Kid Builders

Kid Builders created by the Orange County Commission of Children and families is PDF's on different topics including health, body, mind, safety, relationship and words. They are divided by age for infant to 5 years. It looks like a great resource to download and use with our children when they are pre school age.

Paso Partners

Paso Partners has free lessons for learning science and math in grade k - 3. It is specifically for English Language Learners but the activities can be used for any child with success. I also think that the lessons can be altered to younger children.

Bare Books

Bare Books are blank writing books, crayons and other things that can be used for writing. There are wonderful blank board books that I would love to use to make books for AE. The books are very cheap but they have a minimum order requirement.

Sunbeams

I am teaching sunbeams (yeah...ummm...exactly 3 years olds...). For teaching them I am using the Primary 1 book. This also has great ideas for FHE.

Kid's Crafts

DLTK is a collection of crafts for kids. It has coloring pages along with fun crafty activities. It is a divided by sections including holidays and cultural activities.

Ambleside Online

Ambleside is a free online homeschooling curriculum. It is based on the teachings of Charlotte Mason. It covers kindergarten through 11th grade currently. The best part for a non-homeschooling mama is the booklists. I love having ideas of good literature to read to, with and by my child.

Playful Learning

Playful Learning is a site that encourages learning through play. They have activities based on subject. Great for homeschooling families. Go check it out!

Games to Play with Your Toddler

From an article at babycentre uk.

12 to 16 months

• Coming to life
Pretend your baby's favorite teddy or doll is real -- make her walk, go to bed, jump across the room. Include her in everyday activities -- sitting her at the table for tea, for example, and putting a bib on her. Talking about what you are doing will help her understand language. Act out happy and sad times, too, so she can learn about feelings and emotions as well as developing her imagination.

• Push me, pull you
If your baby is pulling herself on to two feet and trying to walk, help her practice with a pushing and pulling game. Use a moveable object such as a child-size chair or plastic stacking box filled with soft toys. While she holds the edges for support you can hold the other side and keep it steady. Then slowly pull the box towards you side to encourage her to step forward. Soon she'll start to push while you gently pull. This will build her confidence ready for when she starts walking on her own.

• Clap happy
By now your baby will be able to hold her hands open, but it may be a while before she claps independently. For now, clap them together with her, or let her hold your hands and pat them together. Sit her facing you on the floor, or on your lap, and sing clapping songs together like 'Pat-a-cake, pat-a cake'. These will boost her language skills as well as her hand-eye co-ordination.

• Who's hiding here?
Just as she loved peek-a-boo as a baby, your toddler will love to play simple games of hide and seek. First thing in the morning take it in turns to hide under the bed sheets; at bath time, use a big towel to hide under, instead. For extra fun and giggles you can gently prod her as she hides, 'Is this a leg? Or is it an arm?' and so on. Games like this help teach your toddler that, just because she can't see something, it doesn't mean it isn't there. For a change, while she's wrapped up in the towel, carry her into another room. She'll be delighted when she's unveiled to discover she's moved location!

16 to 20 months

• Tea party
On a sunny day take a child-sized plastic tea set outdoors and fill a large plastic bowl with water. Pretend you've 'come to tea' and encourage your toddler to fill the teapot and pour out the tea. This fun game will challenge your baby's co-ordination skills and help her learn about the properties of water -- for example, that it always flows down, not up.

• Brick patterns
This requires a bit of concentration so is best played when your toddler's feeling refreshed. Use her building blocks to make simple patterns, such as three in a row or 'two up, two down' to make a square. Encourage her to use other blocks so she can copy your pattern. Then let her have a go at making her own pattern, which you have to copy. Sorting objects like this into shapes will help encourage your toddler's problem-solving skills.

• Roll it to me
Balls are popular toys for one-year-olds. Bouncy balls are best kept outside, but soft, foam balls make great indoor toys. The best ball game to start playing with your toddler is this easy version of 'catch'. Both of you sit on the ground facing each other with your legs apart and toes touching. You can now roll the ball backwards and forwards to each other without it going out of bounds. Fun for building arm muscles and hand-eye co-ordination.

