Top 4 Toys to Make Your Kids Smarter

With the amount of educational toys out there, it might be difficult to find the ones that will effectively make your kids smarter and better at analytical think and problem solving. We know how important it is to make sure your kids are as smart as they can be, so we found five great toys that will help them achieve that goal.

6 months to 3 years old: blocks and shapes
Toys as such as Fisher Price’s Baby’s First Blocks are a great way to get your baby to develop problem-solving abilities. Through block toys, children learn about colors, shapes and sorting and develop analytical thinking when it comes to building towers and other shapes.

Blocks are classic toys that have endured the test of time and they’re always a hit with children of that age group. As they age, you can give them more complex sets like Legos and K’Nex. By giving your kid a block set, you are literally building up their skills for later in life!

2 to 5 years old: alphabet and children’s books
Literacy is another important skill to develop in children, as the ability to read will give them access to a much larger world. There are books suited to all levels of learning, from basic alphabet to words and sentences. After they’ve learned the alphabet and sounds of letters, you can give books such as Bob’s Books by Scholastic.

These books are especially made for children to start learning how to read with little or no help from parents. Don’t be surprised when your kids are able to read before everyone else in preschool!

4 to 8 years old: educational video games
By this time, your kids should have been introduced to video games… Yet you can help make them smarter through video games by getting them a gaming system like the Leap Frog Leapster 2 Game System.

These game systems are filled with math, science and reading games that help your children learn—and they don’t even realize it. You can also look for educational games for consoles such as the Nintendo DS.

6 to 12 years old: strategy games

Board games have lost a lot of ground since the advent of video games, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t reintroduce them in your house. From classic chess games (great for learning strategy, cause and effect and analytical thinking) to more contemporary ideas like Connect 4 or Blokus, your child will learn the basics of strategic thinking and problem analysis.

Try and make time every week for a board game night. This will encourage your children to get off video games and spend quality time with the family.

If you pair these games with activities like baby massage for babies and toddlers, you’ll contribute to developing a well-rounded, relaxed and smart child. If they understand early that learning can be fun, they’ll have no problem adapting to and enjoying school later on.

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A Post Office in Jakarta Old Town

The post office is painted white, but there are blue things in the front; such as rented bikes and public toilets.

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Camera Critters: White-Spotted Deer of Bogor Presidential Palace (4)

These photos are from my old archives. Seeing the deer in front of Bogor Presidential Palace (Bogor, West Java, Indonesia) is always fun; though I only can see them behind the fence. Some of them are very tame and they are nearing the fence to get carrots from the visitors. The deer which want nearing the fence must across the drain first. Every week end, many visitors come to see these deer. Sorry, I repost the deer portrait photo.

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September 30th, 1999

My mother left us for eternally at September 30th, 1999. It’s already years ago, but sometimes I feel it’s like yesterday. This afternoon, my husband and I visited her grave, right on her birthday. While I was sending prayers for her, my eyes couldn’t stop crying. Mom, I miss you so much!

I found this beautiful poem that very comforted me. I share here for every one whom their mothers have passed away as well…
Your Mother is Always with YouAnonymous

When you need mom most, don't forget she's still a part of you.

Your mother is always with you...
She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street.
She's the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks.
She's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well.
Your mother lives inside your laughter. She's crystallized

in every tear drop...
She's the place you came from, your first home..

She's the map you follow with every step that you take.
She's your first love and your first heartbreak....

and nothing on earth can separate you.
Not time, Not space...Not even death....

will ever separate you from your mother....
You carry her inside of you....
/mothersdaycentral.com/

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A Dancing Fountain

The water sprays in various patterns, it looks like dancing; follows the flowing music. This fountain located inside Nusantara Flower Park (Cipanas, West Java, Indonesia). The second pic was captured from the 3rd floor of a sight seeing tower.Watery Wednesday

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Attending a Family Gathering

Yesterday, we’re going out of town to attend a family gathering in Bandung (West Java, Indonesia). At first, my husband was afraid that we would face a traffic jam during the way. Fortunately, the traffic was just fine and we reached my cousin’s place in three hours ride. We met some relatives there and almost every one asked about my father’s condition. They promised sending prayers for my father’s better health. Thanks in advance to you all.

After attending this gathering, we didn’t go back home straightly; but we visited my husband’s friendly aunt. We chatted for hours. We got back home in the night and reached home pass midnight. A tired but wonderful day…

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5 Ways to Happiness

Are you a workaholic? Are you anxious all the time? Looking for ways to help you slow down, stress less and enjoy life more? Life is too short to waste it worrying and feeling unhappy. Here are 5 ways that will help make you smile and have you happy again in almost no time.

1. Do what you love.Do you know what your dream job is? Are you in it? If you aren’t, it’s time to take steps to change that!

It might mean getting a brand new job, changing your current role slightly if you can, or it will mean quitting, starting from fresh and perhaps even going back to study.

Don’t worry about what people will think or whether you can afford it. If needed, look into cash loans to help tide you over while you search for something new. It will be worth the investment later down the line.

2. Don’t do what you hate.
Think about what really makes you stressed or angry – and don’t do it!

For example, has the 2 hours commute every morning become completely unbearable? Move somewhere closer so you no longer have to do this.
Do you absolutely hate cleaning? Hire a cleaner or bribe someone else in the family to do it for you.

If there really is no way you can get out of doing something you hate, then you need to change the way you think about it. Easier said than done, but effective once achieved.

3. Reward yourself.Take time out once in a while to relax and remember to enjoy life. Maybe it’s an afternoon away from some of your responsibilities, walking in your favourite park or watching a movie you love.

If there’s something you’ve always wanted, you’ve been saving for it, but feel too guilty or nervous to take the final step: don’t hesitate any longer, do it.
There are fast loans you could get if you need to take an urgent vacation for a week, or help you with that car payment. As long as you know you can pay it back, you needn’t worry.

4. Slow down.
If you find you always seem to run out of time, ask yourself: have you got too many commitments in your life? Perhaps there is a way to make things easier – are there ways you can lighten the load?

Talk to your family and friends for support and ask for advice on what you can change to make things less hectic.

Seeking the support of a guidance counselor or writing your feelings down, can also help you work through your causes of stress. You might even be able to pinpoint exactly what it is that is hindering your happiness. You won’t be able to change your mood overnight, but you can at least take steps in the right direction.

5. Appreciate what you have.
Take the time to think about everything that is great and wonderful in your life. It is so easy to lose sight of the good things when we get overtired or distraught.
Know that there are people out there who can help and that there is always a way to make changes or improve things.

Work on your relationships because the people closest to us can provide the greatest and most effective support. Count your blessings, focus on the silver lining, and you will soon find that mind over matter really is possible.
/image:clker.com/

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