Read & Write

Five Senses Poetry for Kids

I’m sharing a fun and easy poetry activity at Make and Takes today. It’s a great follow-up to autumn activities, like apple picking or pumpkin patch visits. Head over to Make and Takes for the full post – see you there!

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Fun & Silly Audio Books for Kids

Audio books are a staple in our house (and car) and we were due for a fun new summer playlist. I have complied a Fun and Silly Audio Book Playlist, perfect for summer road trips or afternoon quiet-time. Each selection is available for purchase at Audible Kids, for $3.00 or less per book. Many of [...]

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Getting Started With Chapter Books

Are you and your preschooler ready to add some chapter books to your read-aloud time? My girls were around four-years-old when they started to show some interest in listening to chapter books. For chapter book newbies, I recommend books with short chapters, illustrations, and simple storylines. You’ll know you’ve found a good one when your [...]

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Paper Plate Life Cycle Spinners

This spring, as usual, we’ve been reading and talking about plant and animal life cycles. Here’s a fun project we did last spring – and we’re planning to revisit it again this month! {Originally posted at Early Bird Homeschool, May 2010} The girls had fun making life cycle spinners using two paper plates and a [...]

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Create a Letter-Writing Kit for Kids

Every day, my daughters excitedly walk to the mailbox and check to see if they received any letters. There is just something special about receiving a hand-written note in the mail. I love it, too! Writing letters is a wonderful way to maintain connections with family and friends. And, letter-writing provides meaningful reading and writing [...]

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Read & Play: It Looked Like Spilt Milk

My girls get so excited when we have a “puffy-cloud” day, because those are the best days for finding cool shapes in the clouds. One of our favorite cloud stories is It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw. This book is simple, but engaging and was always a favorite in my classroom. When [...]

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4 Simple Skills to Practice During Read-Alouds

{Originally published March 2010} A bit of thinking-aloud, conversation, and encouragement are all you need to add a little extra learning to your snuggly read-aloud time! Boost your child’s reading comprehension skills by incorporating these simple activities into your existing read-aloud time: 1. Predict Look at the cover and read the title. Ask, “What do [...]

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Horse Catalog

One day (last summer), the girls were busy playing and thinking-up imaginary horses. Their herds of horses were getting quite large, apparently, and they were having trouble remembering all their names. They both brought out little notebooks, and I acted as secretary as they dictated their horses’ names to me. This was a good start, [...]

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Mini Clipboard Gifts

Both of my girls wanted to make a handmade Christmas gift for their cousins and a few friends. Delaney settled on decorating mini clipboards with scrapbook paper, letter stickers, felt, and buttons. I’m sure you have seen decoupaged clipboards, journals, etc. before – so simple, with endless ways to personalize! I made a template of [...]

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Gift Idea: Book Series Sampler

Natalie loves reading book series – she’s just like me! I am always looking for new series that will interest her and thought a book series sampler would be a great gift idea for many kids (and even adults) on my list. To make a book series sampler, just gather the first book of 3-5 [...]

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