advent activity calendar

As we put away our Thanksgiving decorations, our fall leaves, and our pumpkins today, Maddy asked repeatedly when we would start our "little toy" boxes that count down to Christmas.

We've used a Play Mobile calendar for the last two years, which the children love, but when I ran across a new idea in my most favorite-ever magazine, Family Fun, I had to try it.

It seems to be a more meaningful, soak-up-the-season kind of Advent Activity Calendar, and I'm already looking forward to starting it. C'mon, December. . .

• Advent Activity Calendar: The Advent Activity Calendar is a special calendar that has one holiday activity scheduled for each of the 24 days of Advent.
  

I printed two copies of the calendar; one I cut apart, and I put one square into each of the pockets of a big felt Advent countdown tree that I found at a local store for a few dollars last week. The other copy of the calendar I kept for reference in case we needed to make last-minute changes or activity switches.

Then, I downloaded a plain calendar template and added one activity for each day. I tried to jive it with events that were already on our calendar, like Maddy's birthday, our Polar Express event, and a few others.

Our sweet Advent Activity Calendar!

Our first-ever Advent Activity Calendar is here to download if you'd like. I did make some last-minute changes, but it's essentially the same as the picture. This new one includes decorating our Christmas tree (whew!).

Holiday activities like 'Put on your aprons and make cookies today!' and 'Watch a holiday DVD with friends' are on the calendar, as well as a reminder to drive around and look at neighborhood holiday lights.

I'm hoping that the day we drink a cup of hot cocoa and look at pictures of past Christmas holidays will help us to sit back and really appreciate the holiday season and that our before-bedtime holiday music dance party will be something the kids remember.

I also wanted to make sure we set aside time to empty our Give jars and deliver the money to the Salvation Army volunteers, to work on Holiday Notes for our family, and to deliver holiday sweets to our neighbors.

I loved this idea because unlike our other Advent calendar, this one involves us all--every day--in an activity that we'll all enjoy.

It's easy--for me, at least--to rush through the holiday season without really stopping to think about it, too, especially when I'm trying to keep up with three kids, only 5, 4, and 2 years old. Maybe this will slow us down a bit.

I anticipate making changes to the calendar each year, but for this year, this Advent Activity Calendar seems like it might work. Happy Holidays!

fyi:
If this doesn't work for your family, head over to my friends at ABC and 123; Katie and Katie have gathered a bunch of really awesome Advent ideas, and they're worth checking out!

And thanks a million to the Mischler family for sharing their Advent Calendar idea with Family Fun Magazine!

advent activity calendar

sorting sockies

Packing--even for a few fun nights away--sometimes completely exhausts me. Especially when I'm packing three little suitcases along with my own.

So I put Owen and Cora to work last week during Maddy's half day at school.

While I put aside the clothing they'd wear on our trip to Pennsylvania, they sorted socks. And sorted, and sorted, and sorted.

• Sorting Socks: I'm sure every family has this problem, and if they don't, I want to know their secret. But for us, the sock portion of everyone's drawers is just. . . nuts.
  

So on this day, I said to Owen and Cora, Okay, friends. if we want to be ready to go to Nanny and Pap's house for a few days, I really need your help. These sock drawers are an absolute mess. I need you two to put on your best sorting hats and help me organize these sad and lonely pairs of socks.

Then I dumped Owen's socks on the floor and showed them what I meant. I put four socks in a row, and then I searched for their matches. When I found one, I put it on top of its partner. I did this for each one, and then I told them to pick four socks that they could help find their friends.

Yikes! Owen's sad, unsorted socks

They each picked four socks and searched for their partners. When all four were matched, I folded them into a ball and put them aside, and they grabbed four more. If we couldn't find a match for one, we put it in the "lost sock" basket.

It was easy for them, and they had fun doing it. Sure, by the time we dumped Maddy's socks on the floor, they started griping and moaning, but we all worked together and sorted everyone's socks. And all the while, they were using their brains to figure out what to look for to find matches.

