December always seems to be the month for "Best of" lists. So, with my almost 8-year old son's help, I've compiled this collection o...
The 2012-2013 school year was our first year homeschooling. I had a 5 1/2 year old and a just turned 4 year old and we were doing My Father's World Kindergarten curriculum. I loved the Biblical integration along with the phonics and science instruction, and the gentle introduction of math concepts through daily activities. There was only one thing I didn't love - the handwriting instruction, or, in my opinion, the lack thereof. While it included practice pages for each letter, along with instructions for how to form each letter, these were grossly inadequate for my child, who rarely picked up a crayon to color, and who's writing and drawing ability included drawing a line and a circle. He had never been to preschool. He was such a busy child who learned plenty through playing. He knew his letters and sounds before he was two years old. But he was never interested in coloring or drawing, and I never pushed it. I knew he'd learn to write in Kindergarten, and I was fine with waiting until then. However, once we started Kindergarten, I knew he needed more instruction. The curriculum, which began with practicing writing the letter S in the first week was NOT the recipe for his writing success. Immediately, I knew he needed an introduction to writing on three lines, and he needed to start by writing horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines on those three lines. As a third grade teacher I had used Zaner-Bloser handwriting curriculum, so I went to their website and ordered samples of their Kindergarten and First Grade books. Upon receiving them, I was happy to see that they began with learning to write horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines. From there it progressed to the letters L, I, T, etc. I could see right away that this was much more developmentally appropriate. However, the directions for teaching were still boring. It used the terms "horizontal, vertical, and diagonal" - new terms for my children who were also learning a new fine motor skill. I was looking for cute, kid-friendly descriptions...maybe even pictures of letter and numbers turned into characters to help children remember their formation. I remembered learning that kind of thing as a child who was learning to write. I searched the internet but didn't find what I was looking for....until I found Handwriting Without Tears. It had hands-on teaching materials that taught the components of writing, with child-friendly vocabulary (Big Line, Little Line, Big curve, little curve). For lower case letters, fun descriptions included phrases like "dive down," "magic c," "Slide down," and "Up like a helicopter." It also gave instructions which would help eliminate reversals, which is something my four year old was doing. However, by the time I was convinced it was what I needed, we were done with Kindergarten, and my child had already learned to write, for the most part. However, I like the HWT approach as it transitions into cursive writing, so I decided it was worthwhile to go back and teach HWT handwriting from here on out. However, I didn't want to purchase all their materials, so I found some ways to do it myself at home, with homemade materials and free printable from the internet. I want to use this blog to share what I have done. Here is a downloadable sample of Handwriting Without Tears alphabet poster. However, this sample can be printed on regular copy paper and laminated - a perfect size for homeschooling or one-on-one tutoring! Using materials I already had, (construction paper, magnet tape, a compass, a ruler, scissors and a laminator) I created magnetic pieces that would fit on our small magnetic white boards. This mimics HWT's Wood Pieces for Capital letters, their magnetic pieces, and magnetic board. These materials, along with their other hands-on products can be seen here. Homemade laminated letter pieces on our white board. Magnet tape on the back of the letter pieces. In place of HWT's chalkboards, I also created small white boards for teaching and practicing capitals and lower case. I used a 3 1/2 x 5 photo frame for the capitals, and a 5x7 photo frame for the lower case. These handwriting without tears products can be found here for capital letter board and here for lower case lettter board. Then, I found free printables to help with the teaching terms here. I put them, along with free printable practice pages I found online such as this one in plastic sleeves and bound them together with rings. I have also found the videos on HWT's website and on you tube to be very helpful in explaining their teaching methods. We enjoyed doing the Mat Man activity with my homemade pieces. (See this video). This also helped my oldest who couldn't seem to get beyond drawing people with arms and legs coming out of their heads! Mat Man pieces store in a plastic sleeve Our "Mat Man" I plan to purchase the workbooks and teacher's books on grade level, but for now I can get started with these items! (Update: I still haven't purchased the books, but am using these homemade materials with success!).
