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Creative experiences to motivate children to be lifelong learners, express their creativity, think critically, spread positivity, be well, and just plain have fun!
OVERVIEW
Fun, free, mini-courses and content for kids
We have created this site with parents, educators, preschoolers, and elementary school students in mind. We have posted some of our successful courses, such as the free ABC Signs Program (ASL), and expanded the original, free Mathlibs content. We’re also regularly posting more fun free stuff in our Fun Feed.
Founded in the 1990s, kidCourses started as a New York-based initiative offering live courses exclusively within the state. Our standout program, the ABC Signs Program, brought the joys of sign language to preschoolers on Long Island at no cost. Interestingly, when we sought to volunteer our services at a local library, we were told "We don't accept volunteers, we need to pay you."
For Jessika, the experience was doubly rewarding. As a mom, she could earn while involving her young children in a positive educational setting. Our core mission has been consistent—to motivate children toward lifelong learning, cultivate creativity, and emphasize the importance of positivity and enjoyment in the education process.
In the intervening years, life happened. The kids grew up, and a move to the West Coast initiated a hiatus from live courses. However, we've adapted by digitizing our content and are pleased to introduce the new kidCourses.com. Here, we continue to offer quality resources like MathLibs®, which has gained recognition from esteemed organizations such as PBSTeachers and the NCTM.
We invite your feedback and are open to suggestions for future offerings.
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Healthy, happy kids!
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Pi Day 3.14
Pi graphic by Tom Murphy Happy Pi Day! Celebrated March 14 since 1988, Pi Day is an honorary holiday that recognizes the irrational number pi, or 3.14 for short. Pi Day is a golden opportunity to have fun with math and make plenty of pi puns. Eating pie is just […]
Principles of Design: Scale and Proportion
Scale and proportion are both design elements that have to do with size. Scale is the size of one object in relation to the other objects in a design or artwork. Proportion refers to the size of the parts of an object in relationship to other parts of the same […]
Principles of Design: Hierarchy
Arranging components in a hierarchical order is one way that the designer communicates with the viewer. Like unity and balance, hierarchy appeals to your instinctual search for relationships between the objects in an artwork or design. Seeing the order in a design helps you understand the overall meaning. The designer […]
What Does a Fox Say? (Kid Friendly) with Coloring Page
What DOES a fox say? The answer may surprise you. In case you have not yet found an answer to this popular question, we found a couple of cute kid-appropriate videos for you. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I accidentally pulled up a Popular Science post, thinking "I […]
DIY Digital Kaleidoscope Projects for Kids
Today we have a couple fun kaleidoscope projects for kids. You may have tried our Kaleidoscope Tiles project and read our post on Principles of Design: Balance. The first project is great for all age levels. You can use the online Kaleidoscope Painter to digitally make and download your kaleidoscope. […]
Valentine’s Day Card Craft: Heart in Hand
For this fun Valentine’s Day card craft you will need: Card Stock Scissors Take a sheet of card stock and fold it down the center, pinch the edge to make a clean crease. Place your hand over the folded card, making sure your pointer finger and thumb hang over the […]
Valentine’s Day Card Craft: Hand in Hand
For this fun Valentine’s Day card craft you will need: Non-toxic Paint Disposable Plate Card Stock First, take a sheet of card stock and fold it down the center, pinch the edge to make a clean crease. Then just mix paint with water, use hands as stamps and stamp the […]
3 Tips for Teaching Children With ADHD
by freelancer Gemma Bond Children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) are often misunderstood, and teaching them can be very frustrating at times. The ADHD child will suffer to concentrate or sit still [1] and you may find them leaping out of their chair to point out something insignificant that […]
Principles of Design: Unity
Unity results when all of the principles of a design merge into a complete work of art. It encompasses line, shape, form, color, texture and space. Harmony is the way in which all of the elements relate to one another to successfully produce a unified whole. In a successful design […]
We Recommend: ASL
We receive a bunch of eMails asking us about ASL products. Below are links to our affiliates, and a direct link to download our 26 Page handout for $3, and a list of free ASL resources. All purchases help keep kidCourses up and running! Thank you so much! 1. Signing […]
Public Speaking: Two Quick Tips for Finding Your Natural Voice
A natural voice is a valuable asset when you speak in public. The sincerity, warmth and expression you convey through your voice underlie the persuasive power of your words. On the other hand, should you try to enhance your speaking voice by pitching it lower or higher than normal, it […]
HEART CRAFTS
The idea behind this craft is to have children focus on all the love they have in their hearts. Love is not reserved for just our secret crushes, significant others, etc. There are many ways to replicate this craft: The wood heart shown was 99 cents at our local craft […]
The Rhetorical Situation
Whenever you find yourself communicating with the intent of modifying someone's or a group's perspective, you are within a rhetorical situation. This unique context encompasses a topic, listeners or readers, and specific boundaries. Each time you write an essay, have a verbal discussion or listen to a debate, it happens […]
Color Wheel Coloring Sheet
Make your own color wheel coloring sheet: Color Wheel This activity goes well with Elements of Design for Kids: Color.
