Kids

Remember the fascinating things you learned in science class at school? When you have science experiments to do with kids at home, you can share amazing facts about our world. These fun activities and science projects are ideal for weekend enrichment or homeschooling assignments.

Children are intrinsically curious about their environment and how things work, so science is often their favorite subject. Doing science experiments at home appeal to all learning styles and can be tailored by age and learning levels. You may also choose experiments for your children according to their scientific interests.

You needn’t be Einstein or conduct experiments in a state-of-the-art laboratory. Many science experiments to do with kids can be done with everyday objects at home. Be sure that your science experiments are age-appropriate and performed with adult supervision.

Your children may have a science project due for school or as a homeschooling project. Maybe you want to learn something while having fun on a rainy day. Either way, you will be spending quality time with your gang while imparting valuable knowledge.

Perhaps you can make these experiments an exciting family hobby. Put on your lab coats, don your goggles, and light up the Bunsen burners. It’s time to discover the world with these ten science experiments to do with your kids that they will enjoy.

10 Fun Science Experiments for the Kids

1. Potato Power Battery

Who would have guessed that the humble potato could generate enough electricity to power a small clock? This enlightening experiment uses things you probably have around the house. Your kids will need two large fresh potatoes, two zinc nails, a tiny battery LED clock, and two bulky copper wires 6-8 inches long attached to alligator clips.

On a clean counter space, arrange the potatoes and push a nail into one side of each potato. Now, push one end of copper wire into the opposite end of the potato. Take the battery out of the clock and set it aside.

Place one alligator clip on the positive pole of the clock and the other clip on the negative. Watch your kids’ amazement when the clock lights up and works. Explain to them the basic principles of electricity and how the potato’s acid and the copper conduct it.

2. Weather Watcher: Tornado in a Bottle

Science experiments to do with kids at home can be perfect tools for learning about the weather. Natural disasters such as tornadoes are just as fascinating for children as they are frightening. Learning the science behind it helps kids process their fears better.

Science experiments with kids need not be messy. Give each child two clean 2-liter bottles with a connector you can find inexpensively online. Fill one of the bottles with water, a few drops of food coloring, and some glitter. Spin the mixture in the top bottle and set it upright on a flat surface.

The whirling motion creates a miniature tornado as air moves upward, and the liquid splashes into the bottom bottle. This experiment demonstrates how the collision of warm air and cold air creates an angry vortex in a thunderstorm.

3. Slime Time

What is it about neon-colored gooey slime that appeals to kids of all ages? Are you struggling to find science experiments to do with kids? This project is one of the science experiments to do with kids that teaches a lesson and makes a fun toy. You could buy a pricey container of slime in the store or make it for pennies at home.

You can find countless recipes for homemade slime online. However, most of them will include school glue, water, borax, and a little food coloring. You can glam your slime up a little with glitter and Styrofoam pellets. Make a big batch to divide between the kids and explain how the borax makes the glue’s molecules cling into one blob.

4. Germ Buster

How many times have you reminded your children to wash their hands? How about conducting a zany science experiment to illustrate the germ buster principle? Your kids will get a visual of how soap can repel germs.

Fill a small bowl with water and sprinkle the surface with a little black pepper. Now, place a bit of hand soap on the tip of your index finger and lightly touch the water’s surface. The pepper will instantly be repelled to the sides of the bowl because of the dense soap breaking surface tension.

Explain how washing your hands with soap and water repel microscopic bacteria and viruses. Reiterate the importance of when their hands should be washed and how to wash them. Scrubbing their hands to the tune of Happy Birthday completes the necessary 20-second rule.

5. Tasty Science: Homemade Ice Cream

Did you realize that we need scientific reactions to make some of our favorite foods? This idea is a yummy science experiment to do with kids that they will want to do often. They will be amazed to find out the process that creates ice cream.

Instead of purchasing a pricey ice cream maker, all you need is simple ingredients, ice, rock salt, a pint-sized resealable plastic bag, and a gallon-sized one. Use your favorite ice cream recipe and modify it for about two servings.

