Whether I'm cooking dinner, playing checkers with my kindergartner, or reading a story to my preschooler, there are moments throughout the day when I really would like my toddler to play by himself for short periods of time. He's actually very independent generally speaking, but the times when I ...
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Homemade Bug Houses
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I don't like bugs. Period. At all. Not even a little bit. But my kids do. They think all types of insects, spiders, and other creepy, crawly creatures are fascinating. Parenthood has definitely made me more tolerant of countless things (bodily fluids, lack of privacy, random screaming...). My ...
Homemade Wobblebot
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As with our wigglebot, this homemade wobblebot is not technically a robot since it doesn't have any sort of decision making capabilities. However, it is still a lot of fun to make and a great first "robotics" project for young robot enthusiasts. Like the wigglebot, the inspiration for this ...
Leaf Print Art
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As part of my kindergartner's Waldorf-inspired Oak Meadow homeschool curriculum, we recently made leaf prints. The directions didn't say anything about turning the prints into cute little people, but how could I resist? (Be sure to stick around for the end of this post to find some other fun ideas ...
Dinosaur Cards and Lap Book
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Every night I ask my kindergarten son, "What do you want to learn about tomorrow?" Nine times out of 10, he says dinosaurs. We've been reading lots of library books on dinosaurs, but I wanted to make his learning more hands-on. It took me awhile to put together these dinosaur cards and the ...
Balloon Inflating Experiment
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This is a super simple science experiment, but one that's impressive to young kids anyway. It's so easy, I figured I had no excuse for not doing it at least once with my kids. I started by telling them we were going to blow up a balloon without having to blow into the balloon. (I guess technically I ...
The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game
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This is a fun game for early preschoolers that teaches a variety of simple skills such as matching, color identification, counting to two, motor control, and turn taking. It's engaging enough that older kids who are already good at these skill will like playing with younger siblings. Product: The ...
Zoologic
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Oh my goodness. I love this game. Prior to purchasing Zoologic, Rush Hour Jr. was my favorite single-player puzzle game for my 5 year old. However, now they are at least tied. If anything, I like this game slightly more. I think Zoologic will last several years and requires more critical thinking ...
Long-Lasting Homemade Play Dough Recipe
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Okay. I know everyone and their mom has a homemade play dough recipe (or five). I decided to post the one our family uses anyway for a couple reasons. 1) I've read that some people's homemade play dough needs to be kept in the refrigerator or it will go "bad". I honestly don't even know what that ...
DIY No-Pedal Balance Bike
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I had no idea it was so easy to convert a regular old kid's bike into a Strider-style, no-pedal balance bike. Forget training wheels! This is really the way to learn to ride a bike. I'm hoping this page will be understandable for those like me who are not familiar with bike terminology. In figuring ...
Michelle has a PhD in Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor's Degree from the California Institute of Technology. 