Posted by Teacher Ria in Teaching Resources, Tips and Tricks, Toys and Playthings | 0 Comments

Homemade Face Paint

Whenever I host or help out in kiddie parties, I notice that the activities that gain the most attention are face painting and tattooing. While finding affordable temporary tattoos that are hypoallergenic and of good quality is relatively easy, finding the face paint is not as easy.

I’ve tried several homemade recipes for face paint. Some are quite simple to make and use common household ingredients such as night cream, corn starch, corn syrup and food coloring. So far, however, I can’t find one that offers the same consistency as that of store bought face paint. Plus the food coloring seems to stain the skin and clothing.

Do you have a good homemade face paint recipe you can share? If so, please leave me a comment

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Posted by Teacher Ria in Teacher's Corner, Teaching Resources, Toys and Playthings | 0 Comments

Choosing the best toys for kids

Toys are among the most important learning materials any child can lay their hands on. I am a firm believer in the value of play and for me, I feel that there really is no “wrong” or “right” toys for kids. For example, some may criticize Barbie dolls because it can give children the wrong notion of beauty. Some might even point out that these dolls can affect one’s self-esteem and body image because it portrays beauty as being long-legged, well-endowed, blond and blue-eyed. However, for me, I see that Barbie’s are great ways for kids to learn about the social nuances of day to day. With these dolls, kid’s learn to pretend play. While I don’t like toy guns, I’m sure this can also be a good way to develop a child’s skills in some way, shape or form.

For me, whatever the toy may be, what matters is the way they are designed and how it can foster a child’s thinking skills, creativity and social skills. I like toys that are more ambiguous and unstructured such as blocks, playdough and sand.

Some guidelines I consider when purchasing toys are as follows:

1. Does it have any small parts that are unsuitable for young kids, such as doll eyes, buttons or the like. For toy cars, do they have little parts such as those tiny toy Ferrari parts that may come loose?
2. Does it smell so yummy that it may entice a child to bite or taste it? This is especially true for play dough! I once made a batch with peppermint scent and….well…it smelled like candy and I had kids who attempted to taste it!!!
3. Are there sharp edges that may accidentally hurt a child? I notice these usually in blocks and puzzle boxes.
4. Is the paint safe? A lot of cheap toys have been said to contain lead in their paint, so I try to choose toys that are not painted or are of good quality.
5. How much does it weigh? Believe it or not, some toys are quite heavy! I avoid these as this can be an accident waiting to happen.

These are just a few questions I ask myself before incorporating these toys in my classroom. Do you have any other suggestions? Please feel free to post them below

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Posted by Teacher Ria in Multimedia Center, Teaching Resources, Toys and Playthings | 0 Comments

ASUS Disney Netpal Offers Fun, Safe and Easy Computing for Filipino Kids

Even as a child, I was always a techie. From V-tech goodies to the Nintendo and Family Computer, my mom always allowed me to play with these games because she saw that there was a learning potential to it. At first, she was quite stringent about controlling the time I spent on these devices. However, because I was able to maintain my grades and finish my chores all the time, she became more lenient about it.

Nowadays, parents have to contend with more of these gadgets and distractions that can influence a child’s study habits. I am not a parent myself yet, but I think it might be harder to monitor a child’s fascination to these gadgets. In my case, I only had a few types of gadgets to choose from and I was hooked, what more now? Nonetheless, despite the potential for distraction computers and the internet can bring, I feel that it is a great learning tool.

I have not yet tried this particular netbook but I came across it’s press release and it seemed interesting. ASUS in partnership with Disney has come up with the Netpal which is designed for children and tweens. Reading through it made me one to check it out…for myself hahahaha! Wanna see why?

Manila, Philippines, May 06, 2010 – ASUS, the pioneer and leader in the netbook category with nearly 7 million Eee PC™ netbooks sold to date, announced the arrival of a netbook that is certain to put a sparkle into Filipino children’s eyes—the Disney Netpal by ASUS. The product of a collaboration between ASUS and Disney Consumer Products (DCP), every facet of the Disney Netpal—from its hardware to its software—is infused with the Eee PC’s™ trademark ease-of-use and Disney’s charm, making it a child’s study buddy and play pal, a perfect early back-to-school gift.

