Wednesday, April 15, 2015

KID SPECIAL ......................6 FUN ACTIVITY SITES FOR KIDS

6 FUN ACTIVITY SITES FOR KIDS


It's the summer vacations, and your kids are probably getting restless at home and driving you nuts. These will keep them occupied and out of trouble

ART FOR KIDS HUB
If your child loves doodling, colouring, or making crafty stuff at home, you probably have the next Michelangelo Buonarroti or Anjali Ela Menon under your roof. And one of the best resources on the internet for your budding artist is the Art for Kids Hub.
The website is the brain child of Rob Jensen ­ a Fine Arts graduate and erstwhile “exterior designer“ with the Ford Motor Company , where he drew cars and coloured them for a living.
Rob has three kids, and this is where the Jensens share tutorials on how to draw, colour, and sculpt (the Orgami and Play-Doh kind).
Each instructional video is a step-by-step guide where parent and child work together.And each step is so simple to follow, that your child can draw and paint, or fold and mould while watching. It even has an “under 5“ section for younger munchkins.
You can also subscribe to the Art for Kids mailing list, which ensures that you get drawing and colouring printables in your e-mail inbox, every Monday .
artforkidshub.com

ORIGAMI CLUB
Almost all of us, at some time or the other, have folded a piece of paper to make a boat, or even a rocket. Some of us might have even learnt to create more complex birds and animals in craft class at school. Well, Origami Club is dedicated to the wonderful Japanese art of paper folding, where all you'll need is paper (lots and lots of paper) for hours of fun.
Tutorials are sorted by themes that include animals, fruits and vegetables, sea creatures, flowers, clothes, and even numbers and symbols ­ and whether beginner or expert, there are plenty of fun projects for everyone.
Click on any section and you are taken to a page that displays images of each of the paper-folding designs. Select any one and you can choose between a diagrammatic instruction set and a step-by-step animation ­ a great site to teach your child Origami; one that will guarantee quality fun time for you and your little angel (or rascal).
en.origami-club.com Also check out http:www.origami-fun.com

MAGIC TRICK FOR KIDS
Everybody loves a good magic trick, and anything that teaches kids how to be magicians is bound to be an absolute winner. Like the Art for Kids Hub, this website is a family enterprise. Dad Kenneth Kelly has been a professional magician for over 30 years. Daughter Kristen Kelly is a magician in training, while mum Colette is the person behind all the photographs and graphic design of the site. She also does the “all-important job of pressing the `record' button on the video camera“ when the family shoots the tutorial videos.
Magic Trick for Kids is home to 29 trick videos, each of which is accompanied by detailed instructions (with photographs) on how to perform the magic, and even build the props (if any) with common household items.
Additionally , you can download a PDF with instructions.
It also has a separate section with 19 “Magic Lessons“ and another for card tricks. So if you and your little Harry Potter or Hermione Granger want to learn how to bend a spoon, eat a dinner knife (don't worry, it's absolutely child safe) or even make a glass float in the air, you'll find it all (and more) here.
magictricksforkids.org

FREE KIDS MUSIC
This free resource is a one-stop shop for downloadable songs from over 130 musicians who create tunes for young kids under eightyears old. Click on any music artist and you can read a brief bio, watch a video performance, stream music, and download the MP3 files to burn onto a CD or play on your computer.
Free Kids Music even has a complete section for traditional children's songs where you can find old favourites such as A-Tisket A-Tasket, Eensy Weensy Spider, Farmer In The Dell, If You're Happy And You Know It, London Bridge, Old MacDonald, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, This Old Man, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Yankee Doodle and more.
A great source for music for your child's birthday parties, those fun foot-stomping sessions at home, and even pre-school jamborees.
freekidsmusic.com

COMMON SENSE MEDIA
Well, since it's the vacations, kids will want to watch movies and TV shows, download apps, play games and read books. But how do you, as a parent, decide what's appropriate for your child and what isn't? Common Sense Media to the rescue. This independent organization provides age-based ratings, along with reviews for popular English movies and TV shows, games, apps, books, websites and music. In effect, you can search for a title by name, browse through its newest reviews, see “top lists“ or search for content, based on the age of your ward. For each title, you are given a brief summary; can read reviews written by other parents, see ratings out of five for parameters that include positive messages, role models, violence, sex and language. Parents are even provided with talk points that allow them to discuss media content.
Common Sense Media also has a Family Guides section with lists for Essential Movies, Essential Books and Essential Apps, sorted into three age categories: For twoto six-year-olds, sevento 12-year-olds and 13to 17-year-olds. http:www.commonsensemedia.org Also see http:www.kids-in-mind.com

STORYNORY
Storynory is home to over 100 audio stories for children of all ages with tales from Hans Christian Anderson, the Brothers Grimm, The Arabian Nights and Aesop; Greek and Norse mythology, educational stories, and even fairytales for tiny tots. Each of these is narrated by professional voice actors, complete with a background score and even songs. You can stream the audio tales, or you could download the MP3 file onto your tablet or laptop so you and your child can enjoy these stories together. http:www.storynory.com Also look at en.childrenslibrary.org http:www.mightybook.com


Savio D'Souza TOI4APR15

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