Teaching How to Analyze and Guess

Children Love Guessing Games

Children love guessing games.  A favorite one is called What’s in the Box? It’s something that families can do anytime, anywhere to encourage children to analyze, narrow options, and make a reasonable guess. They will need to listen carefully when they shake the box and analyze what could fit in the box.

  Find a few boxes of various sizes with lids that children cannot see through. Oatmeal boxes work well.  Children can decorate the boxes to make them special. Children can cover the boxes, color with markers, and cover with stickers. Now it’s their game.

  You can search round the house for common objects children use like cars, action figures, kitchen utensils, marbles, balls, small plastic storage boxes, a book, a lemon slice, peanuts, or a balled up piece of newspaper. At first children can help you collect the objects so they have a head start with clues and possibilities.

Secrets 

  To start the game, secretly put something in the box and put the cover on tightly. Children can shake the box, turn it, and smell it, but the box must stay shut. 

Give Clues to Guess the Secret

Then begin giving hints.  You can tell the color, size, use and many other clues, but only give one clue at time. Children can have as many chances as you want to guess what’s inside. They can ask a certain number of questions reducing the number with age.

  After your child guesses what is in the box, another object goes inside.  Maybe this time children will pick out the object from around the house and have you guess.

As children get a little older the game can change. It is much harder for young children to think of questions but older children love to figure it out in twenty questions.

  Children of all ages love routine and this kind of activity. It might be played in the car every time you are headed to music class. It might be played first thing in the morning, while eating breakfast.  Think of a routine situation in your life where this game would be fun to play and helpful to keep children occupied.

Clues

More Guessing Activities

 Activities like this get young children thinking and help to develop vocabulary skills. Developing routines for young children can also help build feelings of security.

Guessing games help children wait patiently in line. 

Other games include Guess My Drawing? Take along a pad of paper and draw simple objects a little at a time while children guess. Look around the room and allow children ten questions to guess properties and finally the object chosen. The game is called “I Spy with my little Eye.”

  For more activities with children see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live and podcasts; Pinterest, and Facebook.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Alert Families Help Toddlers

Set Limits Provide Patience and Management

Toddlers between age two to three improve large motor skills like running, kicking, climbing, managing stairs, running and testing limits.  It’s an exhausting time for families  and remains that way until about age five. However, if families know this is natural, set limits, and are very vigilant for safety, this mindset will help develop parental patience and management according to the American Pediatrics Association.

Repeat, Prepare, Redirect

  Families can help by preparing, practicing, repeating positive phrases, and redirecting behavior. “When the big hand is on the one and the timer goes off, it is time to go home and have your favorite--mac and cheese.” 

  Acknowledge positive behavior. “ Great job! Thank you for picking up your toys!”

  Redirect enthusiastically. “Let’s read your favorite book and cuddle with Baby Bear now. You look like you need a break!” 

  Reassure. “I love you, and this is dangerous.  “Hold my hand for safety. I love you. Stop, look, listen and hold my 

Redirect Enthusiastically

hand as we cross the parking lot.”

Small Motor Skills

  This age also makes great strides with brain development small motor skills, too.  They like to dress and undress, turn pages of books, turn doorknobs, unscrew lids, feed themselves, build with small blocks and use figures for creative adventure stories. 

  One Grandma noticed her toddler going up to her TV and trying to swipe to change the picture. The parents decided they had been using technology too much and returned to hard copy books so their daughter could turn pages while reading together. 

  Often the brain is developing even faster than muscles in terms of doing the things they want to do and need a little 

Often Brain Development is Faster than Muscles

help. Toddlers age two to three show greater understanding. They pay attention longer than last year and use colors when talking about objects, if taught.  They are gobbling up information at a rapid rate. Toddlers can help, sort, and put things away. 

  Kindergarten teachers emphasize that it is important for adults to say, “I will help you do this “rather than “let me help you.” “ Me” is being overused as  a subject of sentences like “Me will go to the bathroom “  even in kindergarten. The “Me” habit is as hard to extinguish.  The age old problem of “ Me and Sam want this” instead of “Sam and I want this" (correct form) is also a problem.

  A new concern is second hand smoke and vapor around children. Their brains and lungs are absorbing the TCH and aerosol toxins during a time when their brain’s frontal lobe, the logical problem solving part of the brain, is experiencing its fastest growth until middle school when growth accelerates again. The toxin list is at gaspforair.org. For more toddler activities see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons; live and podcasts.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Windows Inspire Delightful Cookies

Observe Colors and Light and Reflections

Have you ever taken young children to admire the brilliant colors of stained glass windows close up and watched them touch the colors with wonder? They are delighted by the light reflecting on their hands and often like to stand in the colors on a bright day. Children also love to make these easy and edible stained glass cookies all winter long.

