Kids Learning

Teddy bears, teddy bears everywhere. Teddy bears are the most popular of all toys. Cute, soft and cuddly, they have a way of comforting us when we are lonely, ill or afraid. Teddy bears listen to our opinions without argument, hear our problems without attempting to solve them, and understand when we need a hug.

Over the past 100 years there have been a few teddy bears that have reached celebrity status. These particular teddy bears have been so popular they are recognized by name.

Winnie The Pooh is right up there when we think of famous teddy bears. He was created by A.A. Milne with much inspiration from his wife Daphne, and his young son, Christopher Robin. The idea of Pooh began with a trip to the zoo where, Christopher Robin Milne, fell in love with a small, black bear. This prompted Milne to write about the adventures of Christopher Robin, his teddy bear pooh, and their friends. Today you will find Pooh everywhere. There are Winnie The Pooh clothes, bedding, animated cartoons, web sites and, of course, the teddy bear himself.

Paddington Bear is quite famous in his own right. Paddington was created by Michael Bond, a British writer who wrote his first book about the bear in 1958. A Bear Called Paddington, was the first in a series of books about Paddington Bear. In 1967 Bond’s books became so successful that he was able to quit his job to become a full-time writer. Paddington is the sort of bear with his paws settled firmly on the ground. He has a great sense of right and wrong and tends to get involved in everyday situations, no wild adventures for this bear. He gets involved with human situations, but he could never be human, it simply wouldn’t work. Paddington bear has also been depicted as an animated cartoon and has had his countenance made into a huggable teddy bear, but don’t hug him too tight, it just wouldn’t be right.

Rupert the bear was first introduced as a comic strip in ‘The Daily Express’, a British newspaper. Rupert was introduced by artist Mary Toutel on November 8, 1920, and he still appears in the same paper today. Mary was forced to stop drawing the cartoon in 1935, because of her failing eyesight. Alfred Bestall took over the job and continued drawing and writing about the adventures of Rupert for 35 years, until his retirement in 1965. Since then, various artists have taken over the task. Christmas, 1936 it was decided that the previous cartoon strips be put together in an Annual, and the tradition began. Rupert is popular with children and has become a star, in his own right, through animation. He is a popular animated cartoon.

It would not be right to end this article without mentioning two other bears of note.

Yogi Bear, introduced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera in 1957, is a very pesky, yet lovable, cartoon character who has been a teddy bear a time or two. Yogi is famous for his schemes to swindle campers out of their pic-in-ic baskets in Jellystone National park.

Smokey The Bear has been responsible for the prevention of forest fires. He has been teaching adults and children about the dangers of forest fires for over 60 years. Smokey has also been a teddy bear.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Today, videos have become a very popular means of entertainment among children of all ages. It isn’t uncommon for children to spend much of their free time watching their favorite movies or television shows. The invention of the portable DVD player has enhanced the already great role video entertainment can play in a child’s day, as it allows parents to take DVD videos wherever children go. This however, creates considerable concern about what today’s youngsters are watching.

Some DVD and television entertainment is valuable to a child’s education, as well as entertaining. Others are not. For this reason, parents should choose their children’s videos with great care.

The first factor in choosing the right educational videos for children is to
choose educational movies and shows that will match their interests. If you fail to keep a child’s interests in mind, the child will be less likely to watch the videos you choose, and may easily become bored and restless. However, if your child is interested in the chosen topic, he or she is much more likely to absorb the contents and remember them later. This way, educational videos will have a more positive and lasting effect on your child.

By choosing the right kinds of videos, you will be able to prevent your children from watching programs you, as the parent, deem undesirable or inappropriate. If you choose videos for your children, you will be able to better monitor the content and quality of each video. You will also be more in touch with what your child is learning, and by familiarizing yourself with the content, be able to discuss the videos with your children. This will also let them know that you are taking an interest in what they are watching and learning.

There are many different titles out there from which to choose, and you want to be sure that the ones you purchase are videos that your children will want to watch.

You don’t want to invest in educational videos, just to have them sit on the shelf. Before choosing titles, start by getting feedback from your children. Show them the videos you are considering, and find out which videos and topics spark their interest.

When choosing educational videos for your children, it’s also important to keep their ages in mind. Purchasing highly educational videos for older children, for example, is often not the best use of time or money. Often, it will result in a lack of attention, leading to a library of videos that your children never watch.

Lastly, watch any videos that you purchase with your children. These videos are meant to be a learning tool, designed to help children have fun while they learn.

Videos are not, however, designed to be babysitters. The more interest you take in the lives of your children, the more you will be able to monitor what they watch, and improve their education.

By: Amy Nutt

Popularity: 7% [?]

If it’s just for school, for your kids or for the neighborhood kids, it’s nice to have a purposeful educational trip that will surely be enjoyed by the children as well as teach them.
Of course there is the usual trip to the museum or the so-so factory, but educational travel doesn’t necessarily end with the destination, one should also consider the preparations as well as the child before you uproot them from their playgrounds.

Who should plan the Trip?

If the trip is an out of school activity, whether organized by you or the neighborhood parents, there should always be somebody or a group of people willing to dedicate a snippet of their time to organizing, everything, destination, transportation, food, lodgings (if any) as well as the children involved.

