gross motor skills

best of teach mama countdown: #6 — learning with recyclables

January 7, 2012

One of these days I’m going to share where and how we store the recyclables that we manage to save from the big blue bin over here. But until then, I’ll share the #6 most popular teach mama post of all-time: how to use recyclables with kids–get fun, crafty, creative. I think people have responded [...]

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new for us friday: LeapFrog Peek-A-Shoe Octopus (& giveaway!)

November 26, 2011

As much as I have had a ton of success with LeapFrog products and love nearly everything LeapFrog, I knew that I needed to outsource a bit when it came to really taking an honest look at one of their new-to-me toys, the Peek-A-Shoe Octopus. Luckily, I have a ton of awesome pals whom I [...]

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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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new for us friday: help for classroom parents — letters, party ideas, & volunteer spot

October 8, 2011

It’s almost Halloween time, which means that all around the world, Classroom Parents will soon be a-scramblin’ for Halloween party ideas. And then they’ll be scramblin’ for Valentine’s Day party ideas, and then they’ll be scramblin’ for springtime party ideas. At least I was, last year–and I was only a co-room parent. This year, I’m [...]

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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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gettting ready for kindergarten: summertime prep

July 16, 2011

We’re almost exactly at the mid-summer point, and before we know it, the new school year will be upon us. Ahhhhhhh! So with my sweet Owen heading off to the wilds of Kindergarten this year (wah!), I thought it would be worthwhile to share a few things we’re doing over here to get our big [...]

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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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how we make st. patrick’s day fun, festive, and family-friendly

March 16, 2011

March is slipping away! St. Patrick’s Day is here!! I can’t believe it!  Want some super-easy ways to make this lucky holiday even luckier (or at least more festive!) for your family? Before St. Patty’s Day is over (and the adults can relax with their sweeties over a pint of Guinness), there are a few [...]

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sneaky math fun with our indoor lid toss

January 19, 2011

I’m on a mission to sneak in as much math fun as possible lately–trying desperately to have Maddy practice her basic facts, which she absolutely, totally, and completely despises doing. But which she absolutely,  totally, and completely needs to do. So when we were hit with a surprise ‘ice day’ yesterday, I thought we’d play [...]

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three cheers for an awesome cheerleading birthday party!

January 15, 2011

Maddy celebrated her big #7 last month, and we rang in her birthday with a cheerleading birthday party, complete with expert cheerleaders, homemade pom-poms, megaphones, and dance routines. It was a blast, but we couldn’t have done it without a ton of help from Aunt Katie (who led the pom-pom making team) and our amazing [...]

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old-school fun: coffee can stilts

July 6, 2010

Just for fun, just because I had two empty coffee cans, and just because I remember loving the yellow plastic-cup stilts we had as kids, we made coffee can stilts over here one recent afternoon. It was a day when we decided we were all pooled-out and we were looking for some out-in-the-backyard excitement. So [...]

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under a shady tree
can you feel the soft cool grass?
can you feel it with your toes?
we can sit here while it grows.
laurie berkner, "under a shady tree"


i know nothing with certainty but the sight of the stars makes me dream
. . . vincent van gogh