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If you only pick up one item for back-to-school, grab the Sentence Building Dominoes from Educational Insights! These Sentence Building Dominoes are super versatile and can be used by kids no matter where they are in their journey learning to read.
These are a must-have for families with kids learning to read and for any elementary teacher from kindergarten through third grade.
Read on for 5 simple, FUN ideas to learn with Sentence Building Dominoes! These tactile learning activities are organized from the most basic to the most advanced. And don’t miss the free Sentence Building Dominoes downloadable activities available on the Educational Insights website!
Count the words: Practice 1:1 correspondence!
Did you know being able to count the words in a sentence is an important part of learning to read?! Yep! Words make sentences, and sentences make words. Kids need to understand this and learn each printed word is one spoken word – this is one-to-one correspondence!
Build a simple sentence and invite the child to count the words. (For example, “I like the cookie.”) Then swap out one word in the sentence and count again! (“I like the book.” Or, “I like the school.”) Have the child touch each domino as they count.
This is a fabulous support for a child struggling with 1:1 correspondence, because it makes the learning tactile for them. Also, the dominoes are different colors. Visually, this helps the child see each of the separate words as they develop their understanding that each printed word is one spoken word.
Pick, read, and write: CVC words!
Choose several CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) word dominoes, and place them in a bin of rice (or just an empty bowl). The sentence building dominoes include lots of CVC words like cat, bus, big, dad, ran, but, men, and many more!
Invite the child to choose a word, read it, and then write it. You can even add kids’ tweezers for pulling out the dominoes – this makes for added fun and fine motor practice!
CVC words are the perfect place to start with a beginning reader who is starting to blend letter sounds to make words. If a child knows all of their letters and letter sounds, support them as they begin to explore how these sounds are put together to make words!
Need a modification? If the child is just starting to blend letters to make words, start with words that all have the same middle vowel. For example, use the ran, cat, and dad dominoes. Distinguishing middle vowel sounds is tricky for beginning readers, so focusing on 1-2 at a time can be helpful to scaffold learning.
Word families!
Ready for more of a challenge? Try using the dominoes to practice word families (words that rhyme and are spelled with the same ending).
Pull out dominoes for word families you’d like the child to practice (you may want to target word families that end in -ear, -ice, -est, or another phonics pattern that is tricky for the child). Next, invite the child to pull a domino from that pile and write 3-4 words that are in that same word family! For example, if they pull the “best” domino, then they may write: rest, pest, vest. These are all words that end in -est.
Recognizing common word families is a powerful strategy for beginning readers to decode words more easily. This helps kids with chunking! If they can spot a word family they know when reading, it makes blending the beginning sound and the ending chunk quick and easy!
Sentence Building!
Offer your child a pile of dominoes, and invite them to build sentences!
Add an element of competition to increase the fun! How many sentences can you build? Who can build the silliest sentence? Or make it a game by taking turns picking dominoes from the pile – who will be the first to have enough words to build a sentence?
Want to add a writing component? Build sentences for each other and take turns writing them! This is a wonderful way to incorporate both reading and writing in a fun way!
Sorting: parts of speech!
These dominoes include color coded verbs, nouns, adjectives, and more. If your child is learning the part of speech, invite them to sort a pile of words into nouns and adjectives!
No matter where your child is in their journey learning to read, the Sentence Building Dominoes can meet your child where they are to build on their skills! This supply is perfect for back-to-school!
Beth Ann Tieche is an elementary principal turned stay at home mom of twins plus one! She helps parents have more joy and less stress with spirited kids. Her content revolves around doable ideas for art, hands-on learning, and family fun! Find Beth Ann at lowliftfun.com and on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lowliftfun/) for lots of low lift (EASY!) fun!
If you only pick up one item for back-to-school, grab the Sentence Building Dominoes from Educational Insights! These Sentence Building Dominoes are super versatile and can be used by kids no matter where they are in their journey learning to read.
These are a must-have for families with kids learning to read and for any elementary teacher from kindergarten through third grade.
Read on for 5 simple, FUN ideas to learn with Sentence Building Dominoes! These tactile learning activities are organized from the most basic to the most advanced. And don’t miss the free Sentence Building Dominoes downloadable activities available on the Educational Insights website!
Count the words: Practice 1:1 correspondence!
