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Easy Science Activity For Preschoolers

By: Sweet Frugal Life3 Comments

How To Do The Magic Toothpick Science Experiment

We are in the dead of winter over here.  Which usually means trying to entertain the kids with indoor activities, one of our favorite things to do when stuck at home is science experiments..  My kids love science experiments!  They especially love the magic toothpick experiment!  It’s so easy to do and I always have the supplies on hand.  This is the perfect easy science activity for preschoolers, toddlers, and basically all the kids!

magic toothpick science activity preschoolers - rainy day activities for kids

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Magic Toothpick:  Easy Science Activity for Preschoolers

One of my favorite things about this easy science activity for preschoolers is that it only requires a few supplies, and I always have them stocked up in my house!

Gather Supplies

To do the magic toothpick experiment you will need to first gather all of your supplies.

You will need:

Perform The Experiment

Now that you have your supplies, it’s time to have fun with this easy science experiment!  I promise you won’t mess this up, and your kids will love it!

First, pour some milk into a bowl.  I like to use a wide shallow container.  A pie tin would work great, or anything you happen to have on hand. 

There isn’t an exact measurement for milk, I just usually pour enough milk in to cover the bottom of the container

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Next, choose a few colors of food coloring.  This is a fun part for kids to help with!  They love choosing their favorite colors!

Today my son chose red, green, and blue.  Now, drop a few drops of the chosen color of food coloring into the milk.  Try to spread out the spots where you put the food coloring, so that it covers different areas of the milk.  But, don’t drop in to many that it covers to much milk.

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Now comes the fun “magic toothpick” part!  Pour a small amount of dish soap into a small, separate bowl. 

Get out a toothpick and dip the toothpick into the dish soap.  With the dish soap on the toothpick the science experiment is ready!  I like to tell my kids the toothpick is now magic…..but, really it’s science!  So you choose how you want to explain this next part!

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Using the soap side end of the toothpick, lightly touch the drops of food coloring you have in the milk. 

The colors will spread and make beautiful designs.  Keep touching the food coloring until it is completely spread throughout the bowl.  Your kids will be sure magic is happening right before their eyes!

Then, you can dump out the milk and repeat the process all over again!  My kids can’t get enough of this activity!

Have Fun With Your Kids

Kids grow so fast!!!!  These sweet, special memories you can make with them now will be something you look back on forever!  My daughter use to always ask me to do a science experiment with her every day…..and I got tired of it at times.  But, now that she is 13….I miss it so much!

Looking for more preschool friendly activities?

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easy science experiment for preschoolers

 

Try this easy science activity for preschoolers today!

How To Play Fish Bowl

By: Sweet Frugal Life6 Comments

Check Out This Fun Party Game For Large Groups!

Anyone else love playing party games?  Games are one of my favorite activities.  I love to laugh, get competitive, and enjoy time with friends and family all while playing a game together.  One of my favorite group games is called Fish Bowl.  This game is the perfect mix of Charades, Password and Taboo.  I’m excited to share with you exactly How To Play Fish Bowl so you can enjoy it at your next party!  

 

How To Play Fish Bowl

Fish Bowl is a really easy game to learn and play.  I’ve played it in many different groups and it has always been a hit.  The perfect game for a group of mixed personalities!

 

1.  Gather Supplies

One of the reasons why I love this game so much is because it’s so easy to prepare.  You do need to gather a few supplies, but you probably already have them in your house.  To play Fish Bowl you will need:

  • Blank White Paper
  • Scissors
  • Pens/Pencils
  • Bowl (this can be an actual fishbowl, but is not necessary to play)
  • Timer (I just use the one on my phone)

 

2.  Prepare The Fish Bowl

Now that you have your supplies, it’s time to prepare the “fish bowl.”  The original game was meant to be played using an actual fishbowl, but any bowl will work just fine.  Use whatever you have at home!

Cut your white papers into thin strips, they need to be big enough for players to write a word or phrase on.  Each player will need three strips of paper.  Once you have your strips of paper of cut, pass three to everyone playing.

Ask each person to write a noun on each one of their paper strips.  For example you could write, “pine tree”, “Santa Clause” or “rollerblades.”  You can make these words as vague or familiar as possible, but keeping mind that you want your team to be able to guess the word you wrote down.

Fold each of the papers in half and place them into the bowl.

 

3.  Split Into Teams

It’s now time to split into teams!  You will need two teams for this game, each with an equal amount of players in them.  I call the teams, Team A and Team B (so creative, I know 😉 ).  You can call the teams whatever you would like!

Have everyone sit in a circle, with teams sitting every other person.  So, players will sit: Team A, Team B, Team A, Team B, etc.

 

4. Round 1:  Taboo

Now, for the fun part!  Let’s learn how to play Fish Bowl!  This game is separated into three rounds.  Each round is played similar, but with a different twist.  The first round is the Taboo round.

Choose one person from Team A to start the round.  Give that player the bowl containing the paper strips and set the timer to 60 seconds.

