Kids Ain't Cheap | But They Sure Are Worth It

Why the Pandemic Affected Our School Choice

July 9, 2020 | Leave a Comment

When the pandemic struck, my oldest child was in a public high school. His school shut down after spring break and offered all online classes. Quite frankly, the whole experience was a disaster. All of the teachers were new to online schooling, and the classes had to be put together quickly. This learning environment was chaotic and confusing. Plus, the governor told all schools that children’s grades couldn’t be any lower than the grades they were receiving in person, so kids like my son, who were already receiving good grades, lost motivation. As the pandemic stretched into early summer, we made bold decisions about his education. There are several reasons why the pandemic affected our school choice.

Why the Pandemic Affected Our School Choice

Our goal is to give our child the best education for the circumstances, which required a different way of thinking for us.

In Person School Wouldn’t Be the Same

Our son is a social kid, and we knew he’d struggle with social distancing in school and being with a smaller cohort of kids because the school was going to stagger which kids go to school on which days.

We Didn’t Feel the Environment Would Be Safe

Frankly, with all we’re learning about COVID-19, we just didn’t feel the environment at school would be safe no matter how many precautions are taken. The virus thrives indoors with many people, and that’s the environment for schools. I know many schools are taking precautions, but for us, that’s not enough.

The School’s Online Platform Wouldn’t Work for Us

Our son’s school did offer a completely online option, and at first, we were interested in pursuing this. However, we learned that teachers will be in class teaching their classes with the students in person, and the online students will watch the class and try to participate that way.

I can’t imagine sitting through an entire school day online, every day. That means our son would be sitting in front of the computer for roughly 35 to 40 hours a week. Then, he’d get off the computer and do his homework. Quite frankly, doing this sounds exhausting.

What We Ultimately Chose

We ultimately decided to enroll our son in a completely online school. The teachers at this school only teach online, so they’re very familiar with this type of educational delivery. Just to make sure this option is right for him, we enrolled him in summer school.

The teachers are attentive, calling him to ask if he has questions and encouraging students to text them if they have issues. Students do most of the work independently, but they are required to go to one class a week per class. (The teacher only offers one class per week.)

Using this system, our child can do his work in flexible, safe, comfortable environment. He still engages with the teacher and other students during the online class, but he’s not required to sit at a computer for hours every day.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are several reasons why the pandemic affected our school choice. We’re still hopeful that the pandemic will no longer impact the 2021-2022 school year and that our son can go back to his public school then. But for now, we think we’ve made the best decision giving the unique circumstances we are all facing this upcoming academic year.

What Type of Assets Can Children Inherit?

July 1, 2020 | Leave a Comment

As you get ready to prepare a will and perhaps a trust, it’s important to know what type of assets can children inherit? The simple answer is that if the children or grandchildren you want to leave money to are minors, there is little they can inherit outright at that age. However, when they reach the age of majority, they are free to inherit everything you leave to them. The questions then become, how early do you want them to receive the money once they reach majority and how much control do you want the custodian to have over their financial decisions.

What Type of Assets Can Children Inherit?

Children can inherit whatever assets you would like to leave them after they reach the age of majority. In general, if the child is still a minor, you can determine three ways they receive your assets.

A Will

What Type of Assets Can Children Inherit?

Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash

The simplest (and cheapest) option is to just set up a will for your child. You assign a custodian to raise your children. However, the will must go through probate, and the court, not the custodian, will have control of the money until the children reach majority, which is 18 or 21 depending on the state you live in. Then, the children are free to use the money as they see fit.

A Revocable Living Trust

When you set this up, all of your assets go into the revocable living trust, and you can use the money and assets as you like when you’re alive. When you die, the revocable living trust seamlessly changes hands to the designated trustee. You can give very clear terms for your trustee such as stipulating a child who is an alcoholic, drug addict or gambler will not receive the money. Likewise, you could say that the child can have $15K a year from the trust. Or you can say that the money must be used for college.

Then, the trustee just executes your terms.

An Irrevocable Trust

The last option is to set up an irrevocable trust. If you chose this option, make sure you’re certain because an irrevocable trust is permanent. If you put $500K in an irrevocable trust for your grandson, you can’t change your mind later because you no longer want him to have the money. What is done is done. However, like a revocable living trust, you can have a say in when the minor child will receive the money and how.