Did you know being able to count the words in a sentence is an important part of learning to read?! Yep! Words make sentences, and sentences make words. Kids need to understand this and learn each printed word is one spoken word – this is one-to-one correspondence!
Build a simple sentence and invite the child to count the words. (For example, “I like the cookie.”) Then swap out one word in the sentence and count again! (“I like the book.” Or, “I like the school.”) Have the child touch each domino as they count.
This is a fabulous support for a child struggling with 1:1 correspondence, because it makes the learning tactile for them. Also, the dominoes are different colors. Visually, this helps the child see each of the separate words as they develop their understanding that each printed word is one spoken word.
Pick, read, and write: CVC words!
Choose several CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) word dominoes, and place them in a bin of rice (or just an empty bowl). The sentence building dominoes include lots of CVC words like cat, bus, big, dad, ran, but, men, and many more!
Invite the child to choose a word, read it, and then write it. You can even add kids’ tweezers for pulling out the dominoes – this makes for added fun and fine motor practice!
CVC words are the perfect place to start with a beginning reader who is starting to blend letter sounds to make words. If a child knows all of their letters and letter sounds, support them as they begin to explore how these sounds are put together to make words!
Need a modification? If the child is just starting to blend letters to make words, start with words that all have the same middle vowel. For example, use the ran, cat, and dad dominoes. Distinguishing middle vowel sounds is tricky for beginning readers, so focusing on 1-2 at a time can be helpful to scaffold learning.
Word families!
Ready for more of a challenge? Try using the dominoes to practice word families (words that rhyme and are spelled with the same ending).
Pull out dominoes for word families you’d like the child to practice (you may want to target word families that end in -ear, -ice, -est, or another phonics pattern that is tricky for the child). Next, invite the child to pull a domino from that pile and write 3-4 words that are in that same word family! For example, if they pull the “best” domino, then they may write: rest, pest, vest. These are all words that end in -est.
Recognizing common word families is a powerful strategy for beginning readers to decode words more easily. This helps kids with chunking! If they can spot a word family they know when reading, it makes blending the beginning sound and the ending chunk quick and easy!
Sentence Building!
Offer your child a pile of dominoes, and invite them to build sentences!
Add an element of competition to increase the fun! How many sentences can you build? Who can build the silliest sentence? Or make it a game by taking turns picking dominoes from the pile – who will be the first to have enough words to build a sentence?
Want to add a writing component? Build sentences for each other and take turns writing them! This is a wonderful way to incorporate both reading and writing in a fun way!
Sorting: parts of speech!
These dominoes include color coded verbs, nouns, adjectives, and more. If your child is learning the part of speech, invite them to sort a pile of words into nouns and adjectives!
No matter where your child is in their journey learning to read, the Sentence Building Dominoes can meet your child where they are to build on their skills! This supply is perfect for back-to-school!
Beth Ann Tieche is an elementary principal turned stay at home mom of twins plus one! She helps parents have more joy and less stress with spirited kids. Her content revolves around doable ideas for art, hands-on learning, and family fun! Find Beth Ann at lowliftfun.com and on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lowliftfun/) for lots of low lift (EASY!) fun!
The desk pet trend has swept through schools across the country, motivating and rewarding positive classroom behavior, teaching responsibility, and spurring innovative math, science, art, and writing exercises. If you haven’t jumped on the desk pet wagon, now’s the time to prep for back-to-school!
Document
First, what IS a desk pet?
This teacher-generated craze can be traced to an idea posted last year on TikTok by teacher Marissa Begay. Ms. Begay took the animal-shaped erasers that all teachers have stashed in their prize packs and turned them into… student pets! Her simple idea launched a TikTok sensation, with other teachers posting their own creative ideas, which are endless.
Once the pets have been adopted, students earn points to spend on pet accessories and earning extra pet playtime and teachers incorporate the pets into their lessons, including discussing, creating, writing about, and drawing animal habitats and environments; keeping daily pet diaries; drawing, painting, and sculpting the pets; and more.
