Activity Village News

26th September 2008

A Message From Lindsay

We have so much new these last few weeks that I'm struggling to get it all on the website, and consequently missed last week's newsletter entirely. I'm sure you won't mind if I keep my message very short this week, and just suggest you scroll on down to see what's new! And don't forget to have a peak in the right-hand column to explore our latest Web Picks and Articles - we think we've got some really good ones this week!

Just quickly, apologies to anyone who had difficulty accessing the website over the last couple of weeks. Our server is based in Houston, Texas, and our hosting company did a fantastic job of keeping everything going despite some very difficult weather! Hopefully everything is back to normal now.

And finally, a reminder about the free sample pages from StoryBox, AdventureBox and DiscoveryBox magazines which we have been featuring during September. If you didn't have a chance to download them, you might like to have a look now.

What's New At Activity Village?

We've been looking at skeletons this week, in plenty of time for Halloween, and have some great new skeleton crafts - something for all ages!
Skeleton crafts

 
Our new Human Body Printables include a skeleton and the major organs of the human body - with poster and fill in the blank versions available.
Human Body Printables

Kid Thinker 3 - "If we did all the things that we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves"
Includes poster, worksheet and two notebooking pages for Thomas Edison, as well as activity and extension suggestions.

Kid Thinker 4 - "If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else"
Includes poster, worksheet, game board, activity and extension ideas.
More Kids Thinkers

As a sideline to our Kid Thinkers we are beginning to produce notebooking pages on famous people. We only have a few so far, but we hope they will be useful for home or school projects.
Famous People - Notebooking pages

We'll be adding colouring pages for some of our "Famous People". This is the only one up now, but we like it so much I thought I would mention it here today!
King Henry VIII colouring page

Fans of our paper dolls may enjoy our latest clothes and accessories - costumes for Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Costumes for our paper dolls

We also have, by special request, some nightclothes for the dolls (sorry it's taken so long, Jane!)
Paper dolls

Fairy coloring pages
We hope that your little girls will love our newest collection of coloring pages devoted to fairies of all sorts!

Diary Of A New Mum - Week 21
Milk Is Not The Only Food
This week Jessica-Ann decided that she doesn’t like milk anymore and wants only solids from now on. This is a problem of catastrophic proportions – babies are supposed to get most of their nutrients from milk until they are at least six months! And I can’t go to the doctors or health visitors for help – they’ll just tell me off for weaning her ‘early’. Deep breath. Calming music. Don’t panic.
Read on...

Diary Of A New Mum - Week 22
Plastic Fantastic
In which Jessica-Ann falls in love with an ugly new toy and I put my foot in it with some other mums!
Read on...

New at AV Baby this week:


Baby Photo Of The Week
Taking Your Baby Swimming
Baby Signing
How To Massage Your Baby
Social Time For Babies
Playing With Your Baby - 0-6 Months
Playing With Your Baby - 6-12 Months
Parent and Baby Groups

Recommended Product

Goal Setting For Kids
Ever thought about Goal Setting for Kids? Goal setting is one of the most important skills that a person can learn, and the earlier this skill is learned, the more chances there are for successful outcomes in a person’s life. Adults know that goal setting is all about planning, making progress with that plan and reaching final goals or achievements. Once a child learns how to do this, they can use this tool for more success in school and at home.

Goal setting for kids will help your children to do well on their school tests and in activities such as sports, music programs or outside academic or arts programs - even at home, and with their personal finances. Teaching your child how to be a goal setter will give them a sense that they are capable of whatever they want to do. That’s valuable!

To learn more about Goal Setting for Kids, go to 4lifehappykids.com.

Reader Tip...

This tip comes from Mrs Patel - thank you for your wonderful email.

"This isn't a tip really, but I thought that new grandmothers out there might like to hear about it. My grandchildren live a long way away and I don't see them nearly as much as I would like to. I decided to start sending them a weekly package, just to let them know that I am thinking about them. It keeps me busy and challenged too. I bought a large pack of padded envelopes from an office supply shop and I made labels for each of my 3 grandchildren, who range in age from 6 to 14. Every weekend I get out an envelope for each of them and for the next 6 days I fill them up with little things - a note from me, sometimes a small book, puzzles and coloring pages printed out from Activity Village and other websites, stickers, cuttings from newspapers and magazines, a small packet of sweets, a little toy or other sewing or crochet project I have made for them, a dried flower, a lovely shell or conker or pebble.

I try to tailor the envelopes to my grandchildren. My granddaughter loves cooking so I might put in a recipe or some cake decorations; my eldest grandson loves playing the guitar so I look out for interesting guitar picks, and print him out chords or tab for his favourite songs; my youngest grandson loves cars and dinosaurs so he is easy to please! These things don't cost me much (I am on a pension now and haven't much to spare) but they show that I am thinking about them and keep me in touch, and help me to be part of their lives. They love to get their parcels and look forward to them. Incidentally, I use envelopes which are small enough to go in the ordinary post rather than parcel delivery, and I take them to the post office on Thursday so that, more often than not, they arrive on Saturday morning. And thinking about the parcels and planning for them has helped me adjust to being on my own, too, after losing my husband after a long and happy marriage."

Do you have any child-related “Reader Tips” to make life easier for other parents, teachers and grandparents? Send them to us (suggestions@...) - and we may publish them in a future edition of the newsletter.

Have You Seen?

The kids can have fun telling each other Knock Knock jokes this weekend with our 3-page collection to print out - if you can bear it!
Knock Knock Jokes

A Giggle!

"My mother's menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it."
Buddy Hackett

Something To Think About..

"One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A Poem To Enjoy

Two Frogs In Cream

Two frogs fell into a can of cream,
Or so I've' heard it told:
The sides of the can were shiny and steep,
The cream was deep and cold.
"O, what's the use?" croaked Number 1.
"Tis fate; no help's around.
Good-bye, my friends Good-bye, sad world"
And weeping still, he drowned.
But Number 2, of sterner stuff,
Dog-paddled in surprise,
The while he wiped his creamy face
And dried his creamy eyes.
"I'll swim awhile, at least,'' he said -
Or so I've heard he said:
"It really wouldn't help the world
If one more frog were dead."
An hour or two he kicked and swam,
Not once he stopped to mutter.
But kicked and kicked and swam and kicked.
Then hopped out, via butter

by T.C. Hamlet

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