Alpha-Candy-bet

Get rid of the extra candy with some reading fun

ADDED November 06, 2008

Because Halloween was on Friday this year, I think my kids got the most treats I have ever seen.  One of their cousins received 136 pieces of candy! That is a shocking number of treats -- an amount so huge that even eating one piece a day (which is the maximum amount kids can eat at my house), it would take 4 months to eat it al!.  Since taking the candy away all together might cause a mutiny, my lovely spouse and I made up an activity that helps the kids chose what candies to keep.  And it gets them reading all at the same time.
 
Here is what we did:   we told them they could keep 27 pieces of candy but they had to find the letter "A" on the wrapper of the first piece of candy, followed by the letter "B" on the next piece and so on until the whole alphabet was represented.
 
So off they went reading each wrapper carefully looking for every letter in the alphabet to maximize their candy returns. For my wife and I, it was fun to hear, "Oh look a Kit Kat. I like those, and it has the letter 'A' in it. Now I need 'B' do you see 'B?'  Butterfinger! Butterfinger has 'B!'"  We also enjoyed hearing the benefits of picking M&M as your "M" candy (because it has two M's)
 
Of course we ran into a little trouble filling out the whole alphabet: the letters X and Z proved a little hard, but after reading the list of ingredients we found all the letters quite easily.
 
In the end each of my kids had 27 pieces of candy, and after they went to bed, my beautiful wife and I played our own candy selection game.  The rules were simple:  what do we like and what should we throw away!  Happy sorting!

educational, longer activity, reading activity, see our disclaimer,

Book in review

A little review to help your little readers

ADDED October 20, 2008

Use this out loud reading activity at home to help your new readers (and even older ones) review words that cause stumbling.  It's called "The Book in Review," and it's not a game, but a way to build a familiarity with newly learned words.

Here is how to do it:  As your kid is reading a book out loud, keep a mental list of what words are new or that might need some review. When the reading is done, close the book and give your child a pop quiz on the tricky words.

Make it fun and, if you're up for it, make it a little bit like a game show.  Find a page that has a troublesome word, point to it and ask in a booming voice, "What is the word?"  If they get the word right, cheer and whoop.  Make "jackpot" sound effects and an all-around big deal.  

Then move onto another word and repeat the question.  If your child gets the word wrong, have them work on figuring it out, and keep that page marked for further review and move onto another word.  When your kid gets the next word right, quickly turn back to the word they previously got wrong, review it again until it is correct.  In the end, when you are finished with the review,  carry your young reader on your shoulders like they are champs that just won the big game.

Try a review with your little readers today. (But don't practice this book review with your significant other unless you are able to lift them up on your shoulders!

ages 2-8, educational, good at home, may rile them up, no 'props' needed, reading activity, verbal activity,

Now it's your turn to read the word

Letters are actually words that kids can read

ADDED October 09, 2008

When my kids first started understanding that letters make up words, and words make up sentences, it was very exciting.  After all, they were reading, and reading is something I tried to encourage constantly. One our favorite reading activities was a game called, "Now it's your turn to read the word."

Here is how we would play. I would read to my kids, and stop occasionally, point to a word that was used frequently in the book and say, "Now it's your turn to read the word."  It was usually an easy word to figure out, and I would always ask them to read the same word (they soon caught on to my tricks).  The repetition was great, and it was fun to watch them try and predict when I was going to ask them to read.

Then just to mix it up, I would pick a word that we had not read yet.  If they did not know the word, I would ask them to read the letters, and we would figure it out together. This also created many teachable moments.

It helped move reading from a passive activity to an activity that they could take part in because they were reading, too.

Check out Racer Dogs or Dear Zoo at your local library and play "Now it's your turn to read the word" today.

reading activity, verbal activity,

Donate Used Toys

A fun activity and a helping hand for people in need

ADDED October 08, 2008

The other day, as the cleaning machines were working away (see our Cleaning Machines post), my son said, "Why do we have to put so many toys away?"
 
"Because you have a lot of toys!"  I said.
 
He continued, "If we had less toys, it would not take so long to put them away".
 
I though about it for a minute, and he was right.  My kids have far too many toys. I think if I were to divide their toys in half they would still have enough toys to last at least till the 7th grade. The sheer volume of toys in most houses has brought about an industry of organizational professionals jjust to tell parents what to do with their kids' stuff.
 