Since pets are a long-term responsibility, you want your classroom desk pets to last! Our Desk Pet Pals Adoption Pack make the best desk pets, with 24 extra adorable, super durable Desk Pets and 20 (yes TWENTY) FREE, downloadable Desk Pet activities. Click to print a desk pet application, desk pet adoption certificate, fold-up desk pet houses and desk pet habitats (including several color-your-own), desk pet bingo and tic-tac-toe templates, desk pet brag tags, desk pet money (to earn and spend on accessories like the habitats!), a desk pet name plate, desk pet diary template, and more
The desk pet trend has swept through schools across the country, motivating and rewarding positive classroom behavior, teaching responsibility, and spurring innovative math, science, art, and writing exercises. If you haven’t jumped on the desk pet wagon, now’s the time to prep for back-to-school!
Document
First, what IS a desk pet?
This teacher-generated craze can be traced to an idea posted last year on TikTok by teacher Marissa Begay. Ms. Begay took the animal-shaped erasers that all teachers have stashed in their prize packs and turned them into… student pets! Her simple idea launched a TikTok sensation, with other teachers posting their own creative ideas, which are endless.
Once the pets have been adopted, students earn points to spend on pet accessories and earning extra pet playtime and teachers incorporate the pets into their lessons, including discussing, creating, writing about, and drawing animal habitats and environments; keeping daily pet diaries; drawing, painting, and sculpting the pets; and more.
Since pets are a long-term responsibility, you want your classroom desk pets to last! Our Desk Pet Pals Adoption Pack make the best desk pets, with 24 extra adorable, super durable Desk Pets and 20 (yes TWENTY) FREE, downloadable Desk Pet activities. Click to print a desk pet application, desk pet adoption certificate, fold-up desk pet houses and desk pet habitats (including several color-your-own), desk pet bingo and tic-tac-toe templates, desk pet brag tags, desk pet money (to earn and spend on accessories like the habitats!), a desk pet name plate, desk pet diary template, and more
Your little one is learning so much! They’re working hard to build physical skills and practicing important early learning skills. But there’s another type of learning that’s equally as important as their physical and mental development, and that’s social emotional learning.
Social emotional learning, or SEL, is the process kids go through as they develop their own personal identities, learn to recognize and manage their emotions, show empathy for others, cultivate healthy friendships, and make smart, caring choices. Pretty important stuff, right?
The experts break SEL into five pillars. These include self-awareness, responsible decision making, relationship skills, social awareness, and self-management. Below, we’re sharing some playful ways to help your child practice these important skills and some of our favorite social emotional learning toys and SEL activities that make practicing these skills way more fun:
Self-Awareness
Exploring new interests and ideas through play helps kids discover their own unique passions and talents! Providing toys that cover a wide range of topics, from space (try the GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope) to fashion (check out the PaperCraft Sweet Boutique Paper Dolls Fashion Boutique!), gives kids the hands-on experience they need to find out where their interest lie.
Responsible Decision Making
Play is a great way to help little ones understand how their actions and choices impact others. Through play, kids can practice problem solving and logical thinking and make choices and experience the consequences. Toys like the Design & Drill Bolt Buddies Rocket provide opportunities to problem solve, think critically, and make their own choices as kids assemble the pieces themselves, using a kid-friendly power drill toy and colorful bolts.
Relationship Skills
Playtime is perfect for practicing taking turns, working together, problem solving, and more. Games like Pancake Pile-Up are a great way to build these skills! Players take turns racing to the pancake pile to stack them up, one by one, and match their challenge cards first, cheering each other on as they go.
Social Awareness
Spending time with friends and family helps kids learn to identify how others are feeling and board games are a fun way for families to spend time together! The Playfoam Family Game promotes teamwork (and creativity!) as teams race to sculpt and guess what objects players are shaping out of squishy, squashy, non-toxic Playfoam. And one-on-one games like Kanoodle Head-to-Head give kids a chance to practice winning and losing gracefully and celebrating the victories of others.
Self-Management
Pretend play helps little ones learn to recognize, control, and appropriately demonstrate their feelings. Acting out scenarios with stuffed animals, dolls, action figures, and other props allows toddlers to explore their emotions in a safe space. Mixaroo is a stuffed animal designed specifically for social emotional learning, with 12 easy stick, mix and match body parts enabling kids to create ever-changing, fantastical creatures representative of their ever-changing moods and feelings. The Playfoam Sand Ice Cream Sundae Set is a two-in-one self-management win with soft, soothing, siftable Playfoam Sand to calm and refocus kids’ energy and an ice cream shop pretend play scenario that has kids scooping the sand to recreate the sundaes shown on the challenge cards – complete with toppings!
