all about beans friday

My plan today was to spend some time solo with Cora, but we got lucky, and Owen ended up being with us for the morning, too. I wanted Cora to work on her hand-eye coordination a bit and stretch her senses while playing with dried beans--feeling the textures, filling containers, and making a mess on my already "screaming for a scrub" kitchen floor. She so loves the sandbox that I was sure she'd enjoy running her tiny fingers through these today.

• Beans: I had these in a bag from last spring when I thought we'd plant ourselves a bean garden (what?!). We did use some, and the kids had fun watching them grow, but we certainly didn't need a HUGE bag of them. Lucky I did keep them, though, because they helped make this morning more exciting for not one, but two of my little ones.
  

I poured about half of the bag onto a plastic tray for Owen, and the other half I poured on Cora's tray. Then I gave them both a couple of pieces from the play kitchen set we have--some plastic measuring spoons, the bottoms of baby bottles, some cups, bowls, and a mini muffin pan. And they just played. And played, and played, and played some more.

I tried to initiate a sort using the muffin tin (hey--muffin tin might be great for crayon bits or beads!), but they both lost interest after a short while. They were really engaged, and their experimenting with filling and emptying, lining and scattering, was working their senses and brains more than we know.

This is definitely an activity for a time when you already need to break out the broom, because, sure, there were dried beans on the floor, but at this point in my life I've surrendered myself to the fact that my house will never be spotless, and it will always be desperate for a good cleanin'.

However, spring is around the corner, so it would also be a great activity for outside, too. And you might end up with an unexpected bean garden a few weeks later. TGIF--and that was our learning for today!

spider-man activity book makeover

One of our local drugstores was almost giving coloring books away a few days back, so I picked up a few. This morning before we headed off to open gym, we had a few minutes, so I brought out three. Maddy and Cora got right to coloring, but the The Amazing Spider-man book I picked up for Owen was more of an activity book than a coloring book--it had mazes, word searches, tic-tac-toe boards--all of which were great but were too tough for a 3 year old. So, we made up our own activities, and here's how we gave Owen's Spider-man Activity Book a Makeover:

• Word Search: Maybe with some guidance, Owen could have searched for and circled words like "Octavius, Tentacles, Evil Mind, and Criminal (who writes these books??!), but I didn't have the energy today to explain what these words meant, let alone have my boy find them in a puzzle.

Instead, I wrote OWEN on the side of the page and had Owen go through the letters and circle the letters of his name. I modeled for him: Hey! this looks like an awesome game. Let's do it. First we're going to look through each line of letters for the special letters in your name. Look at this line of letters. (I slowly used my marker to go through the line.) O, O, O, where is an O? Here's one! I'm going to circle it. I went through all the lines, then when I was finished, I put a check by the O in Owen on in the margin. I started with W then handed the marker to him. He circled all of the W's he could, then put a check next to it. He did the same thing for E and N.

He had such a fun time with this little game, he did another puzzle searching for MADDY and another searching for CORA. Sure, it's not the correct way of doing it, but it worked for him. Not to mention that he worked on making circles and check marks along the way. This could be done using any word search at all--and any words you choose to write in the margins.

• Tic-Tac-Toe: Thank goodness this was included in the book. We played this one old-school style, just by making x's and o's in the boxes. What an easy and great game to get children writing and to have them begin to learn strategy! Thank you, Marvel!

• Squares: I forget the real name for this game, but this book called this game 'Goblin Squares' or 'Electro Squares'. Taking turns, people make a line connecting two dots (or, lightening bolts or pumpkins or whatever) and try to make a square; the person who completes a square puts their initial in that box. The guy with the most boxes wins. So we ditched the said rules, but I challenged Owen to make as many squares as he could. That's it. And then when he was finished with the square, he had to put a letter O in it to "own" it. The simple connecting of dots and practicing his letters can only be beneficial, and taken a step further, next time he can put letters to words in the boxes he creates, or shade the boxes in to create pictures.
  

Just a teeny-tiny bit of learning this morning, disguised as Spider-man activity book fun. . .

trying to keep smiling: quick trick, one finger

One finger.

One finger.

Oooooonnneee finger.

When my sisters and I were little, my mom said this to us a lot. At gift stores, department stores, at the bank, in my grandparents' fancy-schmancy living room, around anybody's decorated Christmas tree, wherever we were where the things that we wanted to touch might break if we actually did, she said this.

And I have totally stolen this idea from mi madre. I use it all the time with my little ones, and (most of the time) it works.

Instead of constantly screaming, No! No! Don't touch! No, no, no! How many times have I told you? No! Do NOT touch anything here!, getting my children in the habit of touching things with their teeny tiny pointer finger in a gentle way lets them do just that--have a teeny tiny touch of something they might break if they grab or pat it.

Of course, it takes practice, and of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but like most of my Quick Tricks, it's just something to keep up your sleeve for those times you feel like a broken record or when you need 10 more minutes to get through the checkout.

Thanks, Mom, for this one and for a gazillion other tricks you've given me to help keep me sane!

rhyming and sorting, sorting and rhyming

Owen and I had a tiny bit of quiet time together yesterday while Cora was napping and Maddy had lunch at preschool, so he and I read, played cars, and did a few Rhyme Sorts together. Today, Owen took over and taught Maddy what he and I did yesterday. It was pretty awesome.

fyi: Rhyme Sorts are simply pictures of rhyming words on cards that students sort into rhyme families. I have three groups of Rhyme Sorts that I used today and yesterday--one sort has 2 different rhyme sounds, another has 3, and the last has 5 rhymes. All of the materials are from Bear's Words Their Way. . . (2004) but can be made very easily by using clip art, cut-outs from magazines, etc.

• Rhyme Sort: We've done several Beginning Sound Sorts since our first one, but Owen hadn't rocked those like he did this Rhyme one. He grabbed the sort with 3 rhyme sounds first, so we went with that one. Here's what we did--

First we laid out all the cards and figured out what the pictures were. He immediately grabbed two cards--key and tree--and put them together. Key and tree rhyme. They go together, he said. I really let him move through the cards on his own, and when he found two other pictures, cry and fry, he put them together as well. When he came across bee, he looked confused.

