Improve Your Mind With Some Simple Math Games

Mathematics has long been recognized for it's mental benefits.

Working with numbers improves your concentration, memory, focus, problem solving skills, and general clarity of thought.

To enjoy these benefits, you don't have to indulge in any complicated formulas. All you need is a few minutes daily practice playing some simple math games.

And before you rush out to buy the latest Xbox console and software, realize that numbers are all around you...

Look at the clock on your computer. Usually it's located in the lower right-hand corner of your screen (or use any clock to tell the time).

The 24-hour format works best. On my computer right now, the time is 15:38.

There are all kinds of creative games you can play with this. Here are ten to get you started:

#1 Add the single digits together from left to right:

1 + 5 + 3 + 8 = (say "6... 9... 17")

#2 Add the single digits together from right to left:

8 + 3 + 5 + 1 = (say "11... 16.. 17")

#3 Add the inner and outer digits together, then add the resulting pairs together:

1 + 8 = 9

5 + 3 = 8

and so 9 + 8 = 17

#4 Add the single digits on either side of the colon, and multiply the results:

1 + 5 = 6 and 3 + 8 = 11

6 x 11 = 66

#5 Subtract the single digits on either side of the colon, and multiply the results:

1 from 5 = 4

3 from 8 = 5

4 x 5 = 20

#6 Multiply the single digits on either side of the colon, and multiply the results:

1 x 5 = 5 and 3 x 8 = 24

5 x 24 = 120

#7 Add the two-digit numbers either side of the colon:

Add 15 to 38 to get 53

#8 Subtract the two-digit numbers either side of the colon:

Subtract 15 from 38 to get 23

#9 Divide the two-digit numbers either side of the colon:

Divide 15 into 38 to get 2 remainder 8

#10 Feeling brave? Multiply the two-digit numbers either side of the colon:

Multiply 15 by 38 to get... 570

You can repeat the above exercises as many times a day as you like.

Try them anytime you have a spare minute, like when you're placed on hold in a telephone queue.

You may not turn into a mathematical genius, but you'll certainly keep your brain in gear!

Play Clay Recipes - Homemade Clay Made Simple

This quick basic recipe is very easy to make and to use. It is soft and pliable for little hands to work with ease. Color, scent, and even glitter can be added to the recipe to make more interesting clay creations.

BASIC PLAY CLAY RECIPE
1 cup flour

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 cup water

1/2 cup salt

2 tsp. cream of tartar

Heat, stirring constantly, until ball forms. Knead. Store in airtight container or plastic bag. Makes about 4 portions.

Add-Ins for Color

Food coloring

Kool-Aid

Fruit-flavored Gelatin

Add-Ins for Scent

Peppermint oil

Lemon oil

Vanilla extract

Gingerbread: Ground Cinnamon & Ginger

Add-in for Sparkle

Glitter

Gluten-Free Play Clay

For children who can't tolerate gluten or food coloring, substitute rice flour for white flour and natural beet (red), spinach (green) or carrot (orange) juice for color.

Pumpkin Pie Play Clay

Large batch is perfect for your Halloween party!

5 1/2 Cups Flour

2 Cups Salt

8 teaspoons Cream of Tartar

3 1/2 Cup Oil

1 1/2 ounces Pumpkin Pie Spice

Orange Food Coloring (2 parts yellow, 1 part red)

4 Cups Water
Mix all of the ingredients together. Cook and stir over medium heat until dough forms. Knead dough until smooth.

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EDIBLE CLAY RECIPES

These yummy edible clay recipes can be enjoyed as snack food after the creating is done!

Peanut Butter Play Clay

Peanut butter

Honey

Dry powdered milk

raisins, peanuts, chocolate chips, coconut, sprinkles, pretzels (for decoration)
Mix equal parts peanut butter and dry milk. Slowly add honey to desired consistency. If too sticky, add more dry milk. If too dry, add more honey. Form clay into shapes or roll into balls to be served as cookies.

Easy Chocolate Play Clay

One 16 oz. Container read-to-spread chocolate frosting

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

Combine all ingredients and you are ready to play!

Chocolate Modeling Clay
The secret of pastry chefs for making tasty cake decorations!

10 oz. chocolate chips (or colored candy disks to create different colors)

1/3 cup light corn syrup
Heat chocolate carefully until melted, stir in corn syrup and blend. Pour onto a waxed paper sheet and spread to approx. ½ thick. Cover loosely and let stiffen for a couple of hours or overnight. Chocolate will become very pliable.

Use Your Play Clay Recipes to Make Party Favors -

Basic play clay makes a great party favor too! Put a portion of clay in a plastic sealable bag along with a label with the party guest's name, decorated with markers or stickers. Add a colorful cookie cutter or cut a 1/2 inch dowel into 4 inch lengths to serve as a little dough roller.