• Young collector
Go for a walk together and take a bucket with you. Collect small objects that interest your toddler -- stones, leaves, pine cones. Your toddler will want to carry the bucket, but don't be surprised if she also dumps its contents and starts again. Toddlers at this age love to fill containers just so then can empty them again! Meanwhile, she's practising her hand movements and developing dexterity.

20-24 months

• Let's dance!
Play favourite bits of music that lend themselves to particular actions -- something with a big, loud beat so your child can stamp like an elephant or that's quiet so she can pretend that she's tiptoeing past a sleeping lion, trying not to wake it up. Marching to music is also great fun and easy enough for most toddlers to manage. These games will stretch her imagination and develop her sense of rhythm.

• Balloon fun
Balloons are great for indoor play. They move slowly enough to be chased and are relatively easy to catch. Blow one up -- watching this is half the fun -- and pat it up into the air. Count how long it takes to float down to the ground or let your toddler try to catch it. A good game for counting skills and hand-eye co-ordination.

• What can you hear?
Take a big towel or blanket out into the garden and lie down on it together. Ask your toddler to close her eyes and listen carefully. After a minute or so ask her what she could hear, and tell her what you heard: the wind in the trees, bird song, a car going past. This is a great game for helping your toddler develop her listening skills.

• Catch me if you can
Toddlers love to be chased -- and parents usually love chasing their toddlers! The object of this game is to be caught -- especially if your child knows he gets a big bear hug and slobbery kiss every time you manage to catch him. For variety, pretend to be different types of animals -- a roaring lion or a scuttling mouse. When your toddler catches you let him have a go, too. A great game for building up your toddler's stamina -- and yours, too!

Crafts for Kids

http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/
This is a website that has educational crafts for kids. I thought it had some cute things in it. Check it out!!!

Article: Your One-Year Old and Play

This is from the an article called Your One-Year Old and Play...I thought it had some great ideas for teaching your littlest one.

• Teach your baby the right way the first time around. For instance, when baby is learning how to pick up a spoon or a rattle, take the time to show her the correct way to hold it.

• To encourage your baby to move and be physical, keep her favorite things out of arm's reach.

• Hand-eye coordination simply means getting your baby's hands and eyes to work together. A great example is shaped blocks that fit into proper holes. The baby will learn that his hands manipulate the objects he sees. The more objects like this that you give him, the better.

• When you sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" to your baby, use your fingers to twinkle. And then see if baby tries to twinkle her fingers and sing when you are not around.

• Music has a way of changing a person's mood from left to right, so keep that in mind.

• Visit a playground or park once a day if only for fifteen minutes. It will challenge your baby, wear her out, and revitalize you both.

• Learning to walk is an activity! When baby is getting ready to take her first steps, she needs your support! It's a bit scary for her. How would you feel about trying a back handspring right now for the first time?

• If your baby is attached to a special toy, stuffed animal, or blanket, try to get your hands on an exact duplicate and never let the second one leave the house. If you forget or lose the original, you can pull out the reliable second one to save the day...or the night.

• Keep items that your baby is attached to in her crib—for example, a blanket or a stuffed animal. Baby will wake up to see them and these items will comfort her.

• Make sure you give your child the right toys for the right age. Toys and games usually have age-specific labels on them. Follow the age recommendation, for a couple of reasons. First of all, small pieces are choking hazards. And secondly, the right toy builds dexterity. A baby who receives a toy that is too old for her may get frustrated because she can't use it properly, and then she'll remember it as a bad experience rather than a positive one.

• Occupy your baby in a play yard (formerly called playpen) with safe things that he sees you using around the house. Plastic pots, pans, spoons, strainers, and toothbrushes are usually winners with babies this age.

• Put your baby into the play yard at the same time each night, perhaps while you're cooking dinner. You'll see how quickly this becomes his routine. It's great for both of you!

• If you buy your baby a ticket to any event at this age, be sure the performance lasts no longer than three minutes from beginning to end.