Healthy social emotional skills set kids up for healthy self-image, healthy relationships, and better self-control. Support YOUR kids’ social emotional learning with SEL activities like the ones we’ve suggested above!
Your little one is learning so much! They’re working hard to build physical skills and practicing important early learning skills. But there’s another type of learning that’s equally as important as their physical and mental development, and that’s social emotional learning.
Social emotional learning, or SEL, is the process kids go through as they develop their own personal identities, learn to recognize and manage their emotions, show empathy for others, cultivate healthy friendships, and make smart, caring choices. Pretty important stuff, right?
The experts break SEL into five pillars. These include self-awareness, responsible decision making, relationship skills, social awareness, and self-management. Below, we’re sharing some playful ways to help your child practice these important skills and some of our favorite social emotional learning toys and SEL activities that make practicing these skills way more fun:
Self-Awareness
Exploring new interests and ideas through play helps kids discover their own unique passions and talents! Providing toys that cover a wide range of topics, from space (try the GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope) to fashion (check out the PaperCraft Sweet Boutique Paper Dolls Fashion Boutique!), gives kids the hands-on experience they need to find out where their interest lie.
Responsible Decision Making
Play is a great way to help little ones understand how their actions and choices impact others. Through play, kids can practice problem solving and logical thinking and make choices and experience the consequences. Toys like the Design & Drill Bolt Buddies Rocket provide opportunities to problem solve, think critically, and make their own choices as kids assemble the pieces themselves, using a kid-friendly power drill toy and colorful bolts.
Relationship Skills
Playtime is perfect for practicing taking turns, working together, problem solving, and more. Games like Pancake Pile-Up are a great way to build these skills! Players take turns racing to the pancake pile to stack them up, one by one, and match their challenge cards first, cheering each other on as they go.
Social Awareness
Spending time with friends and family helps kids learn to identify how others are feeling and board games are a fun way for families to spend time together! The Playfoam Family Game promotes teamwork (and creativity!) as teams race to sculpt and guess what objects players are shaping out of squishy, squashy, non-toxic Playfoam. And one-on-one games like Kanoodle Head-to-Head give kids a chance to practice winning and losing gracefully and celebrating the victories of others.
Self-Management
Pretend play helps little ones learn to recognize, control, and appropriately demonstrate their feelings. Acting out scenarios with stuffed animals, dolls, action figures, and other props allows toddlers to explore their emotions in a safe space. Mixaroo is a stuffed animal designed specifically for social emotional learning, with 12 easy stick, mix and match body parts enabling kids to create ever-changing, fantastical creatures representative of their ever-changing moods and feelings. The Playfoam Sand Ice Cream Sundae Set is a two-in-one self-management win with soft, soothing, siftable Playfoam Sand to calm and refocus kids’ energy and an ice cream shop pretend play scenario that has kids scooping the sand to recreate the sundaes shown on the challenge cards – complete with toppings!
Healthy social emotional skills set kids up for healthy self-image, healthy relationships, and better self-control. Support YOUR kids’ social emotional learning with SEL activities like the ones we’ve suggested above!
Craft ideas are the perfect activities for prehistoric playtime with your preschooler or your next party or playdate. Check them out – then do it up, dino style. Can you dig it?
Make Your Own Dino Fossils
What You’ll Need:
• 1 Batch of salt dough (our favorite recipe is below – you can prepare it ahead of time, but your kids might like to help you mix and knead!) • Small plastic dinosaurs • Baking pan • Oven
Photo: Little Passports®
What To Do:
1. Divide your pre-made salt dough into 2-3” balls. 2. Flatten each ball with the palm of your hand until oval-ish. 3. Press a dinosaur into each flat oval firmly, to make a clear impression, then carefully remove the dinosaur. 4. Bake at 200 degrees for 2-3 hours.
And Then…
• Bury the dough in the backyard or sandbox and go on your own archaeological expedition! Use kid-safe tools to dig the dough dinos up and use paintbrushes to dust them clean. • Paint them and keep them as treasures. • Research the name and some fun dino facts about each one.
Salt Dough Recipe
1. In a large bowl, mix 1 cup of salt with 1 cup of flour. 2. Press a hole in the mixture and pour in ½ cup of water. 3. Knead until smooth and shape into a ball (add more water if needed). 4. Store in a baggie or air-tight container.
