phonics

getting ready for kindergarten: short e picture-word sort

June 14, 2011

One of the best activities for practicing early word learning is the picture-word sort. Nothing takes the pressure off of reading like adding pictures since a huuuuge chunk of early reading involves kids using the pictures to help them figure out words.  It’s a natural partnership. So while Maddy worked on her last (woooo-hoooo!) homework [...]

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wordfeud, words with friends and word-building with kids

April 23, 2011

My game-guy Owen has recently fallen hard for a game I’m currently all wrapped up in–Wordfeud.  It’s the same deal (I think) as Words With Friends, and it’s an app for my phone.  About a dozen times a day, my O-man grabs my phone and checks to see if it’s my turn to play. And [...]

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word building, name building (and crossing the line)

April 6, 2011

I try really hard to mix things up for Owen and Cora during homework time; some days they just color.  Some days they paint.  But at least 2-3 times each week I sneak in some specific literacy or math-related activities. And if they express an interest in doing something fine-motor related, I’ll certainly let them [...]

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lunchbox notes: valentine’s day knock-knock jokes

February 2, 2011

Yikes! Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and although we’ve been busy over here planning our Valentine’s Day cards, I’ve been sneaking around making more lunchbox notes. Our family’s still on a knock-knock joke kick, so I ran with that again for our Valentine’s Day-themed notes. Really, I’m of the notion that any way [...]

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labeling and learning, learning and labeling

April 27, 2010

For our making our rainy weekend a lot more bright, I’m extending big thanks to my awesome Aunt Pat. She’s a former Head Start and Pre-K teacher who entertained us for years with stories of her students and inspiring classroom ideas. A few weeks ago, she sent us the coolest, most fun teaching materials ever–she [...]

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we heart alphabet board games

March 29, 2010

It’s yard sale season! Wooo-hoooo! Some of our most favorite learning materials have found their way to our home via yard sales, including these two alphabet and early literacy board games that we’ve played for the last three months straight. Owen’s always been my “go-to game guy“, but recently he cannot seem to get enough [...]

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time to rhyme–go fish!

January 26, 2010

Lately all Maddy wants to do is read, read, read, which is fine with me. She’ll read to me, my husband, and she’ll read to Owen or Cora. She’ll read to anyone who will listen. And it’s great that she is so willing to do this, because it gives me a chance to hear how [...]

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paint bag writing

November 17, 2009

Today, Owen and I took a teeny bit of time before his rest to do some Paint Bag writing. It was such a beautiful day, and he played so hard outside at preschool, that I knew he needed something low-key and quick. And with everyone still adjusting to the time change and waking up at [...]

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free fence writing

September 9, 2009

Today we used the bright afternoon to our advantage and did some fence writing and drawing. Fence writing? Yep. Free-bird, outside, sun shining, wind blowing, bugs biting, markers marking, little artists working, fence writing. Fence Writing: I used the huge rolls of paper (that we have used for our Backyard Alphabet Hunt), and I pinned [...]

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poem reading, rhyme writing

July 9, 2009

Today we did some of Maddy’s “Kindergarten Work” from her summertime calendar. Lucky for us, we were able to use some of our most favorite books in the house: Poem Reading, Rhyme Writing: Today’s activity said, Read a poem. Write all the words that rhyme. Add other words that rhyme to your list. Read your [...]

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traveling writing centers

June 14, 2009

Since last fall, I’ve had little writing centers in both Maddy and Owen’s bedrooms, and I’ve really been surprised at how well they’ve worked out. It is rare if either Maddy or Owen actually sleep during their rest time, so they usually work on puzzles, play dolls, line up cars, or whatever they want–something quiet. [...]

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