There are some benefits to this type of trust because it can lower your estate tax burden, and it can lower your assets if you need, for instance, nursing home care.

Final Thoughts

If you’re wondering what type of assets can children inherit, the simple answer is not much while they’re minors. However, you can set up one of the three options above for your minor children. Once they reach majority (for wills) or the age that you designate (for trusts), they can start receiving their inheritance. While there are benefits to each of the three types, there are also drawbacks, so consider carefully which one to set up for both yourself and your minor children or grandchildren.

How to Save Hundreds on Diapers

June 25, 2020 | Leave a Comment

You might have seen those scary numbers that tell you the cost to raise a child is over $200,000 from the time of birth until the age of 18. While there are plenty of ways to cut costs when raising your children, there’s one expense that hits you as soon as your child is born—the cost of diapers. We had two kids in diapers for 1.5 years, and I remember being so glad when they were potty trained as we got a large chunk of our budget back. While there’s no way to avoid this expense, there people do learn how to save hundreds on diapers.

How to Save Hundreds on Diapers

There are many techniques you can use to save, but you’ll save even more if you put several of the strategies together.

Use Cloth Diapers

Photo by Padmavathi Ashok Kumar on Unsplash

The best way to save is to use cloth diapers. Most people dismiss this idea because cloth diapers aren’t allowed at daycare. If that’s the case, use cloth diapers at home and buy disposable for daycare. You’ll still see significant savings this way.

Buy Cloth Diapers on eBay

I cloth diapered my son almost exclusively. I bought several lots of used cloth diapers on eBay with mixed results. I ended up with some very nice diapers, but I also ended up with some worn out diapers that I couldn’t use.

Do Your Research First

If you’re going the eBay route, first research which diapers you’d like to use. (There are so many brands of cloth diapers with so many different features. Cloth diapering is not like it was 30 years ago!)

If you buy new, your diapers will likely last through several of your children.

If you buy used, check the quality description carefully. You don’t want to end up with diapers that have very little life left.

How to Save on Disposable Diapers

There are quite a few strategies to save money on disposable diapers. Use as many as you can to save even more.

Buy Off Brand Diapers If You Can

Of course, the biggest diaper brands, Huggies and Pampers, cost the most. However, there are many off brand diapers that are much cheaper than the big brands. Look for Target Up and Up diapers, Walmart’s White Cloud diapers, or Luvs. Likewise, Walgreen’s and CVS each have their own house brand of diapers that are cheaper, too.

Use Amazon Subscribe & Save

If you have an Amazon Prime account, make sure to use subscribe & save. When you go to put the diapers in your cart, you’ll see an option to make a one-time purchase or to make the item subscribe & save. Thanks to Amazon Family, when you choose subscribe & save, you save 20% off your diaper purchase every time. You just have to make sure you have five or more products on auto-delivery at the same time to the same address. (FYI, baby food is also included in the eligible products list, so you can save there, too.)

Use Coupons

There are many, many coupons for diapers. You can check out Coupons.com, Ibotta, or Checkout 51 for diaper coupons. You can also email the company and sign up for their email. (Luvs is known to be especially generous with their coupons when you sign up for their mailing list.) Even Costco and Amazon have coupons for their diapers occasionally.

A Covert Way to Save

Diaper packages generally have a size range. For instance, Huggies Snug & Dry size 2 one-month supply has 222 diapers in a box and fit babies weighing 12 to 18 pounds. Size 3 of the same has 200 diapers and fits babies 16 to 28 pounds. Some moms save money by keeping their child in the smaller size diaper as long as they can because you get more diapers per purchase in the smaller size.

You’ll know it’s time to move up to the bigger diaper size when your baby has frequent leaks or blow outs.

Build a Diaper Stash

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Another option is to build a diaper stash before baby is born and when you can find diapers at a great price.

Some women ask each person attending their baby shower to bring a box of diapers or wipes. Other women start stocking up the minute they find out they’re pregnant. (You can find quite a few good sales on diapers in nine month’s time and end up with a nice diaper stash.) If you’re not sure what sizes to buy, there’s a handy chart one mom created documenting how many diapers in each size her daughter used during her first year.

