alphabet

homemade alphabet book: get personal with the abc’s

April 11, 2012

There’s been a ton of little things that we’ve done over here to help Maddy, Owen, and Cora learn the letters of the alphabet, but I have to say that an all-time favorite of theirs has to be their Homemade Alphabet Books. And really, the Homemade Alphabet Books are not all that crazy, gorgeous, or [...]

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quick trick: keep. those. LIDS!

April 2, 2012

How many of you have recycle bins that are nearly overflowing by the end of the week? I know ours is, despite all of the recyclables that I ‘rescue’ for various cool and creative learning fun.  But before I toss anything into the recycle bin, I take off the lid (if there is one), throw [...]

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best of teach mama countdown: #9 — building words, names

January 4, 2012

This post, which rolls in at #9, continues to surprise me with the amount of hits it gets. Maybe it’s the title: word building, name building (and crossing the line). Maybe people find it unintentionally when they’re trying to figure out what to do when their kids ‘cross the line’–I’m not sure. I’m really not [...]

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family playing cards: take ‘em, make ‘em, then play!

December 28, 2011

A few years ago, I burned the midnight oil way too close to the finish line, in an attempt to create Family Playing Cards for Maddy, Owen, and Cora. And though I made the work harder than it needed to be, it was well worth it. The kids have used the cards steadily for the [...]

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build your own bingo: uppercase and lowercase letter match

December 1, 2011

Cora and I have been rockin’ the bingo games lately, with a new spin on bingo that she really seems to love. And I’m sure the Smartie bingo markers don’t hurt. . . But after noticing that my tiny one seems to have the uppercase letters of the alphabet down pat, I have been keeping [...]

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how to use halloween candy for (sneaky) fun learning

October 31, 2011

There may only be a few more days left until our Jack-O-Lanterns turn into lunch for the squirrels (if they haven’t already!), but the candy that my kids have collected this beautiful Halloween night will be around for days. Or weeks. Or months. There seems to be more and more every year, as Maddy, Owen, [...]

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leafy, outdoor alphabet letter hunt

October 19, 2011

It’s very leafy over here. With tons of huge trees dropping leaves at about a million per minute, our yard and house is covered. But before I pulled out the ole rake, I of course had to capitalize on the potential for a leaf-party and challenge Maddy, Owen, and Cora to a backyard leafy alphabet [...]

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window writing: spelling word and letter practice

September 28, 2011

Who knew that window writing would be so much fun? Maddy has been window-writing for the last few weeks to study her spelling words, and Cora has jumped on board the window-writing train to do some letter-writing practice. It’s been a riot. Even yesterday one of Maddy’s buddies came over for a short playdate–aaaand so [...]

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alphabet letter splash–keeping cool with the abc’s

July 19, 2011

Who says playing with the letters of the alphabet can’t be a fun and exciting outdoor activity? Who thinks that all letter-learning involves a pen and paper? Who knows a kid who doesn’t love using a water squirter to hit a target? Not I, not I, and not I. I’ve found that just like when [...]

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smart summer challenge fun learning ideas: week 4

July 17, 2011

It’s almost week #4 of our Smart Summer Learning Challenge–the campaign we’ve created to let all parents know the important–and totally fun–role they play in their children’s summer learning! These don’t have to be huge and complicated activities–easy, quick, short, and meaningful ones count and can done in the span of a great game or [...]

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quick trick: how to use recyclables with kids–get fun, crafty, creative

June 8, 2011

With summer right around the corner and kids home a lot more than usual, many of us need to keep a few tricks in our back pocket for rainy days or those occasions when we feel like we might lose our minds. This Quick Trick is certainly a keeper; it’s all about what kinds of [...]

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