Sustainable & Creative Living
Halloween is just around the corner and I’m getting excited for a day filled with fun activities, games, and dressing up of course. We like to make pizzas and decorate cookies (pre-made of course) in preparation for a night of dress-up and make-believe. In addition to some of the crafts I have planned, I’m adding this Kindergarten Halloween Worksheet Pack. [Read more…]
For early readers, like my 5-year-old, letters and beginning letter sounds are the foundation for reading. I have found that for my little one when he practices writing his letters, it also helps activate and reinforce the method of memorizing the sounds each letter makes. This free printable- Roll and Write Letter Practice- is a fun activity that not only helps your early reader develop their writing skills needed for reading. [Read more…]
To celebrate this Memorial Day, I set the school books aside for a little bit and took some time to make this Memorial Day Wind Blower with my 5-year-old. Crafts or hands-on activities are a great way to teach your little ones about the meaning of such important holidays in a fun and creative way. This particular craft is easy for kids and [Read more…]
We’re back at it again this week with some more digraph practice. These practice posters and sorting activities have really helped my little one identify the different digraphs and the sounds they make. If you’re a homeschool parent-teacher or kindergarten teacher you know how difficult the task of reading can be for a child. There’s a lot to cover when teaching a child to read, including letter sounds, letter recognition, blends, vowels, digraphs, sight words, and CVC words. This fun Digraphs WH, WR, PH Printable Pack includes [Read more…]
If you’re a homeschool parent-teacher or kindergarten teacher you know how difficult the task of reading can be for a child. Letter sounds, letter recognition, blends, vowels (long and short), digraphs, sight words, CVC words, soft c— it’s a lot, even for me to wrap my head around. And I know how to read! This fun Digraphs SH, TH, CH Printable Pack includes 3 posters and a sorting activity to practice with. [Read more…]
If you’ve got a little one in preschool or kindergarten through second grade, then you know the struggle with teaching sight words. I’m always trying to come up with new and creative ways to try and reduce the repetitiveness of teaching sight words to my very non-interested 5-year-old. Flashcards are great, and in a pinch, I might fall back on them, but I try not to rely on them. I like to incorporate as many hands-on and creative learning when it comes to sight words, which is why this activity, Sight Word Practice with Magnetic Letters, [Read more…]
DIY sensory bins and motor development games are some of my favorite ways to help my son explore his 5 senses. They’re great for helping him develop the skills he needs to learn how to use his hands and fingers. I have a closet full of Dollar Tree bins that I’ve turned into fun and interactive sensory bins. This Spider Search- Fine Motor Development Game is a festive way to enjoy the [Read more…]
Learning to recognize sequences and patterns is an important part of beginning math skills. Even the simplest form of patterning can help a child learn and develop the skills they will need to master math concepts like times tables and addition. There are many ways to help your preschooler develop these skills without spending a lot of money. One of mine and my son’s favorite ways to practice learning sequences and patterns is with [Read more…]
I was inspired to do this DIY Rock & Gem Mining Activity by a recent mini-golf outing with my family. It’s a fun activity that can be put together fairly cheap and done over and over again. The hands-on experience of discovering buried treasures like gemstones, rocks, shells, fossils, and shark teeth is a great beginner science activity for preschoolers and Kindergarteners to learn about [Read more…]
The Fizzing Rainbow Baking Soda Experiment is a fun and simple experiment for kids of all ages. It’s a great beginner science activity for preschool or Kindergarteners to learn about chemical reactions and colors.
What you will need for your Fizzing Rainbow Baking Soda Experiment is [Read more…]
Now that I’ve finished teaching my 3 year old son the alphabet (it took the whole latter part of last year), I’ve started the new year off with a lesson plan that covers a spectrum similar to a preschool classroom. Being that I still bring J to work with me everyday, I do my very best to stick to a lesson plan that I outline each Sunday night. It covers writing/spelling/reading, math, science, logic/thinking, and my two flex subjects- fine motor skills and [Read more…]
It’s a new year and that means it’s also back to the grindstone, as mom always says. With Christmas and New Years, it feels like months since I’ve been on a normal schedule with J. The past 6 months I’ve been consumed with letter of the week crafts and activities, finishing letter z the week before Christmas. We took the next 2 weeks off but we’re back at it and coming in strong this new year with phone number practice. This is what you need to know about [Read more…]
If you’ve read some of my recent posts, you know I’ve been kind of obsessed with sensory bins and fine motor development games. Both are great ways to help children explore and stimulate the 5 main senses. At the same time, they can help develop the skills needed to learn how to use [Read more…]
