Ever wonder if your children’s behavior is normal? Ever wonder about how to handle certain situations (like a spider bite for example)?  I know I look for advice from other moms on these kinds of things.  A great place to get answers like these is Mamapedia.  This is place where you can ask other moms questions and get their answers.  I even learned what I should do for the spider bite I got over the weekend (several moms suggest taping a penny on it.  I figure it can’t hurt anything).  I love that we can help one another out and learn new things in the process.

The site is one of the easiest one’s out there to navigate.  You can even see what other moms are searching for in real time!  Taken right from the site, Mamapedia is:

• For mothers with kids of all ages
• Questions by moms, answered by moms who’ve been there
• Over a million answers on everything from Acne to Zoos
• Easily searchable and browsable
• Updated daily
• 100% free

I would highly recommend that all moms check it out!

Does anybody still remember MacGyver?  Do you remember how he could make all those crazy gadgets by using whatever he had on had?  He was always able to escape using the oddest things and get the bad guys.  Well, real life isn’t that far off from some of the things he was able to come up with.  The Sneaky Uses Book series brings us all one step closer to being a MacGyver in our own homes.

The first book in this series of books is Sneaky Uses For Everyday things. From this book, you can learn how to make a megaphone, convert your radio into an aircraft broadcast receiver, and make a flood alarm. There are 80 things in here you can make (and that doesn’t include the bonus applications), and each of these are made from things you should easily find in your house! There are no extra shopping trips needed to pull this stuff off.

The next book is Sneakier Uses For Everyday Things. This book will show you how to make an antigravity rollback toy, a hovercraft toy, and even a breathing device! This is an additional 40 items for you to build in your house!

The next book in the series is the Sneakiest Uses For Everyday Things.  Again, all of these things can be made from items you just have laying around.  I’ve learned how to make a calculator, a magnifier using only a paperclip and paper, and a mini boomerang.  This book has an additional 40 projects for you to try out!  Like the other book, it also gives you step by step directions and illustrations to show you how to make these awesome items.

The Sneaky Book For Boys is right up any boys alley.  They can learn how to get drinking water from plants, make a periscope, and make an emergency flotation device.  I love that at the end of the book there is a list of other books and resources to check into.  You can keep the learning experience ongoing then.  There is also a section in the book for sneaky animals.  You can read all about spider and lizards that are sneaky (and right up a boys alley).

We don’t want to leave the girls out, so there is also The Sneaky Book For Girls. Here we can learn how to make a drawer alarm, make milk into plastic, and how to make batteries.

These books definitely make excellent stocking stuffers for anyone in your house.  The activities can be used in the classroom, for homeschooling, and just for fun too!  I got a kick out of reading how to make some of these items and I definitely felt my inner MacGyver wanting to come out!

As you can tell, Noggin is packed with great education programs for our children. Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends does not disappoint. It is an animated program that follows the adventures of Miss Spider and her family. Yes, Miss Spider is really a spider. Her family consists of a bed bug, spiders, a beetle, and a dragonfly. The main theme of this show is getting along with one another.  This is blended family at its finest.  I have to admit that kids programming has come a long way from when I was little.  Again, I think I like this show just as much as Madison does.  Another theme they also explore is showing consequences for your actions.