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What Makes a Good Friend?

Jan 12th, 2012 by

Developing and maintaining meaningful friendships is an important life skill. In order to establish a friendship, children need to learn manners, respect and overall good social skills. You know the old saying: “In order to make a friend, you have to be a friend!” Here are some tips for helping your child develop good friendships:

Teaching preschoolers about friendship

The preschool years are some of the most important years in terms of development. Preschoolers learn by watching their family and siblings, so it is extremely helpful to set good examples at home. Simply smiling, listening and acknowledging a family member’s accomplishment will go a long way in teaching a preschooler to be a good friend.

Teaching elementary school children about friendship

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New products for 2012 from MindWare Toys!

Jan 9th, 2012 by

The start of a new year calls for fun, new educational toys from MindWare! Look for your January catalog in the mailbox soon (if you’re not already on our catalog list, you can sign up here). We are excited about the products recently added to our lineup of brainy toys—here are some of our new favorites:

Extreme Dot to Dot Book

Around the USA Extreme Dot to Dot book from MindWare

Two more Extreme Dot to Dot books have been added to our bestselling series! Take an unforgettable puzzle journey with new titles Extreme Dot to Dot Around the USA and Extreme Dot to Dot Around the World. These mind-blowing books feature puzzles ranging from 500 dots to over 1,400 dots.

Kids that are interested in science will love Glow Rocks. Shine the kit’s handheld ultraviolet light on ordinary-looking rocks, and watch as the special stones light up in a spectrum of eye-popping colors. Each Glow Rocks set includes six different fluorescent minerals and a guide book with ten experiments.

If you enjoy our brain-teasing Lab Mice puzzles, check out Find Your Way Gnome logic puzzles. Help colorful gnomes find their way home, but be careful not to let any of the paths intersect!

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Help Your Kids to Get Organized

Jan 5th, 2012 by

Decoupage Tote Kit from MindWare

Decoupage Tote Kit from MindWare

Isn’t it funny how stuff just seems to accumulate around your house during the holidays? All of your old stuff combined with all of your new stuff sure makes the house seem smaller! And the stuff only seems to multiply when you have children. So if you haven’t already put it at the top of your New Year’s resolution list, now is a great time to commit to getting your family and your house organized.

Getting your kids involved in the organization process is the best way to teach them this important life skill. Organizational skills will help them with school and future jobs and will also help them become more independent and self-sufficient as they get older.

Scholastic.com has a great list of 12 ways to develop your child’s organizational skills, including creating a family calendar, assigning chores, getting ready the night before and establishing a homework routine.

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Teaching Good Study Habits

Jan 4th, 2012 by

Teaching kids good study habitsAs kids prepare to head back to school after winter break, it may take them a little while to mentally adjust from “vacation mode” back into “school mode.” Sometimes it seems that the homework and tests come in before your child has had time to fully make the mental switch! But you can make the transition easier by establishing and encouraging good study habits right away that will help your child not only through the rest of this school year, but also through school years to come.

Here are some tips for developing good study habits:

Take good notes: Emphasize to your child that taking good notes in class is the first step in creating good study habits.  Studies have shown that by writing something down, students are more likely to remember it. So by taking notes in class, your child will be one step ahead when it comes to studying for a test.

 

Establish a study area: You and your children should designate a specific area in the house to be their study area. Choose a spot that is relatively free from other interruptions, contains all the study materials they need and is available whenever they need to use it. A home office, spare bedroom or quiet corner of the kitchen can each make a good study area.

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New Year’s Resolutions for Kids

Dec 29th, 2011 by

Kid's new year's resolutionLearning to set goals and stick to them is an important part of growing up (even adults can use some practice at this from time to time!). With the New Year right around the corner, now is the perfect time to work with your kids on setting some resolutions for 2012.

Here are some guidelines to keep in mind while you are setting your goals:

Be realistic: You want the goal to be somewhat challenging, yet attainable. The idea is to help your child be successful and continue the behavior well into the year and as they get older. By working with them to set these goals, you can monitor their progress and help keep them accountable.

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Plan a family-friendly New Year’s Eve

Dec 28th, 2011 by

Ringing in the New Year is a fun and exciting event for the whole family!  No matter your age, you can celebrate the start of 2012 with these fun, family-friendly party ideas!

Food: Keep the food options simple. Appetizers like finger-sandwiches, pizza bites, cheese and crackers and veggies are perfect food options to snack on all night long. And kids will love these fun Whoopie Pies for dessert.

Beverages: Set out plastic champagne glasses so that everyone can toast to the New Year! You can mix up an easy, festive punch by combining ½ gallon of strawberry sherbet, 2 (64 ounce) bottles of fruit punch and 1 (2 liter) bottle of lemon-lime soda.

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Christmas Traditions from Around the World

Dec 20th, 2011 by

Christmas is a holiday rich with traditions reflecting the world’s unique and varied cultures. Here are a few examples of special Christmas customs from around the globe:

Australian Christmas traditions:
In Australia, Christmas falls during the summer season, so many of the Christmas traditions in this country take place outside. It’s not uncommon for the temperature to reach 30 degrees Celsius (near 100 degrees Fahrenheit!) on Christmas Day, so many Australians like to spend the day at the beach, surfing, swimming or having a picnic. Since 1937, Australians have been celebrating a tradition called Carols by Candlelight. Every year on Christmas Eve, tens of thousands of people gather in the city of Melbourne to sing their favorite Christmas songs under an evening sky lit by a multitude of candles.

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3-D Artwork for Kids’ Bedrooms

Dec 20th, 2011 by

Make your walls bloom with creativity using MindWare’s exclusive Wallscapes Butterfly Garden!

This fun, imaginative project for kids ages 7 and up comes with everything you need to make stunning 3-D artwork. Simply feed the pre-cut flower petals or butterfly wings through the slotted bases, or make your own petals and wings out of recycled materials like plastic soda bottles or glossy magazine pages.

Your child can create unique and original room decor that is a reflection of her own personal style!

To find Wallscapes Butterfly Garden and all of MindWare’s other educational toys, visit mindware.com.

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Creative coloring activity: Color Counts books from MindWare

Dec 16th, 2011 by

These are not your ordinary coloring books – these are Color Counts from MindWare! Color Counts books feature original, handmade illustrations that your child can color in to create beautiful, intricate works of art.

Half of the designs incorporate the color-by-number concept, while the other half are un-numbered for pure coloring creativity. Some of the pages even fold out, so they’re double the normal size!

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Winter Break Activities for Kids

Dec 14th, 2011 by

Winter break is a much-anticipated event for most kids, but the thought of having the kids stuck inside all day with nothing to do can be a bit daunting for their parents! Fortunately, these worries can be quickly dismissed by planning some activities that the whole family will enjoy. Beat boredom this winter break with these fun activities!

  • Homemade Christmas ornaments: Get the creative juices flowing by making some fun, festive ornaments. Instructions for making cinnamon cut-outs, cloth wreaths and yarn sheep can all be found over at FamilyEducation.com.
  • Snow art: Fill up water bottles with water and a couple drops of food coloring and spray some “graffiti” on the snow!
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