Are you looking for a new educational site for your children?

Since we do not give our children a great deal of time on the computer, I do not actively search for new sites.  Our kids have a few educational sites which they enjoy and therefore they simply go to those sites when they have computer time.

Lately I realized it was probably time that we added some new sites to the mix.  Like I said I don’t typically search out educational sites.  However if a parent recommends a site that their own children enjoy, I usually take a look at it.

The most recent sites I was made aware of are iknowthat.com and starfall.com

iknowthat.com has activities for preschoolers through grade six in a variety of subject areas.

One thing I do not like about this site is the advertisements on the side.  I do not like having to worry about what my child may click while playing.

Starfall.com is designed for beginning readers.  The activities work with letter recognition and phonetics to help preschoolers and early elementary aged children develop and/or strengthen their reading skills.

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Is your preschooler getting tired of playing Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders?  Are you?

There will come a time when you and your preschool aged children can’t seem to find a game to play.  They will tell you that Candy Land is a baby game yet they cannot seem to find the patience to sit through an entire game of Sorry.

This is when it is time to search out games that are a little more advanced, yet not too time consuming.  At our house we recently found success with two fun games: Guess Who and Operation.  Our seven year old had received these games for Christmas and his birthday.  The recommended age on the box says for ages 6+ but our three year old is able to play both of them (with a few modifications).

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Have you heard of Sing-A-Lingo?

I am always looking for fun yet authentic foreign language books, toys, CDs, etc for my children.  Recently I found out about a small company in Massachusetts that sells Spanish products.  They are working on developing CDs and other learning tools  to teach Spanish to children ages 2-6.  Currently they have a CD entitled, En Mi Casa. They have also created lyric and vocab cards to accompany the CD.

After watching their You Tube video and listening to a few of the samples songs, I decided to buy the CD.  I am anxiously awaiting its arrival and hope my kids like it as much as I think they will.

I like that it is a small company that was founded by two people who are musicians, educators and parents.  With that kind of background, I believe they will be able to produce high quality learning materials for children.

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Do you ever teach math using craft projects?

Most children love to do arts and crafts.  Their theory is: the stickier and messier, the better.  If you add food to the project, they are thrilled!

Today’s craft activity of a gumdrop tree will be a big hit because it involves candy.  From an educational standpoint, it will help build both math and fine motor skills.

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Are you still searching for bilingual toys for Christmas?

I recently came across a Spanish/English airport while shopping at Sam’s Club.  I was rather surprised to find a bilingual toy at a store that I go to to buy broccoli and bread in bulk.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

It looks like a fun toy.  When my daughter and I played with it in the store we tested the clarity of the Spanish.  The sound was clear which is important for a language toy and the accent seemed authentic.  You never want a Spanish toy with a French accent (you’d be surprised how bad sound quality can distort the accent).

The only reason why I have not bought this toy yet, is because I had already bought my kids their presents.  I am still considering it.  If I don’t buy it before Christmas, I will be checking to see if it goes on clearance after the holidays.

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