printables

There may only be a few more days left until our Jack-O-Lanterns turn into lunch for the squirrels (if they haven’t already!), but the candy that my kids have collected this beautiful Halloween night will be around for days. Or …

Today we spent a few minutes doing one of our favorite back-to-school activities–one that gives my kiddos a chance to say a little ‘hello’ to their teachers even before they meet them at the Open House. A while after breakfast …

Maddy, Owen, and Cora have loved the Word a Day we’ve been doing for the past two weeks–more than I anticipated and much to my surprise.  It’s been funny to see which kiddo is the first to remember to flip …

me on the map: how to teach kids where in the world they live | circles to show where kids live on the planet, continent, country, state, city, street, home

Our very first day of the Smart Summer Challenge found us lazying around at home because Owen returned from swim and dive feeling really under the weather. So while he caught up on some telly and gave his body a …

Sometimes it’s very easy for teachers and parents to feel impatient with emerging readers. It’s hard to listen to kids sound out every word on a page and get through only five words a minute. It’s hard to know what …

With the end of the school year quickly approaching, we’re all getting antsy for summer. So I’ve had to be super crafty during our work time in order to keep Maddy, Owen, and Cora engaged and excited.  As I’ve said …

Simple addition math fact flash cards should have been made, used, and memorized months ago, but they weren’t, we didn’t, and Maddy hasn’t.  And I feel awful. Like foul shots in basketball, these basics are concepts that can be made …

Who doesn’t need to laugh a little more during this sometimes-way-too-stressful holiday season? I surely do–and there’s nothing like a super-corny, incredibly simple knock-knock joke to get me smiling and my kids rolling. And I mean rolling.  On the floor.  In …

      Holiday time is here, and things are sure to be nutty around our house–and everyone else’s–for the next few weeks. Although I know it’s going to be hard to sneak in a little bit of learning each …

super easy halloween treats | fun and quick halloween treats | boogers, chocolate frozen banana ghost, eyeballs and more | teachmama.com halloween party

20 fun ways to learn spelling words | sight word games | spelling word games | best ways to learn sight words | teachmama.com

lowercase letter hunt and sort | alphabet games | abc cards | lowercase letter games | early literacy | teachmama.com | amy mascott

Our summer took a crazy turn about two weeks ago when we learned that Maddy needed to have a tonsillectomy before the end of the summer. With just a few days to shove in all of our summertime fun, poor …

Today, on this rainy, cool, gray Monday, we rocked it with an oldie but goodie:Sunny-Rainy Grid Games. Or Rainy-Sunny Grid Games, depending on how you’re feeling or the weather outside. We’ve played this game before, but not for a while, …

Thank you, ABC Exercise Cards, for giving us a fun and burn-some-steam kind of activity this afternoon! After a rainy weekend and another rainy–but exciting!–morning at the College Park Aviation Museum with Owen’s class, I found that by the afternoon, …