Valentine's Message Hearts

A few years ago I started putting hearts on the kids door every day in February until Valentine's Day. Each would have a note saying something I loved about them. They always appreciated it.

This year, I decided to learn from my Thankgiving Tree of Gratitude where we each put up a leaf with something for which we are grateful. Last year I decided to laminate the leaves and it was SO nice this year not having to cut any out.

So this year, I cut out a bunch of hearts in pastel cardstock and laminated them. I made sure to make enough for the new baby too. That way, I will never have to cut out hearts for the doors again!

 

Tips on Getting the Best Out of Your Children Academically

 How your children behave in the classroom as very important in their overall success. If they are able to sit, listen, absorb and understand, they are far more likely to achieve a higher grade. The good news is that there is a lot you can do to help them do this. As a parent, you can set the wheels in motion without having to become an expert at every single subject yourself. Learning is about wanting to be taught as much as it is about the material that is being taught. So, as long as you can help set up this inquiring mind, your child will have a better chance.

Image from Pixabay

Nutrition    

A healthy diet is a key way to ensure that your child's brain has the right nutrients and minerals ready to learn. Also, ensuring that they do not go to school hungry is important too. Hunger and poor nutrition can have a negative effect on your child's ability to concentrate and learn. So, a wholesome breakfast and a great packed lunch are essential.

Routine

Children need routine, and the younger you create this, the better. If you create a daily schedule where your child has a set time to look over their school work. One of the best times is after dinner. This gives them a chance to relax and unwind from the day and do a few of their own activities. You could start by asking to see what they did in the day. If your child is too young for homework, per se, perhaps you can develop a habit where they show you what they have done and what they remember. Perhaps you can read to your child or use tolls such as ABCmouse to help you ensure that they are on the right track. Whatever time you choose, ensure that this is a routine that stays with you both, and as your child gets older, they will already be into the habit of doing their homework in the evening. 

Space for Learning

You need to create a space that your child feels comfortable in to do their homework. What are their preferences? How do they learn best? Consider your child's personality before creating that space for them. Ensuwstrhea this space is free from distractions so that they can focus and get on with the job at hand. It may be an idea to have a dedicated desk with all their material laid out in an organized fashion on this. Their bedroom may not be the best place, as there wl be too many distractions.

Incentivize 

Kids, especially teenageer, may not be inclined to do their homework, despite you and them knowing that it is the best thing. You can clearly offer your support and look over the work once it is done, but you can also offer incentives. This will depend on the circumstances but, even if you are not inclined to offer incentives, perhaps it is the best motivator. Incentives don't have to be expensive, but it has to be something that they are drawn towards.  

This is a contributed post

3 Year Old Pre-K Winter Activities

While we are slowly working our way through some purchased curriculum this year, I decided to also add in some themed activities that either go with the seasons/holidays or go with Archer's interests. Here are some of our Winter Themed Activities

This tray had some pipe cleaners and some "winter" colored beads. He put the beads on to make a snowflake.

A tray with some pom poms and trucks. Not a hit last year, but this year he played with it.

The Snowman Soup Math activity was a big hit. He liked mixing up the ingredients and then we worked on adding them up together.

I set out this tray with various magna-tiles and some winter Toob animals and asked him to make some little houses for the animals. At first he stuck to mostly cubes, but I challenged him to use some of the other pieces too and he eventually branched out.

I found this cute little Penguin Emotions activity from Natural Beach Living. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how well he matched up the emotions.

I got this cute little set of snowman accessories to use with playdough. There were enough that I thought about using them for math activities, but I never did get around to it. They were a big hit, though, especially the little hats.

He also had fun making playdough homes and tracks with his Arctic Toob.

I got out his seasons layers puzzle too. Now we did all of them, not just winter.

Of course, I got out all our winter books. Some he read, most he didn't (he's really into reading books with maps or flags right now and it's hard to deter him).

Snowman Soup Math Activity

Winter has hit our hometown in full force! We're running with it and doing some fun winter themed activities. Here is a Snowman Soup Math Activity we did recently.

I made recipe cards with different snowman "ingredients" and gave him a pot and spoon.

He followed the recipes by counting out each ingredient into the pot. For added challenge, we then worked on adding up all the ingredients on the recipe cards.

Print the Snowman Soup Math Activity Here

 

New Little Learner Coming

I am thrilled to announce that we have a new little learner coming this June. After two boys, it will be fun to mix it up with a girl this time! 

A new baby means starting fresh with her early learning activities. As we get closer and she arrives, I'll update what we're doing. For now, it has been so nice to have some of my posts from when I had Archer to see when we started things.

 

Christmas Activities (3 Year Old & Pre-K)

While we are slowly working our way through some purchased curriculum this year, I am still supplementing with some fun themed activities. Here are some of the Christmas activities we did. Archer is three and a half.

I got a floral cone at the craft store and stuck in a bunch of toothpicks. He had fun decorating his "tree" with mini ornaments.

 

No action pics, but he did have fun decorating his Magna-Tile tree with little jingle bells.

To work on greater than and less than, I made these stocking printables.

Christmas playdough. I meant to get a cute little organizer for all of the fun Christmas accessories we have, but he got to it before I did. He didn't seem to care. 

Gingerbread playdough tray.

I strung a tinsel garland through a basket with big holes for this math activity. I put a bunch of tens frame matching cards down inside and he had to dig them out and match them up. 

Star beads and pipe cleaners made for a super simple fine motor activity.

We worked on this ornament craft together. It was intended for older kids, so we adapted it a bit to fit his ability.

Christmas Tree 10s frame

We did some Christmas Cuisenaire pages.

This tray was a mom fail. I found some fun plastic ornaments at the craft store and gave him a bunch of colorful pom poms and little plastic gifts to go in. My plan was for him to be able to fill and dump, but I accidentally bought ornaments with holes that were too small for dumping. He had fun while it lasted.

I made him this syllable worksheet. We used bingo chips to cover the star that had the correct number of syllables.

Building with Candy Construction.

We have a few different Christmas Sticker books, but I only snagged this one picture.

 

Gingerbread Playdough Tray

We've really been into play dough around here lately (mostly making numbers or country maps), but I decided to mix it up with this gingerbread play dough tray.

I started by adding cinnamon, ginger, cloves and allspice to my regular playdough recipe. On the tray I added gingerbread man cookie cutters, buttons, tinsel pipe cleaners and a rolling pin. I found some great fake gumdrops and peppermints from HappyKawaiiSupplies.

Archer was so excited he wouldn't even let me take a picture of the tray before he started playing.

The little "peppermints" are his favorite. While he did initially make some gingerbread men, he moved on from that pretty quickly. He spent a long time putting them in the dough, taking them out and building continents with them...