One caveat here—be careful building a diaper stash. I’m actually glad I never built a diaper stash. Why? All my kids were born over nine pounds and didn’t even fit in the newborn size diapers. Second, one of my children had very chunky legs, so Pampers’ slimmer cut didn’t fit her well. We had to keep her in Huggies. If I would have stocked up on Pampers, I would have lost all of that money. Some babies are allergic to some diapers, so those can’t be used. For these reasons, I’d actually discourage new moms from building a diaper stash.

Buy in Bulk

If you can afford it, buying diapers in bulk is the way to go. The bigger the box you can afford, the less you pay per diaper. Costco is a great place to buy diapers if you don’t have an Amazon Prime account. Target also has sales for boxes of diapers where you buy a certain amount in diapers, say $100, and then you get a $25 gift card. This deal gives you a great incentive to buy in bulk. (Don’t forget to get and use the Target Red card to save 5% off your purchase.)

Final Thoughts

While diapers are expensive, there are strategies to learn how to save hundreds on diapers. Use some or most of these techniques and see how much you save. And remember, while diapers are a big expense temporarily, this expense will usually go away in three years. Then, it’s on to the next expense for you child.

Best Games to Teach Elementary Students Geography

June 18, 2020 | Leave a Comment

For many of us, we learned geography in school through memorization. We memorized capitals, populations, physical geography. Oh, the tedium. While I liked geography, learning it in school took all of the joy out of it. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can bring geography to life for your student by cooking food eaten in that country and playing games.

Best Games to Teach Elementary Students Geography

There are so many fun games to teach kids about geography!

The Professor Noggins Series

If you’re looking for a quick and educational game, try the various Professor Noggins games. Popular geography titles include Wonders of the World, Countries of the World, Countries of the World II, and Geography of the United States.

These games are good for ages 7+. To play the game, roll the dice. Then, the next player will read you the question. You can choose between student or scholar. A student question might read, “The peninsula of Cape Cod juts into which ocean?”, while a scholar question will ask a more difficult question like, “Guadalupe Mountains National Park is located in which state?” When you’ve gone through the entire deck, whoever has the most cards (correct answers) wins. Because of the two different levels, this game is great for multiple ages. I enjoy playing these games with my kids, especially because I usually learn something, too!

The Scrambled States of America

In this fun game, each player is given a U.S. map and five state cards. Then, you read a playing card such as, “Capital starts with A or B.” The player then looks at their five-state cards to see if they have a card that fits the criteria. If they have one, they put that card aside and pick a new one. The winner is the person who has the most state cards when the pile runs out.

I enjoy The Scrambled States of America because there are two options to play. You can either race (the first person to answer correctly wins the round), or each player can answer and all the players that have it right win that round. The latter version is perfect for younger kids or kids who have dyslexia and take more time to read. The former is perfect for competitive older kids.

Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride is often a long game. Plan on playing for an hour or so, but it also makes a fun family game. Players choose three cards that represent trips across America. They can choose to keep all of the cards, only two, or only one. If they complete the trip, they get the number of points on the card. If they don’t complete the trip, the points on the card are deducted from their score. The winner is the person who has the most points at the end.

Players learn where the states are as well as what the major cities are through regular play. Our family really enjoys this game.

Final Thoughts

These are just three of the best games to teach elementary students geography. There are many others available. With so many fun resources, why settle for boring lessons? Make learning geography fun instead!

Games that Teach Kids About Money

June 11, 2020 | Leave a Comment

Let’s be honest. Hoping children learn via parent lecture is unlikely and boring. Kids don’t listen, and parents get frustrated. But there is a fun way to teach kids about things that doesn’t feel like learning—playing games. If you want to teach your kids how to behave responsibly financially, don’t lecture. Instead, play games that teach kids about money.

Classic Board Games That Teach Kids About Money

My favorite place to start when using games to teach about money are the classic games. You know, the ones we grew up playing.