Fill the gallon bag halfway with ice and about six tablespoons of rock salt. Mix the ice cream ingredients in a measuring cup, pour it in the small bag, and bury it in the ice. Churn it in your hands for a few minutes, and you will have an amazing mixture that tastes great.

6. Freeze Water Instantly

Your children know that it takes time for water to freeze. However, there is a neat trick that you can do to speed up that process. You need some purified water, and you cool it to where it’s just below 32 degrees, or the freezing point. Then, all you need to do is place an ice cube in the water or shake the water a bit, and it will flash freeze.

Your children will think they have superpowers when they can turn water into a frozen mixture with a quick maneuver. There are so many science experiments to do with kids and so little time.

7. Make a Lava Lamp

One of the best science experiments to do with kids is making a lava lamp. Lava lamps are amazing to watch, but you can make them in the comfort of your home. All you need is a 2-liter bottle, some cooking oil, food coloring, water, and Alka Seltzer tablets.

Start by filling the bottle to about three-fourths of the way full of vegetable or canola oil. Next, you want to finish filling the bottle with water from your tap. Add a few drops of food coloring to the mixture. The oil and water constantly battle inside the container, which makes it dance.

The food coloring will gravitate to the oil, so the movements are colored. Lastly, add the Alka Seltzer tablets. If you want to make the show even more spectacular, then you can add some glitter of any color. Also, putting a flashlight behind it can make it look like a real lava lamp. You can do this at home without spending a dime.

8. Create Elephant Toothpaste

Have you ever heard of elephant toothpaste? The foaming reaction that this science experiment gives is as fascinating as watching a rocket shoot from a cannon. All you need is to take dish soap, food coloring, warm water, yeast, and hydrogen peroxide.

Take three tablespoons of water, a few squirts of dish soap, and some food coloring into a bottle. Then, add one-half of a cup of hydrogen peroxide to the mixture. Mix everything thoroughly. Last, you want to pour the yeast into the bottle.

It’s best to use a funnel to ensure the yeast doesn’t get everywhere. Then, wait for the chemical reaction to begin. The foaming wonder makes a spectacular sight that your children will enjoy.

9. Soap Clouds

Ivory is one of the purest soaps out there. Put the soap in the microwave oven and set it on the popcorn setting. The soap will begin to burst and make puffy clouds. The chemical reaction the soap has from the heat is spectacular.

Children will love watching the soap explode into a puffy mixture they can play with for hours. Plus, they can take it in the shower and wash with this uniquely created soap mass too.

10. Magic Mud

If your children always want to play in the mud, then you might want to consider making a cleaner version for them to explore. Magic mud is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. To do this project, you will need some food coloring, one cup of water, and two cups of cornstarch.

You can use whatever food coloring you want to get the color you desire. If you want it to resemble mud, indeed, then you should use brown or black. Make sure to let your kids mix it with their hands and make several colored batches to have all sorts of fun.

It’s very similar to play dough, and they will enjoy designed amazing creations.

Final Thoughts: These Science Experiments Are Fun and Educational for Your Children on a Rainy Day

Whether you’re stuck inside because it’s raining or you are sheltering-in-place, then these activities will be a fun way for you and your child to explore many fabulous science projects. There are so many science experiments to do with kids that you can fill all those long days with plenty of fun.

Telecommuting is becoming increasingly popular today. For the family with children, a stay at home job means that you don’t need to pay the exorbitant daycare bills. However, it takes a unique person to work from home with kids and juggle everything.

Children thrive in their home environment. Having the pleasure of working from home means that you get to be a part of all their milestones. Additionally, you don’t need to worry about what may or may not be happening at the daycare or babysitters’ home.

Setting Boundaries When You Work From Home With Kids

No one can care for your child like you. Consequently, it’s a real balancing act to try to juggle the role of employee and parent simultaneously. How can you bring in the bacon while making lunch and changing diapers too? Here are some healthy boundaries to help you make working from home with kids a success.

1. Maintain A Routine

Some jobs are a bit more restrictive than others. Whether you can work whenever you want, or you need to punch the virtual time clock doesn’t matter. You must have a routine to be successful.

