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Top 5 Tips to Teach Math to Kids Effectively
By Leah Fendi

Every parent is aware that math skills is essential for their children’s future. Math will assist in all aspects of life. If Math is educated in incorrect way, children could possibly get bored easily. Listed below are top 5 best tips to teach kids Math effectively.

1- Before teaching Math, be sure they are taught formal logic first. They should be able to think in a logical way using words and real-world situations before it can be applied to abstract concepts like numbers. Failing in this initial step causes kids hard to understand Math, and soon makes them hate Math. They should be taught on how to THINK first.

2- When thinking about the best ways to teach math to kids, age is an important element to consider first. Make sure your teaching module is appropriate for the kids’ age. Toddlers and preschoolers should learn the basic meaning of numbers, means to count things. Early elementary school should concentrate on arithmetic, understanding addition and multiplication tables for single digit numbers. Once they can master these, then move on to algebra, geometry, fractions, decimals, set theory, even calculus, and if possible, introduce the so-called advanced topics as early as possible. At the early stage of teaching advance Math, they just have to see it, they don’t have to understand it. The results will be seen later on, they will easily absorb and understand of topics when they are covered in grades 6-12.

3- Use something in which they can relate to. Try to make it simple yet fun. Also be practical to make them easy to understand. For example, to teach addition or subtraction, use countable food they used to eat. To teach division or fractions use cake.

4- Create fun and cool Math games for kids. Printable Math board games, card games, print and play game worksheets can be found on the internet.

5- Since Math needs a lot of recall skills, having a good memory will be a big advantage on our kids. Improve your kid’s memory by providing him/her number exercises on mental addition or multiplication, recalling dates for instance birthdays or anniversaries or dates for special occasions and making connections to other events that happened or will happen on a particular date. Working out your kid’s memory will truly be an asset at a later time when he has to memorize rules, formula, methods or procedures in resolving mathematical problems or equations.

Teaching Math to kids should always be fun, make sure your kids don’t feel stress when learning Math. Cool Math games for kids can make your kids enjoy learning Math. Visit http://www.coolmathgamesforkids.info for more than 450 pages jam packed with printable Math games which can be accessed directly from your computer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leah_Fendi

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It’s time for the baby’s bath. It’s been a busy day, and you have a lot on your mind. Your child loves playing in the warm water, but tonight it feels like just one more thing to do.

Is this a good time for a language lesson, even if you don’t feel like it? You bet. Talking with your child during everyday events like nappy changes and baths is a great way to help your child learn the sounds and words of language.

‘It’s time to wash your hair now. Should we use the cup to pour the water? Lean your head back a little so the soap doesn’t get in your eyes. Let’s dip the washcloth in the water so we can clean your little nose. Do you have dirt under your fingernails? Let’s see if we can get it out …’

More is better

When it comes to teaching your child language, it’s how much you talk to her that counts the most. It may sound simple, but the best way to build children’s vocabularies during the critical first three years of life is to talk with them – a lot.

One study looked at the everyday talk between parents and children in 42 families. The results clearly showed that children’s vocabularies grew faster and they scored higher on IQ tests when their parents talked to them often.

Talking to children throughout the day helps in two ways. When parents talk more often, they use a wider range of words. Also, parents who talk a lot with their kids usually use longer and more complex sentences. This helps children learn what words mean, how grammar works, and how to talk about things in the past or the future. And when parents have ‘conversations’ with their young children, they create a foundation for good communication down the road.

Talking gap

All parents talk to their children. But the study found big differences in the types of conversations some families have. Researchers spent one hour a month with each family tape-recording the conversations between parents and children. The results were surprising:

• One group of parents spent an average of 40 minutes each hour interacting with their children, while another group spent about 15 minutes per hour.
• Some parents spoke more than 2000 words an hour on average to their kids compared with others who spoke around 600.
• One set of families responded to their children 250 times an hour on average, while another responded only 50 times.
• After three years, children from the most talkative families are exposed to nearly 30 million words, while those from the least talkative may have heard only 10 million (see figure 1).

