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    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
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    • environmental print
    • fluency
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    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
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    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
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    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
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easy, frugal, backyard water fun

home / family life / family fun / outdoor activities / easy, frugal, backyard water fun
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It’s H-O-T.  Hot, hot, Hot with a capital ‘H’.

I know I’ve been a total complainer, but I really don’t care.

So rather than complain any more, I thought I’d just skip to some of the fun–inexpensive–things we’ve done that involved water, since we’re rounding out the Water Fun Smart Summer week.

Sure, these are mostly fun and silly activities, but they involve water. And lately, around here, any reason to hang around some agua is a good one in my book, learning or no learning involved. . .

 

Here’s the skinny:

  • Pet Rocks: Who doesn’t LOVE Pet Rocks??! Find rocks.

 Clean them.

 

 Make them into the easiest pets you’ll ever have.

  • Pimp that Cozy Coupe: It’s sitting in your back yard, and it’s probably so sad-looking.

Double hand-me-down from two different neighbors, so make him happy.  Your kiddo and the coupe.

 

Pimp that Cozy Coupe!

 

And while you’re at it, Beautify that Baby Slide!

  •  Water Painting: The hotter the sidewalk, the quicker they have to write!  They write, and you guess the word–and then switch!

All you need is water and brushes. . .

 . . . and words, letters, or numbers to paint!

  •  Clean Toys, Play with Bubbles: Gather all of the pieces to the tea set, all of those Matchbox cars that’ve spent the spring outside, and let the kids clean ’em.

Then find all of the medicine droppers you used for infant medicine, and let the kids play with them!

Water droppers double as toys.

 And toys need to be cleaned.

  • Sneeeeeaky Backyard Learning: While you and your kids are watering the flowers, cleaning the toys, or just playing in the hose, these ideas will maximize what little time you do spend out back this weekend.

 

  • Water-Happy Cupcakes: For any summertime party, these Teddy Graham Bears have never been happier than they are having fun in the sun!

 

Week #6 of our Smart Summer Challenge starts tomorrow–so I’ll share some cool ideas for you to rock your way through this last exciting week.

But you can still link up your Week 5 Smart Summer Challenge ideas. You have ALL week–until late Thursday, August 4, 2011, to link up your ideas to win last week’s prize. SO worth it–so take a second and share your ideas for a chance to win $200 from Guidecraft!

We’re now only one week away from our HUGE giveaways which I cannot wait to share.  Please check out the skinny on our Smart Summer Challenge, the 6-week fun summer learning campaign I’m running with Candace and MaryLea, where we’re challenging all parents to do what they can to throw in a little bit of fun learning every day (or as often as they can!). And seriously–summer reading counts!! So link up your ideas through the whole week and win prizes.  That’s how much we love our readers and value summertime learning!

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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 · http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post:smart summer challenge, week 5: link up and win!
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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie — did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? 😉♥️

(It’s what Rusty the 🦊 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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How can people with dyslexia learn to read? 🤔

Here are the 3️⃣ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexia—

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #readingteacher #teachreading #dyslexiaawareness
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Lately when I find four leaf clovers, I’ve been leaving them. 🍀🤷🏼‍♀️

So if you’re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I don’t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
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Okay—how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

▶️ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexia—and know we have a few more posts to go!

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

Watch to learn and find out!

#demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading #dyslexia
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True ✅ or false ❌?

#demystifyingdyslexia #dyslexiaeducation #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading
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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 “De-Mystifying Dyslexia” 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. 

I’m really excited about this. It’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: 
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#raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher teachersofIG dyslexia teachreading
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Hi and thank you for your interest in watching my ‘de-mystifying dyslexia’ series. 

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

As an educator, I’m always trying to share important information—bc I really think that when we know better, we do better. This series is part of my final project for a course I’m taking through Advancement Courses called ‘understanding dyslexia’. 

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 learn—maybe you, as a parent or teacher yourself, can also stand to learn a little bit. 

Maybe, like me, you’ve grown up thinking that dyslexia was a condition where people read letters backwards—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? I’m here to tell you that both of those things are untrue. 

So if you would like to learn a little about dyslexia—if you would like for me to ‘de-mystify dyslexia’ for you, then follow along! 

(Continued on next VIDEO)

#readingteacher #teachersofIG #demystifyingdyslexia

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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie — did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? 😉♥️

(It’s what Rusty the 🦊 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? 🤔

Here are the 3️⃣ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexia—

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #readingteacher #teachreading #dyslexiaawareness
View
Open
Lately when I find four leaf clovers, I’ve been leaving them. 🍀🤷🏼‍♀️

So if you’re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I don’t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
View
Open
Okay—how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

▶️ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexia—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 ✅ or false ❌?

#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 “De-Mystifying Dyslexia” 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. 

I’m really excited about this. It’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 ‘de-mystifying dyslexia’ series. 

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

As an educator, I’m always trying to share important information—bc I really think that when we know better, we do better. This series is part of my final project for a course I’m taking through Advancement Courses called ‘understanding dyslexia’. 

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 learn—maybe you, as a parent or teacher yourself, can also stand to learn a little bit. 

Maybe, like me, you’ve grown up thinking that dyslexia was a condition where people read letters backwards—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? I’m here to tell you that both of those things are untrue. 

So if you would like to learn a little about dyslexia—if you would like for me to ‘de-mystify dyslexia’ for you, then follow along! 

(Continued on next VIDEO)

#readingteacher #teachersofIG #demystifyingdyslexia

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