School Supply List for Homeschooling Littles

So,

You've made the decision to homeschool. You've purchased your curriculum. Now it's time to shop for the extras!

Just because you've decided to homeschool, doesn't mean that you have to miss out on the back to school shopping! On the contrary, as a homeschooler, you get to make your own supply list! As a homeschooling Mama, I LOVE to take advantage of all of the back to school deals right now, and get our supplies set for the year.

If this is your first time homeschooling, and you're not quite sure what your little ones might need, I've compiled a list of items that are always on my back to school shopping list as well as some things you might not have thought of to launch your homeschooling adventure!

Morning Activity Binder Materials

For littles (PreK-Kinder) I LOVE to put together activity binders that I can switch worksheets out of regularly. I'll include tracing practice, name writing, word puzzles, and seasonal items. More importantly, I put the sheets in sheet protectors so that my kids can write on them with dry erase markers and then erase them to reuse the next day. This is a MAJOR material and time saver over time, since I don't have to constantly keep printing the same worksheet.

To make an activity binder you'll need:

• A 3-ring binder
• Sheet protectors 
• Dry erase markers
• Printer paper
• Cardstock (This can come in handy when making reusable word sorts or matching activities.)
• Adhesive Velcro (You can use this when making reusable matching activities in the binder) 

Even if you decide not to go the full activity binder route, I HIGHLY recommend sheet protectors and dry erase markers so you can make worksheets reusable!

Calendar Station

I know this is very much "shadows of traditional schooling," but I really love doing calendar and morning meeting time with my littles to start off school every day! We sing a song, go over days of the week, read the date, countdown to special days, or count the days that have passed in the month so far, and then do the weather.

For a calendar station, you'll need:

• A calendar set that includes interchangeable months, days, and weather choices (The choice is really up to your preference, but I HIGHLY recommend getting your materials laminated so they last. Local teacher stores usually have deals on lamination around this time!)
• Adhesive velcro if your calendar choice does not feature pockets or magnets.
• A pointer (to make it fun!)

Writing Supplies

For early childhood education, our kiddos are really learning those fine motor skills, so sometimes their writing materials may look a bit different than older children. Because of that, you'll want to make sure to buy specific tools and paper for them. These include:

• Large grip beginner pencils
• Regular sized pencils (appropriate for Kindergarten and up to have them switch to these at times as they become more comfortable with their grips)
• Pencil sharpeners (with both sized holes)
• A big pink eraser
• Wide lined paper (PreK-Kinder) (1st-2nd)
• Wide-ruled journals and/or Wide-ruled journals with drawing space
• A lined dry-erase board (I mostly use mine to model writing, and to give them extra freehand practice.)
• Dry erase markers

Math Supplies

Most math supplies for this age basically amount to counters which you can use various cereals, snacks, puff balls, candies, or other small objects for to double as fine motor practice, but there are two items that I found that I DID need:

• Base 10 blocks
• A clear, plastic 12 inch ruler

Art Supplies

So this area will vary WIDELY by how art-inclined you are and will probably change as you find new fun projects on Pinterest throughout the year. As a baseline, though, a good range of art supplies to have on hand for littles includes:

• Washable Crayola markers
• A pack of crayons
• Multicolored Construction Paper
• Blunt-tip scissors 
• Glue sticks
• Elmer's liquid Glue
• Crayola Washable Paint
• Basic paint brushes (think dollar store)
• Tape

Organization

Last but not least, you'll go a bit less bonkers if you have a way to organize your supplies and your kids' work. Just like every homeschool environment is unique, everyone's organization is unique. These are the systems that have worked for us:

• A good lesson planner (I use this for my own organization and to keep records of what we've done)
• A binder for each kid to keep their completed work in for the year
• A plastic bin to keep their books organized
• A backpack for each kid (I still have my kids use backpacks, because it gives them responsibility to keep their items organized.)
• A folder for each kid to keep their on-going work organized
• A pencil case for each kid to keep their own supplies

Now that you know what's on my supply list at the beginning of the year, I hope it will help you as you get your own supplies together! As with all homeschool advice, remember these are just suggestions that have worked for my family on our homeschooling journey!

If you have other ideas about supplies that should be added to the list or questions please feel free to comment below or message me directly!

Thanks for reading, and happy teaching!

Homeschooling...the Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Beautiful

If my Facebook Newsfeed is any indication of how people are feeling about the school year for this fall, I'd say there's quite a bit of fear, doubt, and frustration. With COVID being the unwelcome monster in the classroom since March, shutting down schools and forcing distance learning, many parents are wondering if they should officially pull their kids out of school and try homeschooling instead of rolling the dice with distance learning.

