Gifts for Children – Can Children Have Fun Learning?

March 10th, 2010 by fabula

We always want to get it right when it comes to buying a suitable gift for a child. However it is not always easy to. There is often a clash of opinion when it comes to what children should play with. It is fair to say that parents are often encouraging their child to learn and therefore play with toys that can help achieve this. On the other hand, the priority of a child is not only to have toys that are ‘in fashion’ but also to have fun, and have lots of it. There is no reason why the two can’t be joined hand in hand. There are a huge number of products made for children which are classified as ‘educational toys’.

In this article I am going to highlight some educational toys which allows your child to learn and have a whole heap of fun.

Wild Science Range of Educational Kits-

Wild Science is one of the most recognizable, best selling and popular science brands in the UK offering a diverse range of collectible science kits with real attitude. The quality of the kits from content and package design down to their sheer fun and entertainment value make this range a real winner. In the range are: Slime Laboratory, Perfume Laboratory, Hyper launcher Super Ball Factory, Atlantis Nature Reserve and many others. The whole purpose of the Wild Science range is to teach children about certain elements of science and they have fun while doing so.

Nick Baker Nature Kits-

This range was developed by Nick Baker, a popular Wildlife Expert, Author and TV Presenter. His kits guide you and your child through a fascinating world full of wonder and delight using specially designed, professional quality field equipment and revealing instructions containing loads of notes, hints and tips. In his range are: Animal Tracking Kit and Bug Hunting Kit. Not only are they educational and fun, the physical involvement involved in exploring nature allows a form of exercise that children can benefit from.

Go Solar Experiment Kit-

This educational kit has more than 30 fun and exciting activities to do with energy from the sun and light. Activities include building your own solar furnace, solar powered carousel, and aeroplane mobile. Learn about temperature, focal points, colour refraction, the greenhouse effect and more.

Solar Mars Explorer-

This odd but cool looking ‘mars explorer’ is powered by the sun. However, it firstly needs to be put together. It is the process of assembling this toy with the solar panel that teaches the child about solar energy and how the sun provides the energy required to activate the toy to walk around. Not recommended for children under 3 due to small parts.

The toys and games above are merely a snippet of products that are available under the category ‘educational toys’ but I hope I have given you encouragement that children can have fun learning.

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Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

March 10th, 2010 by fabula

Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed mcconomy Auditorium. In his moving presentation, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals. For more on Randy, visit: www.cmu.edu Learn how to support the Randy Pausch Memorial Bridge, visit: www.cmu.edu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo&hl=en

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Rubber Ducks And Other Bath Toys

March 9th, 2010 by fabula

Children are not generally the cleanest of people, what with all the falling over in the mud, rolling about in the garden, shinning up trees, and crawling about the floor into dusty corners. It is therefore a necessary fact that they need regular baths. Unfortunately, they don’t always agree, and so trying to make bath time fun whilst you scrape the dirt off your child to discover them lurking underneath is important.

Fortunately today there is a wide range of bath toys, and we are not stuck with having to stare at one bewildered looking plastic duck bobbing away through the foam. Rubber ducks are still very much a popular item, generally coming in family packs of four of five it seems now though, but there are many other toys besides, some of which are designed purely to make bath time fun, others to be a little educational. After all, water can be educational in itself when you think about the amount of science that uses it.

For example, there are some toys which use rubber suckers to stick to the bathroom wall – usually as this is tiles they stick very well. These toys then allow a bucket or can of water to be poured in to the top, which then causes a variety of effects as it trickles down and runs back into the bath. In some cases it makes a water wheel turn round, which is both fun and helps them to understand the idea of a waterwheel. Others have animals on whose eyes, hands or head rocks backwards and forwards as the water runs through. Almost always the mechanics of this movement are visible, so that whilst to begin with the child may simply be satisfied with seeing the effect, after a while they may show a natural curiosity to try to understand how falling water can achieve a sideways rocking effect.

Another popular toy along a similar principle relies on suction, rather than gravity. Again, it sticks to the bathroom wall, and looks just like a shower head. A rubber hose drops down into the bath water at the bottom, and in the middle there is a big button. By pressing the button, water is sucked up the hose, and eventually comes out of the shower head – a bit like siphoning the water through a shower system.

There are also many toys which help to teach other principles – such as volume. A series of cans or other containers which vary in size can be used to explore how many of one cup it takes to fill a big cup, and so on. Still another is a small submarine or diver with a long hose attached with a bulb at one end. The diver sinks to the bottom, but when you squeeze the bulb, he rises to the surface. This principle works on exactly the same principle as submarines use to surface or dive, and simply uses air pressure. This can appear to be a magical effect for children, and it will be many years before they really start to understand the principle of it.

