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new for us friday–summer bridge books
Woo-hoo!!It's a Summer Bridge Activites Giveaway! Happy, happy Friday!Have you ever tried the Summer Bridge Activities series for keeping your children focused on learning and their brains working during the summer months? Before this summer, I had not. But I'm glad that the kind people at Carson-Dellosa Publishing asked if I'd be interested in trying one. I looked at the calendar today, and, being that it's a Friday and we're trying new things on Fridays this summer, I thought we'd take a … Read More...
tricky, tricky digraph sort
I had Owen all to myself this afternoon while Maddy played at a friend's house and Cora took her nap. I gave him the choice of playing anything from our Big Blue Box (my fun box of learning games and tutoring activities), and he chose Alphabet Spin I. We played a round with Ike, one of his Matchbox cars and then Ike's big brother joined us for a second round of Alphabet Spin II. Always exciting around here. . . Then I pulled out a sort that I hoped would help him distinguish some beginning … Read More...
super summer swap
Calling all moms (and dads) withlittle kids at home this summer!!(That would be almost everyone I know. . . )Looking for a fun and worthwhile activity for your children? Do you want to get them to write more, read more, and to meet new friends? I sure do!!And I'm so excited to share an exciting way for them to do just that--it's the Super Summer Swap, hosted by two of my blogging pals who write at The Dairy Queen and Superheroes and Princesses.Here's the skinny--Super Summer Swap: The … Read More...
nuts, bolts, washers, oh my!
My kiddos have always loved playing with the plastic tools and accessories that accompanied our little play workbench, so when I was stuck at the hardware store a few days ago, I couldn't resist grabbing a few bucks' worth of nuts, bolts, washers, and other fun silvery-shiny things to bring back for Maddy, Owen, and Cora.I'm always on the lookout for ways of honing the fine motor skills of my little ones, and I know they love to play with anything that is usually off-limits, like cell phones, … Read More...
super-supreme saturday
We are incredibly lucky to have an awesome hook-up at the Supreme Court this year (no joke), so today we got a behind-the-scenes tour of one of our nation's most important buildings.We ate candy in one of the justice's offices. We looked down the secret spiral staircase. We shot baskets in the upstairs gym. We sat in the courtroom. We ran around the library--only because no one else was there. And Maddy, Owen, and Cora would have drained a hard-working justice's water cooler had we let … Read More...
new for us friday–mango mania
As we were grocery shopping last Friday before our big Guppy Gala night, Maddy said, Hey, Mommy! Let's try some new fruit today. How about these?She picked up a mango. How could I resist? It was Friday, and we were supposed to be trying new things on Fridays.So we did. We tried mangos. Sure, we've had them before at the mall in smoothies, at Rita's in Italian ice, but we had never really had them before as real fruit in our house.TMango Mania: I washed them, then everyone held it, squeezed … Read More...
cutting cards
Hopefully none of my friends or family who read this will be upset, outraged, or annoyed, but I have something to confess: my kids practice cutting on the cards you send them.We don't file them in nice folders, keep them to look back on and read--we just don't.We receive them, read them, feel thankful for them, and then we put them in our "Card Box". And then we use them for crafts and for cutting practice.I hope you still love us.Cutting Cards: Every so often, like today on a rainy afternoon … Read More...
trying to keep smiling: quick trick, colors
I was blue,Jenny was yellow,Mary was red, andKatie was green.I still connect my three sisters and myself to those colors because way back when my mom managed a household and four little girls who were barely 6 years apart, she kept herself sane--and everyone happy--by giving us each a color.That's my (okay, my mom's, that I've now made my own. . . ) Quick Trick today: color-coding your life.Color Coding Kids: It sounds nutty, cold, and maybe a little silly, but to me, it makes sense. … Read More...
not just a plain-jane paper chain
It's our book chain!And it's not that plain-jane, really--it's got some color to it!With summer here and the sunshine calling us outside nearly every free second, I noticed that we haven't been reading as much as we have around here. I am all for outside playtime, especially for little ones, but I do have a rising Kindergartner under my roof, so I know that reading is especially important for us this summer.I decided to have Maddy and Owen make super-simple paper chains today before rest time. … Read More...
traveling writing centers
Since last fall, I've had little writing centers in both Maddy and Owen's bedrooms, and I've really been surprised at how well they've worked out. It is rare if either Maddy or Owen actually sleep during their rest time, so they usually work on puzzles, play dolls, line up cars, or whatever they want--something quiet. Once Maddy started expressing an interest in writing, it spread to Owen, so I thought that I'd create something simple for both of them to use in their rooms--something that … Read More...
