This time of year always excites me. I love roaming the aisles of the back-to-school supplies sales. Not only do I find inexpensive pencils, paper, crayons, markers, post-its, rulers and glue sticks, I also find new things to spruce up my personal writing desk. I’m like the proverbial kid in a candy store when it… Read More »
Looking for great teaching/learning materials that are free or inexpensive? Checkout these two: TeachersPayTeachers.com and TeachersNotebook.com to see ideas for parents and teachers. You will find pre-K through high school sections of worksheets, ideas and books recommended by teachers. You will also find my Educating America books and materials as well as my primary freebies… Read More »
With so many historic homes, museums, monuments and galleries, it’s easy to sneak in a little culture during summer vacation. Notice I said a little culture, meaning within your child’s attention span. Consider doing a little set up. Research stops along a drive or near your summer getaway. Provide a scavenger hunt or a short… Read More »
Looking for a bit of summer math for kidlets working at the Kindergarten through grade 5 math level? Over the next month I’m offering FREE 10-page packets**. So what’s in each FREE packet? A variety of math skill challenges:computation, problem solving, story problems, measurement, and games to keep math skills active over the summer. How… Read More »
It’s almost summer break for many schools. Time to think about how to keep kids engaged and learning while away from school. Reading is the easiest activity to keep as a focus. If you have a home library or if you join a public library reading program you can 1. Encourage your kids to read… Read More »
Where to go? What to do close to home without expending a pocketful of cash? As summer plans kick into view, think locally. There are many interesting activities near home that cost little to nothing. Here’s a starting list of kid-friendly ideas. Parks, beaches, trails, rivers, lakes with activities Libraries, zoos, aquariums, art shops and… Read More »
The closer we get to the end of the year, the larger the stack of kids work you’ve probably assembled. Now what? Here are a few ideas from Family Fun (FF) magazine and from me. Let me now which ones appeal to you. Sit down with your child. to decide which papers they want to… Read More »
While you are in the midst of spring, stop and celebrate a variety of events. April 9 Civil War ended 150 years ago 10 ASPCA founded in 1866 11 National Pet Day 12 D.E.A.R Drop Everything And Read Day 13 Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday (1743) 17 National Haiku Poetry Day 18 Paul Revere’ Ride (1775) 19 … Read More »
The February, 2015 Family Fun magazine shared an article on encouraging kids to read. The two ideas I liked the best were (1) a family book talk and (2) a reading incentive program. (1) The article suggests each member of the family share their leisure books during a family book talk. I like the… Read More »
As the school year begins, consider this checklist for working with your school-age children. 1. Chores. Give kids doable, significant chores. Expect those chores be done on time and as completely as possible. 2. Backpacks. Kids can pack, unpack and repack their own backpacks if you show them when, where and how you want it… Read More »