Tagged with 'Ages'

Who doesn’t love a good snow globe? Each one is a spellbinding combination of swirling, swishing liquid, and falling glitter that is perfect for sensory play. As mesmerizing as they are, did you know that snow globes are actually an experiment regarding the scientific principle of viscosity?

Let’s apply the standard of viscosity by creating a Snowman Snow Globe. We’ll put it together and then explain why it works.

You will need the following:

• A water bottle (a clear glass water bottle was used here)
• Clear glue
• Tap water
• Glitter
• Black tape for the snowman’s top hat
• Markers, paper, and pipe cleaners to make the snowman face
• Craft items for the “floaters” inside the globe, like snowflakes, stars, buttons, or jingle bells

First, let’s get our snow globe looking like a snowman. Using a sharpie marker, draw on the eyes and buttons.

Second, you can draw on the carrot nose, but we used leftover orange sticky craft paper here.

Next, select a pipe cleaner to tie around under his carrot nose for a little scarf.

The man needs a top hat, right? Wrap the cap in black tape for his hat.

Now that he’s dressed and ready to go, squirt the clear glue into the bottle. We added more glue to one of our bottles. Will more thick glue make the glitter move slower or faster?

Next, sprinkle in your glitter and drop in the items that will float.

Now it’s time to watch the snow fly!

So what does viscosity mean for the snow globe?

The viscosity of a fluid is its relative “thickness.” Think of glue or maple syrup. Both are thick and slow. Viscosity is measured by its resistance to a stress factor. In the case of our snow globe, the stress is the water and shaking motion. Compared to the water, it is much thicker, slowing the fall of our glitter, snowflakes, and jingle bells.

Hot Cocoa Time! - Curl up with some hot cocoa! This cozy set is perfect for little ones looking to warm up on chilly days. The carafe, mugs, and chocolate container create the ideal recipe for imaginative play. Stir in as much chocolate as you like and top it all off with some fluffy marshmallows. Fresh-baked cookies are the perfect snack to enjoy with your toasty beverage.

Santa's Cookies Set - Get into the holiday spirit with this imaginative set of toy Christmas cookies just for Santa! Kids can add a touch of realism to winter role play with Santa's Cookies from Learning Resources. This 12-piece set of fun play food includes everything kids for pretend baking fun, from cut-out cookies to a rolling pin, spatula, baking sheet, and more! When their play Christmas cookies are ready, kids can serve them up to Santa with a plate, glass of "milk," and write-and-wipe note that helps build essential imaginative skills. The perfect addition to any toy kitchen set, this play cookie set also helps kids master hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills with pieces just right for little hands. Each piece of play food wipes clean when playtime's done and is durable enough for years of holiday play kitchen fun.

Pocket Animal Playsets - Bring the world of animal adventures to your stocking stuffers this holiday with the Pocket Animal Playsets from Learning Resources! Within each of this set's three pocket playsets, your kids will find a world of animals in their natural habitats—explore the world beneath the waves with ocean animals, travel back in time to prehistory with dinosaurs, or head down to the farm with farm animals! Each pocket playset comes with ten realistic animal counters ready for imaginative adventures, sensory bin toys, and more! These small toys for kids pack everything they need into one compact package, including storage—when adventures are done, animal counters pack inside their boxes for easy clean-up. The Pocket Animal Playsets make an easy stocking stuffer for kids—split up the playsets among four different stockings, or give the entire set as one larger gift!

New Sprouts Fix It! - Play toolset encourages early imaginative play to provide a tactile and visual learning experience. Encouraging imaginative play with these chunky, toddler-safe tools made from durable, soft plastic. Includes saw, hammer screwdriver, wrench, drill, and toolbox. The realistically detailed drill makes sound! Perfect for helping little learners build fine motor skills!

