Billund in Southern Denmark is the home of the LEGO brick and is great fun for kids of all ages. Find out the many things to do in Billund With Kids.
Free printable Horror Ad Libs for kids with stories about ghosts, zombies, monsters, vampires and more - great for Halloween activities!
This week's theme is Knights and Dragons, with a To Go Kits for a Fire Breathing Dragon (more suited for younger children) and a Pom Pom Catapult (more suited for older children). The Fire Breathing Dragon craft was an idea from the CSLP Manual, with a link to One Little Project's original craft (which I borrowed the picture from for the instructions). Included in the kit was everything needed to make the dragons, except for scissors and glue/tape.I cut green construction paper in halves for the
Ever since I was a child, I have loved watching the Olympics. It’s my dream to one day attend an event in person, but for now, I’ll settle with getting…
Thanks to a discovery by a local landowner, archaeologists unearthed the first recorded Native American tools of their kind in the Willamette Valley this summer.
Challenge your kids to this engineering project and build an Eiffel Tower that's as tall as they are using building materials from around the house!
This is a pretty simple picture crossword for revising sports related vocabulary. Recommended for elementary students who are asked to complete the crossword by using the across and down clu
Free colouring and paper craft activity downloads. I started creating these paper craft and colouring activities for my kids during covid lockdowns in 2020 and thought others might like them too...
Olympic activities for kids - Gentry moved home before her Rice University internship, so I made homemade donuts - Olympic Rings donuts.
Our Olympic themed shapes have been designed for children to cut out – just for fun, or for sticking somewhere else! We've added dotted lines for younger children.
Learn about Morse code for kids with these printable Morse code worksheets and Morse code key. Can you solve the code?
Many occasions call for some entertainment – nothing fancy, just something to break the flow and get everyone revived and attentive. Skits work perfectly in this situation, as well as many others. A skit is very short play, usually performed in an informal setting. A skit requires very few props and little preparation. Skits are […]
In this activity, children are invited to learn more about gravity, engineering and architecture in a fun and hands-on way. I'm not generally one to take pictures of buildings. Sure, I admire certain made-made structures but I've never felt compelled to take multiple pictures of non-historic buildings. Until I went to Dubai, that is. When I asked my family living in Dubai, "Why should families visit Dubai?" and one of the answers on the list was, "Architecture (Dubai has a mix of both Arabic and modern contemporary buildings which creates a unique and interesting landscape)," they weren't wrong. Out of the desert pops this quite amazing spectacle. I had never seen buildings like them. They appeared to rise out of the ground, often so tall that they looked like they were on a lean (perhaps some were?). A new shape and design around every corner. Everywhere that we drove I found myself constantly going, "Wow, look at that one!", "Woah! Check that out." and scrambling to take a photo before we drove on. You can see some great views of Dubai from the air in my earlier post. When I got home, my kids thought the buildings looked fabulous. Going through photos together brought up all sorts of questions and discussions. Opportunities for learning. How do they make the buildings stay up? Why don't they fall over? How do they get them so high? How did they make it that shape? The Burj Khalifa. The tallest building in the world. Building challenge for kids. To help us find some of the answers to the questions, I set out a classic and simple construction activity with just two types of materials, toothpicks and mini-marshmallows. We chatted about how being an architect means that you design, plan and oversee the construction of buildings. It is a very important job that requires a lot of study in order to be able to do it properly. Architecture is both an art and a science. It is the job of an architect to use their creativity to design something that looks a certain way and performs certain functions, as well as knowledge of scientific principles and mathematical expertise, to ensure that the structure stays up! Engineers are also very important in the construction of buildings. They use maths and science to come up with solutions to problems that might arise with the construction of a building. They often need to overcome problems with new solutions that have never been done before, to help realise the dreams of the architect and client. They also need to be able to think creatively. These days a great amount of technology is used in the design and construction of buildings. Here, we were getting back to basics and testing out simple structures. Seeing if we could work against gravity (that force that is always pulling things back to earth), and engineer a building that would stay standing without any assistance other than the arrangement of mini-marshmallows and toothpicks. Relishing in the beauty of a structure and in symmetry that often occurs in buildings. Discussing plans. Using photos for inspiration and to lead discussion. "I think you should make this one" Testing ideas. Problem solving. Whilst younger children (my son had recently turned 3 here) might not be capable of building free-standing structures, this is great for their fine-motor skills and for testing and experimenting. Sorting and counting. Playing allows for unplanned learning to occur naturally. Children learn naturally about 3-dimensional shapes and some of their uses whilst building in this way. Engineering some support beams to prevent the structure from falling. Handy Tips: To extend this activity children could be challenged to: First play the architect and draftsman role in the construction of a building by drawing up plans. See how high they can get a single structure to stand unassisted Test their construction against certain natural phenomenon. Can it survive winds (a fan) or an earthquake (shaking the table)? Build a structure entirely of cubes - To simplify this activity, younger children might find using larger, stronger materials easier for their developing fine-motor skills. Try regular sized marshmallows and paddle-pop sticks instead and let them experiment with sticking them together and seeing how gravity works. - Instead of marshmallows to hold the construction together you could use gum-drops or blu-tack. Instead of the toothpicks you could try straws or sticks. Here we tried building with cotton-buds and playdough with similar results. There are plenty of different combinations of materials that you could try. Happy playing, Debs :) Look where else we are. Are you following along? :) New Here? Subscribe to get all activities sent directly to you Enter your email address: Delivered by FeedBurner
A lot of these ideas could also work for a Percy Jackson party!! For us, we decided not to call it that so we could also focus on telling the stories too. The idea behind this program was to repli…
by Jarrett Lerner I’ve been wanting to make an activity book for years now. Something that could help kids – and kids-at-heart! – explore and develop their creativity, and turn to as a source for r…
Make the most adorable little dolls out of craft sticks, yarn and a few buttons. They're SO cute, and the process is seriously addictive! Kids LOVE them!
