Inspire young readers with storytelling and story writing apps

Posted on May 12, 2013 by RealKid Stuff

As the school years starts to wind down it’s great to have a check-in with the kids to see how far they’ve come since the start of the school year. For me the true test of how they’ve grown in the school year is in their progression in reading and writing.

Storytelling or storybook apps are good way to check out reading fluency and sight word recognition. Story writing apps offer an opportunity to check progress in writing style, writing in a sequential manner, spelling, grammar, punctuation, imagination and character development. The apps below are a great tool for evaluation and practice in a fun learning environment. Continue reading →

From traditional to unique – the best gift guide to shower Mom with love

Posted on May 5, 2013 by RealKid Stuff

I’ve been seeing some great ideas and deals lately from my affiliates for Mother’s Day that I wanted to share so I’ve put together a Mother’s Day Gift Guide for inspiration. Continue reading →

Why great leaders inspire action featuring Simon Senek

Posted on May 5, 2013 by RealKid Stuff

I recently shared this great Ted Talk video with my older daughter. Her class had studied Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. earlier this year and we had some great discussions about what makes a great leader. I shared the video by Simon Senek called “Why Great Leader Inspire Action.”

I wanted her to know that to be a great leader it’s OK to do things differently. Great leaders do things differently and inspire action because they can connect with others through core beliefs which are surface through why they do what they do.

The video is focused on why some companies succeed where others that are similar, don’t, it can be a bit long for a kid to sit through and not zone out, so it might be best to watch it first and choose some select areas that mean the most to you. For my daughter I made the connection to what a great leader Martin Luther King Jr. was and why people followed him so she could relate.

Here are some key times in the video that I shared that relate to Dr. King:

The initial reference to Dr. King is at the beginning
There is a good explanation on how great leaders differentiate themselves at 2 minutes into the video
Great story about the M.L.K. Jr. speech is 15 minutes into the video (15:34):

Enjoy!

Simon Senek’s video on Why Great Leaders Inspire Action:

How to: Prepare for family pets in an emergency

Posted on April 21, 2013 by RealKid Stuff

We continue the series of how to prepare for an emergency by adding some valuable information on how to include pets in the family emergency kit. Over 60 percent of families like ours have animals who they consider members of the family so what is the best way to make sure the furry ones in your life get through an emergency? Continue reading →

Top 5 drawing apps for all ages

Posted on April 7, 2013 by RealKid Stuff

Like many kids my girls love to draw. I’ve found that drawing and art apps are a great way for the kids to be creative in another way and save paper. For my older daughter this school year has been full of reports so some of the apps below work well to spruce up projects that can use drawings or text in combination with photos or diagrams.

Typically drawing apps can cover a range of ages with younger kids developing fundamentals and older kids developing details so I usually take the recommended ages as a guide but not a rule since each kid, regardless of age, can have a different level of skill. I like to find apps that grow with the kid’s abilities so this month’s featured art apps are great for kids of all ages. Continue reading →

Spring art – super easy paper collage Easter egg art project for all ages

Posted on March 27, 2013 by RealKid Stuff

This is a super simple Easter or spring art project kids can do that looks fantastic, encourages creativity and scales to different ages. Using tissue paper squares and Mod Podge or white glue you paint the paper to the eggs and create a layered look that is colorful with each egg having a unique look and color combination.

The eggs can be styrofoam or plastic and can be picked up at the local art store or dollar store. If you’re really adventurous you can use real eggs and blow out the raw egg inside but I wouldn’t recommend that with young kids or it might be really frustrating when they break. Continue reading →

Sweet dreams in stylish pajamas

Posted on March 25, 2013 by RealKid Stuff

My kids love pajamas. We typically relax at home in pj’s and now even at school they have a pj day during the year. As the kids get older their style and preferences change as well so I’m always on the look out for nice, quality made pj’s that match our current interests.

Right now we’re full into Star Wars and Princess’ so I was super excited to see that Hanna Andersson has a great line of both.

Continue reading →

Fun Spring and Easter art projects

Posted on March 23, 2013 by RealKid Stuff

Just in time for Easter and Spring Break I’ve collected some great ideas for art projects that are kid friendly, look great and foster creativity.

Take a lead from the season and focus on flowers, baskets, Easter eggs with a twist and colorful stain-glass projects.

I have a featured art project, as seen above, for kids of all ages to make a paper collage Easter egg a that is a fun way to get excited for the spring and Easter season.

Also check out the great ideas selected on my Easter Pinterest Board.

Enjoy!

How to encourage deep thinking in kids – Why great leaders inspire action

Posted on March 16, 2013 by RealKid Stuff

My daughter is learning about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Great opportunity for some deep thinking skill building, right?

I grew up in Philadelphia and as kids we had a strong connection to the civil rights movement. Maybe it was being a child of the 70′s and seeing how much, yet little, things changed at the time but we saw first hand that we still needed to fight for equality on a lot of different levels.

In my daughter’s class the students watched a movie and were given questions about the Civil Rights Movement. Looking at the questions it really inspired me to have one of those passionate talks with her about life. I wanted to connect her to my own experiences and share the importance of civil rights and how we can inspire change while building her deep thinking skills. Continue reading →

Top 5 Apps for Science – Electrons, Chemistry, Astronomy

Posted on March 2, 2013 by RealKid Stuff

This month we’re heavy into science at school so we’re focusing on apps supporting learning physics, astronomy and chemistry.

Science apps serve can serve two needs for students: basic learning and further exploration. They can also be a great tool for visual learners giving a more personal, hands on look at science.

Geared more for kids in the 10 year old and up range these apps are great resources to keep around as the kids grow and build upon their knowledge.

This month I’ve included a great bonus strategy app to challenge the kids a bit between school work, enjoy! Continue reading →