tripod grip

quick trick: how to teach kids to write number 5

May 10, 2012

Many, many children I know have a difficult time writing number five. Actually many children I know have a difficult time writing many of the numbers because they don’t have many opportunities to write them like they do with letters.  But I think that especially when kiddos turn five–and when they’re ready to head to [...]

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family names: reading and writing the ones we love

November 21, 2011

Homework time is still a really important part of our day, especially now that Owen’s in Kindergarten and Maddy’s second grade work is picking up. And I really try my best to find something fun and focused for Cora to do while Maddy and Owen are doing their work.  Lately, she’s been really into learning [...]

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halloween word search

October 26, 2011

Homework time over here this week and last has been a little spooky. Just a bit. Cora and Owen have been rockin the Halloween Word Search, which I made last year for Owen when he was on his crazy word search kick and which I made not a single change to this year. Owen is [...]

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simple, beautiful sorting: fine motor & creative thinking F-U-N

October 6, 2011

Homework time is still a little bit nutty for us, but I’ve been trying a few new things now and again to keep everyone focused and everyone smiling. One thing that I try to keep in mind with Cora is that she loves independent work, and she loves beautiful things.  So this week, she’s been [...]

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window writing: spelling word and letter practice

September 28, 2011

Who knew that window writing would be so much fun? Maddy has been window-writing for the last few weeks to study her spelling words, and Cora has jumped on board the window-writing train to do some letter-writing practice. It’s been a riot. Even yesterday one of Maddy’s buddies came over for a short playdate–aaaand so [...]

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fun with food: learning in the kitchen with kids

August 31, 2011

Over the last few years, we’ve had a ton of fun with food over here.  I love food, my kids love food, my husband loves food, and we all really love trying new things and making meals together. Little do my kiddos know that every time they don their aprons in the kitchen with me, [...]

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getting kids to write: write around the room

January 26, 2011

Finding interesting and meaningful activities for Owen and Cora during Maddy’s homework time has kept me busy lately, but I’ve found tons of great things for these two to do.  Finally, it’s a natural part of our day for everyone to sit down for ‘work time’ after snacks. Recently, I pulled out an oldie but [...]

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wiggly words: wild, crazy practice with spelling and sight words

January 20, 2011

We’re always trying to mix things up over here–get a little crazy, even–when it comes to playing with those spelling and sight words. So before Maddy’s long i spelling test last week, after she TCR’d the words and after we played a few simple games with them, we wiggly-worded it. Very simple. Very wiggly.  Very [...]

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owen’s got grip!

April 28, 2009

No joke! My boy finally found his grip! It’s taken a while, and over the last few months, I’ve researched (our friends at HWT do have great ideas), tried slip-on grips (wouldn’t use them), crayon bits (a good start. . .) to no avail. Even though I don’t know much, I do know that learning [...]

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water painting

April 11, 2009

Today was gorgeous outside, so after the kids had played for a while, helped their dad with yardwork, and played some more, I brought out some paintbrushes and water. We were going to paint with water–a sure sign of springtime around here. Maddy, Owen, and Cora love this warm-weather activity. Water Painting: Talk about great [...]

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wikki stix and crayon bits. . .

January 11, 2009

Saturday is our swim class morning. After a well-orchestrated drop-off/swim/switch kids/swim more/ dry-off & change/ switch again routine that my husband and I have down to a science, I ended up with Maddy and Owen at home for the hour before lunch. They needed a quiet, relaxing activity that was special for them–something that we [...]

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