So as well as being fun, there’s no reason at all why children can’t be learning even at bath time. But of course, don’t tell them that!

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Elmo Live is Coming

March 9th, 2010 by fabula

Every year there is at least one toy the makes the headlines at Christmas because parents have been fighting over it in high street stores. These toy shortages occur because the companies that make them don’t want to over estimate the popularity of a product and produce too many that don’t sell, leaving them with a lot of unwanted stock and a large bill from production costs. Last year it was the Nintendo Wii. Other memorable toy shortages have been Teletubbies, Furbees, Tamagotchi and Tickle Me Elmo.

Elmo is back this year, and this time he is performing Live and is sure to fly off the shelves as quick as, if not quicker than he can be stacked on them.

If you’re not aware, Elmo is a muppet from Sesame Street. Elmo Live is a true all singing all dancing educational toy. On the inside is an advanced robot which produces life-like (or more accurately, muppet-like) movements. This gives him the ability to move his mouth in time with the speech he makes.

The Elmo Live has a large amount of spoken word recorded into him. With it he tells stories, makes jokes, sings songs and plays games. All this is done while he gets in and out of his seat, crosses and uncrosses his legs, dances and waves his arms around. The wide variety of movements and speech gives Elmo Live a very believable personality. It’s easy to forget he is actually a robot. Elmo could entertain the children for hours.

Elmo Live is also interactive. He has sensors all over his body which enable him to react to touch. If you squeeze his nose he will sneeze. If you tickle his feet or stomach, he will laugh and if you give him a cuddle, he will say “I love you”.

Fisher-Price are known for producing toys with educational value. The educational value of Elmo Live is that he is designed to help children learn to listen and communicate. For example, when Elmo ask for a hug, children will be rewarded with an “I love you” when they do as he asks.

The idea of using this character as an educational tool is a controversial one however. Elmo has been criticised in the past for his use of grammar. In particular he refers to himself in the third person, for example he would say “Elmo is feeling tired”. Sesame Street creator Jim Henson responded to these allegations, stating that this is typical language for this age group and Sesame Street will not encourage improper use of English.

Whatever you believe, many children will love Elmo this Christmas, while many other will miss out because of under-stocking. To avoid disappointment on the big day and stress leading up to the big day, parents are advised to order as early as they can.

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Selecting Toys For Your Kids

March 8th, 2010 by fabula

Parents do find it difficult at times so as to what toys they should choose for their kids, especially toddlers. It is a great learning period of a baby where he or she is into learning about the different things that comes their way. The toys are the most important medium where the baby can learn a lot of things such as building blocks, stacking and sorting the toys, wooden block games etc. All these toys just stimulate their senses and help to increase their learning abilities.

In specific, the toys for toddlers, who are from the ages of one to three years should focus on physical play. The toys that can be chosen for the toddlers include both the outdoors and the indoors. The outdoor toys can be the ride-on toys, the wagons, balls etc. The indoor games or toys as mentioned above including the building blocks, stacking and sorting toys allows the children to burn their high levels of energies and develop muscle control. The children also love to mimic their elders such as trying to do the things that they do.

Therefore giving them an opportunity to have the same kind of an environment, the children can be given kitchen sets, housekeeping tools, toy cars etc. that would help them open up and communicate with their parents in a much better way. Toys such as large board puzzles with absorbing colors just grabs their attention and they find it a lot amusing. The parents taking active participation with their babies can clearly see that their children is learning different things on a very fast pace and they can then plan on buying advanced toys to meet up their learning potential.

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toy jail

March 8th, 2010 by fabula

we use “toy jail” as one of two main means of discipline. (the second is the “bunny bed” which is a little pink pet bed in a quiet corner designated for the family member who needs a break to think things over.) in this video shuggie explains toy jail and then gets some toys released on parole. we wanted to share this because this method has been working very well for us. we send a whole lotta love, empathy and compassion to every mom and dad! we know how difficult it is being a parent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0_WcPUa8sE&hl=en

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The Right Toddler Toys For Your Child’s Overall Development

March 8th, 2010 by fabula

The toddler years of a child are very important years for development. It is during this time that your child will experience everything first hand since he can now walk and do things on his own. The skills develop during these years affects future development therefore it is best to start early. The only way that toddlers will learn is through play. Therefore, as parents, you have to provide your toddler with appropriate toddler toys for his optimum development.

You might be wondering what type of toys you should provide your toddler in this crucial stage of his development. Basically, you should give him toys that are age-appropriate and allows the development of his physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and language skills. Toddlers develop in stages, which is why you have to be very precise when giving them the toys that will make them enjoy without compromising their safety.

