School-Aged Kids

Unofficial Minecraft Lab for Kids is a collection of creative, collaborative projects that connect in-game challenges with hands-on activities that are both fun and educational.

An Amazon Best Kids’ Books of 2016 pick!

Minecraft offers players an environment focused on exploration, imagination, and creation, but its nonlinear game structure can mean spending a lot of time in the game. With these labs, you can balance your child's screen time with real-life learning and interaction.

You will start the book by brushing up on some common Minecraft language and examining each of the four game modes: survival, creative, adventure, and spectator. Then, you’ll use this knowledge to venture off onto the six different quests that encourage child and adult participation. For each Lab, complete the hands-on activity in art, craft, or design, then build a related in-game project. Have fun with these creative projects and more:

• Make a Chinese finger trap from construction paper, followed by a zombie trap in Minecraft.
• Build a castle from sugar cubes, then learn to build one in Minecraft.
• Create shadow puppets to perform a scene from your favorite story, then animate the scene using Minecraft.
• Make a bow and arrow from popsicle sticks, dental floss, and a cotton swab, then do some archery practice in Minecraft.

Sticker badges at the back of the book reward your child as they complete each quest. You'll even learn how to screencast and narrate your own videos to share with family and friends. Unofficial Minecraft Lab for Kids provides fun, educational gaming goals that you and your child can reach together!

The popular Lab for Kids series features a growing list of books that share hands-on activities and projects on a wide host of topics, including art, astronomy, clay, geology, math, and even how to create your own circus—all authored by established experts in their fields. Each lab contains a complete materials list, clear step-by-step photographs of the process, as well as finished samples. The labs can be used as singular projects or as part of a yearlong curriculum of experiential learning. The activities are open-ended, designed to be explored over and over, often with different results. Geared toward being taught or guided by adults, they are enriching for a range of ages and skill levels. Gain firsthand knowledge on your favorite topic with Lab for Kids.

'No Means No!' is a children's picture book about an empowered little girl who has a very strong and clear voice in all issues, especially those relating to her body and personal boundaries. This book can be read to children from 3 to 9 years. It is a springboard for discussions regarding children's choices and their rights. The 'Note to the Reader' at the beginning of the book and the 'Discussion Questions' on the final pages, guide and enhance this essential discussion. It is crucial that our children, from a very young age, are taught to have a clear, strong voice in regards to their rights - especially about their bodies. In this way, they will have the confidence to speak up when they are unhappy or feel uncomfortable in any situation. A strong, confident voice as a young child converts to a strong, confident pre-teen, teenager and adult. With the prevalence today of online and offline bullying and various forms of abuse, such as physical, emotional and sexual abuse; our young people need to learn (from a young age) to always speak up when their rights are not being respected. The aim of this book is to empower young children and to give them a voice so they can grow up into empowered adults. When a child, teenager or adult says, 'No!' to any form of coercion, this should be immediately respected. A world where 'No!' does actually mean 'No!' can be a world with far less violence and increased respect for humankind. By educating our children to have true respect for one another, this world can be a much safer and more positive place. Body Safety Education (aka sexual abuse prevention education) empowers girls and boys through knowledge, and teaches them they have the right to say, 'No' and to respect other's personal boundaries. Both girls and boys need to learn to ask for consent and this can be taught from a very young age. Some of the scenarios in this book are typical of approaches used by sexual abusers (sexual predators/molesters/pedophiles) when grooming children for sexual abuse. Their aim is to desensitize the child to having their personal space violated and desensitize them to touch. For more information on Body Safety Education and how to teach it to your child go to www.secrets.info

The rules of physical contact can be tricky to grasp and children with special needs are at a heightened risk of abuse. This friendly picture book explains in simple terms how to tell the difference between acceptable and inappropriate touch, thereby helping the child with special needs stay safe.

Each story covers a different type of touch from accidental to friendly to hurtful and will help children understand how boundaries change depending on the context. It explores when and where it is okay to touch other people, when and where other people can touch you, why self touching sometimes needs to be private, and what to do if touch feels inappropriate.

This book is an invaluable teaching resource and discussion starter for parents, teachers and carers working with children with special needs.

