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Kids can only learn so much from traditional education, which is why it is vital that they also get involved in a host of extracurricular activities. These recreational pastimes for children aid their development and help them discover their passions. Extra curricular activities also can help kids to make friends and find positive role models. You want your child to become a well-rounded adult with much to contribute to society. You can help give kids a kickstart by sparking a passion for any one or more of these extracurricular activities that help give your child a holistic education.
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1) Music
Studying music has shown to improve test scores and help students do better in school. Music also can provide kids with a new way to express themselves. Additionally, the study of music helps kids to concentrate and can give them a sense of accomplishment as they learn to achieve their goals.
Get Videos on Folk Musicians and FREE Lesson Plans
There are many different instruments with which kids can start. One popular option is the drums. If you think this might be a good fit for your child, then you can learn more here.
2) Sports
Sports are an excellent outlet for getting exercise and building teamwork skills. Many kids even find themselves meeting some of their best friends through sports.
With so many different sports to choose from, your child will find something that works for them. If your kid has a hard time staying active, then participating in sports may provide the perfect fun way to get regular physical activity.
3) Art
Art is a fantastic way for children to express themselves and let their creative sides run wild. Many kids get a great sense of accomplishment when they create a beautiful piece of art.
There are many ways to get your child involved with art. While you can have your child take lessons, you could also involve them in crafts at home. The process of making things is essential to childhood development, no matter how you go about it.
4) Drama
Participating in performing arts can help kids to boost confidence. Drama also increases empathy because it requires your child to walk around in someone else’s shoes. Learning to play a character can help kids to see things from a different perspective and be more understanding.
Find our Plays & Skits at TeachersPayTeachers
Drama can help kids build trust and learn to rely on each other. When they are on stage, they need to trust that their scene partner will always have their back if they forget a line or something goes wrong. Even if your child never becomes a star, the performing arts can significantly change their life.
5) Writing
Writing is a pastime that has many professional advantages. One of the most sought-after skills in the professional world is strong writing. Starting young can help your child to succeed in their career.
Writing can help children to process their thoughts and express themselves. It also may assist kids in their overall communication skills. Encourage your child to write short stories, poems, or to keep a journal.
The Bottom Line
Childhood is the perfect time for people to explore a plethora of different activities to find the things that they enjoy. Hopefully, these suggestions will give you some ideas about what your children might like to do in their free time. It's great to open their minds to all sorts of possibilities. Something may spark a career choice.
However, it is essential not to force your child to do anything that does not interest them. While encouragement is helpful, pressure can be counterproductive and may cause resentment. You need to strike a careful balance. Remember that your kids are just kids, and they may not become the next Olympic athlete or musical prodigy, and that is okay, just let them enjoy their extra curricular activities.
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Pizza Plant and Animal Cell Lesson Plan
Animal and Plant Cell Lesson Plan and Pizza Project. |
Encouraging Moms at Home offers a great FREE Plant and Animal Cell Printable learning pack with great worksheets that include a Venn diagram and awesome charts. After clicking the link above, scroll to the bottom of their page for your free plant and animal pack download. (Recommended for 4-6 grade, but we think older kids can benefit from it too.)
Learn about Animal Cells vs. Plant Cells
How to Make a PLANT and ANIMAL CELL Pizza
The museum's program made a pizza and used different ingredients to represent the parts of the cell. We decided to make one pizza to represent an animal cell and another pizza to represent a plant cell. You can use any ingredients you choose as long as you decide ahead of time what ingredient is what cell part.
Don't like those options for your pizza toppings? That's okay, just remove the yucky ones before eating!
Nucleus: Large and round, use a slice of tomato, avocado, or salami.
Ribosomes: Small and colorful, use riced broccoli, diced green onions, bacon bits, or shredded carrots. Sprinkle around the cell.
Golgi Bodies: Use red or green peppers, pineapple, or carrot swirls.
Endoplasmic Reticulum: Use sliced of mushrooms or peppers.
Vacuole: Can be anything or nothing! Push a whole in your dough.
Chloroplasts: Only for plant cells. Use anything green: green peppers, green olives, or green onions.
