Does it seem like every time you turn around, your home has been taken
apart by your little explorer? Don’t despair. It may only result from an
extraordinary desire to learn. Who knows, your child may be a future
scientist, inventor or leader in the making.
Bordem Busters
When your child needs to occupy her creative energy, have her try some of
these fun, educational activities.
- Put together a book of facts on a personal interest
such as dinosaurs, insects, rock bands, sports or astronomy. Clip pictures
and descriptions from magazines and internet printouts. Then trace drawings
from books and write about personal experiences with the topic. - Make up a scavenger hunt.
Make a list of easy to find items for your small children. Make it more
challenging for older kids by providing them with a list of puzzles to
solve to determine what items to find. Kids can also create a scavenger
hunt for family or friends to try. - Play restaurant.
Have your child make up a restaurant menu with several simple dishes he can
prepare. At dinnertime, he can seat the family, take orders, then prepare
and serve the meals. (Suggestion: Bring along some reading while you wait.) - Recycling fun.
Start a discard collection and teach your kids the importance of recycling
and reusing disposable items. Then get their creative juices flowing. Save
zippers and buttons from old clothing, plastic containers, fabric strips,
packing materials, small scraps of wood, carpet and wallpaper scraps and
more. Then supply your kids with scissors, tape and glue, and let them go
to work. Offer ideas to get your kids started and then let them come up
with their creations. - Make a United States puzzle.
Purchase several colors of clay and a United States map. Clip each state
from the map, place a state clipping over the rolled out clay and trace the
shape into the clay with a toothpick. Cut out the shapes then write the
name of the state with a pencil tip. Be sure to use a different color of
the clay for each neighboring state and then let the shapes dry or bake
according to instructions. - Play Thomas Edison.
Save old kitchen appliances, computers, DVD players and other electronics.
Give your child a supply of tools such as pliers, screwdrivers and safety
glasses and let him go to work. Kids love this type of exploration and
learn by taking apart and examining the inner workings of electronics. As a
word of caution, cut the electrical cord before your child begins to
prevent any mishaps. And supervise for sharp parts or mechanisms that could
pinch fingers. - Create a video.
Have your kids make up several humorous TV commercials using household
items for props and dressing-up for the part. Once they’ve rehearsed their
skits, set up a video camera and tape their production.
Toys That Teach
Keep kids entertained with these educational toys that won’t quickly lose
their appeal.
- Try K’nex
, which puts a new twist on building blocks. With K’nex, there are endless
possibilities of what a child can create, from dinosaurs and airplanes to
roller coasters, space shuttles and motorized cars. Find K’nex in
educational toy stores. - Go on a dig
. Archaeology excavation kits are found in many educational toy stores or
online. Children can dig for ancient treasures from replicas of dinosaur
fossils to Egyptian reliefs. Kids also learn about the history behind the
excavated items through stories included with the kits. Once kids’ interest
has been sparked, parents can print out additional articles from
encyclopedias or the Internet. - Scientific Explorer kits
have won several awards. These kits offer a variety of educational
activities, experiments and worksheets. They are available in the following
themes: Ancient Greece: The Dawn of Modern Science, Galileo: Renaissance
Astronomer and Physicist, Charles Darwin: The Life of a Naturalist and many
others. Look for these kits in gift shops at science museums and in other
educational toy shops.
Exploration On The Go
Are you looking for some new and exciting places to take your kids? Try
some of these spots.
- Art museums
offer a variety of activities to spark your kids’ interest. Many offer art
and craft workshops, traveling exhibits, book signings by children’s
illustrators and even musical performances and other arts. - Head to a natural history museum
where kids can discover the past from dinosaur displays and stuffed-animal
exhibits to geology collections, ancient mummies and astronomy. Also, ask
what kind of workshops and educational programs are available for kids and
any special events that are coming up. - Youth Theater.
Look for one in your region offering plays for child and family audiences.
Area artists and educators conduct pre-show “playshops.” Kids can explore
the performing arts from puppet making to stage make-up and more. Ask about
summer arts programs too. - Hands-on science.
Visit one of the many hands-on science museums around the country. These
science play lands are great fun for kids and adults alike. They’ll keep
your child mentally and physically active the whole day through, while
pushing buttons, winding cranks, playing instruments, experimenting and
building. When everyone is exhausted, enjoy a fun, family science show, the
observatory, an IMAX movie or simulator rides, all commonly found in these
museums.