Once the timer begins the player will pull a strip of paper from the bowl and describe the word on their paper while trying to get their team to guess it. first player will pull a strip of paper from the bowl and describe the word trying to get their team to guess it.  They can not say any part of the secret  word, or use any gestures.  So, if the word is, “Blanket” they can not say the word “blank” when giving the clue.  Instead they might give clues like, “something warm on your bed.”

Once the team guesses the word on the strip, set it aside and draw out another strip from the bowl.  Keep trying to get your team to guess as many words as you can before the timer goes off.

After the 60 seconds are done that player keeps the strips of papers their team guessed correctly, and then passes the bowl to the next player, who should be on Team B.

Play continues in this order until all words in the bowl have been guessed.

Once the round is over, have each team add up the amount of papers their team guessed correctly.  Each paper is worth one point for the team.

Fold the papers in half again and then place them back into the bowl.  It’s time for round 2!

 

5.  Round 2:  Password

The second round of the Fish Bowl game is the Password round.  Play continues similar to round 1, where each team takes turns trying to get their teammates to guess as many words as they can within the 60 second time limit.

However, this round you can only give a one word clue to describe the word on your paper.  For example, if the word is “blanket” you might give the one word clue of “bed.”  It really helps to try to remember the clues that were given in the first round and try to give your one word clue based off of the first round clues.

Let Team B start this round since Team A started the first round.

Once all of the papers have been guessed correctly, add up how many words each team guessed correctly and add it to your score.

Fold the papers in half and place them back into the bowl for the last round.

6.  Round 3:  Charades

The final round is the charades round (my favorite!).  Keep playing using the same routine as round 1 and round 1; passing the bowl around the circle and taking 60 second turns trying to get your team to guess the words in the bowl.

Only this time, you can’t say any words when trying to get your team to guess.  You can only use gestures to act out the clue.  So, if my word was “blanket” I would maybe act out getting into bed and pulling a blanket on me.

After all of the words in the bowl have been guessed add up the scores for each team one more time.

Whichever team has the most points at the end of the game wins!

 

In Conclusion

The fish bowl party game is so much fun.  It’s a great ice breaker to use at a youth activity or party.  I love teaching this game to new people, because everyone who plays it enjoys it!  Fish bowl is a game for all personalities and interests.

Try this game at your next get together, you will not regret it!!  Before long you’ll be teaching everyone else how to play fish bowl!

 

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I hope this helped you understand how to play fish bowl!

21 Free and Frugal Kids Educational Websites

By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

The best free learning websites for kids!

Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of kids screen time, it’s something I have always limited with my kids and encouraged other activities to help them pass the time.  However, I do allow them a few hours of screen time each week.  During their screen time I prefer them to use kids educational websites.  The way I see it, if they are going to be sitting in front of a screen, hopefully they can learn something at the same time!

This article contains affiliate links.  I may receive compensation from purchases made through links in this post.

Who are Educational Websites For?

I think any child can benefit from a few educational websites.  These are great resources to supplement home school lessons, give kids an extra boost of knowledge, and to help keep their minds active over the summer months.

My son is always telling me about a new alphabet sound he learned from one of his learning websites.  It makes me so happy to know these are helping him learn and progress.

 

 

best websites to help kids learn

 

Educational Websites for Younger Kids

Let’s first look at a few learning websites for younger kids to enjoy.  Here are some of our favorites.

1.  PBS Kids

PBS Kids is a favorite website at our house.  It is full of fun games and activities.  My kids love being able to play games related to their favorite TV characters, and I love that they are learning while they are playing!

The best best part (in my opinion) of PBS Kids is the Parents Section.  This section of the website is stocked full of resources to help us as parents guide and educate our kids.  From social skills to science and everything in between PBS Parents is my go to website for inspiration in helping my kids achieve their full potential.

2.  Starfall

Geared towards younger kids (preschool-3rd grade), Starfall has fun games to help your kids learn how to read.

This is actually one website that my kids teachers always recommend, and I do notice a huge difference in their progress when they are using it.

3.  ABC Mouse

ABC Mouse does cost money ($9.95/month), but it really is an amazing resource!  The games are best suited for kids ages 2-7 and is the perfect way to give them a jump start on reading, colors, math and more.

We have used it off and on for years, and I am always impressed by the variety of activities, the high educational aspect and the fact that my kids ENJOY playing games that are helping them learn!

You can try ABC Mouse for free for the first month.  This is a great offer to help you decide if it’s worth the small monthly investment or not.

4.  Storyline Online

Storyline Online is a fun website where actors read aloud children’s books.  We just had a cute book read to us by the beautiful Betty White.

Surrounding kids with books is so good for their brain, and Storyline Online helps you do just that.  I especially love that the books all have closed captioning; this is a good way to help kids learn to read.

5.  Seussville

If you are a Dr.Seuss fan then you will love the Seussville website.  It has some really cute videos and games for kids to enjoy.  There aren’t a lot of activities for kids, but all of the games provided are cute and whimsical…in true Dr.Seuss fashion!

6.  Sesame Street

I love all things Sesame Street, so of course I’m recommending the Sesame Street Website.  It’s full of fun, educational games, videos and activities.

