6-8 years

    I’m always on the hunt for fun ways to keep my kids engaged and interested and thinking creatively. And when I find something that works, and it’s unplugged, creative fun, it’s a serious win. Today after school, while …

Once your kids hit elementary school, things get a little bit crazy. All of a sudden, your kids actually need to be at school on time. All of a sudden, you’re buried under a mountain of papers, fliers, and notices. …

        I’ve always tried to make a big deal about certain text features when we see them in fiction that we’re reading, especially bold and italics. I’m cool like that. There’s something about bold and italics that …

Originally published 12/7/09 but republished today because, well, it’s worth it–   When I first started teaching, in order to make ends meet, I ran several after-school activity clubs at an elementary school near the high school where I taught. …

Everyone needs a little positive affirmation once in a while. Everyone.  Countdown’s on for the new school year, so I’ve been at work making a new set of lunchbox love notes. In the past, we’ve covered joke notes, we’ve covered …

I’ve said this before: June and July are crazy for us with our busy swim and dive schedules. So honestly, any downtime my kids can get, I’m totally thankful for. Even when Maddy, Owen, and Cora are not at practice, they …

The following Rockstar Sunday guest post is written by one of the coolest gals on the planet, Becky Morales.  Becky is a mom, teacher, and creator of Kid World Citizen, where she shares activities that ‘help young minds go global’. …

This post about getting reluctant readers to love reading is written by Ali Dent of Courage on the Edge of Tomorrow. Thank you, Ali, for this incredible post! ____________________ Getting Kids to Love Reading with a Literacy Club–LITClub, by Ali Dent Reading doesn’t …

This post about fun with food and fractions is written by Jen of Beyond Traditional Math. Hopefully after reading it, you’ll never look at food quite the same! Thank you, Jen, for your time, effort, and expertise! ____________________ Fractions with …

    We are gearing up for a Disneyland adventure, and to prepare our family, we’re rocking some Disneyland fun fact lunchbox notes.Actually, these little fun facts are perfect not only for lunchboxes–but they work just about anywhere! I’m a …

The following sweet, springtime guest post is written by the incredibly creative mom and teacher, Kristina Buskirk, of Toddler Approved.  Toddler Approved is a must-read. Even though my babies are well beyond toddlerhood, I still read Kristina’s blog because it’s top …

      Lent is here. And this year, rather than have Lent be a time when my kids complain and moan because they can’t have dessert every night, I wanted it to be a more meaningful time of the …

I have been as sick as a dog–sick as a dawwwwg— for the past few days, but today I had a little spring in my step because it was National Grammar Day. And this old gal, though she may have …

      It’s been busy here for the last few days, with our insane weather and with FutureCity, Toy Fair, and National Center for Families Learning Summit all in the last week. But somewhere in between all of this …

It’s been snowing a whole lot over here for the last few weeks, and in fact, this week, about 15 inches of the white stuff were dumped on us. So this mama has had to pull out the stops when …

Cora has really been into playing math games lately. That’s right. Math games. I love it. Like while Maddy and Owen are doing their homework, all my littlest one wants to do is math. So I’m doing what I can …

The snow and freezing cold temps has cause my three kids to be on energy overload lately. They need to burn steam. They need to run, jump, skip, hop, spin, and then do it all again. They need to loosen …

I love the idea of doing some sort of service project for the community to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy.  Imagine how great the world would be if every family did something small for others to celebrate Martin Luther …

The following guest post is written by Natalie, of Afterschool for Smarty Pants.   Natalie shares ways she enriches her daughter’s learning at home, after school.  Check it out. —————————— As you can guess from my blog title, Smarty is a …