Educational Kids Activities

Painting with Pinecones

April 8, 2016September 11, 2015 by Stephanie Oswald

Fall is by far one of my favorite seasons. It is just absolutely magical. The crisp air, changing leaves, scents of cinnamon and apples, and of course the pinecones. You can’t forget the pinecones. Painting with Pinecones is a fun way to unlock some of the magic of fall while exploring the uniqueness of pinecones!

Every day when we go on our walk whether it be to the park or to pick Livia up from school, Meatball goes on a hunt for pinecones. Every day – it never fails. So far we have found at least 4 different types of pinecones. He is absolutely fascinated with them. So I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to squeeze them into one of our afternoon activities!

How to Make a Crystal Geode

April 9, 2023September 10, 2015 by Stephanie Oswald

I remember as a kid my Grandma used to have a bookshelf lined with Geodes. They were absolutely magical to me. Like a key to the land of Dwarves and Fairies (I used to think that was how crystals were made). Recently my kids asked how to make a Crystal Geode. I don’t think I have been this excited for a science experiment in a while. This simple science experiment definitely brought out the kid in me!

What is a Geode?

A Geode is a hollow sedimentary rock that has beautiful crystals inside. In the Greek language, geode means “shape of the earth”. Geodes are round like earth or oblong like an egg. They are formed over millions of years through exposure to heat and water. It can take hundreds of millions of years for the space inside a geode to be filled. Once a geode which is completely filled with crystals is called a nodule.

Pudding Cup Anemometer

April 8, 2016September 8, 2015 by Stephanie Oswald

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ReadySetSnack #CollectiveBias

Every day the first thing Livia does when we get home from school is head straight to the snack cupboard. I swear that child is a bottomless pit. With the way she eats, a quick go-to afternoon snack is a must. And what better time is there to throw in a fun family activity than over a high quality snack? This Pudding Cup Anemometer is a fun way to recycle your snack packaging, get your kids creating, building, and learning about the weather!

What is an Anemometer?

An anemometer is a device that is used to measure wind speed, and is a common weather station instrument. The term is derived from the Greek word anemos, which means wind.

Even and Odd Number Hop

April 17, 2023September 7, 2015 by Stephanie Oswald

This last week has been filled with tears as Livia has worked her way through her homework. And when asked how her day at school went the response was always somewhere along the lines of, “Oh, it went well but I hate math.” One of the ways that Livia stims is through humming and even at times Opera singing. So, the day she came home and admitted to getting in trouble during math class for “warming up her vocal cords” I knew it was time to find a way to make math fun and help some of the concepts she was struggling with concrete themselves in her mind. This Even and Odd Number Hop Game was a solution to our math problem.

With Livia she was able to identify even and odd numbers up to 10. The minute we got up to 11, 12, 13…she would begin to scramble and stim. The key to creating a memory is attention; being able to focus on the sensory input long enough to make a working memory (and eventually a semantic memory).

Shaving Cream Clouds on a Mirror

April 8, 2016September 6, 2015 by Stephanie Oswald

Every day we head to the park, even if it is only for 10 minutes. It’s a simple ritual that I greatly enjoy. A brief time of silence as the kids run around and have fun. The other day while we were at the park Meatball noticed a couple grey clouds. Not being able to verbalize what he was seeing, he acted it out until I understood. Following his curiosity we decided on painting shaving cream clouds once we got home.

This activity turned out to be so much more fun than I expected. In the past we have had a ton of fun playing with shaving cream but, quite honestly I expected this activity to not hold his attention for that long being outside and all. If given the choice Meatball is not one to pick sedentary activities outdoors…but leave it to him, this one definitely was not what I expected it to be.