I then moved the rhyme groups into columns: It looks like we have more than two words that rhyme. Let's put them in a column together so that we can see all the pictures that have rhyming sounds. We moved through the other pictures, and when we came across the third rhyme sound, bell, we made a third column. Eventually we had three groups: bell, yell, smell, shell, well; cry, pie, tie, fry, fly; tree, bee, key, three.

We repeated the rhymes out loud several times together, pointing to each picture as we went, then Owen did it himself. Then he totally mixed up all three columns and said he wanted to do it again. (That was great--not what I planned, but it just meant more practice for him!)

After some help getting through the 3-rhyme sort for the second time, Owen picked up the 5-rhyme sort. He had the hang of it by now, so with some guidance by me, he worked it out. The last one was easy--just a 2-rhyme sort. He insisted on doing this one, too.

So today, when I suggested we try the Rhyme Sorts again, Owen jumped up, grabbed the bag, and could barely contain his excitement as he explained to Maddy how to do a Rhyme Sort. He loved being the teacher, and so began their learning for today. . .

one of these things . . .

For the short window of time we were not running off to church, fixing a leaky pipe in our basement, and getting our house in order for the week, we played an old favorite that takes little to no prep at all--One of These Things is Not Like the Other.

• One of These Things: After we had made some sense of the wreck that was our living room this morning, I pulled out the 'mixed toys' bin and placed four objects on the ottoman in front of my kiddos. I started simple and pulled out four little plastic toys and said, Okay, my smart little friends, here I have a cow, a sheep, a donkey, and a fish. Which one does not belong with the others?

Maddy blurted out, The fish! The fish! It's the fish! I asked her to tell me why, and she said, The other guys live on a farm, and the fish lives in water. That's why the fish is different. Okay, so she clearly got it. Then Owen said, And the fish doesn't have feet. The other guys walk on feet. I praised them both for using their brains, told them they were both right.

I took out four more toys. All right, here I have a doll, a donkey, a duck, and a car. Listen to how the words sound as I say them: dddoll, dddonkey, ddduck, and cccar. Which one of these things does not belong?

They stopped for a minute to think, and I added, Think about the beginning sounds of each of these words.

Then Maddy decided that it was the car because it started with a 'c' and the other things started with a 'd'. Maddy understood the difference but Owen was insistent on focusing on physical differences (which made the group I picked tough). I tried another sound difference using a snake, a square, a spoon, and a bug. Again, Maddy easily distinguished the sound difference but Owen was searching for something else: You eat with a spoon and can't eat with the other guys! Hey, it wasn't what I was thinking, but he was right.

After I did another set, Maddy wanted to pick the objects, and that was fine with me; she actually played the teacher twice, then Owen wanted to try. When we (Brent, Cora, and I) got stumped on how the objects connected, they would say, Think about (whatever). . . to give us a clue as to what they were thinking. Some groupings were stretches, some were very clever, and some needed some tweaking, but we all agreed it was a fun way to pass a tiny bit of the morning together.

This is an easy game that can be played so many different ways--with random toys (like we did), with magnetic letters, with words on cards, with things out in your backyard. It goes back to the whole sorting and categorizing idea that I go back to so many times because it is just that important and can fit learning into almost any situation:

Categorizing is the fundamental way that humans make sense of the world. It allows us to find order and similarities among various objects, events, ideas, and words that we encounter.

Bear, D.R., Invirnezzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnson, F. (2003). Words Their Way: Word study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling instruction, 3rd edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Publishers.

puzzles and more puzzles

This morning we did puzzles. This afternoon we did puzzles. And this evening we did puzzles. For some reason, my children were all in a puzzle-frenzy today. Puzzles were done and re-done, and pieces seemed to be everywhere all day long.

For fear of sounding like a Melissa and Doug commercial, here's my disclaimer: I do not work for this company. It just so happens that they make really fantastic products, and every friend and family member--myself included--seems to buy these items for my family. No joke.

Here are some of our favorite puzzles:

• Jumbo ABC Chunky Puzzle: This is one of the first puzzles I ever bought for my children, so it's seen some wear and tear. However, like all of these puzzles, it's holding up remarkably well. I've used this one not only with each one of my kiddos a gazillion times, but I have also taken it to my tutoring sessions with younger students. It's awesome because the letter pieces fit perfectly in small hands, and the pictures that go along with each letter are familiar and friendly. Another cool thing about this one is that the letters stand up, so Maddy and Owen like to spell simple words with them then mix the letters up and start again.

• Vehicles in a Box Puzzle: This is one of Owen's favorites. It has four separate puzzles in the same box. Each puzzle is stored in a separate compartment in the box, and the pieces are shape-coded so kids can sort them easily. For a little guy who likes both things that go and things that go back perfectly to where they belong, this puzzle is perfect for my boy.

• Huge USA Floor Map Puzzle: I love when I see this one out on our floor, because I am far from a geography expert; another goal I have for my children is that they have a more solid background in geography than I. So, for a children's 50-piece USA map puzzle, this one totally rocks. The pieces are thick and sturdy, and while doing it, children are learning the 50 states! Each state has a tiny picture of something state-related, so the visual associations that Maddy and Owen make with the states sparks conversation and helps them understand more about our country.

• Magnetic Car Puzzle Game: Cora has recently begun to use this one more often, because she's realizing how she is learning to control things better as she's growing. This puzzle has a tow truck piece with a magnet on the end of a string which puzzle-doers use to pick up the other 'broken-down' car pieces on the board. The colors, like every other one of these puzzles, are bright but simple, and the car shapes give Cora just enough challenge to keep her engaged without being frustrating.

• Farm Cube Puzzle: This is a newer one for us, and it seems to be the most challenging for Maddy and Owen. It's actually six puzzles in one set, and each side of every cube is part of a picture of a farm animal. The secret is the border of each cube; in order to complete the puzzle, the borders must match.
  

On top of these, Maddy, Owen, and Cora did a bunch of the peg puzzles and several other huge jigsaw floor puzzles that we have accumulated over the years. Maddy also rocked two Fancy Nancy 100-piece jigsaws during her rest time. Holy puzzles!