How to Make a Model Volcano and Other Fun Kids Party Special Effects

Kids love magic tricks and special effects because they surprise and delight with the unexpected. Here's a collection of easy yet impressive special effects to try at your next kids party.

But beware... kids are naturally inquisitive, and will want to know how you achieved your spectacular results. Keep it mysterious, and you'll be the hit of the party crowd!

Erupting Volcano

Start by lining a box lid (edges should be about 2 inches high) with foil or use a large metal pan. Fill with wet sand. Place an empty soup can in the center and press the sand around the can to form your volcano mountain. For the best effect, completely conceal the can. Spoon 1/4 cup baking soda into the can and place the box on a surface protected with a plastic tablecloth or newspapers.

To erupt the volcano, pour a portion of the activation solution into the can. When this is added to the baking soda, it will make flowing "lava". Let your party guests take turns adding a bit of solution to the can to cause further eruptions.

Activation Solution - 1 cup water, 3/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup dishwashing liquid, 10 drops of red food coloring and 10 drops of yellow food coloring.

Volcano Cake

Make a bundt cake and frost it in chocolate frosting. Decorate with palm trees and small plastic dinosaurs: Before serving, take a pint of chocolate ice cream and place over the hole in the center of the cake. Pour strawberry syrup over it for volcano lava. Serve and enjoy!

Variation: Frost the cake white and use vanilla ice cream for a different look.

Spinning Vortex

Take two empty 2-liter bottles and fill one about one third with water. Put the bottle openings together, with the empty bottle upside down on top of the full one. Place a 3/8 inch metal washer in the opening between the two bottles and duct tape them together carefully.

When you're ready to make a vortex, reverse the bottles so the full one is on top. Swirl the top bottle in a circular motion until a spinning vortex begins to form in the water. It will continue until all the water has funneled through the washer and into the bottom bottle. Just reverse the bottles to create another vortex.

Party Punch with Pizzazz

Mix up a batch of one of the following party punches:

Smoldering Swamp Water

Mix equal parts Ice Cool Arctic Green Apple flavor Kool-Aid with ginger ale, or try any green beverage such as 7-UP.

Bubbling Love Potion

Mix equal parts cherry Kool-Aid & ginger ale for a colorful and fizzy love potion drink.

Here's where the fun starts...
Place a piece of dry ice in a sealed plastic container. Punch or cut holes in the container lid. Before serving drop the container into the punch bowl for a very cool effect!

Important: Always use caution when handling dry ice! Use tongs or heavy gloves so it does not touch bare skin as burn will result. Do not put the dry ice directly in the punch; it should NOT be ingested.

Frozen Hand

Fill an unpowdered surgical glove with water. Add green food coloring for a creepier look. Securely twist tie the end and hang from a shelf in the freezer. Once frozen, cut off the glove and float hand in your punch bowl for a nice "touch"!

Slime

Take a cup of water and add to it 1 Tbs. of borax (available in the laundry section of the grocery store). Stir until completely dissolved. Take 1/4 cup of white glue and 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. In a ziploc bag, add equal parts of the borax solution to equal parts of the glue solution. A half cup of each will make a cup of slime. Add a couple drops of green food coloring. Seal bag and knead the mixture.

Fake Blood

Karo brand corn syrup

Red and blue food coloring

Milk

Add some red food coloring to the corn syrup, then just a drop or two of blue to get a more realistic dark color. Milk will make the blood appear more opaque and more realistic.

Note: This mixture is sticky and can stain clothes.

These cool special effects are perfect for a mad scientist party, a dinosaur party, a Halloween party... just use your imagination and have fun! They add a unique twist to any kids party and will make your child's special day a truly memorable event!

Bubble Recipe Secrets - Ten Tips and Techniques to Making Super Bubbles

Making and blowing bubbles with your kids is one of the most carefree pastimes imaginable - giggles guaranteed! And yet, blowing bubbles without knowing these simple bubble recipe secrets can turn your bubble fun into a "bust"! With these simple bubble recipe secrets, making super-sized long-lasting bubbles is a cinch.

1. Adding glycerin to your bubble mix makes bubbles stronger. Glycerin can be found in your local pharmacy.

2. Use distilled water instead of tap water. Tap water tends to be "hard" and is not good for making bubbles. If yours is "soft", you have the perfect water for good "bubbleology".

3. Prepare your bubble solution in advance and store it overnight in the refrigerator before using it.

4. Dry surfaces pop bubbles, so make sure your bubble wand, your hands, and anything your bubble may touch is wet.

5. Let the bubble maker soak in the bubble solution a few minutes prior to using.

6. Clear any suds or foam from surface of mixture before making bubbles. Don't slosh the wand around in the solution. Suds and foam are "bubble-busters".