"This is a book that ALL modern parents need to read."--Bless Their Hearts Mom

A must-read for parents and educators, Teaching Kids to Think offers insight into the social, emotional, and neurological challenges unique to this generation of instant gratification kids.

By identifying the five parent traps that adults fall into to fuel their child's need for instant gratification, this parenting book provides practical tips and easy-to-implement solutions to raise children who are confident, independent, and most importantly, able to think for themselves.

Today's kids can easily:

• Google the answer to any question at lightning speed
• Text mom or dad to drop off any homework they've forgotten
• Find immediate solutions to problems
• and avoid opportunities to make mistakes and learn from them!

However, this must-have child development resource will give valuable insight and guidance to parents looking to raise kids who can solve problems, flourish independently, and create their own success!

Traditional American schooling is in constant crisis because it is based on two poor models for children's learning: the school as a factory and the child as a blank slate. School reforms repeatedly fail by not penetrating these models. One hundred years ago, Maria Montessori, the first female physician in Italy, devised a very different method of educating children, based on her observations of how they naturally learn. Does Montessori education provide a viable alternative to traditional schooling? Do Dr. Montessori's theories and practices stand up to the scrutiny of modern-day developmental psychology? Can developmental psychology tell us anything about how and why Montessori methods work? In Montessori, the author shows that science has finally caught up with Maria Montessori: Current scientific research provides astounding support for her major insights. She presents the research concerning eight insights that are foundational to Montessori education and describes how each of these insights is applied in the Montessori classroom. In reading this book, parents and teachers alike will develop a clear understanding of what happens in a Montessori classroom and, more important, why it happens and why it works. Montessori however, does much more than explain the scientific basis for Montessori's system. Amid the clamor for evidence-based education, this book presents the studies that show how children learn best, makes clear why many traditional practices come up short, and describes an ingenious alternative that works. Everyone interested in education, at all levels and in all forms, will take from this book a wealth of insights on how to improve teaching effectiveness. Montessori is indispensable reading for anyone interested in what psychologists know about human learning and development.

It is a matter of pride, when others remark about how well-mannered your child is. After all, parenting is a difficult and important job. When your child exudes excellent manners, you know you've accomplished something grand. However, it's not always easy knowing how to teach these valued and necessary life skills. Inside the book, How to Teach Your Children Manners, Essential life skills your child needs to know! author and etiquette consultant Rebecca Black guides the reader through all aspects of how to teach children manners in an easy to read and yet comprehensive style. How to Teach Respect and Consideration? Check! How to Teach Values? Check! Teaching Problem Solving? Check! Teaching Table Manners? Of course! Author, Rebecca Black of Etiquette Now! has taught How to Teach Your Children Manners workshops countless times. Now you can have this same advice and teaching skills in the palm of your hand without spending hundreds of dollars to attend one of her workshops.

"From one of the foremost researchers and pioneers of pediatric health--a book that offers hope and a pathway to success for parents, teachers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and child development experts coping with 'difficult' children. A book that fully explores the author's revolutionary discovery about childhood development, parenting, and the key to helping all children find happiness and success. In [this book], Dr. W. Thomas Boyce writes of the 'dandelion' child (hardy, resilient, healthy), able to survive and flourish under most circumstances, and the 'orchid' child (sensitive, susceptible, fragile), who, given the right support, can thrive as much as, if not more than, other children. For the past four decades Boyce has been working with troubled children. [This book] offers help to those who have lost their confidence in the promise of a child gone seriously adrift--into drug abuse, delinquency, depression, or destructive friendships, the dark territory of psychological trouble, school failure, or criminality. Boyce's breakthrough research reveals how genetic makeup and environment shape behavior. Rather than seeing this 'risk' gene as a liability, through his daring research, Boyce has recast the way we think of human frailty and shows that while variant genes can create problems (susceptibility to depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and antisocial, sociopathic, or violent behaviors), they can also, in the right setting and with the right nurturing, produce children who not only do better than before but far exceed their peers. He describes what it is to be an orchid child, to live a life far more intense, painful, vivid, and variable than that of a dandelion. For orchid children, the world is often a frightening and overwhelming place. He makes clear that orchids are not failed dandelions and shows people how to embrace the unique gifts, abilities, and strengths of orchid children and how to create an environment at home and work that will allow them to flourish. Boyce writes, as well, of dandelions: how vital they are to what George Eliot describes as 'the growing good of the world,' even in the midst of their own struggles and life challenges. He writes of his own family, particularly of his sister, the inspiration for his work, an orchid child overcome by the family's tragedies and sadnesses to which the author, as a dandelion child, was impervious. And we come to understand that beneath the serviceable categories of 'orchid' and 'dandelion' lies the truer reality of a continuum, a spectrum of sensitivities to the world, along which we all have a place."--Dust jacket.

