A marble, some paper towel tubes and tape can be the basis for this fun game. Challenge your kids to move a marble from one spot to another through tube tunnels. Start easy (say, from a chair to the other side of the room), then get harder (around the corner and downstairs). For older children, […]
 Bubbles are the next best thing to singing when it comes to cheering up a fussy baby. Blow them within reach of your seated baby so she can bat at them; say “pop” when they burst as they hit the ground. Later, your baby will try to “catch” them, and later still she’ll want […]
The next time you’re on the road or waiting for a meal, give this classic family game a mathematical twist.  1. Play this game with your child while riding the bus or driving in the car, waiting at the doctor’s office or shopping together in the supermarket. For starters, find something in clear view […]
This easy salt dough project encourages imagination and gift-giving. • 1 cup flour • 1 cup salt • 1/2 cup water • Food coloring 1. Mix the flour, salt, and water. If necessary, add more flour until mixture has a doughy, but not sticky, consistency. Add food coloring for vibrancy. (Dough can be stored in a plastic container for a […]
 Collect objects around the house that children can press into paint and press on paper (empty plastic pudding cups, plastic bottle caps, corks, cardboard coasters, jar lids, and the like).  Invite your child to press the objects gently into small cups of paint and press them onto a large sheet of blank paper. […]
Need ideas for the “I’m bored!” blues? There are tons of things that you and your children can do that require little or no additional expense. Here are a few ideas to get you started. Â I Spy – To play this game simply choose an object within eyeshot and state the letter that it […]
 Gather your materials. You will need an Oven set at 275, a muffin tin, with liners, and all those old broken crayons we all have laying about.  A good time to acquire them if you haven’t been saving them is at the end of a school year – see if your child’s teacher has […]
 Read “Stone Soup†by Marcia Brown. It’s a picture book classic that has remained one of Marcia Brown’s most popular and enduring books. This story, about three hungry soldiers who outwit the greedy inhabitants of a village into providing them with a feast, is based on an old French tale.  Comprehension/Thinking Skills  […]
