School is just around the corner…literally. Big Brother starts 2nd grade next week and I can hardly believe it. We’re in the midst of all the school preparations, enjoying our Back to School date, shopping for school supplies, and crossing…
Post by Contributing Writer Kim of Life Over C’s We are in full swing getting ready to head back to school! So I have been working on new activities for the kids to get their first week started off with…
A few years ago I wrote a post titled 10 Things Every Teacher Wants You to Know (but won’t tell you). As a former first grade teacher, this post was written based on my experience in the classroom as…
Creating these Rainbow Ice Tunnels has been one of the neatest projects we’ve done in a while. It is the perfect blend of science and art…and it kept the boys occupied for well over an hour! I first…
Little Brother is pretty much obsessed with perler beads. It all began a few weeks ago when I let the boys do one of the kid’s craft workshops while I was shopping at Michael’s. The craft was pretty lame…
Once I became a mom, I found that there are a million ways to use baby wipes that have nothing to do with wiping bottoms. :) We recently discovered that baby wipes can be great for art! We…
I’m joining several of my blogging friends this week for a fun series using simple materials. Our Craft Closet Boredom Busters will help bring some creativity to your summer without hard-to-find materials or difficult instructions! These craft stick…
Ping Pong balls have quickly become my favorite learning manipulative. They are cheap. They are great for kinesthetic learners. They are easy to customize. And did I mention they are cheap?!?! Seriously…you can buy a bag of 144 white…
After we made our Valentines Day Hundreds Chart Activity, I thought it would be fun to make one for St. Patrick’s Day as well! This Four Leaf Clover Hundreds Chart activity is great for helping children see patterns in the hundreds…
Word families can be a beneficial component in your teaching-your-child-to-read toolbox. To put it simply, word families are words that rhyme. Teaching children word families is a phonemic awareness activity that helps children see patterns in reading. This is…
Big Brother has been doing a lot with the hundreds chart at school lately, so I thought it would be fun to whip up this cute Valentines Day Hundreds Chart activity for him. This activity is super…
This activity might just be even more fun than our Fizzy Reading activity from a few days ago! It is a similar idea, but includes a super fun math game for kids. It is adaptable to all ages: use one dice…
As a former first grade teacher and now a parent, I have seen both sides of the fence when it comes to schooling. I have said it a thousand times and I will say it again…I would be a…
The human body is marvelous, isn’t it? I am constantly in awe of the amazing creation that encompasses our bodies. Big Brother asked specifically to learn about the human body this summer and we have been having a blast. We…
This simple demonstration answers the question of why the human body needs both muscles and bones. This is a great introduction for young children to the various systems in our bodies and how they work together. This activity was inspired by…
Tops are one of the oldest and most beloved toys. Clay tops have supposedly been found in the Middle East dating all the way back to 3500 BC and wooden tops in Egypt from as early as 2000-1400 BC. These…
Water balloons are so much fun for the summer! But besides being a great way to burn off some energy, they can also be a surprisingly good learning tool! We used water balloons to create this sum splat game…
Are you learning about the ocean this summer? Teach your child about the five layers of an ocean (also called ocean zones) by creating this layered jar. This is the perfect union of two science experiments: a lesson on liquid density…
