Remember Learning doesn't have to take place in a classroom. It can happen right in your own living room!
Get ready, get set and learn!
April 7, 2006
Spring into Math!
Spring has arrived and it's a great time to break into a new habit spring into math activities with your child. This week we'll present two activities: one designed to help your child with early graphing and measurement skills and the second designed to help your child become an organized planner!
Graphing:
Have you ever noticed that the fruit you buy in the store often has product labels attached to it? Whether it's Dole or Del Monte, you can use this free resource to do early math with your child:
Scheduling and Planning:
Believe it or not, children can learn to be organized schedulers and planners! And, it's very easy to do. What you'll need for this activity:
Book Selection
Math Classification and Graphing
by Barbara Irvin
April 14, 2006
Easter Activities
For those who will be celebrating Easter this weekend or for those who don't but who would like a great spring activity, we've prepared two for you this week.
You might be familiar with the traditional Easter Egg Hunt this is a variation. Cut pictures of Easter Eggs from a template (there's one located here on our web site). Work with your child to color or decorate the egg. Then, while the child is sleeping, place the eggs throughout the house and into the yard. The spin on the traditional egg hunt is that your child must find the eggs by reading a clue which will lead the child to find the next egg. If you're hunting with a number of children, break them into teams and make a little friendly competition! Of course, once the hunt is complete, surprise the kids with real eggs of their own.
Our second activity uses traditional plastic eggs. Fill each egg with a different substance--sand, coins, paper, candy, rocks, grass, etc. Have your child try to guess what is inside each egg by asking questions. (i.e. Is it soft or hard? Does it taste good? Is it something usually found outside? and so forth.) A variation is to tell one of your children what is inside the egg. That child must then answer questions posed by their sibling.
Book Selection
The Night Before Easter
by Natasha Wing
April 21, 2006
Celebrate Earth Day!
Earth Day was celebrated yesterday (April 20th), but don't panic if you missed it! You can use this weekend to do some fun earth friendly activities with your kids.
Of course because we are always into reading and writing, we're going to tell you how to create your own nature journal today! A child can keep a nature journal no matter where they are in their backyard, in the schoolyard, in the park or even just looking out a window. Many kids have trouble keeping journals because they can't think about what to write. This journal will provide them with the direction they need! All you need is a regular notebook or paper bound in a binder, something to draw and write with and ideally a magnifying glass, binoculars or even a camera. And, then go outside, observe and write. What do you write about? Visit the Web site for the National Wildlife Federation and you can actually download a sample journal to work from! www.nwf.org.
Make your own birdfeeder!
Earth Day wouldn't be complete without a fun, earth-friendly activity. To make your own birdfeeder, all you need to do is find a few pine cones. Tie the pine cones to a piece of string. Take some peanut butter and put it right onto the pine cone. (For kids with peanut allergies, you may try to use honey). And, then roll the pine cone into bird seed. Place your home made birdfeeder right into your yard and welcome your new feathered friends!
Book Selection
Birdfeeders (Kids Can Do It)
by Renee Schwarz
April 28, 2006
More of "100 Things"
There's a great book that's a "must-have" for all families: "100 Things You Can Do to Keep Your Family together When sometimes if seems like the whole world is trying to pull it apart," by Marge Kennedy. Today we're sharing some of Marge's suggestions as ways to help your family get closer and stronger!
Lesson 15: They're playing our song:
Songs can evoke certain memories. If you don't believe me, the next time you hear a song from your teenage years, I guarantee you'll be remembering events good or bad that may have been happening around the time that song was played. You can use music to bridge the gap between you and your child. Of course that means you have to listen to their music, too. Marge suggests creating a tape or CD of some of each parents' favorite music or even a family favorite CD. Don't just play the music, but share appropriate stories with your child as each song begins or ends. You'll actually be teaching your child a little bit of musical history along the way!
Lessons 26 and 27: The Name Game:
We all have names and I'd bet that most of us didn't get to pick our own names. What's really in a name, well, letters of course! Help your kids learn some great new vocabulary words while dissecting and reconstructing each family member's name. Then:
What fun activities to help keep your family together!
Book Selection
Peterson's 100 Things You Can Do to Keep Your Family Together...When It Sometimes Seems Like the Whole World Is Trying to Pull It Apart
by Marge Kennedy
Get ready, get set and learn!
April 7, 2006
Spring into Math!
Spring has arrived and it's a great time to break into a new habit spring into math activities with your child. This week we'll present two activities: one designed to help your child with early graphing and measurement skills and the second designed to help your child become an organized planner!
Graphing:
Have you ever noticed that the fruit you buy in the store often has product labels attached to it? Whether it's Dole or Del Monte, you can use this free resource to do early math with your child:
- Collect a number of different fruit labels (different brand names, colors, sizes). Store the labels in a safe place as you collect them. Get your child excited for the upcoming activity by having them keep track of all the labels they locate.
- Once the labels are all stored up, take a sheet of paper and have your child stick the labels onto the paper based on the labels' brand, color or size. Have the child group the labels.