My kids especially love the art section.  It’s fun to color, create and then print out their own picture….complete with their favorite Sesame Street characters!

cheap websites to use for homeschooling

Educational Websites for Older Kids

7.  National Geographic Kids

If your child is an animal lover, then they will love exploring on National Geographic Kids.  This website is full of fun animal facts, games and videos.

National Geographic Kids is best for older kids, ages 8-12.  We have used this website for school projects or reports and the information is all very interesting to learn.

8.  Switch Zoo

Switch Zoo is another fun website dedicated to educating kids about animals.  Older kids will enjoy learning new facts about their favorite animals, creating their own animal, and exploring the other games and articles.

9.  Youngzine

For the news and fact lover Youngzine will be a huge hit!  It is basically a news website, but for kids!  It has content about current events and interesting tidbits, all told in a fun way to keep it entertaining.

10.  Money Confident Kids

To help your kids understand finances, budgeting and all things money I recommend checking out the Money Confident Kids Website.  It has easy to follow lessons and fun games to help kids understand the best ways to manage money and plan for their future.

I have a full review of Money Confident Kids here.  It’s done wonders for helping my kids understand the financial world, plus it’s free!

11.  Adventure Academy

Adventure Academy was created by the same makers of ABC Mouse, but for kids aged 8-13.  Through a full interactive experience Adventure Academy gives kids access to a “virtual school” that can be customized for their own needs and preferences.

Your kids will find lessons on math, reading, science and more.  The coolest part of Adventure Academy is that three kids within the SAME household can play the game together at the exact same time, so fun right!?!  This makes the experience even more fun because you are able to interact with your family in a different environment.

Adventure Academy costs $9.99/month, but you can try it out for free using this link!


First Month Free!

12.  Smithsonian Learning Lab

We have had a lot of fun exploring the Smithsonian Learning Lab website. It’s full of useful information and interesting pictures and articles.

I especially love that the kids can create collections of the things they find interesting.  It’s a great way for them to learn how to study and research.

My daughter wanted to learn more about Egyptian Pyramids, after just one quick search she found many interesting pictures and articles.

13.  Interactive Constitution

Encourage your kids to learn more about US History using the Interactive Constitution website.  This website is best suited for older kids to help them understand the importance of the constitution.

I especially loved the Civil Dialogue toolkit and think it would be helpful for teachers to encourage good constitution discussions.

fun educational websites for kids

 

Educational Websites For All Ages

14.  Make Me Genius

Make science fun and interesting with the Make Me Genius website.  It’s full of science videos, fun jokes for kids, and other interesting facts.

Kids ages kindergarten-7th grade will enjoy this very educational website.

15.  Reading IQ

How amazing would it be to offer your children access to over 7,000 books with just the click of your fingertip?

Well, with Reading IQ, that is exactly what you get!  With a $7.99 monthly fee you will be given access to a library full of reading materials perfect for all children between the ages of 2-12.

A subscription with Reading IQ includes a collection of audio books, popular favorites, and more.  This is a great resource for home schoolers, road trips, or summertime.

Use this link to get your first month of Reading IQ for free!


Get 30 Days Free of RIQ!

16.  ABC Ya

ABC Ya is another favorite at our house.  The website is very user friendly, full of fun books, games and other activities.

Your younger child will learn about numbers and letters, while your older child will have activities about fractions, strategies and more.  There is something for everyone aged Kindergarten-6th grade.

The other huge plus to ABC Ya is it’s free (you can’t beat free!), you can buy a subscription for $9.99/month, but we prefer the free version.  I’ve had multiple elementary teachers recommend this site to me, and we love it!

17.  Fun Brain

Another great, FREE website is Fun Brain.  It has games, books (including Diary of a Wimpy Kid), and videos to watch.  My kids just watched a funny video today from this website called, “How To Deal With Annoying Siblings.”  They loved it, and couldn’t stop laughing!

18.  Highlights Kids

Did you know that the incredible Highlights is more than just a magazine?  The Highlights Kids website is full of educational activities, jokes, and games.

My son was playing on this website a few weeks ago and loved the video all about trains.  We both learned so much!

Best of all, Highlights Kids is free!  This is truly one of my favorites and think all parents should check it out.

19.  Kahn Academy

Kahn Academy is honestly one of the best free educational websites out there.  They provide lessons for kids ages K-8th grade ranging in subjects from math, science to history.  But, the main focus is math.

This is a great website if your child is needing some supplemental lessons and help.  I also really like the parents section.  It has given me a lot of good information so that I can better help my kids learn and understand.

20.  Education.com

I was so impressed with Education.com, I actually had to double check to make sure it was free….and it is!

This amazing website has learning worksheets and games for kids aged preschool-5th grade.  It is a treasure trove of resources for parents and teachers.

21.  BrainPOP

BrainPOP is a fun website with games, videos, lessons and more about many school subjects and interests.  I love that it goes beyond the math and reading to include subjects like engineering, art, and science.

They even have a BrainPopJr. website if you are looking for a similar version, but for younger kids.

In Conclusion

There are so many wonderful resources out there that do not require us to spend a lot of money.  A child’s education is so important, and I love helping those young minds learn and grow.

 

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educational kids websites - free learning websites for kids

I hope you find a website that your kids will learn from and love!

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