Monopoly

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

This classic game teaches your kid the value of location, location, location when buying land. It also teaches kids about the importance of having rental income. And of course, your kids learn about property taxes, stocks, and income.

The only drawback to this game (and some don’t see it as a drawback) is that it can take a long time to play, upwards of an hour or longer.

Life

In The Game of Life, kids choose whether to go to college or go right to work. They also learn about the importance of insurance and avoiding loans. The stock market also plays a role in the game.

One thing I find confusing is that the more kids you have, the more money you seem to make. I haven’t found that to be true in real life!

Pay Day

In Pay Day, the board is set up like a calendar month. Players can choose to buy deals such as a pizza joint for $800. Then, later in the game, they can choose to sell it and make $12,000. Players also get bills in the mail and have to pay them. Throughout the game, players can borrow money from the bank or other players, but they need to agree on the terms.

This is a great game for teaching kids about investing and borrowing. Parents may like it because you can choose how many months to play. The more months you play, the longer the game goes.

Newer Board Games That Teach Kids about Money

Beyond the classic games mentioned above, there are several new board games that teach kids about money.

Cashflow for Kids

This game was created by Robert Kiyosaki of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. The game is suitable for kids ages 6 and older. The board is fairly simple. Kids land on a green or red space or a dollar sign. When they land on a green space, something positive happens to their financial situation. For instance, they can choose to buy a stock and get passive income. If they land on a red, they have to pay an expense. The dollar sign gives them a payday, and this is also when they can get their passive income.

While the board is simple, this game is great for teaching kids about positive, long-term uses of your money and negatives uses of it.

The Allowance Game

Designed for ages 5 to 10, The Allowance Game teaches kids about earning and spending money as they travel around a board. They might spend money for movie tickets and earn money for losing a tooth. They can also put their money in the bank and earn interest.

The money that is used resembles real United States money, so it’s easy for young kids to learn how to differentiate the different bills and coins, too.

Act Your Wage Game

Followers of Dave Ramsey will love the Act Your Wage Game, especially if you’d like to easily teach your children Ramsey’s Baby Steps. When you play the game, you’re given a life situation—how much you make per year and if you’re married or not as well as basic bills such as food and utilities. You also draw debt cards.

You follow Ramsey’s Baby Steps to get yourself out of debt and in a financially secure position. Along the way, you’ll fill envelopes so you can spend cash rather than using credit.

Online Games

You can also find games that teach kids about money by going online.

Rich Kid Smart Kid

The Rich Kid Smart Kid site (from the makers of the board game Cashflow for Kids) has several mini-games including:

Jesse’s Ice Cream Stand
Reno’s Debt Dilemma
Ima’s Pay Yourself 1^st
Jesse’s Big Change

These microgames teach kids entrepreneurship, debt management, and how to start an emergency fund.

Peter Pig’s Money Counter

Peter Pig’s Money Counter is ideal for 5 to 8-year olds who are learning to add and subtract money. Kids need to put the money in different jars, and then they can buy things such as clothes for the pig. By doing the various activities, kids learn how to add and subtract money.

Financial Football

Financial Football taps into some kids’ love of the NFL to help teach them about finances. The game has three different levels:

Rookie (ages 11-14)
Pro (ages 14-18)
Hall of Fame (ages 18+)

To go down the football field, players must answer financial questions. This game was created by VISA in conjunction with Drew Brees, who created several of the questions in the game.

If you homeschool, you can dig even deeper with this game, as there are also lesson plans and pre and post-tests available.

The Playoff

The Playoff is designed for kids ages 14+. In this immersive game, you choose between two vloggers, Alex and Jess. You manage their finances and deal with unexpected events like getting robbed all while trying to develop a video in just three days. Whoever ends the game with the most money wins.

Just like Financial Football, this game has lesson plans, so it could be used in schools or if you homeschool.

Final Thoughts

Teaching your kids about money is challenging. Sure, they’ll watch how you handle your money, but they may need more instruction for how to handle their money wisely. Luckily, there are many games that teach kids about money. Your kids can learn and face natural consequences through the game before they do so in real life. Then, when they’re teens and young adults, they hopefully will know how to manage money responsibly.

