Activity Village Blog

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Dice Games for Kids
2007-09-21 01:16:00
We have just added 15 brilliant dice games for younger children to the website (previously only available as a purchasable download). Many are printable and most are educational - although the children will be having so much fun with them that they won't realise! These first 15 games are aimed at younger children (although many are adaptable for older kids); we have more games for older age groups coming soon.Dice Games for Kids

A Most Important Word
2007-09-19 19:08:00
By Mark BrandenburgThere have been countless debates about how to help your kids become happy, healthy, successful people in their own lives. And one effective method of preparing them for their own lives is to give them a heavy dose of the word that not enough kids are getting today.The word?
More About: Word

Blackberry picking and recipes!
2007-09-19 16:43:00
I'm not sure about the rest of the world, but blackberries are out now in our region of the UK, and there are buckets and buckets of them within a few minutes walk of our house. There is something so satisfying about taking the kids out for a walk and coming back with overflowing containers of delicious, free blackberries, and then piling into the kitchen together to make something yummy with them.Here are some blackberry recipes to get you started:Fresh blackberry lemonadeThe blackberries make this lemonade unusual and special.Blackberry smoothieDelicious, quick and wholesome - great for a snack or a quick breakfast.Berry BruleeThis isn't a true brulee recipe, but a quick version which is still delicious and probably more popular with children.Apple and Blackberry CrumbleAs the evenings begin to draw in, take comfort in the smell of this crumble cooking in the oven! Serve with cream or vanilla ice-cream. You can also make up extra of the crumble mixture and store it in the freeze...
More About: Recipes , Picking , Reci

Hand Gestures Dramatically Improve Learning..
2007-09-19 09:26:00
Kids asked to physically gesture at math problems are nearly three times more likely than non-gesturers to remember what they've learned.In today's issue of the journal Cognition, a University of Rochester scientist suggests it's possible to help children learn difficult concepts by providing gestures as an additional and potent avenue for taking in information."We've known for a while that we use gestures to add information to a conversation even when we're not entirely clear how that information relates to what we're saying," says Susan Wagner Cook, lead author and postdoctoral fellow at the University. "We asked if the reverse could be true; if actively employing gestures when learning helps retain new information."It turned out to have a more dramatic effect than Cook expected.Read more
More About: Learning , Improve , Hand , Amat , Ally

Times Tables - a new way to learn them!
2007-09-18 23:48:00
We love these printable "Multiplication Thinkin' Logs" from The Toymaker. You get to build a tower and practice your times tables at the same time - what a great idea!
More About: Tables , Times , Learn

Halloween Crafts for Kids - two great new ideas
2007-09-18 13:38:00
Sarah and Jack have been busy this week with two really brilliant new Halloween crafts - a Haunted House made out of a large cardboard box and a very realistic Mummy Hand Desk Tidy - the perfect accessory for your pens and pencils this Halloween!Halloween Crafts for Kids
More About: Ideas , Great , New Ideas

Monarch Butterflies, Migration, Mexico and More!
2007-09-15 09:49:00
This fascinating website offers an insight into the amazing annual migration of the monarch butterfly from the US to Mexico - and a lot more besides! Written specially for kids, there is a wealth of information to discover and some beautiful pictures too. We particularly enjoyed the slideshows and booklets looking at the life of various Mexican children.Journey North for KidsAnd if you feel like spending some more time looking at butterflies, you will find a collection of butterfly coloring pages and a butterfly mobile craft at Activity Village.
More About: Butterflies , Mona

Bible Stories for Kids - fantastic new web resource!
2007-09-14 12:42:00
We have just spent an hour exploring this fantastic new website, Friends and Heroes, based on animated Bible stories for children. There are a number of episodes online - of which you can watch snippets - but within many of the episodes you will also find charming animated videos of some of the best-known Bible Stories , such as Daniel in the Lion's Den, Samson and Delilah etc.We were fascinated by the "Time Travellers" section of the website, which gives plenty of historical background information on the period. There are also numerous printable puzzles and quizzes, coloring pages, posters, calendars and an excellent collection of worksheets to accompany each episode. Highly recommended.Friends and Heroes
More About: Kids , Resource

Halloween Crafts for Kids - lots NEW!
2007-09-13 19:56:00
This week we have been busy adding a great collection of new Halloween Crafts to the site - all of which can be adapted for all age groups, including your youngest children. So if you are in need of some spooky inspiration, have a look here:Halloween Crafts for Kids
More About: Ween , Allo