Quantity is quality

In each family, all the children learned enough language to get through everyday experiences. And for the most part, the conversations were about similar things. Families talked about people, places, actions, feelings, objects, experiences and past and future events. They answered their children’s questions and responded to their actions. And they guided them with encouragements such as ‘that’s great, honey,’ and restrictions such as ‘don’t touch that’.

If the families seemed to talk about the same things, why were some children speaking and understanding more words at age three? It turns out that the more parents talked to their children, the better the conversations got in terms of variety and richness.

Take bath time as an example. The more you talk to your child, the more likely you are to use different and more creative nouns, verbs, and modifiers. Sentences will become more complex and longer. You’ll ask more questions. And there is a greater chance you will talk about things in the past and in the future. Conversations like these help build a child’s vocabulary.

‘Look at those little dirty hands. They got so dirty playing outside today! Do you remember digging in the dirt? We found a little worm that wiggled in your hand. I’ll bet next time we’ll find more worms and bugs. Oops – it looks like there’s some dirt in your hair too! Let’s wash your hair now …’

The study also found that talkative parents were much more likely to guide their children with positive feedback such as ‘good’ or ‘that’s right’. When parents were talking less, they were more likely to use negative feedback such as ‘stop that’ or ‘don’t’. The families that talked the most used an encouraging tone 70-80% of the time, while those that talked the least were more likely to scold or use a discouraging tone.

Big words, big boost

By the age of three, children from families that talked the most had an average vocabulary more than twice the size of children from families that talked the least (see figure 2).

Not only did they understand more, they were able to use language to talk about a broader range of subjects. Even six years later, children from talkative families outscored others on language tests and reading comprehension.

Talking tips

So what’s the key to talking more with your children? The researchers noticed some good strategies parents used when interacting with their children.

• Just talk: Use everyday events like folding laundry, changing nappies or doing the dishes. Talk enough to keep the child cooperative and engaged. This works well with younger children learning their first words.
• Listen: When children talk, even if it’s silly or hard to understand, use it as a chance to add information, encourage more talking, or to elaborate on what they said. ‘You’re talking about the little bird? Look at his pointy beak. What colour is his beak? He can fly high in the air.’
• Be nice: Kids need our guidance to learn what’s OK to do. When they do something they shouldn’t, suggest a better or right way to do it and avoid negative criticism. For example, a parent could say, ‘We write on paper, not on the walls’, instead of ‘Don’t do that!’
• Give choices: Whether trying to get a child to do something like pick up toys or teaching them to use a spoon or fork, choices are important. Give choices that are real. ‘Do you want to eat your peas or your rice first? Do you want the blue or the green cup?’
• Talk some more: It’s a big new world for kids, so help them by pointing out interesting things. ‘Look at the yellow bird in the sky! It reminds me of the story grandma told us about …’ Talking about things is a great way to remember past adventures and prepare them for new experiences.

Helpful parenting tips

• Talk. Engage your child all day long, asking questions, explaining things, and adding new ideas. Try to use full sentences and lots of different words.
• Use positive, affirming language to guide your child’s behaviour. ‘I like it when you hang up your coat!’ Use negative language sparingly.
• Read lots of stories. Read favourite books over and over. Try sharing books with friends, or bringing home new stories from the library.
• Talk to your child even if your child is not a talker. Some kids are naturally quiet. Talking to them will help them learn the language just the same.
• In a large family, pay special attention to younger ones to make sure they are getting the verbal attention they need.
• Grandma, grandpa, uncles, aunts, neighbours, siblings and babysitters – encourage all of those who love your children to talk with them as much as possible.

Children start the wonderful road of learning language from the day they are born. Parents who talk to their children throughout the day are giving them a gift. The language they learn will help them enjoy and understand the world around them, and it will prepare them for the challenges of life ahead.