Everyone loves Wikki Stix! All of my kids – aged 12, 7, and twin 5 year olds all love these wax covered sticks of yarn. Ok, I admit it, even I love Wikki Stix. I love them both as a parent and I secretly enjoying playing with them myself. The first time I was exposed […]
Toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary students alike love using games for speech therapy! Lucky for us SLPs we often have a collection of games for speech therapy that we use. Over the years, I have collected a variety of speech therapy games and I have compiled a list of the best games for speech therapy.These games are all quick turn taking games and can be used to get a tonne of trials while targeting a variety of speech therapy goals, such as: articulation, phonology, apraxia of speech, gra
Teaching good habits starts early for a child. They will learn when they are babies and toddlers how to have manners. Here are tips to teach them early.
Guest Post by Danya of Danya Banya One particularly blustery day, my three year old daughter JJ was inspired to make a kite. I love it when she initiates
Kindergarten Rocks! 5 year olds are the best. I was a kindergarten teacher for many years before I became an art teacher. The kids are so full of wonder and possibility. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite art activities for 5 year olds. Some are ones I’ve done more recently, […]
Inside: Learn how to structure your 3 year old's daily routine. Everything from morning to bedtime, plus what to do with a 3 year old all day. Looking for a solid daily routine for your 3 year old? In this post we'll cover everything you need to know when it comes to your 3 year old's daily routine. 3 years old is a turning point
Is your child ready for Kindergarten? This post will help you decide plus free worksheets focused on kindergarten readiness skills like...
Brilliant questions that you need to ask your two year old! Record their answers to look back on so that you can remember just how ... Read More
The day I was diagnosed with scoliosis my life changed forever. At 14, I thought it was the end of the world. So, what would I tell my 14 year old self now?
A quick and easy toddler activity for hours of play! One ingredient edible moon sand, cloud dough, or kinetic sand, is great for toddlers and kids!
Every once in a while my team and I put together a resource that I am especially proud of– this simple round up is definitely one of those times. As straight-forward sounding as this list is, Kaley has really done an incredible job of rounding up 30 recipes that are as healthy as they are …
These back to school punch cards will give your preschool child much needed fine motor practice to get them ready for kindergarten!
Beowulf is a challenging text: it's long, dense, and old. With these strategies, you can make this text relevant for all students!
Is your kid struggling to learn how to read? Even if they're older, there are things you can do to help your child with reading difficulties!
Aging is a natural process that everyone goes through, but there are ways to slow it down and keep your body youthful and vibrant. Taking care of your body not only improves your physical health
Are you running out of ideas to feed your 12-month-old? You’re not alone. Thinking of new, fun, and interesting toddler meals can be daunting! From tasty yet nutritious meals to foods they can try feeding themselves, this article can help and offers a range of meal ideas for 12-month-olds.
The best things to do in Rome with tweens: 15 fun ideas, attractions and activities in Rome your tweens will love. Rome…
Hi, I'm Liz from the DIY & decorating blog Simple Decorating Tips!Before I even tell you how I made faux Delft tiles, I’ll tell you why… Check out the Y…
Beowulf is a challenging text: it's long, dense, and old. With these strategies, you can make this text relevant for all students!
Our two year old loves her busy box! We take it out to eat with us all the time and it keeps her happy and active through the whole meal!
Are you running out of ideas to feed your 12-month-old? You’re not alone. Thinking of new, fun, and interesting toddler meals can be daunting! From tasty yet nutritious meals to foods they can try feeding themselves, this article can help and offers a range of meal ideas for 12-month-olds.
Check out My 5 Year Old's Tonsillectomy and My Top 5 Tips For Your Own Child! You can get through recovery successfully with my tips! Where has the Summer
Are you interested in teaching your 5 year old about basketball? Check out some great age appropriate drills to get your kids excited to play basketball.
The most popular halloween decor of 2021! Try this Dollar store $2 Halloween Bat wall decor DIY! + Free printable Halloween bat stencil
Children move through predictable stages of drawing during their development. Here are the drawing milestones, listed by age.
