Five engineering challenges for kids – with wooden clothespins, binder clips, and craft sticks! It’s a simple STEM activity that kids of all ages will love. Move over, expensive building sets! These simple materials were a huge hit with my boys. The first time we got them out, Owen (almost 7) spent well over an […]

This fun game is perfect for practicing the parts of the body with your ESL students. Have them roll a die and color the body parts in the correct colors.

Our 50+ STEM activities are sure to keep little scientists engaged & well-prepared for their STEM-filled future. To learn more about STEM challenges, visit us!

Interoception may be a new term to you. Find out how you can support sensory processing with these 10 interoception activities for kids.

Plenty of interactive ideas and activities to teach landforms for kids. Find videos, worksheets and even experiments to help.

Free 12 Apostles accordion style mini book is the perfect activity for kids learning about the followers of Jesus.

When we travel with kids, regardless of our hotel choice and the amenities it provides, there are always a few occasions during our trip where we find ourselves looking for ways to entertain the kids inside the hotel room. One child might be having a nap, some family members might be showering or changing or you may just be up there for a bit of a rest and recharge before heading out again. These days, I always bring a little activity pack so they can be entertained. As you are travelling, the items you bring need to be light and not bulky. I only take things that can fit into one A4 size pencil case. The items that I take are generally open-ended which means that they can be used in more than one way and for more than one purpose. The materials that we use in our DIY Kids Hotel Activity Pack are: paper plates (x10) coloured paper-tape (washi tape) toy cars watercolour paint set/pens/markers plain paper notebook balloons rulers There are a number of different ways that you could use the items in this pack. Here are five different activity ideas. The rest of the ideas can come from the kids. Trust me, they'll have their own ideas. Activity 1. Paper plate tic-tac-toe (2 players) Materials: paper plates x 10 coloured paper tape marker (optional) Instructions: On the floor of your hotel room, lay down a tic-tac-tow grid using your paper tape. Make a large "X" on the back of five of the paper plates and a large "O" on the back of the other five (use your markers or tape for this). Players take turn putting their plates in the grid in an attempt to get 3 of their plates (either X or O) in a row. Activity 2. Tape roads Materials: coloured paper tape toy cars Instructions: Use the coloured paper tape (or masking tape) to make roads on the hotel room floor and drive your little cars around for some imaginary play. Activity 3. Paint what's out the window This view isn't too shabby. Materials: paper or paper plates to paint on watercolour set w/ brush (we use these as they are easy to pack, can be used anywhere, are easy to clean and don't stain) glass of water Instructions: Encourage your children to look outside your hotel room window and talk about the different features or objects that you see. They can paint or draw a picture. Don't forget to name and date the masterpiece as it can make a lovely momento of your holiday. Activity 4. Paper plate balloon tennis (2 players) Materials: paper plates (1 per player) plastic rulers (1 per player) coloured paper tape 1 x balloon Instructions: Use the paper-tape to stick your ruler to the back of a paper plate and blow up a balloon. Have fun hitting and catching your balloon with your paper-plate racket. Try some giant sized "egg-and-spoon" style races with them as well. Lots of fun to be had quickly and easily and balloons are much safer to use in hotel rooms over balls! Activity 5. Paint a Paper Plate Mask Materials: paper plates coloured paper tape ruler watercolour paint/markers Instructions: As well as making great rackets for balloon tennis, the same design can be used as a fun puppet or mask for children. Paint or draw on the extra details and then put on a puppet show. You may have noticed that I have recently been in Dubai! I was incredibly fortunate to be staying at the stunning Shangri La Hotel in Dubai as a guest of the hotel. What a luxury! The Shangri La Hotel Dubai is located just 15 minutes from the Dubai International Airport and a short taxi ride into the hub of Old Dubai. (You shouldn't pay more than $10AUD for a taxi there). With 8 different restaurants and bars, a gorgeous rooftop pool (that you can see the Burj Khalifa from!) and the most impeccable service I've ever received anywhere, I am sure that you would not be disappointed staying here. Oh, and did I mention the breakfast buffet? Don't get me started. Just remember to try the French Toast. Yum! At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how amazing the hotel is. It's the staff and customer service that you receive that impacts your stay the most. We were blown away by the fabulous staff and customer service that we received at the Shangri La Hotel Dubai. Happy and safe travels, Debs :) Disclaimer: I stayed at the Shangri La Hotel Dubai as a guest of the hotel whilst on a sponsored trip with Dubai Tourism. All opinions expressed are my own. Look where else we are. Are you following along? :)

These 20 Activities and Lessons that Teach Obedience to Kids will help equip you to teach kids to obey. This is part of my character building series, a great resource for parents and teachers everywhere. The word “obey” has gotten a bad wrap over the years. Before you jump into this post and all it...Read More

STEM activities every child must try this fall! Fun, easy ideas integrating science, math, tech, egnieering, with pumpkins, spiders, leaves, ...

Want to help your kids learn about gratitude? Play the gratitude game with them. It's a fun game that the whole family will enjoy!