IIMPROV GAMES are great for warm ups, ice breakers, honing acting skills, and ensemble building; plus great entertainment for performers and audiences alike! Here are ten improv games for small groups to get you started!
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 […]
With this fun Olympics activities for kids, you can be active participants in the games while practicing skills to prepare for the school year ahead.
Reading comprehension - ESL worksheets
This game is meant for both kids and adults, parents, art teachers, artists of all kinds, tired people after a long day at work who want to relax, and everyone who wants to have fun and loves drawing and painting. I would love to see your results:-) Your task is to make a picture using […]
Simon and I recently finished reading Charlotte’s Web together (meaning I read a bit of it to him every night before bed). We both really enjoyed it. My older
Chinese Calligraphy Banners created by 3rd graders
Explore sound science with a tonoscope, a device that helps you see sound vibrations. It's a super fun sound science experiment for kids.
Baltimore is Charm City and for good reason! Check out these 50+ Family Friendly things to do in Baltimore with kids!
The Summer Olympic Games have begun! It's so fun watching people who are so amazingly talented and who love what they do! Since the games started, we've been watching them together as a family in the evenings and really enjoying it! So far my son loves the swimming and is mesmerized by the gymnastics. I think it's great for our kids to watch these athletes achieve their dreams. I also love that they get to hear some of the athletes' stories and learn that their lives haven't always been all that easy and that hard work and dedication can take you so far in life!
Learn all about sound in this super-fun science twist on the classic tin can telephone activity. This version is even more kid-friendly because it uses Styrofoam cups. After making your string telephone, read the string telephone explanation with your kids to discover why it works! String Telephone Explanation: How Sound Waves Travel Learn how sound waves
For such a small country, family friendly Netherlands has a lot to offer. Check out these 22 fantastic things to do in The Netherlands with kids.
Get ready to eat your science with fun food activities for kids that are completely edible! Easy set up & tasty makes the perfect activity.
Knights & Castles are fun to learn about in this Middle Ages for Kids, FREE 5 week unit that includes crafts, hands-on activities, free printables and more!
If you want to find fun things to do in Munich with kids, you won't be disappointed. There are so many things in Munich families will love.
Bring history to life with your own DIY Archaeological Excavation Activity for Kids. Put this fun activity together with items you already have at home.
An action game where children mime the actions they read, to revise present continuous tense. Very funny. - ESL worksheets
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 […]
Kids will enjoy learning about Ancient Greece and Greek Mythology with these great books and hands-on activities!
Use these ten kindness games to teach kindness and kindness concepts in a fun, silly, hands-on way that kids will love to play.
Thaumatropes are a simple craft that kids will enjoy making - and they will be amazed at the visual effects when the spinning pictures merge! The following post contains affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you I can make a tiny bit of money to help support this blog. Thank you! Have you ever heard of a Thaumatrope? Here's what Wiki has to say: A thaumatrope is an optical toy that was popular in the 19th century. A disk with a picture on each side is attached to two pieces of string. When the strings are twirled
The Human Knot game has been long used as a team-building exercise and a fun way of breaking the ice with new groups of people. This is a great game for when you're babysitting or leading camp activities, and all it requires are willing...
November 11 is St Martin's Tag, St Martin's day Germany. It is celebrated with a lantern procession, singing and food!
Sail into a fun history lesson about the vikings for kids with this explorer lesson with a DIY Viking boat, activites, & free printables.
The activities below are available for free download, and are to be used in educational and/or private settings. They may not be used elsewhere or for other purposes (such as for profit) unless exp…
Need some brain teasers and problem solving for kids? They'll enjoy these free printable Crack the Code Puzzles featuring some silly donut jokes and punchlines.
Create a coat of arms with your kids as a literacy, art, and activity with a read-aloud, or as a family bonding craft.
Looking for a fun ancient history lesson? Then put your kids to figuring out how to make a shaduf and see what they come up with.
