Can I tell you a secret? You know those dry, mundane, ‘The cat is brown. The dog is black.’ stories? I LOVE THEM. Yes, the storyline leaves a lot to be desired. Yes, the words and pictures are so predictable it can be a little (more than a little) painful. But these books can be…
Crazy fun ways to teach summer reading!
Do you remember learning to read? I do … nostalgic music strumming … I was aching to learn to read. My big brother knew how. My big sis did too. But poor little Sarah was just not old enough. Or so she was told. However, across the street lived a retired teacher, who as it…
45 Gorgeous Gifts Kids Can Make
I remember being little and creating sweet homemade gifts to give to my friends and family. I want my children to learn all about this too. The idea of creating something using nothing but a few crafts supplies, lots of time, and loads of love. That is what gift giving is all about! I started…
STEPPING up the reading!
Oh exciting things are happening in this house of ours — Sammy is starting to read. As a teacher, I just love this stage of child development. He knows all his sounds and blends and he is starting to sound out words all on his own. He is so excited about it, he is ready…
Name Hockey
My oldest is very artistic. My middle child loves being outside and in nature (and wild). And as it turns out, this baby of mine loves sports. I have to be honest, I really didn’t see that last little curve ball. I would say we are a crafty family, sure. An outdoorsy family, most definitely….
Alphabet Recognition Activities for Preschoolers
Do you know what I love? Questions from Mamas. ESPECIALLY when I have the answers! While there are oodles and oodles of parenting questions I could not even take a stab at, those related to learning — and specifically alphabet learning? I’ve got your back. How do you introduce letters? Capitals? Lower case? What order? When…
S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g it out to learn to read
Learning letters and their sounds get little ones ready to read, right? Wrong!!! (Well, that was rather abrasive and negative. I’m sorry. Please see it as passion and not negativity) Letters and sounds, letters and sounds, letters and sounds. You could find thousands of activities to practice these skills with your little ones on this…
Gross Motor Alphabet Games for Kids
These little ones of mine love to learn on the move. They like to touch things, reach and stretch, run and jump, and use all of those great big muscles they are forming (well, itty bitty muscles right now – these boys of mine are tiny!) But guess what? Learning with a whole body is…
Quick-Dry Rainbow Salt Tray
I am so excited to be partnering with The Pencil Grip to share their awesome new Thin Stix with you. We all have different strengths and different needs, right? One of my strengths, I do believe, is my willingness to let my little ones get messy. It really doesn’t bother me one bit watching them…
The Great Boat Float: Teaching Rhyming to Preschoolers
A little while ago I was playing a rhyming game with my little one when I realized he really wasn’t grasping the concept of rhyming. I tried a different game, and low and behold, he wasn’t grasping it that way either. How could this be?! I thought for sure we had this rhyming thing down!…