:30

I live in Darwin in North Australia. My in-laws live around the corner from us. My parents live in Canberra, in the south of Australia. My sister lives in Singapore. My sister- and brother-in-law live in California, USA. In today’s society, this is a common arrangement. Many people live far away from their extended family.

How can you stay in touch when your family is spread around the country or around the world? Does this mean that your children miss out on important connections with family?

Head over and read the rest of my post at Simple Kids ...

help your child learn to jump rope

2011-09-26T18:53:00.000+09:30

Skipping is a classic childhood activity. But like most motor skills children don’t just naturally learn to jump rope. They need someone to show them what to do and plenty of practise.

How can you help your child learn to jump rope? What can you say to help them learn what to do?
I use a process of showing and saying, something like this …

Hold the rope in front of your body
Jump over the rope
Swing the rope over your head until it hits the floor
Jump over the rope

It is important to have the right type of rope. I find the ropes in shops are often too light. A slightly heavier rope is easier to turn (think of those plastic ropes that are used for Jump Rope for Heart). And the rope should be long enough to reach your child’s armpits when they stand in the centre of the rope.

Learning physical skills like jumping rope is important for your child’s physical fitness, now and as they get older. Children who are confident of their physical skills are more likely to participate in sports and fitness activities.

Does your child like to jump rope? Did you have a trick for helping them learn to jump rope?

Good luck!

It's a Monster Truck Party

2011-09-24T09:37:00.001+09:30

I'm planning a birthday party for both my boys ...

The party theme is inspired by this Monster Truck party. We are planning a great obstacle course. Hopefully I'll have some pics to show you in a few weeks.

I got the monster truck clipart for the invitation for free from this great site - Clipart for Free (Thank you!)

And if your kids like monster trucks you might want to show them this short video of a monster truck driving over a car a couple of times!

A couple of other useful sites when planning a party are

Planning With Kids 10 point birthday party plan to make sure you don't forget anything

and the Crafty Crow's ideas for children's party favours

Have a great weekend.

why your kids should play with catapults

2011-09-19T18:39:00.000+09:30

Easy to make catapult - Brawny Launcher Design

This is a guest post from Anthony Vecchioni from Spaghetti Box Kids. He has shared a number of simple catapult designs and games to play with catapults at Spaghetti Box Kids. My sons have loved playing with these catapults.

I've been designing catapults for about sixteen years—since our son was a pre-schooler. I took an interest in catapults when I noticed how wonderfully they stir a child's imagination. It's almost always a plus when kids stay focused on something and want to explore its uses, limits and possibilities.

My main interest has always been in making catapult designs that are more basic in nature than the trebuchet catapult.

Trebuchet (Image from Wikipedia)

The trebuchet is an ingenious design that was highly effective at launching abundantly heavy objects centuries ago. But as a toy for indoor use it's just plain cumbersome.

The procedure for operating a trebuchet catapult is too involved and the user is deprived of the sensation of tactile interaction right at the critical moment: when the tension is released. The user "watches" it happen instead of "makes" it happen. That’s a world of difference when it comes to a kids' toy. My designs always put the tension build-up and release in the hands of the user—the child. While this would prove highly ineffective for sieging a castle, it's perfectly suited for indoor play for kids.

The best thing about making simple catapults using things like an egg carton, a log of newspaper, or an invisible tape dispenser, is that there is always the motivation to tinker with the design: to improve the arc of trajectory, to make it fling further, straighter, etc. This means your child is digging into the science behind the catapult. . .taking ownership of the mechanical elements of the design. And really, what could be better than that!

Easy to make catapult - Basic design

Link to easy to make catapults: Catapult Designs for Kids

Link to catapult game: Catapult Games for Kids

Have fun catapulting!

Reference: Wikipedia/ Trebuchet

Anthony Vecchioni runs Spaghetti Box Kids – a parenting site that offers strategies, tips and activities to enhance child learning. You can read more about Anthony's background and interests on his About page.

the best gifts for young scientists

2011-09-16T12:14:00.000+09:30

It’s a birthday time of year for my family. Both my boys have birthdays in the next month. I’ve been looking around for present ideas for my eldest son, who will be turning 6. He loves to know how everything works, so here are some gift ideas for children who like to know how things work.

binoculars for observing the world around them.

A dinosaur dig kit

a dinosaur dig or crystal mining set.
a butterfly net, bug catcher and magnifying glass for exploring the world of mini-beasts
a worm or ant farm
human body anatomy model. These show all the organs in the body and how they fit together. You can take all the organs out and look at their shapes and details and then try to fit all the pieces back in like a puzzle.

See magnetic fields with iron filings and magnets

a set of different types of magnets, preferably with some iron filings
electronics or solar energy kits. You need to be careful with these to get something that suits the age and motor skills of your child, as they can often be very fiddly.

My son is a bit young yet but for keen junior scientists there is always

a microscope. I don’t want to go into details because there are lots of choices. Younger scientists might be best with a digital USB microscope that can be connected to the computer for ease of viewing.
a telescope. Again, you’ll have to do some research to be sure of what you want/need.

What science gifts have your children enjoyed?

Self-Regulation, the Key to Success?

2011-09-14T16:31:00.001+09:30

From Different Learners, by Jane M. Healy.

"Self-regulation ... is a major ingredient for success in learning and life. Children who develop good self-regulation skills have extra ammunition for overcoming problems and capitalizing on their particular combination of talents. The development of self-regulation depends on home, school and community. Its ingredients are

a strong belief in one's own abilities and potential
self-control
positive relationships with others
motivation and persistence

Psychologists find these qualities to be at least twice as influential as IQ for both academic and life success. They will determine in great part whether your child overcomes innate problems or succumbs to them ...

Failure to attain self-regulation is a core problem that accompanies many learning, attention, and emotional-social problems. Environments strongly influence development of self-regulation."

The author suggest that some of the factors that impede development of brain connections governing self-regulation are

stress from unsafe and disorganized environments
media that capture a child's attention and over which they have little control
intrusive sensory environments that distract children from learning to manage their minds (eg. noise, visual stimuli, too much excitement)
adults who are unwilling or unable to spend the time to model and teach self-control, attention, thoughtful behaviour, forward planning, persistence and delayed gratification.
schools that focus on memorizing information and academic acceleration at the expense of how to learn, reflection and strategies for problem-solving
overmanagement that reduces a child's sense of control

I bought this book accidentally, thinking at the time that it was about something completely different. But I really enjoyed it. It has some valuable insights into how the brain develops. The brain is extremely 'plastic' and is able to remodel itself and make new connections throughout life. Because of this a child's brain is easily influenced, both positively and negatively, by environment.

What do you think - how important is self-regulation for success in life?

Breadmaking

2011-09-10T13:56:00.001+09:30

We made bread this week. It was a very enjoyable activity and the result was very tasty. This is a cooking adventure you can easily share with your children. Your child can measure the ingredients, mix the dough and knead and punch down the dough (that was my son’s favourite part!).

I explained a little of the science of breadmaking to my son. The key ingredients in bread are yeast and flour. Yeast is a live, single-celled fungus. It lies dormant until it comes into contact with warm water. It then begins feeding on sugars and releases carbon dioxide.

In the bread recipe we used, we began by activating the yeast with warm water and sugar (shown below) before adding it to the bread dough. This lets you see the yeast start producing gas, as the mixture begins to foam.
When you mix the activated yeast into the dough, the dough rises as the gas produced by the yeast becomes trapped in the dough (because of the gluten fibres in the flour). Kneading the dough helps to stretch the gluten fibres.

And the final product …

This is a very simple explanation of the science of breadmaking (my son is, after all, only 3), to learn more try Bread Science 101 at the Exploratorium. This site has a couple of other experiments you can try to further understand gluten and yeast. There is also this experiment in looking for signs of life, which is great to help older children understand why we know that yeast is alive.

Do you make your own bread? Have you ever made bread with your children?

