beautiful, simple sorting: fine motor & creative thinking F-U-N 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 …Read morebeautiful, simple sorting: fine motor & creative thinking F-U-N
simple, pretty, totally easy, blinged-out ballet bag My tiny Cora is all about fancy. She loves sparkles, glitter, ribbons, nail polish, and jewels. So when it came time for her to gather her …Read moresimple, pretty, totally easy, blinged-out ballet bag
backyard fun: dissecting, examining, and learning about flowers Dissecting flowers–totally pulling them apart–is a little bit funny for some kids. At least it was for mine. We tell them they …Read morebackyard fun: dissecting, examining, and learning about flowers
how to teach kids where in the world they live For a long time now, I’ve realized that Maddy, Owen, and Cora have no idea where they live. Sure, they get that they live in Maryland and their …Read morehow to teach kids where in the world they live
happy july 4th flag cake (gloriously gluten-free!) The Happy 4th of July Flag Cake is one of our favorite family traditions. And though I know that I could whip that puppy out in no time flat, …Read morehappy july 4th flag cake (gloriously gluten-free!)
number boxes 2.0 It’s so important for kids to practice one-to-one correspondence with counting, and there are about 60 million ways of doing it. Whether …Read morenumber boxes 2.0
playing with numbers: counting, matching, spelling, and more! My Owen has been enamored with numbers from the time he was teeny. He’s got a brain for numbers, he’s got a thing number puzzles, and …Read moreplaying with numbers: counting, matching, spelling, and more!
how to teach kids to tie their shoes This Quick Trick is admittedly a work in progress. While Owen hasn’t quite mastered tying his shoes yet, he’s getting there. Slowly. He …Read morehow to teach kids to tie their shoes
homemade st. patrick’s day shamrocks These St. Patty’s Day ‘stained glass’ shamrocks are lucky-for-us because we’re the lucky …Read morehomemade st. patrick’s day shamrocks
letter and word learning: cora’s word search puzzles One more way we’re making Maddy’s homework time work for everyone is with Word Searches. You know those sheets of paper with …Read moreletter and word learning: cora’s word search puzzles
spring crafty-crafts on PBS Parents I’m over the moon to have shared a sweet crafty-craft over at PBS Parents last week: Tissue Paper Flowers in Yogurt Cup Vases. …Read morespring crafty-crafts on PBS Parents
bottle cap ornaments–simple, blingy, and sparkle-rific Maddy fell hard for bottle cap jewelry at her school’s Craft Night this year (and who wouldn’t?), so when we brainstormed what kinds of …Read morebottle cap ornaments–simple, blingy, and sparkle-rific
word searches for early literacy learning I’ve struggled this year with how to occupy Owen and Cora while Maddy does her homework, and what I’ve come to realize is …Read moreword searches for early literacy learning
our thankful tree: beautiful, simple for thanksgiving Maddy, Owen, and Cora have already started with a case of the ‘galloping greedy gimmies’ a la Berenstain Bears thanks to the 800 million …Read moreour thankful tree: beautiful, simple for thanksgiving
fun ways to learn spelling words Not only did we lose Maddy’s very first homework packet over here in the chaos of the first few weeks of school; we also only spent only a …Read morefun ways to learn spelling words
clothespin number and letter match-up game Always on the hunt for cool ways of sneaking in a little bit of learning for my kiddos, early this summer I found these cool Clothespin …Read moreclothespin number and letter match-up game
abc cards and clothespin match 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 …Read moreabc cards and clothespin match
our everyday name books Books, books, books! We’re making books, reading books, and talking about books over here–between trips to the pool and bike rides, …Read moreour everyday name books
painting flower pots–simple and special gifts Painting flower pots is a simple and special gift for Mother’s Day or any day of the year. All you need are some pretty basic paints, some …Read morepainting flower pots–simple and special gifts
our easy and exciting backyard fragrance experiment It’s been impossible to ignore that springtime (or is it summer?) has arrived in full-force, so for the last few days, we’ve been enjoying …Read moreour easy and exciting backyard fragrance experiment