Now that my family is about to enter our 4th year of homeschooling, I felt it necessary to write a post to give as best a picture as I can about the pros and cons of choosing this educational path for your children. I know there are many parents out there on the fence, because they don't know "what they're getting into." Although I don't have ALL the answers (such as what it would be like to pull a middle-school aged child out of traditional school and transition them to homeschool), I can provide you with the highs and lows that we have experienced in our journey.

But, first and foremost:

2 Disclaimers

1) Distance Learning/Crisis Schooling that ran from March-June this past year was NOT true homeschooling.

Yes, you did most likely provide most of the educational support for your child, but you had to follow the lesson plans, expectations, and timelines of the classroom teacher. From what I understand, there was a considerable amount of stress in these situations as everyone dealt with juggling work, school, and the uncertainties of the virus. As we'll soon discuss, homeschooling is a situation in which you are completely independent from traditional schools.

2) If you DO choose to formally homeschool and your child is already enrolled in a public school, you will have to OFFICIALLY withdraw them (via letter) from the school and check your state's expectations for homeschooling. 

Some states (like Texas) have very few regulations for homeschoolers, and others have stricter rules regarding record-keeping, subjects, etc.

With those two important items out of the way, we'll start with:

The Bad and The Ugly

Time and Effort are a Constant

Yes, yes, and yes. When it comes to adding homeschooling to your own personal to-do list, especially as you're starting out, it does take quite a bit of time and effort. You will have to pick your curriculum (books, workbooks, read alouds, etc.) you want to use and your approach (if you want to be more structured like a classroom or if you want to do unschooling). 

Once you have everything picked, you'll have to plan your days and what you'll want to teach. Then of course, there's the teaching part and the adjusting to the needs of your kids.

For the time and effort you put forth, you realistically need to look at it as at least a part-time if not a full-time job, especially initially.

Frustrations and Doubt

Around those times you're making adjustments, getting used to the curriculum you bought, and pouring over online resources you found on a blog post, you WILL have frustration. You will absolutely have times where you are feeling like nothing you're doing is helping and that your kid is stuck on a concept.

With that, doubt will seep in. You'll think to yourself...

Did we do enough reading today?

Are they on-level?

When is she going to stop confusing 12 with 21?

Am I teaching her to write correctly?

Did I make the right choice in homeschooling?

Fights and Burn Out

Fights. YES, there will be fights and battles of the wills. (I'm still convinced that God, knowing my stubbornness, gave me a daughter that only I could raise.) There have been times where there have been timeouts (for both of us) during a lesson, and some days where the word patience was not remotely in my repertoire of skills. There are also days when my kiddos have just NOT wanted to do school. This is normal. It happens to everyone, and it's part of the ugly.

The fights, time, and frustration can lead to burn out for both you and your kids. This is something you have to guard against as best as possible, but know that it DOES happen and when it does, you just take a break, or take the day off.

Now, if I hopefully haven't scared you off...

The Good and the Beautiful

Time with your kids

As much as I just described the time with your kids that can be nothing but an absolute nightmare, we both know it's not that way all the time, not even close. As a homeschool family, you will automatically get to see your kids AT LEAST 40 waking hours more a week, not counting the time spent away during transport to school (which in a single 36-week school year accounts for 60 days.)

In that time, your relationship with your kids will grow and deepen. You'll be able to learn so much about each other both when you're doing school and during the day that you're with them. Not to mention the sibling bond of your kids gets extremely strong! They are allowed to spend all day together instead of separated out in different classrooms.

Speaking of time, our instructional time each day is typically only 2 hours on the high end (this was for a 1st grader last year and included her independent reading time). When our planned learning for the day is done, my kids are free to play, do organized activities they are interested in, or we go to museums, the zoo, etc. I love how homeschooling really opens up the entire world to learning.

Choice of what you're Learning and Freedom

Although the choice of curriculum can seem a bit daunting in the beginning, the fact remains that you get to CHOOSE what your kids learn, and you get to know exactly what they are learning. For those wishing to, there are textbooks that seamlessly incorporate religion into core subjects, so religion is cross-curricular and not separated out. 

There are also the options to buy curriculum that will give you scripts and walk you through lessons step by step (if you are a beginner, this might feel safer for the moment). Similarly, there are programs which give you basic ideas and you are free to fill in as you see fit.

Another great point is that learning is EASILY student-led. At any given time, if Charlotte or Thompson expresses an interest in a subject area or topic, I simply check our local library's catalog and check out multiple, multiple books on the topic and we deepen our understanding together. I absolutely LOVE this part of homeschooling, because it allows my kids to learn to love learning and to learn the skill of how to pursue their own interests and be lifelong learners. Learning in a homeschool setting feels completely authentic.