The Pros and Cons of Online Schooling

June 4, 2020 | Leave a Comment

As the pandemic continues to rage and school guidelines for the fall emerge, many parents are looking at alternatives. While some parents are considering homeschooling, others are looking at online schooling. After all, online schooling takes some of the burden of education off the parents’ shoulders. However, before you make the leap, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of online schooling.

The Pros of Online Schooling

Parents’ Time Is Freed Up

If you’re children are in middle school or above, they will require little attention from you during school hours. They should be able to do their work independently. This is likely to be a huge benefit to parents who are also working from home during the pandemic.

The Credits Can Transfer

If you’re looking at online schooling just for a year or two while there is not a treatment or a vaccine, then you’ll want to be sure that your child can seamlessly rejoin brick and mortar school later. If you choose an accredited online school, your child will easily be able to transfer classes to a physical school later.

Students Have a More Flexible Schedule

When students learn online, they have a much more flexible schedule. For instance, teens are notorious for wanting to stay up late and get up late. If they attend online school, they can do exactly that with no serious repercussions. Or, if a student wants to get a part-time job, he could work any time of day and do school work during unconventional times. He’s not limited to getting his education between the hours of 8 and 3 as he would be if he attended a traditional school.

The Cons of Online Schooling

When considering the pros and cons of online schooling, you must give careful consideration to the cons, as they may ruin your online experience.

Children’s Motivation Is Important

How motivated is your child to do work? Kids who are highly motivated will likely do well in online school. Children who need peer pressure to get work done may struggle with online schooling. Think carefully about your child’s level of motivation before enrolling her in an online school.

Some Platforms Can Be Difficult to Navigate

Not all online schools are the same. Some platforms are boring and difficult to navigate, which can be frustrating, especially for young learners. Our oldest child tried online school a few years ago and hated the experience, largely because of the platform.

After two years in a brick and mortar school, we decided again to put him in an online school due to the pandemic. We chose carefully. The online school he’s currently enrolled in has an engaging, intuitive platform, and he’s enjoying his experience much more.

Final Thoughts

As you weigh your child’s education options as you consider next school year, carefully weigh the pros and cons of online schooling. For the right child, online school can offer some incredible freedoms. Or, online school can be a miserable experience. The choice largely depends on your child and the school you choose.

What You Need to Know to Homeschool Your Child in the Age of COVID-19

May 28, 2020 | Leave a Comment

Since the CDC recently released their guidelines for schools to reopen in the fall, many parents are considering homeschooling their children. This may be because they fear their child getting COVID-19 or they feel the guidelines are too restrictive. If you are keeping your options open, here’s what you need to know to homeschool your child in the age of COVID-19.

Check Your State’s Requirements

Every state has different requirements for homeschoolers. Some states such as Illinois do not even require that you report to your state that you’ve begun homeschooling. Other states like Pennsylvania have strict oversight. In that state, each year you must keep a portfolio of learning and have a designated person approve it at the end of the year. Some states are in between and require that you just send in an affidavit that you are currently homeschooling.

Consider Online School

Especially if you have older children, you may want to consider enrolling them in an online accredited program. If you are homeschooling simply because of COVID-19, you may find that next year the virus (and all of the restrictive guidelines) have diminished and you’re ready to send your kids back to school. You can do this seamlessly if you’ve had your child in an accredited online school.

Plus, if you’re also working from home, you can be less involved with an online school.

Homeschooling Takes Less Time

What You Need to Know to Homeschool in the Age of COVID-19

Photo by Kyle Gregory Devaras on Unsplash

How quickly children can complete their work when homeschooling is astonishing to many parents. When a child goes to a brick and mortar school, there is a lot of waiting. Waiting for other kids to finish an assignment before the teacher moves on. Waiting for kids to quiet down for instructions or to go to lunch, etc. When you eliminate all of the waiting time and children are allowed to do their work at their own pace, school can be completed surprisingly quickly.

You shouldn’t be surprised if your lower elementary kids finish all of their school work in an hour or two. Middle school kids will likely take three to four hours. High schoolers will need five to six hours. As long as the work is getting done, there’s no need to take eight hours a day like brick and mortar schools do.

