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The end of the school year is approaching at a rapid pace with no emergency brake to slow things down. Meaning now is the time to find cool ideas to tuck into your bag of tricks....Activities requiring minimal materials, set-up and brain power, ready to be pulled out right before the first whimper of the words "I'm bored" trickles out of your kid's (or your) mouth.

I think this Instructable for making a custom clock with photo hands from member edmonds librarian has got to be the best idea ever for getting kids interested in telling time. What kid wouldn't crack up watching themselves circle the face of a clock? Heck, I crack up every time I see this Instructable. And judging from what motivates my own kids to learn new skills, if your laughing and having fun while learning something tricky you're going to really learn it and learn it fast.

Summer days equal long sunny days. Enjoy all these delicious days and get the kids outside. However, when it reaches surface of the sun temperatures outside you might seem less than motivated to take the fun outdoors.

Bee populations have been declining at an alarming rate worldwide. Which isn't just bad news for the bees as this directly effects food production due to lack of pollination.

This Weekend Project for making a one-string, electric bass guitar from MAKE is a pretty sweet DIY for a parent and his teenager to tackle and bond over. Using PVC, wood and a few other guitar related components easily picked up from your local music store the finished guitar plays and sounds like a bass. You'll get your kid back for a weekend.

With over 41,000 hits and counting, seven featured Instructables, one of which went "popular" and three virtual "Newsletter" patches we're proud of what we've achieved on Instructables.com! Tickled by this we thought it would be fun to list our Instructables. Check us out, rate us, comment even try a few:

How to make a ribbon stick for your junior gymnast

We had a basic, basic plastic container worm bin about four years ago, which didn't yield a substantial amount of rich humus. However, maintaining the box proved to be fruitful in an entirely different way. Our young son (4 at the time) was totally mesmerized by the bin and its squirmy occupants which opened up several discussions on worms, recycling and taking care of living things. Who knew a silly little bin would hold so many teachable moments? I was crushed when we no longer were able to maintain it due to a home remodel (RIP worms).

The Torrance Cultural Arts Center is hosting a morning event this Saturday, February 21st for kids who are all about the E=MC2.

I'm so annoyed by this whole Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) put together by our Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) which is set to go into effect early this year. Admittedly I have a small handmade obsession stemming from my stumbling upon ETSY. I love handmade goodies.

According to a recent Wired article, "Disney conducted a recent survey of 11,500 parents about their kids' technology habits, which provided some interesting results: because children are being exposed to technology at younger ages, it seems some parents are struggling to keep up. The parents are unsure what gadgets are age appropriate and confused about how to keep their kids safe online."