How to Help Your Kids Learn Science With A Smile!

Who ever said that you couldn't combine business with pleasure was a total idiot. Why is that so? It is so because being serious, at the same time having fun, is possible.

Science is always thought to be a highly serious subject, but still, your children can enjoy while exploring those scientific discoveries and innovations.

Children nowadays seem to have a dam around them when it comes to telling them to do their homework or to study. Oftentimes you just can't persuade them to concentrate on their studies because they are just too busy playing with their toys.

To save you from further frustration, educational science toys were invented. This way, your children not only learn from the things that are taught, but they also do so with big smiles on their faces due to utter enjoyment and pleasure.

Crime Lab Investigation is an example of an educational science toy for it lets your child enjoy the job of a crime investigator. The mental capacity of your child will be enhanced, for this toy lets your kid examine evidence by using forensic science to be able to solve certain cases.

Another educational science toy is the Weather Center Science Fair Project. With this educational science toy, your child can get to learn all about the various kinds of weather conditions, with regards to temperature, wind speed, wind direction, total rainfall, and many more.

This complete weather tower storage system is self-contained so that you can mount it outdoors on any sort of pedestal. Your kid will definitely have fun while exploring the science of weather.

Let's Get Gross is another toy, which is, mind you, the grossest set of them all. This educational toy set gives enough of the ingredients or materials needed in creating lots of odorous and really disgusting body parts.

You can get to make slimy brains, fake eyeballs, rotten egg smells, fake snot, and fake cuts and wounds. All these parts have been molded in various body part shapes to make your children realize that the body is not all good, and that it can get really ugly and smelly if not taken cared of.

Our Amazing Avalanches and Mudslides helps your children learn more about avalanches and mudslides while they create their own. This educational science toy can be deemed as very advantageous in learning most especially to those who live in areas where such happen most often.

 With this set, you and your kid can paint and display the base of your mountain, create snow, watch those trees topple down, and also learn about the different factors that cause an avalanche or a mudslide.

Our Amazing Earthquakes brings you and your kid the science and art of simulating your self-made earthquakes. This set is inclusive of quite a number of different related activities and facts about this extremely powerful and earth-moving phenomenon.

Another educational science toy, and also the most used and most popular, is the Our Amazing Volcanoes Science Fair Project. This set will give your child a chance to safely explore the most destructive force of nature on Earth.

 You are allowed endless experiments and variations due to the number of seven volcanoes that are available, together with the dual-chamber volcano bottle. You can make the lava of your artificial volcano thicker or foamier, and also change the level of eruption from a puny trickle down the sides to a whopping six-foot roaring fountain.

You can also explore the science and art of building bridges with Our Amazing Bridges Science Fair Project. You can create different sorts of bridges from ones that just cross narrow ravines and rivers using logs or just rocks, to the extremely huge mile-long suspension bridges of today's time.

You start, first, with spanning a realistic landscape of a river using a modern truss bridge out of steel by just using a few bits of gussets and plastic I-beams. After that, you can start making a graceful and lean yard-long suspension bridge from materials that weigh as light as a feather.

There are different kinds of toys you could purchase for your children. But there are only a few educational science toys to help you children improve science-wise; at the same time have fun. 

Mixing business with pleasure is indeed possible. With educational science toys, you have just hit two birds with one stone.


Check Out The Best Kids Science Experiments HERE:

http://www.squidoo.com/kids-science-experiments

Swimming Pool Maintenance Guide - Do You Use a Neat Robotic Pool Cleaner Yet?

Basic Swimming Pool Maintenance Guide

This swimming pool maintenance guide should be used as the basis for your swimming pool cleaning routine. The exact routine you use will depend on the type of pool you own, where you live, and how much time and money you have to spend.

Whatever you do, regular cleaning is essential. Algae and dirt can quickly build up in a poorly maintained swimming pool, not only making the water unpleasant to be in, but increasing the risk of bacteria multiplying and damaging the health of swimmers.

Daily Maintenance Is Best

Unfortunately the very best way to keep your pool in good working order is to see to it daily. Small daily tasks are a lot easier to perform than huge monthly maintenance operations! They'll also keep your pool a lot healthier for you and for your family to use.

Your Swimming Pool Filters

The filter is one of the most important elements of any swimming pool maintenance guide. This may come in the form of a sand filter, a cartridge filter or a DE filter. All of these types do the same thing (in different ways) - filter the water of your pool to keep it clear and safe.

You should aim to check your filters around once a week, and clean them according to their specific instructions. You should also give them a thorough clean when the pool season is over to make sure they're ready for next season. 

