Featured

how to help your child remember what he reads

how to help your child remember what he reads

May 20, 2013 | No comment

Some children are able to easily read the words on a page but cannot remember a lick of what they

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raising word conscious kids: a chat with Mando and Rosita of Sesame Street

raising word conscious kids: a chat with Mando and Rosita of Sesame Street

May 16, 2013 | 1 comment

I can’t stress enough the importance of raising word-conscious kids. Words are everywhere, all around us. Why not capitalize on

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5 ways to get your kids psyched for summer reading

5 ways to get your kids psyched for summer reading

May 5, 2013 | 3 comments

Believe it—summer is around the corner.  Woo-hoo! Around the corner!  As in like just a few weeks away!  It’s May!

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nursery rhymes: powerful poems for fluency and more

nursery rhymes: powerful poems for fluency and more

Apr 21, 2013 | 3 comments

April is National Poetry Month! Did you know that? It is, and it’s not too late to jump in on

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reading tips and more: scholastic raise a reader blog

reading tips and more: scholastic raise a reader blog

Apr 15, 2013 | 1 comment

It’s been an incredibly exciting 2013 so far, with all of the awesome going on over at we teach and

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5 min reading tricks for raising rockstar readers

5 min reading tricks for raising rockstar readers

Mar 17, 2013 | 1 comment

It’s here. My first eBook on reading and literacy and all that stuff I really, really love. And I’m totally

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read across america day EVERY day of the year

read across america day EVERY day of the year

Mar 1, 2013 | 1 comment

It’s Read Across America Day!  Only something that everyone’s been talking about for days and days and days and days

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why I don't love dr. seuss: but 3 reasons I should

why I don’t love dr. seuss: but 3 reasons I should

Feb 26, 2013 | 54 comments

Confession: I don’t love Dr. Seuss. I don’t, and I haven’t, and I won’t. So there. I said it. Only

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  • how to help your child remember what he reads
  • raising word conscious kids: a chat with Mando and Rosita of Sesame Street
  • 5 ways to get your kids psyched for summer reading
  • nursery rhymes: powerful poems for fluency and more
  • reading tips and more: scholastic raise a reader blog
  • 5 min reading tricks for raising rockstar readers
  • read across america day EVERY day of the year
  • why I don't love dr. seuss: but 3 reasons I should

alphabet

alphabet and reading on the road
February 18, 2013 4 comments

alphabet and reading on the road

The kids and I spent the weekend in Pennsylvania, showering my baby sister and her husband with love for their soon-to-be baby boy. Though we experienced a little more excitement ...

birthdays

simple, sweet butterfly birthday with awesome ME boxes
March 25, 2013 5 comments

simple, sweet butterfly birthday with awesome ME boxes

Our Cora had a Butterfly Birthday Bash Playdate, which was fun and simple and beautiful and full of butterflies and perfect for ringing in numero seis. Our tiniest turned 6.  ...

books

why I don't love dr. seuss: but 3 reasons I should
February 26, 2013 54 comments

why I don’t love dr. seuss: but 3 reasons I should

Confession: I don’t love Dr. Seuss. I don’t, and I haven’t, and I won’t. So there. I said it. Only a few people know my true Dr. Seuss feelings because, ...

cooking

the papaya: totally new for our family fruit
January 12, 2013 20 comments

the papaya: totally new for our family fruit

We are always looking for new and exciting things to try over here, and this week, though it may seem boring, normal, average and everyday to your family, we tried ...

crafts

how to make butterfly pens: a sweet spring garden gift
April 28, 2013 4 comments

how to make butterfly pens: a sweet spring garden gift

For Teacher Appreciation Week, for Mother’s Day, as a birthday party favor, or for any occasion, these butterfly pens are indeed a sweet spring garden gift! No glue, no sewing, ...

critical thinking

partner match: cool game for questioning, thinking, chatting, moving, and more
January 30, 2013 2 comments

partner match: cool game for questioning, thinking, chatting, moving, and more

It’s not easy to find games that get kids up and moving, engaged, excited, and thinking, but Partner Match is a winner in our book. And the cool thing about ...

family fun

an easy-to-build stage for the performers in your family
March 6, 2013 4 comments

an easy-to-build stage for the performers in your family

That’s right. A stage. So your kids can totally rock it out during your spring break Staycation.  Or so your house becomes THE house for playdates.  Or so you and ...

fluency

nursery rhymes: powerful poems for fluency and more
April 21, 2013 3 comments

nursery rhymes: powerful poems for fluency and more

April is National Poetry Month! Did you know that? It is, and it’s not too late to jump in on the celebration! We have been doing little things over here ...

giving back

quick and easy inexpensive thank you gifts for teachers
April 27, 2013 6 comments

quick and easy inexpensive thank you gifts for teachers

No matter how or when you do it, it’s an important time of the year to offer a sincere ‘thank you!’ to teachers, especially with National Teacher Day and Teacher ...

indoor activities

an easy-to-build stage for the performers in your family
March 6, 2013 4 comments

an easy-to-build stage for the performers in your family

That’s right. A stage. So your kids can totally rock it out during your spring break Staycation.  Or so your house becomes THE house for playdates.  Or so you and ...

math

5 super-fun ways to learn math facts
May 8, 2013 No Comment

5 super-fun ways to learn math facts

It’s actually hard for me to type this title after years and years and years of math drills that made my elementary-school head want to explode. Can learning math facts ...

pretend play

quick trick: play. outdoors. (no matter the weather!)
March 14, 2012 30 comments

quick trick: play. outdoors. (no matter the weather!)

Who knows what happened to winter this year? I am convinced that we had absolutely no snow this year because this was the first time I ever–ever!–bought snow boots for ...

school

how every family can start the school year off right
August 31, 2012 10 comments

how every family can start the school year off right

Several years ago, I wrote about how to make the school year a smashing success, or. . . actually how to make the school year as successful as humanly possible. ...

science experiments for kids

candy cane experiments, 2.0
January 22, 2013 6 comments

candy cane experiments, 2.0

We are always looking for reasons to play with our food over here, so when we put away the last of the holiday decorations, instead of tossing our candy canes, ...

writing

how to write limericks for loved ones
May 11, 2013 No Comment

how to write limericks for loved ones

    Who knew that National Limerick Day was May 12? It’s true.  National Limerick Day is celebrated on May 12 to honor Edward Lear, the creator of limericks. May ...