MomentGarden - a fun way to record and share your child's special moments

Monicka and I were asked to review a new website called "MomentGarden" and I have to say, it is an adorable site.

At MomentGarden, you can post pics and notes all about your baby or child's special moments, development, and so on, and friends and family can come and see what's happening in your child's "garden" - and can even contribute, if you want them to.

What's special about this site, for me, is that it is SO simple and easy, and has such a clear cut, fun interface. It's completely free to use, and the signup process is very, very easy. In fact, it's so easy that a toddler could probably learn to use it - now what fun that would be!

Goal setting for children

As winter draws in and Christmas approaches, it's a nice time to teach goal setting to small children. Our kids tend to have much shorter attention spans than adults, and to a small child a week can seem like a long time.

Small goals are great for small children - the idea is to get them to start setting some small, short term goals! Christmastime is a good opportunity to introduce children to goal setting and some of the things that go hand in hand with good goal practise.

For instance, you could:

• Enlist your kids' help in organising and sending out the family Christmas cards on time - introducing the idea of deadlines with regard to goal setting.
• Help your child plan, design and create a special hand made gift for someone special in his life - friend or relative. This introduces the joy of goal setting with the aim of doing something nice for another.
• Teach your child how to set a savings goal for something she wants to buy for Christmas - whether for herself or a loved one.

Happy holidays and have fun with your kids! :)
Cassie

Here's a very interesting educational tool . The "K5Stars" system is like an online homework/training centre for school kids. The difference being that it's designed to be FUN.

The premise of the system is that the basics should be mastered very very well. I think this is extremely important. Our kids will ferret out their passions and get GREAT at subjects that truly interest them, if they know the so-called "3R"s - reading, riting (LOL!) and 'rithmetic - inside out.

The huge variety of games are classified by type - such as spelling, arithmetic, fractions, and so on - as well as by recommended grade level. So it's easy to pick games to help your kid practise and strengthen the core skills he needs.

There's a free 7 day trial, and the system is well worth taking for a test drive so do head on over to this link: Educational games for kids today!