Beaded Snowflakes
 Big Brother is a bit under the weather, so making this beaded snowflake was the perfect activity to do to take a break from all the TV watching! This is the fine motor activity for our snow thematic unit….
Snowflake Matching
This Snowflake Matching activity is not only great for cognitive development and visual discrimination, but it can also be used as a decoration after the activity is over! This is also a great time to discuss that no two…
Snowy Sight Words
We’re starting a brand-new thematic unit…SNOW! Regardless of whether we have any white stuff on the ground outside here, we are going to enjoy snow, snowflakes, and even snowmen for the next few weeks. To kick off our new thematic…
Angry Birds in 3D
Whenever Big Brother sees his Uncle Chris, he always asks to play “Angry Birds” on his phone. And as a doting uncle does, Uncle Chris will always oblige. Because of Big Brother’s love for Angry Birds, Uncle Chris thought these two…
Laced Felt Stocking :: Perfect Gift Card Holder
Big Brother helped me add a personalized touch to the gift cards we’ll be giving this Christmas by making (and lacing) these felt stockings. Threading and lacing are excellent for developing fine motor control! Here’s what you’ll need: Â Felt, Glittered…
Coffee Filter Christmas Tree
I love the simplicity of this craft. I’m also a huge fan of using coffee filters for kid’s crafts (remember this, this and this?)! Here’s what you’ll need: Â 2 coffee filters, green markers (we used regular and Do-A-Dot Markers),…
Toilet Paper Roll Angel
Angels and toilet paper…shouldn’t that be an oxymoron, or something??? This was a very kid-centered craft. Big Brother loved putting the face on the angel and the glitter on its wings! Here’s what you’ll need: Â Toilet paper roll, gauze (or…
Kid-Friendly Christmas Tree
The idea for felt Christmas trees has been all over Pinterest recently, but my absolute favorite has been this version from Johnny in a Dress. I love the simplicity of the triangle for the Christmas tree as well as the…
Build-Your-Own Snowman (in a bag)
What kid doesn’t love building snowmen??? Now you can give the gift of snowman building and there is absolutely no snow required! This is the perfect gift for preschoolers…it’s cheap, it’s interactive, and it’s fun! Plus, it can double…
Lipstick Tube Monster
Prior to having kids of our own, whenever I held a baby in church and didn’t have any toys to entertain them with, I would always give them my lipstick tubes from my purse to play with. The babies could…
Coffee Filter ‘Stained Glass’ Pumpkins
Big Brother and I made these cute stained glass pumpkins yesterday and they are now gracing our presence above the kitchen sink. We really enjoyed making these together, especially since they involved two things Big Brother LOVES to do…color and…
10 Steps to Teaching Your Child to Read
As a former first grade teacher, teaching children to read is one of my greatest passions! But because most children don’t start actually “reading” until around 6 years old (which is upwards of the targeted age range for my…
Shape Investigation
As we’ve been talking about shapes recently, I realized that Big Brother didn’t know the difference between a “side” and a “corner” (or angle, if you really want to get technical). I thought a fun shape investigation was in order…
What To Do When Naptime Ceases…
I don’t know about you, but my sanity break (and my blogging time) comes about 2:00 every afternoon…when my children nap. Both boys have thankfully been regular nappers their entire lives. Until now, that is… Big Brother will be…
Learning to Dial 9-1-1
Proceed with caution on this post…or else the 9-1-1 dispatchers might have it out for me with all the little ones accidentally dialing 9-1-1! Before your child learns to dial 9-1-1, he/she needs to know what constitutes an emergency. Obviously,…
F is for Fire
This alphabet craft was lots of fun to make and involved TONS of fine motor practice as well! Our very first parent/teacher conference with Big Brother’s preschool teacher was on Monday and she indicated that he could use a bit…
Shape Fire Engine
We can’t learn about fire without learning about those who put them out…and their mode of transportation, of course! This is a great way to practice shape recognition, scissor skills, and visual discrimination (placement of the “tires”, etc). Here’s what…
What puts out a fire?
I started off this little science experiment asking Big Brother, “What do you think puts out a fire?” I then used a candle in a glass jar with a lid for the following activity. PLEASE use EXTREME caution if you…