listening

how to develop language through play

May 7, 2012

I’m excited to share a few posts I’ve written that focus on developing children’s language through play. Each short article offers parents two teeny little tips that they can easily implement–with just a little bit of focus and effort–to  help their children become more verbal and stronger speakers.  Both pieces were written on the Melissa [...]

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5 easy ways to raise earth-friendly kids

April 20, 2012

Really, nothing about raising kids is easy. I so know this to be true.   I think I’m pretty honest about my own on-the-job struggles, and most people I talk to are pretty open about how difficult a gig this parenting thing is. But I think that raising three earth-friendly kids has been relatively easy. [...]

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quick trick: take reading on the road

April 9, 2012

A few weeks ago, I took the kids to Pennsylvania for the weekend–another solo trip and one I’ve done dozens of times before. But what I realized is that the packing and prep I once spent hours doing for my solo trips with three little ones has now been cut considerably; however, that’s not to [...]

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bullying: end it at home, school, everywhere

April 5, 2012

Thanks to The Bully Project for sponsoring my writing. Visit their website to join the movement and learn more.     Bullying is not okay. It’s not okay at home, at school, on the field–anywhere. And though a lot of families view ‘sibling issues’ as, ohhh, just a part of life–we do not. For us, [...]

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10 tips for read-aloud learning

March 6, 2012

Hip, hip HOORAY! This week has a little gem of a day hiding inside — World Read Aloud Day! March 7th is World Read Aloud Day, and I stand firmly behind the idea that every child, every person should be able to read.  And who wouldn’t, right? And I’m a huge fan of reading aloud–with [...]

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best of teach mama countdown: #2 — spelling words

January 12, 2012

Yay! We’re getting down to the wire with this teach mama top 10 all-time best countdown! This post is one that I have shared probably more than times than any other post I’ve written.  It seems that most of the emails that I receive are from parents who are tired, desperate, and . . . [...]

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best of teach mama countdown: #5 — letters b and d

January 8, 2012

I love it when I find a resource that really, truly helps my kids. And PBS has provided me with so many ways to support my children’s learning, in their smart and thoughtful programming and online resources, that it’s not surprising that this particular post seems to have helped numerous other families as well. Coming [...]

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magazines rock: creative, crafty, sneaky-learning fun

December 4, 2011

We are huge magazine fans over here. We love finding them in the mailbox, reading them, playing detective with them, crafting with them, and learning with them.  When they arrive in the day’s mail, it’s like a getting a little gift, just for you.  And when we sit down to read a magazine, it never [...]

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learning during read-alouds: improving fluency

November 16, 2011

Fluency is a tricky–but totally important–element of reading comprehension. No. Question. About it. And though research is funny about fluency’s roll in reading comprehension, I’m a firm believer in the fact that in order to fully understand what is being read, it must be read fluently. Lately, fluency has been my focus for Maddy and [...]

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learning during read-alouds: print referencing

October 3, 2011

Some days, it takes every ounce of energy in my being to keep my tired eyes open during the time I’m reading books with Maddy, Owen, and Cora. Some nights, book time is the very first time I sit–or lay–down, and I yawn like every five seconds. Some nights, I feel like I did waaaay [...]

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magazine hunt: reading and rockin’ it (& highlights giveaway!)

September 30, 2011

This New For Us Friday I’m sharing a new-for-Cora activity and a new-for-us event: the fab, super-fun magazine hunt and Highlight’s State of the Kid Survey, which involved a press event that Cora and I attended together in the city. With being in DC three times in four days last week, on top of playdates, [...]

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