Older kids will love excavating and assembling a complete dino skeleton with our GeoSafari Dino Digs kits!
Design Your Own Dino-Mite Mask
What You’ll Need:
• A printout of our Dino-Mask Mask Template • Scissors • Crayons or markers • Elastic string
What To Do:
1. Color the mask template to reflect your own personal Dino-style! 2. Cut out the mask, including cutting out the eyeballs and string holes. 3. Cut a piece of elastic string that fits around your head and string it through the side holes, securing with a knot.
And Then…
• Put on a dino show. • Surprise your sister, brother, and friends.
DIY Brachiosaurus
What You’ll Need:
• Empty toilet paper roll • Construction paper • Glue • Scissors • Paints, markers, or crayons • Brachiosaurus outline
What To Do:
1. Cut your toilet paper tube in half and cut a 1” slit at both sides of the top of both pieces of your tube—these are your Brachiosaurus’ legs. 2. Show your child the image below; print the Brachiosaurus outline or have them draw the same outline on a horizontal sheet of white construction paper; and help them cut it out. 3. Paint or color your Brachiosaurus however you’d like! Cut circles or stripes from your construction paper and glue them on. Don’t forget the eyes, smile, and toenails! 4. When dry, slip the body into the slits on the TP tube legs and… voila!
And then…
• Make more TP dinos! Try a T-Rex or a Stegosaurus with cut-out construction paper spikes. • Put on a dino play!
1. Color the crown template to reflect your own personal Dino-style! 2. Carefully cut out both pieces of the mask. 3. Glue or tape one side of the band to the front piece and wrap around your head. Glue or tape the other side at the appropriate spot and cut off any remainder.
And Then…
• Crown yourself king or queen of the Dinos. • Put on a dino show. • Surprise your sister, brother, and friends.
Create a Dino Diorama
What You'll Need:
• Large cardboard box (packing or shipping box is great) • Sand and/or dirt • Small rocks (bigger than pebbles but smaller than boulders) • Leaves • Playfoam® • Paints and brushes • Plastic dinosaurs
Photo: first palette
What To Do:
1. Take a walk around the block or hit the park to collect the natural materials above. 2. Cut off the front, wide panel and top flaps of your box. 3. Use your paints to decorate the inside walls of your box to look like a dinosaur scene. Consider including trees, skies, and sunsets. 4. Use your natural “props” to design a dino environment. Place your dirt/sand first, then add your rocks and leaf “trees." Use your Playfoam® to make mountains, streams, or lakes. 5. Set up the plastic dinos and PLAY!
Craft ideas are the perfect activities for prehistoric playtime with your preschooler or your next party or playdate. Check them out – then do it up, dino style. Can you dig it?
Make Your Own Dino Fossils
What You’ll Need:
• 1 Batch of salt dough (our favorite recipe is below – you can prepare it ahead of time, but your kids might like to help you mix and knead!) • Small plastic dinosaurs • Baking pan • Oven
Photo: Little Passports®
What To Do:
1. Divide your pre-made salt dough into 2-3” balls. 2. Flatten each ball with the palm of your hand until oval-ish. 3. Press a dinosaur into each flat oval firmly, to make a clear impression, then carefully remove the dinosaur. 4. Bake at 200 degrees for 2-3 hours.
And Then…
• Bury the dough in the backyard or sandbox and go on your own archaeological expedition! Use kid-safe tools to dig the dough dinos up and use paintbrushes to dust them clean. • Paint them and keep them as treasures. • Research the name and some fun dino facts about each one.
Salt Dough Recipe
1. In a large bowl, mix 1 cup of salt with 1 cup of flour. 2. Press a hole in the mixture and pour in ½ cup of water. 3. Knead until smooth and shape into a ball (add more water if needed). 4. Store in a baggie or air-tight container.
Older kids will love excavating and assembling a complete dino skeleton with our GeoSafari Dino Digs kits!
Design Your Own Dino-Mite Mask
What You’ll Need:
• A printout of our Dino-Mask Mask Template • Scissors • Crayons or markers • Elastic string
What To Do:
1. Color the mask template to reflect your own personal Dino-style! 2. Cut out the mask, including cutting out the eyeballs and string holes. 3. Cut a piece of elastic string that fits around your head and string it through the side holes, securing with a knot.