Want to bring fun and ease to learning? Feeling hesitant about homeschooling?

Would you like to homeschool but think you can't because your kids are so social? Do you think homeschooling would benefit your child but you're worried about trying to teach everything yourself? Are you already homeschooling and need some advice and encouragement? Relax! This accessible book will give you the confidence to take the leap and see why so many people love homeschooling.

Homeschoolers Are Not Hermits answers these questions and many more:

• Why homeschool?
• What if I don't have a degree?
• How do I keep my kids from being hermits?
• What if my child has special needs?
• Where do I find the time for everything?
• What if all they want to do is play video games?

With plenty of practical advice, mindful parenting techniques, and examples from real homeschoolers, Kathy shows that you don't have to be super-mom (or dad) to give homeschooling a try. You don't have to spend tons of money buying educational materials, you don't have to spend hours every day prepping and teaching, and you certainly don't have to turn into hermits to be successful homeschoolers.

You will learn:

• How every experience is a learning experience
• How and why to "deschool"
• How to choose a homeschool style that works for your family
• How to lower educational stress and reconnect with your kids

Using mindful parenting techniques, a zest for knowledge, and tried and true conflict-resolution tools, Kathy gives examples of how to bring joy to learning while sharing an honest look at the successes and failures of homeschooling their three boys.

No need to wait. Look up the relevant laws, file your forms, and take your kids out of school.

About the author:

Kathy Oaks is a photographer and educator who is passionate about travel and education and is dedicated to helping parents and kids who want to take a non-traditional approach to education. Kathy wrote Homeschoolers Are Not Hermits to support families as they make the transition from conventional schooling to something completely different, bringing fun, mindfulness, and flexibility to the adventure of homeschooling.

Connect nature play, outdoor experiences, and STEM learning for young children with activities, real-life examples, and educator resources. Nurture young children's innate tendencies toward exploration, sensory stimulation, and STEM learning when you connect outdoor learning and STEM curriculum. Discover the developmental benefits of outdoor learning and how the rich diversity of settings and materials of nature gives rise to questions and inquiry for deeper learning.

Full of activities, examples, and resources to take the fun of STEM outside, this book will help teachers articulate connections between nature play, outdoor experiences, and STEM learning in young children. Use STEM and nature-based learning to nurture children's curiosity and exploration of the world.

Patty Born Selly is an assistant professor of environmental education and STEM at Hamline University. She previously served as the executive director of the National Center for STEM Elementary Education at St. Catherine University. Selly has over twenty years of experience in early childhood education, has written two books, and regularly consults other educators on science and nature education approaches for young children.

Cha-ching! Learn everything adults wish they knew about money when they were kids--and more--including how to make it, save it, and multiply it! 

While money certainly isn't everything, one fact is true: No matter where you live in the world, money is a basic necessity. From the clothes on your back to the food on your plate, chances are, money is somehow involved in almost all of your day-to-day activities. 

In this book you'll discover exactly what money is, along with:

- How society went from bartering to using bucks 
- Basics of saving (including some brilliant hacks), investing, and interest
- What "credit" really means
- Inventive ways to get your ideas flowing and money growing 
- What the stock market is, and how money moves around the world today
- Ins and outs of cryptocurrency and other "new" money 
- The importance of giving back--one of the best things a fiscally responsible global citizen can do
- Why being smart with money = a big step toward independence

So jump in, and find out the mind-blowing secrets and stats about money!