Twoply 0 #1 October 2, 2008 I'm one of those guys who wants to expose his kids to as much as possible, to let them have every chance of seeing what's out there in the world. My wife and I are very scientific people, so that's always going to have a presence in the house. so I bought a 33" skeleton to explain to them why they aren't just blobs of muscle and fat. I aslo buried an bunch of chicken bones in the back yard to act like Indiana Jones looking for bones.. What else do you guys suggest for a 4 and 2 year old? I'm all about new ideas! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jumpervint 0 #2 October 2, 2008 That's a great idea. Sounds like fun for the kids. I'm a sucker for the reading thing. Read to them, take them to the library, get a variety of books. Have them see you reading as a common activity. The more exposure to reading and words, the greater their scope. Good luck. Let us know when they make valedictorian. Vint. . . . . "Make it hard again." Doc Ed “A person needs a little madness, or else they never dare cut the rope and be free” Nikos Kazantzakis Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brittentay 0 #3 October 2, 2008 bring them on adventures with your crazy fun friends Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
birdlike 0 #4 October 2, 2008 Start teaching them how to tie cool knots! Start simple with the overhand knot. Don't teach them the standard dumb ways to tie their shoes. Go to this site: Ian's Shoelace Site I haven't been there in a while, so I just went again. It's mind-blowing how much variety there can be to shoe lacing! And the site is very well done. So when your kids go to school, after learning these knots, they will be the only kids whose shoelaces never come inadvertently untied. And they'll look cooler, too! Most people know far fewer knots than they really should.Spirits fly on dangerous missions Imaginations on fire Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #5 October 2, 2008 Read to them - and as they get older, read WITH them. Instill a love of books when they're young and they will read and learn their whole lives.Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LuckyMcSwervy 0 #6 October 2, 2008 My Dad was really into history. He and my Mom would take us for walks in the woods, and my Dad would kinda 'disappear' for a few minutes (us 3 kids never noticed) and then we would 'find' stuff like old Indian arrowheads and stuff like that. It was so awesome and so cool. It was very inspiring because then we wanted to learn more about the who/what/when/where/why of our little trips. We also went on a family history trek through some local cemetaries. That was cool, too. Kind of a get to know the family that came before us, some of them were the reason were were now 'here'. Really cool. Weird, but cool. Always be kinder than you feel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 37 #7 October 2, 2008 My kids loved to play dress-up when they were young, it really fueled their imaginations. I had 2 big boxes stuffed with clothes, shoes, jewelry, gloves and hats. Some of it came from my grandmother who cleaned out her closet of vintage stuff, some from our own closets. I also bought Halloween costumes at a huge discount after Halloween was over and the kids loved that. I had so many super-heros running around at one time, it was cool. Oh, and it's ok for boys to dress up in the girls' clothes, it won't make them gay. She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man, because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peej 0 #8 October 2, 2008 QuoteRead to them, take them to the library, get a variety of books. Have them see you reading as a common activity. The more exposure to reading and words, the greater their scope. I could not agree with you more here, i directly attribute my career choice and career success with my mom instilling a love of reading in me from a young age. Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocheese 0 #9 October 2, 2008 Show them how things work. Make them hold the flashlight when you fix stuff. Build stuff with them. Blow shit up. Teach them the scientific method. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
galvar2439 0 #10 October 2, 2008 QuoteI'm one of those guys who wants to expose his kids to as much as possible, to let them have every chance of seeing what's out there in the world. My wife and I are very scientific people, so that's always going to have a presence in the house. so I bought a 33" skeleton to explain to them why they aren't just blobs of muscle and fat. I aslo buried an bunch of chicken bones in the back yard to act like Indiana Jones looking for bones.. What else do you guys suggest for a 4 and 2 year old? I'm all about new ideas! It awsome to parents take this much interest in thier kids future. My dad taught us common sense and good manners. Take your kids to homeless shelters and just help,out for an half a day. Show your kids that we are people no matter what. So when they are a little older they arent uncomfortable around the less fortunate. My kids always helped out at Xmas time at the shelter my dad ran. It also inspired tehm to work a little harder in school. My dad use to also create problems for us and then let us come up with ways to solve them, common sense scenarios. Like what to do if your wheel falls off and all the lug nuts are gone. We all know that one but things like that get the problem solving skills going early. There is always a way! I know its corny but my dad use to tell us long before Yoda used it, "There is no trying, there is do or dont do"So i just broke up with this woman who wasn't even my girlfriend! Hellfish #782, POPS #10664 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Broke 0 #11 October 2, 2008 Chemistry model kitsDivot your source for all things Hillbilly. Anvil Brother 84 SCR 14192 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 2 #12 October 2, 2008 QuoteThings I can do to inspire my kids to learn When they're older, make them get jobs in some place like a Burger King. Then tell them to take a real good, hard look around them. They'll stay in school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
