I was trying to come up with some useful free printables for parents to use this summer. I polled a group of parents and many requested a printable for tracking screen time. Over the years, we’ve recommended our favorite iPad apps for kids, favorite devices and tablets, but never anything for tracking the amount of screen time. This printable is… Read More
By Kristin Orr As a fifth grade teacher, I am often asked by parents how to keep students engaged over the summer. That’s how I came up with this Summer Reading Calendar. In the school I work in, teachers are required to give summer homework; a brief yet meaningful assignment for both reading and math that aligns to what they’ve… Read More
Ready for a bight & cheery book list?! To be honest, reading in general makes us smile. It’s the end of the day and we settle in for a book. It’s before nap and someone hops on your lap. When you’re reading to kids, you’re close by, snuggling up. Now that my older two can read, one of their “chores”… Read More
My kids love doing science experiments. They don’t do anything fancy: some of their “experiments” are mixtures of dirt water and sticks in the backyard. I realized years ago that you can use the good old baking soda and vinegar “eruption” to make a variety of fun experiments. We have built a clay volcano and let it erupt, we made… Read More
Happy Earth Month! Today we have three fun ways to celebrate Earth Month. We have an “earthy” recipe, a fun little DIY and a free printable packed with more ways kids can get involved. We were happy to partner with Stonyfield® Organic Kids® this Earth Month to share these fun activities. Three Fun Ways to Celebrate Earth Month 1. Plant… Read More
We first made this easy rainbow craft for kids when trying to come up with something for a class St. Patrick’s Day party. I wanted a craft that the kids could bring home and display all spring and thought a rainbow craft was in the St. Patrick’s Day theme but also bright and fun for spring. The 1st graders had… Read More
Ready for April showers? For us spring means getting back to playing outdoors. This is very welcomed after months of cold weather in the winter. April can also bring plenty of rainy days indoors too. Today I’m sharing an easy rainy day craft for kids: easy paper plate instruments. You probably have all of the supplies already, so it’s a… Read More
This Paper Plate Chick Craft is fun for Easter and also any time this spring. At our preschool, they do a spring chick hatching. My girls have been asking when they could go in to do a craft in Tommy’s preschool class (after I went in for St. Patrick’s Day). So we were trying to think of baby chick crafts…. Read More
I wish I learned years ago how easy it was to dye pasta. My kids have always loved making jewelry and this is a really easy way to make beans. It’s also fun to use for other crafts too. Here’s how to dye pasta: You Need: a box of un-cooked pasta, food coloring, rubbing alcohol and a large zip lock… Read More
We are really enjoying learning Italian! I hope you have enjoyed the first two lessons. If you’re new, check out Lezione 1 here and Lezione 2 here. For today’s “lesson” I am sharing some of our favorite books to support learning Italian. Some are children’s books in Italian, some are about the country/culture and some are for learning words. Children’s… Read More