Education Archives - Page 16 of 17

Math Apps for Kindergarteners That Make Math Fun

September 13, 2016 by admin

For too many children math is something scary or uninteresting. Math is an essential part of life, is absolutely necessary for future careers and job training, and besides this, math is fun and rich and rewarding. So how do we reverse the all too common distaste for math? We start young. And one of the most powerful tools for making math fun for children is math apps for kindergarteners.

Math apps for kindergarteners come in all shapes and sizes (get the pun there?), but what’s most important is finding games that kids actually want to play. The best math apps for kindergarten disguise repetition of cognitive basics in fun games and activities. Colorful graphics, active play (think touch and tap commands), and music all also help in contributing to math apps for toddlers that not only work in teaching math but teach kids that math can be a fun game.

Preschool EduMath 1 and Preschool EduMath 2 are two of the best math apps for kindergarteners on the market now. They’ve won the Parents’ Choice Award for best toddler games as well as numerous recognition on kindergarten teacher and parents blogs. The games are totally customizable, highly creative, effective, child safe, and teach kids everything from counting, numbers, shapes, sizes, to more concept learning skills like patterns, organization, telling time, and much more.

Preschool EduMath 1 and Preschool EduMath 2 are available (with limited game accessibility) for free and the full versions are very affordable. Cubic Frog® Apps makes some of the best toddler educational games around, and these two free math apps for kindergarteners are no exception.

No matter which math apps you choose for your kindergartener or your kindergarten classroom, the most important part is showing children math is fun. By building math confidence at a young age your set up toddlers to be able to conquer math at any and every age.

Do Your Part For Mother Nature. Recycle Now!

September 5, 2016 by admin

Nowadays, almost everybody in the world is aware of the damaging effects of pollution and global warming as well as diminishing resources. While most people would probably admit they could do more to help the environment, they at least do a little. Needless to say, there could be a range of very negative consequences if the world doesn’t change its ways, and that’s why every little helps even if more could be done.

Some people have taken to cycling to work as to reduce their carbon footprint by not using their vehicle. Obviously, this isn’t always possible depending on the distance between a person’s property and their place of work, but many people are choosing to carpool or use public transport in a bid to reduce harmful emissions.

Most households take recycling seriously, and the majority of homes in Australia are provided with recycling bins to make sure waste doesn’t get thrown into a landfill unnecessarily. For the most part, separating plastic, cardboard and glass is a simple enough task, but there are situations when that duty isn’t so easy.

Take, for example, home renovations, which often result in a huge amount of waste. That waste could include bricks, glass, wallpaper, and general junk, and when there’s such an overwhelming amount of it, many homeowners will simply go back and forth to their nearest tip throwing everything straight into a bin. However, there’s an easier way to dispose of waste, and it also allows homeowners to do their part for the environment.

West Bin is an example of a company that provides a skip hire service to the Perth area, and there are plenty of other reputable companies that serve other areas of Australia. Hiring one of these companies makes recycling easy – so easy that homeowners aren’t required to lift a finger.

How Skip Hire Companies can Help Homeowners Recycle

For many people, the main advantage of hiring a skip is that they won’t have to dispose of waste themselves. However, they might be less aware of some of the other advantages, especially with regards to the environment.

Separating waste materials responsibly – Part of a skip hire company’s job is to salvage whatever materials they can, and they’ll make sure that all recyclable materials are dealt with responsibly.
Guaranteeing efficiency – Sometimes, homeowners aren’t quite sure of what can and can’t be recycled, and that often results in some waste unnecessarily being thrown in the trash. For a professional skip hire company, this is never a problem because they have years of industry experience.
Dealing with hazardous substances – Old fridges and car batteries amongst other items often need to be disposed of in a specific way. Skip hire companies like West Bin will do all the hard work.

For an inexpensive service, there really are a tonne of amazing benefits to utilising a skip provider. It makes disposing of waste simple for homeowners, it helps keep neighbourhoods clean, and it enables people to do their part for the environment.

Keeping Your Kids’ Teeth Healthy

March 15, 2016 by admin

Early Start

By the time your child starts kindergarten, daily morning and night tooth-brushing routines have long been established, but it’s still important that parents support this excellent habit. Teaching children about dental care and the necessity of taking care of their teeth is one of the best lessons a parent can share. As the website Know Your Teeth espouses, “Starting early is critical to success in preserving a healthy smile for a lifetime.”

Be Good Role Models

It’s a proven fact that children react well to routines, so infusing dental care into their daily regimen and making it a routine will avoid the pitfalls of parents who are lax or inconsistent with their children who may subconsciously develop the notion that while “good for you,” it’s not essential, when it clearly is. Perpetuate the notion of the critical relevance of daily dental care by making it clear that you, too, as parents, practice regular brushing and flossing. Make sure they see you adhering to a schedule, even consider brushing with them, and making it a family activity.

Seek Professional Help

In addition to teaching children how to and the importance of brushing and flossing, they’ll need regular visits for further maintenance and health of their teeth. You may need to look for a dentist in Brisbane CBD and a search will lead you to one of the most highly regarded clinics, Monterey Keys.

For the Family

Many parents may be drawn to dentists whose practices are geared toward children only, and feature colourful offices with toys strewn around the waiting area. However, in keeping with the theme of family dental care – i.e. you’re all in it together, it is a great idea to look for a family dentist. Even if you’re not making back-to-back or same day appointments, it will be comforting to your child that you share a dentist, especially when they see a paediatrician and the adults in the household see their own doctor. What you want to look for is a practice which caters to both adults and children and is skilled and trained in working with the health and temperament of all ages.