Don't get me wrong--we do have puzzles from other companies and other brands--but no other children's toy brand seems to have so many brothers, sisters, and cousins under our roof. It's one, big, happy M & D learning-while-they're-doing-them puzzle family! Owen put it best--today, they were puzzle artists!

white board writing

For some reason, all of the students I have ever worked with have always loved using dry erase markers and white boards, and the same has proven true with my own little students, right here under my roof. Maybe it's the novelty, maybe it's the ease with which the letters and marks erase with a tissue, or maybe it's just that they're different; whatever the reason is, Maddy, Owen, and Cora were little dry erase artists this morning.

• White Board Fun: I still had the dry erase markers out from our recipe check-off yesterday, so I pulled out a few of the ole white boards. I just had my kiddos doodle around on their boards for a long while, then while Maddy and Owen were writing, erasing, writing more, erasing more, I worked with Cora on pronouncing words.
  

With Cora, I'd draw two simple pictures--a fish and a heart--and say, Cora tell me what this is (point to an object) or this is (point to the other). She'd point to one and say it as best as she could. Sometimes she'd say both words; sometimes she'd say only one. I tried not to correct her; rather, I'd simply repeat it the way it should be pronounced adding the color that I drew it in. After she said a word correctly, I'd say, Yes! You're right! That's a (color) (object)! Then I'd erase that picture and draw another. If she didn't point to one after a while, I'd point to it myself and say, This is a tree. A green tree. We did this for a while--until my bank of simple pictures was repeated several times and exhausted. Then I handed her the marker, and she got drawing.

With Owen, I drew an 'x' and an 'o' at the top of two columns on his board. I asked him to make 3 of each in the columns then circle the one he thought was his best. We did this with each of the colors of markers (green, blue, red, and black). Then I put a square and a triangle at the top of the columns to see if he could handle those. For the first two, I put a dot at each of the corners so he could connect them. He did the last ones on his own. He'd again circle his best. The progressive practicing of these shapes will prepare him for writing letters and numbers. (Handwriting Without Tears--2005, Olsen)

Maddy wants to read and write desperately, so I really let her take the reins. She asked me how to spell several words for a story she was writing, so I did just that. However, I used the methods outlined in Guiding Readers and Writers (2001 Heinemann)--more of a cooperative writing than me just spelling words for her.

• She asked, How do I spell 'goldfish', and I would guide her through it, writing the word on my own sheet as we went along. I'd say, Let's think about this. Goldfish. GGGoldfish. What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word? Right, a 'g'. (We'd both write the letter.) Then if I thought she could distinguish the sound, I'd help her sound it out; if it was a difficult vowel, blend, or silent letter, I'd write it myself and tell her as I wrote it.
  

At this point, beginning and ending sounds are easiest to distinguish for learners at Maddy's stage. Segmenting middle sounds and vowels are more difficult. If she wanted to write a word or series of words without my help, I let her--any sort of attempt at writing should be encouraged and praised.

Voila! There was our white board excitement and bit of learning for today!

recipe-reading: let's make muffins!

Today, we mixed up the way we usually make muffins--and we make them a LOT around here. Usually my little bakers stand on their chairs, aprons on (I honestly cannot resist!), waiting for instructions; however, today I put the recipe in their little hands and had my future Chef Duff's/ emerging readers run the show (or try to, at least!).

• Reading to Perform a Task--Muffin Making: All I did before we aproned-up today was change the layout of the recipe that we usually use to make banana muffins. Maddy, Owen, and Cora have made this with me a million times, but I enlarged the font, added some pictures, and simplified the already very simple recipe. In fact, here it is. I printed it on card stock and placed it in a plastic paper-protector. This will be the first official recipe for The Maddy, Owen, and Cora Recipe Binder.

We assembled our ingredients and checked them off of the list using dry-erase markers (these wipe off the plastic very easily so it's clear for next time!). Then, since reading is the combination of decoding words on a page and using context (pictures and experience) to comprehend the text, I placed the Directions in front of Maddy and Owen and guided them through the baking of our Favorite Banana Muffins. Of course, they don't use the mixer yet, but they are able to do most everything else, so although it gets messy, it's fun for them and the results are worth it! Talk about sneaking learning into our day. . .

So even though my kiddos thought all they were doing was creating muffins that they love to eat, the challenge of making sense of the recipe not only helped them practice reading, but it also showed them first-hand that reading must be done to get things accomplished.

**I've shared several other materials before with my blog-reading pals. If you'd like a copy of this recipe, here it is!

We're all teachers for our children, and teachers are the best thieves. There's no need to re-create the wheel! Please, if you have recipes like this, send me a copy!

where to begin on teach mama?

Welcome!

If this is your first time stopping by teach mama, I'm so glad you're here. Blogs can be overwhelming, especially if you're not use to a person's layout, style, or content.

Essentially, the focus of teach mama is to provide parents with the tools and resources they need to be the best teachers they can be for their children.

I simply share the ways that I try to sneak in a little bit of learning into my children's every day. That's it. It's not fancy, it's not expensive. It's just learning through play and meaningful time spent together. But it's fun, and it's created a sort of lifestyle of learning for our family that I wouldn't give up for the world.

Here are some frequently asked questions by readers that may help you figure out how this site can work for you:

• Where should I start? I've never been here before. Help--I'm overwhelmed!

If you have very little ones (babies-crawlers), you might examine these topics (find all topics on the right sidebar under 'teachmama topics'):
-alphabet
-books
-colors
-parenting
-Quick Tricks

If you have toddlers, you might examine:
-alphabet
-books / book reviews
-colors
-computer time
-comprehension strategies
-fine motor
-outside learning

If you have preschoolers, you might examine:
(any of the above topics that you might need, along with the following)
-crafts
-games
-early literacy
-holidays
-indoor learning
-letter recognition
-math
-New For Us Friday
-numbers
-phonological awareness
-outdoor learning
-sorting
-writing


If you have elementary-school aged children, you might examine:
(any of the above topics that you might need, along with the following)
-comprehension strategies
-cooking
-games
-fluency
-predicting
-reading
-questioning
-sight words
-writing

If you are wondering how to prepare for pre-K or Kindergarten (SUCH, such a big step!), these posts in particular may help:

-buggy Kindergarten calendar
-preparing for Kindergarten
-happy first day flowers
-back to school books
-hello teacher notes
-make school-supply shopping fun!