It’s easy to get your days and nights mixed up when you allow the children to dictate the routine. To feel and be a success in this job setting, you need a schedule. The beauty of being at home is that you can lay in that extra 15 minutes or you can take a longer lunch.

Get up bright and early and start your day. You don’t need to account for traffic on the commute and dressing for success. Just make sure you keep a schedule so that the children don’t get their sleep patterns off balance, which can affect the entire home.

2. Have A Dedicated Workspace

Working from your dining room or the coffee table in the living room will only last so long. You must have a dedicated space so that you can be organized. Also, the children must learn that this area is off-limits to little hands.

If you’re lucky to have a room where you can close the door, then it works out great. No matter where you set your home office, it must be a space that allows you to concentrate. If your children are younger, then you will need to be close to keep an eye on them.

Kids of all ages must learn that they can’t mess with your papers, scissors, pens, or other necessary office supplies. Establish early on that your space is for you only. Having clear rules about your work area will help to learn the importance of leaving you and your things alone in this zone.

If your children are older and more responsible, then you may want to put a sign on the door to let them know when it’s safe to come in. If you’re going to be on a conference call or doing a Skype chat, then you want to put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door.

Having some simple boundaries can save you from some embarrassing situations that can arise as you work from home with kids.

3. Have A Sitter on Back-Up

While working from home allows you the freedom to watch your children, there may be times when you need to go to the office. Each career has different demands, and you must be flexible to adjust to those requirements. If you need to go to a meeting, then your boss is not going to want you to bring the children along.

Have a person that you can trust to watch your kids for a few hours each week, if necessary. Even if you don’t need to go to the office, you must get out and get some fresh air at times. You and your children will enjoy a break from each other on occasion.

4. Enhance Your Ability to Focus on One Task at a Time

Before you even begin your job where you work from home with kids, you need to be a multi-tasker. You may be changing diapers while talking to your boss or a client. You need to learn the power of the mute button on the phone.

Get a good pair of earbuds that have noise cancellation features. There are times when you need to ask the children to be quiet, and you don’t want the entire office to hear your banter with the youngsters. No matter how hard you try to mold them, your children are not always going to be perfect angels.

It takes a special person to balance the life of a parent and career individual from your abode. Setting boundaries is imperative, but you must also be able to do a juggling act every day.

5. Learn to Drown Out the Chaos

Have you ever seen or been with a parent that has their kids screaming and playing around them and doesn’t seem to be bothered by the noise? You must become that parent who can tune out the chaos to get anything done. No matter the age of your children, you will always have them at your door and in your face wanting and needing you for something.

Sadly, it doesn’t seem to get any better when they are older. To be a parent who works from home with kids, you need not let every little noise bother you. Unless you’re on the call with a boss or talking to a customer, then drown the noise out.

Some parents who work from home like to play classical music in their earbuds while they work. They can still hear the kids should there be an incident that they need to help with, but they can focus on the task at hand, thanks to the likes of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.

6. Let Workers Know You Have Kids or Pets

Your employer should know if there is anything that can distract you during the day. Some jobs know and expect that there will be children, spouses, and pets that can interrupt, and they are okay with it.

If your job requires you to be on video conference calls, you should let everyone know upfront if a child may come in crying or a dog may bark. It helps everyone else to learn why you may have that mute button on more than the next person.

Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of a meeting before you let everyone know. Working at home can be chaotic on a good day, so it’s best that your company understands your situation and knows what to expect during such events.

7. Carve Out Time for You

Boundaries are essential with your children, but you must also set some personal boundaries to ensure your sanity. Working from home is not for the faint of heart. You won’t get the social interaction that you need.

In your weekly planner, you must include things that allow you to have some free time. You need a night with your buddies or wine with the girls. You must have some time that is just for fun and relaxation that’s outside your home.

When you work and live in the same place, it can be quite overwhelming never to have an escape. Your sanity demands that you have some time away from your home and out amongst other people.

8. Tell Your Children What You Expect

You must tell your children what you expect while you are working. They should have clearly defined rules to ensure your success. While you cannot talk with a newborn about rules, a five-year-old can undoubtedly know the importance of leaving mommy or daddy alone while they’re telecommuting.

