All Posts in "CHILDRENS EDUCATIONAL GAMES"

Afterschool activities, homeschool get-togethers, and coffee with friends while the kids played were a large part of our pre-travel days. Melbourne has an abundance of activities, excursions, and groups for homeschoolers, spoiling us for choice of activities to participate in. We usually went along to along to a few each week. Then there were the afterschool activities; swimming, tennis, drama, pottery, gymnastics, dancing, violin lessons etc that we did at various times. How would we go without these?

Finding Friends for Kids Living On The Road
image source

We have missed the homeschool get-togethers, and gatherings at friends’ houses. There isn’t actually a substitute that we’ve found for them ‘on the road’. HEA have a wonderful resource on their website for finding other homeschool groups as we travel. We haven’t actually done much of this, though, there is the potential there when we feel the need. There have been phone calls and emails at times back to friends in Melbourne, who are still thought of as if we had seen them only a few weeks ago.

We thought that kids would probably appreciate being able to converse with other travelling children. That’s a bit harder to do than say, as travelling families in Australia are spread out across … READ MORE ...

Elizabeth Cook by — September 11, 2019 in Interactive Games For Kids

As children grow the best things for them to learn and play with include things which are geared toward more science educational toys. They can learn and have fun at the same time. Educational toys help younger children brains develop at a faster rate. Science teaches them not only how things work or how things can be made but also how things in nature and the Earth works and why. These can be fun for the entire family to enjoy and join in on the creating and the building.

Science Educational Toys Popular With Kids Today
image source

One fun and colorful scientific wonder toy is that of special brightly colored sand which when placed in water stays dry. Once it is in the water your child can then have the task of creating different shapes and forms with use of a straw. Another sand related activity is being able to play at digging of cosmic rocks. These are made from Tektites which are meteorite fragments that your child can actually dig into and explore.

They can also grow there very own crystals easily by a kit which includes everything they need. The chemicals within dissolve once they are added to water and then turn into brilliantly … READ MORE ...

Elizabeth Cook by — June 11, 2019 in Interactive Games For Kids

How to Balance Your Decision to Raise Thinking Kids With Schools Requesting Over-Involved Parents
img source

When my child was in the 2nd grade, and her teacher asked me why I didn’t sign her “homework” notebook, I told her it was because I was raising a “thinking” child.

It’s the same reason I didn’t:

  • Go through my kids backpacks every day
  • Pick out my child’s clothes
  • Decide if they would bring lunch or buy lunch
  • Make their lunch if they decided to bring it
  • Sit in the classroom and “observe”
  • Make a special trip to school to drop off a forgotten instrument, pair of cleats or science project
  • Talk to the teacher about my child’s “performance” without my child present
  • And 100 other decisions I made about my role in my child’s educational experience

I believed my primary job was to prepare my kids to leave home at 18 with the confidence necessary to make hundreds of decisions each day, the ability to overcome whatever challenge or obstacle they encounter and to do so with a sense of courage, curiosity and enthusiasm. That is how I defined my job as a mother. I made that decision when my first child came home from Kindergarten with a list of “expectations” the teacher had of me.… READ MORE ...

Elizabeth Cook by — May 13, 2019 in Interactive Games For Kids

Money Skills For Kids
img source

The education system today may be fantastic at teaching our children reading, math and writing skills, but when it comes to teaching them about real world issues like money, it gets a failing grade. Where did you learn about money? Did you have rich parents that taught you everything? Did you read about it? Or did you learn by trial and error in the real world? As a parent, the best gift you can give your child is knowledge about these basic money management strategies

Pay yourself first

Managing money and building a secure financial future is not all about rates of return and investment amounts but more about habits. As soon as your child is old enough, and starts dealing with money, start teaching them one of the core principles of wealth creation, pay yourself first. We all know if we take the route of paying all the bills and then investing what is left over, there never seems to be any left over. So instead, take the alternative approach of paying yourself first. Teach them to get in a habit of setting aside 10% of whatever they earn and put that money aside for long term … READ MORE ...

Elizabeth Cook by — February 10, 2019 in Math Games
5 methods to learn a new subject fast

When it comes to studying, there never seems to be enough hours in the day. You’re either tied up in classes, doing sports or having fun, or spending some much needed downtime after a long day. So when it’s time to study, it’s vital you get the most out of the time you have, and study smarter. Here are 5 quick ways of speeding up the process of learning a new subject quickly.

1. Have a toolbox of learning methods

It’s easy to fall in to the trap of reading textbook after textbook after textbook, but at some point – probably early on – you’ll begin to switch off. Instead, think about using a variety of learning methods, such as:

  • Taking and reviewing your notes from class. Make sure you understand what each note means, and feel free to expand on it after.
  • Take some time to teach a friend or family member what you’re studying. We find it much easier to retain information which we ‘say’ and ‘do’ rather than just ‘read’.
  • Think outside of the box. What about an extra summer course or some online learning?

2. Plan your study time

Put together a study schedule which requires … READ MORE ...

Elizabeth Cook by — October 30, 2018 in Learning Games