Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in albuquerque, NM

Good Websites for Preschoolers

by Alison

July 27, 2009

When my son was not yet two years old, I thought it might be fun to introduce him to some simple computer games and what better place to go than the internet? Since then, I've found some great ones and some not so great ones and I've also realized that a website can be a great way for a young child to learn letters and numbers, but also gain basic essential computer skills.

By far my most favorite website for kids is Starfall. This is a site all about reading and there's something for every level. Prereaders can learn letter sounds through interactive pages and simple games. Then there are interactive books for children who are beginning to read and for those who are experienced readers. These are also lots of fun to read with your kids. There's plenty of printable worksheets as well.

SesameStreet.org is full of educational games and your child's favorite characters. Search games by subject or character. Watch videos (including classic ones) and learn about all the characters (did you know The Count's birthday is October 9th?).

Sodaplay is one you'll definitely want to play with right alongside your child. It's full of models that you can manipulate with the click of a mouse. There's a lot of physics going along on this site, but your kids will enjoy clicking and watching the "characters" jump up into the air, crash to the ground and just move around in general.

iTunes isn't a site that you'd let your kids browse around on their own, but it's full of free children's podcasts for you to download and enjoy on your computer. You can find clips of your child's favorite TV show or audio shows designed just for kids. Of course you can always purchase music, movies, and episodes of TV shows but if you're lucky, you might find a great freebie in the weekly free downloads section. There's no need to own an iPod in order to use iTunes, just download to your computer and view and listen there.

Jitterbug is a site full of fun kids music that you can stream right from your computer. You can also watch music videos, like Laurie Bernker's "We Are The Dinosaurs".
What are your favorite sites for kids?    

Pretend it's Summer, When Clearly it's Not!

by Alison

January 22, 2009

Each time my four year old sees our little plastic pool outside, he begs me to fill it up and let him swim. It might be warm outside right now, but it's not that warm! Here are a few less cold ideas for pretending it's the middle of summer, and not the middle of winter! Drive through Sonic for some ice cream. Since the cool thing about Sonic is that the carhops bring the order to your  Read more...

Looking in the Mirror: 5 Places to Find Your Reflection

by Alison

January 13, 2009

Since I started gathering ideas for this week's list, I realized just how much children really like looking at their reflection, and I learned that if you're really observant, you can find it nearly everywhere and sometimes in the most unlikely places! A Pool: The city has many pools for you to choose from, but this time of year, you're probably only interested in the indoor ones! I  Read more...

Five Books To Tickle Your Funny Bone

by Alison

November 18, 2008

Looking to share a laugh with your preschooler? Here are a few books you may be interested in, and be sure to check out the other city guides today for their picks as well! Giggle, Giggle, Quack by Doreen Cronin - This is the sequel to Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type but I guess by virtue of having the word "giggle" in the title, it elicits more laughs from my four year old. In this  Read more...

Local Books for Little Ones: Carlos and the Squash Plant

by Alison

November 10, 2008

This month the national Being Savvy blog is focused on books and reading . To tie into that, and also bring in some local flair, I'd like to highlight some children's books that are written by New Mexicans and/or take place in New Mexico. Today's book is Carlos and the Squash Plant/Carlos y la Planta de Calabaza by Jan Romero Stevens . The Author was born in Las Vegas, New  Read more...