This post was first published in July 2009.

how to catch a bubble

2011-09-07T17:15:00.000+09:30

blow bubbles

chase bubbles

catch bubbles

How do you stop them from popping when you catch them? You need wet, soapy hands.

Triumph

(These foamy bubbles created by using the flyswatter as a bubble wand were much easier to catch.)

I love playing with bubbles. It sure to be a source of joy and wonder for people of all ages.

good reads - 3 September 2011 - the play edition

2011-09-03T14:54:00.000+09:30

I've really been noticing the improvements my sons are making at swimming lessons lately.

I'm sharing some fun play activities that I've seen lately and can't wait to try ...

Sticky Table Sensory Play at Things to Share and Remember

the iPhone Scavenger Hunt at SecondSister

this magnetic playset at Teach Preschool

drip castles from Go Explore Nature

You can find more great play ideas on my Fun for Kids pinterest board.

And one other place to look for lots of play inspiration is Childhood 101's new digital magazine, Play Grow Learn. It is packed with playful fun for 0 -6 year olds. I've contributed a couple of articles. And after having a read I know that we will soon be making a superhero cape for my youngest (without the need for my sewing machine) and I have some great new ideas to try with our stick pile.

And in other news the winner of the Smart Trike was Ally, comment number 3. Congratulations!

Book Review – The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister

2011-08-31T17:24:00.002+09:30

Often in today’s busy, stressed, hardworking world it can be easy to forget to take time to stop and just play. Play is important for adults – helping them to unwind, connect with other people and explore new ideas.

And for children play is essential. Many essential life skills are first developed through unstructured child-led play. Play helps young children control their impulses, solve problems, think creatively and work together.
With pressure on children to (and parents) to perform academically and attend classes and an increasing amount of time spent on on-screen entertainment time for undirected play is being eroded.

A new picture book by Linda Ravin Lodding – The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister – provides a perfect opportunity for parents and children to snuggle together and consider if they are allowing enough time in their schedule for play.

Ernestine has a busy schedule. She has tuba with Mr Oompah, karate with Grand Master HiYa, yoga with Guru Prakesh Pretzel and more. But watching Hugo from next door has her yearning to find more time to just play. And it turns out a little play is just what she, her nanny and her well-meaning parents needed.

The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister is written by Linda Ravin Lodding and illustrated by Suzanne Beaky. The book will be available in October 2011. Visit Flashlight Press to preview the book and to find out where to buy a copy.

Note: There is a preview video of the book embedded in the post. If you get this post in a feed reader or by email you may need to click through to see the video.

play with sounds – A Bear Hunt

2011-08-29T14:01:00.000+09:30

If you are having fun with your homemade musical instruments you might like to perform this sound story – We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.

If you aren’t familiar with the story the video is a presentation of the story by Michael Rosen, who has written a picture book version of this story.

You can act and sound out this story in a similar manner to the video. For the chorus and each verse and adult can lead and children can copy each phrase. For example (children in italics),

We’re going on a bear hunt,
We’re going on a bear hunt,
We’re going to catch a big one,
We’re going to catch a big one,
We’re not scared,
We’re not scared,
What a beautiful day.
What a beautiful day.

You might like to accompany this with patting on the knees.

For each place that they visit in the story there is an accompanying sound as they walk through. Can you can find an instrument or other way to make each sound?

You might try,

For walking through the grass – swishy swashy – try rubbing your feet on the carpet or gently shaking a maraca from side to side

For walking through the water – splash splosh – try shaking a water bottle

For walking through the mud – squelch squerch – try blowing a ‘raspberry’ or slowly letting air out of a balloon

For walking through the forest – stumble trip – try clapping sticks

For walking through the snowstorm – hooo wooo – try blowing into a wind instrument or across the top of a glass bottle.

Make up ideas for other parts of the story - perhaps a drumroll as they notice the bear.

The sound words in this story – swishy swashy, hooo wooo and so on – are examples of onomatopeia. Onomatopeia are words that mimic the sound that you hear.

Kids might like to look for other examples of onomatopeia. You could find some in other stories, the song ‘Old MacDonald’ or in comic books.

play with sounds - homemade musical instruments

2011-08-26T17:07:00.000+09:30

Some ideas for simple instruments to make at home …

Make a paper plate shaker. Fold a paper plate in half and staple around the outside. Leave a hole at the top to add some pasta, then staple closed. You could make a few of these with different fillings (rice, beans etc) and try to distinguish between them by sound alone.
Make a water xylophone. Line up a row of glasses with a different amount of water in each glass. Tap them with a spoon.
Play the wine glass. Fill a wine glass water. Wet your finger and rub it slowly and gently around the rim. You might need to experiment with pressure and speed of movement. Experiment with the amount of water in the glass.
Make a rainstick. Put scrunched up alfoil in a paper towel roll. Seal one end (with tape or by covering with a balloon and taping in place) and add some rice. Seal the other end. Tip up and down to make a rain-like noise.
Experiment with the vibrating ruler. Place a wooden ruler on a tabletop so that is protrudes over the edge of the table. Hole one end of the ruler on the table and pluck the other end with your thumb to start the ruler vibrating. Experiment with how much of the ruler sits on the desk. How does this affect the sound?
Make a straw flute. Cut the end of a drinking straw into a V-shape. Put the pointy end of the straw in your mouth and blow really hard. Cut the straw shorter (on the non-pointed end to change the sound).
Make bongo drums.

Did you try my sound making challenge? Have a look here for more sound making fun.

play with sounds - "I'm Bored" Challenge

2011-08-25T15:54:00.000+09:30

Make as many different sounds as possible with your mouth.

For example:
blowing a 'raspberry'
clicking your tongue
whistling

Make as many different sounds as possible with a wooden ruler.

Make as many different sounds as possible with rubber bands wrapped around various containers.

If you find an interesting sound please leave a comment. I will post a list of ways to make sounds and music with everyday objects in a couple of days.

Giveaway: Smart-Trike Recliner 4 in 1

2011-08-24T11:27:00.004+09:30

I have a fantastic giveaway for you. This is your chance to win a Smart-Trike Recliner Stroller 4 in 1. This trike starts as a stroller and transforms into a trike.

Babies from 6 months can view the world from their Smart-Trike and when they get tired the seat reclines to let them nap. The Smart-Trike Recliner Stroller 4 in 1 is officially certified as a stroller and has passed the shock absorption tests.

As your child gets older the steering handle can be removed to let toddlers pedal on their own.

I know my boys would have loved this stroller. Even as babies they both wanted to spend all their time observing the world around them. And they also wanted to be independent as quickly as possible, so giving them the chance to start pedalling at 15 months would have been fantastic.

These trikes will be available in Australia through Toys R Us and Target. And you can check out Smart Trike online or on Facebook.

Or you could win a Smart Trike Recliner Stroller 4 in 1 by leaving a comment on this post. The giveaway will end on August 31 at 5pm.

I will draw one winner randomly from those leaving a comment on the post. The winner will be notified by email (if the winner does not respond within 48 hours the giveaway will be redrawn). The giveaway is open to Australian residents only.

Good Luck!

This giveaway is now closed.

Questacon Science Circus

2011-08-22T18:46:00.000+09:30

This week the Questacon Science Circus visited my son’s school. It was a very memorable show. My usually taciturn son was able to remember many elements of the show and the explanations of the science. His favourite part of the show was seeing his teacher sit on a chair of nails. He remembered that we need to make some slime at home with a white powder and water (cornflour and water, I presume). Then, you can punch the slime and it is hard. And he loved the balloon helicopter.

As part of the cost of the show he received a ticket to the Science Circus display over the weekend. We enjoyed this hands-on experience (and seeing Questacon’s big truck).

Making a circuit

And we got a balloon helicopter of our own.

Does your child have a favourite science toy?

play with sounds – Guess that Sound

2011-08-20T08:05:00.001+09:30

Cello, by Kreumi

This is a nice game to get children thinking about different sounds. Playing the game builds children’s awareness that we hear sounds with our ears and that sounds can vary in loudness, pitch and timbre.

