FreeStuff4KidsPlayables http://freestuff4kids.net Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:50:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 en hourly 1 Scavenger Hunt List and Ideas http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/08/13/scavenger-hunt-list-and-ideas/ http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/08/13/scavenger-hunt-list-and-ideas/#comments Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:56:15 +0000 Randa http://freestuff4kids.net/?p=714 kidsearch

This is a guest post by Rebecca of www.scavenger-hunt-guru.com

Looking for a fun kids activity that you can do anywhere? How about a scavenger hunt! They are easy to organize and tons of fun for all ages. Scavenger hunts will get your kids running around and learning in an experiential fashion. They can be done indoors, outdoors, in the classroom, in the car, and even while camping.

If you are looking to create your own hunt, this site has that covered too with a list of scavenger hunt ideas already brainstormed and broken down by location. Simply pick and choose what you want to put on your list!

Here is a list for a simple indoor hunt:

purple crayon
holiday decoration
red book
dirty sock
yellow candle
plastic cup
rubber band
necktie
earplug
post-it-note
glue
photo of the pet
left tennis shoe
baseball cap
paper clip

The important thing is to be prepared, have fun with it and end while the kids are still wanting more. Try doing one scavenger hunt a week with the kids. They’ll love it!!! The Scavenger Hunt for Kids site has a comprehensive collection of hunts to get you started.

Be sure to check out the top ten list of outdoor activities for kids and bring those fun kids games outside the walls of the house!

Happy Hunting!!!

]]> http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/08/13/scavenger-hunt-list-and-ideas/feed/ 2 Make Music Online http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/07/21/make-music-online/ http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/07/21/make-music-online/#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:31:12 +0000 Randa http://freestuff4kids.net/?p=679 musicThere are some wonderful sites for making music online you might want to check out, particularly if you have a young one who is particularly interested in music. Here are several that we enjoy:

Tone Matrix – go check this one out whether you’re interested in music much or not. It’s sort of addictive. You click on the little squares to turn them on and it plays through your creation over and over.

JamStudio.com – choose your chords, instruments and variations and then play the composition you’ve written.

AmpleDesign.co.uk – paint your music at this site with variety of instruments and visual effects.

Tony B Machine – play on this hand drawn keyboard and mixer

]]> http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/07/21/make-music-online/feed/ 3 Disney GForce Movie Games and Downloads http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/05/30/disney-gforce-movie-games-and-downloads/ http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/05/30/disney-gforce-movie-games-and-downloads/#comments Sat, 30 May 2009 17:51:04 +0000 Randa http://freestuff4kids.net/?p=631 gforceThe Disney G-Force movie is coming out July 24th! The cute little guinea pigs are stars of the show as government espionage agents and it looks like a lot of fun. The official movie site has games to play, screensavers, wallpaper, buddy icons, and you can see all the trailers for the movie on the site.

In case you haven’t seen the trailers, here’s one for you:

]]> http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/05/30/disney-gforce-movie-games-and-downloads/feed/ 4 Free Kids Bowling for the Summer http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/05/21/free-kids-bowling-for-the-summer/ http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/05/21/free-kids-bowling-for-the-summer/#comments Thu, 21 May 2009 03:56:11 +0000 Randa http://freestuff4kids.net/?p=624 bowling Do you like bowling? There’s a great free bowling program you’ll want to take advantage of over the summer for families and you can find out about it at KidsBowlFree.com. Kids get 2 free games of bowling every day, and all you have to do is rent the shoes. On the site you can easily search by state to find a location near you that is supporting this program. Thanks to Raising a Healthy Family for giving me a heads up on this freebie!

]]> http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/05/21/free-kids-bowling-for-the-summer/feed/ 1 Best Kids Online Computer Games Sites http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/04/23/best-kids-online-computer-games-sites/ http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/04/23/best-kids-online-computer-games-sites/#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:09:36 +0000 Randa http://freestuff4kids.net/?p=596 From just pure entertainment to educational games, there are zillions of free online game sites available to keep kids entertained and learning while having fun. Here are what I think are the best sites for online games (in no particular order):

gamesnogNoggin and Nick Jr

Targeted to the preschool age to 6-7 years old, Noggin and Nick Jr have adventure, dress-up, art and learning games categorized by show and also by game type and age.  All their favorite characters are represented, including Dora, Diego, Wubbzy, Kai-lan, Wonder Pets, Max & Ruby, Backyardigans, Blue’s Clues and more.

gamesupUpToTen

There are over 1,000 free games on this site categorized by age range, game type and skills being developed while playing the games. This is a very entertaining site featuring characters named Boowa & Kwala.

gamesstarStarfall

This is an excellent educational site focusing mainly on helping kids learn to read and practice reading skills. The site is set up so kids can progress from learning their letters and sounds, to putting together words and sentences, all in such a fun way, they don’t realize they’re learning at all!

gamespbsPBSKids

With games from all the PBS kids shows, this site has games a wide age range will enjoy, with varying difficulty levels.

gamesdisDisney Games

This site will appeal to kids of all ages, focusing mostly on older kids, with games from movies and TV shows. You can search for games by type, character name, and genre as well as alphbetically.

gamesyahYahoo Kids

Definitely targeted to older kids, Yahoo has lots of arcade, board & tile games, games from tv shows, word games. It’s a little more difficult to navigate than the other sites but lots of fun stuff to be found!

