Icing Biscuits With The Kids
With the summer holidays finally upon us, it can seem like Mission Impossible to keep the kids entertained for six long weeks, especially if the typical English summertime weather is making playing outdoors an unrealistic option.
However, with a little imagination and forward planning, you can easily transform the hub of your family home, the kitchen, into a world of great fun and creativity for your kids, no matter how old they are.
If your kids are above a certain age, the recipe ideas suitable for them are truly endless. Cooking a pizza from scratch, making one of a range of simple pasta recipes or Greek recipes, or perhaps baking a simple sponge cake are all more than achievable options in the kitchen, but if your child is younger and a little less confident with an oven or a hob, something a little simpler may be the order of the day.
Something as basic as icing biscuits can keep kids entertained and happy for hours. There’s no need to bake the biscuits yourself; simply pop down to the local supermarket and pick up a packet of shortbread biscuits, making sure that the texture of the brand you pick isn’t too crumbly.
Making an icing topping for shortbread biscuits really couldn’t be easier. Simply combine around 400g of icing sugar with 4 tablespoons of cold water until you’re left with a smooth mixture. If you want to make your biscuits look a little more exciting, add in a few drops of food colouring.
Allow your child to spread the icing on top of the biscuits before the mixture hardens and, while the icing is still runny, sprinkle over hundreds and thousands, or adorn with small chocolate drops or sprinkles. Chocolate buttons and Maltesers also make excellent toppings, as do jelly beans, so let your child’s sweet-dominated imagination run wild!
English for kids
Learning together is a wonderful way to stay close to your children. There are many types of learning and there are many sources of getting help in English learning online.
However whether it would be learning of Art or Sciences (Biology, Physics, Chemistry), Languages or Music, Mathematics, History or Geography it is always fun and challenging both you and your child.
Test your vocab
Here is a website where you can test the vocab you have. All what you need is to check the box for each word you know. It’s superb works for everyone, from small children (with parental help) to college professors – http://testyourvocab.com/
Are hybrid cars complicated to drive?
If you’re trying to educate your child about the importance of using electric or hybrid cars to help to save the environment, one popular question they may ask is: are hybrid cars difficult to drive?Well, to set the record straight for your child, there’s a bit of an urban myth going around; that hybrid cars are more complicated to drive – requiring a different set of driving skills from those of a conventionally powered diesel or petrol engine, for example.
Of course, this is simply untrue, but the myth persists.
How do we know this? Well, recent research commissioned by Honda which sought the view of 1,200 UK based drivers found that just over half those questioned didn’t even know what a hybrid was. And of the 49% people surveyed who did know the basics about hybrids, many believed the cars required some form of specialist driving techniques. Still more people thought that hybrid cars needed charging up overnight.
So, to put the record straight once and for all on both counts: Hybrid cars don’t require any different kind of approach in driving techniques from any conventionally powered vehicles. You put your foot on the accelerator as usual – and the hybrid car does the rest; automatically deciding the right mix between the requirement for fuel or electrical power. You don’t need to worry about it – or do anything different in other words.
The only practical way in which they are markedly different is in their quietness. When the electric motor is helping out the petrol in powering the car uphill, for example, then there isn’t as much noise as with a petrol or diesel car – so make sure you don’t take any unsuspecting pedestrians by surprise!
Similarly, hybrids don’t need charging up in any way. The engine braking system charges the battery up as the car goes along.
All you’ll really notice with a hybrid is the fuel bill – and it will be a very pleasant surprise.
Are hybrid cars better for the environment?
When you’re trying to teach your kid about the importance of saving the earth and protecting the environment for future generations, it can be worthwhile making the subject a little more interesting to them by relating the topic to cars, and in particular, hybrid cars.
There’s a short answer to your child’s predictable question of whether hybrid cars are better for the environment – which is simply a resounding “yes”. But as with most things in life, it’s a little more complicated than that in practice. Hybrid cars certainly reduce emissions of harmful substances to a significant degree – which is what we’re really interested in. When compared to a conventional petrol engine car, hybrid cars reduce harmful emissions by around 70% to 90% of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and Nitrogen Oxide (NOx). Also, most electric petrol hybrid cars reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% compared to an equivalent petrol only car.