Since I am kind of a do-it-yourself kind of guy, I decided to do something about the toys, something that would not require a trip to Ikea or an organizing professional.

Since this site is all about fun, I tried to make a hard conversation fun.  My kids are a little older, so they understand that some people are not as fortunate as they are, and they understand what "donate" means.  And we decided to start donating.
 
So we took all the their toys out of every bucket, tub and shoebox.  We made a little game out of getting rid of the clutter.  (Just like on one of those ever-so-popular house de-cluttering shows).
 
The activity worked really well:  just a "keep" box and a "go" box.  No questions asked.  After the boxes were sorted, we decided what toys were worth keeping and what toys needed to go . . . and just like that, it was done.
 
It was amazing:  we de-cluttered, then donated.  In the end, everybody won.  In my son's mind, he had less toys to pick up and we were able to give some nice toys to some less fortunate people.  Not to be preachy, but it's one thing to donate when everything's going wonderfully, but it's also important to give during the bad times, when the economy isn't so great and when our natural instinct is to circle the wagons and cling to our stuff.  

We donated two boxes, and it felt good for parents and kids alike.

 

info@todayisfun.com 

ages 4-12, educational, reading activity, verbal activity,

Childrens Books -- Who Took The Farmer's Hat?

A chapeau mishap leads to some fun hi-jinks on the farm

ADDED September 12, 2008

 

The farmer in this book really likes his hat.  What's not to like?  It's a nice hat.

Unfortunately for the farmer, he wears it outside on a blustery day . . . and the wind carries off his fine hat.

The farmer does what any hat-loving person would do:  he interviews all of his farm animals to find out if they've seen his beloved possession.

One thing leads to another, there's twists and turns, (we don't want to give away any surprises) but suffice to say there is a happy ending, though it's not exactly what the farmer had hoped.

Go to the library and pick up this book:  Who Took The Farmer's Hat? by Joan Nodset.  Read to those kids and have a great weekend!

ages 2-7, reading activity,

HOW TO ENTERTAIN KIDS -- Sshhh! Library Fun

This books looks terrific!

ADDED September 02, 2008

Here at Today Is Fun, we definitely try to promote books and a love of reading, as those things can entertain kids long after they're kids.

Trips to the library are often magical for young kids, as they first see the walls and shelves full of books.  If your little ones are old enough, this game is a way to make a trip to the library even more fun.  It's also a way for young kids to experience a measure of freedom and self-reliance in a public place.

The idea is simple, really.  When you go to the library, have hunts for certain kinds of books.  For instance, on one visit we will all try to find a book that looks terrific about pirates.  Or each person will spend ten minutes trying to find a terrific book about an animal.  Of course, the topics to find for books that look terrific are endless:  rainy days, Moms, flowers, cowboys, etc.

It's important for the kids not to ransack the shelves and to keep the books in place.  Running and yelling are of course causes for immediate disqualification.

Once everyone has found a book, we read each one.  If the book is really terrific, we check it out and take it home.

One last idea about this Library Fun game:  if the librarians and library patrons aren't bothered by the young competitors, then everyone gets extra points!

ages 3-12, educational, good for a group, longer activity, no 'props' needed, reading activity, see our disclaimer, verbal activity,

How to entertain kids -- With letters

I see my letter!

ADDED August 12, 2008

Here at Today is fun we love reading and letters.  We also are big fans of encouraging kids to read regardless of age.
The first letter I taught my kids was the first letter of their name and I called it their letter.  They understood almost immediately that this one letter was special because it was their letter.  
Once they could identify their letter, I would occasionally stop on a page that we were reading and ask them to find their letter. From there we were able to move quickly to having them pick out a book that had their letter in the title and on to letting them pick out cereal with there letter in the name. Of course we ended up with sugar cereals but it was great, they were interested and always on the look out for their letter.

Try teaching your kids their letter today and see what happens.
Commenting is easy and fun so let us know where your kids find their letter or email info@todayisfun.com don’t forget to tell a friend about us. Today is fun!

educational, good at home, good for a restaurant or public place, no 'props' needed, quick activity, reading activity, see our disclaimer, verbal activity,

Weekend Reading -- Dear Zoo

Look out kids, I'm afraid the Zoo sent another package

ADDED July 11, 2008

A fun flap book for little kids, Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell is about a zoo trying its best to send a new pet to a child.

