{Civiballs on Cool Math}

Have you ever been looking for something for the kids to do to occupy them for a few minutes, without just letting them sit down in front of the TV?  Cool Math has lots of neat learning games on it. It's one of the sites that the kids have been allowed to play in their classrooms during free time - so I guess you could call it teacher approved.

One of our favorite games on the site is called Civiballs.  It's a game with balls that are hanging from chains.  The kids are supposed to make the balls fall into the correct colored baskets by cutting the ropes to make the balls fall, roll, or bump into each other.  You have to get the correct order and when cutting the chains you even have to time it right.

Common Sense Media

This is an awesome site for parents.  As my kids are getting a little bit older and more influenced by friends, the things that they hear about and want to watch, play or read are not always the things that they should be watching, playing, or reading.  I like to know what my kids are watching, reading or listening to, and I don’t have time or desire to pre-screen everything.  This is where Common Sense Media comes in.

{Looking for Help to Get Your Kids to Read This Summer?}

Summer is coming up fast!  If you looking for a way to encourage your kids to read this summer, go check out the free Book Adventure website.    My kids used the site last summer, and it really worked to help get them to read.  

In school, the kids have a reading goal, and they take tests on the computer to show that they have read and understood a book.  Book Adventure allows you to do that at home.

{Jitterbug: Music for Hip Kids}

There's a great site for parents of preschoolers that we came across recently called Jitterbug: Music for Hip Kids. When listening to kids music, most parents have had the feeling - "If i hear that song one more time I'll scream!"  Head over to Jitterbug and find some fun new music to listen to with your little ones.

Jitterbug has tons of familiar music - songs from Jack Johnson, Lisa Loeb, The Song from "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" or Nora Jones singing "Don't Know 'Y'" with Elmo; and they also have

{Scholastic - Iditarod Info for Kids}

The Iditarod is the annual sled-dog-team race across Alaska where mushers and their dog teams race 1,161 miles from Anchorage to Nome. This year it's starting on March 5th. Lots of kids are fascinated by the adventure of it all and the awesome dogs and mushers that run the race.

Scholastic.com has a great Iditarod site for kids (probably 3rd grade and up) who would like to learn more about the race.

{Sites We Love - Daily Mile}

I used to be fairly active and in shape -- then I had kids.   I have decided to do something for myself and try to get back into shape (Yep, I crossed out "try to" -- I will get the hang of this positive thinking thing!) So, I have been jogging.  It’s been going pretty well so far. I found a really neat free website called Daily Mile that I have been using to track my miles.  We have posted about Daily Mile before, but this seemed like a great time to mention it again when a lot of us are trying to stick to New Years Resolutions.

{Snowline - Free Online Game}

My kids frequently come home from school with the names of websites with games that they get to play during free time. There is a free online game at primarygames.com (great site!) that my kids just love to play around this time of year. It's called Snowline. It's kind of a strategy, trial-and-error type game. My kids work together to try to figure it out and they even get along while playing it! lol

The story behind the game is that the reindeer had hiccups and have accidentially scattered presents across Europe. Santa is trying to collect up all the presents while the reindeer are taking the day off to get better. You draw lines of snow with the mouse that help guide Santa to collect all of the presents. Each of the levels have different challenges and obstacles and you need to figure out how to draw the lines to get Santa's sled to move where you want it to.

My kids have a great time redrawing the lines and trying new strategies to help Santa collect the presents. I have fun playing it too.  When someone is playing, we usually gather around the computer and try to offer ideas.  We laugh when things don't work out quite right, and cheer for Santa as he reaches the finish. It's free online Christmas fun!

My daughter says that I have to include a tip for the "Snowtrain" level in this post because it's a frustrating level.  She says once you get the lines drawn, click the "go" button when you see the train because then it's gone when Santa gets there.  If you don't time it like that, you can't get past the train.  ( It will make sense when you get to that level. :-)  )

You can find Snowline here.   Happy Holiday Fun!



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{Sites We Love - Shelfari}

I used to love to read, but after I had kids my reading was limited to parenting magazines, medicine bottles, and Green Eggs and Ham. Now that my kids are getting a little bit older, I'm thrilled to have a little time to read things that I want to read - not that I don't love reading Green Eggs and Ham forty times a day :-)

I wanted to tell you guys about an awesome free website for book lovers called Shelfari. You make your virtual bookshelf which displays books you’ve read and books that you want to read. You can mark your favorites and mark those that you own. It also has a rating and review system.  If you check out a lot of books from the library, or loan (read: give) your books to friends, or donate the ones you finish, it is really easy lose track of what you have read.  Since I check out most the books I read from the library, I love using Shelfari to keep from loosing track of what I've read.

You can also use Shelfari to find books to read.  There is a great online community where you can add "friends" who share the same taste in books that you do and get their opinions and recommendations. There are discussion groups. They also have ranking systems to see what books are currently popular.

I love having a virtual shelf that even shows the cover art of the books.  And they have a widget maker that lets you display your bookshelf on your blog or other website. You even get to pick the type of wood that your bookshelf is made out of. How cool is that!

If you love books, Shelfari is definitely worth checking out!

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This is not a sponsored post.  We are in no way connected with Shelfari other than being happy users of their site.   Smart and Trendy Moms finds products, ideas, projects, recipes, and other information that we have personally found helpful or interesting.  As always, it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for you, your children, and your situation.  See our Disclosure

{Timez Attack - Multiplication Game}

Its that time of year again, the kids are back in school and hard at work. If you have a child that needs to learn their times tables this year - or needs to review them :-)  - we came across a great computer game called Timez Attack.  The game takes what is basically flashcard practice and turns it into an exciting adventure.

{Cool Timer - Free Timer Program}

I have been using a free timer program that I wanted to tell you guys about.  My son used it in class last year and he was so excited by it that we had to put it on our computer at home.

It's called Cool Timer.  It's easy to set, and can be used as a countdown timer, a stopwatch, or an alarm clock.  The coolest part is that it lets you choose from a bunch of different noises that signal the end of the time - many of which make the kids crackup.  You can also use your own sound files as the end of time signal.  It's so much more fun than the kitchen timer!