read-aloud learning
read across america day EVERY day of the year
It’s Read Across America Day! Only something that everyone’s been talking about for days and days and days and days now, but don’t worry if you’re already in your pj’s ...
mom’s homeroom: ideas, advice, videos, crazy-cool blogs
I am over the moon to share some exciting news: I’ve been working with MSN and Frosted Mini-Wheats for the last few months, writing as a Featured Blogger and doing ...
what to say when kids make reading mistakes
So what should you say when a child makes mistake during reading? I’ve been asked this question so many times by my friends, by parents of students I tutor, and ...
creating word-conscious kids
A portion of this article was originally posted by me on ABC & 123 on 5/17/10. Just the way that some people will notice a kite in the sky, a ...
reading, learning, and dogs, dogs, dogs
Ever since Brady boy entered our lives, things have been hectic, nuttier than ever, and dog-crazy. While Maddy, Owen, and Cora have always been interested in animals, Brady ...
an everyday nonfiction: newspaper reading
Just like many families who incorporate book-reading into bedtime routines, my kiddos find breakfast time is a time for newspaper reading. Newspaper reading is a natural, easy way to incorporate ...
farm-full of rich vocabulary words
I always cringe when I hear parents talking in baby voices and using baby words when interacting with their not-so-babyish children. Or other people’s not-so-babyish children, especially once those kiddos ...
asking the heart questions
This morning at breakfast, before we even had a chance to check out Maddy’s kindergarten calendar or talk about the weather, an article in The Kids Post had us practicing ...
poem, poem, the cookie jar poem
For the last few days, Maddy has been bouncing around the house, reciting poems from her kindergarten class. Lately, she’s taken to “The Runaway Cookies” which is a seven-stanza poem ...
play-doh with noodles, please & thinking out loud
On this lazy, grey Sunday, Maddy requested that Play-doh be the activity of the morning. After pancakes and playtime in the living room, we pulled out all of the still-usable ...
