Play isn't just for fun. It's a necessity. Play is  how kids develop fine and gross motor skills, build core strength, learn to make friends, gain independence, develop problem solving skills, develop object manipulation skills, and so much more. And these types of skills provide an important foundation for later academic and non-academic learning. Movement Activates Neural Pathways Giving kids ample time to play makes academic learning easier. Movement activates neural pathways and primes the brain for learning. Active play provides the perfect environment for developing brains to thrive. Kids instinctively seek out the kinds of activities that their bodies and brains need to develop properly. As parents and educators we need to stop trying to train this instinct out of them. When your kids are fidgeting too much during a lesson or seem to have lost interest, take a break. Go outside and play, do a few jumping jacks, go for a walk, do something that incorporates movement. This...

I don't know about your kids, but mine tend to get plenty of sugar during the holidays without me filling their stockings with candy. Below are some of my favorite non-candy stocking stuffer ideas. -Geodes or other cool rocks -Pocket microscope -Nail polish -Christmas ornaments -Card games -Craft supplies -Pocket knife -Stickers -Matchbox cars -Magnetic dolls -Hair accessories -Rubix Cube -Tiny puzzles -Movies -Small notebooks -Small stuffed animals -Jewelry making supplies -Gloves or mittens -Fuzzy socks -Beanie hat -Small snow globes -Night light -Fidget spinner -Polly Pockets -Small Lego kits -Key chains -Bubbles -Playdough -Kinetic sand -Slime -Paintable figurines -Bath toys -Gift cards -Small sized books -A prism -A dream catcher -Colorable magnets -Glow sticks -Jewelry -Pair of binoculars -Pocket field guides -Hand warmers -Tooth brush -Watercolor paints -Coins -Sidewalk chalk -Jump rope -Stick on tattoos -Yo-yo -Barbie doll -Fishing supplies Check out these blog posts for mo...

  I often get asked how I manage to get my young children to sit still for family read alouds, and the answer is that I don't. Young children are wiggly and fidgety by nature, so I don't expect stillness out of them. Instead, I offer them quiet activities that allow them to move and keep their hands busy while I read. The key is to pick activities that are fairly quiet and that are simple enough that your kids can still follow the read aloud, but engaging enough to keep them from getting off task. Below, I share some of my favorite activities for keeping little hands busy during read alouds. Simple Art Activities Simple art activities like sketching and coloring are usually my go-to activity during read alouds. They're simple and my kids are all pretty artsy, so it's usually an easy activity to sell them on. Sketching-  Encourage your kids to draw a scene or a character from your read aloud, or just allow them to free sketch. Coloring sheets-  If the book we're read...

  Between being involved in a forest school group, an outdoor based homeschool co-op, and our love for hiking and all things nature related, our family tends to spend a lot of time on the trails and exploring in the woods or by the river. I used to try to carry everything in my backpack, but with 3 kids and myself to pack for, it got to be too much for me to carry on my own. Last year I bought each of my girls their own backpack, and it's been a game changer! My youngest is only 4 so her backpack is small, but even she can carry a few small things for our day. Below I share the things that we most often carry in our adventuring packs. Canteens-  Each of us has a stainless steel canteen (I carry my 4-year-old's in my pack since it's a bit heavy for her still). Mine is a  Kleen Kanteen  and the kids have Your Zone canteens we bought at Walmart. I like stainless steel because it's non-toxic and easy to clean. First Aid Kit-  Each of my kids has a mini first aid kit...

  April 22nd is Earth Day! Here are some fun ways to celebrate and care for our planet: Pick up trash in your neighborhood Grab some garbage bags and take a walk around your neighborhood or a favorite park to pick up trash. My kids like to make it a competition to see who can collect the most. Plant a tree Take a trip to a local nursery and choose a tree to plant in your yard or to give as a gift. Start a garden Start a small (or big) garden in your yard. Plant veggies that you and your children enjoy or plant flowers for local pollinators. Start a compost bin Composting is a great way to reduce household waste and it's a fun way to introduce your kids to decomposition and the nutrient cycle. For instructions for setting up a simple backyard bin, check out my  Composting with Kids  post. Walk or bike instead of drive Do your close-to-home errands or activities by foot or bicycle. Get outside! Take a nature walk in the park, take a hike, go on a picnic, play in your yard, ...

