Sustainable & Creative Living
Back-to-school season can be exciting for most children, but for some kids, it can also bring feelings of worry, overwhelm, or sensory overload. Whether it’s test anxiety, social stress, or just a need to fidget while focusing, school-friendly fidget toys can be a great way to help calm anxious kids and support self-regulation in the classroom.
Timeline projects are a fun and creative way to present information about a subject. They can be used for a family tree, a school history project, or an all-about-me presentation. My son has a history project coming up on Abraham Lincoln and he wanted a unique way to display his history timeline so I created this Abraham Lincoln Timeline Template for him to fill out. Now, it’s available for you to download too!
It’s TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK! Today we’re sharing this super cute and fun DIY Crayon Wreath that you and your child can make together to give to your favorite teacher.
If you have kids in school or you’ve ever homeschooled your kids, helped with homework, reading, and projects, then you’ve almost always thanked God (under your breathe, of course) that they’d be going back to school the next day. Or when you’re struggling to teach your kid something you don’t even understand yourself, you’ve almost always thrown your hands up and said (to yourself, of course) “your teacher can show you how to do this!” [Read more…]
After a little break, we’re back at it again practicing digraphs. I’ve created practice posters and sorting activities that 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 QU, KN, CK Printable Pack includes [Read more…]
If you’re like me and most of the women I know, you’ve got a lot going on all the time! With so much going on, it isn’t always easy to focus on the task at hand, even with the best of intentions. Because of this, I’m always looking for tips and tricks to help me be more focused and, in turn, more productive. These 5 ways to increase the power of focus are simple practices that have helped me sharpen this skill.
Sensory bins are a great way to help children explore, develop, and stimulate the 5 main senses. When a child plays with a sensory bin, they are able to touch, feel, and even talk about the different materials they are discovering. Sensory bins can help develop and improve focus and concentration skills in a way that is far superior to average plastic toy play. While playing with sensory bins your child can also learn to [Read more…]
If you’re looking for some fun-filled crafts and activities for teaching your toddler the letter B, check out some of my ideas below in this Letter B Lesson Plan for preschoolers. I use the letter of week strategy to help teach my son the alphabet. Each day I follow a letter specific lesson plan, which you can print for free, and incorporate sensory and fine motor play to engage his senses. So far, it has been going great and little by little he gets more excited to learn his letters.
Reading, crafts, sensory, and fine motor play are all great ways to engage a toddler or preschooler when teaching the alphabet. [Read more…]
When I first started thinking about teaching my 2 and-half-year-old son the alphabet, I thought the easiest approach would be to just sing the ABC song over and over and he’d eventually catch on. Wrong. He couldn’t even stand to hear me sing the ABC song let alone sing it over and over again. I’d get about 5 letters in and I’d hear my sweet boy say, “Mommy stop, stop singing!” Ugh! After being thoroughly offended for about 2 minutes, I had to think of a different approach. I decided to try using the Letter of the Week strategy and after about 4 weeks he was hooked on letters and singing his ABC’s anywhere and everywhere! My favorite is when he sings at the top of his lungs while we’re in the stall of a public restroom…it makes my heart smile every time! [Read more…]
One of the issues I struggle with most in my life is a balance. I often say I want more of it, and yet I often take on more projects and new responsibilities. I know that I really don’t want to do less—I want more time to do more things. Obviously, since I will never have more than 24 hours in a day, I try to be more efficient.
Summer is coming to close and school is back in session (at least here in Florida) and we’re all excited about it.
While I haven’t been in school for years, “school” supplies are still my favorite thing ever. I guess you could also call it stationary and office supplies. At my corporate finance job, we were obsessed with office supplies. We were always buying new sticky notes, notebooks, pens, and anything else we could find for each other. This year I had at least 3 new planners.
I think anyone who shares the obsession understands why back to school is fun for everyone, not just students.
It’s back to school for kids across the country. While this may be an exciting time for most, it’s also stressful for many kids. Why? Because there are countless families who can’t afford the basics when it comes to the dreaded back to school supplies list. Many children aren’t equipped with the basics: backpacks, pens, pencils, paper, and binders. According to Adopt a Classroom.org, K-12 teachers spend [Read more…]
Kids aren’t the only ones heading back to school these days. More than ever, adults are also heading back to the classroom. Adults usually have a variety of reasons for wanting to further their education which includes increasing their income, strengthening job security, or switching careers. Some want to become better educated, more informed people with broader horizons. Others, like me, need a change.
I decided to finish my bachelor’s degree in American Studies two years ago not long after having a kidney transplant. I wanted to make the most of my renewed health and pursue my goal of becoming a writer, but I had a sneaking suspicion that the workload of wife, mom, and a small business owner would take over my life again. So I decided to shake things up. [Read more…]
