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…
The ’15 Minutes Outside’ Challenge
I just started reading 15 Minutes Outside by Rebecca P. Cohen. I planned on doing a book review but instead, I’m turning it into a challenge…for myself and for whomever else would like to join in! The challenge is this:…
One of my New Favorite Christmas Books!
On a whim, I picked up Song of the Stars at our local Christian bookstore yesterday. It is written by Sally Lloyd-Jones, the same author as The Jesus Storybook Bible (our very favorite children’s Bible), so I knew I would love…
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…
Toddler Time: Touchy-Feely Activity
We used lots of items from around the house to talk about sensory descriptors like soft, rough, smooth, sticky, and bumpy. This would be a perfect activity for older babies and toddlers! Just be sure you don’t use any items…
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…
Books on Fire and Firefighters
Here are some of our favorite books on fire and firefighters. Firefighters A to Z by Chris L. Demarest This book is one of our favorite alphabet books! Not only does it rhyme and have beautiful illustrations, it also introduces…
Toddler Time: Off and On
This is one of Little Brother’s favorite games. He pulls up the stool and turns the light on and off, all the while I’m saying “On” and “Off” respectively. Simple? Yes. Emphasizing language development and antonyms (opposites)? Yes and yes….
Build A Monster!
Go Away, Big Green Monster has been one of our favorite books to read lately! This is a wonderful book for young children because it is repetitive and has a predictable pattern (as is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You…
M is for Monster
Use the letter “m” to make a unique monster! All you need is a piece of cardboard, some fuzzy fabric (cut into squares), wiggly eyes, glue and a sharpie. 1. Take a piece of cardboard and using a Sharpie, write…
Monster Finger Puppet
These little boogers are fun for kids of all ages! There are so many fun ways you can use this puppet glove: color recognition, one-to-one correspondence, songs, and monster-tickles…just to name a few! All you need is a gardening glove…
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library recently came to our community! If you’re not familiar with this, it is basically a program that provides each child in your family a free book (mailed to your home) each month until their 5th birthday….
Clothespin Capital & Lowercase Matching Activity
This was a super-easy activity for Big Brother that combined fine motor skills and alphabet recognition. I was pleasantly surprised how much Big Brother took to this activity…he really enjoyed it and needed very little assistance. I just reused the…
‘Are You My Mother’ Sensory Tub
After our Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Sensory Tub, I thought it would be fun to do more sensory tubs inspired by some of our favorite children’s books! The Are You My Mother? Board Book is one of Little Brother’s…
Baby Sign Language 101
Somehow during the blog transfer, this post was deleted. So I thought I would post it again since it was one of my first posts! It made me kinda sad watching it…Little Brother was so tiny! Has your baby ever…
“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” Sensory Play
Big Brother’s favorite book at the moment is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. We read it at least twice a day. If you’ve ever read this book, you know how long it is…it is quite the time investment! I think the…
“Little Cloud” Activity
I just love Eric Carle. His books are perfect for toddlers and preschoolers…bright and colorful with simple story lines. Little Cloud is a fun, simple, and utterly adorable book that we recently checked out from our local library. After reading…
Letter Recognition using Cheez-Its
I just happened to see these Scrabble Cheez-Its on my way down the cracker aisle last week. I’m a sucker for anything involving letters and food. A learning opportunity at every snack time…what can be better than that? :) We’ve…