Source: http://raisingchildren.net.au/

Written by childcare expert and author Penelope Leach

Babies have an inbuilt interest in human voices and a natural tendency to listen and to concentrate when someone is talking. You can build on this as you did when your child was a baby.

How can I help my toddler learn to talk?
Talk as much and as often as you can directly to your toddler. Try to make some of these conversations just between you and him. If you are talking, or reading, to him and an older sibling, your toddler will not get as much repetition and explanation as he can use, and as much as he will get if he is alone with you. Look at him while you talk. Let him see your face and your gestures.

Let your toddler see what you mean, by matching what you do to what you say. “Off with your shirt,” you say, taking it off over his head; “Now your shoes”, removing them.

Let your toddler see what you feel by matching what you say with your facial expressions. This is no age for teasing (what age is?). If you give him a big hug while saying “Who’s mummy’s great horrible grubby monster then?” you will confuse him. Your face is saying “Who is mummy’s gorgeous boy?”

Help your child to understand your overall communication; it does not matter whether he understands your exact words or not. If you cook something, put plates on the table and then hold out your hand to him saying, “It’s lunch time now”. He will understand that his lunch is ready and will come to his high chair. He might not have understood the words “lunch time now” without those other cues to go with them. He will learn the meanings of the words themselves through understanding them, again and again, in helpful contexts.

Share enthusiasm, emotion and emphasis; whether you are talking about a flood of love for your toddler or a flock of rare birds in the sky, those are the speech qualities that will catch and hold his attention and motivate him to try and understand what you are saying.

How can I help my toddler to communicate?

Help your child to realise that all talk is communication. If you chat away to yourself without waiting for a response or looking as if you want one, or if you don’t bother to answer when he or another member of the family speaks to you, he is bound to feel that words are just meaningless sounds.

Don’t have talk as background noise. If you like to have the radio on all day, try to keep it to music unless you are actually listening. If you are listening, let him see that you are receiving meaningful communication from the voice he cannot see.

Act as your toddler’s interpreter. You will find it much easier to understand his language than strangers do and he will find it much easier to understand you and other “special” people than to understand strangers.

How can I teach my toddler about truth and lies?
Your child may learn new words and use them correctly, but he may miss the subtler meanings those words convey to adults. He cannot possibly understand the concept of a promise, for example. Yet he may well use the word. If you offer him five minutes more play if he promises to come straight to bed afterwards, he will happily say “promise”. However, the word is nothing but an agreement label. After those five minutes, he wants a further five. He cannot understand the reproach in your voice as you say, “but you promised.”

Words often make trouble over truth, too. Your toddler may talk fluently enough to issue accusations and denials long before their accuracy means anything to him. He talks as he feels. It might have been the dog that made that puddle: he wishes it had been and says that it was. During a quarrel with his sister, he falls and hurts his knee. He says that she pushed him — which she did not. But although she did not hurt his knee, she did hurt his feelings. He is telling a kind of feeling-truth which just happens to be different from adult truth.

As he grows, you will be able to demonstrate the value of promises thoughtfully made and reliably kept; of truth (usually) told, and lies (mostly) avoided. But it is too soon yet. Don’t corner him with concepts he cannot understand. He is doing his best to please, but if nothing less than child standards can please you, he will fail.

source: http://www.babycenter.com.au/

Teaching Food Hygiene: Safety On The Syllabus
Source: raisingkids.co.uk

My friend’s son refuses to eat eggs because they come out of chickens’ bottoms!

At the other end of the spectrum are students who eat fortnight-old leftover baked beans from the tin and believe antibacterial chopping boards will protect them from all ills.

Now Food Technology inhabits the place cookery and domestic science once occupied in the curriculum, many parents are concerned their children are growing up without learning the basics of food hygiene and preparation.

What can you teach at home?
With many families relying on pre-packed meals, the traditional way of learning how to handle food safely and sensibly through experience is less common and schools have been forced to cut back on practical cookery through lack of resources.

