What I love about a natural playscape is that they are always changing. Bamboo rods can be turned into almost anything with the help of an amazing husband and dad. Inspiring Creativity with a Natural PlayscapeNatural playscapes are outdoor play areas designed to encourage children to explore and engage with nature. These playscapes often feature elements such as trees, rocks, water, and sand, as well as natural materials that children can use to build and create.Some of our current favorites are ... Read more...
Literacy Connections: Save Your Halloween Costumes for Playtime
Don't put away those Halloween Costumes yet! It's time to make Literacy Connections!My daughter had a very descriptive idea of what she wanted to be this year for Halloween. She wanted to be Jessie from Toy Story. I'm not sure where it started from, as we've only watched the movie a handful of times, but something in that character "Jessie" sparked her curiosity and imagination. Two things we encourage in our house!Using Halloween Costumes for Literacy ConnectionsCostumes are great ... Read more...
The Magic of Snuggling Up with Your Baby and Reading: Why It Matters for Parents
Set aside time for reading every day with your baby — even if it's only a few minutes.Snuggling up and reading to your baby fosters emotional bonding, strengthens early language development, and nurtures a love for reading. These quiet moments not only support their cognitive growth but also create lasting memories and a comforting routine for both parent and child.Snuggle Up and Read Your BabyBabies love books with bright colors, baby faces, flaps, textures, or simple activities. You ... Read more...
Halloween Story Writing
Tips for teaching kids to learn to write this Halloween... use stickers! Here's how to encourage your child to write their own story with Halloween stickers. I loved Amanda's Afterschool Express Post last week about teaching writing with beginning writers. Her little one expresses herself so freely in writing, I love it! My daughter is also in Kindergarten but is more reserved with her writing and needs a little encouragement. She really wants us to help her spell the words and we're working on ... Read more...
Let’s Bake a Cake! A Little Hands that Cook with Books Lesson
Baking with kids is always a fun and messy adventure, but did you know it’s also a great way to build early literacy skills? In this Let's Bake a Cake Lesson, we’ll explore how you can turn a simple cake-baking session into a hands-on learning experience by labeling kitchen utensils and ingredients. Not only will your little ones enjoy mixing and measuring, but they’ll also begin to recognize words and connect them to everyday objects. Let’s make learning as sweet as the cake we’re about to ... Read more...
How to Encourage Kindergarten Writing
Writing is an important part of early learning. As a former kindergarten teacher, children progress rapidly throughout the year. From pictures and stick people to 5 sentence paragraphs at the end of the year. What does kindergarten writing look like? Here are a few kindergarten writing samples and tips for How to Encourage Kindergarten Writing. Affiliate links to products in this post.What 5 year old writing looks like:Reading and writing are connected. If we want our children to be good ... Read more...
Growing Texas 40 Peas
Each year I challenge our family to choose a new vegetable to plant in our garden. Someone recommended that I try Growing Texas 40 Peas. Knowing NOTHING about them, I planted a short row.Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate links included in this post. How did Growing Texas 40 Peas go?This Southern Style Cowpea only does well in warm weather and is drought tolerant – so if I don’t get to watering, all is still good. They grew well, so tall in fact, that I needed to add some string support. ... Read more...
Baby Friendly Hotel Fun
I thought it might be fun to share with you some tricks of the trade that I’ve learned over the years as a mother of 3. I need to remind myself every once in a while that I need to make plans for what to do with my baby so I thought blogging about it might help both you and me become active parents with our actively learning babies.This past week we were on vacation which can be challenging enough on your own but with a baby you have to get a little creative in hotel rooms. Whenever you’re ... Read more...
DIY Spider Web T-shirt
It's fun to make cute holiday shirts for your kids. As soon as I set my eyes on this DIY project, I knew I needed to this Spider Web Shirt for my daughter. She is fascinated by spiders and the webs that they make. Making the Spider Web ShirtLast week I had bought some inexpensive solid color shirts for making holiday outfits, but hadn't decided what to do for October.This looked easy, creative, and something I could make for less than $2.00! It also connected really well with this weeks cooking ... Read more...
Using Environmental Print to Teach a Second Language
Create a print-rich environment at home to teach your child a second language by incorporating everyday items like labels, songs, and posters into their surroundings, fostering early reading skills and confidence.Does your family speak more than one language? Make sure to fill your house with print! Using environmental print to teach a second language can be beneficial in strengthening their ability to read in their second (or third) language.What is Using Environmental Print to Teach a Second ... Read more...