Polar Bears - very cute printables, new from Jan Brett
2007-09-13 07:39:00
Jan Brett has just published a new book, The Three Snow Bears , and has launched some new activities on her website, including these very cute printable pages of illustrated facts on polar bears and in Inuit people - well worth printing out. You will find a lovely coloring page too.Polar bears information printable
More About: Cute , Polar bears

Disneys© Meet The Robinsons activity book to download
2007-09-07 14:04:00
Disneys© Meet The Robinsons fans will be thrilled with this 15-page printable activity book, available exclusively at Activity Village. There are mazes, puzzles and colouring pages of your favourite Meet the Robinsons characters to enjoy - perfect for keeping your kids busy!Meet The Robinsons activity book
More About: Download , Book , To Do

Movie reviews
2007-08-17 00:35:00
If you are ever unsure whether you should let your children watch the latest film at the cinema or on rental, then check out this website:Kids-In-Mind: Movie Ratings That Actually WorkIt includes amazingly detailed reviews of many films, rating them for sex and nudity, violence and gore and profanity. (Check out the Ratings FAQ for detailed explanations of how these are assessed.) This can then help you determine whether the film is suitable for your children to watch. A very useful resource.
More About: Reviews , Movie Reviews

On-line drawing lessons
2007-08-16 10:50:00
We just came across these wonderful on-line drawing videos by the well-known author and artist, Jan Brett. They are very detailed and may provide great inspiration for an older child. My 9 year old especially loved the Dolphin video.Jan Brett's videos
More About: Drawing , On-line , Line , Lessons , On Line

Beanbag Games And Activities - fun ideas!
2007-08-09 16:08:00
We have compiled a collection of ideas for keeping the kids busy with beanbags - from make your own games to tests of skill and challenges. Brilliant for a bored afternoon!Beanbag Games
More About: Ideas , Activities

Fuzzy penguin craft
2007-08-07 00:11:00
This is more of a winter craft, I suppose, but they are so cute we are definitely going to have a go making some of these tomorrow!Fuzzy Penguin s
More About: Craft , Guin

Fisher-Price recalls Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer toys
2007-08-02 11:17:00
From The Telegraph this morning:Toymaker Fisher-Price is recalling nearly a million products because of concerns their paint contains too much lead.Sesame Street 's Big Bird and Dora the Explorer Mattel Inc, which owns Fisher-Price, said 83 types of toy were affected, including figurines of Sesame Street?s Big Bird and Dora the Explorer.The recall relates to 967,000 Chinese-made toys which have been on sale in the US since May. Some of the products may also have found their way to Britain.Read the rest of this article here
More About: Toys

And more stories!
2007-07-28 18:22:00
This site features a super collection of stories, read aloud by assorted actors. Watch and listen to the story, and then print out the related downloadable activity book to keep the children happily occupied and entertained.Storyline online
More About: Stories

Stories, stories, stories!
2007-07-26 14:27:00
This page from CBeebies pulls together all sorts of stories which you can enjoy with your kids - whether you are watching and listening online or printing out and colouring. This is a brilliant page to have up your sleeve from the long summer holidays!Stories and Rhymes

Coloring Page Database updated with lots of new characters!
2007-07-25 15:11:00
Get the coloring pencils and crayons out! We have just added many new favorite characters to the Coloring Page Database , including:Caillou coloring pagesToddworld coloring pagesMiss Spider coloring pagesBackyardigans coloring pagesDoodlebops coloring pagesMax and Ruby coloring pagesHappy Feet coloring pagesKoala Brothers coloring pagesJoJo's Circus coloring pagesThe Wiggles coloring pagesMany other pages have been updated, too - so why not have a good look through the Coloring Page Database and print out some pages to keep your kids busy over the weeks ahead!
More About: Characters , Base , Char

Naps and "Quiet Time" - some good advice!
2007-07-25 00:35:00
I very much enjoyed this blog post and wish I had read it many years ago, so that I could have insisted on "quiet time" for my son, who would definitely have benefited from it! Well worth a read...Scribbit's Teaching Children Responsibility: How to Play
More About: Advice , Time , Good , Quiet , Some

