5 Toys and Games That Are Secretly Educational

5 Toys and Games That Are Secretly Educational
(and you might even have played with them as a kid)

Go Fish - You probably played Go Fish as a kid. I know I did. You can use this deck of cards for pretty much any game where matching is the goal. Joseph, age 6, like playing Memory with it.

What it teaches: matching, memory skills, vocabulary, taking turns

Legos - This one really takes me back! It was one of those toys that you could put in front of a kid and they would spend hours playing with it. And these days they even come in a giant form known as Mega Blox.

What it teaches: logic, spatial reason, teamwork, creativity

Dollhouse - Ah, dollhouse (or the boy equivelent Action Figures) was a lovely way to escape reality and get wrapped up in a fantasy world. It couldn't possibly be educational! Right? Right? Wrong. It can be. When girls play individually they are a stimulating their right brain. When they play with a parent it becomes a unique learning opportunity.

What it teaches: family values, creative thinking, problem solving
Adults can use dolls to teach: Vocabulary, Politeness, Abstract concepts (such as a new baby, step-family member, or adopted child)

House (older kids call it Role-Play) - You've probably heard about the educational benefits of role-play. You don't need an expensive playhouse for this game, either. A group of trees will make a fine house in outdoor weather and haybails or logs make good chairs. Kids can be whoever they feel like at the moment!

What it teaches: Teamwork, Creative Thinking, Social Skills,
What adults can use it to teach: Manners, History, Abstract Concepts, Brainstorming

Cash Register - Cash registers came complete with fake money (and if you were spoiled a toy shopping cart and fake food). A fun way to imitate grown-ups was always to GO SHOPPING for what else? Groceries. You grab your fake food, throw it in the cart behind your beloved baby doll and hope the kid behind the cash register doesn't charge you more play money than you actually have!

What it teaches - Math, Store etiquette, Logic,

A short story: Olive's Writing Assignment

Word list:
story - storia
you - voi
sisters - sorelle
sister - sorella
green - verde
school - scuola
answers - risposte
test - prova
happy - felice
boy - ragazzo
secret - segretto
mother - madre
father - padre
baby (female) - bambina
friend - amico

Assignment: Write a short storia about something that happened to voi.

When I was five I went to Italy. This wasn't a planned trip but I have sorelle. And when you have sorelle you have to expect the unexpected. Especially when those sorelle are twins like Destiny and Faith. In a way, it was my fault that they went to Italy. Because Faith's favorite color is verde.
I brought home a verde piece of paper but I should have read it. I didn't care what it said, though because it was from scuola. And who honestly cares about scuola? I like learning but scuola....eh, I can take it or leave it. Oops, I lost the point of my storia. Which is that I went to Italy.
Faith tricked Destiny into giving her the risposte for the prova that you have to take in order to get accepted to the scuola. Faith got accepted to the scuola so she went to the airport with the ticket the scuola gave her. At the airport she bumped into Destiny.
Destiny and Faith were felice to have each other on the flight over to Italy. Once they got there they met a cute Italian ragazzo named Marco. He was really cool. Faith accidentally spoke French to him! I was trying to keep it a segretto from our genitori that we went to Italy but my madre threatened to take away my dessert privileges and dessert is very important to me.
So my madre, my padre, bambina Lauren, and I all hopped on the next flight to Italy. My madre ran around handing out pictures of Destiny and Faith. I saw Destiny and Faith walk into a restaurant with their new amico Marco and I ran after them.
I crawled under the tables until I recognized Destiny and Faith's feet. Thank goodness they wore matching tennis shoes! I warned them about our genitori so they would have time to hide. I was trying to be a good sorella. They hid in a hotel until our padre found them. Italy was nice so we stayed for two days before we left and Destiny and Faith were in a whole lot of trouble when we got back!

little note: If any of these Italian words are innacurate or you know a better word please let me know.

Photo Editing: One of my newest favorite forms of art!

Photo editing is a lot of fun once you learn how to do it! I have learned so many things just from surfing the web. I can change people's eye color, remove acne, whiten teeth, and make one person into twins. Sometimes it's just for fun or sometimes people wanna know what they would look like with purple eye contacts. I think I prefer my blue eyes. (shown above, yes that's my real eye color) Although, it stands out more against the sepia background. A lot of people use photoshop but I am not interested in these "programs that cost money" so I find my way around it. I use multiple programs but in the end the result is all that matters.

How to be Sexy in French!

Can I have this dance?
Puis-je manger vos chaussures?

Will you go out with me?
Mon cul, ça fait mal. Ai-je assis sur un cactus?

Shall I buy you a drink?
Êtes-vous liés à un singe?

Will you have sex with me?
Est-ce que vos pieds toujours cette mauvaise odeur?

You are a very fine lady.
Il doit vous faire peur lorsque vous verrez votre réflexion.


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Disclaimer: These are not TRUE french translations and there is a good chance you will get smacked if you say any of these things to a french person. Slide this through a French translator to see the real meanings.

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