And, in the end, Cora and Owen were both happy to see their clean and organized sock drawers. Now, when I ask them to go and grab a pair of socks, they can do it easily--and they won't come downstairs with different sock for each foot. (Not that I mind; I'm just happy to see them with two socks on, but still. . . .)

Owen is four years old, and Cora is two; they are completely capable of helping me with this task, and I wonder why I didn't put them to work before now.

We've sorted everything under the sun--we've done crayon piece sorting, bead sorting, rhyme sorting, sound sorting, money sorting, candy sorting, color sorting, pop bead sorting, letter and number sorting, bean sorting, tricky letter font sorting, and toy sorting. Why not socks?

Sorting is worthwhile for so many reasons, but helping to keep their own rooms and drawers clean on top of it? We'll definitely be sorting socks more often around here; I like the kind of learning that helps to keep drawers and rooms clean on top of being a little bit fun.

sorting sockies

new for us friday: leapfrog tags!

A few weeks ago, my talented friend Amy from Resourceful Mommy connected me with the good people at Leap Frog, and I am so grateful that she did. We are a changed family.

I'm going to come clean here and admit that I have never been particularly fond of electronic toys for my children. Maddy and Owen do have those cool Fisher Price Kid Tough Cameras, we've dabbled in digital books, and we do frequent several (and I mean several) children's websites for learning and games.

We (gulp!) don't own a Wii, we don't have a Play Station or XBox, and our kids don't have hand-held video games. (I'm waiting for the lightening to strike. . . )

But when we gave our new Tag Reading Systems and Tag Junior System to Maddy, Owen, and Cora, our little family turned a new leaf. I am still amazed at how awesome these toys are.

This New For Us Friday , we're sharing our new-found love for our very, very new for us, LeapFrog toys.

• LeapFrog Tag and Tag Junior: Maddy and Owen received Tags, which are directed toward children ages 4-8 years, and Cora received a Tag Junior; the Tag Junior is geared toward younger children, ages 2-4 years.

Tag Reader, welcome to our familia.

For those, like me, who have been living in a cave, the Tag Reader is a wand that children use to touch the page of a specially printed Tag Book, and the words and pictures come to life. Seriously.

You can check out a demo of the Tag Reader System here, but essentially, kiddos can listen to the Tag book being read page by page or word by word, depending on what they want and depending on what icon they touch at the bottom of the page. They can even answer questions about the text, the pictures, or the story.

Maddy usually tries reading what she can by herself, and when she gets stuck, all she has to do is touch the wand to the challenging word, and the word is read for her. Then she can re-group, re-read, and move on. This totally supports that all-too important one-to-one correspondence that emerging readers need to understand when they're learning to read. It also makes self-monitoring, or making sure they understand what they're reading, easier for them. I love it.

Even more fun is that characters sing songs and parts of the setting and illustrations make sounds when readers touch them with the Tag wand. Owen's really loved trying to figure out what he needs to do to find the surprises on each page of each book. He also has loved listening to the books during his rest time.

One thing that Cora loves about her Tag Junior is that when she turns it on or off, it welcomes her or says goodbye with a personal message (Hello, Cora! or It's my friend, Cora!); hearing her own name when she begins or ends playing really gets her giggling.

I could go on even longer about how incredible the LeapFrog Learning Path is--each child's time spent reading books, scores for answering questions and specifics about the questions, and Skill Stones (or specific skills touched on with each book) are detailed. And this information can be emailed to you so you don't have to check the site if you don't want to.