Membrane and Cell Wall: Form a wall with sea salt, herbs, (basil or oregano) or cheese.
- 2 premade pizza crusts - Boboli works great!
- Pizza sauce - cytoplasm. The jelly-like substance that suspends the cell organelles
- Mozzarella cheese - cell membrane. The membrane that surrounds the cell and controls what substances enter and leave the cell.
- Cheddar cheese - cell wall. A rigid structure on the outside of plant cells.
- Tomato slice - nucleus. The part of the cell containing the DNA.
- Italian Seasoning - ribosomes. Organelles responsible for protein manufacture.
- Mushrooms - mitochondria. Organelles responsible for converting nutrients to energy (respiration).
- Sliced red pepper - golgi body. Organelle which stores, modifies, and transports proteins and lipids.
- Pepperoni - endoplasmic reticuli. Organelles which perform several tasks within the cell. Rough ER and dotted with ribosomes, while smooth ER are not.
- Ham - vacuoles. Fluid-filled cavity within the cell serving a variety of purposes. The central vacuole of a plant cell maintains its pressure and keeps it rigid.
- Sausage - lysosomes. Organelles found in animal cells that break down nutrients into smaller pieces (digestion).
- Black olives - leucoplasts. Plant cell organelles that store starches and oils.
- Green olives - chloroplasts. Plant cell organelles that contain pigments for photosynthesis.
- Celery - centriole. Animal cell organelles that aid in cell mitosis.
Bake on pizza pan according to package directions or 400 degrees until cheese melts. About 12 minutes.
Squash slices could replace pepperoni.
Onion slices could replace sausage.
Want to get Creative?
Use kitchen shears to cut your ingredients into shapes to match those in your biology book or the lesson links mentioned above.
Have younger family members? Grab some white paper and make placemats showing the parts of the cell based on the page from your biology text or the videos and worksheets above.
Watch the process of making animal and plant cell pizzas on YouTube.
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Studying Native American Art and Crafts?
Get crafty with Alex Toys and celebrate the Wampanoag Indians. Without them, we'd have nothing to celebrate. Here are companion activities for your lessons on Native American History.
Mayhem wanted to go outside and collect stones and leaves in her pouch like a real hunter-gather. "Indian Dress" paper grocery bag tutorial.
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Wampanoags today See the real Mayflower here. See our version here. Daddy is not Native American, but Mommy is related to Pocahontas about five different ways- her Indians are known as the Powhatan or Virginia Algonquian. One day, we'll write a post about this relationship.
Tie Dye Fashion Groovy Tote Kit from Alex Toys ~ Fun way to learn about dyeing clothing.
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I wanted to teach dyeing with the Tie Dye Fashion Groovy Kit and teach weaving with their Native American Loom, but the projects seemed a bit daunting for a six year old, eight year old, and an OCD Mom. So, I kept putting it off.
We'll do that post next week. We can do it tomorrow. It just has to be done by Thanksgiving...
The Tie Dye kit by Alex Toys is awesome, super easy, and nearly mess free ~ we did most of it in a tub in the kitchen sink. |
Soaking items to dye before tying off with rubber bands and twist ties. |
Knotting off patterns with bands included in the kit and recycled bread bag twist ties. |
Projects ready to dye. The included, Groovy Tote and some of our old, stained t-shirts. |
Leave lots of white space for better contrast and to keep colors from bleeding together. |
This is our only mess! How great is that? |
Squirting dye on paper and blending with plastic spoon. |
Secure your items in plastic bags for 24 hours. |
The bag was included in the kit and we did three shirts and several paintings. All bottles are still half full! This would be great for a birthday party or classroom. |
Tie Dye Paper Art ~ Less Squeeze is Best |
Tie Dye Paper Art ~ Learning Phase |
The loom? Oh my the loom, it was far too daunting for this post. See our weaving experiences in Jake's Journey in Art ~ Home-school Weaving.
Weaving is tedious work that takes time. Imagine if you were a Native American making clothing to keep warm.
Next month, celebrate the spirit of giving with Santa's Elves of Indy as we collect, wrap, and donate gifts for those needing a little extra help this Christmas season.
AlexToys.com donated these toys for our unbiased review.
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