If there is one thing I know (besides how to knit hats for chickens), it is name activities for preschoolers! Whether in the classroom as a Kindergarten teacher, or in my home with my own children, I have had plenty of experience teaching little ones their name letters. Why name letters? Well, when children start…
The Art of Reading Aloud to Kids
When I started teaching Kindergarten, I was given this book called Reading Magic by Mem Fox. I read it before stepping foot in my classroom, thought it was good, and went about teaching Kindergarten with those skills in my teacher’s toolbox. It wasn’t until many years later that I truly and completely saw the value in that…
The Cow and Bear Rhyme Game {A Photo on Friday}
A photo on Friday. Did you know that a child’s ability to rhyme in Kindergarten is a direct correlation with his reading success in Grade one? It’s true. So if you are looking to give your little one a leg up on reading, have fun with a rhyme or two. We practice rhyming mostly through…
Sight Word Games on the Pumpkin Patch
I have been wondering for a little while what to do with my older posts. Since I have been doing this for quite some time now, some of my old posts feel a bit awkward to me. I sort of feel like I was in that awkward teenage phase where I was trying to impress…
Super Sight Word Pencils!
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No … it’s a super-sight-word-pencil-to-help-little-ones-gain-confidence-with-their-writing-um, thing! I just love these super pencils and all of the confidence they give little writers. If you have a little one who is beginning to read and write pop on over to Hands on as we Grow to read all about these great…
“Learn to Read” Quiet Bins
Well – did you see the Super Blood Moon last night? We did – and it was awesome. And today we are celebrating little Ben’s third birthday! Good grief with all this excitement I can barely sit still to get this post out to you … but I really want to, so I will. Exciting…
Fall Crafts: Fall Leaf Letters
With Fall on it’s way I have been thinking of my favourite Fall crafts for kids. This one we did last September, and it was such a hit we will be doing it again this year. It also held up really well, and looked great for a long time. This one is a great craft…
The Secret to Peaceful Days at Home with Kids
Time to be a little honest here. In this space I like to write about our learning adventures at home, the fun times, and the joyous moments with my little ones. But, truth be told, things aren’t always peachy. In fact, for awhile last year, things were flat out terrible. My busy boys were simply…
Kid’s Recipes: Sam’s Smoothies
An important activity for kids to practice is following directions. Using a recipe is a fun way to practice this skill. It also makes for a reading activity and math activity too! Isn’t it great when that happens?! My kids all love to bake – and in my house, baking or cooking refers to anything…
Teaching Letter Recognition with a Colouring Book
We love name puzzles and name activities at our house. Sammy has shown a big interest in learning his letters and I want to keep this interest in learning – so I am introducing letters in fun and playful ways. I bought a few colouring books for an upcoming trip and thought of a neat…
