|
At a recent
lunch, a few co-workers were discussing the worst things
about winter. There were the usual suspects: cold, snow,
ice and layers of clothing, but the other thing the
parents of the group all agreed on was how tired they were
of dealing with bored, housebound kids.
The Net is full of suggestions for fun activities to keep
kids busy. And turning to the Internet needn't mean
parking your kids in front of the computer till the ice
thaws. There are as many sites that will lead your child
to explore the outside world, as there are sites they an
explore on-line.
One such site is http://www.backyardjungle.com.
This easily navigated site is designed to help kids keep
track of the discoveries in their own back yards,
schoolyards, or the local park. Membership is free and
allows kids to create a map of their surroundings, then
load photos, drawings and comments about what they find
outside, to share with fellow members. So far, more than
4,000 kids from around the world (mostly from the United
States) have submitted profiles, with about 100 new
members joining each week.
When it's really cold out, your kids can explore the
outdoors on-line at http://www.pbs.org.
This site is full of nature games that are as educational
as they are fun. There's an entire section dedicated to
"Boredom Busters," activities including
printable masks, a game that takes kids on virtual
adventures and a blueprint for kids to make their own TV
and perform shows instead of just sitting in front of one.
The PBS site
also includes great content such as "Don't Buy
It," where kids can create their own commercials and
learn how to see through advertising, and the Wonders of
the African World, which allows kids to virtually travel
through Africa. Subscribe to the email newsletter and
you'll receive a few new activity suggestions every week.
Finally, you might want to keep this URL to yourself:
http://www.chartjungle.com
is the destination for organizing your kids' lives. The
focus of the site is, as the name would suggest, charts.
And while it features charts for purchase right up front
(personalized charts costing between $2.00 and $10.00 US)
the free charts are just as nice. Some of the cute,
full-colored charts include charts to keep track of
chores, homework, TV time, hygiene -- even how many
glasses of water the kids are drinking a day or how many
fruits and vegetables they've eaten.
Pick your battle and keep track of it here. And remember,
no matter how dreary the winter day, nothing cures
"boredom" faster than suggesting kids clean up
their room.
Math Goodies
(UK)
Mrs. Glosser's site provides students with free,
interactive math lessons over the Internet. They've got
over 400 pages full of math activities, number games,
problems plus some great resources for parents, pupils and
teachers.
http://www.mathgoodies.com/
Publix Preschool Pals (US)
Quarterly newsletter, prizes, cards on their birthdays, a
very cool activity book for two-year-olds, and a
one-of-a-kind CD ROM when your children turn three. (Only
for certain States).
http://www.publix.com/servlet/MainController?action=preparePreschoolHome
Talented Kids (Canada)
Free kids membership kit, includes pen, appointment
calendar webpage, email and more.
http://www.talentedkids.com/member/bamember.php
Organic Valley (US)
Free copy of the Farm Friends Funtivity book.
http://www.organicvalley.com/new/funtivity.html
Activity Pad (Worldwide)
Activity Pad offers printable preschool activities, word
search puzzles, mazes, holiday activities and more to help
children learn and have fun!
http://activitypad.com/
LEGO Group (US)
Enter and get your free LEGO Racers starter kit.
http://www.autocarmagazine.com/Young_designer.htm
Game Aquarium (Worldwide)
Portal for free, online learning games. The underwater
theme encourages kids to return for more learning fun.
There are currently more than 30 categories with links.
http://www.gamequarium.com/
Dictionary.com (UK)
Has a good online dictionary and thesaurus. As well as
providing the English version, they also have German,
Greek, Latin and Spanish dictionaries. An online
translator allows you to translate text and Web pages
between English and French, German, Italian, Portuguese or
Spanish however, it is not always totally accurate.
Features free daily crosswords and puzzles.
http://www.dictionary.com/
========================
INFORMATIVE LINKS
========================
FunBrain
Interactive, educational games (math and grammar) for
children of all ages. Games include Math Baseball, Change
Maker, and Wacky Tales.
http://www.funbrain.com/
Learn about St. Patrick, Ireland, rainbows and gold. Tons
of games, projects, quizes and stories.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/7134/Green/index.htm
Fun House
Visit the largest collection of riddles for kids
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/7134/Fun/riddles.htm
Space for kids - the moon, stars, planets and NASA
The Planets See a Map of Mercury Inside Venus. All
about Earth Info about Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, plus an
Astronomy Quiz.
http://www.gigglepotz.com/space.htm
Chem4Kids
Discover this chemistry research destination for children.
Features resources and activities on atoms, elements and
matter.
http://www.chem4kids.com/
Education 4 Kids sponsored by WellCenter
The edu4kids network of educational drill games. Drill
games are designed for kids pre-K-12 and beyond. The cover
math, science, social studies and language. These drill
games are provided commercial (ad banner) free.
http://www.edu4kids.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Susan Rutter: author, publisher, nutritionist, instructor
Assists patients and the public make healthy choices and
changes in their lives.
FREE E-mail course: "Your Health and Your
Weight"
http://www.geocities.com/healthyoubbies/
Subscribe: healthyoubbies-subscribe@smartgroups.com
We Are What We Eat... includes 4 free health software
programs.
healthy.youbbies@3web.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This article provided by
the Family Content Archives at: http://www.Family-Content.com
|