Each page shows a crate, a carton, or a cage, and your kid can move the flap to see which animal is inside.  No matter what, the hapless zoo always sends the wrong animal--none are suitable for pets.  The zoo sends an elephant, but it is too heavy.  It sends a giraffe, who is found to be too tall.  The lion is too fierce, and so on.

We don't want to give away any of the plot's twists and turns, but in the end, things work out pretty well.  There is a happy ending.

This is a cute, fun book that will make for a nice reading time with your toddler.  So get out of the sun this weekend and curl up with a book.

(And don't worry, the lion here isn't all that fierce.  Really, there's no danger.)

reading activity,

Weekend Reading -- Racer Dogs

A rousing and rowdy race makes for some fun reading with the kids

ADDED June 27, 2008

A group of dogs, each with its own unique personality, participate in a fast and frenzied car race.

The dogs -- Jack, Trixie, Wags and Stinky among others -- furiously jockey for lead position. (Racer Jack has a habit of mistakenly driving the wrong way, leading to some big problems for everyone.)

The art here is enormously pleasing, and there are many fun details to study. For instance, as the cars speed across each page, you can see a busy, cute supporting character, Pizza Pooch, making deliveries on his scooter.

The story of the race, while completely enjoyable, isn't the main focus. Really, the fun of the book comes from finding all the characters on each page, and seeing what they're up to as the race goes on.

We can't tell you which of these canines takes the big prize (we don't want to give away any plot twists), but suffice to say, it's a hair-raisingly, breath-takingly, and tail-waggingly fun outcome.

Read to those kids, and have a great weekend.

ages 2-8, reading activity,

Weekend Reading: Tick-Tock, Drip-Drop!

An entertaining book about how hard it can be sometimes to go to sleep

ADDED June 20, 2008

Poor Rabbit just can't get to sleep. His friend Mole works hard to eliminate all the causes of the insomnia, stopping the ticking of the clock, putting the purring cat in another room, and so forth.

This book (Tick-Tock, Drip-Drop by Nicola Moon and illustrated by Eleanor Taylor) is highly recommended: the art is delightful and "warm." The story is pretty funny. And it contains some great onomatopoeia words for kids: the clock's tick-tock, the water's drip-drop, the garden gate's bang-bump.

My boys were thrilled when they discovered a somewhat subtle detail: in the background of one of the pages, the garden gate falls on top of Mole for a quick moment while he's trying to close it. They find this moment the peak of comedy!

As always, we don't want to give away any of the plot's twists and turns, but let's just say there's a lot of trouble and not a lot of sleeping.

 

Check it out from your local library, or get it from Amazon here.

 

Get some rest yourself this weekend. And have fun reading!

ages 2-7, educational, reading activity,

Morning Muffins

A simple muffin recipe makes any morning fun.

ADDED June 18, 2008

Certain mornings cold cereal does not work. So what the kids and I like to do on a weekend morning is make this simple mini blueberry muffin recipe. It is quick, easy and has little clean up so you can get on with other things. It is also best if we can make the muffins and not wake up Mom. Try it this weekend I guarentee everyone will be pleased with the results.

 

For some reason I memorized this recipe. So what I like to do is have my kids test me every time we make these just so I don’t forget something important. I like to think it helps them with reading and I can empathize with them as they memorize spelling words. They also do a majority of the measuring and all batter testing.

If you don’t want to memorize the recipe (and I don’t blame you) print it out and let your kids do the reading and measuring.

Try it and let me know how it goes. When I say everyone can do it I do mean it.
1. 2 cups of flour
2. 1/2 cup sugar
3. 3 tsp baking powder
4. ½ tsp cinnamon
5. 1/8 tsp salt
6. 1 egg
7. ¾ cup milk
8. 1/3 cup butter
9. 2 tsp vanilla
10. 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Mix all dry ingredients add wet ingredients and fold in blueberries (or cranberries or chocolate chips!)
Fill greased mini muffin pans
Bake for 10-15 min or until golden brown.
Sprinkle tops of muffins with a little cinnamon & sugar or powdered sugar and eat!

 

Let us know how it goes and email us at info@todayisfun.com photos of the results.

