Featured
alphabet
alphabet and reading on the road
The kids and I spent the weekend in Pennsylvania, showering my baby sister and her husband with love for their soon-to-be baby boy. Though we experienced a little more excitement ...
beginning sounds
best of teach mama countdown: #5 — letters b and d
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 ...
birthdays
simple, sweet butterfly birthday with awesome ME boxes
Our Cora had a Butterfly Birthday Bash Playdate, which was fun and simple and beautiful and full of butterflies and perfect for ringing in numero seis. Our tiniest ...
books
how to create a cool, kid-friendly book nook
Every home should have a cozy spot reserved for reading. Call it what you want–a Book Nook, Reading Corner, Big Book Chair, whatever–but with a few key pieces, your home ...
cooking
the papaya: totally new for our family fruit
We are always looking for new and exciting things to try over here, and this week, though it may seem boring, normal, average and everyday to your family, we tried ...
crafts
how to make butterfly pens: a sweet spring garden gift
For Teacher Appreciation Week, for Mother’s Day, as a birthday party favor, or for any occasion, these butterfly pens are indeed a sweet spring garden gift! No glue, no sewing, ...
critical thinking
partner match: cool game for questioning, thinking, chatting, moving, and more
It’s not easy to find games that get kids up and moving, engaged, excited, and thinking, but Partner Match is a winner in our book. And the cool thing about ...
family fun
3 for real things you should do with your kids this summer
Emails and magazines and pinterest and facebook and twitter and the newspaper are all chock full o’ great and crazy ideas for parents right now, and I’ll be honest–I’m overwhelmed. ...
fluency
nursery rhymes: powerful poems for fluency and more
April is National Poetry Month! Did you know that? It is, and it’s not too late to jump in on the celebration! We have been doing little things over here ...
giving back
target school library makeovers: what they are and why you should care
Maybe you’ve heard or maybe you haven’t, but Target is big on giving back to the community. So big they’re on track to give $1 billion to education ...
indoor activities
an easy-to-build stage for the performers in your family
That’s right. A stage. So your kids can totally rock it out during your spring break Staycation. Or so your house becomes THE house for playdates. Or so you and ...
math
5 super-fun ways to learn math facts
It’s actually hard for me to type this title after years and years and years of math drills that made my elementary-school head want to explode. Can learning math facts ...
organization
pbs kids twitter event: create a literate home
Everyone wants to create a literate home–but how? By reading all day long, every day of the week? By talking about books 24/7? By wallpapering your kids’ rooms ...
parenting
pbs kids twitter event: create a literate home
Everyone wants to create a literate home–but how? By reading all day long, every day of the week? By talking about books 24/7? By wallpapering your kids’ rooms ...
pretend play
quick trick: play. outdoors. (no matter the weather!)
Who knows what happened to winter this year? I am convinced that we had absolutely no snow this year because this was the first time I ever–ever!–bought snow boots for ...
school
how every family can start the school year off right
Several years ago, I wrote about how to make the school year a smashing success, or. . . actually how to make the school year as successful as humanly possible. ...
science experiments for kids
candy cane experiments, 2.0
We are always looking for reasons to play with our food over here, so when we put away the last of the holiday decorations, instead of tossing our candy canes, ...
spelling
learning to spell contractions: sneaky games and play
We were so thankful for the gorgeous three-day weekend to slowly get us back on track and to allow us to (kind of) regain control over the mess that had ...
travel
local ethnic restaurants: a family food adventure
Before kids, my husband and I talked a good game. We had big plans. We’ll pack up everything! We’ll move across the world! We’ll teach at an Amerian school abroad! ...
writing
how to write limericks for loved ones
Who knew that National Limerick Day was May 12? It’s true. National Limerick Day is celebrated on May 12 to honor Edward Lear, the creator of limericks. May ...
