Today was one of those days when I had a lot to do, and needed to keep my son busy.
After playing some of his favorite games, I wanted to clean the kitchen. Once I had the first counter cleaned off. I got down a dish and let him experiment with dish detergent, water, food coloring and oil. Then I handed him a straw and he started blowing bubbles in his concoction!
Finally. I got some of the new projects added to the site. There are so many interesting ideas, it's just finding the time to get them tested, photgraphed and published. But it's summer and everyone needs lots of fun ideas for children.
There aren't many games I play on the computer, except for solitare.
This week, I spent a fair bit of time playing sudoku. It feels like something I've played before, but I can't quite remember.
My neice introduced to the game during our recent vacation. She was playing them out of the newspaper. It was great at the cottage, but we quickly finished one each day.
You'll find lots of new content on the website today. We've been working with a new content management system which should make it faster to load new content and easier for you to find what you are looking for.
Creative Kids at Home publishes a monthly newsletter that introduces new content and highlights seasonal projects. It will continue to be sent out about once a month.
When I add new content to the Creative Kids website, I'll post a blog entry talking about the new content. Those entries may include additional comments about the projects and what we had the most fun with.
I've just posted a craft project to make spider webs. Almost any children can do this project, but the younger ones will need some help with the web portion.
Continue reading "New Halloween craft in the free Activity Library" »
On the weekend, my family went to an Advent retreat. It was a chance to get away from all the flurry of activity that goes on in December. The kids got to go tobogganing, and I finally had the opportunity to make beeswax candles.
Just when I thought it was time to start wrapping presents, our visitors have been sending in some great ideas for Christmas gifts and decorations.
A couple of months ago, I received an email from a student asking if temperature changes the strength of a magnet. I didn't have the answer, and hadn't even thought about the question. I encouraged her to do an experiment to find the answer for herself.
We've been answering questions, making changing and adding a new craft. Thanks to the families who have been sending in new project ideas.
Do you have lots of ideas on what to do with the kids all summer? If you know you want them to have lots of fun, but aren't quite sure what to do, Creative Kids will be publishing a weekly newsletter all through July and August.
The kids and I were at a workshop on empowering children. The idea was to help kids learn the tools to stay positive even when things are negative.
The first issue of the summer newsletter was sent out today on a beach theme.
Who doesn't love a day at the beach? These ideas will help you have fun at the beach, or create a beach day in your own backyard. Don't forget to get out the beach towels and make some lemonade. The kids will feel like they are at the beach even if the ocean or lake is miles away.
This week, we're off to Egypt.
What is the fascination with Ancient Egypt? Is it the pyramids that have lasted for centuries? Or that they buried their dead with more wealth than we can imagine? Or is that they left detailed records in their hieroglyphs that have given us a glimpse into the past? Whatever it is, there's lots to learn and do when the theme is Ancient Egypt.
Have you really looked at the world around you? Even if you live in the city, nature is everywhere once you start looking. The pictures on this page were taken in my neighborhood. You'll be surprised what you can find in your neighborhood, once you start looking.
This week is the time to let your imaginations run loose. Don't worry
about how things look, just see everything through a child's eye and have lots
of fun with make beleive.
Everything we know about dinosaurs comes from the fossil record. But what is a fossil?
It's time to explore space, planets, stars, comets and galaxies.
August is the best time to watch for the Perseid meteor shower. It runs for over a month, but the peak viewing time is Aug. 12 2007.
This week's theme is a good excuse to get away from our modern technology. It's time to find out more about how the pioneers and early settlers lived, and learn how to create your own fun. Most pioneer families had to reuse and recycle everything they had. So a lot of the ideas for this week are good for the the environment too.
It's time to play! This week's ideas are all about fun and games.
Bubbles are always a hit in my house. It seems like kids of any age can have fun with bubbles. Here are two new ideas to keep your kids interested.
My kids just spent a few days on growing crystals. They have some interesting chemicals for crystals like 'aluminum mono basic' and 'copper sulphide ', that can grow large clear or blue crystals.
