Homeschool Happenings

Children love dollhouses. They provide hours of imaginative play, foster creativity and help children work out real life scenarios. Good ones, such as the Kidkraft Dollhouse , are built of wood and made to last for generations although you can find some sturdy built ones today out of plastic. But there are so many to choose from. How do you know which one is right for your child? Here are some tips that will help you chose the perfect new 2010 dollhouse for kids.

Age Makes a Difference

Parents really need to take age into consideration when choosing toys such as dollhouses for their kiddoes. If your child is very young you are going to want a dollhouse with large pieces that are easily handled. You do not want them to have small parts if your child us 3 or under that can be swallowed. Durability is another factor. Younger children are harder on toys. The Fisher Price Loving Family Dollhouse or the Melissa and Doug dollhouses are good choices for preschoolers.

If your child is a little older the Kidkraft Savannah Dollhouse or the Kidkraft Annabelle Dollhouse is the perfect starter house. They are solidly constructed, can work for younger ones and will last for generations. Girls of all ages will appreciate the sweet look and build of these doll houses. And of course, there is the Barbie Dream House which is for Barbie doll lovers everywhere.

What Do You Have Room For?

Some dollhouses, such as the Barbie Dream House, are quite big and take up a lot of room so make sure you know the dimensions when fully opened. The Fisher Price Dollhouse folds up easily for out of the way storage which is very handy. Just make sure have the room for the house you want to buy before purchasing!

What Accessories Are Included?

Many times you simply get the dollhouse with very few pieces of furniture and no people so read the fine print. Manufacturers often offer a deluxe or bonus edition of their basic doll house which included rooms full of furniture. The Loving Family Twins comes this way. So check out what is offered with the purchase and how costly additional items are going to be in the future. The last thing you need is to have any empty dollhouse sitting there with no furniture and no family to play with. No one wants that especially the child receiving the gift.

So before you buy your child a dollhouse do your homework. Take into consideration your child's age and play ability, your house size and what you want to get when you purchase one. I highly recommend the Fisher Price Doll house for younger kids and any of the Kidkraft dollhouses for just about any age. Of course, the Barbie Doll house is a must have if you love Barbies!

A great way to enjoy science is with notebooks. And an animal notebooks i the perfect thing for kids of all ages to do. You can make one on a specific type of animal - mammals, giraffes or rain forest animals. Or you can make one for classifying animals.

These notebooks can be simple and basic for younger kids, with cut out pictures and coloring pages. Or they can be detailed can complex using animal research worksheets and reports.

You can find dividers and more info on how to do this at Making and Using an Animal Notebook.Easy to print out notebook helps, activities and worksheets.

This is one of our family's favorite science projects

We are adding ladybugs to our Animal Notebooks this week (see article below) and are having fun with them. I just love spring. it brings out all the critters and insects.

I have posted two coloring pages and a ladybug research sheet for your family to enjoy as well. Simply click on the ladybug link:)

Ladybugs