If your kiddo is a reluctant learner and won't roll with your efforts to play with letters or words, check out these posts on the importance of playing with names:

-names, names, everywhere names
-family name letter connect
-our everyday name books (maybe a stretch if she's a toughie!)
-swinging and clapping
-celebrating names--play with letters!
-celebrating names in written language


If you're having a difficult time knowing what to say to your child when she makes mistakes during reading, this is a handy little something to keep in your back pocket:

-what to say when kids make reading mistakes

• What's your background? How do you know this stuff anyway?

For more details, you can read this, but essentially, I'm a Reading Specialist and former high school English teacher. I love teaching, I am in awe of the process of reading acquisition, and I read the Post. The Reading Teacher, and Reading Today for fun.

• Where do you get your ideas?

I get ideas from my experience in the classroom, from the professional texts I read, from my clinical work from my degree work, from parents, from books, magazines, and from the other great blogs and sites I read.

• Do you homeschool? And if you're not homeschooling, what are you doing--bombarding your kids with learning all the time?

No, we don't homeschool our children. We just support what our kids are doing in school, here at home. Like I said, we've created a 'lifestyle of learning' of sorts. We play games, we read together, and I try to 'sneak in' a little learning here and there. Most times, they don't even know their activities are loaded.

My 6-year old is in kindergarten, my 4-year old is in three morning preschool, and my 3-year old is home with me. I am not constantly bombarding them with learning. If I have an activity I want to try, I wait for the time that seems right--when no one's too tired from a long day, when they're rested, interested, and ready.

• Where are your kids? Why aren't they on your blog anywhere?

I have chosen not to use my children's pictures here on teach mama. If you search really, really hard, you may find one or two photos here or there, but it's just a personal choice we've made not to have them on my site.

• Do you really respond to all of your emailed questions?
  

Yes! It's so nice to know that it's not just my mom and sisters who are reading my blog (no offense, Mom and sisters. . . ). I am so grateful that people come back, subscribe to the site, and actually read and appreciate what I write. I love teach mama readers! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

• What's 'we teach' that you're always talking about?

Sooo glad you asked! 'we teach' is an online forum for anyone who cares about educating children. Parents, daycare providers, grandparents can join, and once they're members, they can learn, share, and grow as teachers for their children.

It's for parents to share the cool things they're doing with their children; it's for teachers to share their successes with their students. It's a place to meet others, pick up ideas, and ask questions. With a ton of specialized groups, from reading to math to movement and science, the resources are vast and information solid.

I love it. I'd love for you to join us--http://www.weteachgroup.com

Still have questions? Want or need more information? If my contact information doesn't clear things up, please feel free to email me directly. Thanks for reading!

trying to keep smiling: quick trick, giving go's

Stop pulling on the door handle!
Don't jump on the bed!
Get your fingers out of your mouth!
Don't you dare kick your brother!
Do NOT run on the kitchen floor with those muddy shoes!!

More often than not, I give my children a STOP message without giving them a GO message. STOP messages are easier, they come more quickly, and they take less effort and thought for most of us.

However, after I learned about the GO message, (and when I remember to use it!) I have found that it actually works. It goes back to Dr. Becky Bailey's idea of Positive Intent, that what you focus on you get more of.

• When Owen's hanging on the door handle (and, dang, he loves to do this!), I'll say, Owen, you may not hang on the door handle. It will break, and you'll get hurt. Instead, put your hands flat on the door. OR, Point to each of the rectangles on the door as you count them.

• If the kids try jumping on the couch--or bed, or whatever--we'll say, You may not jump on the (whatever). It's not safe. You may jump on the floor/ do sitting jumps on the bed/ etc.
  

• When Cora hits Maddy or Owen, we try to say, No hitting. Hitting hurts. You may hit the drum instead. OR, If you want Owen's attention, then you look at him and say, 'Please play with me, Owen'.

I know these responses sound totally strange and hokey at first, but if you find that you, like me, are often playing the role of Maniac Mommy, then just give this a shot.

According to Dr. Becky Bailey, it's all about giving children a frame of what we DO want them to do or say rather than what we DON'T want them to do or say (think Amy Sutherland's essay a few years back about dolphin-training our husbands).

On top of that, though, Bailey advocates looking at life with a Positive Intent. The idea behind Positive Intent is that when you attribute positive motives to your child's behavior, you position yourself to teach and your child to learn. It all jives with her idea of giving children real and valid choices, since even little guys need some say in what goes on in their lives.

Again, like most Parenting Quick Tricks, it's much easier said than done and takes mucho practice, but we all need a little something in our back pockets for those tough days, right?

port discovery, here we come!

This morning, we relaxed after our busy Valentine's Day weekend. Yesterday, we ventured to the Inner Harbor and Port Discovery , and, as fun as it was, we needed a day to re-coup.

• Port Discovery is totally worth the trip, for those of you who live in the DC-Metro area or who plan to come out here in the future. It's right near the ESPN Zone and Restaurant Row in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. It's a sensory-overload hands-on children's museum with events and exhibits that vary throughout the year. In Maddy's words, it was "crazy fun".

Before we began our day, I checked the website and found that they have fantastic resources for parents and educators. (Most museums have these at this point, and they're totally worth checking out before a trip!) Under 'Educators' on the sidebar, you can click on 'Teachers Resources', and from there, you can go to the 16-page 'Educators Guide' or 12-page 'Lesson Planning Guide'. Both documents are packed with pre- and post- visit ideas; there are even several science experiments and projects easy enough for pre-schoolers. They are very well done and are worth checking out in order to really get the most from your visit! You can even do some of the activities or worksheets without ever visiting the museum.

We got there close to opening time, but I was impressed with its cleanliness, the variety of activities, and the age range it suited. They have a huge climbing apparatus situated in the middle of the building, and it stretches about two stories. Brent had to follow Owen and Maddy as they climbed through it (otherwise I would have been a nervous wreck!), but they all--Brent included--had a blast and went through it several times.

Cora loved the pretend shopping area, complete with checkouts and a climb-on car nearby, and she also spent a ton of time with me in the water room. Here, they have raincoats and Crocs for the kiddos to wear so they don't leave totally soaked. How great is that? Must have been a mom on the planning committee. . .

