Fun Learning Activities Kids
Household ingredients can be used to make inexpensive DIY for kids projects. Did you know that your kids can even use household ingredients to make a bouncy ball? This is pretty cool! DIY for Kids Who knew you could make a homemade bouncy ball that *actually* bounces?! And that you could make it out of [...]
Our summer has been filled with trips to coastal locations- Hawaii, North Carolina, Virginia, and Big Sur. My toddler and preschooler have spent a lot of time in the water and have been really excited by all of the boats they’ve seen. Today I wanted to share a simple paper boat craft we created based [...]
Any Dinosaur lovers out there!? My boys absolutely LOVE playing what we refer to as Dinosaur Breakout! It is a perfect simple activity for those HOT days when being outside means water must be involved in some way! Lately, we have been known to have dinosaurs in our freezer on a very regular basis! Materials [...]
Figuring out how to balance objects is something that fascinates children. Whether it is trying to balancing the same type of objects on either side of a balance or trying to find two objects that have the same weight or a number of objects that will equal a heavier object. It is just plain fun. [...]
It is hard to believe that we are talking about Back to School already! The summer always seems to fly by, filled with fun activities, play dates, and staying up late. So to commemorate one last week of summer fun, we try to make the most of it with a “Back to School Week of [...]
Nicholas has been learning about the muscles in his body. He’s learned about the tree types of muscles – smooth, skeletal, and cardiac. He is working on learning the names and locations of some of the major skeletal muscles in his body. How Do Muscles Work? We have read about how a muscle works through [...]
Playing with paints is a favorite activity at the Quirky Kid household. Just this afternoon we had our paint pens out creating more colorful clothespins (never have enough of them). Here are some of the recent paint activities that we have enjoyed replicating through the It’s Playtime linky. Each Wednesday afternoon we co-host a linky [...]
As the summer wears on, I find myself dishing up the same thing day after day. But just like adults, kids get tired of having the same food all the time. Awww, Mom. Hot dogs AGAIN??? Why not make that hot dog a little more exciting? I first saw this fun recipe for spaghetti dogs [...]
Learning how to measure is an important science skill. Measuring is used in science data collection. Measuring is also a necessary life skill. Think about how often you measure something. You employ measuring cups in the kitchen for recipes. You use tape measures and rulers to build something or when decorating a room. Measuring may [...]
On Father’s Day Weekend, my preschooler and I were busy filling up ice cube trays with food coloring and water and made a few spills. After mopping up our mess with some paper towels, we realized that we accidentally had come upon a beautiful Paper Towel Tie Dye art activity. Materials paper towels water food [...]
The foundation for math learning begins much earlier than we adults realize. Our children and their developing minds are capable of understanding and taking in abstract thinking early in their lives. We (and they) may not know it fully until they hit a point in life when they just “get it”. This idea hit home [...]
Have you discovered water beads yet? They are polymers, also called gel beads, that start off as tiny little balls and expand to much bigger balls as they absorb water. They’re often found in florist stores or the home decor aisle of stores – and they’re great for all sorts of play. As they grow [...]
I am always on the lookout for ways to encourage and extend the natural learning that happens through play. Language acquisition, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and social development are easily recognized as being developed through play. But have you ever thought of science skills and concepts as fitting naturally into play? As children are playing, [...]
It is another week of, It’s Playtime. Each Wednesday afternoon you join us in featuring sweet and simple things that inspire us to enjoy our kids. Wowsers! There were over 200 great ideas of activities and games that you can make and play with the kids in your life linked up last week. We love [...]
When we heard about the Museum of Science+Industry Chicago’s Summer Brain Games Series, we had to join in on the fun. Last week we made the solar oven and today we are sinking ships experimenting with buoyancy. Buoyancy Experiment for Kids: This is the week 4 activity {see below for where to download the whole [...]
[BlogFrog_px tk="78-O-JT"]Do your kids obsess about some things? My son loves dinosaurs, he loves learning about science and history through them. And I love how extinct animals are inspiring him., broadening his imagination. This activity is part science, part art, part history, 100% fun and inspired by Dino Dan. RedBox has Dino Dan: Dino Trackers and [...]
I feel like I have come full circle with this activity. Water beads were originally manufactured for florists to be used with flowers. Since then though, parents have been putting them to all kinds of creative uses. Water beads can be lots of fun on light tables, with shaving cream, and in science experiments, [...]
When we heard about the Museum of Science+Industry Chicago’s Summer Brain Games Series, we had to join in on the fun. Summer Brain Games is 8 weeks of summer fun {don’t tell, but your kids might learn something, too!}. This is Week 5′s activity, the solar oven: How to Build a Solar Oven Materials Pizza [...]
We learn so much from exploring and interacting with the world around us, that is one of the things I love about our “Science Spot”. This is the go-to place, a collection of many of our best kid-tried and tested experiments. We love watching the natural curiosity that kids have, all those “Why?” questions, and [...]
I am part of a homeschool co-op group and I love my role as a substitute tutor. Our homeschool group, Classical Conversations, meets once a week and we cover a bunch of material together, practice giving speeches in front of others, and do a art/science project together. Each and every week I get a surprise [...]
It’s another week and another It’s Playtime round-up! Thanks to each and everyone of you who share fun activities for our kids to do together – you are an inspiration to me (and the source of many of the pins that I tag with hopes of doing that activity “one day”). This week’s collection of [...]
I plan. Materials are sourced. The stage has been set. The invitation to play has been accepted. Game on. A few short minutes after play commences, the phrase “What was I thinking?!” rambles repeatedly in my head or through my mouth, I know not because I’m consumed by the disaster of my planned activity. Such [...]
It is another Wednesday afternoon! Time for our weekly round-up and link party – It’s Playtime. Thanks to all the terrific bloggers who helped contribute to this list of fun, educational activities for our kids to enjoy this summer – ones to keep their brains alive and active – stop the summer brain drain! Link [...]
Growing potatoes with kids can be a revelation. I run a weekly School Gardening Club with a group of eight and nine-year olds. They’re a great group and enthusiastic about getting their hands dirty and doing lots of practical work. They’ve been growing lots of plants from seed, both flowers and vegetables, and are now [...]
What makes water molecules stick together to form a drop of water? Surface Tension. What allows those cool water bugs to walk on water? Surface Tension. But what is surface tension and how to you teach it to children? According to Wikipedia, surface tension is a property of the surface of a liquid that allows [...]
Ramps are fun for kids to explore. Rolling objects down or pushing objects up them seems to fascinate them. While they are really conducting simple science experiments with the concepts of force and gravity, kids may just think they are having fun. Recently my son and I build a simple ramp using cookbooks found in [...]
There are six types of simple machines: lever wheel and axle pulley inclined plane wedge screw Six different things that we can “build” at home to lessen our “work” load! Today we are “building” a pulley. Sorry for the excessive use of quotations, but as you will see, the word building is used loosely here…after [...]
Diapers have always been a beautiful mystery to me…how CAN they hold so much? I thought it would be fun to do a little science experiment with the boys to see if we could get to the bottom {get it?} of this mystery. Absorption Experiment This is a really fun and versatile experiment because it [...]
I love cooking with my kids! My son has been cooking a lot at preschool lately, so we’ve been practicing many of the recipes at home! I love all the skills that can be practiced while we cook together, including reading, following directions, measuring, strengthening fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, and learning early math [...]
In honor of Earth Day, I encourage you and your little one(s) to get outside and explore! My son and I have made a routine of going out for a “nature walk” every day around 4:00 pm. It gives us an opportunity to get some fresh air, get some exercise, and learn (even though he [...]