Overall, here's the skinny on Tag Reader and Tag Junior:

We like:

• that it took me only minutes to learn how to download the audio for books onto the Tags. The site is easy to navigate, and the LeapFrog Connect is incredibly easy to understand (thank goodness!);

• the variety of books available--from books like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! and The Cat in the Hat to favorite Disney, Star Wars, and familiar cartoon characters books, and learn-to-read books, there seemed to be something for everyone;

• the reading voices, the songs, sounds, and clarity and overall quality;

• that readers can listen to each page read or each word;

• the size--Maddy, Owen, and Cora fit a few of their books and their Tag wands in their backpacks for our trip to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving, and they didn't weigh a ton;
  

• the questions and games at the end of each book and the surprises on each page;

• the Learning Path and Parents Community on the LeapFrog site.
  

We wish:

• that Maddy and Owen's Tags had a personal message (all kiddos love to hear their names, right?!);

• hmmmmm. . . I was going to mention the price, but now--especially--these Tags are affordable. The site is offering some major deals on shipping, and you could buy a Tag book for as little as $5. In fact, I'm going to hit the LeapFrog site now so that I can grab some Black Friday deals before the clock strikes twelve.

And that's it for a last-minute New For Us Friday after Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to getting back to our NFUF foods, activities, and events, but I also want to share some really worthwhile toys and games to explore before the holidays really get underway.

I'm always looking for new ideas, so if there's something you think we should try. . . let me know!


fyi: Thanks so much to LeapFrog for sending us these incredible products. We were given the Tag Readers, Tag Junior, and several books to try, but my opinion was in no way influenced by the LeapFrog company. It was, however, influenced by three little ones who just so happen to really, really, really enjoy their Tag Readers and one Reading Specialist mom who is impressed at a few little electronic toys that are fun and supportive of learning. Woo-hoo!

new for us friday: leapfrog tags!

trying to keep smiling: quick trick, holiday notes

It's so easy for our little ones (and even adults sometimes!) to lose sight of what the holiday season is all about.

So last year, when I saw this idea on a late-night, dvr'd Oprah, I knew I wanted to use it. With a little prompting, my family tried out Holiday Notes with both sides of the family.

Even though some interpreted the exchange a little differently, it was a success overall. Most have said they want to do it again, and with a little tweaking, hopefully it will become a worthwhile and cherished holiday tradition.

This Quick Trick is far from quick, but it's something that seemed to work well for us, so I thought I'd share.

• Holiday Notes: The idea behind Holiday Notes is that everyone takes a small amount of time to complete one of three different note cards for each member of the family. Over the holiday season--or at a holiday gathering--the notes are then delivered to each person's special box, envelope, or bag and is read at another time.
  

Since our immediate family presented both sides of our extended family with the idea, we made special Holiday Note Card boxes for each person--as our small gift. I picked up the small wooden bags at the craft store, and each maybe cost a dollar. Then over the course of two or three weeks, Maddy, Owen, Cora, and I worked on the bags.

First we painted all of them. Then we glitzed, beautified, and decorated. We added bows, glitter, sparkles, ribbon, sequins, feathers, and anything we wanted, trying to make each one special for every person in our family. After everything was dried, we added appropriate name tags.

Cora and Owen's bags

Then we sat down together and wrote short messages. And I mean short. The three Holiday Note Cards each begin a sentence, and the note cards are tiny.

All our personal messages do is complete the sentence. One note begins, What I love about you. . . The other is My holiday wish for you. . . , and the last one is Thank you for. . .

(The Holiday Note Cards can be downloaded here if you'd like.)

Sure, some notes were longer than others. Some messages turned out to be completely hysterical, and others were more sentimental. Some were really long, and others were just one sentence.

more note bags

Maddy and Owen (as a 4 and 3-year-old) were very excited about what we were doing. As we worked on the bags, I'd ask them what they wanted to thank their Nanny for or what they wished for their sweet cousin. I was often surprised at what they remembered (Maddy wanted to thank her Great Grandma for letting her "ice" her own bagels with cream cheese, and Owen loved his Great Grandma's great big loud laugh and wished that his Nana's cats weren't always hiding around her house).

We wrote Cora's for her because she was so young, but no one was too young to appreciate reading the notes that were written to them. We read them over and over and over. My husband and I both read and re-read our own notes from family members. Sometimes even a short note--one or two sentences--can mean so much.

