sorting

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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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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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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playing with money: counting, wrapping, estimating coins

July 5, 2011

This week our Smart Summer Challenge theme is Government–and what better way to start the week off than by playing with money? Okay, so we really started the week off with a flag cake, but who’s really keeping track? We’ve had a huge jug in our craft room, just sitting there collecting loose change for [...]

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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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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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abc cards and clothespin match

September 21, 2010

Being able to simply recognize and name the letters of the alphabet is not the key to absolute reading success. However, research has proven that when children can identify letter names before they actually hit big-time school, it’s a strong predictor of later reading achievement (Bradley & Jones, “Sharing Alphabet Books in Early Childhood Classrooms,” [...]

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ringin’ in the 4th with sparkle pens and flag treats

July 4, 2010

This year we didn’t ring in the 4th with our annual July 4th party, and that’s okay. Baby showers, weddings, beach trips, and day trips, have been keeping us busy, so Independence Day was upon us before we knew it. That doesn’t mean that we forgot about our Nation’s Big Day, though. Here’s how we’re [...]

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surprise!: learning with silly bands

June 10, 2010

They’re colorful, they’re stretchy, they’re simple. They’re confusing, countable, and collectible. They’re animals, dinosaurs, princesses, vehicles, foods, toys, weather, and clothes. They’re on our floor, in backpacks, and on wrists. They’re silly bands–rubber bands that people wear as bracelets but that keep their shape when they’re off the wrist. And like almost every parent in [...]

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sorting sockies

November 28, 2009

Packing–even for a few fun nights away–sometimes completely exhausts me. Especially when I’m packing three little suitcases along with my own. So I put Owen and Cora to work last week during Maddy’s half day at school. While I put aside the clothing they’d wear on our trip to Pennsylvania, they sorted socks. And sorted, [...]

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tutor me happy

October 12, 2009

Maddy has been really adamant about me “tutoring” her, so for the last few weeks, I’ve been trying to do a little more obvious–less sneaky–work with her every few nights. I started by giving her the Primary Spelling Inventory from Words Their Way (2004), which is recommended for kindergarten through third grade. I use this [...]

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