Before a child ever learns to read the book in their hand or write their name on a piece of paper, they will have learned to recognize their own name. Sure, you can have them write it down a million times or trace it, but we know that children learn BEST when something interests them. So why not give them something interesting? Create for them the kind of learning that…
This little gem was a Christmas gift that B doesn’t have access to every day, but that I love. She has full access to a library on her bookshelf in our classroom and bins full of toys. Even so, there are plenty of toys and materials that I keep tucked away and bring out as needed, to make them seem “special.” It’s the beauty of toy rotations. Who…
If you tuned into my stories, it seemed highly unlikely that what I was trying to cook up from a Pinterest recipe could ever amount to anything. But alas, the snow cloud dough was saved!!! 🙌🏻 It really lent itself to making our own snowman as in the book, Snowballs by Lois Ehlert. I simply provided a muffin tin of options and B got creative (with a little help from me…
Snowball by Lois Ehlert has quickly become a favorite around here, and it was a great pairing for this activity. The story gives the reader so many creative ideas on how to decorate a snowman.⛄️ B and I chose buttons for the eyes 👀 and nose, black beans for the mouth, and craft sticks for the arms, but the possibilities are endless. She cut the top hat herself (with a lot…
It was a beautiful day outside today, so B and I decided to take our glitter ✨ and crafting play outdoors (also, outdoors is better whenever glitter is involved). I gave her some decorating options and she requested to paint it, so out came the watercolors (less drying time). We added glue, glitter, and her masterpiece is currently drying in the yard. She’s quite proud of it, and we really…
My daughter as of recently has been insisting that M&Ms are not made out of chocolate. By my logic, since they’re covered in a hard colorful shell, she doesn’t immediately associate them with brown chocolate. Enter the M&M Meltdown experiment. First, I explained the activity, discussed the safety concerns over touching things that are hot (IMPORTANT), and had her form a hypothesis (yes, I…