A beach day doesn't mean your little one isn't learning. In fact, we LOVE having Tot School At the Beach. It's the perfect place to play and learn about the natural world. Tot School At the Beach Activity Ideas If you have ever traveled with an opinionated toddler - you would know that keeping your home routines while away from home keeps everything a little saner. It does help if you bring a dump truck along too! We have been doing tot-school on the beach, focusing on living and ... Read more...
Whoooo wants to make an owl costume for pretend play or Halloween?
Make an owl costume for pretend play or Halloween. DIY Owl Costume Headband This little hoot was so easy to make. For less than $1.00 and about 10 minutes of time (depending on how many helpers you have) you can make one too. These owl headbands are great for pretend play in the garden and could be a start to a Halloween Costume. The first thing you do is cut out the owl shapes from felt. You need an owl base, outline for owl eyes, white portion of eyes into two connect ... Read more...
Learn with Monarchs!
A fluttering butterfly can inspire an entire week of exploration at my house. Learn with Monarchs this week! Here are a few activity ideas: Learn with Monarchs: Read It just so happened that we started #8 "Zippy's Tall Tale", a book in the Butterfly Meadow series by Olivia Moss this week. We had stopped at a local kids consignment store and the owner recommended this series. We zipped through the first one and started this one on Monday. I am reading several chapters to my little one ... Read more...
Living and Nonliving Garden Walk with FREE printable
How do you know if something is alive? For adults it's an easy question. You children may not easily identify. Teach them how to decide if something is with a Living and Nonliving Garden Walk How to Organize a Living and Nonliving Garden Walk Not only do I get to garden in my backyard, but I also volunteer one afternoon a week in my daughters' school garden. Each week, I teach small groups of 5 kindergartners a different gardening topic and connect it to their curriculum. We started out ... Read more...
Make a Bell Bush
There is something powerful about the sounds of children making music. Make a Bell Bush and your kids will surely chime some music for you during their outside playtime! I don't remember where I first read about creating a natural playscape and using music, but I do remember from the first moment I read about it, that I wanted to have a place for my children to make music outside. Materials Needed to Make a Bell Bush Bells Ribbon Scissors How to Make a Bell Bush Cut ... Read more...
Little Hands that Cook with Books: Teddy Bear Biscuits
Our Teddy Bears joined us for cooking class today to make a Teddy Bear Biscuit and learn all about the Food Groups. We sang songs about teddy bears. The first one was Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Turn Around and the other was this song. We read the Story Where’s My Teddy by Jez Alborough. We decided we were going to make something from the Bread group. Make your own Teddy Bear Biscuits Recipe Ingredients 1 tube (7-1/2 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 ... Read more...
Who gives a hoot about saving seeds?
Saving seeds is an essential part of keeping our plants diverse. Organizations may follow strict guidelines to keep varieties of plants separate from each other. We are pretty casual in our saving seeds. We want our kids to know where seeds come from how seeds form how plants begin how nature assists plants in making more (wind, other animals...) There is just something extra special about teaching children to grow something from their own seed. How powerful can one seed ... Read more...
Apple Learning Activities for Toddlers
Apple can be a fun way to welcome the Fall with your Toddler! Here are a few Apple Learning Activities for Toddlers to help promote fine motor skills, sorting skills, Literacy skills and creativity with your Toddler. Apple Learning Activities for Toddlers Developing Fine Motor Skills: This week, I pasted an apple on a shoe box and punched some holes in the top for noodles to fit through. (top right picture) Who knew something so simple and inexpensive could be so ... Read more...
Learning Apple Sight Word Game for Kindergarten
Help make learning sight words fun with this interactive Apple Sight Word Game! Sight Words in Kindergarten Sight words are the words most commonly used in written text. Often times, these words can not be sounded out, rather need to be memorized. Teaching your child the top sight words will help them to become a stronger reader with fluency. They should be able to read these words quickly, without needing to stop and sound them out. Affiliate links to products. Apple Sight ... Read more...
Hanging Photo Frame
You can create this Hanging Photo Frame for any occasion Grandparents Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Birthdays or just a simple thinking of you gift to send in the mail to loved ones. Hanging Photo Frame Here are the supplies you'll need: Paper or cardstock to make 8 5x7 sheets (I used 4 scrapbooking sheets) 1 yard of coordinating ribbon Glue Stick Hot Glue Gun or Craft Glue Scissors 2 Photos of Grandparents with kids Stickers or Stamps ... Read more...
