I came upstairs to tuck my daughter in and found her wall plastered with fictitious missing pet posters. I cracked up because each one was carefully labeled, “THIS IS FAKE” lest someone think Salt and Jack were actually lost. I love writing activities that encourage imagination, I love them even more when my seven year old thinks them up herself. How much fun would this be … Continue reading Encouraging Young Writers…
We’re putting a Valentine twist on the Tissue Paper and Window Collage over at Filth Wizardry. The colors are just gorgeous and I couldn’t be happier with the finished result.
The “how-to” over at Filth Wizardry calls for clear glue pens which I haven’t been able to locate. Instead, we used Elmer’s washable school gel (watered down) and foam brushes. The collage has held up nicely so far, let’s hope it lasts through February – we need a pop of color over here!
The librarian at my daughter’s school has created so much excitement by encouraging students to bringing in pumpkins carved or decorated as their favorite story-book character. She pulls the corresponding book off the shelf and displays it alongside its pumpkin twin — the kids are eating it up and the library looks amazing! These LITERACY LANTERNS make me smile! We got in on the action … Continue reading Literary Lanterns: Making Reading Connections with Pumpkins for Halloween
Three times each on paper is so passé – paint your spelling words instead! Remember how I raved about the Buddha Board when Claire was 3? It was a mess free painting experience and much beloved by both my preschooler AND all the adults in our lives. Now that Claire is nearly 8 the Buddha Board is still going strong and used all the time for … Continue reading How to Make Spelling Practice Fun
Parents, especially of girls need to read this article: http://nyti.ms/1KAhec8 Kid sit up to 8.5 hours a day…after a single session of prolonged inactivity, the children developed changes in their blood flow and arteries that, in grown-ups, would signal the start of serious cardiovascular problems. We just attended Back to School night at my daughter’s school and the teacher was so excited to have a schedule … Continue reading 1 Big {Health} Reason to Take Active “Brain Breaks” During the School Day
One of my favorite units to teach in second grade was an integrated LA and Science unit on the moon. From mythology to geology there is much to learn! Here are the best books about the moon for kids, a collection of fiction and non-fiction resources. Continue reading The 10 Best Books About the Moon for Curious Kiddos
A roundup of simple leaf crafts for southern folks — colorful leaves not required! I always feel bad for the folks down south when fall arrives. Come winter I wish I lived there where it’s warmer, but autumn is glorious in the Northeastern US. Judging by what’s popular on Pinterest, it seems everyone wants to welcome the season with pumpkins, Indian corn and colored leaves … Continue reading Autumn Crafts: No leaves? No problem!
Chalk In My Pocket 