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…
4 Sneaky Ways to get kids reading this summer!
I am excited to partner with YMC and TD Summer Reading Club on this post about getting kids reading this summer! I had such big plans this summer for my little on-the-verge-of-reading guy. We were going to snuggle up and read each afternoon. We were going to have extra long bedtime stories. We were going…
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…
Breathtaking Winter books all kids should hear
We truly do live quite simply. You won’t find anything all that extravagant out here and thanks to a big de-cluttering movement last year, you won’t find much at all really. Not too many toys, or clothes, or “stuff”. With one exception. Books. We have bookshelves and bookshelves full of books. Mostly children’s books and…
A space to write
I decided it was time for a space to write. The littlest ones of mine have been busy lately sending secret messages via post-it notes, cards, and scrap paper (or paper deemed ‘scrap’ by them). With all that wonderful writing going on, I thought it best to really nurture this interest. Nothing fancy, really just…
Storytelling Social Stories
I have quite taken to this idea of storytelling. I have done it at home with my own little ones for quite some time, but since September I have bravely taken it outside my home and into the Kindergarten classroom. Storytelling captivates little ones like nothing else (Well, Quiet Bins are a very close second)….
The Art of Reading Aloud to kids
When I started teaching Kindergarten I was given this book called (affiliate links for your convenience) 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…
A Simple Reading Trick {A photo on Friday}
A photo on Friday, because sometimes all you really need is the photo. But usually I can’t help but unnecessarily say a few things about that photo. This simple idea, turning the closed captioning on while kids watch television, is brilliant. This idea was suggested at a teaching conference I attended a long while back….
Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers: No Pencil Required!
Sammy is very interested in letters and ‘spelling’ right now. He loves to ask how to spell words, point out letters he knows everywhere he goes, and generally all alphabet activities for preschoolers. He would also very much love to print these letters. However, he is simply not quite ready for writing. He is 3…
Reading Activities: Name in a Jar
We are playing our way to learning to read! My Sam just turned 4, and I am in no rush for him to read. I read to him oodles, and we play fun games (like this one) to give him the skills he will need to tackle reading successfully – when he is ready. SO…