Let your children get involved in making family meals. Little ones can help buttering bread and enjoy splashing about, washing up safe, plastic items. By the time they’re in their teens, some children are better chefs than their parents – just think how nice it will be to have dinner cooked for you!

Lessons in food hygiene
What are the most important points for food hygiene in the kitchen? Set a good example and start teaching the basics early. Follow these rules and even small children will soon be learning by example:

• Always wash hands, with soap (water alone will not do) before handling food, particularly if you have been to the bathroom previously. Ensure that the rest of the family also wash their hands.
• Store raw meat at the bottom of the fridge where liquids can’t drip onto other foods.
• Make sure meat and fish is thoroughly cooked to destroy bacteria such as salmonella and parasites. Chilled cooked foods, such as pre-prepared chicken, were recently found to have the highest amounts of listeria and salmonella of all foods – these should be heated until piping hot before serving.
• Small children are more susceptible to salmonella poisoning so cook eggs until the yolks are hard.
• Never cut any food (bread, fruit, vegetables) on a board that has had uncooked meat on it previously. Also use separate knives.
• Scrub wooden chopping boards scrupulously and let them air dry, and ideally use rigid plastic chopping boards.
• Defrost any foods from the freezer completely and then heat until piping hot.
• Babies’ bottles and feeding equipment should be properly sterilised until your baby is 6 months old.

Playing can stimulate the children’s brain. Children learn how to fine their skills and figure out the world through play. Realizing this, many parents nowadays outfitted their house with expensive development toys. But actually this is not necessary. Just buy toys that are multi-functional and have numerous way to play, so they don’t easily get bored with the toys. Children will enjoy more if you play together with them.

If you are looking for toys, make sure you consider about the safety. Choose toys that most suitable for your children’s age. Neglecting about the safety can cause incidents such as choking hazards. Here are some tips to buy safe toys:

• Choose battery-powered toys instead of electrical toys to avoid electrical shocks or burns.
• Choose toys with sound less than 85 decibels. Toys that exceed 100 db can cause hearing damage. Toys labeled with “intended for outdoor use only” means they emit really loud sound.
• Avoid flying objects.
• Avoid sharp edges toys.
• Avoid too tiny parts. This make cause choking hazards.
• Avoid violent videos or games.
• Choose suitable toys for your children’s age.

Be sure you supervise your toddler when he is playing.

Visit www.educationaltoysplanet.com for safe and quality educational toys.

I found a good article about how to teach kids about money.

15 Ways to Teach Kids About Money

by Paul Richard

Introducing Kids to Money
Money gives people — both young and old — decision-making opportunities. Educating, motivating, and empowering children to become regular savers and investors will enable them to keep more of the money they earn and do more with the money they spend. Everyday spending decisions can have a far more negative impact on children’s financial futures than any investment decisions they may ever make. Here are 15 simple ways to help educate children about personal finance and managing money:

1. As soon as children can count, introduce them to money. Take an active role in providing them with information. Observation and repetition are two important ways children learn.
2. Communicate with children as they grow about your values concerning money — how to save it, how to make it grow, and most importantly, how to spend it wisely.
3. Help children learn the differences between needs, wants, and wishes. This will prepare them for making good spending decisions in the future.
4. Setting goals is fundamental to learning the value of money and saving. Young or old, people rarely reach goals they haven’t set. Nearly every toy or other item children ask their parents to buy them can become the object of a goal-setting session. Such goal-setting helps children learn to become responsible for themselves.
5. Introduce children to the value of saving versus spending. Explain and demonstrate the concept of earning interest income on savings. Consider paying interest on money children save at home; children can help calculate the interest and see how fast money accumulates through the power of compound interest. Later on, they also will realize that the quickest way to a good credit rating is a history of regular, successful savings. Some parents even offer to match what children save on their own.

You can read the other tips here.