And Then…
• Put on a dino show. • Surprise your sister, brother, and friends.
DIY Brachiosaurus
What You’ll Need:
• Empty toilet paper roll • Construction paper • Glue • Scissors • Paints, markers, or crayons • Brachiosaurus outline
What To Do:
1. Cut your toilet paper tube in half and cut a 1” slit at both sides of the top of both pieces of your tube—these are your Brachiosaurus’ legs. 2. Show your child the image below; print the Brachiosaurus outline or have them draw the same outline on a horizontal sheet of white construction paper; and help them cut it out. 3. Paint or color your Brachiosaurus however you’d like! Cut circles or stripes from your construction paper and glue them on. Don’t forget the eyes, smile, and toenails! 4. When dry, slip the body into the slits on the TP tube legs and… voila!
And then…
• Make more TP dinos! Try a T-Rex or a Stegosaurus with cut-out construction paper spikes. • Put on a dino play!
1. Color the crown template to reflect your own personal Dino-style! 2. Carefully cut out both pieces of the mask. 3. Glue or tape one side of the band to the front piece and wrap around your head. Glue or tape the other side at the appropriate spot and cut off any remainder.
And Then…
• Crown yourself king or queen of the Dinos. • Put on a dino show. • Surprise your sister, brother, and friends.
Create a Dino Diorama
What You'll Need:
• Large cardboard box (packing or shipping box is great) • Sand and/or dirt • Small rocks (bigger than pebbles but smaller than boulders) • Leaves • Playfoam® • Paints and brushes • Plastic dinosaurs
Photo: first palette
What To Do:
1. Take a walk around the block or hit the park to collect the natural materials above. 2. Cut off the front, wide panel and top flaps of your box. 3. Use your paints to decorate the inside walls of your box to look like a dinosaur scene. Consider including trees, skies, and sunsets. 4. Use your natural “props” to design a dino environment. Place your dirt/sand first, then add your rocks and leaf “trees." Use your Playfoam® to make mountains, streams, or lakes. 5. Set up the plastic dinos and PLAY!
Summer is coming and we’ve all got the travel bug! Whether you’re planning a road trip with the kids, flying the friendly skies, or riding the rails, we’ve got eight great road trip essentials perfect for keeping your kids happy, busy, and building their brains en route – and on location at your hotel. Small and self-contained, each of these recommendations is also unplugged, so you can give the phones and tablet a break! Add some of our tried-and-true travel activities to your packing list today!
Get Your Game On – On the Go!
Build problem solving and strategy skills with Kanoodle, the self-contained, pocket-sized, solo puzzle game! Pick one of 200 puzzles from the included guide and place the pieces shown. Then use your noodle to fit the remaining pieces and complete the puzzle!
Younger travelers can get in on the game with Kanoodle Jr. Specially designed for younger kids, this perfectly portable game includes 60 head-scratching puzzle challenges using 6 chunky puzzle pieces.
Make the most of travel time with Brain Bolt, the mind-melting, light-up, memory game! Follow the sequence as long as you can without breaking the pattern in solo play or challenge a friend to see who can follow along the longest. With no pieces to lose, this handheld game is great for fun on the go.
Build Those Brains – On the Go!
Interactive Hot Dots makes it fun to practice everything from shapes and colors to letters, numbers, reading, math, and more! Each set comes with a spiral bound workbook or sturdy, portable box of lesson cards, perfect for travel. Kids simply review the questions, then press the interactive Hot Dots pen to any answer dot for an immediate audio (can be silenced) and visual response.
Get the wiggles out during your layover and make the most of downtime at your hotel or vacation rental with our Shapes,Colors,Alphabet,and Number Bean Bags! Each set comes in a drawstring bag for storage and includes sturdy, colorful beanbags featuring shapes, letters, or numbers. Reach in, pull one out, and toss it to your kiddo to see if they can identify the color and image on the bag. Bonus: you’ll also be building gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination!
Keep little hands busy (and build those fine motor skills!) on your trip with the totally self-contained Design & Drill Toolbox! Kids use real, working tools, including a kid-friendly toy drill, power screwdriver, hammer, pliers, wrench, measuring tape, bolts, and nails to copy designs or create their own construction masterpieces on the included boards (two included boards = no fighting in the back seat!), then pack all the parts and pieces into the handled carry box when you reach your destination.