Rise & Shine Diner - Wake up and smell the imaginative learning fun! Kids start their day with restaurant pretend play every time they serve up pretend breakfasts from the Rise & Shine Diner from Learning Resources. This deluxe diner playset includes 23 play food versions of all your morning favorites, from waffles and pancakes to fried eggs, fruit, and more, as well as the, pretend utensils needed to "cook" and "eat" them! Though this realistic play food looks good enough to eat, it's even more fun to serve—the Rise & Shine Diner's restaurant playset comes with everything kids need to open their play diner, including a write-and-wipe menu, placemat, and guest check that add a touch of authenticity to play restaurant role play. Each piece of play food wipes clean when playtime's done and is durable enough for years of play restaurant fun.

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Give the gift of learning this holiday season! Check out our collection of best-selling learning toys priced at $10 or less. Giving the Gift of Learning doesn’t have to break the bank!

What's popping? New STEM adventures! Meet Pepper the Cat, the quick-moving kitten pal of Scamper & Sneaker and star of the Pet Poppers adventures! With the help of her fun launcher house, Pepper introduces kids to essential STEM and kids' coding concepts through the challenges found inside her full-color 20-page adventure book. As kids launch Pepper through the world of her STEM adventures, they'll learn about STEM skills and topics ranging from force, motion, and angles to logic, trial and error, and more.

Every screen-free STEM challenge helps kids master early coding and preschool learning skills without needing a phone or tablet. When she's not zooming through her own Pet Popper's adventures, Pepper can join in the coding fun with Scamper & Sneaker and the rest of the larger Coding Critters interactive pet sets - race the other Pet Poppers, dream up new coding adventures that boost critical thinking and other STEM skills, or use the magnet in Pepper's nose to help her interact with other Coding Critters!

The world of Coding Critters just got bigger! Meet Pouncer & Pearl, two new kitten pals for Scamper & Sneaker, and stars of their Pair-a-Pets adventures! This pair of playful kittens introduce kids to essential coding and STEM concepts through the challenges found inside their full-color 20-page adventure book. As kids help Pouncer & Pearl on their everyday STEM adventures, they'll learn about fundamental kids' coding skills, including sequencing, debugging, logic, trial and error, and more.

Every screen-free challenge helps kids master early coding and preschool learning skills without needing a phone or tablet. Pouncer & Pearl can join in the coding fun with Scamper & Sneaker and the other of the larger Coding Critters interactive pet sets when they're not off on their adventures. Feed them treats from their included food bowl, dream up new coding adventures that boost critical thinking and other STEM skills, or use the magnets in their noses to help them interact with other Coding Critters!

Carry your Beaker Creatures on a new science adventure! Drop your Reactor Pod in water to trigger the bubbling reaction, then discover one of 36 new collectible creatures from five families, including the magical Mythsmiths and squishy-slimy Muckies! You might even find one of the limited-edition Biolumes, which glow in the dark!

Then, take your creatures with you in the Clip-On Carrier, which hooks backpacks, belt loops, and more! Each creature also comes with a mini-poster featuring a real-world STEM experiment! Beaker Creatures Series 3 Reactor Pods work with all Beaker Creatures sets, including the Liquid Reactor Super Lab, Bubbling Volcano Reactor, and more! The Beaker Creatures Series 3 2-Pack with Clip-On Carrier includes 2 Reactor Pods with mysterious creatures, two mini-posters with science experiments, one clip-on carrier, and more!

Reel in addition skills by catching combinations of 10! Players take turns flipping cards to show numbers and shout out ''I see 10!'' when they see combinations of numbers that make 10. Collect the most 10s and win! Beware of the hungry Shark cards-pull one, and your whole catch goes back!

Encourage young scientists to take their investigations further with these perfectly sized tools!

Includes durable magnifier with built-in stand for hands-free observation, 4.5x magnification, and 4 1/2' diameter viewing area

Exercises fine motor skills as children use the easy-grip tweezers to guide small hands into the proper pincer position.

Take a look! These unique child-size glasses and interchangeable lenses let students observe the world while learning about color.

• Features 8 easy-to-change lenses-2 each of red, yellow and blue and distortion lenses that let you see the world like a bug
• Teaches primary colors as well as mixing to make secondary colors by combining up to 2 lenses per side
• Allows additional instruction and kaleidoscopic fun when you use the lenses on their own
• Includes color-mixing chart
• Durable plastic glasses are sized just right for children and wipe clean with a damp cloth.