Lastly, to keep them running properly, you'll need to replace the sand in a sand filter around once every three to five years, the diatomaceous earth in a DE filter a few times a year, and the cartridge in a cartridge filter every two to three years.

Cleaning Your Pool

Every day, try to make use of supplies such as pool brushes, nets and vacuums (attached to telescopic poles) to clean the surface, walls and floor of your swimming pool.

Next you'll need to make use of chemicals to sanitize the pool. This means first checking the pH levels of the water. If these aren't right, your chemicals aren't going to do the job as effectively, and the water may become uncomfortable for swimmers.

Now you'll need to use bromine or chlorine to sanitize your pool, keeping it free of bacteria. Check chlorine levels regularly, and invest in shock to prepare your pool before recharging it with cleaning chemicals.

As mentioned above, this pool maintenance guide forms the bare minimum of what needs to be done to look after your pool. Every chemical kit or piece of equipment you buy will come with specific instructions for different types and sizes of pool. It's important to follow these carefully to ensure your water is safe.

Learn more here about the many models and styles of robotic pool cleaners you can get online to maintain your swimming pool this summer: 

These Robotic Pool Cleaners Make Swimming Pools Fun Again!
Neat Robotic Pool Cleaners!

 

Choosing The Best Plants for Your Landscaping Needs

 Landscaping designs generally involve plants. It's rare to find landscaping that doesn't include some type of plant material.

It's only natural that you will want to choose plants that you love, but ones that also compliment each other. They also need to be suitable for your climate.

 Choosing your plantings can be a very exciting part of your landscaping design.

Unless you hire a full time gardener you will need to have some knowledge about the plants you intend to use. You don't want costly mistakes like planting sunny varieties in a shady area or moisture loving plants in a dry area.

You will need to know the individual plant's water needs, soil needs, what type of fertilizer and how much, along with how much light they need. Knowing these things before you buy will help you to determine which plants you can mix and match. You want to plant a willing garden, one that will grow and thrive with relatively easy care.

 The floor of your landscape

This includes grass, ground cover, flower beds, walkways, shrubs, vines, etc. Everything needs a base to be build upon. Landscaping is no different. Deciding on your plants also involves deciding on the types of plants and their growing season. You can opt to plant bulbs, fungi like tree and ground moss, or viney plants like ivy and grapevines.

 Blooming season

It's essential to know when certain plants bloom. If you want color to last from early spring to fall, you will choose plants that have different blooming seasons.

Tulips are great for early spring, but once they stop blooming you are left with only greenery. You'll want to plant other plants in the same area that will bloom later on.

You need to decide if you'll choose to plant annuals, biennials, or perennials. Annuals, of course, will have to be replaced every year. If you enjoy planting each spring you may want to leave a bed or two open for these types of plants.

 This way you can mix and match or choose something entirely different each year. Annual beds are very versatile.

 How much color?

Some of the nicest landscapes include lots of colorful plants. You should consider if you want mostly greenery with a splash of color here and there, or if you want flower beds and areas that look as if they've been sprayed with tons of beautiful color.

Your choices all depend on what appeals to you and the effect you're trying to create. You can have areas of mostly greenery and areas of mostly color. It's really up to you and your tastes.

Other elements to consider

There are so many things you can and should consider during the planning phase of your landscaping design. Many of these elements aren't plants either, but can help show off your plantings by adding depth and contrast. Things such as fences, trellises, walls, etc.

You can also grow natural walls from shrubs and trees or use vines on fencing. Landscaping can be a lot of fun and a lot of hard work. If you plan to tend to the yard yourself, make sure you have a good bit of knowledge about the plants you will use. You can create your own personal journal to keep up with each plant's individual needs.

Even though it can be work, it should also bring you years of enjoyment and relaxation.

I have put some more tips online here on my squid pages, and I'll also be publishing some really helpful gardening books soon - ENJOY!

http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-build-kids-playhouse

http://www.squidoo.com/garden-planning-design-tips

http://www.squidoo.com/build-child-treehouse

http://www.squidoo.com/patios-verandahs-decks-balconies-how-to-tips

http://www.squidoo.com/pretty-garden-gloves-and-tools

http://www.squidoo.com/spring-flowers-flora

http://www.squidoo.com/greenhouse-construction

http://www.squidoo.com/small-manure-spreader

http://www.squidoo.com/worm-castings

http://www.squidoo.com/fall-seasonal-products

http://www.squidoo.com/residential-solar-energy-systems-pros-cons

http://www.squidoo.com/benefits-of-solar-energy-for-homes-info

http://www.squidoo.com/ecofriendly-diy-solar-power

Helene Malmsio

p.s. and I love my indoor gardens too - I have THREE Aerogardens on the go!

http://www.squidoo.com/aerogarden-too