It's Halloween tomorrow. We've been busy carving pumpkins, roasting seeds and making ghosts.
Thank you to everyone who has been sending in ideas and suggestions.
I love to hear how visitors have used our ideas, and then share these ideas for more families to try. Hearing about your crafts and activities is the best part of my job!
I've been answering questions and making changes to the website today.
Most years, we try to spend lots of time decorating and getting ready for Christmas. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be working out that way this year. But there are some things we do make time for.
It was a busy year for Creative Kids at Home. There are lots of new activities, games, and science projects, as well as the new theme pages to make it easier for you to find what your looking for. I coached a First Lego Team and posted blog entries about our team's journey. And then there are all the odds and ends that don't easily fit into categories.
My kids have been part of a large production with over 60 cast members. One of the parts calls for juggling and the man they brought in was wonderful with the kids. When they were not on stage performing, he had a large bag of juggling balls they can use. He's been teaching them how to juggle! It's been great for keeping lots of kids busy during all the time they spend between shows and between acts.
Science Fair season is coming up. Kids have to do the work, but parents are asked lots questions.
My kids are involved in lots of teams and groups. Our First Lego League team is continuing to meet throughout the year and we've invited new kids to join. The kids are also involved with two Destination ImagiNation teams, and I'm coaching one of them. Here are two of the games we use to welcome new kids into a group.
Thanks to our visitors, I've just added two new projects in the activity library. One brings back memories of a craft project I made as a child. The other is a brilliant idea that kids will love.
I have to admit that I've felt like I was fresh out of ideas for an Easter Hunt this year. The kids really look forward to Easter morning. There's never been a lot of candy and lately the treasure has been a new strategy game. For them, it's always been about the treasure hunt itself. Until now, I've had no ideas for the treasure or even for the hunt.
Thanks to our visitors, we've been adding new ideas to the website.
Do you know a child who won't be spending Father's Day with Dad?
Our tadpoles turned into little frogs.
Here's a fun project idea that good for one child or a group at day camp or a party.
It's August already, and soon the kids will be heading back to school. Here are some ideas for a fun filled last month of summer vacation.
We've been traveling for most of the summer and had a great trip that included everything from time at my family cottage, to a workshop in Oxford, and even a few days in Paris. Unfortunately, internet access wasn't as simple as we had thought it would be, so I haven't been able to post all the updates to the website.
This month, we've added a new kids game, craft idea, treasure hunt story and a parenting article.
What's the best gift you were given as a child? Do you have a fabulous idea of a gift you are going to give a child? Or how about a wonderful idea for a gift that a child can give to someone else? There are three ways to win prizes.
1) Send in your story. The favorite story prize will be awarded to the most popular gift story as determined by the number of comments left by unique visitors. The Great Story Prize will awarded to the most interesting story, and there are draw prizes that any story can win.
2) Send in a comment about about one of the stories. There are two great prizes that will be awarded by random draw from all the comments sent in.
3) Find the hidden gift while you are reading all the great gift stories. Tell us if you find the hidden gift and you might win the prize for that day!
Find out more about the Gifts for Children Contest and check out all the prizes!
Take some time to read the gift stories. You may come up with some new ideas for your own Christmas list.
Americans are celebrating Thanksgiving on November 22th. Check out these ideas to make some Thanksgiving decorations as part of your celebrations. There's lots of ideas for turkey decorations, and a new idea to have the kids create unique napkin rings for your holiday table. Of course, you could use the same idea to place cards, or just some table decorations.
Are your kids are hoping for snow? While they are waiting, make Paper Snowflakes or glittery snowflakes . They can use paper plates to make snowflakes. Younger children use simple designs, and older children can cut more intricate patterns.
1) Sugar Crystal Ornaments
Heather asked:
I was just wondering seeing as it is made out of sugar, will it get sticky and attract bugs? and also if not is it something you can save for years to come? Thanks!!
Answer:
The dry crystals aren't sticky. That could happen if they got wet.
