Archive for educational hobbies
Moms Need Educational Hobbies Too
Posted by: | CommentsA recent article in the Union-Tribune touts what most moms have known all along – united moms are happy moms. Ask any mom of a toddler or a teenager, and they’ll tell you that the bonds of friendship with other moms go a long way toward preserving their sense of sanity.
Of course, one way to build or strengthen those friendships is through shared activities and interests. You might simply go for a walk together each morning or take turns planning free activities with the little ones. Maybe you’re a book hound and would enjoy getting together with your girlfriends and others in a book club.
Getting together over shared hobby projects is an old standby. Discover what skill sets reside in your group of friends or research some educational hobby ideas where you can all learn a new skill together. Think outside the box … you’re not limited to the typical “mommy hobbies.”
Try your hand at stained glass, build a miniature doll house or village, or learn about astronomy. Yes, each of these educational hobbies can be pursued individually, but we’re social creatures. It’s a lot more fun to learn new skills and try new things with our friends!
Read more United Moms Are Happy Moms.
Educational and Collectible Hobbies For Kids
Posted by: | CommentsDon’t tell your kids that these are educational hobbies. That’s tantamount to telling them that the delicious snack you just offered is “nutritious!” When was the last time that label did you any favors?
Instead, leave the educational for kids part out and let them discover that they’re having fun (gasp) learning!
- Kids are natural collectors. At least my boys were … don’t ask me what I found in their jeans pockets! (Laundry day was always an adventure.) Nurture their obsession with interesting rocks, feathers, sea shells or what have you, by providing them with a way to organize and display their collections.
- Rocks can be tumbled and polished and turned into unique jewelery or craft items.
- Interesting feathers can be used for fly tying. This intricate hands-on hobby builds hand-eye coordination and provides useful fly fishing lures.
- Sea shells can be used in or on photo frames, incorporated into furnishings, or if the shape is right … they make an interesting home for a hermit crab.
- History becomes real when kids get involved in stamp collecting. Think of all the stories that surround just one of our US postage stamps. Incorporate the stories into the stamp collection. Your child’s teachers will thank you!
- If your child is into baseball, by all means, encourage him or her to collect baseball cards. Here’s an opportunity to learn about the legends AND learn about negotiating and trading.
I’m sure this short list only scratches the surface. What educational and collectible hobbies do your kids enjoy?
Harnessing Wind Energy with Kites
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Is it possible to generate electricity with a kite? California-based Makani Power is working toward that goal. They’re developing giant kites to harness high-altitude winds, expecting it will generate more than 10 times the energy of a wind turbine.
What does this have to do with educational hobbies? Like all great ideas, they have to start somewhere. This one began with an interest in kite flying and electricity.
What might we all accomplish, if from time-to-time, we’d simply “go fly a kite?”
Read more about high-altitude wind power on Red Herring.
Image Credit: ronnie44052 on flickr
Build Environmental Awareness With Educational Hobbies
Posted by: | CommentsOnce you start looking for ideas for educational hobbies, you’ll find they pop up everywhere!
Here’s an idea from the 2008 Riverfestival in Brisbane, Australia. They’ve combined trash cleanup and creativity to teach children about caring for the environment in a constructive way.
A new exhibit at the festival will include 350 kites made from plastic bags, 700 plastic bottles made into
costumes and artwork and a collection of 1 million bread tags that will stretch across the Victoria Bridge.”
The exhibition called ‘Out of the river … imagine’ is based on the amount of rubbish that Healthy Waterways removes from the Brisbane River every week.
Think about it … all of those plastic bags, bottles, and bread tags pulled out of the river each week!
Kudos to the organizers of this event, and to all the artists and school groups that are involved. This is an innovative way to teach an important concept to children and the community-at-large.
Educational Hobbies Backyard Resources
Posted by: | CommentsYou can combine basic wonderment of nature with the complexity of technology very easily right in your own backyard, home or school through educational hobbies. Nature provides a plethora of plants, insects and animals as study material for this process. All you need to do is to have a simple basic digital camera and a way to print pictures of what you’ve taken.
One of my favorite educational hobbies is to look around my yard to see what I can of interest. Fortunately I can sit and watch for a little while allowing the critters around me to settle and accept my presence before getting closer to them. Some animals have a natural fear so they will be harder to approach, but in time as long as they begin to sense no perceived threat, they will allow me to get closer and closer.
Some of the animals and insects are obvious because of their size. However, there are others that one needs to look closely to see. But if you look closely you’ll discover more than you might expect. One simple way to study these critters is to use a simple digital camera to snap shots of them.
Take this little bee for example. You actually combine two educational hobbies…photography and entomology. Pictures often reveal more than the eye can see in a glance. The photograph provides one a detailed record of not only the bee but the flower it is on.
Now a trip to the library or a search on the internet for more information about both the little bee and the flower yields more information to expand upon in the classroom or the home “lab.” Being alert to the environment around you, you can find many creatures of interest.
Above: A spider in the garden. A field mouse seeking warmth and food on a cold winter night. A “Puff Ball” fungi harvested from the backyard. All make great subjects for educational purposes. Isn’t it time you got started in any one of the many Educational Hobbies?
Educational Hobbies For Kids of All Ages
Posted by: | CommentsWhat’s your hobby?
With gas prices at an all-time high, we’re spending more time at home. “Staycations” are replacing vacations. There’s never been a better time to discover new territory from the comfort of your home through educational hobbies.
A hobby, by definition, is something you like to do or study in your spare time. Yes, that’s quite broad! Educational hobbies add the obvious benefit of learning. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Educational Hobbies from A to Z
- Astronomy, Amateur Radio
- Biology, Bird Watching, Building Models
- Collecting, Chemistry, Construction
- Dioramas, Doll Houses
- Electronics
- Fossil collecting
- Gardening, Geneology, Games
- Helicopters – Radio Control, HO Gauge Trains
- I-Hobby Expo, October 17-20, Chicago – Discover new educational hobby products
- Jewelery Making
- Kite Building & Flying
- Legos
- Model Railroad, Modeling Clay, Metal Detectors
- N Gauge Scale Modeling
- O Gauge Scale Modeling
- Painting, Photography, Plastic Scale Models, Pinewood Derby
- Q – Help me out here. Any ideas?
- Radio Control Vehicles, Robotics, Rocketry
- Scrap Booking, Stamp Collecting
- Trains
- U ??
- Vintage Die Cast Cars
- Wood Carving, Wooden Ships
- X ??
- Y ??
- Z ??
What can you add to this list?
