Playing Is Educational

If you’ve ever traveled west, then you know what I mean when I say that the home décor of that region is of a different culture. Influenced primarily by the Native Americans, the colors and patterns of the textiles, tablecloths, figurines and paintings all tell a story of natural spirit and tradition. And even more recently, the area to the west had once been Mexico, which also carries a dominant influence of heritage in the styling of homes and public buildings.

Most popular in Western wall art are tribal-influenced paintings that represent the symbols used by those of many years ago. Each spread of canvas tells a different story. Hand-carved wood dolls and wooden doll furniture are popular fixtures in any little girl’s room and boys can’t seem to get enough of the handcrafted tomahawks. Let your inner cowboy surface and see what native and traditional decorations call out to you.

Reading is definitely challenging for many kids. While some kids seem more willing or excited to learn than others, there are definitely ways to engage and involve even the most reading opposed child in the room. These games and tactics can be used if you’re working one on one with your own child, but they are also extremely useful for teachers and teacher aides dealing with an entire classroom of new readers.

One of the most successful tactics is using a variety of phonics games. These word games should blend elements of reading with a game that they’re already interested in such as Bingo or tic-tac-toe, and make phonics for kids more interesting. As is the case whenever you’re working with kids, it’s a good idea to incorporate little rewards and benefits. This can range from stickers or gold stars to something even more enticing like candy.