Bing and I were really happy that we were able to help our Flocker friend in “Strength in Girders” with his construction problem. Now it’s time for you to put your hard hats on for some building and counting fun.
We’re going to build with a range of objects such as Legos, smooth blocks and whatever else you have handy. Continue reading
Music can be found everywhere, even Water. Explore music with your child using a few simple household items. Let’s see if you can line up a chorus line as well as Bing did in A Chorus Line!
Extend the activity by asking your child to add or subtract water from the jars to see what happens. Does this change the pattern? Add food coloring. Does that change the pitches? Play around and explore together!
The more water you have in a jar, the lower the pitch will be. You see, the sound vibrations you hear come from the jar, not water. So, as you add water it takes up more space — providing greater vibrating mass. The less water in the jar means there’s less weight to vibrate so the pitch is higher.
Happy exploring!
One thing Bong and I learned while on the Tiny Planet of Sound is that sounds don’t always sound good together.
If you’re having a concert, that’s a bad thing, but when it comes to wind chimes, we don’t have to be so exacting. The sound of clanging objects in the breeze makes kids happy so let’s go for it!
Making wind chimes is an activity that even toddlers can do (with a little help from you). Wind chimes can be created using metal washers, bells and other metal pieces that have a hole in them. The children can use string to suspend the pieces from a central object. Continue reading
When I was a child, my dad always emphasized the importance of reading. “Reading,” he said, “is power.” This message was reinforced by television and radios ads proclaiming that “Reading is Fundamental” The ability to read is fundamental for our children’s educational success in life.
Why is this? Once a child has mastered reading they are now in the position to independently learn about anything and everything that interests them. Knowledge is power and reading is the key to making the world an “open book” for them. Continue reading
When children are young, their immediate family makes up their world. But as they enter the preschool years, they begin to expand out to include new friends.
Young children need to understand that sometimes even the best of friends (like Bing and Bong) will have disagreements. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that their friendship is over. Continue reading