The toddler age is the time when children are able to walk on their own. Thus, a toddler will be more curious about the world around him and will become more active and independent than before. The heightened preference for physical activities such as running, crawling, and jumping improves the gross motor skill of a child. For physical development, toys that allow free movement such as push/pull toys, climbing toys, slides, rocking toys, and balls are perfect for your child.

You shouldn’t really worry so much if the hand-eye coordination of your toddler isn’t that fine tuned yet because with the right toddler toys, it will be developed eventually. Stacking toys, blocks, construction toys, and other art and craft activities are some of the toys that will develop fine motor skills.

The toddler age is also the time when your child will prefer to play alone or in parallel to other children of his age. You can encourage him to share his toys though so that he will be able to improve his social skills. Toys like cars, trains, and stuffed toys are those which can be shared with other kids.

Language development is another milestone in your child’s toddler stages. The good news here is that any toy can be used for language development since the success of which primarily lies on you as a caregiver. You have to spend enough time with your toddler to talk to them during play. Story books are perfect for this endeavor although plastic figures, i.e. animals, can also be used to tell a story.

Construction toys should also be provided to encourage your child’s creativity and imagination. When a child is playing with these toys, it is best to leave them alone so that they can be in their own imaginative world. Brain development is also ideal at this age which is why it can really be helpful to provide your toddler with educational toys. These educational toddler toys will help the child to master certain concepts and skills needed for the future. Stacking rings, jigsaw puzzles, shape sorters, and building blocks are some of the toys that can be given for this undertaking.

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Developmental Toys – Is There Any Benefit in War Toys?

March 7th, 2010 by fabula

The production of war toys blossoms day by day. The toys become popular among children, and parents being ready more to please a child than to defend their own standpoint, buy different popular war guns, toys and video games.

It is reasonable that such fact gave rise to big disputes among child’s psychologists who worry about children’s future. There are some vivid cases that caused anxiety among parents when children were playing with any of war toys and the results of such plays were rather sad.

When we present a baby or a child with a toy, the child automatically presupposes that the toy is approved by adults. And if we buy him a water gun or just a child gun, it means that we approve all his games concerning “bang-bang” tactics.

Of course, children can play “bang-bang” games and when they don’t have the appropriate toys. They can image their own weapon, or use a “finger” gun. But don’t we, parents and those who present a child with toy guns and weapon, support advancement violence in children?

However, the supporters of video games based on the war concept state that such games help children develop problem-solving skills, hands movement and coordination, and thrill curiosity. These games can really become educational toys if parents learn how to use them properly.

But how can we call them educational toys when the survey shows the statistics and figures saying that war video games don’t stimulate the creativity development in our children.

Children, who spend their time in front of computer games, don’t like reading, and they prefer to spend free time in their room playing rather than socializing with other children.

Children differ, of course. One can easily become computer-addicted, while the other cannot. Parents shall pay special attention to all the games their children are playing. The special concern has to be addressed to all the toys your child is presented with. Rather than to buy one more video game, think about educational baby toys or baby Einstein series available at the market.

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Educational Toys For Toddlers

March 7th, 2010 by fabula

Toys are an integral part of a toddler’s world. Most of their play is centered, around the toys they possess and the imaginary world that they make up. Therefore it is very important to choose the right toys for a toddler to help educate as well as entertain the child in these important formative years. It is in this age that children start perceiving everything around them with surprise and awe and so this is the best time to provide them with educational toys, as this is when they begin to learn and grasp things very quickly.

Toddlers are usually very active, and want to explore and experiment with everything that they come across. Hence they enjoy playing with toys that serve these purposes. Climbing structures, puzzle blocks, balloons, interactive dolls, toy bikes, and cars designed for their size, puppets and stuffed toys, colored building blocks, peg boards, pedal toys and swings are some of the educational toys. These toys provide physical and mental exercises, developing the body muscles and brain cells, including thinking and logical capacity.

Toddlers are also fascinated by colors, crayons, and chalk. Thus, simple coloring books or drawing books along with crayons can also be useful ways of teaching shapes and colors while providing fun. Adults are advised to encourage them in scribbling, and coloring, and show an interest to help them develop their creativity. With the development of the brain cells, toddlers start associating objects with whatever they are taught and thus, arranging blocks according to shapes, sizes, and colors can be a very educational game.

Also, toy trains, wooden logs, plastic snowflakes, and interlocking blocks help build their hand and eye coordination abilities. Playing with sand and clay can again be a very good way of building their imagination and developing their muscular flexibility.

However, it is equally necessary that the parents always keep a watchful eye on the kids while playing with different objects as they have a tendency to put things into their mouths. Some of these objects can be really harmful and can even result in fatal accidents.

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Highway code…Scalectrix stylee

March 6th, 2010 by fabula

Learning to drive the scalectrix way

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHMGNgstVC0&hl=en

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