If you have an active kid who loves any excuse to "hit" things, you will love the next installment of my 101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet Series. This week I'm sharing an activity called Swat the Fly, which gives kids an excuse to "swat flies" while learning their letters. (See the bottom of this post for a link to a free printable for playing ... Continue Reading
9 ideas for creating and learning with dot markers
It's no secret that I love dot markers. In fact, I love them so much that I've created over 500 pages of do-a-dot printables that kids can use to play and learn with dot markers. What are dot markers? Dot markers, also referred to as daubers, are thick markers that can be used to make colorful dots on paper. They can also be used in the more ... Continue Reading
Spring Printables Pack with more than 70 spring activities for kids!
It has been on my to do list to create a printables pack for each of the four seasons for a long time. My Winter Printables Pack was one of the first I created several years ago (although I have updated it a couple of times since then). And I did manage to put together a Fall Printables Pack late last year. Today, I am finally getting ... Continue Reading
Smash the puffy letters {101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet}
If you have a child that likes to punch, hit, and smash things, this is the activity is for you. The next installment in my 101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet Series is called Smash the Puffy Letters, and it gives active and kinesthetic kids a chance to smash, smoosh, and squeeze away while learning their letters. To make the puffy letters ... Continue Reading
Sight word tic-tac-toe
This year, my son is in first grade and my daughter is in kindergarten. Both are learning to read, which means we are thick in the middle of learning as many sight words as we can. I try to find fun and engaging ways to get them to practice their sight words. One idea I've tried capitalizes on their love of the game tic-tac-toe. See how we played ... Continue Reading
Making Alphabet Soup {101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet}
Since my kids were very little, I have involved them in helping me in the kitchen. (See my posts about kids in the kitchen here and here.) They have also long enjoyed pretend play with food, including baking me pizzas and birthday cakes that I pretend to love (or sometimes hate, depending on what "toppings" they decide to include). Since my ... Continue Reading
Honey taste testing activity to learn about bees
This honey taste testing activity was great fun for our whole family. It arose when we did our bee unit study last spring and learned a bit honey, including how and why bees make it. In a nutshell, the main food eaten by honey bees is nectar and pollen from flowers. However, bees in the larval stage eat honey. The worker bees in the ... Continue Reading
Bee Sudoku {free printable}
If your kids are studying bees and other insects this spring, I've got a fun new resource available to challenge their critical thinking skills: my Bee Sudoku Puzzles. These free and kid-friendly Sudoku printables are perfect for some insect-themed learning and fun. Note: You'll find more resources for learning about ... Continue Reading
Dot sticker uppercase and lowercase letter matching {101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet}
Have your kids gone through a sticker phase where they just love to peel and stick them everywhere? My kids certainly went through that phase. Although the sticker phase was great for developing fine motor skills, it did have certain drawbacks. . . like the fact that I was constantly peeling stickers off of surfaces where I didn't want them. ... Continue Reading
Make a beehive model from pattern blocks
Last spring my son took a real interest in learning about bees. My kids took a bee-themed class offered through our school district's homestudy program, and we did additional activities at home and in our community to learn about bees. One area of focus during our bee unit was the beehive. A beehive is a structure where bees live and raise ... Continue Reading