So what complications are there? Well the manufacturing process to produce hybrid cars is a little more complex and environmentally damaging substances such as NOx are increased. Also, purchase prices are still generally higher for hybrids than for
conventional cars. Although this may change over time, it remains an
undisputable fact at present. “What’s this got to do with the environment?” I hear you ask. Well, nothing directly, but if a consumer has paid significantly more for
his/her vehicle, then there is the possibility that the same individual will seek cost savings in other consumption to make up the difference – choices which may not be as environmentally friendly perhaps.
This is something of a moot point, however, and hybrid cars are undoubtedly the superior choice for today’s green thinking motorist. There are, of course, even more environmentally-friendly options available like not owning a car at all, or choosing a purely electrically powered vehicle, but practicalities dictate that for most of us – the hybrid is the most realistic current “green”option.
Education and Your Child: The World of Comedy
If you’re trying to get your child interested in comedy, you may sometimes feel that you’re fighting a bit of an uphill battle. For us adults more interested in watching reeves and Mortimer than telling jokes that appeal to youngsters, it isn’t always easy to make humour appeal to both adults and children at the same time.
However, with a little bit of creative thinking and effort, it is possible to make your child interested in the world of comedy.
The first place to start is by providing your child with a glimpse into the real world of comedy. When it comes to educating kids, we all know that showing is much better than just telling. Show your kids science in the making by taking them to an interactive science museum can reap far more dividends than sitting them down with a textbook. The same rule applies to comedy. You can find comedy venues across the country that put on special shows for kids. Even the world-famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe now books comedians who appeal to a younger demographic, while a couple of venues in central London also do the same.
If you can’t afford tickets for comedy shows at the moment, have a search online for the best methods of making up comedy games for children. There are plenty of videos on sites like YouTube that show how to do improv comedy with kids.
If that sounds a little too active for you, how about sitting your kids down on a wet, windy Sunday afternoon and showing them a few comedy classic films? A few good choices include ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’ and ‘Night at the Museum’.
One final tip to remember at all times when trying to interest your child in comedy is never to patronise them; kids are inquisitive, curious beings who don’t deserve to have their interest in comedy restricted by knock knock jokes!
Geography for kids
Geography is one of the most interesting subjects expecially for kids. So I am after such Geography games for kids that will help them to learn and build on their knowledge of the world around them. From stepping out of their front door, to learning about lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena on the Earth, different countries, culture, foods, environment and different ways of living.
It must be namely game which let them learning through playing to get the most effective way to understand and remember information and helping your child to learn about the world we live in.
I’ve found something like
Miss Weather Dress-Up Set os the game for children who are just learning about the thrill of color forms. The larger pieces make it possible for young hands to peel back the pictures “all by myself.” It also teaches children about choosing clothes based on the weather outside–an activity that preschoolers don’t always like to cooperate with.
Learning Resources World Treasure Hunt Map
This product is for older children and I do not recommend any of the small parts to be given to your toddler, but this is an item that will grow with your child. For you toddler this huge vinyl floor mat is sure to get your child interested in world geography. Colorful and sturdy, the 6′ x 4′ wipe-clean mat is large enough for children to stand or sit on, and can be hung as a decoration when not in use.
Spin & Discover Globe
The Spin & Discover Globe is designed with your littlest explorer in mind. It spins easily with tiny hands and keeps baby learning with animals that press, turn and spin on their home continents.
Bounce with a kangaroo. Swing with a monkey. Or fly around the world again and again in baby’s own airplane are all fun activities for toddlers, and the Spin & Discover Globe gives little globetrotters lessons in colors, animals, animal sounds, and music.
Crocodile Creek “World of Animals” Placemat
Your child will learn about world geography, map reading and animals indigenous to each continent with the World Animal Map by Crocodile Creek. The illustrations are beautiful on this sturdy placemat. Cleaning is easy; just wipe with a damp rag or sponge. The mat measures 11″” by 17″”-plenty of room for eating and large enough to read the map easily.
Seasons Puzzle Set
Puzzles are always great fun activities for toddlers, and you can teach the seasons of the year with these beautiful illustrated puzzles that are made to last. Each picture shows in detail how the weather changes and the appropriate clothes to wear for that season.