Don’t Fall for That Fallacy, Part Three
By the age of 10, children have the ability to tell right from wrong, according to expert Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist. However, knowing how to distinguish a true statement from a false one is a skill that you have to learn. One vital component is spotting fallacies. Apple Polishing: […]
DIY 1-2-3 Easy Twist & Fold Bracelets!
For this craft all you need is: yarn, and scissors! First, select two or three colors for your bracelet. Then measure each color to the length of your arm. Then after all your colors are cut, tie the end in a knot. After you've tied all three colors […]
The Rhetoric of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a scholar, a Baptist pastor and a father who became famous during the 1950's and 1960's as a leader in the non-violent U.S. civil rights movement. During the years from 1957 to 1968, Dr. King spoke publicly on more than 2,500 occasions, wrote five […]
Mondrian Coloring Sheets
You may have seen our posts on line, shape, and color. Now it's your turn to make a Mondrian-style work of art. Below are free handouts for you to download and color. MONDRIAN Composition Number 8 MONDRIAN Composition with Yellow We Recommend Check out these cool Mondrian Animals on […]
Don’t Fall for that Fallacy, Part One
When you fall for a fallacy, you are taken in by false or misleading reasoning. Some fallacies appeal to such emotions as pity or guilt. Others leverage your anger or your fear. When you learn to recognize these kinds of fallacies, you are less susceptible to their squishy, insubstantial logic. […]
Rhetoric in Advertising – Activities for Kids
Activity: Pretend You're a Marketer 1. Create an ad based on emotion. Use rhetoric containing emotive force. (Note: Rhetoric frequently involves language that contains emotive force and affects what others believe without actually providing logical reasons for a claim.) Look at Plutchik's Wheel of Emotion below and decide which emotional […]
What is Rhetoric? An Explanation and Examples
Rhetoric is the art of influence, friendship and eloquence, of ready wit and irrefutable logic. And it harnesses the most powerful of social forces, argument. - Jay Heinrichs The above quote is from Jay's book Thank You For Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About The Art […]
Aristotle & Rhetoric
In Aristotle's world, rhetoric was the art of discovering all available means of persuasion, and he heavily emphasized the logical aspect of this process. He considered rhetoric a counterpart of both logic and politics, and called it "the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion." […]
Elements of Design: Space
Space is an element of design that occurs around and in between the forms, shapes, colors and lines. It provides perspective, dimension and volume to a flat page. The techniques an artist uses to create space include: • Sizing • Overlapping • Composition • Linear Perspective • Color and value […]
Arguments & Argument Maps for Kids
In day-to-day life "arguing" is usually understood to mean a disagreement or fight, and something that most try to avoid. But, in truth, arguments are part of critical thinking processes - part of how we use logical reasoning. The general structure for a logical argument is: This is my […]
Elements of Design: Texture
Texture is an element of design that defines the surfaces of shapes and forms. Texture that you feel with your fingers is called tactile while texture that the artist recreates on a flat surface is called visual texture. Tactile texture is three-dimensional because it has height, width and depth. Visual […]
Elements of Design: Form
Form adds another dimension to shape. A circle is a flat, two-dimensional shape. When you add the shading that transforms the circle into a sphere, it takes on three-dimensional form, like a ball you could throw or bounce. Basic forms are three-dimensional figures, including spheres, cubes, cylinders, pyramids and cones. […]
