children's activities

What a fun day to spend with your students, children, or anyone who’s into making new things! If you think inventing is boring, think again—from slime to bouncy balls to paper airplanes to rockets, you can go far beyond the traditional (but still fun, in my opinion!) erupting volcano.

Spend January 17 inventing something new. You could probably think of a thousand things on your own; how about some of these to get you started?

Get a kit to make anything from bouncy balls to car race kits to grown crystals. These kits are amazing and always make my birthday list. (No, not my kid’s, my own!) Read more

Dreaming of a White Christmas? Me too. Every year, in fact; it seems that, though I’m in the Midwest, it never snows on Christmas Day in our area anymore, leaving the childhood memories I have of running out to sled and make snow angels pretty hard to repeat with my own child.

Pretty hard, sure—but not impossible. If you’re longing for some snow this season and Jack Frost hasn’t paid a visit just yet, here are a few ideas to help provide some snowy goodness for your family. Read more

With a preschooler’s birthday on the horizon (such as the case in my home this month), you might be struggling to find the perfect gift. There are millions of toys on the market—but which ones will provide both educational benefits as well as enjoyment?

A puzzle is a great choice if that’s the sort of gift you’re after. Not only do they provide many educational (and other) benefits for children; they also provide hours of fun for both children and their families. Puzzles can be a solitary or group activity, which means they can provide valuable family bonding time—as well as some quiet individual time while Mom or Dad is trying to get a few things done.

Plus, by selecting a puzzle based on the child’s interests—from cats to cars, characters or even homemade puzzles with personal photos—you can also give a vey personalized gift that he or she will truly enjoy. Read more

So the question is—do we encourage our progeny to pillage and plunder, or do we condemn piracy?

I know it’s a funny question. Pirates are, by most media accounts, adorable heathens in funny outfits that never cause much real harm. With their gold teeth, dirty braids and scallywag talk, they’re more fun than dangerous. After all, if Johnny Depp is a pirate, something’s got to be good about them.

That said, we’re not oblivious to real pirates today who kidnap, murder, rape and steal. They’ve existed since the seas were able to be sailed. Real pirates are fearsome criminals who may not be much different than serial killers—and as cute as it might be to have your kid say, while sporting an expanded kool-aid grin, “Why so serious?” do we really want to help our children idolize dangerous, destructive people? Read more