To play you collect a variety of objects for making sounds. One person is chosen to be the “sound-maker”. Everyone else covers their eyes (or the sound-maker works behind a screen, or behind the couch). The sound-maker makes a noise and everyone else tries to guess the sound.

You can use any objects to make the sounds – for example, instruments, bells, pots and pans, tearing paper. For an easier game you choose fewer objects and listen to the sounds they can make before you play. To make it hard, allow sounds to be made in any way the sound-maker can imagine.

You can also play versions of this game on the computer or an iphone.

A ‘guess the sound’ iphone app we have tried and enjoyed is Little Ears.

Or you can play guess that sound on the computer at Scholastic’s Magic School Bus site.

And for a different twist Boowa and Kwala have a guess the instrument game (note that this site does have ads)

Ice-cream in a Bag

2011-08-16T20:02:00.001+09:30

gather your ingredients
mix in a ziploc baggie
place small baggie in a bigger ziploc bag filled with ice and salt
roll bags back and forth to freeze the ice creameat and enjoy!

If you’d like to try this, we used the recipe from Countertop Chemistry (which has a nice explanation of the science suitable for older children)..

1 large ziplock bag
1 small ziplock bag
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
salt
ice
Place milk, cream, sugar and vanilla in the small ziplock bag. Seal the bag and mix. Put 2 cups of ice into the large ziplock bag. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of salt to the ice. Place small ziplock bag inside the large bag. Close the large bag. Rock the large bag from side to side. Rock until the contents of the small bag have solidified - 10 to 15 minutes.

And I’ll add these tips to the recipe, I’ve found gently rolling the bag back and forth works better than rocking, but you need to protect your hands with a towel (see picture above). If you mix by rolling, you might want to double bag the ice-cream mixture before putting it in the larger bag to prevent holes and salty tasting ice-cream.

What will your child learn by doing this activity? For preschoolers, they will see that ice-cream can be made by cooling milk. For older children, you can explain that salt lowers the freezing point of ice helping to set the ice-cream.

If you want to investigate further, you could try making different flavours of ice-cream or compare the bag method to mixing the ingredients and putting them in the freezer.

This post was originally published in August 2009.

Ball Games for Toddlers and Preschoolers

2011-08-13T11:45:00.002+09:30

Photo: © iStockphoto/mammamaart

Do you play ball games with your toddler or preschool child?

Children's ball skills will not develop on their own. Children, even those that are naturally active, need to be introduced to different motor skills. This foundation will give them confidence to participate in a variety of sports when they're older and develop their love of movement and exercise. You don't need to help them develop perfect technique, but you do need to introduce them to the different skills and get them practising. But if you'd like to know what to say to help your child learn a better technique, try looking up the skill cues.

The ball skills that children need to learn are -

rolling

throwing

catching

kicking

hitting with hand

hitting with bats

Often it is easier to start practising these skills with something that moves more slowly than a ball, for example, a balloon. This gives your child more time to think about where they should be and what they have to do. You can also experiment with beanbags and different sizes and textures of balls.

Here are some simple activities to help develop ball skills -

With babies

Roll the ball between you

Roll the ball and run to overtake it

With Toddlers

Tap a balloon with your hands, your head, or kick it with your foot.

Hit a balloon with a bat (make a simple one with a paper plate and a stick)

Play balloon volleyball

Throw balls into a laundry basket or bucket (gradually move further away from the basket)

Throw balls at a target drawn on a wall

Roll a ball through an obstacle course

Roll a ball to knock down skittles (you can make them with plastic soft drink bottles filled with a small amount of water)

Kick a ball to a target

Bounce the ball

With Older Toddlers/Preschoolers

Hit at a ball suspended in a stocking

Hit balls with a plastic bat. Set up some mini golf holes with containers turned on their sides.

Play balloon tennis

Bounce and catch the ball back and forth

I'm sure you and your child can invent many more activities to practise ball skills. If you'd like more information on teaching your child how to catch, this is a useful article.

This is an updated version of a previous post. The original was posted in March, 2009.

Beautiful Oops

2011-08-10T10:34:00.000+09:30

I have just discovered this wonderful book - Beautiful Oops, by Barney Saltzberg - all about taking a mistake and turning it into an opportunity. It sparks creativity in an art project, but it also a great approach to mistakes in other areas of life.

Here is a read aloud version of the book, so you can experience the magic yourself ...

Lunchbox Ideas for Fussy Eaters

2011-08-09T18:32:00.001+09:30

I find packing school lunchboxes tricky. My son is a bit of a fussy eater and he won’t eat sandwiches. Sandwiches are perfect for lunchboxes. They are a main course that can be eaten by hand and needs no heating. What can replace this lunchbox staple? Here are ten ideas that have worked for my family:

Visit Planning With Kids to read my suggestions for lunchboxes for fussy eaters ...

good reads – the art project edition

2011-08-06T08:39:00.000+09:30

I’ve been searching the web for art projects this week, as I will be teaching an early childhood art class this term. But these are the great projects that I really want to try at home …

a watercolour alphabet from Art Projects for Kids

a cardboard coral reef sculpture from SmART class

a painting project with textas and watercolours from Fairy Dust Teaching

silly eye glasses from Art Projects for Kids

DIY stamps from Irresistible Ideas for Play-Based Learning

creating patterns with paper strips from Fairy Dust Teaching

tips for managing watercolour painting from Makes and Takes

make your own water colour pages from lissybug

and the picture at the top of this post is a look back at a past art project - flyswatter painting. It was very messy, but luckily we were outside. I did have a hard time getting my son to the shower without leaving a trail of paint through the house though!

Visiting a Museum with Your Kids

2011-08-03T09:00:00.001+09:30

Visiting a museum near your home can be a fun and educational experience for your child whatever their age. There are some things that you can do to help you and your child get the most out of the experience.

Plan ahead

Find out what you can expect to see at the museum, what might interest your child and whether there are any special exhibits or activities for children. You could let older children do this research themselves and plan what they want to see. For younger children, discuss with them what they will see at the museum.

It is also helpful to find out where the toilets are and the locations of access ramps if you are taking a pusher. You might also want to plan to visit at a quiet time of day.

Let your child be the guide.

Don't try and see everything, follow the interests of your child, even if they are most interested in the security guards or the staircase (which is quite likely if they haven't been to a similar setting before). Watch your child for signs that they have had enough, depending on their age they are likely to be happy for around 30 to 90 minutes.

Your child might also like to visit the museum cafe or gift shop (especially if going to a cafe is not something you do often). You could allow your child to buy a small token (eg. a postcard) to commemorate the visit.

Explain to your child the special rules to follow in a museum

Explain to your child that they will need to use a quiet voice, that they cannot run or climb on exhibits and they are not allowed to eat and drink in the museum. Depending on where you are going you might also need to explain what they can or can't touch. Above all, be a good example.

Plan a special activity

To enhance your visit or if you've visited the museum before, you could plan a special activity or play a game

Play 'I Spy' shapes, colours or objects
Take a sketchbook or notebook (check rules on using pens/pencils in museum galleries)
Create a scavenger hunt

Follow up the visit

Two ways you might want to follow up the visit are

starting a collection at home
explore the web as many museums have online exhibitions

Start planning your visit today - it will fire your child's imagination!

This has been reposted from March 2009.

Teach/Learn Collaboration

2011-08-01T14:20:00.001+09:30

The theme for this month's Teach/Learn was collaboration. Deb has created a round up of readable articles about collaboration, including a beautiful video.

Catherine at Adventures With Kids worked together with her family to create a wheelbarrow garden.
Deb at Science@home gave some tips on how you can get your kids collaborating - who likes sibling fights?!
The fabulous Teacher Tom has written a lot about kids working together, this is just one recent one, but search for 'together' on his blog and there are lots of great ideas.
Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now wrote about being a relaxed homeschooler, a subject that fascinates me and is the essence of having the whole family work together!
Monique from Your Cheeky Monkey wrote a post about the reasons she loves to network. While it's aimed at mothers running businesses, I think it applies to pretty much all of us.
For the teachers, Edutopia has a good article on collaborative work.
Because this is Science@home, I have to include some of the science on collaboration - toddlers will share rewards if they've worked together, but chimps don't.
And seeing we are blogging and therefore part of the new information age, a TED talk on collaboration by Howard Rheingold.