7. Overcast, cool and humid days are the best weather conditions for blowing bubbles. Avoid hot, dry or windy days, or at least find a shady spot out of the wind.

8. "Throw" bubbles, don't blow bubbles. Move your wand in a slow fluid motion.

9. Many small bubbles instead of one big one means you are probably blowing too hard.

10. Finish your bubble with a quick twist of the wrist to seal it before if flies away.

Adults and kids alike can learn these simple techniques to become expert "bubbleologists".

Note: Exercise care when children are using bubble mix. It can be very slippery on the ground, and will sting if it gets in the eyes.

Amazing Secrets Smart Students Have Tucked Under Their Belts For Years And Start Getting Better Test

Though there are hundreds of studies that suggest that many tests aren't a true measure of your intelligence or potential for success, the reality is most universities still rely on them to measure a student's academic acumen.

Because of this, it is important that you learn how to do well on a test and succeed in college to further your post-college potential for career success.

Test Taking Strategies

So what can you do to boost your test scores without necessarily committing more time to the library?

Fortunately there are hundreds of time tested strategies that smart students have been using for years. The tips listed below will help boost your test scores without committing you to countless hours in the library.

Test Tips of Test Smart Students

    Study two days prior to your test to retain the maximum amount of information possible.
    Perform a brief "re-cap" or self test the day before the test. Only spend 20 minutes or less reviewing material.
    Study in a non-distracting environment in 1-2 hour intervals.
    Be sure to highlight key points in the text and read over each chapter summary to refresh your knowledge on a particular subject.
    Talk with your professor at least a week prior to the test and go over your study strategy. Your professor can point out gaps in your thinking and you will ensure you study all the 'essential' information that will be on the test.
    Fuel your brain with energy food prior to your test. Bran muffins, complete breakfasts and fruit are all good choices. Candy bars and coffee are not.
    Get a good night's sleep the night prior to your test. You can find plenty of time to party the night after your big test.
    Make sure you know where your test is being held and show up 15 minutes early to relieve pre-test anxiety.
    Read all the instructions on your test carefully. Nine out of Ten mistakes can be attributed to a misunderstanding of test requirements.
    Be sure to ask the professor if you are unclear on any points or questions.
    If you are trying to remember a lot of dates or specific facts, answer all the test questions with this information first, so you don't have to worry about remembering everything for the entire test.
    Sit in a secluded and non distracting area of the classroom so you can take your test in peace.
    Go with your gut instinct and don't change answers when reviewing your test. Your first instinct is usually the right one.

Smart test takers also reduce anxiety before a test by taking some deep breaths and relaxing. Keep in mind the more you stress out about a test the less likely you are to do well. Consider a 5 minute meditation just prior to your test to clear your mind of restless thoughts.

How To Design A Map Quiz That Even A Cartographer Would Love

Q. How can I design an interesting map quiz?

A. You can't. At least you can't if you intend to design a map quiz where you draw some geographical areas and then ask "Where is South America?". While that would definitely qualify as a map quiz, it wouldn't make the grade of an "interesting" map quiz.

There is a thin line between geography quiz and map quiz. Once you cross that line, and get away from the simple geography, you can make a map quiz downright interesting.

For example, you might design a map quiz that asks questions about how maps are actually made. A lot of people don't realize the magic that is needed to represent a round world on a flat piece of paper. Questions along this line could be very enlightening.

Another great set of map quiz questions could deal with how to navigate a ship using charts and a pair of dividers. You could ask them to determine how many nautical miles it is between two points.

Maybe you'd like to combine a map quiz with a scavenger or treasure hunt. Bury something valuable somewhere and then create treasure maps. The map quiz could ask questions that can only be answered by reading the map. As each question gets answered the person gets closer to finding the prize.

Another great idea would be to present a complex problem that has to be solved by being able to read and understand a map thoroughly. Here's an example:

You have 10 days vacation and decide to take a car trip around the United States.

You can drive no more than 10 hours per day and you can drive no faster than 55 miles per hour.

Your trip must start and end in the same State. Other than that, you may not visit any state more than once.

You must exit a state at the opposite border that you entered it from. For example, if you entered a state from the North, you must exit from the South. if you entered from the Northeast, you must exit from the Southwest.

At the end of each 10 hour period you must spend the night (14 hours) in a town or city whose name contains the letter "e".

Using the map, mark your daily route, including the number of miles driven, and circle the name of the town or city that you spent the night in. Be sure to write the day # as well.

The person who visits the most states in the 10 day period wins.

That ought to be a map quiz that will be remembered for some time to come.