Zone Cleaning

for Kids

 Enjoy! 

My husband and younger boys spent Saturday blowing insulation into our attic. Helping with projects helps build character -- not to mention life skills -- and gives kids a true sense of self-esteem. When children work hard to accomplish something meaningful, they naturally (and rightfully) feel good about who they are and what they've done. No need for stickers or fabricated reinforcements. Knowing you are an integral part of a family or group is powerful. (Of course, a special dessert from Mom is always a welcome "thank you".)

Your real-life family projects are also a great tie-in for school as well. I can think of several ways we could incorporate our insulation project into school.

• Have your students research R-value and what it means. Determine the suggested R-value for your zone and discuss why the rating is different for different zones.
• Determine how deep insulation should be to provide the appropriate R-value for your region. How much insulation would you need to buy? How much will it cost? (This will involve an in-store or online visit as well as mapping out the size of your attic.)
• Research different types of insulation and how they work.
• Try some experiments like this lunchbox insulation experiment, the "polar bear" experiment (a longtime favorite at our house), or have your kids make a heat catcher and measure the room temperature before and after installation.

I know you may not be insulating your attic, but my hope here is to get you brainstorming more than to supply specific ideas. The holidays are filled with opportunities to turn your own everyday projects into learning activities.

• Baking: What if you made a recipe with out actually measuring and only estimated, instead? What do different ingredients do? Which can you substitute and which can you not? Have a contest to create the best dessert or main dish.
• Gift wrapping: What is the most efficient way of wrapping a package? (You might be surprised. I believe it's laying the box at a diagonal.) Create your own wrapping papers. Compare unit pricing on rolls of paper.
• Budgeting: Challenge kids to create a dinner for a certain amount of money. Let them use store ads and coupons to see how much they can save. 
• Cleaning: Make your own cleansers. There are plenty of easy recipes available (our Zone Cleaning System includes an entire downloadable E-Book of homemade cleansers.) Determine how they work. Compare them with pre-made cleansers.

• These ice cream cone cornucopias are cute, easy and would look adorable at the Thanksgiving table. I was going to say the kids' table, but then the adults would be jealous.
• Ever wonder what makes the turkey timer pop up (I have to admit I've never thought of it, but now I'm curious!) or whether turkey truly makes you sleepy? Here is a list of science related Thanksgiving activities that look like fun.
•  Make your own Thanksgiving play set and re-enact the drama.
• Here are some free printables for the younger kidlets.
• And here is a very large list of Thanksgiving resources, marked by age appropriateness.
 
• Last of all, I just had to share this sweet pumpkin my neighbor brought over the other day. It's simply a piece of fabric tucked around a toilet paper roll, with some grocery bag crinkled up to make a stem. Here are instructions, though you don't really need them. You can also substitute tissue paper for fabric.

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