Help young children learn about themselves and their families with this family of counters. Great for counting and sorting. The set of 24 counters comes in 6 different shapes and colors. Counters can be combined with other counter sets for endless playing possibilities!

I’m sure by now you have heard about how beneficial “STEM activities” are for children, but many of you may be wondering what that means or entails. STEM activities are anything that promotes curiosity and growth in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math.

Although those topics may sound pretty advanced for a preschooler or young child, there are many easy ways to incorporate a love for these concepts in the early years! Curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking are at the heart of STEM! These are traits that the youngest child can be encouraged to explore.

One fun topic that we’ve been interested in lately is coding! I would have never imagined that my three and 5-year-old would be excited about something that I thought was so complex, but boy was I wrong. Their fascination began when we started playing with various imaginative play toys to teach them coding, our favorite being Botley the Coding Robot. They were instantly intrigued by the reactions that resulted from the commands they typed in!

I loved watching their little minds click as they realized that each command change would create a different outcome. To foster their new love for this concept, I began providing additional screen-free activities to help them become better at following patterns and various steps. Here is a fun, holiday-themed coding activity you can easily create for your little one.

Coding Candy Canes!

Pipe cleaners, pony beads, paper, and markers. Cut each pipe cleaner into three pieces and bend them into a candy cane shape. Next, select the colors or beads that you want to use. I recommend 2-3 colors for younger children, but you could use as many as you wish for an older child. Because the activity was for both of my daughters, I chose only red and green.

Lastly, take your paper and draw various candy canes on it, adding colored “bead dots” with your markers in the patterns or order you want your child to mirror.

Provide your child with pipe cleaner candy canes, beads, and paper. Ask them first to sort the beads into different color piles. Then, instruct them to create candy canes that match the ones on the paper. My girls loved this activity, and we hung the finished candy canes around our playroom as festive décor.

So there you have it: an inexpensive, low-prep, and screen-free way to introduce coding to your child! I hope that you found this informative and that it sheds some light on just how fun and easy STEM activities can be.

Benefits of using fine motor tools:

Handy Scoopers: These unique tools are a handy way to build the muscles needed for scissor cutting! Tools feature translucent scoops and easy-to-grip handles for developing fine motor skills. Holes in the scoops allow for catch-and-release fun during water play.

Build up little hand muscles: Helps develop eye-hand coordination by grabbing small manipulatives or snacks with the Handy Scoopers.

Sensory Integration: Use the Handy Scoopers in a sandbox or water table to discover how the different substances sift through the holes of the Handy Scoopers.

Gator Grabber Tweezers: Sized for little hands and great for developing the pincer grasp! Working on fine motor skills is fun when children get to use an Alligator to grip objects.

Fine Motor: As students pick up objects with the tweezers, they are working on motor planning and eye-hand coordination (visual-motor integration) and refining the manual skills needed for writing, drawing, and daily living.

Sensory Integration: Students who are hypersensitive to textures can participate in tactile play using tweezers to hold and move objects.

Self-Help: Incorporate puppet-like conversations to enhance communication and social interactions. Gator (tweezers) can speak to or try to gobble up the other person, increasing direct contact with another

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At every moment right now, everywhere on the globe, billions of people are making their holiday preparations and plans, keeping the traditions of their culture alive. During this season of merrymaking, let’s take look at holiday customs celebrated on each of Earth’s continents – with special assistance from our Puzzle Globe and Buddy Builders!

Joyeux Noël, France!

More than 66 million people live in France, a country located on the continent of Europe. On Christmas Eve, children put their shoes out near the fireplace in the hopes that Père Noël (Santa Claus) will fill the shoes with gifts. It is no surprise with all the delicious French food that most of the holiday is centered around the Christmas Eve meal, or “Le Réveillon”. Sometimes the Christmas Eve dinner will go late into the night – maybe past midnight! Those who prep for such grand meals spend lots of time at the holiday markets – open-air shopping experiences for food pop up in major cities across France during holiday time.

