magazine activities: creative, crafty, sneaky-learning fun
We are huge magazine fans over here.
We love finding them in the mailbox, reading them, playing detective with them, crafting with them, and …
writing
meeting new teachers: hello, teacher notes!
Today we spent a few minutes doing one of our favorite back-to-school activities--one that gives my kiddos a chance to say a little 'hello' to their …
homemade back-to-school lunchbox notes
I have been on a major cleaning kick lately, trying to get our family (and home) ready for the new school year. I want to begin on the right foot so …
playing with pixie–poem-writing, picture-creating
Maddy has loved using Pixie ever since Kindergarten.
Her school has it installed on all of the computers in the lab, and when I asked her what she …
making writing fun with a mini-me collage
Today, after lunch and before we went back to the pool for the afternoon, I hit the craft room with Maddy, Owen, and Cora to do something I always …
getting kids to write: write around the room
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 …
new year’s family interview 2.0
It's been a post-holiday whirlwind of Wii, Legos, and new games around here, so our Winter Break has literally flown by. With my husband's early-week …
hello, school year! hello, teacher notes!
Whether school has already begun or if it's right around the corner, Hello Teacher Notesare our new favorite way of making a connection with our …
how to make school supply shopping fun
Put them to work. That's right. Put your kids to work, and school-supply shopping is a lot more fun.It's that time of year again--school supplies …
telling stories with norman rockwell paintings
I have always been intrigued by Norman Rockwell's artwork. When I was young, his Girl at Mirror (1954) spoke to me so personally about the battle …
literacy lava 5 is here!
WOW! Five issues of Literacy Lava, and every one is worth taking the time to print, read, and share!I am incredibly honored to be among the …
family name letter connect
Today before rest time, we took some time to play with Wikki Stix and to play with names--the names of people in our family.It was a rainy, gray …
help with letters b and d
As I've said very recently, letter reversals are quite normal for emerging readers and writers. But there's absolutely nothing …
magnadoodle messages
With little ones who are learning letters and acquiring new words every day, we really need to capitalize on any and every possible chance to get them …
toys! toys! toys! — list writing
Most children--even those who might dodge homework and would rather pick up a baseball instead of a pencil--are interested in writing a Wish List for …
wiggly words: fun ways to get kids to write
Maddy's Kindergarten teacher is--in my humble opinion--the best of the best. My dream has come true: Maddy landed a super teacher with whom she has …
putting the pieces together–story repair
Today is the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association's new National Day on Writing!The National Day on …
tutor me happy
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 …
free fence writing
Today we used the bright afternoon to our advantage and did some fence writing and drawing.Fence writing?Yep. Free-bird, outside, sun shining, wind …
successful super summer swap
Literally, the minute Maddy and Owen woke up after returning from the OBX, they first ran to check on Golden and Guinea, and then they hit the dining …