We made our first set 3-4 years ago and continue to use them each year. It's possible you could have problems, but we enjoy these ornaments with none of the concerns you've raised.
2) Mancala Game
Teresa asked:
I have misplaced directions for our Mancala game. Could you clarify when a player's turn ends.
Answer:
As we play the game, a player gets one turn. She can pick up all the marbles in one cup and drop them in order, into cups around the board. If the last marble falls into her 'store', she gets a bonus turn. Otherwise, that is the end of her turn.
If her last marble falls into an empty cup, she gets to scoop up all the marbles from the cup beside it and put them into her 'store'.
These are the rules we learned. But the game has been played for thousands of years and has many variations. As long as both players agree, pick your own rules.
3) Games for Large Group of Kids
Jo asked:
I am a field trainer for after school programs and would like some ideas that could involve as many as 60 children.
Answer:
Have you looked through our games library?
There's lots of ideas that can be used for large groups of children.
I've been having a great time with the Gifts for Children contest.
The stories that are coming in are amazing. Take some time to read them and you will be inspired to try just a bit harder than spending lots of money at the nearest toy store.
Here's a story from a Mom who's making her sons' superhero capes. Or another Mom who gathered up her daughter's poems and art to create and publish them in a book.
There's still time to have your children make this gift that is all the reasons why they love Daddy, Grandma, or anyone special in their life. It's a one a kind gift that the will be treasured by anyone who receives it.
If you are looking to create some new family traditions, read about this idea for the 12 days of Christmas.
I know some of these gifts in the stories came from stores, but the real gift is someone who makes you feel special.
Read the contest stories and then send in your own. Or even just post a comment and you will be entered to win some of the prizes.
Christmas is in 3 weeks! The kids are getting excited. We had a bit of snow on the weekend, and it's beginning to feel like the holidays.
On Friday, we made our first batch of Christmas cookies. I love this recipe because it is low in fat and sugar. We used whole grain wheat and spelt flour. The mix was a bit dry so we added extra water to get the right consistency. The kids love rolling out the dough and cutting out all the different cookie shapes.
Once their cooked, then comes their favorite part. We make bowls of icing and start decorating. Good thing the actual cookies aren't loaded with fat and sugar. By the time the kids added the icing and decorations, there was more than enough!
I'd love to hear any suggestions for decorating Christmas cookies more nutritionally. As it is, we just decide it's a once a year treat. Although we'll be making throughout the month. We take them to parties, events, and potlucks.
On Saturday, we made beeswax candles. The kids love making these candles and it smells so good! When working with kids, using sheets of beeswax is much safer than melting wax. The only heat source is your hair drying, so even the youngest children can get involved safely.
Here a selection of questions and and the answers we've sent over the last few weeks. There's a bit of everything from magnets to treasure hunts and a good question about what kids can learn by making snowflakes.
Q1. Dear info@creativekidsathome.com please send me the treasure hunt map right now please.
A1. Treasure Hunt maps need to be created for the area of your own hunt. I have a treasure map that hunt at my local beach, but the landmarks, compass directions, and even the terrain would be different at your beach (if you even live close to a beach). The same is true for a backyard hunt, or even a hunt inside a house.
Q2. My son is in the 3rd grade he has a project at school. The materials are wand magnet and 3 metal cars. He has to be able to pull 3 cars with the magnet . I tried it an it does not work because all the cars i have are not metal just the part with the wheels it will only pull 1. How can I help him with this project. can you help me out.
A2. Would he be allowed to add paper clips to the cars? A magnet will pull paper clips?
Or could he create his own cars by replacing the plastic body with a wire frame (from paper clips)?
Have you checked with friends and neighbors to see if they have metal cars?
Q3. What colors makes brown? please reply a.s.a.p
A3. A mixture of red, blue and yellow.
Q4. How would I do an experiment for a science project showing how magnets repel each other?