Don’t Recreate School at Home

Many first time homeschoolers try to recreate brick and mortar school at home. These parents try to develop a strict schedule and use the same materials schools do.

Please realize that children will thrive in homeschooling when you relax the rules a bit. You can let kids work at their own pace as long as they get their work done for the day. Take the time to find curriculum your kids will love now that you have the freedom to pick and choose. My daughter loves Legos. So, we bought a Lego science curriculum that is STEM-based. You have the freedom to make those types of decisions.

Final Thoughts

These are the basics of what you need to know to homeschool your child in the age of COVID-19. I know the decision to homeschool can be scary, but many, many parents homeschool. Their children go on to become successful adults. If you chose, you can do this.

Encourage Toddler Play without Breaking the Bank

May 21, 2020 | Leave a Comment

The toddler years from one to three are a time of tremendous growth. Kids learn to walk, run, and explore their worlds. They are curious, and both their minds and bodies are developing rapidly. As a parent, giving your children safe ways to play and explore is important to their development. At this age, you can find plenty of frugal ways to encourage toddler play without breaking the bank.

Low-Cost Supplies

There are so many low-cost supplies that you can stock your shelves with that will keep your child happy for hours.

Play-Doh

For less than $5, you can pick up a small set of Play-Doh for your toddler. Play-Doh has definitely gotten fancier since my kids were toddlers. Now you can buy Play-Doh with glitter in it and in a large variety of color. Kids are usually happy playing with just Play-Doh, but if you want to spend a bit more, you can buy Play-Doh toys like a hair dresser shop or a gravel construction yard, for example. You can also try your hand at making homemade playdough.

Finger Paint

If you have $8, you can buy a 6 pack of finger paint that will provide your child with artistic and sensory expression. All of my children loved to finger paint when they were toddlers, but my middle child easily wanted to finger paint several times a week. She still enjoys art, and I attribute it to all the time she spent finger painting when she was young.

Bubbles

This is likely the best way to encourage toddler play without breaking the bank. Bubbles are ridiculously cheap, less than $1 for a small bottle, and yet your child can likely use them for at least a month. He can experiment with how hard to blow to form the bubble or run and try to get the bubble to form. Even better, mom or dad can blow bubbles while your toddler tries to catch them without popping them or runs through them.

Sidewalk Chalk

Sidewalk chalk is yet another way to let your little artist express herself. You can get a box of 48 pieces of chunky chalk (perfect for little hands) for around $5. These will last all summer, and your sidewalk or driveway is the perfect canvas.

Bath Supplies

After finger painting, my younger two kids’ favorite activity was taking a bath. They loved to have the tub filled with bubbles to play in. When the bubbles dissipated, they liked to play with their bath toys. They could easily spend 45 minutes to an hour in the tub. (Just make sure a parent stays in the room with them.) You could buy the bubbles and a few toys for your kids for less than $20. My girls’ favorite bath activity was using bath crayons to draw on the tub walls.

Doctor Kit

Many toddlers like playing doctor. They take the stethoscope to your chest to check your breathing, they check your reflexes, and then they give you their diagnosis. They also love it when you give them an exam. These kits are a bit more expensive, around $20, but your child will likely use them quite a bit. (We bought ours used at a garage sale for $1, which is another great way to save money).

Make It Yourself

There are other ways to encourage toddler play without breaking the bank. Namely, instead of buying something, make it yourself!

Calm/Glitter Bottles

Many toddlers are fascinated with calm/glitter bottles and can spend a surprising amount of time tipping them from side to side. Making a calm bottle is not difficult; there are plenty of tutorials online.

Once you buy the ingredients, you likely have enough to make several bottles. Once your child tires of one, make a new one in a different color with different items inside. Even though this tutorial only had glitter, I’ve seen calm bottles filled with a variety of items like large stars to give them some more visual appeal.

Bowling Set

Another idea for outdoor fun is to make a toddler bowling set. You’ll need some empty water bottles and a ball. Your toddler can practice knocking them down. He’ll love it if you play with him.

The nice thing about a homemade bowling set is not only that it’s frugal, but if one bowling pin gets damaged, it’s easy to replace.