More Ancient Greece for Kids
2007-07-19 01:24:00
I've just added even more Ancient Greece coloring pages to the site, as well as a large collection of Ancient Greece printables - writing paper and frames for school, projects and notebooking bedecked with Greek gods, hoplites, olive wreaths and mythological creatures! If you are feeling creative you can color and cut out your very own Ancient Greek coins. You will also find three new word search puzzles - Greek gods, Greek creatures and the Ancient Olympic Games. And, finally, I have added the first of our Greek Myths for Kids - rewritten specially for children - to read online or print for later.Ancient Greece for Kids

Ancient Greece for Kids
2007-07-17 18:52:00
Activity Village is taking a trip to Ancient Greece and we have started off with some Ancient Greek coloring pages (try your hand at some Greek myths, Greek gods and general lifestyle pictures) and some fantastic Ancient Greece crafts to get stuck into with your kids. Tracy and Sarah and their kids have really gone to town with these - please take a look!Ancient Greece for Kids

Fun Drawing Lessons for Young Children
2007-07-17 00:08:00
This is a fun website with very easy step-by-step instructions for drawing 12 different cartoon type images. The whole family has enjoyed trying out the different images today, with my 5 year old being especially pleased with her results. Why not try it yourself?Draw and Color with Uncle Fred
More About: Children , Drawing , Young , Lessons

Lunch Box Ideas
2007-07-15 23:53:00
I just stumbled on this brilliant blog full of lunch box inspiration. The food is unusual (for my family, anyway) and quirky, with a Japanese bent, but I have come away with plenty of ideas and I am sure you will too. I am going to have to start searching for some of the molds she uses to shape rice balls and boiled eggs - what a brilliant idea to perk up your kids' lunches!Lunch In A Box
More About: Ideas

Arctic Tale - polar bears, walruses and global warming!
2007-07-13 00:38:00
This looks like a must-see movie for the family this summer:
More About: Global Warming , Global , Bears , Polar , Arctic Tale

Because I said so!
2007-07-11 18:42:00
Let’s be honest. Have you ever felt that parenting was a losing battle? You do what you think is best, but the end result is frequently a battle and a temper tantrum… sometimes thrown by you. Lately, my 5 year old son and I have been experiencing this more often than I care to admit. He is defiant and persistent and wears me down until I start doubting my parenting skills. Yet, surprisingly, we have been doing remarkably well during dinner, the venue of struggle for many other families.Instead of sitting down to a pleasant meal, parents are frequently bombarded with complaints about the food being served. Worn down by repeated objections, weary parents comply with the wishes of their children and give them alternatives, such as yogurt, frozen fish sticks, chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. Don’t be disheartened. Be proud. You have such intelligent children! They know that if they are persistent enough, they will get what they want. Why should they eat what is being serve...

Online animated books and games
2007-07-11 18:37:00
Free online animated books and games to enjoy with your children - some better than others, so you might want to check them out first!SillyBooks .net
More About: Games , Online , Animated

Kids Games and Activities
2007-07-02 14:16:00
Please come and take a look at our new Kids Games and Activities section. It is in its early stages yet, with just under 50 games and lots more activities added, but we have over 400 more ready and waiting to be added over the next few weeks! We've divided the games and activities into categories to make it easier for you to find inspiration quickly when you need to, and we will be providing as much information as possible for each and every game (age or child, quiet or noisy activity, etc). If you have any favourite games of your own to contribute, they would be most welcome .. add them as a comment to this post or send them in an email to me at editor @ activityvillage.co.uk (without the spaces).Kids Games and Activities

More Ancient Egypt - this time some fun crafts
2007-06-29 20:28:00
We have added a great collection of Ancient Egypt crafts today, which Tracy did with her girls. It looks like they had lots of fun, and they certainly did a great job! They mummified a fashion doll and then made it its own mummy case, built a pyramid out of sugar lumps, and modelled some fantastic canopic jars.Ancient Egypt crafts
More About: Time , Crafts , Some

Ancient Egypt - new themed activities
2007-06-29 00:07:00
If you are learning about pyramids and pharaohs, mummies and sarcophagi, you will want to take a look at our new Ancient Egypt theme. We have some great Ancient Egypt coloring pages, a collection of printable writing paper and writing frames to use in your school, home and notebooking projects, a word search, an alphabet, some jigsaws, and a fantastic collection of links to the best "Ancient Egypt" activities on the net. Please take a look.Ancient Egypt
More About: Activities