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    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
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learning in the every day: classic, creative play

home / outdoor learning / learning in the every day: classic, creative play
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classic, creative play, cora mailboxAs much as I am an advocate of parents being teachers for their children and helping their kiddos to build a solid foundation for learning waaaay before those children walk through the shining school doors, I am also a strong proponent of play.

Free play, pretend play, independent play, group play, inside play, outside play, clean play, and good, ole-fashioned gettin’ dirty-in-the-mud play.

Any kind of play is cool in my book, really.

I know that not only is play an important element in kids’ lives–it’s a necessary one. For more reasons than I can count.

As a parent, from the very beginning, I reached for products that I felt would support Maddy, Owen, and Cora’s imaginations, curiosity, and learning.ย ย  And time after time, I found myself with products from one company: Melissa & Doug.

Here’s the skinny:

  • 2012: The Year of Classic, Creative Play — One of my very first posts was about Melissa & Doug’s Rhyming Cards, and that post was followed quickly by my profession of love for their alphabet stamp sets and puzzles.ย ย  I wrote about how my kids loved the mailbox, latch and alphabet puzzles, and stamp pads for thumbprint cards.

I’ve had a big-time company crush on Melissa & Doug for years now.ย 

So I was first completely and utterly thrilled when Melissa & Doug recognized the fabulousness of the we teach forum and requested to partner with us this year.

 

classic, creative play, melissa & doug trunkiThere’s nothing like free-bird, unstructured outside play time.

 

But then I literally danced around the house after Melissa & Doug declared 2012 as the year of classic, creative play (yay!)–and when they asked me to be one of their first Blog Ambassadors (double yay!)–I did a jig of joy like never before.ย  And then I hit them with a big, happy, totally over-the-moon yes, yes, YES!!

I’m excited not only because I’ll be working with a company that I can stand firmly behind, but I’m totally pumped because of what this means for the awesome and incredible teach mama readers.ย  It means you’ll be the first ones to learn about–and win!–new products, grab seasonal deals, and see first-hand the ways in which this company supports schools, families, and communities.classic, creative play, melissa & doug trunki walk

It also means that I’ll be working with the amazing and talented Valerie from Frugal Family Fun Blog, as Valerie is also a Melissa & Doug Blog Ambassador.ย  Valerie is an expert in creating pretend play, making something out of just about anything, and sharing ways that parents and teachers can bring a little creative, crafty, frugal FUN! into their lives.ย ย  I’m so very excited and honored to work with her.

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”

  • Melissa & Doug Trunki: We’re ready to kick off the 2012: the year of classic, creative play campaign, and Melissa & Doug would like to give away one Trunki to one teach mama reader and one Trunki to a Frugal Family Fun Blog reader!ย  SO fun!!

We are big Trunki fans over here.ย  We’ve got our own hot pink Trixie Trunki, and we bought a green Terrence Trunki for one of our nephews for Christmas.

Not sure what a Trunki is? A Trunki is a ride-on suitcase that works perfectly as a carry-on for airline flights or for an overnight at a buddy’s.ย 

But a Trunki can also be used in a million other ways.ย  Some use Trunki’s for organizing, cleaning, storing, exercising, or carrying. Stacking, transporting, or entertaining. You name it.

classic, creative play, melissa & doug trunki dog toysTrunki is packed and ready for an adventure!

All we needed was a sunny day, a hyperactive pooch, and three energetic kids to figure out that a Trunki is perfect for transporting dog toys, sidewalk chalk, water, and bubbles–everything we needed for a lazy weekend walk to the park.

Here’s how Maddy, Owen, Cora, and Brady play with our Trunki:

 

outdoor fun with Trunki

We really didn’t do much on this day but play outside.

Under the sun, chasing our dog, watching the water creep along the tennis courts.ย ย  Pretending that Brady was a lion and Maddy and Cora were princesses and Owen was the prince.ย 

And then once Brady’s water spilled, Maddy made Owen and Cora close their eyes while she tip-toed away, leaving behind wet footprints.ย  And then the two became spies, searching for their big sister by following her steps across the court, around in circles, and over the fence into the grass.