A4. If you are looking for demonstration type experiment, my daughter used a train set where the cars connected with magnets. She had a couple feet of track set up and then put two cars on the track. If the cars connect, you need to reverse one of them. If they won't connect, you have two matched poles. The cars will push away from each
other demonstrating that the magnets repel.
Q5. What kind of snowflakes are the children making?
A5. If you are thinking of paper snowflakes with folding and cutting, there's lots of learning.
During the folding, they can be learning about shapes and fractions. "One half of a square is a triangle." I wouldn't try to make it a lesson, just let them experiment and ask an occasional question based on the child's age and knowledge. One child may be learning the names of squares and triangles, while another child could be predict the shape after the next fold.
During the cutting stage, a lot of the learning has to do with manual dexterity. They are learning how to use scissors to cut out small shapes. Again, think about naming the shapes as they are cut out. Compare what happens if you cut out a triangle from a fold, or from the other side where you just end up with lots of separate triangles.
If you are thinking of making snowflakes by growing crystals, you can find lots of information about the science of crystals.
You could talk about how snowflakes form and why they are unique. There's lots of different types of learning that can be part of making snowflakes.
If you are thinking about planning a treasure hunt, there a new step by step guide to help you plan a Treasure Hunt
Science Fair season is coming up. Kids have to do the work, but parents are asked lots questions. Check the science fair section so that you will know what is a hypothesis, or how to write of the procedure.
Let us know if you use some of these ideas, and what the kids think. Or have them send in new ideas they would like to share with other families. If you have a photo, we would like to include it too! Let us know if you would like to be identified with your idea. Send your ideas to: Creative Kids at Home
Don't forget to check out the Activity Library for lots of kids crafts and activities.
Have a fun day!
--
Christine Nicholls, Creative Kids at Home
Free crafts and activities for kids.
Valentine's Day is next week. It's not just a day created by card companies. Find out why we celebrate Valentine's Day and get ideas for crafts and gift ideas, or make a Bouquet of Hearts for Mom!
March is here and spring is just around the corner. At the first sign of spring, children and adults have headed outside with bubble solution and wands to create the season's first stream of translucent, glimmering bubbles. National Bubble Week is from March 20 - 26 to coincide with the first day of spring.
Easter is less than a week away and it's time to start thinking about all the fun crafts and projects you can make with children.
Have you ever wondered about those impressive pillars you see growing in caves? Try a science experiment to grow stalactites and stalagmites. There's more science experiments if you have a budding scientist in your home.
We're raising butterflies again this year. There are some great photos and step by step reports in our blog. You can read all about it and check out the photos of all stages of butterflies. If you click on the tag for Butterfly, you'll get all the entries right from when the larvae arrived.
We had a wonderful time watching caterpillars and butterflies again this year.
Some of our butterflies emerged on a cool, wet day. We decided to keep them overnight had release them the next day when the weather was better.
My son thought it would be a great idea to keep a few butterflies to see if they would mate and lay eggs, so we could start the whole process all over again.
They're laying eggs!!!!!!!
The eggs hatched! We were able to watch as a larva emerged from it's egg.
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A group of kids who are on First Lego League teams, created a Robotics Zoo for a local science fair using the LEGO Mindstorms NXT. 
The animals came from a The LEGO Mindstorms NXT ZOO by Faye Rhodes. |
Father's Day
Sunday June 15th is Father's Day. Find out about the history of Father's Day, and then plan some activities with Dad. You'll find lots of ideas that kids can plan on their own to do something special with Dad. Or how about some some ideas for Father's Day
gifts kids can make?
Summer Activities
Now that your children are out of school, are you looking for some new ideas? The summer kids activities page has ideas for summer projects.
Do your kids have a favorite theme and they would like to play games, make crafts and even go on field trips all about the same topic? Check out our theme pages for Ancient Egypt, Day at the Beach, Dinosaurs, and Games.
Here's a question from a visitor about how to navigate around the Creative Kids at Home website
Why do I have to sign up every time I want to enter creative kids like it's a new subscription?
