There will be times when your activity feels like a Pinterest fail. Your vision won’t match the reality for miles and while one child may be totally into it, another might be eating your props (yep, the latter was absolutely Bianca this morning). Guess what? That’s life. This happens in classrooms every year, all around the globe, and you have to learn to just try your best and…
As a little girl growing up, Toys R Us was a magical land that could do no wrong, but as an adult I started to question everything. Ever notice how Toys R Us had sections whose colors were geared to the gender they were trying to appeal to? The Barbie section was one giant wall of pink, and you likely couldn’t have found a pink Tonka truck in the…
My child LOVES sensory play, and it’s likely because I love it too, meaning she gets extra exposure to these kinds of activities. The good news? They’re super simple, offer a ton of possibilities for free exploration, and you likely don’t have to buy anything. I mean it; check out the very basic materials list below. This was actually the first time I introduced a clothes pin…
Puzzles aren’t just a ton of fun, they’re a great way for your child to develop fine motor and visual-spatial skills. But before you get all excited and run out to buy some, please stop to consider a few things: 1) What kind of puzzle is developmentally appropriate for my child? 2) How am I going to use this WITH my child? To simplify your life, I…
Today was our very first day of school together. I haven’t been a classroom teacher for almost a decade, and never for my own child, although we learn from each other every day. Homeschooling or micro schooling is definitely different, but it’s also pretty great. More flexibility, less kids, and more socialization than had we kept her home by herself all year. Today wasn’t perfect, but it…
Fresh air is a necessity, and especially because we spend most of our days indoors, it’s so important to extend the classroom beyond 4 walls. Back in March, in preparation for lockdown, we went to the Dollar Tree and picked up some seed packets. We had never grown sunflowers, but planting them, watering them, and tracking their progress was one of the highlights of our day, every day. They…