Get Creative – On the Go!
Keep the creativity flowing, even during long layovers, with the totally self-contained PaperCraft fashion fun paper doll booklets! This set comes with four spiral bound books (no pages to lose!), each featuring three large, easy-to-color dolls and peel-and-stick (and restick) outfits and accessories kids color themselves for endless fashion fun.
Squish, squash, squeeze, and sculpt anything, anywhere, with the self-contained Playfoam Go! set! This portable, handled carry case includes eight colors of non-toxic Playfoam, each with its own storage compartment, and four built-in molds. Playfoam never dries out, so the creativity never ends – and it doesn’t stick to clothing or car seats!
Engage your tiny traveler’s imagination with Playfoam Pals! Their size makes them perfect for on-the-go travel and kids can choose from unicorns,animals,outer space, and other awesome themes. Squish through the included pod of Playfoam to find a hidden friend, then use the Playfoam to build the perfect play props for your new Pal. Non-toxic Playfoam never dries out, so the fun never ends (no matter how long your trip lasts!). Another bonus for parents: the Playfoam, Pal, and props can fit back inside the included pod for easy cleanup.
This summer, make the most of your travel time! Skip the phone and tablet and encourage hands-on, creative, brain-building fun with one – or more! – of our awesome travel activities.
Summer is coming and we’ve all got the travel bug! Whether you’re planning a road trip with the kids, flying the friendly skies, or riding the rails, we’ve got eight great road trip essentials perfect for keeping your kids happy, busy, and building their brains en route – and on location at your hotel. Small and self-contained, each of these recommendations is also unplugged, so you can give the phones and tablet a break! Add some of our tried-and-true travel activities to your packing list today!
Get Your Game On – On the Go!
Build problem solving and strategy skills with Kanoodle, the self-contained, pocket-sized, solo puzzle game! Pick one of 200 puzzles from the included guide and place the pieces shown. Then use your noodle to fit the remaining pieces and complete the puzzle!
Younger travelers can get in on the game with Kanoodle Jr. Specially designed for younger kids, this perfectly portable game includes 60 head-scratching puzzle challenges using 6 chunky puzzle pieces.
Make the most of travel time with Brain Bolt, the mind-melting, light-up, memory game! Follow the sequence as long as you can without breaking the pattern in solo play or challenge a friend to see who can follow along the longest. With no pieces to lose, this handheld game is great for fun on the go.
Build Those Brains – On the Go!
Interactive Hot Dots makes it fun to practice everything from shapes and colors to letters, numbers, reading, math, and more! Each set comes with a spiral bound workbook or sturdy, portable box of lesson cards, perfect for travel. Kids simply review the questions, then press the interactive Hot Dots pen to any answer dot for an immediate audio (can be silenced) and visual response.
Get the wiggles out during your layover and make the most of downtime at your hotel or vacation rental with our Shapes,Colors,Alphabet,and Number Bean Bags! Each set comes in a drawstring bag for storage and includes sturdy, colorful beanbags featuring shapes, letters, or numbers. Reach in, pull one out, and toss it to your kiddo to see if they can identify the color and image on the bag. Bonus: you’ll also be building gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination!
Keep little hands busy (and build those fine motor skills!) on your trip with the totally self-contained Design & Drill Toolbox! Kids use real, working tools, including a kid-friendly toy drill, power screwdriver, hammer, pliers, wrench, measuring tape, bolts, and nails to copy designs or create their own construction masterpieces on the included boards (two included boards = no fighting in the back seat!), then pack all the parts and pieces into the handled carry box when you reach your destination.
Get Creative – On the Go!
Keep the creativity flowing, even during long layovers, with the totally self-contained PaperCraft fashion fun paper doll booklets! This set comes with four spiral bound books (no pages to lose!), each featuring three large, easy-to-color dolls and peel-and-stick (and restick) outfits and accessories kids color themselves for endless fashion fun.
Squish, squash, squeeze, and sculpt anything, anywhere, with the self-contained Playfoam Go! set! This portable, handled carry case includes eight colors of non-toxic Playfoam, each with its own storage compartment, and four built-in molds. Playfoam never dries out, so the creativity never ends – and it doesn’t stick to clothing or car seats!