Dental To-Dos For Your Five- to 12-Year Old

Continue to use the fluoride toothpaste you began using when they were three-years-old.
Be sure your child continues to spit out the fluoride toothpaste
Set appointments with a family dentist in Brisbane every six months for your child
Make sure you teach your child to floss, add it to his/her routine as soon as their teeth begin to touch
Your child should have an understanding that their baby teeth falling out is normal as their “grown-up” teeth grow in.
Continue to assist your child with their am/pm routine until you’re confident he/she can brush and floss thoroughly and confidentially whilst alone.
At this age, it’s important to stress how critical it is to get their back teeth – they’re harder to reach, but plaque tends to be left in this area more.
Emphasize how important it is to not “rush” either the morning or evening dental routine; let your child know that they need to be thorough to reach every tooth in their mouths.

By making sure your child understands how important their daily routine is, you’ll be giving them the gift of beautiful, healthy teeth.

Family Stories and Successes: Tips and Tricks for Scrapbooking Your Past

February 13, 2016 by admin

Victorian Child's Scrapbook. — Victorian Child’s Scrapbook.

Scrapbooking is big. Huge. So, here are some of the more fun ways to preserve your family’s stories, successes, and even unusual events.

What Kind Of Memories Do You Want Immortalized?

Think long and hard about the types of memories you want preserved. We all have painful memories that we’d rather not remember, but there’s more than just happy memories in our lives too.

It might be easy to come up with photos and keepsakes from times when we were having fun. Try to also come up with memories of challenging times – not necessarily negative, but challenging.

For example, have you, or any of your family members, ever competed in an event before? What was that like?

Do you have any photos that commemorate it? By including these in your scrapbook, you’ll not only be able to look back and laugh, you’ll be able to look back on all of your hard-won victories.

Getting Organized – What To Do And What To Avoid

Get organized. As you start accumulating photos and materials, try to work towards organization of life events, time periods, and “moments.”

You could also divide photos and keepsakes into groups – piles with people, places, or even by family and friends.

This will ultimately help you make sense of your scrapbook as well as help you find things when you need them. Most people choose themes for their book, which is another great way to organize your scrapbook.

What Themes Should You Pick?

Themes can be tricky because everyone has a different idea about what the best themes are. Even so, themes can make your scrapbook much more memorable. It can also help you relive specific memories.

For example, let’s say you want to relive a particular Christmas when you were young. Or, maybe you want to relive all of your Christmases. Making a scrapbook oriented around that theme will let you focus on just the things you want to remember or relive.

Getting Supplies

What kind of supplies will you need? That depends on your scrapbook. But, in general, you’ll need an album, adhesives, scissors, and journaling pens.

The album should contain acid-free pages or allow you the option to add them. It should also have PVC-free sheet protectors so that you can protect your pages and photos. As for the size of the book, it all depends on you and how big you want it. Most scrapbooks are either 8 ½ x 11” or 12” x 12”.

There are a variety of adhesives you can choose from too, but look for ones made specifically for scrapbooking.

Get straight-edge and decorative edge scissors so that you can cut photos into interesting shapes and crop out any unwanted areas.

Finally, get yourself some journaling pens – acid-free, permanent pens for writing down important names, family memories, dates, and even just for doodling and stick figures.

Printing Your Scrapbook

If you want a more formal scrapbook, download some templates from the Internet, stock up on ink from StinkyInk, and print your scrapbook after you’re finished scanning in all of your photos and keepsakes.

While it’s common to create a “live” scrapbook that’s not printed or made from copies photos, many people are finding that copying photos allows them to preserve the originals for future use, while also allowing for creative use of the copies.

John Sollars started Stinkyink.com in 2002, a printer cartridge supplier in the UK. He knows a thing or two about printing and he enjoys sharing his ideas and insights online through blogging.

5 Family Friendly Dog Breeds

January 25, 2016 by admin

Brindle_pied_frenchbulldog

Picking a dog for your family can be challenging as there are so many different types of breeds. When looking for the right dog, you have to keep in mind your living space and the needs of your new furry family member. If you have children, you must be careful to pick a dog with a disposition that is suitable for kids. Here are five different dog breeds that are suitable for families with children.

Golden Retrievers

One of the most popular choices for family pets is Golden Retrievers. The reason why is they are loyal, loving, and patient with children. They have gentle personalities and love to play with children. They are high energy and do better in larger homes. The one downside is their long hair that sheds which make them bad for anyone with allergies.

Labradors

Officially known as Labrador Retrievers, these friendly and loveable dogs make great pets for families. Like Golden Retrievers, they are kind, loving, and playful with children while being calm and patient with them. They have lots of energy so they require lots of playtime and running or walking. Labs come in three different colors; chocolate, black, and yellow.

French Bulldogs

If you have children but live in a smaller space such as an apartment or condo the French Bulldog is perfect for you. They have a loyal and loving personality and do well in small spaces. They are not prone to bark, they have low energy levels, but are still willing to play, making them perfect for living in smaller spaces with children. They are also short haired making them less allergenic than longer-haired breeds.

Poodles

Poodles are intelligent, caring, and mild-tempered dogs making them good for playing with children. They also do not shed making them perfect for families who need a hypoallergenic pet. Poodles come in two different sizes, standard and miniature. The Standard is one of the most intelligent dogs and is loyal to its family. The Miniature is also loyal but tends to be so with one person rather than its family. Both are good with children.

Bulldog

Finally, the bulldog is a kind, patient, and loveable dog who does well with children. They do not have a lot of energy but are affectionate with children. They are comfortable living in small or large spaces. Thus, the bulldog is also perfect for living in an apartment or condo with children.

Welcoming a dog into your home is a big decision, therefore, it is important to consider the personality, size, and energy needs of a dog before welcoming them home. With this list of five different breeds, there is something for each type of family.