Ready for Peep catapults?! My kiddos loved this STEM activity so much they didn't realize they were learning engineering, physics and math!

These super-fun Craft Stick Exploding Boomerangs can be easily made with just 4 craft sticks in about 10 seconds or less. They "explode" on contact!

This blindfolded maze game teaches obedience to children. My kids loved playing this game, wanting to try completing the maze over and over again. Teaching through games speaks volumes to kids. The concepts resonate with them because kids learn through play. Some people are questioning whether obedience is outdated. They don’t want their children being...Read More

These ABA therapy activities for kids with autism spectrum disorder will give you heaps of ideas you can use at school, in therapy, and at home!

This week’s lesson was a super fun one for our little ones! The focus was on God’s promises, so we started by talking about a promise that we had learnt a couple of weeks before. We remember that God had made a promise to Noah to save him and his family from the flood and we saw […]

Science and art combine in this amazing and simple rainbow experiment. The kids will love to make, explore and paint rainbows,

Do you remember how to make a paper cup phone? Does yarn work for cup phones? Teach your child how to make a string phone with cups and test how far it works.

You're gonna love these awesome engineering projects for kids that will get them building, creating, and having fun. You'll find building activities, STEM challenges, STEAM challenges, electrical engineering projects, holiday engineering projects, and more in this massive list of more than 50 ideas.

Read Acts 5:1-4verses 1-11 if you deem appropriate for your child's age.) Pinocchio Revisited: (Printable version now available at the end of the post!) Geppetto, a lonely carpenter with no children, decided that he wanted a boy. He carefully carved

Dieses einfache Lesespiel ist intern bei den Neuigkeiten und später in der Rubrik "Englisch" zu finden.

HOUSE: Interactive Notebook HOUSE: Vocabulary HOUSE: Worksheets

The Yellow Brick Road Blog is a website dedicated to providing music teachers with fun education resources for serious music literacy.

STEAM Challenge: Build a structure you can balance on one finger (or on your nose!)

Set of 6 free printable Constellation Star Sewing Cards, also called lacing cards or lace-up cards. Improves fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Your little engineers will really enjoy these 12 creative engineering activities. On a recent trip to Sydney, Australia, I spent a lot of time admiring (and photographing) the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge which is the widest and one of the longest steel arch bridges in the world. Quite the engineering feat! Between that and the world famous Sydney Opera House, I came back buzzing from my little getaway with lots of thoughts about engineering and just how important it is for our children to have opportunities to experience it and to learn more about it. What is engineering? Engineering is the application of science, technology and maths to develop solutions to problems. Put simply, engineers are creators! They take the above disciplines and combine these with creativity and ingenuity to make something new. Engineers see a problem and solve it. They create and re-create products, infrastructure and solutions that make our everyday life easier. Architectural engineers play a huge role in the construction of buildings like the Sydney Opera House (pictured above) and civil engineers work on things like roads and bridges like the Sydney Harbour Bridge (see pictures below). There are also many other types of engineers that are heavily involved in so many different projects and areas of production. From technology and the engineering of the mobile phones we use, to robots, computer games, chemical engineering, medicine, renewable energy, aircraft and much more. There are so many different avenues that engineers can put their skills and passions towards in this modern day and age. Why is it important for children to learn engineering? Allowing children to experience different forms of engineering helps them to understand more about the processes that go into making up so much of the world around us. Engineering encourages creativity, problem solving and cooperation. It allows children to think outside the box and to come up with solutions to problems through experimentation and trial and error, whilst putting into practice so many of the skills they are acquiring as they grow. Check out this fabulous video from the 2012 Young Australian of the year, Marita Cheng as she talks at TEDx Sydney about why we need to teach our children to be makers and the fabulous work they're doing, encouraging girls in particular, to take an interest in engineering. Engineering Activity ideas for kids Here are 12 fabulous activities that allow children to experience a number of different types of engineering. These activities encourage creativity, problem solving, trial-and-error, maths, science, technology and more. Designing and Building bridges by The Imagination Tree Build Blinking Bugs by Inner Child Fun Toothpick and Mini-marshmallow challenge by Learn with Play at Home Four Engineering challenges with Craft Sticks, Cups and Cubes by Frugal Fun for Boys Spaghetti Tower Challenge by Tinkerlab Make Soda Rockets by Lemon Lime Adventures Make a Tinkering Station by Left Brain Craft Brain on A Mom With a Lesson Plan Make a Catapult by Fun-A-Day Paper Building Blocks by Babble Dabble Do Test the Stability of Structures by Science Sparks Design a Cardboard Tube Marble Run by Learn with Play at Home Design and Build a Rollercoaster by Planet Smarty Pants Highlights from Sydney Well, isn't that a lot of fun? All inspired by a little bridge. Ok, not so little! Here are some pictures from my weekend in Sydney. My fabulous kid blogger buddies and I at Nuffnang's Sydney Office Launch Party. L-R: Me (Learn with Play at Home), Kelly from Be A Fun Mum, Danya from Danya Banya, Chelsea from Moments a Day and Rachel from Racheous- Lovable Learning. Even with the dark clouds rolling in, the harbour was a spectacular sight. See the bridge? I got to drive a yacht around Sydney Harbour! Very cool! (Thanks for the pic, Kelly- Be A Fun Mum!) Sailing underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge gave a whole different perspective and you got an even great feel for the gigantic scale of it all. Engineers are incredible! The food! Oh the food. My favourite was Spice Temple and meeting the owner and celebrity chef Neil Perry. Amazing! Definitely some food engineering going on there! Yes, food engineering is a real thing. Why didn't anyone tell me that when I was at school? Yum! A comfy bed, good food and a good location. Couldn't ask for more from our accommodation at Rydges Sydney Central And I can't resist just a few final shots of the bridge! Sydney Harbour bridge. Spectacular by day and by night. If you get a chance to go to Sydney, you really must. Such a vibrant place to visit with tons to see and do for all the family! (Even in winter.) A huge thanks to the major trip sponsor, Destination NSW for an amazing launch party at ECQ Bar and an incredible sailing adventure around the bay with East Sail; Qantas for getting me there and back as well as hosting a mouth watering lunch at The Burger Project and an unforgettable dinner at Spice Temple (you really must go!);; and of course my comfy and well positioned accommodation for the weekend, Rydges Sydney Central Hotel! Also thanks to Spotlight (check out their awesome range in-store or online) for sponsoring our conference in the Macquarie Room at the Pullman Quay Grand Sydney on the final day (location, location!). Sydney, thanks for having me and I can't wait to come back. Next time with my whole family! Further Reading: Here is a fabulous article on 10 ways to support an interest in Engineering! A good read with lots of other engineering activity ideas. Have you been to Sydney? Do you have little future engineers at your house? Happy playing, Debs :) {Disclaimer: This is not a paid post. My Sydney trip was provided thanks to my agency Nuffnang, Destination NSW, Qantas and Rydges. All opinions are, as always, my own.) Look where else we are. Are you following along? :)