galvar2439 0 #13 October 2, 2008 QuoteQuoteThings I can do to inspire my kids to learn When they're older, make them get jobs in some place like a Burger King. Then tell them to take a real good, hard look around them. They'll stay in school. My dad took me and my brother to Texas in August and we worked the fields witrh relatives who were and are migrant workers. We only did it for a week, but it left a lasting impression. He said you can do work like this for the rest of your life or you can go to school and get an education. All those years i thought he was just mean. Funny how your parents get smarter as you get older.So i just broke up with this woman who wasn't even my girlfriend! Hellfish #782, POPS #10664 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jjiimmyyt 0 #14 October 2, 2008 Lego, big blocks 1st, then small, then Technics. Throw out the designs that come with the kits though. I still have a box of Technics that I make little robots/cars with on boring rainy Sundays. "This isn't an iron lung, people. You can actually disconnect and not die." -Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beerlight 0 #15 October 3, 2008 It awsome to parents take this much interest in thier kids future. My dad taught us common sense and good manners. Take your kids to homeless shelters and just help,out for an half a day. Show your kids that we are people no matter what. So when they are a little older they arent uncomfortable around the less fortunate. My kids always helped out at Xmas time at the shelter my dad ran. It also inspired tehm to work a little harder in school. My dad use to also create problems for us and then let us come up with ways to solve them, common sense scenarios. Quote Fully agree. And also try not to be a helicopter parent. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Nightingale 0 #16 October 3, 2008 When they watch television, make sure that the close captioning is on. Children with deaf family members tend to have much higher level reading skills than children who watch an equal amount of television but do not watch with the close captioning on the tv. It's something easy that you can do to give your kids a head start, and it lets them learn without realizing they're learning. Any extra exposure you can give them to language is always a plus. Language will give them the tools they need to learn whatever they want to. Read to them. Take them to the library. Participate in the summer reading incentive programs at your public library. Teach them a respect for books. Every birthday (along with their other presents), buy them a special hardcover book and write an inscription in it. It's something they'll treasure as they grow. Expose them to new places. Take them to aquariums, zoos, and museums that have age appropriate exhibits. Get them involved in the Junior Ranger programs if you have a national park or ranger station nearby. Take them to the beach to watch the grunions run or to the mountains to see a bald eagle. Take them to as many national parks as you can and talk to them about what is unique about each of them. Teach them about their bodies and how they work. Buy an encyclopedia. I think ChildCraft still makes a good children's encyclopedia, but an adult one works too, once kids are in grammar school. Keep it in an obvious place, and pick out a volume every night and open it randomly to learn something new. Make it a game. When they ask "why", answer them. If they are old enough to ask, they are old enough for an answer. Never shut down their curiosity about the world, about life, and about how you made your decisions. Children learn by example, so use their questions as an opportunity to demonstrate logical thinking and good decision making. Encourage experimentation. If they ask a question, don't always just hand them the answer. If it's something that can be researched, look it up together, even if you already know. If it's something that can be tested or experimented, work through the scientific method and form a hypothesis, make an experiment and test your hypothesis, and draw a conclusion, even if it makes a mess of your kitchen. Remember, learning is fun! Don't force them to learn. Make them want to learn by presenting learning opportunities in a fun way, and accept that sometimes your kid will lose interest, and that's okay, let them move on to the next thing that interests them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Misternatural 0 #17 October 3, 2008 School of rock was on tonight, Jack Black inspired those kids to learn how to play Zeppelin like chops, impressive even if it was a movie.Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
Nightingale 0 #16 October 3, 2008 When they watch television, make sure that the close captioning is on. Children with deaf family members tend to have much higher level reading skills than children who watch an equal amount of television but do not watch with the close captioning on the tv. It's something easy that you can do to give your kids a head start, and it lets them learn without realizing they're learning. Any extra exposure you can give them to language is always a plus. Language will give them the tools they need to learn whatever they want to. Read to them. Take them to the library. Participate in the summer reading incentive programs at your public library. Teach them a respect for books. Every birthday (along with their other presents), buy them a special hardcover book and write an inscription in it. It's something they'll treasure as they grow. Expose them to new places. Take them to aquariums, zoos, and museums that have age appropriate exhibits. Get them involved in the Junior Ranger programs if you have a national park or ranger station nearby. Take them to the beach to watch the grunions run or to the mountains to see a bald eagle. Take them to as many national parks as you can and talk to them about what is unique about each of them. Teach them about their bodies and how they work. Buy an encyclopedia. I think ChildCraft still makes a good children's encyclopedia, but an adult one works too, once kids are in grammar school. Keep it in an obvious place, and pick out a volume every night and open it randomly to learn something new. Make it a game. When they ask "why", answer them. If they are old enough to ask, they are old enough for an answer. Never shut down their curiosity about the world, about life, and about how you made your decisions. Children learn by example, so use their questions as an opportunity to demonstrate logical thinking and good decision making. Encourage experimentation. If they ask a question, don't always just hand them the answer. If it's something that can be researched, look it up together, even if you already know. If it's something that can be tested or experimented, work through the scientific method and form a hypothesis, make an experiment and test your hypothesis, and draw a conclusion, even if it makes a mess of your kitchen. Remember, learning is fun! Don't force them to learn. Make them want to learn by presenting learning opportunities in a fun way, and accept that sometimes your kid will lose interest, and that's okay, let them move on to the next thing that interests them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Misternatural 0 #17 October 3, 2008 School of rock was on tonight, Jack Black inspired those kids to learn how to play Zeppelin like chops, impressive even if it was a movie.Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