 

*Original recipe for muffins can be found here
http://www.bfeedme.com/mini-fresh-blueberry-muffins-recipe/
Thank you!

ages 4-12, educational, good at home, good for a group, good for mealtimes, longer activity, reading activity, verbal activity,

Weekend Reading -- What Daddies Do Best

In honor of tomorrow's holiday, some fine reading for kids and Dads

ADDED June 14, 2008

What Daddies Do Best, by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Lynn Munsinger, is a cute book showing some busy animals (who happen to be Dads and their kids) engaged in a lot of fun, together-time activities.

 

Some examples:

Daddies can teach you how to ride a bicycle.

They can give you a piggyback ride

and take care of you when you're sick.

Daddies can watch the sun set with you

Daddies can read you a bedtime story

and kiss you good-night.

As always, we don't want to give away any of the plot's twists and turns. You'll have to pick up a copy off Amazon or at your local library.

 

But no review of this book would be complete without letting you know that the really nice thing about it is that when you turn the book over, there is another story for you and your kids to read. This additional one is called What Mommies Do Best, and is just as cute, charming, and pro-parent.

 

Have some fun reading this weekend, and Happy Father's Day!

 

 

ages 2-7, good at home, good for a group, reading activity,

Weekend Reading: Barnyard Dance

An entertaining book: Stomp your feet and clap your hands! Everybody ready for a Barnyard Dance!

ADDED May 23, 2008

The whole point of this site is to give you ways to keep your kids entertained, without having to get more stuff.

But we also like to break the rules, once in a while.

Barnyard Dance, by famed children's author Sandra Boyton, is simply a great book, and one that inevitably leads to activities.

The book is told in the style of a country dance, kind of like a square dance.  But because it's a children's book, the animals are the ones doing the dancing.

Your little ones will want to join in, and soon they'll be bouncing with the bunny and strutting with the duck.

Our family didn't really know what 'promenading' was, until we came across it here.  Apparently, it's kind of marching next to somebody, marching two-by-two.

Needless to say, now that we do know what promenading is, we need to do a lot of it in our house.  And we do.

ages 2-7, good at home, reading activity,

Silent Reading

An entertaining way to get the kids to settle down

ADDED April 30, 2008

When the kids are in bed and a little wired, a great way to temper their childish enthusiasm is with some Silent Reading.

 

Silent Reading can entail quiet talking, whispering, or total silence, whatever you feel is appropriate. But the most important thing is the kid must read (or look at the pictures) and no getting out of bed.  Make sure your child has enough books for 10 minutes . . . and that is it.

 

After 10 minutes of being all cozy in bed, most kids are ready to sleep.  And you have gained 10 minutes of silence.

ages 2-7, reading activity,

Big Letters

Typing can be big fun for kids

ADDED April 21, 2008

A big part of being a kid is emulating your parents. It’s fun to act like Mom or Dad, and there are some learning aspects to this mimicry, too.

Kids these day see their parents on their computers quite a bit. Of course, much of this is checking todayisfun.com, we understand.

One way for very young kids to start learning about computers is to do something very simple. In Microsoft Word, you can open a new document and change the font size to something really large. Then your child can practice typing different letters on the keyboard.

We did this when my older son was first learning his letters, and he had a great time. He said, “Now I’m going to do a lot of B’s, now I’m going to do a lot of L’s.” Then he would say, “See? Just like Daddy.”

Good for bathtime, good for home, reading activity, verbal activity,

I have completely forgotten about this book

ADDED April 01, 2008

Sometimes a kid will find a favorite book and want to read it over and over and OVER again. (And then over again.)

 

Really, there's nothing wrong with this. In fact, we as parents we should definitely feel happy and lucky that our child has found a book that excites them!

 

But then again, reading a child's favorite book thirty or forty times can be, well, repetitive.

 

One way to breathe fresh life into an oft-read book is to forget about it completely.

 

"Oh, I've never seen this book before!" I tell my children as the favorite book comes out.

 

At first, they look at me like I'm nuts (not an uncommon occurrence in our house.) Then, they're on board with the game and "introducing" me to the book.

 

"And Daddy, look at how this elephant is squirting all over the place! Have you ever seen that before?"

 

I also try this completely forgetting trick when my Lovely Wife asks me to take out the garbage, but the results aren't quite as impressive.

good any time, good for home, reading activity,