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This is such a great science project for kids to make!!  It is better for older kids though, who won’t put things in their mouth and can listen well to directions on stirring carefully etc!  I actually got this project from a box kit, that had glue, borax, and   liquid starch in it.  It had great suggestions on how to see what made slime slippery or harder.  There were different compositions on how to make it.   You really don’t need to buy a kit though, although it is convenient.  Below is how to make it on your own, you just have to assemble the ingredients.

Supplies:

• White glue
• Water
• Borax
• Food Coloring
• 2 Bowls
• Measuring spoons

Steps:

1. Mix together 2 teaspoons of borax with 8 tablespoons of water until dissolved
2. Put 2 Tablespoons of glue in bowl and add 2 tablespoons water and stir.
3. Add food coloring to glue
4. Take 2 Tablespoons of the borax water solution mix into glue solution.
5. Keep stirring and it should begin to thicken
6. If after a few minutes it is very watery you can add a little more glue, or try pouring a little water out, until you get the perfect slime consistency.

After your kids are done playing with their slime, store it in a ziplock bag for future use!  Experiement with the ingredients and hypothesize why it might be more or less slimy depending on how much of each ingredient you add.

photo credit: soaringbird

Happy Thanksgiving!!  Thankgiving is one of my favorite holidays!  I have so many wonderful memories of family dinners together on thanksgiving and all the great food!  I love how we always had certain foods every year at thanksgiving.  It shows you how important tradition is to kids.  Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without my mom’s sweetpotato dish, or my aunt’s jello mold, or the green beans with fried onions on top, yumm!!  Although we always have turkey, it’s always those side dishes I love so much!!  My family is famous for the amount of desserts we have on thanksgiving!!  We have a major sweet tooth and the number of desserts we have is equal to the number of things we have out for dinner.

It is always so great to just be with your family for a day, to enjoy eachother’s company and just BE.  Not to worry about the things you have to get done, or clean up.  But, to enjoy eachothers company.

Thanksgiving is also a time of appreciating and being grateful for what we have in life.  It’s a great opportunity to teach our children about being thankful.  It is also a great time to show how important it is to help others.  It is important to share with our children the need to help others who are less fortunate.   There are many ways to do this.  One simple way is to collect food for the local food bank.  In school there are usually opportunities to donate food to needy families.  Kids learn a very valuable lesson by taking part in this.

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving?  Do you have any favorite traditions?  What are some things you like to teach your children?

photo credit: Bleuchoi

Fun  Learning Activity for you and your child!  This is a fun game of memory to play with your child.  This can be a game for Toddlers, pre-schoolers or grade schoolers!  Just add more objects the older they are.

Supplies:

• Bucket or Box
• 5 Objects, can be toys, kitchen things, but make sure it’s things your child knows the name of

To Play:

• Put all objects in the box/bucket
• Have your child take each one out and name them
• Put all objects back in bucket
• Have your child close their eyes and you take one object out
• Ask them what object is missing
• Have them take an object out while you close your eyes
• Now you guess what is missing
• Keep taking turns-change it up, sometimes don’t take anything out and see what they do, sometimes take 2 out and see if they realize it
• If it seems to easy, add more objects in the box/bucket

Have fun!!

Reading is such an important part of a child’s learning and development.  It is important to have an area for reading, like a book nook, in your home where you read with your child.  It can be anywhere you want.  I have a book area in each of my children’s rooms and an area in our play room!  We always read at night together at bed time.  It’s a nice routine to get in.  They love it and it settles them down for the night!

It’s also great to read a book in relation to any craft you are making and tie them together for your child.  It expands the experience for them and reinforces what you are teaching them.

Amy of Literacy Launchpad is featuring book nooks of many families- check it out!  Post your Book nook!!