- Once the labels are grouped, have your child count the number of each label.
- Then, make a chart or a graph to show them how many of each label they collected!
Scheduling and Planning:
Believe it or not, children can learn to be organized schedulers and planners! And, it's very easy to do. What you'll need for this activity:
- Seven 6" x 6" squares of colored paper
- Black marker
- Colored markers
- Seven refrigerator magnets
- Post-it notes
- 1. Invite your child to help you name the days of the week, starting with Sunday. Print the days across the tops of the seven paper squares, one per square.
- 2. Line the days up on your refrigerator door and use the magnets to attach.
- 3. Decide together what events are coming up for the following week.
- 4. Using the Post-it notes, work with your child to create pictures/words about events for the week.
- 5. As the days go buy refer to the planner as a reminder of what's coming up tomorrow.
- 6. When the week is over, toss out the used Post-it notes and start all over!
Book Selection
Math Classification and Graphing
by Barbara Irvin
April 14, 2006
Easter Activities
For those who will be celebrating Easter this weekend or for those who don't but who would like a great spring activity, we've prepared two for you this week.
You might be familiar with the traditional Easter Egg Hunt this is a variation. Cut pictures of Easter Eggs from a template (there's one located here on our web site). Work with your child to color or decorate the egg. Then, while the child is sleeping, place the eggs throughout the house and into the yard. The spin on the traditional egg hunt is that your child must find the eggs by reading a clue which will lead the child to find the next egg. If you're hunting with a number of children, break them into teams and make a little friendly competition! Of course, once the hunt is complete, surprise the kids with real eggs of their own.
Our second activity uses traditional plastic eggs. Fill each egg with a different substance--sand, coins, paper, candy, rocks, grass, etc. Have your child try to guess what is inside each egg by asking questions. (i.e. Is it soft or hard? Does it taste good? Is it something usually found outside? and so forth.) A variation is to tell one of your children what is inside the egg. That child must then answer questions posed by their sibling.
Book Selection
The Night Before Easter
by Natasha Wing
April 21, 2006
Celebrate Earth Day!
Earth Day was celebrated yesterday (April 20th), but don't panic if you missed it! You can use this weekend to do some fun earth friendly activities with your kids.
Of course because we are always into reading and writing, we're going to tell you how to create your own nature journal today! A child can keep a nature journal no matter where they are in their backyard, in the schoolyard, in the park or even just looking out a window. Many kids have trouble keeping journals because they can't think about what to write. This journal will provide them with the direction they need! All you need is a regular notebook or paper bound in a binder, something to draw and write with and ideally a magnifying glass, binoculars or even a camera. And, then go outside, observe and write. What do you write about? Visit the Web site for the National Wildlife Federation and you can actually download a sample journal to work from! www.nwf.org.
Make your own birdfeeder!
Earth Day wouldn't be complete without a fun, earth-friendly activity. To make your own birdfeeder, all you need to do is find a few pine cones. Tie the pine cones to a piece of string. Take some peanut butter and put it right onto the pine cone. (For kids with peanut allergies, you may try to use honey). And, then roll the pine cone into bird seed. Place your home made birdfeeder right into your yard and welcome your new feathered friends!
Book Selection
Birdfeeders (Kids Can Do It)
by Renee Schwarz
April 28, 2006
More of "100 Things"
There's a great book that's a "must-have" for all families: "100 Things You Can Do to Keep Your Family together When sometimes if seems like the whole world is trying to pull it apart," by Marge Kennedy. Today we're sharing some of Marge's suggestions as ways to help your family get closer and stronger!
Lesson 15: They're playing our song:
Songs can evoke certain memories. If you don't believe me, the next time you hear a song from your teenage years, I guarantee you'll be remembering events good or bad that may have been happening around the time that song was played. You can use music to bridge the gap between you and your child. Of course that means you have to listen to their music, too. Marge suggests creating a tape or CD of some of each parents' favorite music or even a family favorite CD. Don't just play the music, but share appropriate stories with your child as each song begins or ends. You'll actually be teaching your child a little bit of musical history along the way!
Lessons 26 and 27: The Name Game:
We all have names and I'd bet that most of us didn't get to pick our own names. What's really in a name, well, letters of course! Help your kids learn some great new vocabulary words while dissecting and reconstructing each family member's name. Then:
- Tell kids how you arrived at nicknames for them (kids love to hear stories, especially ones about them even if they've heard the story a dozen times)
- Share some of the nicknames you had as a kid
- Ask kids what names they might have chosen for themselves if they had a say in the matter
- Help everyone learn his or her name in another language.
What fun activities to help keep your family together!
Book Selection
Peterson's 100 Things You Can Do to Keep Your Family Together...When It Sometimes Seems Like the Whole World Is Trying to Pull It Apart
by Marge Kennedy
© 1996 - 2005 WQLN, Public Broadcasting of Northwest Pennsylvania.
[ Privacy Policy ] [ Contact Webmaster ]