And finally, a beautiful video of collaboration - a classical cellist (Yo Yo Ma) and the most modern of dancers (Lil Buck).

Exploring Nature in Your Backyard

2011-07-27T11:20:00.000+09:30

This post was first published in June 2009.

There’s gardening, of course … but I am focusing on activities to make your child aware of the flora, fauna and inter-relationships between elements of your garden. I’m blessed to have a very large block of native garden, but if you aren’t in my position perhaps there is a nearby park, garden or nature reserve that you could visit.

To begin exploring nature with your children encourage them to use their senses -

Sight

take a magnifying glass and hunt for bugs. Look under rocks. You might also like to have some sort of bug keeper for further observations. You can use the CSIRO’s Backyard Biodiversity bugs guide to identify and learn about the bugs you find. (Safety Warning: some bugs sting, bite or are otherwise nasty, accompany younger children when hunting for bugs, teach your children not to touch bugs and to look before putting their hand in dark spaces).
put a birdbath or birdfeeder in your garden and do some birdwatching. You can identify the birds at Birds in Backyards and you might like to make a simple field guide, as seen at Frugal Family Fun Blog.
go looking for animal tracks. Somewhere with a little bit of loose dirt is a good place to look. Parenting Science has some other activities and ideas for exploring animal tracks.
go spotlighting for possums and other night time creatures. If you find any cane toads, you can collect them for disposal (and explain why to your child).
keep a record of the weather. Young children can draw a picture of the weather and older children might like to make temperature measurements. Find a container to use as a rain gauge.

Sound

be still and quiet and listen to sounds in the garden – what can you hear? cars driving by, birds singing, your house creaking, dogs barking, wind in the leaves?
use natural objects to make noises – stomp in leaves, find a fallen branch with leaves and swish it around (does it sound like the wind?), bang things with a stick

Touch

with supervision, touch leaves of different plants, bark on trees, mud. You can make rubbings of some of the textures (mud might be a bit hard!)
collect natural objects, such as sticks, leaves, flowers or rocks and make a nature collage.
go out when it’s raining, get wet and stomp in puddles

Smell

smell different flowers. Scrunch up green leaves and see what they smell like.

Taste

since I have young children I strongly recommend that you teach them not to taste anything without asking an adult and that you employ an expert for nature tasting experiments.

These are some very simple, first nature experiments. Follow your child’s interests and these simple experiments will lead to more complicated investigations.

herb garden in a wheelbarrow

2011-07-24T15:12:00.000+09:30

COLLABORATE: work jointly on an activity or project (Oxford Dictionaries)

This herb garden was our weekend family project. We shopped for the herbs, worked together to paint the wheelbarrow and then plant the herbs.

It was my husband’s idea to do this project collaboratively. He could easily of planted the herbs himself and be done with it. The benefits of working together are family bonding, a chance for the boys to learn more about herbs and gardening and a sense of ownership for all when we are caring for and eating the herbs.

Why is the herb garden in a wheelbarrow? It makes it easy to position close to the door, for easy herb picking and easy to move to accommodate windy, rainy or extra hot weather.

The Oxford Dictionaries had a second definition for collaboration – cooperate traitorously with an enemy. That might be more the sense of the word that applies when my boys collaborate to hide and jump out to scare me as I walk past (something they’ve been doing a lot lately!)

This post is part of Science at Home’s Teach/Learn blogging carnival. July’s theme is Collaboration. Follow the link if you would like to join in.

good reads – 22 July 2011

2011-07-22T15:46:00.000+09:30

We are back to school next week and that includes me back to work. I have a teaching contract teaching early childhood science this term. So, forgive me if I am not around online as much next week.

Here are some things I’ve enjoyed reading around the web …

Parenting and Home Management
An inspiring post about creating children’s spaces in every corner of your home at Childhood 101

Ideas to get your kids walking the whole way without whining at Mama Pea Pod

Activities to Try
Play the poison number game on car trips as suggested by love2learn2day.

Create some Wacky Sacks as seen on Somewhat Simple (my kids loved these – they just couldn’t put them down, and I’m glad I didn’t buy them because they only lasted a few days before encountering a rough play mishap)

For Celebrations
Planning a simple kids birthday party that is outside of the box from waddlee-ah-chaa. Visit and see this awesome outdoor birthday party with cake decorating, canoeing and critter catching as the party games.

what can we do with toy cars?

2011-07-20T10:07:00.000+09:30

Toy cars are all the rage here at the moment. Here are some ideas for play with toy cars …

drive them down ramps or roll them down a slide. Put something at the end of the ramp to knock over. Take ramps a step further and try and create car jumps.

line them up.
create roads or a racetrack. We usually use tape on the floor, but you could draw chalk roads outside or you can draw on cardboard like my son did here. And for a really big project you could map your neighbourhood. And I am keen to try this zigzag track.
paint with toy cars. Combine painting and rolling down a ramp (you could put a long paper down a ramp for a fun painting idea).
create a parking garage out of cardboard
make a toy petrol pump.
race them. Which ones go the furthest? You can even race them down ramps.
use the cars as game pieces in a board game car race (and practise number skills too)

120 Ways to Have a Memorable Year

2011-07-18T08:06:00.001+09:30

Over the past year, I have been suggesting activities to enjoy with your children every month. Now that I have completed a year's worth of activities, I have created a pdf book of all the activities for you to download - 120 Ways to Have a Memorable Year (activities to enjoy with your children all year round).

Time with family and children can be short. Parents often work long hours and children can be busy with school and after-school activities. The suggested activities in 120 Ways to Have a Memorable Year are simple ways that you can enjoy time with your family and create memories that your children will treasure.

Download Memorable Year here

Please note this book is based on an Australian calendar. Some commemorative days may not apply in other countries and seasonal activities are based on seasons in the Southern Hemisphere.

Book Review – Actual Size

2011-07-15T07:56:00.001+09:30

Do you know how big your hand is compared to a gorilla’s hand?

Have you ever looked a giant squid in the eye?

Would your head fit in a crocodile’s mouth?

Find out all this and more in Actual Size, by Steve Jenkins. The book shows actual-size collage illustrations of a variety of animals. Some illustrations can include the whole animal, like the world’s smallest fish the dwarf goby (9 mm), others show only the part of the animal that can fit on the page, like the 60-cm long anteater’s tongue.

Our favourite is the shark …

This is too close to a great white shark!

And have you heard of the giant Gippsland earthworm. It lives in Australia and is the world’s largest earthworm. As it moves through the ground it creates a sucking noise that can be heard above the ground.\

The book is full of fascinating facts sure to appeal to children and is a wonderfully helpful way to understand animals. It is much easier to understand how and why animals might behave in certain ways if you can understand how big or small they are.

Steve Jenkins has written a lot of other similar, fascinating sounding, books to illustrate amazing facts about animals. I will definitely be on the lookout for Steve Jenkins from now on.

You can take the fun a bit further with your child by comparing them with their favourite animal.
B’s favourite animal is a tiger. We did some research with Google …

Tigers weigh up to 363 kg. B weighs 18 kg. Dad weighs 92 kg. In fact, our whole family combined weighs less than a tiger. Until the boys grow up that is!

Tigers can stretch to 2 metres long and their tail is 1 metre long. So, B is just a bit longer than the tiger’s tail. You can draw these lengths in chalk outside so your child can see the comparison.

A tiger can jump to a distance of around 10 metres (a running jump, long jump style, I presume). How far can you long jump?