We colored with chalk (shhh!-of course NOT on the tennis courts!), drawing palm trees and butterflies and pretending that we were stranded on an undiscovered island.

Then we all got chilly, so we packed up Brady’s toys, locked up the Trunki, and went on our merry way, climbing mountains and trudging through forests, searching for our way back home.

That’s really all we did.ย  But that’s okay, because play is important.ย  It’s reallly important.

In fact, one of the Key Messages of the NAEYC‘s position statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood Programs focuses on specifically on play:

. . . Active scaffolding of imaginative play is needed in early childhood settings if children are to develop the sustained, mature dramatic play that contributes significantly to their self-regulation and other cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional benefits. Adults can use proven methods to classic, creative play, melissa & doug trunki walkpromote childrenโ€™s extended engagement in make-believe play as well as in games with rules and other kinds of high-level play (from NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practices, 2009).

What resonates most with me from the whole thing is this one, big-money statement: Rather than detracting from academic learning, play appears to support the abilities that underlie such learning and thus to promote school successย  (from NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practices, 2009).ย  Love. It.

So not only is play good for kids, it ultimately helps promote school success. Fab-u-lous.

And we get to work with a company that is creating products that support classic, creative play?

Awesome.

Makes me love them even more.

 

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”

GIVEAWAY: One Melissa & Doug Trunki (color of winner’s choice–blue, green, red, orange, pink, or purple!)

Do you want to win one Melissa & Doug Trunki?!

  • All you have to do is leave a comment here explaining one creative way your family will use the Trunki.

For extra entries:

  • Tweet this: Win a @MelissaAndDoug Trunki on @teachmama โ€” celebrate classic, creative #playย ย http://wp.me/p1NAxy-1yAย  #weteach #ece
  • Share this post on your Facebook pageโ€“very easy!
  • Share this post with a friend (just tell me who you shared it with!)
  • Pin this post (or another favorite teach mama post!) on Pinterest! (Use โ€˜pin it!โ€™ button below post and just tell me what you pinned!)

 

By entering this giveaway, you are demonstrating your understanding of and compliance with the Official Sweepstakes Rules.

This contest ends this Friday, January 13, 2012 at midnight ET. Winner will be chosen by โ€˜And the Winner is. . .โ€™ and will be notified on or around 1/14/12.ย  Winner must respond within three (3) days of notification or forfeit the prize, in which case an alternate winner will be selected.ย  All Official Sweepstakes Rules apply.

fyi: This is an unsponsored post, written by me as part of the Melissa & Doug Blog Ambassador program.ย  I received a Trunki from Melissa & Doug, and Melissa & Doug is providing one teach mama reader with a Trunki as well.ย  Opinions are all my own, influenced only by my three little ones and our brave, fierce pooch.ย  Links within this post are affiliate links.

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie โ€” did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? ๐Ÿ˜‰โ™ฅ๏ธ

(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

#readingteacher #raiseareader #kidlit #bestbooks #linkinbio
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Here are the 3๏ธโƒฃ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexiaโ€”

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So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
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Okayโ€”how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #teachreading #readingteachersofig
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What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia
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(Part 2) 

The series will be shared on IG stories, on tiktok, on the teachmama facebook page, and in the Take 5 newsletter. 

Look for the logo on social, and if you want to receive the whole thing via email, then sign up for Take5 on the link below. 

Iโ€™m really excited about this. Itโ€™s taken a long, long time to create, and the only thing I ask is that you, once viewing it all, could take 2 minutes to give me some feedback. There will be a google form on the last of the slides, at the end of the series. I thank you, I appreciate you, and I look forward to learning along with you.

Join the Take 5 list if you want this series to land in your inbox: 
https://take5.teachmama.com/

#raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher teachersofIG dyslexia teachreading
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Hi and thank you for your interest in watching my โ€˜de-mystifying dyslexiaโ€™ series. 