Globally launched last year, the ASUS Disney Netpal has Developed with parents and kids in mind, the Disney Netpal by ASUS boasts a durable, reinforced mechanical design, and offers a truly magical and engaging computing experience with its unique Disney user interface. Features include more than 40 robust parental control options, an 8.9-inch LCD display, Wi-Fi capabilities, Windows 7 Starter, and kid-friendly software featuring Disney characters and icons in stunning visual environments. Browsers and email have extra filters to assure that kids only get access to safe content, and parents can easily select whom children can correspond with via email. The Magic Desktop “gadget tray” offers a creatively designed 2D menu displaying Disney email, Disney browser and Disney parental control options.

Computing Is Fun: Disney-themed Desktop, Applications and Games From the lively Disney graphics on the LCD lid and Mickey-shaped webcam lens to the Disney-themed desktop* and special Disney applications, the Disney Netpal by ASUS perfectly captures the magic of Disney. Kids can dress their desktops—aptly named Magic Desktop—in a wide variety of customizable themes featuring the lovable characters from Disney’s and Disney∙Pixar’s animated blockbusters, including Cars, Club Penguin, Disney Classic Characters, Disney Fairies, Disney Princess, Vintage Mickey Mouse, Toy Story and WALL-E. Themes that appeal to slightly older kids, such as Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers styles, are also available.

Adding to the educational fun are Disney-developed applications such as Disney Mix* for music and media management, Disney Pix* for photo customization and organization, and Radio Disney*. The Disney Pix application features fun Disney Bobblehead software, which lets kids insert images of their faces on top of bodies, download them into videos and postcards and play wacky moving dance scenes, for hours of fun. The Radio Disney* widget streams real-time music and lets kids simultaneously submit song requests, if they wish. The Disney Netpal by ASUS also includes a driving game, memory game and photo scrapbook.

Computing Is Easy: Kid-friendly Magic Desktop, Applications and Widgets The Disney Netpal by ASUS is designed to go from package to play in just minutes. Its Magic Desktop is an easy-to-use interface specially tailored to kids, boasting large icons and visual instructions that make it easy for kids to operate the computer. Rounding off the Disney Netpal by ASUS’ kid-friendly edutainment features is a collection of easily-accessible widgets, including an alarm clock, a digital memo pad which inserts “reminder notes” on the Magic Desktop, and a calculator.

Computing Is Safe: Durable Design with Robust Kid-safe Features The Disney Netpal by ASUS is designed to be kid-safe, both in terms of durability and content permissions. In terms of the former, the Disney Netpal by ASUS has a reinforced mechanical design that can withstand significant abuse, a spill-proof keyboard that protects against inadvertent liquid spills, and ShockShield Data Protection that guards against data loss when the computer is subjected to impacts. It also has a stable embedded polymer battery, which is safer as it prevents kids from inadvertently accessing or removing the battery and thereby subjecting themselves to electrical dangers.

With regard to content permissions, the Disney Netpal by ASUS provides a kid-safe computing environment through robust parental control measures, such as allowing parents to choose the websites their kids can visit, the people they can communicate with via email, and the programs they can use. These permissions can even be scheduled according to a calendar, providing parents with a convenient, automated means of granting access on the days and times set by them. Parents can also pull up data to determine where children spent time, and for how long. Right out of the box, the Disney browser launches more than 40 safe, pre-approved websites.

Pricing and Availability

The Disney Netpal by ASUS is available already in the select ASUS authorized dealers at Php19,990.

Specifications

Model	Disney Netpal by ASUS MK90H
Operating System	Genuine Windows® 7 Starter
Display	8.9″ LED-backlit
CPU	Intel® ATOM N270
WLAN	802.11 b/g/n
Memory	DDR2 SO-DIMM 1GB expandable 2GB max
Storage	160GB HDD
Interface	3 x USB 2.0 ports
Camera	0.3 M Pixel
Reader	MMC and SD (SDHC supported)
Audio	Hi-definition audio CODEC Built-in stereo speakers Analog Mic
Dimensions	248mm (W) x 173mm (D) x 28.7mm (H)
Weight	1kg with battery
Casing Colors	Princess Pink, Magic Blue

* Only available on models running English operating systems.
** Price may vary by location and specifications.
*** Subject to system configuration and usage.
Note: Specifications are subject to change without prior notice. Please visit www.asus.com for more details.