What to Bring

A pack list is also essential before a trip. Here are a few things that should be in your or your child’s bag when you go on an educational trip.

- Snacks –there should be lots of drinks and walk foods that you can eat even while walking.

- First aid kit – an accident can easily happen, a small trip or a scratch should be mended easily. A medicine pack can also be handy for parents who develop headaches, or for children with stomach upset.

- Extra clothes – children are very active, and sometimes even parents can be over-active, so it is necessary that both bring a set of clothes for those unexpected spills.

- Walkie talkie – If your child can handle it, a walkie-talkie or a cellular phone can be very useful if he gets lost.

- Name tag – Attach a name tag to his shirt or to his bag containing your contact number (without a name) so that whoever finds him can contact you.

- One of his favorite toys – A good thing to distract a child when he gets uneasy during travel would be one of his favorite toys.

- Wipes and tissue- For that easy cleanup whenever you need it.

When you get there

Fall in line, and make travel buddy’s of two or three; the one buddy should be responsible for the other so as to prevent anyone getting left behind. This is best done with kids who don’t normally play together so they can bond and get to know each other more.

On the trip home

Encourage sleeping; children after a long walk can get cranky when tired, so bring some milk with you so they can sleep through the trip home.

By: Stanley Emerson

Popularity: 2% [?]

Educational toys and games, when smartly guided and supervised by adults, can be a powerful tool for early education and learning process.
For many, games and toys are simply what they seem to appear: implements of recreational activities for children. But when properly understood, and used effectively, educational toys and games can result in more emotionally stable and intelligent children.

In terms of education, the absorption of knowledge in children usually takes in the form of formal and informal learning. Formal learning constitutes enrolling in school or entry to any similar educational institutions.

Informal education on the other hand takes place outside schools and is mediated by resources and people outside the classroom. But actually, differences between the two are not that wide. For instance, activities in informal education are eventually used to strengthen formal education.

One of the activities frequently used in informal learning environment is playing games among children, and having them play certain educational toys to achieve the desired result. Since children are by nature learners, and have this capacity to absorb almost everything, a good combination of educational toys and games can really produce encouraging results.

The importance of proper educational toys and games for children is now a settled maxim that there are many literatures now which explain the importance of using educational games and toys to strengthen early learning in children. Both the reasoning power and emotional abilities of children can be developed during plays, using the right games and toys.

In using toys for re-enforcing educational games, adults should be keen in observing the children’s individual personality. This would help the children realize their potential early, and encourage them to pursue their leanings, encouraging them to play similar games and educational toys, thus, strengthening the talent.

However, it should be noted that there are differences in the development of children, in terms of their reasoning and emotional capability. Also the individual personality of children should be considered, before deciding on the appropriate educational toys and games for learning or simply, playing purposes.

It should also be noted that as children grow older, does necessarily mean the end of educational toys and games. As they are approaching the adolescent stage, children experience emotional upheavals, which can be stabilize to a certain degree, by engaging into games appropriate for their age, one of which is sports. Sports, from the most physical like boxing to more mental like chess, is just an expression of humans never-ending need to play games and toys.

By: Low Jeremy

Popularity: 2% [?]

What I mean by quality is that the toys are educational and fun-filled. Let’s say you were to give many toys to your little girl or boy, but the toys would not help them in a useful way; your child most probably won’t be able to enjoy them and use them for their learning.

Examples of quality educational toys are toys that connect to science and discovery. These toys are very functional and enjoyable for children with the ambition to be a scientist, geologist, chemist and other science related professions.

A very wide variety of toys are in store for these children to explore the world around them and widen their knowledge. Toys like binoculars, animal kits, archeology and astronomy tools and play kits, robotic kits, advanced books about science and a lot more.

Animals have this extraordinary charm on most children. They might have the same effect on your child. Toys like habitats and animal play sets will make your kid happy for hours. Three examples of entertaining toys are the reptile habitats, the creature keeper used to trap insects and bugs and the foam great white sharks.

Being astronomers in the future is also famous among children. For them, anything that has to do with stars, galaxies, moons, planets and the universe are great quality toys. Space mission play sets, handy star navigators, quality telescopes and binoculars, glow in the dark stars and solar systems and rockets are some quality educational toys you can provide your child to have fun and dicover with.

Aspiring geographers will definitely love and find out a whole lot from the globe. The globe may seem boring, but they actually provide knowledge and also fun. Plus, globes today have wider varieties of designs for you to choose from. Some globes have embossed land formations that the children can touch.

Others are electronic and have built in geographical facts, world clock times and trivia that would help your children learn and discover the world.

Besides globes, electronic interactive books provide excellent and fun learning for your little ones. These books have maps that talk and say different names of capitals and states. And, of course, the very popular puzzles are helpful to your little geographer wannabes. They come in different fun shapes, designs and sizes.

One of the top quality learning aids for aspiring physicists and chemists is the snap circuit kits. These kits help your child in conducting experiments and making projects like radios, light bulb set ups and much more.

Water wizardry kits that can be used by children to create rainbows, gels and snow in a test tube with only some water also enhances your child’s abilities.

Children will definitely learn a lot from quality educational toys like those toys that teach science and encourage discovery. These quality toys are absolutely worth the price.

By: Low Jeremy

Popularity: 3% [?]