My name is Amy Mascott, and Iโ€™m a reading specialist and former high school English teacher. Iโ€™m also the creator of teachmama.com  where since 2008, Iโ€™ve helped families make meaningful connections with their kids and build bridges between home and school. 

As an educator, Iโ€™m always trying to share important informationโ€”bc I really think that when we know better, we do better. This series is part of my final project for a course Iโ€™m taking through Advancement Courses called โ€˜understanding dyslexiaโ€™. 

And as a reading teacher, I need to know all I can about this condition. What I realized is that I had a lot to learnโ€”maybe you, as a parent or teacher yourself, can also stand to learn a little bit. 

Maybe, like me, youโ€™ve grown up thinking that dyslexia was a condition where people read letters backwardsโ€”b for d or p for g? Maybe you thought, like I did, that if a person was dyslexic, they saw all of the letters jumbled together on the page? Iโ€™m here to tell you that both of those things are untrue. 

So if you would like to learn a little about dyslexiaโ€”if you would like for me to โ€˜de-mystify dyslexiaโ€™ for you, then follow along! 

(Continued on next VIDEO)

#readingteacher #teachersofIG #demystifyingdyslexia

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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie โ€” did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? ๐Ÿ˜‰โ™ฅ๏ธ

(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

#readingteacher #raiseareader #kidlit #bestbooks #linkinbio
View
Open
How can people with dyslexia learn to read? ๐Ÿค”

Here are the 3๏ธโƒฃ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexiaโ€”

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #readingteacher #teachreading #dyslexiaawareness
View
Open
Lately when I find four leaf clovers, Iโ€™ve been leaving them. ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
View
Open
Okayโ€”how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #teachreading #readingteachersofig
View
Open
What are some of the common signs of dyslexia?

Watch to learn and find out!

#demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading #dyslexia
View
Open
True โœ… or false โŒ?

#demystifyingdyslexia #dyslexiaeducation #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading
View
Open
What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia
View
Open
(Part 2) 

The series will be shared on IG stories, on tiktok, on the teachmama facebook page, and in the Take 5 newsletter. 

Look for the logo on social, and if you want to receive the whole thing via email, then sign up for Take5 on the link below. 

Iโ€™m really excited about this. Itโ€™s taken a long, long time to create, and the only thing I ask is that you, once viewing it all, could take 2 minutes to give me some feedback. There will be a google form on the last of the slides, at the end of the series. I thank you, I appreciate you, and I look forward to learning along with you.

Join the Take 5 list if you want this series to land in your inbox: 
https://take5.teachmama.com/

#raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher teachersofIG dyslexia teachreading
View
Open
Hi and thank you for your interest in watching my โ€˜de-mystifying dyslexiaโ€™ series. 

My name is Amy Mascott, and Iโ€™m a reading specialist and former high school English teacher. Iโ€™m also the creator of teachmama.com  where since 2008, Iโ€™ve helped families make meaningful connections with their kids and build bridges between home and school. 

As an educator, Iโ€™m always trying to share important informationโ€”bc I really think that when we know better, we do better. This series is part of my final project for a course Iโ€™m taking through Advancement Courses called โ€˜understanding dyslexiaโ€™. 

And as a reading teacher, I need to know all I can about this condition. What I realized is that I had a lot to learnโ€”maybe you, as a parent or teacher yourself, can also stand to learn a little bit. 

Maybe, like me, youโ€™ve grown up thinking that dyslexia was a condition where people read letters backwardsโ€”b for d or p for g? Maybe you thought, like I did, that if a person was dyslexic, they saw all of the letters jumbled together on the page? Iโ€™m here to tell you that both of those things are untrue. 

So if you would like to learn a little about dyslexiaโ€”if you would like for me to โ€˜de-mystify dyslexiaโ€™ for you, then follow along! 

(Continued on next VIDEO)

#readingteacher #teachersofIG #demystifyingdyslexia

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