]]> http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/04/23/best-kids-online-computer-games-sites/feed/ 1 Kideo Player- safe YouTube video watching for kids http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/03/07/kideo-player-safe-youtube-video-watching-for-kids/ http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/03/07/kideo-player-safe-youtube-video-watching-for-kids/#comments Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:39:10 +0000 Randa http://freestuff4kids.net/?p=575 kideoMy son enjoys watching YouTube videos, but unfortunately you can’t leave kids alone with YouTube because you never know what they’re going to click on and end up watching. I was excited when I found out about the Kideo Player because it’s all the fun of YouTube with none of the junk! The videos play automatically and if the current one isn’t entertaining, all the kids have to do is hit the space bar to go to the next video. ( I have found that every once in a while the player seems to get “hung” and you have to reload the page, but if your child knows how to use the mouse it’s easy to show them where the refresh button is.)

]]> http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/03/07/kideo-player-safe-youtube-video-watching-for-kids/feed/ 1 Animated Bembo’s Zoo Online http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/02/19/animated-bembos-zoo-online/ http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/02/19/animated-bembos-zoo-online/#comments Fri, 20 Feb 2009 02:10:09 +0000 Randa http://freestuff4kids.net/?p=568 bemboBembo’s Zoo: An Animal ABC Book is a wonderful book of pictures of animals made with the famous Bembo typeface. There is an online version of this book that is a wonderful place to visit for any age, but particularly the younger kids.  Click on each letter of the alphabet and a lovely animation which eventually turns into an animal appears. Nice sounds too!  This one of the nicest sites I’ve come across in a long time. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

]]> http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/02/19/animated-bembos-zoo-online/feed/ 0 Learn about medicine and science at Generation Cures http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/02/13/learn-about-medicine-and-science-at-generation-cures/ http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/02/13/learn-about-medicine-and-science-at-generation-cures/#comments Fri, 13 Feb 2009 23:36:51 +0000 Randa http://freestuff4kids.net/?p=553 gencuresGeneration Cures is a new, safe website created by Children’s Hospital Boston as an innovative way to educate kids about the importance of caring and compassion while raising funds for pediatric medical research.

The really cool and different thing is how they are going about it. They have created a safe online experience that offers educational digital content to kids and their families for  free. The site’s online puzzle-adventure games, animated web stories and “behind-the-scenes” videos have been designed by experts to help parents teach their kids about altruism and to inspire them to know they can make a difference in the lives of other people. The secret is that it does all this on “kid terms” – in a fun, cool and relatable way. Additionally, the content aims to get kids enthusiastic about the world of medicine and science.

]]> http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/02/13/learn-about-medicine-and-science-at-generation-cures/feed/ 0 Free Printables to Teach Kids About Money & Get Ready for Kindergarten http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/01/28/free-printables-to-teach-kids-about-money-get-ready-for-kindergarten/ http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/01/28/free-printables-to-teach-kids-about-money-get-ready-for-kindergarten/#comments Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:16:38 +0000 Randa http://freestuff4kids.net/?p=543 tessyI have a great site to share with you today! The Tessy & Tab Reading Club site has several wonderful looking learning kits for reading, kindergarten readiness, money management and even a plane pack to keep the kids busy while on a trip. Two of these kits have high quality printables available for download on their site! The money manager set has allowance worksheets, chore charts and some planning sheets for kids to help them progress towards their plans to spend, share and save the money they earn.  The kindergarten readiness set has several printable sheets as well, among them is a set of 26 letter practice sheets.

They also have a “fun page” on the site that includes several online games and printables, including a fun match game and lots of coloring sheets.

]]> http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/01/28/free-printables-to-teach-kids-about-money-get-ready-for-kindergarten/feed/ 3 Free Sports Illustrated Site for Kids http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/01/16/free-sports-illustrated-site-for-kids/ http://freestuff4kids.net/2009/01/16/free-sports-illustrated-site-for-kids/#comments Sat, 17 Jan 2009 04:16:59 +0000 Randa http://freestuff4kids.net/?p=538 sikidsIt’s nearly time for the Super Bowl! Sports Illustrated has an entertaining site for young sports fans that includes all the scores, stats, photos and news for Pro Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Hockey, as well as college football and basketball. The site is also jam packed with cool games, such as Gross Golf, Rocket Soccer, Home Run Derby and many more. You can even play in fantasy football and basketball leagues, take quizzes, vote on the best photo of the week and even design your own sneaker!

There is enough here to keep your little sports fanatic busy for hours. Have fun!

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