These facts are from National Geographic Kids and Wikipedia (obviously, I’m not writing a research paper on tigers here, just playing around with my kids)

Have you read any good children’s books lately?

a backyard picnic

2011-07-13T12:33:00.000+09:30

Yesterday, the boys decided that we should have a picnic. The wanted to picnic at the top of their fort. But since they wanted mum to come and mum can’t fit on the top of the fort, we settled on the trampoline.

The menu for the occasion was choc chip biscuits fresh from the oven, banana smoothies and, since mum insisted on some ‘real’ food, mini-ploughman’s lunches.

What’s a mini-ploughman’s lunch?

I’ve written recently about how my son won’t eat sandwiches (ham pinwheels and okonomiyaki). This is my most common solution to that problem. In his lunchbox I usually include meat – ham, roast beef or rissoles – as well.

And since I had just read this post about fun places to read, we took some books out to entertain us.

A very pleasant way to spend the morning!

How to Make Special Soup

2011-07-11T12:36:00.004+09:30

We have been making special soup here this morning. It is still a favourite activity for the boys. So, I'm republishing this post on special soup from August 2009.

Ingredients
water
sugar or salt
flour
sand
green split peas
stick of coloured chalk
variety of flower, leaves and sticks
anything else that seems suitable
a couple of drops of essential oil

pour water into bowl
mix in a spoonful of sugar or salt, stir to see the crystals dissolve
mix in some flour, sand, split peas. Notice which things sink and what happens to the colour of the water.
grind up a stick of chalk in the mortar and pestle. Add to the soup to give a nice colour.
collect and add flowers, leaves and sticks to make the soup visually interesting and nice smelling. You can also add a couple of drops of essential oil to make the soup smell lovely (and stimulate your child's senses).
spoon into small bowls ready to serve to garden fairies.

Benefits for your child

develops fine motor skills through pouring, spooning and grinding
demonstrates concepts of floating and sinking
demonstrates that different substances behave differently when mixed with water

art with leaves

2011-07-07T15:13:00.001+09:30

I set out the paint and paper and we collected some leaves. I had intended that we would try leaf printing (found via Pinterest). But as usual, the boys had their own ideas …

B wanted to stick leaves to the paper and then paint on the leaves

and make leaf collages

J just wanted to do this …

How are your school holidays going?

_________________________________________
If you are interested in doing more creative art activities with your children I recommend this ebook - Art not Craft (affiliate link).

Active Games Your Family Will Love

2011-07-06T17:47:00.000+09:30

Summer is a wonderful time to get outdoors and active with your family. My family loves to go out in the early evening, as it starts to get cooler, and kick the football or play a game or two. And if there are any friends around, they join in - the more, the merrier.

Click over to Simple Kids to read about some fun active games to play in your backyard or a nearby park.

How do you help your child choose books?

2011-07-05T15:45:00.000+09:30

Question of the Day – How do you help your child choose books when you go to the library or bookstore?

Why do I ask? I was at the library last week and heard a mother tell her daughter (probably around 7 y.o.), “I put those books back because you can’t read them yet.”

That seems quite discouraging to me – not to be able to borrow the books that you want to read because they might be hard for you to read. What do you think?

I let the boys choose whatever they like. They are limited in the number of books. Sometimes they choose adult books, especially non-fiction books with lots of photographs.

I try and help them with different aspects of how to choose – like looking at pictures to get an idea about the story, where to find books by a certain author or how to find a topic in non-fiction.

The bookstore might be different, since money is involved, I would want them to spend more time and choose carefully. I would talk them through it more and find out why they wanted that book.

So, how do you help your child choose books?

fairy garden in a pot

2011-07-04T09:10:00.001+09:30

Made by B. The snakes are to protect the fairies. The Mahogany seed pod and rocks are fairy picnic areas.

looking back – July 2010

2011-07-01T14:49:00.001+09:30

What we were doing

10 ways for you and your child to make the world a better place today

Fishing With Kids

3 ways with volcanoes

A Handful of Breakfast Ideas for Kids

Reading About

A guide to children's book series with plenty of suggestions for different ages

Reading aloud chapter books – how and why to read aloud chapter books with your children

What your child can teach you about passion and enthusiasm

food for thought about defining success and early learning

and an activity to try …

dice games for young children

hot rocks

2011-06-30T09:25:00.001+09:30

This project has been on my to-do list for a long time. I originally saw the idea at Little Humbugs.

Here’s how you make these beautiful-looking decorated rocks.

Go out and hunt for some rocks. Flat ones are easier to draw on later.

Put the rocks in a 230 deg C oven for 15 minutes.

Decorate the hot rocks with crayon. The heat in the rocks will melt the crayon onto the rock. B made the circle effect rocks. J made very colourful rocks by covering the whole surface of the rock with one colour and then beginning the next colour on top of the last.

The rocks are very hot and hold the heat for a long time, so make sure your children understand that they can’t touch the rocks at any time. I put the rocks on a folded towel so they wouldn’t move around.

Keeping a Learning Journal

2011-06-29T08:16:00.001+09:30

Many professionals, from engineers to artists, scientists to writers, keep a written reflection of their work. These journals provide a record of what these professionals were interested in, what they were learning from their work and more.

Children too can benefit from keeping a learning journal. Journaling is a way to process information and think things through.

Recording does not have to be restricted to writing. Children can use drawing or collage. This incorporates different learning styles and allows young children to express themselves with limited writing skills.

Read more about keeping a Learning Journal in my guest post at Imagination Soup.

an ‘electric’ day – squishy circuits, solar power and deconstruction

2011-06-28T12:31:00.002+09:30

Yesterday, I had a day with just my eldest son, and we made it an ‘electric’ day.

We tried making squishy circuits. These clever researchers have been using playdough to make playing with circuits more accessible to young children. There are very good instructions at the website for making the playdough (2 types conducting and insulating) and setting up different circuits.

Once we got one bulb to light up, we tried to light up two bulbs – unfortunately we did not have enough battery power.

My husband has instructions to get a bigger battery box today, because I think there is a lot more fun to be had with the idea of squishy circuits.

When I picked up the LEDs for squishy circuits, I also picked-up this little solar-powered grasshopper. When you put him in the sun he hops around.

My son had fun putting him in different places and shading him with leaves, his own shadow and so on.

And we also fitted some deconstruction into our day …

Once the hard drive had been taken apart, I let my son use the hot glue gun to make something new.

letterboxes

2011-06-27T11:57:00.000+09:30

Our first school holiday project has been making some letterboxes. This is one of those times when one idea perfectly suits the interest of both my children. B is very interested in writing notes. J is keen on posting mail and stashing things in boxes and bags.

We got out our useful box and this is what we came up with …

The boys both liked the traditional style mailbox, but it is actually an awkward size and difficult to use. I prefer the other mailbox and I have added a ribbon to the back so that it can hang off a doorknob.

Then the letter writing began. I found some cute printable letter papers …

rocket paper at Mint Printables

elephant and knight paper at Activity Village

and these tiny notes with envelopes from Grace is Overrated (definitely the favourite – you can see the envelopes in the photo above)

Another good idea, that I made for our writing box, was letter paper with your child’s name, which I made using the handwriting font that they use in NT schools. But since B is now very good at writing his name I did not make this again.

Teach/Learn Persistence

2011-06-27T07:13:00.002+09:30

This month our theme for Teach/Learn was Persistence, something that is needed to string all the pieces together and achieve something big.

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race” Calvin Coolidge, US President.

Catherine from Adventures with Kids has been making all sorts of creations with recycled materials lately. It has been a wonderful opportunity for talking to her son about persistence.
Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares ideas from Montessori education that you can use at home to help your child develop persistence.
Monique from Your Cheeky Monkey explores what persistence means and its place in our play and learning.
Deb at Science@home observed her kids and saw they kept coming back to things over and over.