30+ engineering STEM challenges with simple materials. Kids can tinker with bridges, catapults, boats, and more using recycled and inexpensive materials.

Make your own ancient Roman oil lamp with this craft activity for kids.

I decided to take on my own challenge of incorporating a STEM activity every day for a week. It turned out to be a huge success where both my students and I had a blast. Here were the various …

This is a great worksheet to practice structures with can or can't for your ESL students.

We are exploring magnets here in kindergarten! We sorted objects between magnetic and not magnetic. I wanted the kids to be able to glue down their sort to display in the hallway. You could use tape or regular glue, but in the interest of time I opted for a glue gun. This SUPER cool temp glue gun (you have to buy special glue sticks but they are not expensive) eliminates the worry over burns! But like I said, tape works too. We have some magnet sorting in our science station

This atmosphere for kids science activity is easy and fun and full of playful learning. Let's learn about the 5 layers of the earth's atmosphere with a

Rubber band helicopters are easy and fun to make. Learn how you can make one a home, and learn tips to really make them fly!

Kids will love learning about the components of blood with this fun and memorable activity - make a blood model!

Kids will LOVE these engineering challenges with craft sticks, cups, and wood cubes. Engaging, open-ended, and creative!

Prepositions. We learned about them last week. I was scared. Some of the CCSS intimidate me. Is anyone with me here? I mean, some skil...

Use this worksheet to explore triggers, changes, and coping skills for stress. You might also like: I Can Cope...with feeling ANXIOUS[F] ***This download is a fillable worksheet that allows the option to type or click directly into the document using an electronic device. Worksheet can be saved on the device or sent electronically without the need to print. Learn more about fillable worksheets here! Worksheet can also be printed for in-person use with clients.

Fire and rockets - what's not to love?! Click through to see how it works!

Five Fun Activities for Teaching Prepositions. Teaching prepositions through playing games & enjoyable activities for children to learn while having fun.

Learn how to make a simple Newton's Cradle, the classic science project demonstrating momentum!

Inside: A guide to Spanish songs by themes and learning levels. Music in Spanish is an entire world, packed with amazing rhythms, poetry, and dance. Latin music is a complex phenomenon that reflects the complex history of Latin America, a mixed region whose social environment has forged some of the most beautiful sounds in the world. - Latin Music History You can find songs in Spanish for every mood and age. I've been creating song lists for a while and have many more to go, but this page is a great beginner's guide. Whether or not you speak Spanish itself,

Learn how to make a kaleidoscope in this fun STEM/science activity and craft for kids. It’s such a fun way to explore light, reflections, and symmetry! Follow our Science for Kids Pinterest board! *This post was originally published 2/2/16 and has since been updated. Last week I made these super fun kaleidoscopes with my …

Five engineering challenges for kids – with wooden clothespins, binder clips, and craft sticks! It’s a simple STEM activity that kids of all ages will love. Move over, expensive building sets! These simple materials were a huge hit with my boys. The first time we got them out, Owen (almost 7) spent well over an […]