Engage your tiny traveler’s imagination with Playfoam Pals! Their size makes them perfect for on-the-go travel and kids can choose from unicorns,animals,outer space, and other awesome themes. Squish through the included pod of Playfoam to find a hidden friend, then use the Playfoam to build the perfect play props for your new Pal. Non-toxic Playfoam never dries out, so the fun never ends (no matter how long your trip lasts!). Another bonus for parents: the Playfoam, Pal, and props can fit back inside the included pod for easy cleanup.
This summer, make the most of your travel time! Skip the phone and tablet and encourage hands-on, creative, brain-building fun with one – or more! – of our awesome travel activities.
Did you know? The average American produces about 1,700 pounds of garbage every year, which means your personal annual trash pile weighs about the same as two large grizzly bears! Multiply that by a family of four and that’s a whole lot of trash filling our landfills, because although 75% of our trash can be recycled, only about a third is actually being recycled. In fact, more than 2.5 million tons of recyclable paper and paperboard waste end up in landfills every year, with packaging accounting for roughly a quarter of that total. More than 30 million tons of food waste also ends up rotting in the trash each year. Yup, our gross, grizzly-bear-sized trash piles are maxing out our landfills and polluting our environment. Luckily, there’s still hope – and our kids can help!
4 Family-Friendly Ways to Be Better Earth Buddies:
1. Pay attention to what you’re putting on your plate. Serve only what will be eaten, save the rest for another meal, and compost any uneaten food instead of throwing it in the trash. Kids can get hands-on composting experience with the Nancy B.'s Science Club® Garbage to Gardens Composting Kit, the only transparent composting kit designed just for them.
2. Become a conscious consumer. This means bringing your own bags to the grocery store (your kids can be responsible for remembering to bring them!) and a refillable coffee cup to Starbucks (when that’s allowed again), using a metal straw instead of plastic, and purchasing unpackaged items.
3. Research your city’s recyclable materials list and be sure to toss those items in the recycling bin, empty, rinsed, and dry. Our free, downloadable worksheet is a fun way for kids to learn about the different types of recyclables (while building fine motor and critical thinking skills, too).
4. Practice through play, like with the Design & Drill® Bolt Buddies™ Pick-It-Up Truck. Kids use a real, working, power drill to construct their own recycling truck, then play out their own community helper pretend play scenarios with the included sanitation engineer and his kitty cat co-pilot. Plus, all Design & Drill Bolt Buddies packaging does double duty as a playset, saving space in the landfill.
Did you know? The average American produces about 1,700 pounds of garbage every year, which means your personal annual trash pile weighs about the same as two large grizzly bears! Multiply that by a family of four and that’s a whole lot of trash filling our landfills, because although 75% of our trash can be recycled, only about a third is actually being recycled. In fact, more than 2.5 million tons of recyclable paper and paperboard waste end up in landfills every year, with packaging accounting for roughly a quarter of that total. More than 30 million tons of food waste also ends up rotting in the trash each year. Yup, our gross, grizzly-bear-sized trash piles are maxing out our landfills and polluting our environment. Luckily, there’s still hope – and our kids can help!
4 Family-Friendly Ways to Be Better Earth Buddies:
1. Pay attention to what you’re putting on your plate. Serve only what will be eaten, save the rest for another meal, and compost any uneaten food instead of throwing it in the trash. Kids can get hands-on composting experience with the Nancy B.'s Science Club® Garbage to Gardens Composting Kit, the only transparent composting kit designed just for them.
2. Become a conscious consumer. This means bringing your own bags to the grocery store (your kids can be responsible for remembering to bring them!) and a refillable coffee cup to Starbucks (when that’s allowed again), using a metal straw instead of plastic, and purchasing unpackaged items.
3. Research your city’s recyclable materials list and be sure to toss those items in the recycling bin, empty, rinsed, and dry. Our free, downloadable worksheet is a fun way for kids to learn about the different types of recyclables (while building fine motor and critical thinking skills, too).
4. Practice through play, like with the Design & Drill® Bolt Buddies™ Pick-It-Up Truck. Kids use a real, working, power drill to construct their own recycling truck, then play out their own community helper pretend play scenarios with the included sanitation engineer and his kitty cat co-pilot. Plus, all Design & Drill Bolt Buddies packaging does double duty as a playset, saving space in the landfill.
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