Summertime is just around the corner, and my second grader will be a newly-appointed third grader.  Summer, for us, means swimming, sleepovers, and a bit of educational “stuff” to keep us on our toes.

One of my favorite activities to do with my boys is so simple, it is amazing that I don’t try it year-round.  For the summer, I set up several “themed” boxes.  These boxes are self-contained learning centers that can travel with us, be stored on a shelf or in a closet, and cost virtually nothing for me to set up.  We love to pull out a box on a rainy day or when we’re not feeling our best.  And, when my little guy is napping, we usually find time for the boxes then as well!  I typically use plastic lidded bins, but shoe boxes would work as well.  The idea is to find things to use in a different way that will be fun and enjoyable while still promoting my child’s educational needs during the long break. 

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As a preschool teacher to four year-olds, I’m intrigued with one of Wonderbrains’ new products, Alpharings.  Alpharings are designed by Educational Insights, an educational product company that has a 50 year history of providing hands-on activities to reinforce early learning skills.  Alpharings come with 130 adjustable plastic illustrated rings (five of each letter) and an instructional guide.

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When I first started my career as a public school teacher, I had two requirements: children had to come to me knowing how to add and how to read (thus began my career in junior high!).  I felt that once they had a foundation, I could work with them to do just about anything.  But, I didn’t want to be the responsible party for learning “the basics”.

Fast forward to Today.  I’m teaching four year olds.  And, what am I teaching them?  Numbers and letters.  And, you know what?  It isn’t as daunting as I thought it would be!  So, I thought I would share a few “tricks of the trade” with you.  If you have preschool to early elementary children, these are great activities to do with them at home.

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We’re staring a day-long car ride square in the face right now…and that’s just one way.  We’ll repeat the process again after a couple of days of Grandparentdom.  My panic-personality decided to rear her ugly head during dinner tonight…what will we DO with two boys, in the SEDAN, for hours at a time, to keep them from a) maiming or killing each other or b) driving the adults to an insane asylum?  Do not fear - Creative Mom is here!

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At the preschool where I work, I am the Queen of the Felt Board.  There is nothing more fun for me than storytelling with felt pieces.  Not only can “regular” people or objects be used, but random shapes (triangles, circles, hexagons) can be used to create the visual parts of a story.  And, the pieces can be used to create a new story as well.

So, it should come as no surprise that I made my boys a felt board.

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Something amazing happened here Wednesday night.  My older son was finishing his homework, and my three year old was sitting at the table as well, coloring in a blank sketch pad. He’s been fixated on letters for a while (I teach 4 year old pre-k classes during the week, so we have quite a few “letter” toys), so I wasn’t too shocked when he drew almost a complete circle and said, “C!  The C says /k/!”  What impressed me was when he turned the page and wrote his name. Read more…

When my older son was beginning to show an interest in reading, we looked for ways to encourage his interest without pressuring him to learn to read (he was four at the time).  I have observed, much too often in my preschool-teaching days, parents who want their child to succeed at reading to the degree that the child becomes completely turned off of the idea of understanding the written word.  Combining things children love with print can encourage the child to want to know more about how words work and what reading is all about. Read more…

Way back when I was in grade school, I took a course offered through our local Lion’s Club on increasing your memory.  One of the key elements of the class was music.  Read more…