My personal favorite room was the calm and relaxing Oasis--a quiet room with pillows and secret book nooks--a perfect place to do puzzles, play with the singing birds, or just sit and enjoy the calm.

Like any public play area or touch-me museum, it wasn't perfect, but surprisingly, our experience came pretty darn close.

It was hard to top Port Discovery, but after we left, Maddy, Owen, and Cora were in awe of the ships in the harbor, the people, and the shops and restaurants. They really loved walking around in the fresh air after a solid two and a half hours of playing at the children's museum, but what we really needed was to re-fuel. Even the snacks I packed were devoured on our way out, and we could hear tummies grumbling.

We detoured to the closest burger joint, and everyone learned how to crack open peanuts (definitely an important life-skill for an almost 2 year old, right?) at Five Guys while we waited for some awesome burgers. Every last french fry was gone after our early dinner, and every eye in the house was shut tight by 7:30pm. Even Brent's and mine. More excitement and learning happened today than we're used to; we all needed some rest.

valentine's day scavenger hunt

Okay, so here's what's on tap for our little Valentine's Day Family Extravaganza, depending on weather, attitudes, amount of sleep, and all other considerations when making plans for a family with three kiddos, ages 5 and under. . .

• Scavenger Hunt: A la Jon and Kate Plus 8, tonight after the kiddos went to bed, Brent and I came up with this. We'll just print them out and set up the hunt tomorrow afternoon. We tried to add some little easy tasks along with "just find the location" clues. Of course, we'll have to read everything to them, but they should have a blast with it.
  

1. Start here and don't go far,
Walk over to where Owen plays with his cars.
All of his cars are in a big pile;
Put them in color lines--it will only take a short while.

2. We go here when we need something cool,
Like milk, yogurt, or our lunches for school.

3. Now look closely at the spot where Maddy sleeps,
Here's where she says her prayers and closes her peeps.

4. Now go to to the room where the kids take their baths,
Where Mommy and Daddy remind them not to splash.

5. All the way down to the basement where everyone plays,
Find some paper and crayons, then write everyone's names.

6. Go find a place where Blankie rests,
There will be a puzzle nearby--work together and do your best!

7. Find the room where all of the laundry goes,
Jump up and down 10 times then touch your nose.

8. Go to the big table where we do all of our crafts,
Put the a, b, c's in order then clap, clap, clap!

9. Go out back and slide down the slide,
then run around the big tree and you'll see where the clue hides.

10. This is your final clue; there won't be any more.
Run around the house to our front door
And right out front, you will find
Little treats for our favorite Valentines!

We'll have their small treats at the last clue--just some new markers and a coloring book for each of them with a couple Hershey's Kisses thrown in.

The hunt should be a riot, but what we're really looking forward to tomorrow is our romantic Valentine's Day Family dinner. We're going to try something that could be a total bust--or super fun--but Brent and I love it so much, it's worth a shot. We're going to break out our ole favorite fondue pot and make a simple cheese fondue with apples, bread, and veggies. I found the recipe in this month's Wonder Time, so we'll see how it goes. . . . fondue and homemade heart-shaped pizza (yes, pizza again. . . )? It doesn't get much more romantic than that.

pizza! pizza! pizza!

Today we had a super fun morning planned. It was finally the morning of our monthly "tour of one of our awesome local businesses" and it just so happened to be our long-awaited pizza-making date! As I've said before, I've organized these pretty cool outings for awhile now for my local moms' group, and they've been a big success.

Maddy and Owen were revved before they popped out of bed, so the time before our 11:30 am restaurant date was a bit nutty. Luckily, we had some unfinished projects to work on to distract us until we could leave. We finished our Valentines and stuck those in the mail, we worked through several letters in our Alphabet Books, then Maddy, Owen, Cora, and their pal who was here for a bit today just ran around and burned steam until our lunch date.

• Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!: Before we left, we talked just a bit about where we were going and what we would see. (This is never a formal sit-down discussion; rather, it's casual conversation while we're getting coats on, shoes on, and drinks in hand.) We talked about what we knew about pizza, what we loved about pizza, and what we wondered about pizza. They came up with pretty smart questions, like they did for the bagel tour. What can you put on pizza? Are pizzas always round? Why do they put sauce on pizzas? They were jumping out of their seats by the time we pulled up to the restaurant.
  

Once there, we met the other moms and children, tried to organize as best we could, and ordered the pies. The great manager lined the children up at the counter so they could watch the pizza dough fly into the air, and the kiddos got hysterical. (The picture to the right is not our pizza guy; I forgot my camera at home today, but you get the idea. . . )

After they watched an expert, they got to try it for themselves. The very organized manager had tiny pizza doughs already rolled out and on plates for the children. Most were already "sauced" but some were left without sauce. The children were able to load their pizzas with cheese and pepperoni, and that was perfect for them; they didn't have to mess with sauce in order for this to be a special day. They were all elated when their pizzas were delivered, five minutes later, warm and bubbling and ready to eat.

What a fantastic day! Maddy, Owen, and Cora were wiped out afterward because of all the fun and their very full bellies. I left with a smile because I am continually impressed with the generosity of our local businesses and their willingness to accommodate our littlest learners. Grazie, Grazie, Grazie!!

we need some balance here

We love the Balanced Literacy Framework. It is the type of Language Arts program we hope and pray that our children experience once they get to elementary school (and don't worry--most definitely will!). We love it because of what it brings to our children's lives--balance. Yes, we all need balance in our lives, but in a Language Arts program, we especially want balance so that our children are subjected to the different--but important--elements of a strong and varied foundation of instruction.

The Balanced Literacy Framework contains three main components: Reading, Writing, and Word Study, and along with those three important pieces, Listening and Speaking ride along as the two mega-important, over-arching, integrated components. Our children will more likely meet with success in Reading, Writing, and Word Study if they are able and willing to listen and speak along the way.

So today, I made a point of just listening to my little ones--something I know that I need to do more often. I listened to them, encouraged them to speak about anything and everything, and I encouraged them to listen to each other.