When you work from home with kids, you must somehow make money while taking care of their needs. So they need to know why your job is so outstanding and why they need good behavior. Make a rule sheet and enforce these rules to ensure that your days are a little easier.

9. Give Your Children an Approved List of Activities

Your kids need to have an approved list of activities that they can do while you are working. Some great things for them to do can be:

•Color
•Watch TV
•Play on Tablet
•Video Games (with limits)
•Play with Toys

Then they also need to know things they cannot do, like:

•Go Outside Without Permission
•Ride Bike Too Far
•Play with Noisy Toys
•Argue with Siblings
•Get in Swimming Pool or Hot Tub Unattended
•Cook

Keep in mind that these guidelines must be written the age in mind. A 15-year-old can do some light cooking or ride their bike, but you wouldn’t want a seven-year-old to feel adventurous.

Final Thoughts: Strike a Balanced Life and Work from Home with Kids Successfully

Whether you chose to work from home with kids or you were forced into this role, you need to make the best of the situation. Telecommuting is the wave of the future. It can be a great way to make a living and be there for all your children’s little moments.

Childcare is such a considerable cost, and you can’t forget the savings in transportation costs too. If you can make working from home with kids a success, then, by all means, you should do it. Setting effective boundaries will ensure that your home can be both your haven of rest and place of employment.

How to Talk to Your Kids About Being Broke

When it comes to managing your money, raising a family can present a serious challenge.

If you’re worried about how to discuss being broke with your children, there are a number of ways you can handle this all too common situation.

Read on for a few helpful tips that explore how to handle being broke and how to talk about it with your kids in a smart, responsible way.

Explain the Concept of Saving

Instead of being negative and constantly focusing on being broke, try to approach the situation in a more positive way. One way to do this is to talk to your kids about saving your hard-earned money for a rainy day or for a major purchase.

If your children ask you why they can’t get that new pair of jeans or go out for ice cream, let them know that you’re planning to save your money for bigger things. Let them know that you can’t always splurge on expensive or extra purchases all the time.

Kids need to understand frugality at an early age, and this is one way to use it to your advantage. Talk to your children about spending versus saving so they have a grasp of how to use money more wisely, even when you’re broke.

Being Broke Inspires Creativity

While being broke can be a real downer, it can also encourage you to try something new. If you’re short on cash, look for fun ways to spend time with your kids that don’t cost a ton of money.

Stay at home and play board games or work on a new craft together. You can also encourage your kids to cook with you and learn a new skill in the kitchen.

Just because you’re broke at the moment, it doesn’t mean you have to be bored or restless. This is the perfect time to get creative and come up with new ways to spend your time as a family without spending money.

Work on Your Finances in Private

Your children don’t need to know every single aspect of your financial life. Kids can feel it when you’re stressed out, so try your best to take the emphasis off of being broke as much as possible.

In the meantime, look into ways you can improve your financial situation such as finding debt consolidation solutions or lowering your credit card interest rate. Talk to a financial advisor who can help you come up with new ways to save and regroup your debt so you have better cash flow.

There’s no shame in being broke as long as you know how to handle it with grace. Work on your money situation privately so you can focus on the important things when you spend time with your kids.

Handling Money Woes with Grace

Even if you’re thinking “I’m tired of being broke,” there are still plenty of things you can do to enjoy your day-to-day. Don’t be afraid to talk to your kids about money, but try and keep the focus positive so that you don’t stress yourself or your children out.

For more about pregnancy, family, wellness and much more visit our website today!

9 Surprising Benefits of Martial Arts for Kids

As a sport, martial arts is something that attracts many kids. The very nature of martial arts requires that in order to be any good at it, students work at it for long periods of time. Thus, parents who want their kids to be excellent martial artists will put their kids in the sport often far earlier than is typical for other sports.

This is for good reason — there are many excellent benefits of martial arts for kids. Martial arts offers development for kids in a way that no other sport can quite parallel. In this article, we’ve listed nine such benefits, with explanations of how kids achieve each of those benefits.

1. Excellent Coordination

One of the best benefits of martial arts for kids is the coordination that is sure to result. As a child, one is still learning how to use one’s body and coordinate it. Any kind of martial arts imparts excellent coordination skills.