Telling Stories to Children
By Jennie Amit Gandhi

Parents promise themselves to give the best to their children. The bar is high for parents to teach the kids values on tradition, discipline, language skills so as the kids grow up to be able citizens. The effort surely is rewarding when children imbibe the right things. Exploration is natural by committing mistakes. Parents should recognize and correct the wrong behaviour.

All children demand stories, be it eating time, a boring travel journey and surely it is a bed ritual. If you have paucity of time juggling with chores, then invest in some interesting fairy tale bed time story books. Children’s literature abounds with millions of elves, fairy, goblin, monster and sea devil stories. Interesting colour pictures, expressions and touch-feel books are available in the market. Rewarding the child through books is a valuable idea.

If you are reading a story, be enthusiastic. Use one hand free to articulate exclamations, pauses, commas and happiness. Use up and down animated versions and help the child participate. Children do not respond to routine and mundane reading. They are bored easily by repetitive ordeals and let story sessions be bonding times.

Both parents have to involve themselves either simultaneously or choose alternate days to suit schedules. The mind of the parent should be free and pending works should not interfere the narration. It is necessary, that one does the homework fool proof to answer surprising questions and explanations.

Introduce new words each time. Teach them words like good, nice, wonderful, best all mean positive happenings. Let them understand that bad, ugly, wrong is negative. Teach them opposites like day-night, up-down, sweet-bitter expressing them with your hands and face.

In case you are tired and it is natural that fatigue refrains you from being natural, then read a short story with nice colour patterns. Laze on a hammock with your child on a holiday and narrate true stories about your childhood. All of us live vicariously through our children during their growing years. So the best patterns are narrating a few lines about honesty, hard work and value about money.

If the child has a habit of seeing pictures from a very keen age, the child gets easily adapted to a pattern of self study. Their orientation is structured and they will focus on reading independently. Telling stories is an art and all parents naturally master it. Bed times are special and make sure not to introduce scary surprises and kids might visualize them in their dreams causing nightmares.

Actually the goblins, witches, wizards are to be introduced necessarily to deem it as non emulative values. Hence like all other theories on raising kids, tell them stories rich in tradition, worldly pursuits and also about the ‘Almighty’. Teach them the sacrifice of Christ and read them lucidly about Hindu mythology.

If you are really keen in imparting in rich values to your kid, check our sites on short stories, pumpkin carving and infant activities.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennie_Amit_Gandhi
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Coloring for Kids
By Jennie Amit Gandhi

Sound and sight delight newborns. Their sense of smell is acute and hence they identify so well with their care giver. This is when stimulation is high to touch, seeing and hearing and this is our best chance to slowly expose the child to life’s pleasures. It is a very surprising fact, that children have sound logics. Many times they identify items by way of color, shape and size. The smile and the twinkle in the eye on seeing a colourful object is their way of recognizing things and a sure reason to mark a milestone.

When we buy a rattle for a child, they are intrigued by the color and sound of it. Flying objects like a silly cloth hanging on the clothesline attracts their attention and they are often found squealing at the curtain or moving colourful items. Once the motor skills are achieved, probably by the age of two, it is the best time to introduce them to the colourful world.

Invest in a good clay set for starters and let them play with the same. Make a snail and snake and they will love/imitate the same. Appreciate surely. Teach them the basic color like red, blue, green, yellow, white and black. Buy a thick crayon stick and let them hold the same for an entire day. Anything novel is a fancy item. Slowly introduce the paper and let them do what they want with it.

The next week is exciting for both of you. Give them a crayon and demonstrate how to hold the same. Take a paper and scribble, doodle or draw a huge circle. They sure are amazed at the wonder. Encourage them to mimic the activity. Many kids may not be particularly fond of your coloring themes and for starters they may shred the paper or want to break the crayon. Use safe colors and please supervise to avoid accidental swallowing.

One need not be a painter or blessed with a artistic bone to teach the child to color. Invest your time and be with the child. Toddlers have keen interest in colors. Water colors are best for holiday recreation. Get to a family ‘painting Sunday’ in the garden and have your breakfast along with coloring. Each person needs to color a picture. Ready pictures are available in animal prints, vehicles, body parts and cute daily life activities.

