All year long, things are changing. Daylight hours increase and decrease. Temperatures get hotter and then colder. Plants sprout leaves and then shed them. Our annual cycle includes many notable changes throughout the seasons that observant children will begin to notice. Below are several books about the seasons designed to teach children from ... Continue Reading
The floating egg {hands-on density experiment}
Have you ever noticed that it is easier to float in the ocean than in a swimming pool? The reason for this has to do with the difference in density between pool water and salt water. Simply put, salt water is more dense than pool water. But what does this mean? Density is defined as mass per unit of volume. More casually, we can say that ... Continue Reading
Kid-friendly apple treats
Every year our family heads out to a local organic u-pick apple orchard. One year I wasn't paying close enough attention and my kids picked so many apples that before I knew it our family had collected more than $90 worth of apples. Yikes! But even when we don't go quite so crazy, we always have so many apples that I get inspired to find some ... Continue Reading
Apple sensory play ideas
When my children were in preschool I made an effort to engage them in as much sensory play as I could. I regularly created new sensory bins and we made oobleck and play dough and flubber on a regular basis. Sensory play is crucial for children's brain development. It develops fine motor skills, language skills, and creativity. Sensory play ... Continue Reading
Knights and Dragons Sudoku {free printables}
Not too long ago my kids were in a musical theater production of The Marshmallow Incident. They both played knights and had such a good time taking on the role. Since then, they've shown more interest in knights and dragons and tales from the time period when being a knight was a prestigious honor and jousting tournaments were common. I decided ... Continue Reading
Fall Toddler Skills Pack
Early fall is one of my favorite times of the year. The weather is still nice but the days aren't quite as ridiculously hot as in the summer. The large oak tree in our back yard begins to drop acorns like crazy, and tons of squirrels run about collecting them. Fall is also a time for apple picking and corn harvesting and pumpkin pie. It's ... Continue Reading
20+ apple crafts for kids to make this fall
Apple season is almost here! To get you in the right frame of mind for this year's apple harvest, I have collected more than 20 awesome apple crafts your kids will enjoy making this fall. Note: For more apple activities, see my Apple Unit Study page. Check out more than 20 awesome apple craft ideas below. These crafts use ... Continue Reading
Can you save Fred?
Can You Save Fred? is a classic activity that has been done in classrooms across the world many, many times. At the end of this past school year I held a small STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) class for a group of homeschoolers, and one of the activities we did was Can You Save Fred? This is a cooperative activity that ... Continue Reading
Transportation Toys Toddler Skills Pack
Raise your hand if you are currently - or have ever been - the parent, teacher, or caregiver of a young child who is obsessed with cars, trucks, diggers, planes, or trains. (*raises hand*) My son went through HUGE a train phase when he was little. My daughter never quite shared her brother's obsession with trains but did own a Percy train car ... Continue Reading
Flower bouquet made with wet chalk and sandpaper
When doing art with my kids, I love to explore new media. While we have used chalk to draw on our sidewalk. . . and we've used sandpaper to make wood smooth. . . we had never used chalk and sandpaper together to create art. Fortunately, this flower bouquet project gave us the opportunity to make beautiful art with wet chalk and ... Continue Reading