Shubh Deepavali, India!

Located within the continent of Asia, India is home 1.32 billion people. Diwali is a colorful, light-filled feast for the eyes, celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists, both in India and around the world. Typically falling between mid-October and mid-November, Diwali is the triumph of good over evil or light over darkness. It is the time of year to wear new clothes, visit friends and family, and share food, gifts, and sweets, all held over the span of five days. Homes are colorfully decorated and candles are lit to celebrate the light. And what better way to bring in the light than fireworks! Amazing pyrotechnic shows captivate Indian cities during the nights of Diwali.

Happy Hanukkah, United States!

The United States, situated in the middle of the continent of North America, blends lots of cultures and traditions. Millions of Jewish people in the U.S. celebrate Hanukkah, or “Festival of Lights”.  Reciting prayers, lighting a menorah with candlelight, and eating lots of traditional food stretch for eight nights during Hanukkah. Kids play games with a dreidel, a spinning top marked with letters in Hebrew. They also exchange gifts and sing songs. Traditional food for Jewish families are latkes, a type of yummy potato pancakes topped with applesauce or sour cream.

Nkwagaliza Sekukkulu, Uganda!

In Uganda, an inland country within the continent of Africa, Christmas is referred to as Sekukkulu. Held over December 24 and 25, this holiday is about food and family. Many food traditions are centered around chicken, which is often wrapped in banana leaves to steam it, giving it a special flavor this time of year. There is far less emphasis on giving gifts during Sekukkulu, rather an emphasis on sharing food and time with family and friends. However, new clothes, especially for children, are important part when stepping out to church on this holiday.

Feliz Navidad, Venezuela!

Christmas time in the country of Venezuela, located on the continent of South America, is a very joyous and religious time, lasting nearly a month! Like many families across the world, Venezuelans’ big celebration is on the night of Christmas Eve, where all go to church to celebrate the birth of Jesus. The center of many household decorations this time surprisingly not a Christmas tree, rather a pesebre, or nativity scene depicting the manger in Bethlehem. And in Venezuela on Christmas morning, most roads are closed off for the holiday. Many take to foot to head to church, being awoken by bells or firecrackers to signify the start of the celebration.

Merry Christmas, Australia!

Australia, both a continent and country, is located in Earth’s southern hemisphere. Grab the sunscreen because it is actually summertime in Australia during the holidays! Since Australians love to be outside, Christmas Day is typically spent at the beach, swimming or sailing. When Australians head out to sing their traditional “Carols by Candlelight”, they often change the traditional lyrics about snow and cold to fit their climate. The Aussies also celebrate Boxing Day on December 26, a day to recoup from the holiday, and to shop major sales from local retailers.

Happy New Year, Antarctica!

Antarctica, otherwise known as the South Pole (the literal polar opposite of where Santa hangs his hat), is the southern most point in the entire world. It also is the locale of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, home to nearly 200 scientific researchers. To ring in each New Year, the scientists go out in the tundra and physically adjust the marker for the Geographic South Pole, to pinpoint the Earth’s axis of rotation. Because the South Pole itself sits onto of a sheet of ice, it moves about 30 feet every year. All the world’s flags involved in the South Pole Station surround it. What a way to ring in the New Year

Full of bright colors and loud noises, the Chinese New Year begins on February 1 this year (the date of the celebration changes year to year because Chinese New Year starts on the second new moon after the winter solstice). In ancient times the festival was an effort by villagers to scare away a mythical wild beast named Nien with bright lights and big noises. Nowadays, Chinese New Year is celebrated worldwide with family dinners, thorough house cleaning, fireworks, and parades. Your family can enjoy the festivities with three cool crafts perfect for ringing in the Chinese New Year!

Materials

• Paper plate
• Red paint
• Yellow construction paper
• index cards or card stock paper
• Markers
• Scissors
• Tape or glue craft sticks

Materials

• Red construction paper
• Scissors
• Stapler or tape