5 ways to make the school holidays memorable

2011-06-24T09:54:00.000+09:30

School ends here in the NT today – and most places around Australia have school holidays coming up soon (or they’ve already started). And in the NT we have a long 4 weeks to enjoy the beautiful dry season weather. We’ll be staying home and these are some of the ways I’ll be trying to make the holidays memorable. …

have some theme days or weeks. Last year we had a rainbow theme and a week of play outdoors. This year I’m thinking about pirates.
visit your local library and stock up on books. I’m planning on getting a chapter book to share with B over the holidays. Many libraries also have holiday reading programs and activities.
go through your cookbooks with your kids and find some fun recipes you’d like to make together.
make a list of all the places you’d like to visit and things you’d like to do.
choose something to learn along with your child – what about sewing, knot tying or soccer

I’m hoping to share a lot of our holiday activities with you over the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

What are your plans for the school holidays?

ways to play with water (at home)?

2011-06-21T15:55:00.000+09:30

This is an updated version of a post I wrote in October 2009.

add cups, scoops, funnels, jugs, a watering can and a water wheel and pour it.
run under the sprinkler
water the plants
get a big piece of plastic or a ready-made water slide and go sliding. This works well on a hill but if you don’t have one it is still fun to slide around like worms and older kids can run and slide. Sometimes it helps to add some conditioner to make the plastic more slippery
wash the dishes
have a toy wash. You could create a toy car wash with soap, brushes and a sprayer or give all the dolls a bath.
have a water fight with water balloons or water pistols. Or set up a target to shoot or throw at – a pyramid of tin cans or empty plastic bottles make a good knock-em-down target.
see how many different ways you can pop a water balloon.
make ice cubes and give your child tongs to try and pick them up.
paint your fence or outside walls with water
wash the windows
throw wet sponges at the wall. Makes and Takes has instructions for some cool looking water sponge toys.
take a bubble bath
sail boats in an aluminium foil river
mop the floor
test household objects to find out - does it sink or float?
transfer water from one container to another with a spoon or an eyedropper or by squeezing out a sponge
drop rocks in water and make a big splash
get an aquarium net and let your child go fishing for toy fish or ping pong balls
get out the play sea creatures and create an ocean tub. You can also put a mirror or some sand and rocks in the bottom of the tub.
transfer coloured water with funnels and tubes
try bobbing for apples
wash your car
do some chalk and water painting
create a water wall
use spray bottles filled with water to water the plants, wipe the table or create water spray stencils

What are your children’s favourite ways to play with water?

persistence and building with boxes

2011-06-19T14:30:00.001+09:30

My eldest son has been working very hard at constructing with recycled materials lately – as you can see from these box constructions.

This is a racetrack my son created, modelled off the racetrack I drew for his brother.

This is a robot created by my son without assistance (just some advice). It is hard to show all the details, there are a lot of buttons and decorations on the head.

But he is at an awkward stage of having lots of great ideas and an idea how he wants the final product to look but is just lacking the experience and motor skills to put it all together.

This has provided a great opportunity for him to practise persistence. To help him achieve the results he wants we have talked about

planning projects before you start, including drawing a plan and gathering materials
recognising when he is feeling frustrated and taking a break or asking for help
remembering that many things he once found hard are now easier and that he will be proud of himself for sticking with his project through any difficulties

Persistence is an important part of developing self-esteem. Many things that are worth learning require effort and persistence through inexperience and difficulties. It is great to see my son working on this important character trait.

How has your child shown persistence lately?

This post is for the Teach/Learn carnival, the June theme is Persistence. If you have something to say about Persistence you can join in by following the link.

can I take your photo?

2011-06-15T10:54:00.000+09:30

When my son was stung by a wasp last week and feeling miserable, I was looking for a big distraction. I turned to a website I had bookmarked - the Sparklebox website has lots of printables to spark pretend play.

We visited the site and browsed the ideas. And created a photography studio …

The reception desk with photo prints, frames and photography books for sale. And this is where you booked your photo session. We offered portraits, photos with the shop mascots and photos in costume.

The studio.

The shop mascots.

A satisfied customer having her portrait taken.

The Sparklebox website has a huge range of printables for role play and many other helpful printables for learning. I encourage you to bookmark it for a rainy day.

okonomiyaki

2011-06-13T08:15:00.002+09:30

This is just one of those recipes that I kept seeing everywhere and so knew it was one I should try. It is a Japanese egg pancake.

1/4 cup self-raising flour
1 egg
3 tbsp water or stock (or you can use dashi, although I have not tried this yet)
ham, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely shredded Chinese Cabbage
grated carrot
1 spring onion, finely chopped
Mix flour with 3 tablespoons of water and stir to remove lumps. Add egg and mix well. Stir in ham, cabbage, carrot and spring onion.
Spray frypan with oil and place over medium heat. Add batter to create small pancakes. Cook until bottom is browned and then flip over and brown the top. Serve with bbq sauce.

To get my kids to eat it I need to chop the vegies very finely so that they are hardly visible – the food processor is a great help here. As I am on a lunchbox idea quest, I have been making mini versions for lunchboxes. And I am loving this for my lunch as well.

Science by Video: salt volcano

2011-06-08T10:43:00.001+09:30

This is a first experimental venture into vlogging for Adventures With Kids.

The boys and I created this movie of a fun science experiment - Salt Volcanoes. (I'm not sure how this will appear in feed readers. You may need to click through to my site to see the video.)

Whats happening in this experiment?

Oil and water won't mix (they are immiscible). Oil floats on water because oil is less dense than water.

But salt is heavier than water and when you add the salt it carries some oil down into the water. In the water, the salt starts to dissolve and the oil floats back up to the top of the water.

You can find full instructions for the experiment at the Exploratorium.

What do you think of Science by Video? It was fun to make and watch a video of us doing an activity. And it gives you a great insight into how you talk to your children (and in this case how I explain science concepts). But it is tricky to juggle videoing and doing an activity - obviously I need to get a tripod.

weekend exploring

2011-06-05T13:58:00.000+09:30

We went exploring this weekend to a nearby recreation reserve. We have been there before but not for over a year, so the boys didn’t really know what to expect. They were pleasantly surprised to find …

A playground …

A lagoon …

looking for fish

Lots of space to run …

And best of all, steep hills for sliding …

ham pinwheels

2011-06-02T20:03:00.001+09:30

My son is forcing me to be endlessly creative when it comes to school lunches. He is creating a growing list of things that he doesn’t like in his lunchbox – and sandwiches are defiinitely on the list!

It seems that he prefers fingerfoods that can be gobbled up quickly before the ‘play’ bell rings. My latest lunchbox discovery is ham pinwheels.

I found a recipe for ham pinwheels in Lunchbox Bible, by Margaret Barca and have adapted it a bit to suit my family …

pita bread
cheese spread (I make my own, I’ll tell you how in a minute)
slices of ham
sprouts or grated carrot

Spread pita bread with cheese spread (right to the edges). Lay ham and sprouts/carrot along the centre of the pita bread. Roll up and press to secure. Cut into smaller pinwheels. I favour quite small pieces that can be eaten in one or two bites.

For the cheese spread, I mix cream cheese, gherkins (1 or 2 chopped or grated) and a spoonful of tomato sauce. I mix them in the food processor so that the gherkin is chopped up really finely. [Inspired by cheese spread in Destitute Gourmet, by Sophie Gray]

So far, so good - although I can’t use the same thing too often lest it fall into disfavour.

Do you children eat sandwiches in their school lunch?

By the way, your children might like to help make these.

Blokus – a game for the whole family

2011-06-01T11:29:00.000+09:30

Blokus is the new favourite board game in our house.

My 5 year old loves it because it was easy to learn but is challenging to play and mum and dad like to play with him.

My 2 year old likes it because if mum or dad help he can join in and play too.

Mum and Dad love it because everyone can join in and it doesn’t take too long to get through a complete game. And importantly, Blokus is interesting and challenging for adults to play (even when you are playing with your 5 year old).

The aim of Blokus is to get as many of your playing pieces on the board as possible. You must consider how to block opponents moves as well as keeping moves open for yourself.

The board contains 400 squares and each player has 22 different shaped and sized pieces to try and fit on the board. Pieces must only touch others of the same colour at the corners, not along any edges.