Inside: Find out the latest tips and ideas for how to structure your 2 Year Old's Daily Routine. It goes a little something like this: your sweet baby turns 1, starts walking and becomes more interested in life. Enter your 1 year old's daily routine. Then suddenly your wobbly one year old is a more confident (but still undeniably sweet) 18 month old. They've likely
Whether your flight is one hour or ten, having the right stuff on board will help keep your 4-5 year old entertained and well behaved. My essentials for flying with preschoolers will help too.
50 simple and easy 18 month toddler meals. I'm sharing what my one year old toddler eats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Are you teaching the alphabet to your toddler? Check out these fun letter A activities for 2-year-olds! Shortly after she turned two, I began a Letter of the Week series with my younger daughter. After
My daily preschool schedule for my 3 year old that we follow at home. Easy to follow preschool schedule to use at home.
Zucchini is not my favorite vegetable. There, how’s that for an opening statement? It truly isn’t, or wasn’t, rather. It’s not that I really disliked zucchini, but in the…
Brilliant questions that you need to ask your two year old! Record their answers to look back on so that you can remember just how ... Read More
This leaf walk watercolor art activity is the perfect combination of outdoor play and art! Such a fun activity!
How many words should my 2 year old know?: Should my child be speaking in sentences yet? Are they talking clear enough? Is their speech and language on track?
Let me start by saying that I have way more experience dealing with tantrums than I care to admit. My precious two-year-old has inherited some serious anger issues and occasionally (okay, often) will throw an all-out tantrum such as the world has never seen. I’m talking the writhing & scre
Who doesn't know and love "Frere Jacques"? This is a folk song that most of your kids even know, but there is so much you can do with it. This is a great song to present half note, fa, low sol, part-singing, and so much more! I'm using it this year to present half note to my 2nd graders. We prepped and prepped half note at the end of last year, and have been reviewing it for this year. I'm just about ready to present it (my 2nd graders this year are just amazing - this is slightly earlier than I've done it with 2nd grade in the past). Anyway, we've been singing this song in class and doing different activities with it. I had them do this little game/dance that I sort of made up: Standing in a double circle in pairs, each circle walks to their right for 8 beats, then back for 8 beats to face their partner (1st 8 beats is "Frere Jacques," 2nd is "Dormez vous?") Play patty-cake on next 8 beats (Sonnez les matines) clap-right-clap-left, clap-right-clap-left On last 8 beats, wave good-bye and take one step to the right (opposite directions for circles) and face a new partner. Repeat. If you do this enough times, the kids should be standing in front of their original partners after a few turns. My kids loved this! I also loved that by counting the beats, they were internalizing that they took two steps on "vous" - a great prep for half note. Another activity they really enjoyed is identifying the long notes. We haven't labeled them yet, but they know where they are. I had some students come up and play a few instruments that make "bell" sounds - finger cymbals, triangles, etc on the long notes. Then, a student suggested that instead of singing, the instruments play the "din dan don" part on their own. So great! So, that inspired me to write a simple little Orff arrangement. Feel free to adapt it to your instruments, change parts up, etc. I've included a simple recorder part if you'd like to use it with recorders. I created a file for Teachers Pay Teachers that can help when you present the half note, fa, or low sol, as this song is great for all of them! It has a lot included, like iconic rhythmic notation: Iconic melodic notation: Actual rhythmic notation: Song lyrics in English and French, and more. You can find it here for $1.50 if you want to help contribute to my adoption fund :) Frere Jacques Since my focus this year is on music around the world, I'm choosing to teach this song in French. I was looking around the internet the other day, and found this great website that has video clips of kids from different European countries singing this song in their own language: Frere Jacques around the world. So cute! The kids get a kick out of this familiar song in so many languages!
Every year in my first year classes (12 year olds) I touch on the principles of perspective, at least in its one point form. We do a little art history, take a look at Masaccio and Mantegna. We mak…