• Listening: From the time we woke up today, we just talked. And talked. And talked and talked. Not like we don't talk every day--obviously we do it all day long, every day. But today, when Maddy came over to me while I was cleaning up the breakfast dishes and started describing where the bug family was going for vacation and that puppy hid the doll's clothes, and how Polly Pocket fell from the very tip top of the roller coaster she made in the living room, I made a point of stopping what I was doing, and I listened. I got down on Maddy's level, looked at her as she told me what was going on, and asked meaningful (okay, as meaningful as possible) follow-up questions. I noticed a slightly confused look in her eyes when I first moved towards her, but it soon vanished through my nods, reeeally?'s, questions, and comments. After a few minutes, satisfied that she had shared enough, Maddy turned and skipped back into the living room.

Throughout the day, I did the same thing with Owen and Cora. Like most days, we played games, read books, did some chores, and walked through our normal Wednesday schedule, but unlike most days, I tried not to multi-task as much. When somebody had something to say, I really listened, and I tried to model for them how important it was to look in someone's eyes as they spoke to show that you were listening and to make a comment or ask a question to show that you heard what they said. My little ones are young--I know--and I am not expecting miracles here, but there's no law against trying, right?

• Speaking: I made a point of having Cora voice one of two options answering a yes or no question (Cora, would you like goldfish or raisins for a snack?). That way, she's practicing her words--even though she frustrates easily--instead of giving us an easy Yeah! or No!! I reminded Maddy and Owen to try to do the same with her, too.
  

So my tiny goal for today didn't necessarily involve letter-learning, number practice, or pre-reading strategies; rather, in involved practicing skills that are two of the most important: speaking and listening. And, as a result, it gave me the opportunity to really sit back and appreciate Maddy, Owen, and Cora's stories, adventures, and little voices more than I usually do.

**Information from:

Fountas, I. & Pinnell, G (2001). Guiding readers and writers: Grades 3-6. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Maryland English Language Arts Content Standards (MELACS)

U.S. Department of Education. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel.

Washington DC: Shanahan T.

simple valentines, super songs

With preschool Valentine's Day parties fast approaching, we continued work on our homemade cards for our friends and family today. I have always felt that there's something special about homemade Valentines. I know that Maddy, Owen, and Cora might not want to do it this way forever, but to sit down and spend time with them while they make something beautiful for their classmates, playgroup friends, and family is important to me.

Still feeling not quite 100% healthy, this was an easy and relaxing activity, thanks to--yes, once again, Foamies. Working together like this gave us a chance to chat, laugh, and listen to some really great music while we made cards.

• Valentine Cards: These were super-simple this year. All I did was cut light pink, dark pink, and white card stock in quarters. On each card, we stamped one of three Valentine stamps, and then they decorated! I picked up two boxes of heart Foamies, a few sheets of sparkly heart Foamies, and tiny jewel stickers that Maddy and Owen love. With coupons and holiday sales, this was not a bank-breaker by any means. They signed their names on the backs of the cards (or tried to!), put them in a plain white invitation envelopes, and they were ready to share their Valentine love!

• Jammin' to Laurie Berkner: We are totally on a Laurie Berkner kick. A few weeks ago, we picked up two of her CD's from the library, and we've been listening non-stop ever since. I remembered seeing her on Noggin a while ago (she started there in 2004), and we caught her on Jack's Big Music Show a few times, but we never listened to a whole CD before. Her songs are fresh, catchy, and, quite frankly, addicting. My husband and I have even been battling over who gets to keep the CD's in their car--that's how good she is. We have (shhhhh!) renewed both Victor Vito and Shady Tree twice now from the library, and I've already ordered them both (shhhh!) for Cora's birthday next month.
  

If I had a Laurie Berkner shirt, I'd wear it proudly--we all would. If I could stand on a mountain top screaming that I love her music, I would. No joke.

One day, I read all of the short song background stories included inside the CD cover to Maddy and Owen, and ever since, they've been completely hooked. They ask me all the time to tell them the story about why Laurie Berkner wrote Mahalo (she stepped on an urchin on her honeymoon) or what gave her the idea for Song in My Tummy (a 3-year-old kid). They laugh when they hear Boody Boody, and I hear them saying East Bombay and Rio De Janeiro when they play together because they like the way those names sound coming from their own little mouths.

What I appreciate is the way she plays with words, word sounds, and rhyming in songs like Victor Vito and BOOTS, and I like her crazy word combinations and the stories she tells in her songs. But I what I really love is the underlying message in many of them. Her songs remind me of how important it is to appreciate the little things--chocolate, the sun and moon, each other, a good pair of boots, and time together, just watching the grass grow under a shady tree.

buggy monday--counting legs

Today was a very unusual Monday for us; Brent was home in bed all day after a long night, losing his battle with the stomach bug, Owen was home from school with a belly ache, and I was pretty much sleepwalking most of the day, waiting for the uninvited guest to plant its buggy self on the rest of us.

My plan was to really take it easy. I was tired. We all were tired.

After Maddy's preschool drop-off and a quick stop at the drug store for everything pain remedy, Owen, Cora, and I found ourselves sprawled out on the living room floor, lounging in the morning sunshine, playing with the bug set that Aunt Jenny brought us this weekend. Owen said to me, Mommy, insects have six legs. Help me find all the insect friends so they can have a bug party. And so we began:

• Counting Legs: That's all we did. We had the 12 bugs that came with the set (ours are not pictured to the right, but I cannot find Backyard Bugs: Find out who your little neighbors are anywhere online so they'll have to do), and we added our box of snakes, lizards, and frogs to the mix. We just lazied in the sunshine and organized our bug party. Cora handled the snakes; she lined them up and counted their tails. Owen has become an overnight insect master, so he first searched for the 6-legged guys and put them in a line. Then he took on the spiders. I handled most of the 4-legged ones--the lizards and random dinosaurs that made their way into the wrong box.

After we arranged them in their party lines, I asked if there was another way we could organize them--instead of by how many legs they had. I was making the butterfly fly over the other bugs, and Owen caught on: We could do the guys who have wings and the guys who just walk, but let's do it later. I'm done, Mommy.

And that was fine with me--I was secretly done before we even began today.

So here's why today's leg counting was pretty cool even though it might seem like it's not a big deal:

1. Counting--any way, shape, or form--needs to be done as often as possible so that the numbers sink in!

2. Young children's personal feelings toward mathematics is muy importante. This disposition involves a young person's attitude, persistence, risk-taking, and self-regulation. Children are motivated to learn when the mathematical experiences they are presented are related to their interests and needs. (Adapted from Juanita V. Copley. The Young Child and Mathematics. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2000.