The game can be played by 2 to 4 people, is suitable for players aged 5 years and up and takes around 30 minutes to play. We found that the game works best when played by 2 or 4 people. The strategy needed to play with 3 people is a bit complicated for younger children to understand.

Blokus was invented by a mathematician. Starting from the four colour theorem – which states that no more than four colours are required to colour the regions of a map so that no two adjacent regions have the same colour - and with the idea of using polyminoes as pieces, he reached the principle of Blokus.

Playing Blokus will build your child’s (and your) problem solving and decision making skills and develops patience and concentration.

It is a great addition to our family games cupboard.

I received a copy of Blokus for the purpose of this review.

Teach/Learn Outdoors

2011-05-30T17:05:00.000+09:30

I have to congratulation the Teach/Learn participants this month, due to all the insane things happening around here there weren't little reminders sent out. It's nice to know people remembered on their own! But they have come up with some great ideas for getting outside while you teach and learn.

Catherine from Adventures With Kids created some garden mobiles to decorate the trees around their sandpit.
Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares some of her favorite ways her family discovered to fully experience nature wherever they lived.
Jenny Kable from Let the Children Play had her students creating their own obstacle course, because if you give children loads of interupted time to play in an outdoor environment filled with enticing loose parts, their imagination and creativity really takes off.
Mamapoekie from Authentic Parenting wrote about making the outdoors and extension of your home, to encourage outdoor time by making your garden homely and attractive.
Monique at Your Cheeky Monkey is exploring outside play ideas for winter with her boys.
Deb from Science@home had a whole list of ideas for playing outside with cute pictures.

Have you been getting outside? Add some ideas in the comments or check out these great posts.

10 ways to make June memorable

2011-05-29T16:32:00.003+09:30

go ice skating or roller skating
learn to fingerknit.
have a bonfire to celebrate winter solstice on 21 June.
read or watch The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis, and imagine what it would be like to live in endless winter.
create an indoor obstacle course
bake and decorate some gingerbread men.
take advantage of the cold and make ice ornaments to decorate your outdoor space.
spend an afternoon making homemade cards to send to family and friends. You can save them to send on special occasions or just make a batch to send right now.
wear your red nose on 24 June to support SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) research
when you are stuck inside and running out of ideas, impress you kids with this balancing trick

looking back – June 2010

2011-05-26T19:31:00.001+09:30

What we were doing …

I shared my tips for visiting the art gallery with your children.

We created a field guide for our backyard and explored rainbows to keep us busy during the school holidays.

And in June I concluded my series of guest posts – Australia With Kids - about great activities for kids to explore in Australia’s capital cities.

Reading About …

Fun Orange County Parks shared her handy list for packing your out and about adventure bag.

If you have a fussy eater, like I do, this post about using yoghurt to make new foods work for you, is an eye opener. By slowly changing already acceptable foods you can introduce new tastes.

Mem Fox talks about ways to make books as attractive as television in your house.

my favourite toys for toddlers

2011-05-24T19:31:00.000+09:30

I’ve been rearranging and decluttering at home and it has me thinking about which toys we’ve loved. These are my favourite toys for toddlers …

doll stroller
doll and accessories (or teddy and accessories) eg. clothing, bottle, bed
cars and trucks
wooden blocks
soft balls
purse or wallet with cards and pretend money
dress up hats
pots, pans and cooking toys and play food
ride-on car
tricycle
nesting blocks
play dough and tools
puzzles
bucket and shovel for sandpit
trucks and diggers for sandpit
waterwheel
swing
play phone
xylophone, drum and shakers

What toys do/did your toddlers like best?

something for the kids to do today

2011-05-22T16:41:00.000+09:30

Help! The kids are bored and fighting. What can I suggest to distract them?

My top tip is to just pick something and go and do it, or start setting it up. This interests the children more than suggesting something and giving them the opportunity to say ‘no’.

suggest they find something to do or go and tidy and vacuum their bedroom
get out pencils and start drawing. Draw some squiggles and invite your children to turn them into a picture.
clean your windows.
build with blocks. If you children like Lego, you might use my list of lego building challenges
get out recipe books and start looking for something to bake.
help them to write a to-do list – crafts to do, books to read, movies to watch, things to do when you’re bored. It doesn’t really matter what list you choose, writing the list will kick your child’s brain out of boredom and into possibility.
put on some music
get out of the house – go for a walk or a bike ride or get in the car and go to the nearest playground.
ask for a cuddle
start re-arranging the furniture or decluttering toys

What do you do when your children get bored or won’t stop fighting?

homework or not?

2011-05-20T12:32:00.000+09:30

The question of the day … Do you support the idea of children in primary school being given homework?

Do you believe the routine of doing homework creates good study patterns?

Do you see homework as providing a time to interact with your child and find out what they are learning at school? Or would you rather interact in your child after school in another way?

Does it depend on what type of homework is given?

If you are interested in this topic you might like to read these resources …
Homework, or Not …? from Aussie Educator
Life After School: all homework, no play from the Sydney Morning Herald

Share your thoughts in the comments. I will put my answer in the comments also.

Art Not Craft ebook review and giveaway

2011-05-19T13:25:00.001+09:30

Have you ever wished you had some new ideas for art experiences beyond playdough, drawing with crayons and painting on an easel?

Do you ever wish art wasn't so messy and time consuming?

Have you ever wondered how to motivate your young child to get involved in art experiences?

The ebook - Art not Craft: The Process of Learning Creatively - can help with all these questions and more. The book, written by parenting blogger and early childhood educator, Christie Burnett of Childhood 101, is full of ideas to inspire you to look at, talk about and make art with your child.

I've just reviewed the book at Simple Kids. There is discount code for purchasing your copy and a chance to win a copy of the book.

Head over to Simple Kids now.

garden mobiles

2011-05-18T10:09:00.001+09:30

We have been making some mobiles to hang in the trees around our sandpit.

To make them we tied fishing line around an old CD. We then threaded beads onto the fishing line and tied a loop at the top.

We then decorated the back of the CD by gluing on glitter and confetti. We left the shiny side of the CD as is, to catch the sun.

This post is part of the Teach/Learn Carnival, May’s theme is Outdoors. If you would like to join in submit your own post here.

adventures I’d love to have with my kids

2011-05-15T19:10:00.000+09:30

This was first posted in July 2009. I have revised it based on some things we’ve done and a couple of new things I’ve thought of.

This is my bucket list of experiences I’d like to share with my children as they grow up.

(please note that the links are to whet your appetite and show what I mean. I do not endorse the travel products I've linked to or guarantee that they offer the best deals) …

visit Disneyland
sail on a yacht (you can do this in the Whitsundays)
go on a night safari at Singapore Zoo
have a mud bath (something like this in New Zealand)
go snorkelling
go rock climbing
learn snowboarding or skiing
visit the Great Barrier Reef (ideally, I’d go to Lady Musgrave Island, I’ve camped there before and it is awesome)
see turtles hatching
visit a chocolate factory
go whale-watching
go fossicking for gems and/or fossil hunting
ride on a big rollercoaster
ride on a steam train
catch a metre-long barramundi (yes, my husband is mad about fishing)
visit London and ride in a double decker bus
visit Santa in the North Pole (well, there seem to be lots of Santas’ to visit near the North Pole, so I might need a recommendation here?)
swim with dolphins
go up in a hot air balloon
get lost in a living maze
see our favourite animals in the wild (my favourite is hippopotamus)
see an eclipse/meteor shower
take a road trip around Australia
spend Christmas in the snow
build a big sandcastle
go horse-riding
bury a time capsule
sleep out under the stars
see the Northern or Southern lights (aurora)
attend a major sporting event

And some adventures we’ve already enjoyed …

go geocaching
go gold panning
eat with chopsticks (we might need to upgrade to eat with chopsticks in Asia)
fruit and vegetable picking

What adventures would you love to have with your children? What adventures have you already had?

ebook review – How to Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too!

2011-05-12T20:35:00.000+09:30

I firmly believe that our children benefit when we pursue our own goals. We’re better mothers when we have a creative outlet and children learn to pursue their own dreams by watching us pursue ours.