This is because the punches, kicks, and defenses that are required in martial arts are very varied, but all rely greatly on timing and precision. A punch has to be thrown precisely, and the same goes for a kick and any type of defense.

Thus, the kid learns how to control his or her body, and also gains excellent hand-eye coordination.

2. Mental Strength

One of the key attributes that one requires to be good at martial arts is mental strength. After all, when one is in a sparring match, think of what that entails. At the end of the day, someone is trying to impart physical hurt on you!

To be able to understand that, absorb that, and still perform at a high level physically under that mental pressure will no doubt develop intense mental strength in your child. This mental strength will crossover into many other things later on in the child’s life, be it with regard to tough schoolwork or major life decisions.

3. Teachability

Martial arts for kids is an excellent choice because like any other sport, it requires the child to be extremely teachable. No martial arts coach will allow any nonsense or tantrums from your kid. In order to at better at it, your child must approach the sport with a teachable spirit. 

If your child is not willing to be coached, chances are the martial arts coach won’t allow him or her to pursue the sport for very long!

Once your child learns this teachability, you’ll find that parenting him or her home becomes much easier as well!

4. Physical Progression

Martial arts is easily one of the most demanding sports out there. Just try punching or kicking a bag for several three-minute rounds. It isn’t easy! In addition to being excellent cardiovascular training, it will also physically progress and train your child in other ways.

The net result is that your child’s muscles will grow faster, they will have greater core strength, and they’ll be able to perform far better at any other sports that they may decide to play down the road.

5. Teamwork

You might be scratching your head at this one. Teamwork? Isn’t martial arts an individual sport?

Yes it is — however, martial arts is still able to teach kids great teamwork. This is because in order to get better at martial arts, one has to spar with other students frequently. Thus, the students have to be able to communicate with each other after these sparring matches in order to learn what they could do better and how they can improve.

Consequently, your child will learn one of the most fundamental skills of teamwork: how to give and take constructive feedback. In addition, many martial arts competitions are team-based, and your child is sure to form extremely close friendships that will stay with him or her for years.

6. Compassion

Martial arts teaches compassion. Whether one is in a true competition or in a simple sparring match, one will learn to never take his or her opponent past their limit. It suffices to beat their opponent; they never need to mercilessly crush them.

With the right coach, your child will learn to be compassionate on those who may not be as good as them and will learn to be careful to use their own strength in a way that doesn’t physically damage another child in the long-term.

7. Fighting Skills

At the end of their martial arts training, your child will be a better fighter! The skills that they have will come in handy if there ever should arise a situation where your child has to stand their ground against a bully or needs to employ self-defense tactics while getting robbed at night.

These skills are extremely valuable and will no doubt be given to your children if they train for martial arts.

8. Confidence

Being good at martial arts, due to the very physical nature of the sport, will inspire your child with much confidence growing up. Being good at any sport gives your child something to take pride in, and the very nature of martial arts will allow your child to hold his or her head high among their peers.

9. Athletic Competition

Competition is good for a child so that they can learn how to compete graciously and exhibit sportsmanlike behavior. If your child ends up having a natural ability for martial arts, he or she may be able to participate in some competitions.

Not only will this teach them work ethic as they train for these competitions, but it will teach them how to be a good winner, if they are fortunate enough to win, but also how to be gracious in a loss if they ever miss the mark at a competition.

The Best Benefits of Martial Arts for Kids

At the end of the day, it is clear that the benefits of martial arts for kids simply cannot be ignored. If you’re on the fence about putting your child in martial arts training, think about these benefits that your child is sure to gain!

For more lifestyle advice, be sure to check out the rest of the articles on the website!

Start Em Young: When to Schedule Your Kid’s First Dentist Appointment

Dental health is incredibly important, not just for your teeth, but for your entire body. In fact, dental disease has been linked to other health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, pneumonia, and low-birth-weight in infants.

So it’s important to have regular dental checkups every year, but when should you first take your child to have their first dentist appointment? The answer may surprise you, read on to find out!