We'll do these notes every year as an immediate family, and maybe the tradition will continue for a few years with our extended family--or maybe this will be the last year. It can become a lot to do when there are many people involved.

But for us, the act of sitting down together, really thinking about what we are thankful for, what we wish for for our loved ones, and what we love about them is what the holidays are all about.

Toys will come and go, but these notes--and the bonds they will help to create--we hope will last for years and years and years and years. Happy Holidays--

trying to keep smiling: quick trick, holiday notes

s- blends bingo time!

Blends are so tough for some kiddos to grasp, and my intention for working on s-blends with Owen was not to frustrate him; rather, I hoped to help him with his pronunciation of s-words.

We've played this S- Blend Bingo from Bear's Words Their Way (2004) many, many times since the summer, and finally--finally!--Owen told me he was going to ssssscchhool last Wednesday morning.

Not 'foool' like he had been saying. Nope. On Wednesday, the stars were aligned, my boy was ready, his mouth and his little muscles were ready, and something clicked!

He was able to say, without any prompting from me, 'school' correctly. Woo-hoo! He was so proud. And we danced and whooped it up all through breakfast.

So to celebrate--of course--we played S- Blend Bingo on Thursday afternoon. We had to. (And the weekend was so busy, I'm just sharing it now. . . )

• S- Blend Bingo: Months ago, I printed the S-Blend Bingo Game on cardstock like I do for most of our games, and I cut out the pieces. The game consists of boards with the s- blends in each square (sk, sw, sn, sp, sm, st, sl) and cards with pictures of s- blend words (spider, snail, snow, spoon, etc).
  

s-blend bingo cards

Sometimes when we play, we use the cool, red and green clear plastic bingo chips, and other times we use the glass beads, Cheerios, marshmallows, or Foamies. I try to mix it up.

Since my purpose was pronunciation, before we started this game, we went through all of the picture cards and took turns identifying them. The first few times we played, I would identify the picture, then I'd have Owen repeat it. I wouldn't correct him when he mispronounced words; I would just pronounce the word and have him try his best to say it.

s-blend bingo boards

So we'd play it like any bingo game--flip a card, identify the picture, and put the chip on the s- blend square on the board that matched the picture.

This was not an easy game for Owen, since it requires players to do three things: listen closely to the sound after the initial s- sound, identify the sound, and then mentally connect that sound to a letter. But we talked through it, laughed at the pictures and practiced making the sounds.

And that was it. We played a few times then Owen headed over to his Rescue Heroes to save the universe from another fire or earthquake.

Just another sneaky, teeny-tiny, little shot at learning and practicing for us, disguised as a game. Thanks again, Words Their Way!

s- blends bingo time!

the polar express and the bso

More than a few exciting events are scheduled for the holiday season here in the DC Metro area, and if you're anything like me, you can't handle but one packed day per weekend with little kids in tow.

That being said, I am totally psyched to share one event that will be new for us so that if you're interested in going, you can put it on your already-packed calendars now!

• The Polar Express: On December 5 at 11 am, our little familia will be experiencing The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, along with the Peabody Children's Chorus, bring to life one of our favorite holiday books.

Images from Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar Express will be projected onto the stage of the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall while the words "come to life through a full orchestra and a children's chorus." Seriously. How fun is that?!

And although it seems like the activity begins at 11, the BSO Family Fun Zone starts at 10 am in the Meyerhoff lobby. Numerous free, "age-appropriate" activities including Port Discovery Children's Museum interactive World Rhythm Drum Circus (woo-hoo!!) and the Maryland Zoo's ZOOmobile (eeeeeee!!) will be there. One thing that I know Maddy, Owen, and Cora will loooove is the Instrument Petting Zoo--how cool?!--and face painting.

