There are quite a few great kids websites featuring preschool stories and games. Many of the sites pertain to tv characters and are simple matching games or puzzles.
Here on ZiggityZoom, we feature fun games that are simple enough for children to play by themselves. The most favorite preschool game on our kids website is called Feed the Monster. Kids get to choose what item of food they want to feed the Monster next, while the little Monster mumbles "yummy" as he eats. Kids laugh while they play this game and they keep coming back for more.
One of our newest kids games is called Bubble Catch. Kids get to control Bubble the dinosaur, making her run back and forth with her net, as she tries to pop the bubbles. This is a great hand to eye coordination game for young kids.
Preschool kids really enjoy dressup games and one of the favorites here on ZiggityZoom is the Princess Dressup game. Another fun game both boys and girls enjoy is the Princess & Knight virtual world, where kids get to make the dragon get smaller, then larger. They can also go inside the castle and through the tunnel. It is a simple version of a virtual world like Club Penguin. Additional playworld screens will enable children to visit Pirateland, Mermaid Island the Princessland.
A father is normally the primary male role model in his daughter's life. The influence a father has in his daughter's life is of extreme importance and, unfortunately, many fathers don't have a clue about this. That one relationship, while growing up, affects how a girl views herself and also decidedly affects their expections from men and the world at large. But many men don't realize the importance of their interactions with their daughter and they may shy away from too close involvement because of their inexperience, or conditioning.
Treating a young girl with respect from a young age will help her view her own self with respect. But one of the most important things a father can do is give of his time. When a little girl sees that her father has time for her, she knows she is important to him. He can say all the right words and never have time for her or generally be "too busy" for her and that sends a permanent message. Fathers do not want to send that type of message. Yes, some fathers seem clueless, but simple things equate to a big difference. Even taking time to read a book a few times a week with your daughter will be important or just sit on the floor and play a game with her. Fathers know that doing things with their daughters is important. Shared activities build trust and self-esteem and show how much dads care.
Salt dough is an easy dough that you can make with basic kitchen ingredients. It is perfect for making Christmasornaments with the kids.
There are two basic recipes, one uses only flour and salt, the other adds in vegetable oil. There are a few differences, so read recipe through before starting. Store your salt dough in a sealed container in the refrigerator, but usually not more than a couple of days.
Basic Salt Dough
Ingredients:
1 cup of salt
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of water
Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the salt and the flour
Make a well in the salt/flour mixture and add the water
Knead until smooth and shape into a ball
When not in use, wrap in plastic or store in an airtight container
To get a softer dough you can add more flour. Adding more salt will lend a more granulous affect. To add color to your dough, add food coloring or paint. Knead to get an even color. Paint your ornaments and sculptures after they dry.
Recipe with Oil
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 -1/2 cups hot tap water
2 tsp vegetable oil
Instructions:
Combine salt and flour in a bowl
Gradually add water until dough becomes elastic
Add vegetable oil
If dough is too sticky ... add more flour....too crumbly....add more water. For colored dough, add food coloring or paint into water before adding to dry ingredients. Or simply paint your ornaments after they dry (either air dry or bake at 200 degrees F). Painted ornaments will need to be sealed with clear varnish.
The hustle and bustle of the holidays are here. For many of us the frenzy has begun- decorating, shopping, wrapping, holiday parties, school parties, baking, and overly excited children. It can make for a stressful time of year. I love the holidays and everything that comes with it- the Christmas music, decorations, holiday treats, family time, and special memories.
I have found that sometimes as parents we get so wrapped up in checking off our to-do list during this time of year and making sure we get every last gift our child begged for, that we forget what this time of year is all about. We forget that it is a special time of year that allows us to make lasting memories with our children through holiday traditions, whether old or new.
The other day I asked my oldest son who is 7 what he likes most about this time of year. I knew he would say the presents, which he did, but I asked him to tell me the other things he liked. He told me he liked decorating the tree, reading Christmas stories, baking cookies and hearing Christmas music. It was then that I realized the special things we do with our family each year, either for Christmas or Hanukkah will be remembered by our children for years to come.