At What Age Should Your Child Have Their First Dentist Appointment?

Typically, your child’s baby teeth will begin to come in around 6 months of age. Every child is different, however, and some children don’t begin teething until closer to 12 months, or even older. The lower front incisors are typically the first teeth to come in.

As soon as that first tooth is visible, it’s time to make your appointment. You want to have your child see a dentist right at the beginning because the dentist will be able to check and make sure that your child’s teeth are developing normally.

If you have an established family dentist, they may be able to see your child, or you can make an appointment with a pediatric dentist who specializes in children’s teeth. Your pediatrician should be able to recommend someone if you are having trouble finding one.

Benefits of Starting Dental Appointments Right Away

It may seem like overkill to some to see a dentist for a single tooth, but there are several benefits of starting your child’s dental relationship young. The first benefit is the opportunity for early intervention. The sooner a dentist can check on your child’s tooth development, the sooner they can intervene if there is a problem.

Another benefit of seeing the dentist right away is the comfort of your child. Many children can be frightened of the dentist, but exposing your child to dental checkups, and making them familiar with their dentist at such an early age helps them to get used to it and consider it normal rather than scary. 

Lastly, establishing good dental care is important for children because the prevention of cavities is much better than treatment. The only thing worse than a baby with a toothache is what you have to do to fix it. Small children cannot use the same numbing and sedation medications that adults do when they get cavities filled and have to undergo a much more dangerous procedure where they are put under general anesthesia and go to the operating room just to have a cavity filled!

Start Them Early, It’s the Tooth!

So you see, as soon as you see that first tooth, a first dentist appointment is not far behind. Making sure that your child establishes dental care early will ensure that they stay healthy and keep that beautiful smile you love so much!

We hope you enjoyed this article. If you did, stick around! We’ve got many more to inform and entertain you!

Only the Best for Your Kids: What to Consider When Choosing a Kids’ Dentist

How common are cavities? The answer is they are quite common. According to the CDC, 20% of children between the ages of 5 and 11 will have at least one untreated cavity.

What’s the best way to prevent them? By brushing your teeth. Ideally, you want to do so at least twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.

Not only that, but it’s important to floss. If anything, it’s one of the best things that you can do to prevent dental disease. Of course, going to the dentist regularly helps as well.

Do you have little ones? Thinking of bringing them to a kids’ dentist for a checkup? If so, you’re on the right page!

We’ll be going over some tips on how to choose the best dentist below. Keep reading to learn more! 

5 Tips on How to Find the Best Dentist for Your Child

Looking for a pediatric dentist? Here are some things that might help with your search!

1. Ask Other Parents For Recommendations 

Are you friends with other parents? If so, don’t hesitate to ask them for recommendations. Chances are, they’ll be happy to tell you about their experiences.

Feel free to ask them questions as well. For instance, you can inquire about the atmosphere and comfort of the office—things that a simple phone call might not reveal.

2. Check Online Reviews 

Reviews are a great source of insider information. Give them a read—you’ll probably be able to learn a lot from them. After all, people like to write about their own experiences.

As far as where to find reviews, there are various sites that you can use such as Yelp and RateMDs. Of course, you can always just Google it.

3. Call the Office

Found a dentist that might be a good fit? The next step is to pick up the phone and call them. You want to ask them any questions that you might have. 

For instance, you might want to inquire about their policies. Do they let parents stay with their child during the appointment? That might be important if you plan on staying by their side.

4. Schedule a Consultation 

Most dentists will be happy to schedule a consultation with you. Of course, you’ll want to bring your child—that way, you can see how they’ll interact with the dentist.

Ideally, you want to pick someone who has a preventive approach. In other words, they should be proactive about preventing future issues. 

5. Give Them a Visit

Visit the office before making an appointment. Check to see if they cater to children. For instance, some offices have play areas in the waiting room, which can help ease your child’s nerves.

The last thing that you want to do is to bring them to an uninviting exam room!

Picking a Kids’ Dentist 

And there we have it—five things to consider when you’re choosing a kids’ dentist. If anything, you want to do your research. Don’t just pick one randomly!

Was this post helpful? If so, feel free to share it with your friends!