A lot of money is spent every year on educational games and activities for kids. Some of the items on the market are very good and other are just a waste. Kids definitely benefit from the structured play of organized sports, but they also need the time to play independently and without structure. The best place for this is right outside your door!

What is wonderful about nature is that it is entertaining, stimulating and educational. From my own experience I have found that the more my kids play outside the better they get along. I have a feeling that this is because they have to cooperatively come up with their games. They learn to listen to each other and take input and direction.

Playing outside is a wonderful way for your children to connect with nature and observe everything that is going on around them. I love to sit with my kids and watch the ants work together at an anthill. There is no way to experience this through toys or video games. Even a book will not give you the same experience.

Being outside will make them think. When children explore and experiment, directing their own learning, they are more likely to understand and retain what they are learning. They will also gain the tool that they will need later in life to be good learners and problem solvers. There are things that children of all ages can learn from nature.

Playing outside has also helped my own children be more environmentally aware. They notice beauty around them, but they also get upset when they see that people are not taking care of the world, by leaving trash around. I feel like they are not only learning when they are outside, but they are becoming better citizens of this earth.

Being outside has to be the easiest way to let a kid be a kid. I know that my own children are happier after a day of being out, playing. When it rains for days on end, not being able to go out definitely shows a negative effect of their mood and how my two get along. Nature gives kids a chance to use their imagination and be free to just be kids.

Here is the answer to yesterday’s Thursday Thinker:

If you throw the ball as hard as you can, straight up into the air it will come back to you!

If you enjoy our Thursday Thinkers try:

You have a ball, with nothing attached to it, and watch to play catch. If you don’t have anyone to play with how can you still throw the ball as hard as you can and have the ball come right back to you?

I haven’t honestly thought that much about earth science since I took a class in it in high school. I am not quite sure how much I actually learned at that time and how much I just memorized to be able to be able to answer test questions.

I have learned that being a mom requires quite a bit more than just taking care of an loving my children.  It also includes answering questions and teaching them about the world around them. I have often found that I do not know all of the answers to the questions they have.  I can barely take them on walks without them asking me questions about the ground, the soil, the trees or the sun. At first, I would fumble through answers but then realized that I needed to do some research in order to accurately answer their questions. So, I picked up a few general books on earth science and began learning with my kids.

I have found is extremely rewarding to be able to learn more about earth science and then be able to impart that knowledge accurately to my children.  I use their curiosity to direct our explorations. It has been a great way for me to learn more about earth science and other things.

If you are having difficulty accurately answering all of those questions that your children ask, then start doing some research with a few books on earth science. Learning along side your kids will be a great experience for all involved.

You you have math insecurities and worry that your children will have the same issues, you’re not alone. Many parents who struggled with math fear that their children may have similar problems. I don’t want you to worry. Remedial and even advanced math skills are not genetic.

You can help your child grow to love math by turning everyday activities into a chance to learn and grow.

“Children have a natural ability to reason and problem solve. Parents who show enthusiasm for math will help build these important skills needed for life,” says Dr. Andrea Pastorok, education psychologist for Kumon Math and Reading Centers. She believes that creating a love of math for children should be fun and free from stress.

Here are some activities that you can do with your children  which make learning seem more like child’s play:

- Develop number awareness. Draw a large number on a piece of paper and encourage your child to transform the number into his favorite animal, food, person or imaginary character.

- Early estimating.  Involve your child in figuring out if a container is big enough to hold her toy cars and blocks.

- Practice counting.  Ask your child to count each apple slice or pretzel while dividing snacks onto two plates to share with a sibling or friend.

- When you ask for something, ask for a certain number. (“Can I please have five crayons?”)

- Count together daily; count cars, trees, homes, stoplights. Each day, add a few numbers to your child’s vocabulary.

- Teach fractions by cutting a whole sandwich in half and then in fourths, showing the relationship between “whole, half and fourths” -and then have your child put the sandwich together as a whole. Or, have your child equally share a candy bar between friends or siblings by creating equal parts.

- Hands should be washed for a minimum of 10 seconds. Have your child count to 10 or 15 each time he washes his hands.