I am often asked for preschool and kindergarten curriculum recommendations by well-meaning parents. My answer is always the same: none. Preschoolers and kindergarteners don't need formal sit-down work. There is no long-term advantage. What they do need is need time to play, and explore, and to be creative. I understand why many parents jump the gun on formal learning. They just want to give their kids the best start in life, but earlier isn't always better. Pushing academic skills before a child is developmentally ready causes frustration and resentment, often leading children to hate learning.  The early school years are best spent focused on play and outdoor exploration. Play provides the perfect environment for developing important pre-reading and pre-writing skills. These skills include things like core body strength, hand and finger strength, visual perception, object manipulation, and gross and fine motor skills. And these skills provide an important foundation on which t...

My kids and I love paper Christmas crafts and these angels are one of my favorites! They are so simple to make and always come out beautiful!  Paper Christmas Angel Instructions: For this craft you will need: -white paper -tape -scissors -a wooden bead -a gold pipe cleaner -craft glue or hot glue Start by cutting a piece of paper in half like shown in the picture below: Fold each half accordion style (like you are folding a paper fan), then make a fold about a third of the way down. Look at the picture below. Tape the two halves together and tape the bottom edge of the arms to the body. Cut a small section of pipe cleaner about 2 inches long and glue one end inside the hole of your wooden bead. Slide the other end of the pipe cleaner between the two accordion halves. Make a halo for your angel out of a gold or yellow pipe cleaner and glue it onto your angel's head. Now your angel is finished and ready to display! You can glue a string to the back of the dress if you'd lik...

I made our first set of calendar wheels by hand for my oldest daughter, way back when she was preschool aged, as a simple hands-on way to learn about the passage of time and how we measure it. We ended up loving them so much that I recently made printable versions for my younger two daughters and added them as a freebie in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. The set includes a days of the week wheel, a months of the years wheel, a seasons wheel, and a weather wheel. Assembling and Using Your Calendar and Weather Wheels Grab a printable set here:  Calendar and Weather Wheel Set Cut out each wheel and each arrow. Laminate each piece and cut out again.  Poke a hole in the center of each wheel and the end of each arrow with a thumb tack. Attach one arrow to the center of each wheel with a paper fastener.  Hang on your wall or bulletin board and have your child turn the calendar wheels as the days, months, and seasons change. Turn the weather wheel daily to reflect the weath...

Recently there's been a lot of talk and even some legislation passed regarding what politicians like to call "school choice" and "funding following the student". At first glance these sound like great things. Parents being able to choose a school based on its merits, rather than children just attending whatever public school they live closest to, would create competition, hopefully leading to better public schools. The thing is, you can already do this. We already have school choice in this country. There are many valid education options outside of the public school system, and there are no laws preventing anyone from using them . If you are dissatisfied with your local public school, you are allowed to pull your children and home educate them or enroll them in a private school of your choosing. We don't need new legislation granting us school choice, we already have it. There are a lot of people in the homeschool and private school communities who think tha...

Happy spring!  In this post I share a few creative ways to dye Easter eggs! Try Homemade Natural Dyes For the last couple years my kids and I have experimented with making homemade natural Easter egg dyes. So far our best results have come from red cabbage and yellow onion skins. Red cabbage makes beautiful blue eggs and yellow onion skins make orange. To make your dyes you'll need about a cup of red cabbage and a cup of yellow onion skins. Boil a small pot of water for each color. You'll want 2-3 cups of water per pot. Add your plant matter and reduce heat to low. Cover each pot with a lid and let them simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Let your dyes cool, then strain out the plant matter. Add your dyes to a few glass mason jars and add a hard boiled egg to each jar. Put on the lids and stick in your fridge. Leave the eggs in the dye for an hour or two for lighter shades and overnight for deeper shades. To make hearts and stripes like the eggs in the photo, cut pieces tape and st...