3. Sorting is so important for cognitive development--no matter how it's done--and I've said this before, several times. Check it out!

left, center, right!

Okay, I'm coming clean: I really don't know my left from my right. I honestly don't. When my husband asks which way he has to turn if we're driving somewhere together, more often than not, I say, Turn right--I mean left--no, right! Brent, I'm soooo sorry.

The kids whoop it up like they're on a roller coaster, hands waving in the air, but steam shoots out of my husband's ears.

So I have made a commitment to myself and my children's future spouses that they will know their left from their right even before they make it to elementary school. Or, at least that's my goal. Luckily for everyone, there's a tool out there that might save us all:

• LCR: Left, Center, Right is a dice game that is actually played by kids of all ages. It's a very simple concept (again, something I wish I would have thought of first!) but so very valuable. Each player gets three tokens. The first person rolls the three dice and follows the directions on each die: for each number of L's, C's, or R's rolled, that number of tokens goes to the person on the left, center, or right. If a person only has one or two tokens left, he rolls that number of dice. If you roll a black dot, you don't do anything.
  

The person with the most tokens at the end wins the ones in the center. The fun, I think, is in what you choose to use as tokens. The set comes with plenty, but we've played with things like Hershey's Kisses, crayons, Foamies (yes, Foamies!), and Matchbox cars. I know that the big, big kids (over gambling age, that is) find it more exciting to play with quarters or dollars.

However you choose to play, you can't get by without knowing your left and right. It's still difficult for Maddy and Owen (okay, and even me sometimes. . . ), but when they get stuck, we say, Okay, line up your dice. Tell me what you rolled. All right--L is for left. Which side is your left? If you need help, see if that hand makes an L, then tell me.

Or, we say, You have 2 R's and a dot. R makes the rrrr sound. Does lllleft start with the rrrr sound, or does rrrright start with the 'r' sound? That's correct! Hand over two tokens to Daddy, who's on your rrrright. Varying the use of both techniques will cover two things--right and left directionality and R/L letter-sound correspondences.

We seem to be on a LCR kick right now. One morning, I found Owen sitting up in his bed with Blankie, Puppy, and Puppy's Daddy all playing the game. I'm not totally sure how it was working out for them, but they each had tokens in front of them and the dice in the middle.

All the parts of this game fit snugly in its tiny plastic tube; it's perfect for your purse or diaper bag and is a great way to pass time--and sneak in a little learning--just about anywhere.

signs, signs, everywhere are signs

On our route to and from preschool, we run into some really great signs along the way. We pass by at least six BUMP signs, eight STOP signs, and about seven other interesting, "you're coming upon some really crazy curves" signs. Because there is an opportunity for learning even on our everyday drive to school, today we more closely examined signs.

• Signs: Maddy and Owen have been spelling BUMP for well over a year now, since, like I said, we drive over six huge speed bumps a gazillion times a week. They usually yell, B-U-M-P, BUMP! each time we drive over the speed bump. Occasionally, they'll add a S-T-O-P, STOP! if they are really into sign reading that day. Their yelling-spelling is really great, especially if I want their dozing baby sister to stay awake until I can get her home and put her in her crib. Their yelling-spelling is also cool, though, because it's showing me that they are becoming aware of the many words around them.

Today, I focused on all of the signs we passed on our way to school so that my riders noticed the signs themselves and realized that signs communicate messages to us, even if the signs did not have words. We screamed the letters of BUMP and STOP and came up with as many rhyming words as we could. We tried to spell the rhyming words and laughed at the silly words they came up with as rhymes.

They asked me to read every single sign we came across, and we talked about why we need a BUS STOP AHEAD sign, a ROAD NARROWS sign, and SINGLE LANE BRIDGE sign. They were proud to explain a STOP AHEAD sign and the reasons it was there.

We talked about directions as we drove past the curvy road signs and they hollered, The road is curving! Mommy! Watch out! The road is curving again! Thank goodness someone put a sign there for you! I was reminded that I need to start on left and right, but that's for another day. . .

As I made dinner later that day, I asked Owen if he would spell bump or stop for me on the refrigerator with the letter magnets. He started with bump, then he did stop. Pretty cool, even if he did yell the letters as he went.

By sheer luck (and I mean luck!), we picked up a perfect book match for today's little lesson when we were at the library last week. Maddy brought it up to her room before bed as one she wanted me to read. It's called Bus Stop, Bus Go! by Daniel Kirk, and it totally rocks. Daniel Kirk writes awesome books for children; the colors are bright, the pictures are funny, and the words have a catchy rhythm that all readers enjoy. (We love Dinosaur, Dinosaur; My Truck is Stuck; & Tugga Tugga Tugboat just to name a few.)

Bus Stop, Bus Go! is not only a hysterical story about a hamster who escapes from his cage and goes on a little school bus adventure, but the language Kirk uses is just plain smart. It's packed both with rhyme and our word from today, stop. I felt teacher-giddy when I realized how perfect this book was to read tonight. Before I began, I asked them to remind me about the signs they read on the way to school today. Then I read the title and asked if Maddy or Owen could point to either the word, stop or go. Owen said, Hey! There's stop! and I saw a little light in his eyes. They were both hooked even before I began. . .

Today was far, far from perfect, but this little part of today--the learning that happened with a clear connection to our every day drive to school--to me, is just plain awesome.

FYI:
**It is important for children to become cognizant of the fact that they are learning to read, even if they are not always reading words on a page. Even recognizing that they can read the signs on the road or certain words on the cereal box will help build their confidence, increase their store of sight words, and encourage them to continue "searching" for things they can read every day.

trying to keep smiling: quick trick, days

Here's another idea I totally snagged and adapted from someone else, but this simple trick has saved me quite possibly the equivalent of years of unnecessary refereeing in my house.

