I wrote earlier about Turtle Time from the Potomac Valley Audubon Society. Another event we attended was one of their Wee Naturalists classes. These are monthly classes that are specifically for preschool and kindergarten-aged children. Much like Turtle Time, many of the other kids were homeschoolers. I even recognized a couple from the previousContinue reading “Likin’ Lichen”
Tag Archives: parenting
Turtle Time
I want to shout out the Potomac Valley Audubon Society in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. They have some excellent educational programs that are all free or very affordable. We were lucky enough to attend a few events during our winter trip to WV. Each activity was well-run; the instructors were patient andContinue reading “Turtle Time”
The Power of Picnics
Families often want to spend more time outside. Hundreds of studies have shown the benefits of the great outdoors. From overall happiness to academic achievement to mental and physical health, time spent outside correlates with higher quality of life. That being said, the REI-inspired family happily hiking through a national park may seem daunting, outContinue reading “The Power of Picnics”
Let’s Go Outside! from Cornell
Today I finished the Let’s Go Outside! How to Connect Kids with Birds and Nature hosted by The Cornell Lab BirdAcademy. Anyone who wants to get young children outside more often will benefit form the course. Of all the ways I could have spent an afternoon, this was one of the best. The best part of theContinue reading “Let’s Go Outside! from Cornell”
Babies and Birdwatching
Preschoolers and older actually. I just like alliterative titles. Children should spend more time outside. There are many benefits such as higher levels of creativity and less depression. One of the major barriers to children enjoying the great outdoors (in my opinion) is lack of knowledge. We never ask children to do math problems withoutContinue reading “Babies and Birdwatching”
Kingdomino in Space
I have decided to try a deep dive into Kingdomino because it is simple enough to easily analyze and (more importantly) my son enjoys playing it. As a skillbuilder, Kingdomino excels at spatial reasoning. The gameplay involves laying tiles to most efficiently build sections of land. The rules as written explain that players must build a 5×5Continue reading “Kingdomino in Space”
The Math of Kingdomino
Kingdomino is a light-weight and highly regarded tile-laying game. The simple rules and strategy make it perfect for families with young children. Kids quickly learn that there is a tradeoff between turn order and selecting the best tiles. If you choose a high-scoring tile this turn and you will almost certainly get the last to choose next turn. ScoringContinue reading “The Math of Kingdomino”
A Board Game Birthday
Over the weekend we had my son’s birthday party at a board game club/school owned by my friend. There were 8 kids, mostly preschoolers like my son but a pair of 10 or 11 year-olds were there, and about 12 parents. My son and I were the only ones who play games regularly. Even so,Continue reading “A Board Game Birthday”
Tic-Tac-Toe
I came across this wonderful post on BGG about tic-tac-toe’s true greatness. Posted by marc lecours (@rubberchicken), tic-tac-toe is one of the first games children can solve so they learn that games involve strategy, not luck. https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3110151/article/42550066#42550066 I recommend reading the entire post. It really changed my view on how can tic-tac-toe can be usedContinue reading “Tic-Tac-Toe”
Parallel (play) Intersections
Parallel play is a vital stage of toddler development. Emerging between two an three years, parallel play involves toddlers “playing alone, together.” When two children sit at the same table and build their own block towers, that’s parallel play. Children learn a lot from parallel play. While they aren’t directly communicating, they are stealing glancesContinue reading “Parallel (play) Intersections”
The Keasy Depot 