Make a garden, a mountain, river with boats, fishes and a wide mouthed crocodile. Draw a star, sing a rhyme on astronomy and let your child color all the pictures. Clap hard and praise well ignoring the mess. Draw an edge for them near the outline and tell them to color the hair in black, brown or golden. They will slowly become independent and present you a colored picture for approval.

Outline alphabets, balls, houses, blocks and get them to know about magenta, turquoise and ash blue. Mix colors for them. Teach them to count and recognize words but end the revisions with coloring.

The best time to make wise use of colors is during festivals. Halloween coloring pages
and pumpkin carving using pumpkin stencils is the best way to enter the world of colors. Children can also learn cake decorating ideas, painting ideas and other coloring ways by exploring their creativity and thoughts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennie_Amit_Gandhi
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Sharing

As a baby becomes a toddler (in the second year of life), they begin to understand the concept of ownership. However, they tend to believe that they own everything. Whether it’s the neighbor’s dog, mommy’s wallet or a friend’s toy, all get the same label – “mine”.

To the dismay of many embarrassed mothers, toddlers often back up this way of thinking by grabbing, pulling, crying and, the inevitable temper tantrum. Toddlers often don’t learn the concept of sharing until they are 3 or 4 years old.While most toddlers do eventually learn to share and play nicely, they have to work through a few issues first. Toddlers tend to be possessive because they don’t understand that when giving an item to someone, they will actually get it back. They also want to establish their identity, test boundaries and stand up for their rights.

While it is a time-consuming and sometimes grueling process, parents can teach their children to share. First, don’t jump into a fight right away, unless it is getting violent. Sometimes children solve problems best if left alone to do so. If you need to, respond to fighting in a calm and compassionate matter, and try giving the children some options to settle their dispute.

One fact about toddlers is that they are easily distracted, and that is a great tool when dealing with sharing. Turn your child’s attention to another toy or get him or her involved in a different activity. Oftentimes, their fight will be forgotten immediately.

One of the most important things to encourage sharing is to provide your child with positive feedback. When you notice them sharing and playing nicely, acknowledge it. All kids want to feel appreciated and valued.

Learning

Learning is what children were born to do. From the day they enter the world they start learning about feelings, people, language and all that goes on in the world. Children learn more in the first few years of life than they do in their lifetime.

Encouraging learning is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give to their children. The more a parent encourages their children to explore and learn, the more enthusiastic the child will be to do so.

There are many ways to encourage a child to learn. First, expose the toddler to a variety of experiences such as swinging, splashing, coloring and playing in the sand. Next, encourage experimentation. Kids love to see what happens when they pick a flower or bang pots and pans together.

It is also important to read to children early and regularly. Starting at even just a few months old, children will benefit from reading, whether it’s looking at the pictures or learning actual sentence structure.

Finally, set a good example by sharing the desire to learn. After all, no one is ever too old to learn something new.

Growing

During the first year of life, children experience a major growth spurt in both size and development. Typically, babies grow 10 inches in height and triple their birth weight during the first year. In addition to the physical changes, they also may learn to walk and talk.

Doctors track a child’s growth on height and weight charts. This tool ensures that children are growing at a normal and steady pace. While children are of varying heights and weights, the chart is used to make sure the child’s growth follows a particular pattern. It is not used to compare the child against others.

The rate of growth slows after the first year, usually to 2 1/2 to 3 inches and 3 to 5 pounds per year until adolescence. The average two-year-old is 34 inches tall and weighs about 27 pounds. Generally, kids grow in “spurts” rather than at a consistent pace.

Once puberty begins, usually 9 to 13 years of age in girls and 10 to 15 years of age in boys, more rapid growth occurs. In addition to increased height and weight, they will experience sexual development, which causes several physical changes. These include body hair, enlarged breasts and voice changes. Around 15 to 17 years of age, kids are usually completely grown.