Cookie Recipe

  Here are the Ingredients:  2/3 cup butter, 1  1/4 cup white sugar,1 teaspoon vanilla extract,2 eggs,3 cups all-purpose flour,2 teaspoons baking powder,1/2 teaspoon salt,3 Tablespoons  milk,40 fruit flavored hard candies (Life Savers or Jolly Ranchers melt well.)Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking sheets with tin foil sprayed with cooking oil. Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in vanilla and eggs.In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. 

Make Stained Glass Cookies

Add to egg mixture alternately with milk. Chill the dough and take out only what you need for a few cookies at a time. It will be easier to form cookies. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough 1/4 inch thick. To make window frames, cut into 1/4 to 1/2inch-wide strips.  Form into stained glass window frames with geometric designs inside. You can also make stained glass cut- out cookies. Cut out large cookies and take out dough in small areas and replace with candy.

 Keep colors separate, place candy in double plastic bags and a thick grocery bag. Help children carefully crush into smaller pieces with a hammer. Place candy pieces in the holes. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Ten -minute cookies will be crunchier. Check on them often as they bake, however. Cool well on baking sheet until candy is hard. Carefully lift cookies off the baking sheet with a pancake turner and by curling the tin foil slightly. 

Stained Glass Drawings

  To makestained glass style paper windows fold a black 

Make Stained Glass Drawings

piece of construction paper about 5”X 8” in half. Think of how you wish the window to look when the fold is open. Draw guidelines for groups of triangles, circles, rectangles, or a picture on the folded paper and help children cut out the shapes.  When you open the folded paper both sides will be symmetrical. Glue wax paper one side covering the holes you made. Paint one waxed paper section at a time with white glue and cover with one-inch square pieces of different colored tissue paper. You may overlap colors to make a stained glass look more realistic. If you want a shine, paint on Modge Podge. When dry, hang in a window. For more fun with children see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com, wnmufm.org/Learning through the Seasons live and podcasts; Facebook and Pinterest.

Helping Children Become Handy

Woodworking is Useful and Builds Strength

“Woodworking gives me something useful to do when I’m feeling puny and it takes my mind off my troubles.”-- Gary McCarthy

 Kids and adults feel “puny” sometimes and a little woodworking can help them feel strong again and regain a great attitude when they work together.

  Anthony Carrino of the renovation show "Cousins Undercover”  suggests very young children can start with toy tools and children age 6 on up with real tools and a kid friendly tool kit.  Grandparents and parents can raid their tools and purchase a tool bag or start kids from scratch.

Starting Early!!

  Craig Stevens carpenter and author suggests starting with a small but real hammer and help kids pound some nails straight into a board or stump and then pull them out.  Help them turn a few screws on a soft pine board or tighten a loose one somewhere.  Look for both flat and Phillips head screwdrivers.

  Also, gift them with a fabric measuring tape that includes fractions and teach them to go around the house measuring furniture. Bubble levels are also fun to use. If you have new smart phone there is a level on your phone. 

  Craig Stevens has written the very popular, ” Woodshop 101 For Kids” He includes 14 woodworking projects for parents and kids to build together. His web site is woodworkersresource.com for school age children and their families.

 Needed Tools 

  Mr. Stevens suggests the following tools for this age: a 12 foot measuring tape with with fractions, a wooden 12- inch ruler with fractions, and 7-10 ounce hammer. 

Have Fun Gathering and Talking About Tools

You can include a hand saw, power drill (with supervision), auger, awl, nail and screw box sets of 1 ¼ and 1 5/8, Phillips and flat head screw drivers, western and Japanese hand saw, coping saw, block plane and rasp.  Add some sand paper (100, 120, 150, and 180), white and wood glue, clamps, combination square, speed square, and child size safety glasses that fit and won’t slip. Children may also like a wood burning kit.

Many Projects 

Bubble Measure Used in Many Projects

 His book and site have information about the science of wood and how -to directions for easy start up projects like picture frames, crayon or pencil holder, art caddy, step stool, marshmallow catapult, and many more.  Pinterest.com/ woodworking projects for kids is another good site for ideas.  Other books for teaching and ideas include: ”Easy Carpentry Projects for Children’” by Jerome Leavitt and” Kids’ Building Workshop”  by Craig Robertson. 

   There are also ready -made tool kits and projects from “Kraftic DIY Delux Carpentry Woodworking Kit” by Kraftic and “Active Kyds Tool Kits” for kids 6-13 by Active Kyds. For more project ideas to build relationships between kids and adults see grandparents teachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live and podcasts.

Photos: https://www.pexels.com/search/tools/