What is Trick-or-treating? On Halloween night, children across North America and in other countries go from house to house in costumes, asking for treats with the question, "Trick or treat?" The "trick" part of "trick or treat" is a threat to play a trick on the homeowner or his property if no treat is given. Of course, many children are only interested in the Treat part!
It's Halloween this month. You'll find everything from pumpkin carving tips to the history of why we celebrate Halloween. There are lots of craft ideas including how to make spider webs you can use as decorations, and how to make your own Trick or Treat bags.
Thanksgiving
| Americans are celebrating Thanksgiving on November 27th. Check out these ideas to make some Thanksgiving decorations as part of your celebrations. |
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| There's lots of ideas for turkey decorations, and an idea to have the kids create unique napkin rings or some pilgrim hats for your holiday table. Of course, you could use the same idea to place cards, or just some table decorations. If you're looking for something special this year, try making a holiday memory book. |
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December is a busy time of the year. There are many wonderful events and it's hard to pick and choose which ones to be part of. As the days grow shorter in the northern hemisphere, try making some beeswax candles. You do have to buy the sheets of beeswax and some wicking, but they are quite simple and safe to make with young children. For those of you in the southern hemisphere, don't forget to check out our summer kids activities pages. You'll find lots of ideas for summer crafts.
Continue reading "December 2008 Newsletter" » December 23, 2008Christmas 08 NewsletterChristmas is less than a week away. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, this is a wonder opportunity to spend time with the children in your life. January 14, 2009January 2009 NewsletterIdeas for Reusing Things Don't throw out last year's calendars, cards and magazines. Here are some ideas to Reuse your pictures How about making a Picture Frame from old puzzle pieces? It's a great way to reuse a puzzle when a few pieces are missing. If you are looking for more of a challenge, try some of these Crafts from Recycled Items to create art or toys. February 10, 2009February 2009 NewsletterValentine's Day 
Valentine's Day is next week. It's not just a day created by card companies. Find out why we celebrate Valentine's Day and get ideas for crafts and gift ideas, like how to make your own Valentine's Day Cards or even a paper Heart Chain for Valentine's Day decorations.
April 9, 2009April 2009 Newsletter
You can find lots of ideas to make your own Easter Baskets and to plan a treasure hunt. With younger children, try this idea for no dye Easter Eggs. Older children and make their own colors and even try to make Ukrainian Easter Eggs. May 5, 2009May 2009 Newsletter
June 4, 2009Following White CaterpillarsOur caterpillars turned into butterflies, who laid eggs, and then we had more caterpillars. June 25, 2009June 2009 NewsletterThere's lots of new stuff for you on the Creative Kids at Home website. Father's Day June 30, 20092009 Mayan Robot WeekIt's Mayan Adventure week again! We've got nine kids on three teams who will spend the week building and programming robots to explore a Mayan Tomb. Over half the group was part of our first Mayan Adventure week in 2007, so we've made a few changes to keep it interesting for everyone. Robot Week Day 2We made a lot of changes to the second challenge. In the book, this challenge has robot robot crossing the room on a string (vine) to drop pebbles into a container. Once there is enough weight in the container, the next door is opened. During our first Mayan Adventure, the teams amazed me with how easy they found this challenge. So we came up with something a little bit different. July 2, 2009Robot Week Day 3Our morning started out with the teams finishing their robots to complete the crystal challenge. In the afternoon, we started the library challenge. July 4, 2009Robot Week Day 4We simplified the Library challenge this year. The robot had to use a string to go around the basket and return to the entrance. Then the teams had to pull on the string to retrieve the basket with the key. July 9, 2009Robot Week Day 5For the final day, we made a few changes. The first time, all the robots had trouble pushing the statue up the ramp. The changes for this year were partly to see if anyone could actually complete the whole challenge for the final day. July 14, 2009July 2009 Newsletter
Summer Activities About ActivitiesThis page contains an archive of all entries posted to Creative Kids Blog in the Activities category. They are listed from oldest to newest. Family is the next category. Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives. |