Sensory Play

There are a host of reasons why sensory play is beneficial for kids, not the least of which is that it helps develop connections in the brain and encourages imaginative play.

Probably the easiest one is to buy a can of shaving cream. When my kids were about three, I’d put a light layer of shaving cream on a cookie sheet, and they practiced writing their letters in the shaving cream. They loved the sensation, and they were learning at the same time.

Another less messy way to do this is to put a bit of shaving cream and a drop or two of dye in a gallon plastic freezer bag. (Don’t fill it too much!) Then kids can write their letters in the cream, but they do so on top of the bag so they still get sensory input, but there’s no mess for parents to clean up.

There are plenty of sensory play ideas online.

Don’t Forget the Books!

While it’s very important to encourage play in your toddlers, don’t forget to also read aloud to your child daily, the more the better. The stories that you read aloud to your child now will eventually lead to imaginative play later.

I read aloud to my children frequently, and when my girls were in first and second grade, we read the entire Little House on the Prairie series. They had the discipline to sit through those books because they were used to being read to. For the next few years, much of their imaginative play was based on what they learned through those books.

Final Thoughts

Children under the age of three experience a phenomenal amount of brain and body growth in these important years. Starting now, make sure to give your child plenty of safe opportunities to play and learn.

Free Online Games to Teach Kids about the Environment

May 14, 2020 | Leave a Comment

If you’re a mom of kids under 12, you know that one of the best ways to teach kids so that they actually remember information is to play games. Games are fun, so kids are eager to play, not knowing (or caring) that they’re actually learning something. If you have science minded kids, there are many free online games to teach kids about the environment.

Free Online Games to Teach Kids about the Environment

There are so many games and so many ways you can teach kids about the environment!

Games for Ages 4 to 7

Even your little children can learn about the environment with these fun games.

Environmental Protection Agency

Choose one of three games for ages 4 to 7 to teach them about air pollution and what the various colors mean—green day, red day, etc.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

There are many, many games on the Kids Environment Kids Health page from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. These games are for kids in 1^st to 4^th grade. The free online games to teach kids about the environment include:

Climates of the World

Kids match children in a variety of clothes with the climate and country that they live in.

Matching Game

In one of the matching games, kids can match bird songs with the birds that make them.

Do check this site out as there is so much here young kids would like include many different games, jokes, riddles, and songs.

Energy Star

Calling all Dr. Seuss fans! The Energy Star website has a fun game called Join the Lorax. Games include coloring the Lorax characters, completing a word search, and a picture search for energy efficient items.

Games for Ages 8 to 12

SciJinks

The SciJinks site has many different games for kids from grades 3 to 7. This site has 23 games including a hurricane simulator and a tornado simulator (kids will probably enjoy seeing the flying cow spinning around when the tornado hits). Game topics include:

Weather,
Hurricanes and Storms,
Clouds, Water, and Ice,
Tides and Oceans,
Atmosphere,
Seasons,
Satellites and Technology,
Space Weather

EPA

For those who prefer more scholarly free games to teach kids about the environment, the EPA has an ozone science crossword puzzle. This puzzle would be perfect for 5^th to 7^th graders. There are 17 clues and 17 answers to choose from.

Energy Kids

The U.S. Energy Information Administration has all sorts of activities for kids on the part of their website called Energy Kids.

They have fun energy-related riddles such as, “How do energy-conscious people feel about wind power? Answer—they’re blown away.” When my son was in 3^rd grade, he would have loved riddles like this.

They also have energy slang terms as well as puzzles (Sudoko, slider puzzles, crosswords and word searches).

For students who love participating in science fairs, the site has science fair experiment ideas for all ages, K-12.

Lastly, the site has suggestions for energy-based field trips as well as a brief description of each site.

NASA Science

For your kids in grades 6-9, Nasa Science has a game to teach your kids about energy flow called Go with the Flow. Kids get to experiment with how salt and heat affect the weather and the water currents.

If your child is interested in learning about space weather, there is also a game for that on the site called Shields Up!

Smithsonian Science Education Center

If you want to teach your kids about the environment, the Smithsonian Science Education Center site has games for kids in grades 3 to 6.