Sounds like fun, huh? pero sige na nga….I’ll look for a more adult mini laptop or netbook for myself!

Posted by Teacher Ria in Arts and Crafts, Tips and Tricks, Toys and Playthings | 0 Comments

Learning from scraps and household items

During the summer, it is customary in the preschool I work in to do a general cleaning where we get rid of all the old junk and make room for the new stuff that will come in for the upcoming school year. However, every year we seem to find more and more bits and pieces of scraps that we teachers can’t seem to let go off because we transform them into learning materials. We have a shelf-full of all sorts of odds and ends, from toilet paper rolls to old party hats, scraps of cloths and buttons, as well as all kinds of things you wouldn’t really think of keeping! Even old office papers find a home in our school. See that tall stack of white papers just waiting to become artworks?

Although it may look like a mess, this is a source of endless fun, adventure and learning, not just for the kids but even myself as their teacher! Teacher-made materials are excellent learning tools because you can design it to cater particular themes or needs your students have. Plus it can come out more cost-effective, especially if you teach in the Philippines where educational toys are quite expensive.

Here are some fun things my students and I have done with scraps and household items we’ve used as learning supplements in class:

Toilet Paper. I use these to measure my kids’ heights by taping to to the wall and counting how many squares tall they are. To further extend the lesson, we compare the number of each student then we put it in order from least to greatest. This teaches them sequencing, comparing greater and less than, and other math concepts

Gumamela flowers to make bubbles or other fallen flowers and leaves for drying or incorporating to handmade paper.  To make our handmade paper, we’ve used old window screens for straining and draining the paper pulp pressed together. Sometimes the paper comes out quite thick so we end up using this to make picture frames or other crafts.

Old water bottles are big favorites for kids! Whether its filling them up with colored water, stones or whatnot, they love shaking it around and are quite fascinated by what goes on inside the bottle! If you’re lucky, you can find those little connectors that allow you to put together two bottles to make one of these tornado bottles It works best though if the water bottle is the thicker kind of PET bottles.

Making Christmas crafts from leftover paper plates and cardboard is also a good way of harnessing a child’s creativity and fine-motor skills.

Wondering what to do with old tires? Make them into playground swings! A word of advise though: be careful when cutting the rubber because there are a lot of steel wires on the inside. We had this done by our school carpenter and he sanded down the wires and we wrapped them up in protective sealants before painting it.

Old egg trays or cartons can also be great ways to teach kids colors, one-to-one correspondence, matching and classification. This also helps stimulate a child’s thinking skills. For older kids, instead of using just colors, you can integrate other concepts to it. Ive also used old egg trays as 3D tic-tac-toe frames

Old newspapers and scratch papers are great for paper maché projects!

These are just a few things I’ve done (and have pictures to show of!) but there are so many other ideas to explore. One of my other favorite household trash items I love to use are toilet paper rolls!!! They’ve become musical instruments, bahay-bahayan toys and even presents made by the kids for mom and dad.

So, whenever you have trash at home, think twice about what can be done with these. Just be crafty!

Posted by Teacher Ria in Toys and Playthings | 0 Comments

Must Have Toys: Playdough

This is the first in a series of toys and playthings that I plan to feature in this site. Some of these “must haves” may be commercially available and some homemade.  This series does not necessarily aim to promote a product, but perhaps to highlight the value of such TYPES of products. On occasion, however, I am open to endorsing a product or item, but only if I beleive in it
One of the most valuable playthings for children, in my opinion is playdough.  For me, it’s like literally giving a kid a world of possibilities in their hands. Playdough does not only offer kids a fun time, it also exercises their imagination, gives them opportunities to share, and allows them to learn simple concepts such as shapes and sizes. For older kids concepts can include fractions and parts of a whole. I’ve also used playdough to help teach kids about textures. These definitely highlight why playdough is a must have plaything for kids.

I prefer the softer playdough over the harder modelling clays which are more difficult to manipulate. There are many popular brands out there, but I go for the homemade ones for two main reasons: one, it’s more economical and two, the kids can actually be involved in making the dough!

