5 parenting tricks for the busy holiday season I know I need all the parenting tricks I can carry any day of the week, let alone during the busy holiday season. Though I’m not proud to …Read more5 parenting tricks for the busy holiday season
digital wellness: keeping your whole family tech-healthy Flu season is right around the corner. Spend five minutes in any elementary or preschool, and you’ll hear a chorus of coughs, sneezes, and …Read moredigital wellness: keeping your whole family tech-healthy
water bead free play: relaxing, soothing, & so totally worth it During the school year, my kids are tired. Their days are long, the nights are short, and quite frankly, they’re just tired. Add an …Read morewater bead free play: relaxing, soothing, & so totally worth it
make time to rhyme: rhyme games for bigger kids We’ve talked about the importance of rhyme many times in the past, but I feel like as Maddy and Owen have gotten older, I’ve really …Read moremake time to rhyme: rhyme games for bigger kids
learning during read-alouds: critical thinking, new literacies I read an extremely interesting article this week that has really left me thinking about how I read with my children. It …Read morelearning during read-alouds: critical thinking, new literacies
5 easy ways to raise earth-friendly kids Really, nothing about raising kids is easy. I so know this to be true. I think I’m pretty honest about my own on-the-job struggles, and …Read more5 easy ways to raise earth-friendly kids
quick trick: take reading on the road A few weeks ago, I took the kids to Pennsylvania for the weekend–another solo trip and one I’ve done dozens of times before. But what I …Read morequick trick: take reading on the road
10 tips for read-aloud learning Hip, hip HOORAY! This week has a little gem of a day hiding inside — World Read Aloud Day! March 7th is World Read Aloud Day, and I stand …Read more10 tips for read-aloud learning
best of teach mama countdown: #5 — letters b and d I love it when I find a resource that really, truly helps my kids. And PBS has provided me with so many ways to support my children’s …Read morebest of teach mama countdown: #5 — letters b and d
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 …Read moremagazine activities: creative, crafty, sneaky-learning fun
magazine hunt: reading and rockin’ it This New For Us Friday I’m sharing a new-for-Cora activity and a new-for-us event: the fab, super-fun magazine hunt and Highlight’s State …Read moremagazine hunt: reading and rockin’ it
mom’s homeroom: ideas, advice, videos, crazy-cool blogs I am over the moon to share some exciting news: I’ve been working with MSN and Frosted Mini-Wheats for the last few months, writing as a …Read moremom’s homeroom: ideas, advice, videos, crazy-cool blogs
fabulous, fancy game to practice tricky sounds: s, t, r, l It’s Cora’s Sparkle-icious Game. That’s what she calls is. But I don’t care what she calls it because all I know is that …Read morefabulous, fancy game to practice tricky sounds: s, t, r, l
trying tapas: rockville restaurant week (& giveaway!) For the last few days, Cora and I have read Susan Middleton Elya’s Bebé Goes Shopping more times than I can count. In the story, Mamá y Bebé …Read moretrying tapas: rockville restaurant week (& giveaway!)
new for us friday: dinosaur train –the movie! We’ve done a whole lot of new-for-us things this summer, but with the excitement of our Smart Summer Challenge, I’ve hardly had time to …Read morenew for us friday: dinosaur train –the movie!
a word a day: getting the family involved Maddy, Owen, and Cora have loved the Word a Day we’ve been doing for the past two weeks–more than I anticipated and much to my …Read morea word a day: getting the family involved
word a day: creating word conscious, word happy kids Our very first day of the Smart Summer Challenge found us lazying around at home because Owen returned from swim and dive feeling really under the …Read moreword a day: creating word conscious, word happy kids
learning during read-alouds: word consciousness We shouldn’t try to fill every second of our children’s lives with learning and lessons. Our kiddos really do need time for free play …Read morelearning during read-alouds: word consciousness
quick, sneaky questioning to improve reading comprehension It seems that Maddy’s leveled out a bit with her reading this year. She’s doing great with her …Read morequick, sneaky questioning to improve reading comprehension
playing turkey feathers: matching beginning sounds Today I brought out one of my old Words Their Way favorites–Turkey Feathers. It’s a really simple game that I used with students to …Read moreplaying turkey feathers: matching beginning sounds