• My day, your day: At the beginning of each month, I put a tiny M or O in the bottom corner of every single day on the calendar. M days are Maddy's days; she gets to -- (Wait. I'm actually slightly embarrassed to type the rest of this. Please tell me that these seemingly ridiculous issues are not only big deals in my house but also yours, if you have multiple children under the age of 5 . . .). Gulp. Anyway, Maddy gets to pick her cereal first, she gets her vitamin box first, she gets to pick her seat in the car, she gets to pick the television show (from my three options) after rest time, etc., etc. On the O days, Owen gets to run the show. We have yet to add Cora to the mix, but we'll probably take that plunge this summer when she's a little over 2.
  

There are times, of course, when we have to work through sharing issues, but for the most part, this Quick Trick has kept everyone in my house smiling more often than not. When an issue arises throughout the day, we just go back to whose day it is, and that person gets to make the choice. Knowing that his or her day will be here tomorrow usually is enough to end the issue and put a smile back on even a tear-streaked face.

a, 4, B, 1, Y, L, v: Sorting it ALL out!

Today we all seemed to be cranky; poor sleeping, new teeth coming in, bellyaches, too little snow, wanting more Hershey's Kisses--whatever it was, a gray cloud hung over our house for most of the morning. After a nice, big lunch and a few extra hugs, I brought out our huge box of magnetic letters and numbers. I thought that maybe the letters' bright colors and our focus on a specific task might bring some sunshine into our day. It helped.

• Letter & Number Sorting: I've worked with Maddy and Owen on letters, and I've worked with them on numbers, but today I thought I'd mix it up a bit. Through birthdays, yard sales, and hand-me-downs, we have slowly acquired a very large box of magnetic letters and numbers of all shapes and sizes. I dumped everything on the floor today in one big, beautiful rainbow mess, and I said, Let's do some sorting! Right away, they grabbed the letters of their names and built some words they knew, so I let them play around for a while. After a few minutes, though, I repeated their challenge: Okay, friends, let's see if we can sort this out. Let's make three piles--one here for letters, one over here for numbers, and one special pile under this question mark for crazy ones that we don't know.
  

I modeled my thinking process for the first few. I held up a 3 and said, A 3!! I know this is a 3 because this is Owen's special number! He's 3!! I picked up the capital L and said, L--I know for sure that this is an L--look here at the straight lines--but I'm not sure of this one (a lowercase b). Is it a 6? Is it a d? I'm not sure. I'm going to put it under this question mark so we can look at it more closely later.

What I noticed was that both Maddy and Owen had to stop and think more often than I anticipated. They helped each other along the way, and they laughed hard at the division sign and the fancier g and q that ended up in our box. By the end, we had a bunch of things to discuss from the ? pile. I put three 'unfamiliars' together and asked, Maddy, can you point to an 'm' or a 'q'? Right! That one is a letter 'm' Good eye! I'd add another one to the mix and ask again: Okay, Owen, your turn. Can you point to a ___ or ____?

Limiting the number of questionable numbers/ letters to three, then asking if they could identify one or two, set them up for success and got us through the pile. This technique can be used in other situations as well, like when practicing reading sight words.

When they finished, because they were engaged, I took it a step further. We first put the numbers in order from 1-10. After that, we put the letters in alphabetical order, with the capital letters above the row of lowercase letters.

It took a lot longer than I thought--maybe because we have so many letters and numbers to plow through, maybe because we have never mixed letters--uppercase and lowercase--and numbers in this way, or maybe just because it was that kind of day. In the end, though, when we looked at what we had accomplished together and talked about how hard we worked to sort out our mess of letters and numbers, I think we all felt better. That little bit of learning and time together felt good.

**Here's why this activity is important:

1. Children need to learn to recognize numerals before they begin working with number operations, and most commonly this is done by repetition--repetition in seeing the numbers as they count, recognizing the numbers in signs and on paper, and in identifying and discussing differences in letters and numbers;

2. Numeral writing is indeed necessary, but a bridge to that writing can be physical play with letters and numbers so that commonalities--and differences--are seen between the two;

3. Understanding that the lowercase 'l' can be confused with the 1, or that 'o' looks like a zero and talking about the similarities will help students begin to recognize recurring patterns and shapes in numbers and letters.

4. Learning is enhanced when children are encouraged to compare and contrast, ask questions, and reflect on learning.

Adapted from: John A. Van de Walle. Elementary and Middle School Mathematics--Teaching Developmentally (2001). New York, NY: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

S.T.A.M.P. D.A.Y.

At a garage sale years ago, I paid a woman $5 for what seemed like every single stamp that had ever been made; she was moving, was tired of stamping, and wanted them out of her house. So I lugged them home to my teeny-tiny apartment thinking that one day I would put them to use in beautiful, handmade cards and notepaper. I've yet to create the cards and notepaper, but what I do have are three children who love to use stamp sets.

We only had a few minutes today before we took the troops outside to enjoy the (hip, hip, hooray!) warm weather, so I brought out Maddy and Owen's new favorite stamp set. These are child-friendly and are made by a company I have had a secret crush on for years: Melissa & Doug.

• Alphabet Stamps: This awesome wooden set has both the uppercase and lowercase letter stamps, and each one has a sturdy wooden handle that has a perfect grip for little hands. All the letters and ink fit perfectly in this wooden box. The set even has some punctuation marks, which my children don't use now, but I think they'll love in a few years when they start writing sentences. For now, they had a blast "building" words they know and creating nonsense words for me to pronounce. They both started with their names (which is a great place to start for word learning!), then we moved onto names in our family: Mom, Dad, Pap, Cora, Mommy, Daddy. After that, we played with some word families we knew: -at, -ot, -ad, -ap. For each family, I stamped -at/-ot/-ad/-ap about five times in a row, and they picked a letter to put in front, creating words as they went!

Here are some other things we did with our letter stamps (but you could do this with magnetic letters, too!):

1. Add a letter or letters to the end of a word we know: go-going; can-can't; look-looked; come-comes; see-seem; bat-bats. . . . (This is easier than you think for children to grasp.)

2. Change the last letter/ letters of a word we know: up-us; is-if; our-out; will-with; his-him; at-as.

(reference: Reading Recovery--How Words Work: The 7 Basic Principles)

Maddy is at the age where she is amazed by letters and word building, so she ate this up and could have done it all day long. Owen, being 3 1/2, was proud to stamp our family names and create words from one or two families but then wanted to do his own thing. He loves mixing his stamp colors and making letter patterns, and that's fine with me. Any bit of discovery play counts as learning in my book!