You can Google a lot of different playdough recipes, but here’s one I particularly like and use myself:

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

2 tbsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. food coloring* (if you wanna make different colors, hold off adding this until you divide the mixture)

1 tbsp. oil

1 cup water

Procedure:

1. Dissolve the salt in the water in a medium saucepan. If you are using rock salt, dissolve as best as you can and remove the remaining crystals to avoid lumpy clay.

2. Add in the flour, oil, coloring* and cream of tartar. Stir over medim heat for about 5 minutes or until you can form a ball and holds together. If you’d like to make different colors of dough, do not add the coloring until after the dough has been cooked. Then divide the mixture and add in drops of food coloring as you desire.

3. Cool slightly then knead the ball of dough on a lightly floured surface, preferrably while still somewhat warm.

4. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

This  recipe is generally safe and non-toxic for children. I like adding a few drops of essential oils to make the dough smell yummy. My preferences include peppermint, cinnamon, and vanilla. However, I make sure to label my container with a “do not put in your mouth” sign and only let the older children use it as young toddlers may try to taste the dough!

What I like about this cooked type of dough is that it has a very stretchy, bouncy consistency that’s not too sticky, which uncooked doughs tend to be.

Do try it out and have fun! Let me know how it works for you!

Posted by Teacher Ria in Teacher's Corner, Toys and Playthings | 0 Comments

The Dangers of Technology.

One question many parents have asked me is whether or not it would be a good idea to give their children mobile phones or perhaps allow them to join social networking sites such as Friendster or Multiply. Being a big fan of modern day technology, my answer is often yes, as long as you think your child is ready for it. I even encourage blogging and keeping an online journal because this helps hone their writing skills. It also develops their thinking skills, as well as builds their vocabulary and enhance logical thinking.

However, as much as I am a big supporter of the internet as a venue for learning, I am taking this time to take pause and outline some of the danger technology brings, especially to the youth of today. This comes as my reaction to the increasing numbers of sex videos, sexually explicit photographs and innuendos found not just in the internet, and even on personal mobile phones and devices.

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Posted by Teacher Ria in Toys and Playthings | 6 Comments

Teacher is a Pet.

Should pets be allowed in the classroom? Pushing the question further, should kids be allowed to keep pets?

For me, I would say yes. However, this can become a controversial issue for many schools, what with the question of accountability in case of an accident with a pet in class.  I cannot discount the fact that there have been incidences where pets lash out at an owner and in some cases, even maim, hurt, and worse, kill a child. I do not know the statistics of these cases, but they do exist.  Further, in my school for example, I have had to deal with a number of parent requests to not have animals in class because their children are allergic or asthmatic. While I do honor and respect these requests, I try to find compromises that will allow me to introduce concepts with pets as the teachers.

Pets make wonderful teachers. Why?

Pets can definitely help teach basic math skills, such as counting, addition and subtraction. They can also teach children about the life cycle, digestion, and even death. But more than anything, pets teach kids very important life lessons that cannot really be taught by just hearing it. Taking care of a pet can teach a child three important R’s, and I’m not talking about “reading, (w)riting, and (a)rithmetic” here. With our four- (sometimes more, some times less!!!) legged friends kids learn responsibility, respect and (g)ratitude.

Through caring for a pet, a child learns how to be responsible and to take responsibility for their actions. They become aware of the need to maintain a schedule, to participate in tasks and to understand that there are consequences to actions.

With pets, a child of any age can begin to learn the value of respect. They begin to realize that one has to be gentle and to honor one’s space. They are taught to be kind and to empathize with others. They also realize that one cannot just do what he or she wants because others have feelings, too, as they recognize how it could feel to be in someone else’s shoes . In the same manner, a child can also begin to understand how it is to interact and engage with others around him/her.

Another important and crucial life lesson children can learn from animals is gratitude. It doesn’t take much to please an animal, and they’re not afraid to show it. With the wag of their tail, snuggle on your side, or a lick on your hand, animals say thank you for kindness shown to them. When their pets show them some love, children can begin to understand that showing gratitude is a great thing to do.

These are among the few very important lessons a pet can teach a child.

For me, my personal pet pick is a dog. However, for class, especially since I teach toddlers,  I would pick smaller and less hairy pets, such as turtles or fish. Does your child have a pet? Or are you considering getting him/her one? If so, what is it? Leave a comment and share your stories!