There are many things that parents can do to ensure their children grow and develop normally. Children generally need 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night. Proper nutrien and exercise are also important for a growing body.

Easy Crafts For Your Toddler

Keeping an inquisitive toddler entertained and stimulated isn’t always an easy task. His curiosity will usually get him in all sorts of trouble as he is taking things apart to figure out how they work. A great way to keep him busy with something slightly less destructive is to make crafts with your toddler. Crafting is also a wonderful way to spend quality time with your child. Take a look at the craft ideas below, pick something and start making an easy craft with your toddler.

Paper Plate Mask

Who knew that plain paper plates could be so much fun? All you need are the plates themselves of course, some scissors, markers and some string. Start by holding the paper plate in front of your child’s face and mark the spots for the eyes. Cut two holes for the eyes so your child will be able to see through the mask. Cutting a mouth opening is optional. Then let your child decorate the mask with markers or crayons. You can also have her cut shapes (think ears) out of construction paper and glue them on the paper plate mask. Tape or staple a piece of string to each site of the mask and use them to tie the finished mask around your child’s head.

Collages

Here’s another one of our favorite craft activities – a collage. You can make a collage with your toddler on just about any topic. Keep old magazines and even grocery flyers around and let your child cut items out of these papers. Then use a glue stick to glue them on a large sheet of paper or construction paper. Use markers, crayons and stickers to further embellish the collage. Don’t forget to hang it up when you’re done.

Macaroni Necklace

Macaroni aren’t just good for making mac and cheese. They are also the building blocks of macaroni necklaces. All you need is a handful of uncooked macaroni noodles and a piece of string. Make a large knot in one end of the string, then let your child thread the noodles on the string. When she’s done, just tie the two pieces of string together and the necklace is ready to be worn. You can also make a colorful necklace by painting the individual noodles with acrylic paint.

Crayon Suncatcher

If you have a toddler in the house, you are bound to have lots of small pieces of broken crayons as well. Here’s a simple craft that will turn those crayon pieces and a little wax paper into a colorful suncatcher. Start by grading the crayon pieces with an old cheese grater, or shave them with a knife. Put each color into a small bowl or in a little pile. Then cut two round pieces out of wax paper. They should be the same size. Let your child sprinkle the crayon shavings on one of the pieces of wax paper. When she’s done, cover it with the other piece of wax paper. Put an old towel on your ironing board and carefully transfer the wax paper crayon “sandwich” on the ironing board. Turn your iron on medium high (without steam). Add another towel on top of the wax paper and gently iron over it several times until the crayon shavings are melted. Allow your suncatcher to cool and harden before you pick it up. Thread some yarn through it to hang it up in the window. You can also sew a button stitch all around the suncatcher with some yarn and a thick needle to make the suncatcher a little more stable.

Finger Paint

What child doesn’t love to finger paint? Smearing paint with your fingers is just plain fun. You can use store-bought finger paint, or make your own by mixing condensed milk with a few drops of food coloring. This works just as well as commercial finger paint and is completely non-toxic. Don’t forget to cover the “work area” with plenty of old newspapers to make cleanup a snap

Sock Puppets

Does your washer or dryer eat socks? Ours sure does and we end up with quite a few single socks whose counterparts have mysteriously gone missing. These socks are perfect for making sock puppets. All you need are two buttons for eyes and some scraps of fabric or felt and a little yarn. After that it will be up to your toddler’s imagination to turn the sock into a puppet – with your help of course. Not only will you have a lot of fun making these sock puppets, you and your child will enjoy playing with the finished products just as much.

By: Susanne Myers

How would you like to get craft ideas like these along with parenting information, product recall info, recipes, book reviews and more delivered to your email inbox every week? That’s exactly what ParentingZoo – the new online Parenting Magazine does. Sign up today at www.parentingzoo.com

Article Source: www.ladypens.com