It is possible to pursue your dream and have a family. Mandi Ehman of Life…Your Way has done just that. In How the Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too! she gives you the tools and inspiration to find and follow your passion.

The book is divided into 3 parts devoted to

A Recipe for Success – how pursuing your passion is possible if you intentionally manage your priorities
Set the Timer - productivity and time management
The Kitchen Sink - effective home management strategies

This is the book that will help you find the time and energy to pursue your passion. It provides that lightbulb “perhaps it’s possible” moment. The tips are helpful for mums who want to work at home, or those that don’t.

Reading this book was very timely for me. I’ve been an at-home mum for 2 years now. Sometimes you can forget in the chaos of kids and home management to pursue the things that you most enjoy. As I have a bit more time now J is older, I wonder if I can turn some of my dreams into reality. And this book has me thinking “Yes, I can.”

My favourite tip from the book, which is already making my home calmer and freeing up my time, is the 15 minute blitz. Doing a 15 minute family tidy up of your home quickly gets mess under control and helps you feel calmer.

Mandi Ehman shows us that if we are intentional and determine our priorities we can pursue our passions without feeling guilty. There will be challenges and sacrifices but if you work hard you can have your cake and eat it too.

What are you waiting for? Go and purchase your copy of How to Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too! for only $9.

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links. That means that I get a percentage of the sale price if you click the link and purchase the book.
I received a free review copy of this ebook.

nursery rhyme time

2011-05-08T16:59:00.001+09:30

When I first had B, looking for ways to connect with my baby, I thought of nursery rhymes, fingerplays and songs. But I felt a bit uncomfortable. My repertoire of rhymes was pretty limited and I didn’t really know how to make them entertaining for my baby.

That all changed when I discovered nursery rhyme time at my local library. There, I learnt how to engage with my baby in songs, rhymes and stories.

The Benefits of Sharing Songs and Rhymes with Your Child
There are many benefits of sharing songs and rhymes with babies and young children …

it is an enjoyable way to spend time with your child and reinforces your connection with your child.
it aids in children’s language development. For example, rhyme and rhythm help children to distinguish and learn words. Later, being able to detect rhyming words and pick out sounds in words is important in learning to read.
joining in with action songs and rhymes develops your child’s co-ordination and motor skills.
songs and rhymes are a great way to distract and soothe children. You can use them when changing nappies, on a long drive, when you want to transition from one activity to another and at many other sticky moments.
it is fun!

Inspiration for Sharing Songs and Rhymes with Your Child

use actions or make up your own actions. For example, bounce baby on your knee as you say the rhyme.
use different voices and volumes when saying rhymes.
add instruments
change the words of rhymes to match what you are doing, or your child’s interests. Change names in rhymes and use your child’s name.

Most importantly make it fun and make time daily to enjoy songs and rhymes.

Where to Find New Songs and Rhymes

go to a library storytime
get some chant, song or rhyme books
watch the Wiggles or Playschool
I’ve shared some of my favourite fingerplays and our latest favourite action song on the blog.

This post was inspired by this CD

which was kindly sent to me by the Victorian State Library and is part of the State Library of Victoria Young Reader’s Program. If you live in Victoria this CD is available in all public libraries, providing inspiration, ideas and techniques for bringing poems, songs and storytimes into daily play.

What are your child’s favourite songs and rhymes?

books for emergent readers can be boring

2011-05-05T17:42:00.002+09:30

As most of you would know my son is in his first year of school this year. This has meant the arrival of homework in our house. Each week he brings home two books in his school reader for us to read together.

The books are designed for emergent readers. They have only one or two sentences per page, a limited vocabulary and illustrations to help the reader predict what the text will say.

When reading these books parents are encouraged to follow the words with their finger (or have their child do that) and encourage ‘reading’ from memory.

My son was initially very keen to for us to do this shared reading. But as the weeks went on he started to find the books a bit repetitive and the stories unexciting and he stopped focussing on the words as he ‘read’ the story he remembered.

What did I do to encourage him to once again focus on the text in the book?

We created the magic reading pointer. This is a pointer that he can use to point to each word as he reads and that ‘helps him read’. And the magic pointer made shared school reading fun again. Suddenly, my son was seeing words he already knew, words that looked similar, words everywhere. Who knew that words were so interesting!

We use a decorated (a bit of glitter did the trick) chopstick as our pointer, but any stick will do. I think some ribbons or feathers on the end of the stick would make a wonderful decoration. But if you need something really special to get your child interested perhaps you could try a laser pointer.

Having a magic pointer is so much more exciting than pointing to the words with your finger!

camp out in the backyard

2011-05-03T23:06:00.001+09:30

The good stuff …

We played ...

collecting wood, lighting the fire and keeping the fire going
with flashing, light up toys
catching bugs
and the grown ups tested out an iPhone app for finding constellations and other objects in the night sky. I downloaded a couple of free apps and our favourite was SkyView Free (but the Southern Cross was not listed as a constellation, so if you can recommend a more southern sky friendly app, please leave a comment). This is a fun way to learn more about the night sky.

And the bad stuff ...

It was very exciting and difficult to sleep and then, after a little sleep in the tent it was all a bit too scary and inside seemed better. Past experience has taught us that there is good reason to have a practise camp out in in the backyard before going away from home!

If you want some tips on how to have a successful camping trip (away from home) with the kids, here is a list of some helpful resources.

This post is part of Childhood 101’s We Play link up. Head over and see more great play ideas.

looking back – May 2010

2011-05-01T18:04:00.002+09:30

What we were doing

making flowers for Mother’s Day

we were playing with floating and sinking and re-enacting Who Sank the Boat?

bookmaking – the ABCs of you

creating an ant jar

building with cardboard boxes, rocks, ice cubes or cards

thinking about why you should help your child follow their passions and how to do that

Reading About

I can look back to what I was finding interesting online in May 2010 using my Tumblr archive. Here are some of the blog posts that captured my attention …

mistakes parents make when feeding their kids like making their children clear the plate or offering sweet rewards for eating other food.

allowing your kids to be themselves and how this involves giving up your control

meeting your child’s needs by considering their love language

and activities to try

playing with torches

10 ways to make May memorable

2011-04-29T01:51:00.000+09:30

hunt for autumn treasures in your garden or local neighbourhood – different kind and colour of fallen leaves, a leaf skeleton, mushrooms, butterflies, a spiderweb
read a story or go to the library on May 25 for National Simultaneous Storytime
find a tree to climb
make herbal tea
make and fly a kite. Since Japan’s Childrens Day festival is on May 5 it is a nice time to make a carp kite (koinobori).
go for a walk or walk to school on 20 May for Walk Safely to School Day
make a picture collage with leaves like these at waddlee-ah-chaa or Pink and Green Mama.
cook and eat pumpkin soup
create your very own animation by making a flip book
let your kids draw their ultimate bedroom. Work together to see what ideas you can add to give their room a refresh.

And one extra thing for May this year, head over to Playing by the Book and join the 2011 international postcard swap. The deadline for signing up is Tuesday 17 May.

Beetle dice game

2011-04-27T03:48:00.001+09:30

This is a fun, quick game for 2 or more players which helps your child to recognise the numbers 1 to 6.

Here’s how to play:

You will need: pencil and paper for each player, dice

The beetle has 13 parts – a body, a head, two eyes, two antenna, six legs and a tail. To draw each body part you must roll its corresponding number on the die

1 is for the body
2 is for the head
3 is for each eye
4 is for each antennae
5 is for each leg
6 is for the tail

You cannot draw any body parts until you have rolled a 1 for the body. You cannot add eyes and antenna until you have rolled a 2 for the head.

Players take turns rolling the dice. The winner is the first person to complete the beetle.

If your child can’t yet read well enough to know what each number represents you might want to draw a template to help them.

You can use numbers on the template and let your child match the number symbol to the number of dots on the die. To make it easier you can put the dot patterns on your template.