Preteen (10-12 years old)

Shish-Ke-Balloon!

balloon on a skewer

Looking for a way to liven up a party with kids? This trick will have them cringing in anticipations and then gasping in awe at your sweet skills. You only need a skewer, a balloon and a little dish detergent. Make sure you don't blow up the balloon any bigger than the length of your […]

Balancing Act For Kids

scale for kids 4.5

Balance is one of those life lessons that everyone needs to learn both figuratively and literally. But for kids, literal balance is where it's at. Here's an interesting way for kids to learn about balance. All you need for this experience is a hanger, some string and two equal buckets. Hang your hanger on a […]

Magical Self-moving Toothpick Star

toothpick star 4

Here's a fun and easy experiment to do with your kids in a slow moment of the day. All you need is five toothpicks, a plate, a straw and a glass of water. Snap your toothpicks in half but don't separate them completely. Arrange the broken toothpicks equally apart in a circle. Use the straw […]

Creative Uses For Sidewalk Chalk

With the weather outside getting warmer, I've been more inspired to find fun ways for kids to stay outside. Sidewalk chalk is a go-to for summer fun. All you need is some blacktop and color for your kids to create a masterpiece. And when it rains you have a fresh canvas to start over.  I […]

Chicken In A Cup

chicken in a cup

Today we found a funny experiment to try with your kids that will have your house sounding like a barn yard. Take a plastic cup and poke a hole in the top with something sharp. A sturdy plastic cup  will give you a better grip later. Tie a piece of yarn to a paper clip […]

Learning Shapes with Rubber Bands

easy to make geo board

Today we made our own geo board to encourage young kids with their fine motor skills as well as to teach them about shapes. This was a pretty easy project but also a figure-it-out-as-you-go one. First we hot glued a few squares of cardboard together. Originally, I thought two would be enough but in the […]

Duct Tape Mini Golf

mini golf 8

Growing up, my family played mini golf quite often. It’s one of my sister’s favorite things to do so every summer she’d find any excuse and opportunity to have us all play a round. Some times though, there just aren’t enough moments together in the day to make a whole family outing to play an […]

Dogs Can Teach Your Kids Responsibility

Dogs not only keep us fit and offer unconditional love and companionship, they can also teach kids how to be responsible. Caring for a living thing gives them a real task that they can benefit from. They will learn what it feels like to have a living creature rely on them, and that teaches responsibility […]

Sail away with your own cork boat

cork boats

Ahoy, matey! All hands on deck! Jump aboard this simple adventure that will leave your kids with their own floating boat. For this easy project we just used a few items from the junk drawer. Three corks String Two rubber bands Construction paper A twist tie Rubber band the three corks together. Tie a string at the […]

Balloon to the Moon!

balloon rocket 4

Send your balloon to the moon! Here's a fun experiment that shows the power you have with just a breath of air. All you need is: Tape String A Straw A Balloon Tape your string up high to really see the rocket effect. Thread your straw through the other side of the string. Then blow […]

Green Eggs, No Ham – Great Indoor Gardening for Kids

Invite spring into your home with some easy indoor gardening! Making cress eggs is not just a great Easter decoration, it's also the perfect opportunity to show your kids how plants grow and what they need - and they are growing their own food in the process. My niece and I started our little indoor […]

Don’t Drop the Egg!

egg spoon game 2

In the 1900 London marathon, there was a runner who raced while holding an uncooked egg on a dessert spoon. He finished in 3 hours and 47 minutes. As you can see, the egg on a spoon race has a mighty history. So with the spring weather and all the eggs your kids will be collecting from the Easter […]

Get them moving – Dogs as Kids’ Personal Trainers

In times of tablets, computers, cell phones and TV with all their apps and shows, it can be hard to get your kids outside, let alone doing sports. Some kids naturally want to run and jump all over the place, others might need a little encouragement. When the playground is too far away or it […]