This time of year is also a time to make sure the excitement of getting gifts does not reinforce a message of "me, me, me" with our kids. In order to combat the ulgier side of the holidays we do a few things in our house to reinforce the message of giving during the holiday season. You may find these helpful:
A new adventure for Dora the Explorer will air Sunday, December 6th on Nickelodeon. The new TV special, sure to be a yearly tradition is Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure.
In this hour-long, primetime TV special, Swiper tries to swipe Dora's Christmas star from her Nochebuena party, putting Swiper on Santa's naughty list. Dora asks Santa to reconsider and Santa say that if Swiper can learn the true meaning of Christmas then he will take him off the list.
You can also purchase this fun Christmas DVD featuring Dora.
Most kids love animals and would like to have a pet. In fact, kids often beg for pets when they see them ... "Can I have a puppy ... please?" But parents need to think long and hard before introducing a pet into a household. And of utmost importance is the type of pet your family will be the happiest with and that the pet will be the happiest with and well-cared for.
While some families can deal with a new puppy, others cannot plus puppies are a lot of work ... sort of like having a new baby. And that is not a joke. So, even though Susie is begging for a dog or cat, do a little reasearch first ... maybe a bird or fish will fill the pet need, but even little pets need daily care.
Regardless of what pet your family decides on, you, as parent, should be making this decision by the way, make sure your child will be involved in the care of the pet if they are the one asking for the pet. Get some books beforehand rather than rushing out to get some little unsuspecting animal. Read up, with your child, on how much care will be involved, what type of food the animal eats and any other important information. There are many book that can be borrowed from the library and this is another fun outing that can be part of the Pet planning process.
Explain to your child that they are expected to help care for the pet and really talk about what exactly they will have to do every day. Whether it is a cat or a bird, explain that not only does the animal need food and water daily, but they must be given attention. Obviously, depending on the pet, different pets will require different types of attention. Cats need petting, dogs need exercising, birds like to be talked to.
Sun. Sand. Fun. All these things came together for an End of Summer weekend at the yearly Neptune Festival held at the Virginia Beach oceanfront. While we weren't personally able to attend this fun event this year, we did find a local photographer, Karen J. Williams, that did. We had been hoping to share the most fun event of the weekend ... in our opinion, anyway ... the Sand Sculpture contest.
You might not be aware that sand sculpting contests are held all over the world with people, actually lots of teams, that travel around and create some quite magnificent art sculptures from the sand. Here we are presenting some of the fun highlight from the 2009 Virginia Beach contest. It's always held in September, a beautiful time of the year to go to the beach for a long weekend. Enjoy!
Looking for a great list of Kids Eat Free deals? Look no further than FrugalLiving.tv We think they have one of the most extensive lists around and you can definitely save a ton of money by consulting this list, and, of course, verifying with the restaurants before heading out with the kids.
A great example of Kids Eat Free is the FireHouse Subs restaurants. On Wednesdays and Sundays, at participating locations, kids 12 and under get to eat free from 4pm to 9pm. One free kids’ meal comes with each adult purchase. The kids’ meal at Firehouse Subs includes a sub or sandwich, beverage, Oreo cookies and free fireman’s hat. And the kids love the Fireman's hat. This chain was actually started by a family of firemen so it's pretty authentic.
When school’s out, kids around the country visit selected Regal theatres for the Free Family Film Festival. It’s a fun-filled nine weeks of movies for kids and parents. Since 1991, Regal has provided this service to the community, and best of all it’s FREE!
Selected G & PG movies start at 10AM each Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. First-come, first-served seating is limited to theatre capacity. The Free Family Film Festival is safe, lots of fun and a great way for kids to spend a weekday morning in the summer.
Tickets for our 2009 Free Family Film Festival are exclusively available at select theatres’ box office on the day of the show.
