Pen Pals – Building Relationships
When I was in the 6th grade, I wrote my pen pal a letter a month for years. It is, to this day, one of my most cherished memories. Though we lost touch when we entered our teen years, I feel that corresponding with my pen pal overseas was a wonderful learning experience for me. My only option back then was to write a
Artist Trading Cards – A World of Creativity!
If your children like to collect, make friends and create art, they will love the idea of art in your pocket. In Europe in 1996, the concept of Artists Trading Cards was born. Essentially, ATCs are little works of art that can be traded for other little works of art. They must be original, self produced art and must not be sold; only exchanged.
Writing Workshops for Kids
If your child loves to write, tell stories or report on events, a writing workshop is a wonderful way for him to spend time after school. A writing workshop can help a young author emerge and provide focus, inspiration and challenge your child to aspire to publishing their writing. If your child want to tell a story, help them by providing access to expert
Bed-A-Palooza!
We went on a tour at the local humane society and it was an eye opening experience for my son. He knew how shelters work but seeing it first hand is another thing. What stuck with him was how many of the animals had no beds to sleep on. Some had a towel on the cement floor. Many had nothing, so their days are
4-H Club
A lot of the kids in our community are part of a 4-H program. I never knew what everyone was talking about but now that we are thinking about taking part in a local club, I want to share what I found as this definitely falls in the category of fun and educational afterschool activity. The 4-H club is a national youth development program
Easy Fun with Etsy!
This week it rained or felt too muggy to go out and do fun stuff so my son asked for a new game. The one he wanted was on sale for more then he had saved so he settled for another. On the way, he grumbled about wanting the other game so I suggested we come up with a way he can make some
Community Gardening
About a year ago, a community garden was created in a nearby neighborhood. A community garden is a garden in which many participate come together to work the land, under the guidance of an individual, local government or organization. As a gardening participant, you can sell the food you grow. Who can’t use extra money? This was the selling point for my son to
Meetups – Where Can You Meet?
In the ever lasting search for playgroups, friends or people with common interests to spend time with, I came across Meetup, an online resource which makes it simple to connect with other people in our community. Meetup is the largest network of self-organized clubs and community groups online. The site makes it easy for anyone to set up a local group or find one
Mentors – Who Will You Choose?
When I was about 12 years old, my parents enrolled me in an after school program. Really, it was just a glorified babysitter. While there, though, I met a woman who was a volunteer tutor in the program, but at the end of the year, only the word mentor could apply to her. An avid reader, she helped me learn to read in English
Just Breathe! Meditation for Children
Recently my son had a problem that kept bugging him despite many efforts to solve it. He just could not get around it. After a couple of weeks, I noticed his sleep was disrupted and he was a bit short tempered. So I decided to try with him a problem solving technique I had learned long ago in a yoga class. Walking meditation is