All this before they attend their very first symphony!? It's hard to imagine, but it's on the calendar, in pen, and we're already looking forward to it. After Thanksgiving, I'll bring out our holiday book box, do a few good re-reads of The Polar Express, and start talking about instruments and orchestras to get my little ones ready.

the amazing, talented, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Want tickets? Want more information? Here's the skinny:

• The Polar Express--Family Concert: For ages 4 and up and their families

• Saturday, December 5 at 11:00 am--Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

• Doors open at 10:00 am for BSO Family Fun Zone

• Mei-Ann Chen, conductor; Andre McRae, baritone; Peabody Children's Chorus--Doreen Falby, Director; The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

• Tickets: range from $12 to $20 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 877.BSO.1444, 410.783.8000, or BSOmusic.org
  

This teachmama is super excited to spend the day at the Meyerhoff on December 5th. Talk about some real-life learning ahead!

What I learned, at an event held at the Meyerhoff in September with a number of other local bloggers (when we saw Time For Three perform with the BSO--and oh my goodness, it was awesome!), is that there is something for everyone at the BSO. Seriously, their family program and shows for younger audiences is something really worth exploring.

fyi: We are extremely thankful for the opportunity to attend The Polar Express at the Meyerhoff on December 5th. The kind people at the BSO are gifting us our tickets in exchange for us sharing information about the event with our friends and teachmama readers. Hopefully we'll see some of you there!

the polar express and the bso

poem, poem, the cookie jar poem

For the last few days, Maddy has been bouncing around the house, reciting poems from her kindergarten class.

Lately, she's taken to "The Runaway Cookies" which is a seven-stanza poem about naughty cookies who escaped from their cookie jar one night.

The cool thing about this poem, thanks to her teacher, is that it was sent home with all of the poem's pieces so that she, or someone else, can act out her poem as she reads.

It's awesome, and poem-recitation (or memorization--it doesn't matter!) is a great tool for emerging readers.

• Runaway Cookies: This poem, and a few others, was sent home with Maddy a few weeks ago. "The Runaway Cookies" is from Paul Anderson's Storytelling with the Flannel Board (gasp! 1963), and although the poem and characters are almost 50 years old, the story is timeless.
  

The poem, "The Runaway Cookies," the cookie jar, and the gingerbread man, bunny, lamb, duck, and bear are here to download. (Click on the poem title.)

The reason I went through the trouble of re-typing the poem and scanning the sheets is because I knew I didn't have the patience to create felt characters; for me, printing out the pieces onto cardstock and having Maddy color them and cut them out saved me time and gave her some ownership over her precious cookies.

the poem and poem pieces before they're cut out

After I printed out the pieces, Maddy colored her cookies, and I attached the cookie jar lid to the cookie jar with a tiny gold fastener. That way, when she reads the poem and has the cookies jump out, she just opens the lid and it stays open.

We cut out the pieces, and whoever is nearby while Maddy's reading the poem gets to act out the poem. Like any flannel board--or felt board--story, it comes to life when the cut-out cookies can actually move and jump along with the words.

Maddy's coloring her naughty cookies.

Sure, at this point, after twenty or so readings, it's mostly memorization, but when emerging readers can re-read familiar texts, they get to work on fluency--reading the words smoothly, accurately, and with proper expression while understanding what they're reading (National Reading Panel Report, 2006).

Here's a little more about why poem reading--and re-reading--is muy importante:

Poem reading is a fantastic way to help emerging readers increase their fluency and confidence in reading. Pat Cunningham recommends that teachers read a poem to students first, pointing out the words on a big chart as they go. After children learn to "say, chant, or sing it," the progression to reading is a natural one. Children soon develop the "of course I can read" self-confidence once they see the words of the poem on big chart paper or on a handout. (Phonics They Use: Words for Reading and Writing, 2000).

We're already seeing this confidence in Maddy as she prances around reciting her poem. It's seriously awesome and makes this teacher-mama smile--big.

poem, poem, the cookie jar poem