- Teach the logic of adding numbers. As she progresses, teach your child to count by twos, fives and tens. Having the ability to skip count with help your child in the future with telling time, counting money and learning multiplication facts.

- Talk about the shapes that you see in your every day life. On a car trip try to spot as many circles, squares or triangles as possible.

- Help him to see counting as a pattern and predict what comes next by asking questions like, “We’re reading page four in our book now. What will the next page be? What was the page we just read?”

These easy activities will be the building blocks for an appreciation of numbers. Plus, you’ll delight in  seeing your child demonstrate creative reasoning, knowing you have stimulated it.

Getting children interested in science at an early age is not a difficult task. Children are naturally curious about the world around them and that is where science begins. Science does not have to be something mysterious. Use every day occurrences to expand you child’s curiosity and understanding.

Many parents think they can not help teach their children science because they do not have an advance degree in the subject area. But, all you need is a willingness to try, to make observations, and to take the time to encourage you child’s natural curiosity.

Start simply by asking your child questions about the things you see every day.

- Why do you think that happened?
- How do you think that works?

And then listen to their answer without judging it or judging them. Listening without judging will improve their confidence, and help you determine just what your child does or does not know.

You can turn every day activities into science projects. For example, don’t just comment on how bright the moon is one night. Ask questions about why it’s brighter tonight, why does it change shape, etc. You can observe the moon’s phases throughout a month, and turn that activity into a science project, without even mentioning the words “science project”.

For a child that likes cooking, observe how milk curdles when you add vinegar, or how sugar melts into syrup. You can also try this cake making science experiment and observe what happens when you leave out different ingredients. Voila! Instant science project idea, without overwhelming you or your child.

Different kids have different interests so they need different kinds of science projects. A rock collection may interest a younger child but an older child may need something more involved. Fortunately, it’s not hard to find plenty of fun projects. Knowing your child is the best way to find enjoyable learning activities. Here are some more tips:

- Choose activities that are the right level of difficulty – not too easy nor too hard. If you are not sure, pick something easier since you don’t want to discourage a child by making science frustrating.  You can always do the harder project later on.

- Read the suggested ages on any projects, books or toys labels, but then make sure that the activity is appropriate for your child, regardless of age. Your child’s interest and abilities are unique. If a child interested in a topic,they may be able to do activities normally done by older kids, while a child who is not interested may need something easier aimed at a younger ages.

- Consider how well the type of project matches your child’s personality and learning style. Is the project meant to be done alone or in a group? Will it require adult help or supervision?

- Choose activities matched to your environment. A city full of bright lights at night may not be the best place to study the stars.  But during your vacation to a remote area, you may be able to spark an interest in astronomy.

- Let your child help choose the science project or activity. It’s easy enough to ask.  Rather than overwhelm them, suggest 2 or 3 possibilities. When a child picks something they are interested in, they will enjoy it and learn more from it.

Go ahead. Try it and see for yourself how easy it is the spark the interest of a child.

The answer to yesterday’s Thursday Thinker is:

One answer is to put 3 pebbles in the first cup, 4 pebbles in the second cup and 7 pebbles the last cup. Then, place that last cup inside the second. Now all cups have an odd number of pebbles in them!

Craftsbury Kids is moving and therefore having a sale. I have several friends having babies and I just love these Jingle Blocks as gifts. They are 100% cotton and made in the USA. These simple toys are the best kind for babies. There are no worries about leaching plastics chemicals and any they give the perfect combination of auditory and tactile stimulation.

Jingle Blocks

How can you put 14 pebbles into 3 glasses so that there is an odd number of pebbles in each glass?

If you enjoy our Thursday thinkers try:

I had posted earlier about free summer bowling for kids and here is another great program that runs through the sumer. There are several movie theaters that run free and extremely cheap movies for kids once a week.

Regal Theaters offers free movies for 9 weeks on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.

AMC Theaters, which s Loews in my area, offers children’s movies at $1 each. They run their movies on Wednesday mornings at 10AM.

These are just two of the theater groups that are running special programs, there are several others throughout the country that have a similar deal. Check with your local theater to see if they are participating.