• While you are naming pictures and reading to your baby, don't forget to identify the alphabet letters and numbers while you're at it.

• If you take time now to instill a love for reading, puzzles, crayons, and painting with water, you will be able to keep your baby occupied for hours and hours in the future.

• Balls, balls, balls...as well as plush toys (soft stuffed animals and the like) are perfect for babies this age. Get as many as you can, because they are safe, entertaining, and encourage development.

• Babies this age need bigger toys because they are just learning how to coordinate and hold objects. Little toys are choking hazards, so keep them far from baby, and keep older children and their toys away from baby.

• No balloons! Balloons are great to look at, but they become choking hazards when they pop.
• 
  
• Garage sales are fantastic for picking up toys, even brand-new ones that have never been opened! Just know that the best toys usually sell out by 8:00 a.m. Learn to be an "early bird" and get there first.

• Good old open-ended boxes make great tunnels for busy babies on the go.

• Notice if your baby has a particular character that she likes—for example, Elmo. If she likes Elmo, buy an Elmo book, an Elmo rattle, an Elmo plush toy, an Elmo crib toy, an Elmo stroller toy, and an Elmo car-seat toy. You may notice how the familiar character keeps your baby calmer and less distracted.

• Sometimes baby is more interested in people than in things. During these moments, spend quality time together and remember that less is more.

• This is a great time to start playing homemade games with baby...winking and a kiss, Peek-a-Boo, and Patty Cake. Babies this age usually like to do things with people who follow a specific pattern. This is great when you're stuck in line at the grocery store or someplace else without a toy.

• Babies this age start to really enjoy stacking toys.

• Babies like to imitate you for play. Toys like pretend telephones entertain babies this age because they can act just like you.

• Babies who can stand up in their crib often start hurling their stuffed animals and toys out of their crib. Don't worry, it usually doesn't mean baby is ready to climb out. It's just another activity. If baby does this often, get a few toys that can be secured to the side of the crib (like activity centers), so they can play with them but not throw them overboard. This will buy you a lot of time!

• If you want to experience something natural, watch your baby try to climb up a few stairs. Climbing up is usually fun, but coming down is usually harder and scary to a baby. It takes time and then they usually surf down. What a thrill! It's hilarious!

• New toys and activities may frighten your baby at first because she is unsure of it. Teach your baby to enjoy these things by introducing them at a slow, comfortable pace over and over again.

• It's also common for baby to suddenly develop a fear of her favorite toys. This is normal. It just means she's starting to think more. Give her time and don't push the toy back on her. Let her do it on her own.

• Babies usually enjoy playing with bright objects and things that respond and interact with them. Push and sound toys are great because they teach cause-and-effect lessons. When I push this button, that happens...it's so much fun!

• When you go to another person's home, bring along something your baby is familiar with, such as an activity gym. This way, if she gets cranky, you can give her a familiar, soothing object until she calms down.

• Babies get bored quickly, but there is an upside: you can use the play center for fifteen minutes and then use it again fifteen minutes later, and baby will think it's a new activity!

• You could be better off leaving the first year birthday party gifts wrapped if other children are around. Young babies haven't learned the art of sharing yet.

• If your baby receives two of the same toy for her birthday, thank your lucky stars and treat them like gold. Keep them both and put them away until you have another baby over. This is a perfect solution until baby learns to share.

• Try not to give your baby his first piece of birthday cake on his actual birthday. He could get sick and he probably won't like it. Instead, give him a small piece a week earlier and get him used to it. By the time his party rolls around, he will really enjoy his birthday cake!

• Be sure to get a picture of baby when she tries her first birthday cake, especially if she hasn't tasted anything like it before. Just keep in mind that baby needs to develop a taste for sweets, too.

• If you suspect that a surprise party is planned for you, tell your spouse to make sure you are not carrying a sleeping baby through the door at the moment everyone yells, "SURPRISE!" Otherwise, the party will be fun for everyone else, but not for you.

*Free* Stuff 4 Kids

Free Stuff 4 Kids is just that...FREE!!! I like free things. Its got stuff to print, make, win, and click. Check it out.