Elements of Design: Color
Color Wheel (Goethe 1809) A color wheel is a conventional way to classify colors and their relationships to each other. In traditional painting, red, yellow and blue are the primary colors that form the basis of the artist’s palette. They are located at equal distances from each other on the […]
Shape: An Element of Design
A shape is a closed form that consists of straight lines, curved lines or angles. Drawing a shape is the first step to creating an object; by adding shading, color, background and other shapes, an artist transforms a simple outline into a more complex design. A circle and a square […]
Key Concepts in Biological Systems – Crossword
Relating the Small to the Big: The Human Biological System Structures whole organism (big) organ systems organs tissues cells organelles (small) Terms to Know Metabolism: all of the chemical reactions which maintain life, which can be subcategorized as catabolism (breaking down molecules to get energy) and anabolism (synthesizing, or […]
Spread Some Hugs – Coloring Page
Today's coloring page goes along with our song, Spread Some Hugs. You can listen to the song below. Additionally, we include the ASL Sign for H in the corner. Watch below to learn the ASL sign for H and for Hug. Spread Some Hugs Coloring Page What's Your "Good Wish"? […]
ABC Signs O
Have you ever wanted to sign the letter 'O'? The full ABC Signs program incorporates over 120 real American Sign Language signs into fun and catchy rhymes; learn 4 in this free sign language video for kids: The ASL sign for O The ASL sign for octopus The ASL sign […]
Elephant Coloring Page
You may have seen our ASL video for the letter E. If you did, you probably loved the sign for elephant! Here's a baby elephant coloring page to go with the video! Elephant Coloring Page
Fish Coloring Page to go with ASL Video
If you haven't watched our ASL Video rhyme for the letter F, you should check it out along with today's coloring sheet: Fish Coloring Page with the ASL Letter F We left lots of room so that your little artist can add even more fish!
5 Do-It-Yourself Father’s Day Crafts
Father’s day is just inches away now, and with the big day approaching are you looking for that extra from-the-heart something to put your celebration over the top? Well have no fear, after searching high and low we’ve found the top 5 Do-It-Yourself Father’s Day crafts that you can create […]
We Recommend: Critical Thinking Videos from TechNYou
If you follow our site, then you know how much we value critical thinking education. We were so happy to find these videos. Check them out and let us know what you think! Or watch all 6 videos:
Win a $25 Impact Card
We are fans of a bunch of nonprofits and would like to share SeeYourImpact.org with you and the children in your lives. At very young ages, my kids were involved in a lot of community service activities, even traveling across the globe to help build houses for people who needed […]
Zoey’s Pick of the Week!
Recommendation of the Week “Adventures in Cyberspace! The chase is on just wait! In C-Y-B-E-R-CHASE!” That is the ending to the theme song of one of my fondest childhood t.v. shows, Cyberchase. I was about 10 when the show started airing and I loved watching this show everyday on PBS. […]
Unicorn – Poem & Coloring Sheets
Meet Belonna the Unicorn. Listen to her story, and then download free coloring sheets below. Have fun! Belonna the Unicorn Belonna, the little unicorn didn’t have a horn She had a pair of wings and other things like eyes and a mouth and nose But baby unicorns have to wait […]
Spanish Word Find (Crosswords)
Spanish Word Find (Lessons 1-3) You might also like these videos. Below are links to the parent handouts that go along with each lesson: Let’s Say Some Words in Spanish | Intro for Parents Lesson 1: Spanish Sounds Different! Lesson 2: It’s Fun to Be Polite Lesson 3: My Family […]
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