November Online Activities Calendar: No preparation Necessary

Each week day I try to have a short online activity to get us started in the mornings. These activities are designed to last no more than 15 minutes and to require no advanced preparation. If you find them useful, please tell us how you incorporate them into your own day.

Note: Some of the websites presented below are ad supported and have other content beyond the suggested link. Although I always strive to find child appropriate activities, please preview the links to decide what fits for your family.

Monday, November 3: Today is Sandwich Day. Play the “Making a Sandwich” version of this instructions game

for kids.

Tuesday, November 4: Today is Election Day. Enjoy this Election Day video from Sesame Street.

Wednesday, November 5: This week is Chemistry Week. Play this Solids, Liquids, and gasses game.

Thursday, November 6: Today is Saxophone Day. Try playing this virtual saxophone.

Friday, November 7: Today’s the day the movie Big Hero 6 hits theaters nationwide. Just for fun, play this “Big Hero 6” BigHero Shoot Out game from Disney.com.

Monday, November 10: November is Peanut Butter Lovers’ Month. Watch this video to learn how Peanut Butter is made.

Tuesday, November 11: Today is Veterans Day. Read these facts about the history of Veterans Day.

Wednesday, November 12: On this day in 1889, DeWitt Wallace, founder of Readers Digest, was born. Have a look at these kid-friendly jokes from the magazine’s website.

Thursday, November 13: Today is World Kindness Day. Send someone an E-card to brighten up their day.

Friday, November 14: November is International Drum Month. Play these virtual drums with your mouse or keyboard.

Monday, November 17: Today is Homemade Bread Day. Play this bread baking game.

Tuesday, November 18: On this day in 1963 Bell Telephone introduced the push button phone. Check out this site on the history of the telephone.

Wednesday, November 19: This is Games and Puzzles Week. Choose one of these jigsaw puzzles to complete.

Thursday, November 20: November is National Sleep comfort Month. Check out this site all about the importance of sleep.

Friday, November 21: Today is World Hello Day. Learn to say “hello” in different languages.

Monday, November 24: November is Picture Book Month. Watch the video of the fun Thanksgiving picture book “I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie.”

Tuesday, November 25: Today is International Hat Day. Watch “The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvT27WKBhQk

Wednesday, November 26: November is Manatee Awareness Month. Take a quiz to find out how much you know about these cool creatures.

Thursday, November 27: Today is Thanksgiving! Celebrate by playing this fun Turkey Terminator math game.

Friday, November 28: November is Sweet Potatoes Awareness Month. Read about the sweet potato’s history.

Fathom Events Presents Big Apple Circus

I’m super excited about this! On November 8, 2014, Fathom Events

will be presenting the Big Apple Circus’s show entitled Metamorphosis. For those of you unfamiliar with Fathom, they are an organization that presents one time only special events in select movie theaters. Presentations include things like sporting events, concerts, operas and ballets, plays, and (apparently) circuses. The events are only available in select theaters, mostly in larger cities, but it’s definitely worth checking to see if there is one near you.

The Big Apple circus is one of the best circuses for children according to Parents Magazine. It will be a one ring show complete with lots of great animal-friendly performances. I’m so excited for the chance to see it on the big screen. It’s the next best thing to seeing it live.

Check out the Fathom Events

website for schedules and ticketing information. Also, you can sign up for their newsletter to get info about upcoming presentations.

The Yeti: And You Thought He Didn't Exist

Sometimes you just have to have a bit of random fun! Today, on Google, there's a tool to make an animated Yeti out of code. Although this probably could have been a great educational opportunity to discover the world of computer coding and how it works, tonight it was just plain entertaining. Boo and Dad had an awesome time creating this guy. Click here to make an animated yeti of your own.

Review: Epic, A Book Streaming App for the IPad

Recently, Boo stumbled across a free app for the IPad called Epic. It’s an app for children age two to twelve which allows them to stream a huge amount of books directly to their device. When you download the app, you can sign up for a free trial month to determine whether it is a good fit for you and your children. So we decided it was worth a look. Here are our impressions so far.

First, I was skeptical about the number and variety of books that would be available on the app. However, we’ve found offerings suitable for both Boo and Gator. Some well-known titles include, “The Boxcar Children,” “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” and “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” There are also plenty of titles that I’ve never heard of, and new offerings are added each week. A read-aloud feature for some books makes the app accessible to even the youngest kids.

As far as the set up goes, we were excited to see that you can add multiple profiles to one account. This enables each child in a family to have their own space within the app; important because the app tracks each profile’s activity. It keeps a log of books read, time spent on the app, pages turned, etc. The kids can earn reading points to advance to higher levels within the app and can also earn new backgrounds and profile decorations.

After the free trial, additional service can be purchased for only $4.98 per month. The amount of books your child can stream is unlimited. There is even an option to read offline if you know you will not have access to the internet. You simply add a book to your favorites while you are online and check the box that says “read offline.”

Bottom line: For us, this app is both kid and parent approved. We’ve been using it to read bedtime stories with both kids. They like the idea of using technology in this way, and it’s nice to have a wide array of new books to choose from rather than the ones already on our book shelves. While I don’t believe anything can take the place of an actual hard copy book, Epic is a fun and useful alternative.

Visit Epic on the app store or on their website at www.getepic.com.

*I am not being compensated in any way for this review. The ideas expressed here are my own honest opinions.*