In the game Habitats, children are given a picture of a habitat (habitats range from desert, coral reef, jungle and marsh.) They then can choose from images of three animals to decide what animal belongs in that particular habitat.

Similarly, they also have a game, Home on the Range, that corresponds with 2^nd grade learning standards. Kids try to find animals and plants that exist in certain habitats around the United States. If they don’t know the answer, they can click on each animal or plant that is a possible answer and read more about that particular one.

Smokey for Kids

Teach your kids about the dangers of wild fires with the Smokey for Kids site. Not only do kids learn how to prevent wildfires, but they also can play games to reinforce what they learn. Kids might find it especially fun to play the Storymaker Game. They first fill out quite a bit of information personalized to them, and then a story is created using that information.

Water Sense

In the Water Sense game, created by the EPA, lead the water drop through a maze, being careful to avoid water wasters. This game is great for late elementary and early middle school students.

Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute

In the Migration Game, students answer questions about migration. Each question that they answer correctly gets Wanda the Wood Thrush closer to her summer home in Maryland from her winter home in Costa Rica.

Sample multiple choice questions include, “When do Wood Thrushes fly when they are migrating?” and “How long does it take a Wood Thrush to migrate from Costa Rica to Maryland?”

Recycle City

Another site created by the EPA, Recycle City offers two activities for kids. First, there is the Recycle City Challenge, where kids can answer questions about actions people can take to reduce waste and energy use. They can earn points and jump on the leader board.

They can also play the Dumptown Game. The player is in charge of Dumptown and must start programs to reduce waste and encourage recycling. Players will be able to see the financial differences based on the programs they implement.

Final Thoughts

Most kids love playing games, all the better if they’re electronic games. Why not use these free online games to teach kids about the environment to both entertain and educate your children? I’m guessing your kids, if they’re like mine, would be happy to try out these games and learn new jokes and riddles to add to their repertoire.

Should Your Child Go to College This Year?

May 7, 2020 | Leave a Comment

A year ago, most college seniors first decided if they wanted to go to college or not. If they did, they applied, and sometime in the spring received their acceptance letters and then chose what college they were going to attend. In the fall, they attended that college. In the age of coronavirus, that decision is no longer simple. If you’re a parent of a graduating high school senior, you’re faced with tough choices. Should your child go to college this year, or attend a community college instead, or just take a gap year?

The Case for Not Going to a University

If you want to be safe, the obvious choice is to take a gap year or plan to attend the community college.

Should Your Child Go to College This Year?

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

This spring when cases of COVID-19 started appearing, universities shut down and closed the dormitories. There is a good chance that cases of COVID-19 will continue to increase. How will universities handle that? The trouble is that no university has specified their plan.

For many people, containing the uncertainty is a better option. These people will have their children enroll in the local community college and live at home. Others take a different route and are having their children take a gap year and start college not in the 20-21 school year, but in the 21-22 school year. By then, they figure things will have settled back down to normal either through herd immunity or a vaccine.

Besides mitigating uncertainty, another reason to wait on going to a university is because attending college far from home is expensive. Some students and their parents take out tens of thousands of dollars in student loans or make financial sacrifices to pay for university. Do they really want to pay all of this money for online classes? Then answer is no, which is why they’re opting out of university this year.

The Case for Going to a University

None of us have a crystal ball. Maybe this pandemic will be gone in the fall. Maybe colleges won’t be impacted. Some people are betting on that, or that if their kids do get the virus, they won’t be that sick. Others don’t want to put their education on hold for a variety of reasons.

My friend’s daughter plans to move 12 hours from home to attend university this year. So far, the college plans to open in person, though she did receive a note that the semester would end early—at Thanksgiving break.

Likewise, my nephew, who got into a prestigious school in Japan, opted to start university this year. So far, his classes have been all online and he’s sheltering in place in his dorm room. This isn’t an optimal way to start a university career, but for him, academics are more important than socialization.

Final Thoughts

Should your child go to college this year? Unfortunately, that’s a tough question to answer because so much remains unknown. Luckily, I only have a rising high school junior, so we don’t have to make such tough decisions. If we did, I think I would encourage him to stay closer to home because life as we used to know it doesn’t seem to be coming back anytime soon.