One-on-One Instruction

One of the aspects that truly makes homeschooling so effective, from an academic standpoint, is the power of prolonged one-on-one instruction. When your child is in a traditional class, the teacher must divide her time up among 25-30 students at a time. This impacts everything from writing, reading, math, and just general questions that kids have throughout the day. In a typical classroom setting, in first grade, a child may get roughly 10 minutes of one-on-one instruction a day (this is if the teacher is exceptionally good).

Even when I'm teaching both Charlotte and Thompson at the same time, they get almost exclusive one-on-one instruction and immediate feedback on their progress. This means that even if you are not a professionally trained teacher, your ability to teach your child effectively (and well) is easily achievable, because you are working with them in such an intense setting.

Safety

As a mom, there are plenty of worries that go around in my head about my kids on a daily basis, but when we are homeschooling, I never have to worry about their physical, mental, or emotional safety. I don't have to worry about bullies, dangers in schools, or anything else negative that could happen to them in a typical classroom setting. They are safe at home with us during their most formative years, and we get to just enjoy them.

But Piper, what about socialization?

This is the question that I get asked the absolute most, and to be honest it's one I used to worry about before we made the plunge. My favorite quote to ease concerns of any people on the edge of jumping in to homeschooling is...

"Forced association is not socialization."

Yes, in the traditional school setting, my kids would be in a classroom with kids their own age. Yes, they would have recess, lunch, and PE with these kids accounting for maybe an hour or so of talking with their peers freely, but a majority of their time, they will be at their seats, listening to others speak, or talking only under certain circumstances.

My kids don't have those rules. They are allowed to talk all the time. We go to the store and they talk to everyone they see. We go to the playground and they are typically the first to approach other kids and make friends.

Homeschooling today is not like homeschooling on a prairie homestead. We are members of a local co-op which organizes playdates and there are TONS of co-op groups and informational groups on Facebook for homeschoolers to join. My kids also are signed up for extra-curricular activities including gymnastics, dance, and sports, and we take full advantage of story hours and other fun freebies around town.

But, Piper, what if I'm not cut out for this?

When people ask me this question, I simply tell them that if God is calling you to do this, He will help you find a way.

After all, He picked Moses, a lowly slave, to free the Jewish people from the Pharaoh in Egypt.

He also picked Saul, a cruel and hateful man, baptized him to be Paul, and he went on to write multiple books in the New Testament.

You may be completely inexperienced at teaching, and you may have even been bad at school yourself, but you are your children's parent, no one will ever be as invested in their learning and in their future as you will be. You've literally got blood in this game, and you CAN do it.

So there you have it, homeschooling, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful. Whatever you decide this coming school year, I hope this was helpful in shedding light on a very realistic option for your children.

If you want to know more or have further questions about homeschooling, feel free to message me or write in the comments below!

Happy teaching!

When Big Things Change, the Little Things Become the Big Things

Honesty time: Yesterday morning was a rough one.

I'm not talking spilling a coffee or blow-out diaper rough, I'm talking my eldest had three "talkings to" before I even swung my legs over the bed to put my feet on the floor rough.

Her fourth talking to happened in our master bathroom.

Hand on hips, I looked at this wildflower whose behavior would have made Junie B. Jones wince and asked, "What is going on today?! What is the matter!?"

Although she stifled her lip quiver, her big doe eyes started to fill as she stammered, "I'm just so worried there won't be any candy in the Easter Eggs this year!"

I melted.

It wasn't about the eggs.

It was about everything else.

Our world has completely changed in the past two weeks. Things that we didn't think were possible happened and things we kept repeating to ourselves would happen didn't. It's been a climate of uncertainty, stress, and fear.

The daily routine of families has been completely upended. Schools are closed. Distance learning has started. Parents are working from home. Some, not at all anymore. Shopping trips now feel like scrambling to get wartime rations for your troops, and every surface, every air particle, has the threat of disease.

Through it all, my family has been blessed. Our routine hasn't changed that much since we already homeschool and my husband, as a police officer, has been working relatively normal hours. We are grateful for his stable employment.

This of course, is from my perspective, that my life experience has given me.

I realized this morning, my daughter has not been given this perspective yet.

I haven't tried to hide things from her. We talk openly about the "big sickness" in the country and how the zoo, Bounce Town, Children's Museum, Art Museum, etc. are all closed. She knows gymnastics and dance are closed as well, so people can stay healthy. She now understands that her favorite playground is closed and that the Nature Center and library are also closed and suspending programs.

To me, these are just procedural closings, and I know everything will eventually reopen and be okay, and we won't have to worry as much about illness.

I started to try to look at things in her way.

Her little world has been shaken. We can no longer go to her favorite gymnastics and dance class. Her favorite museums and fun spots are closed. We have to be careful when going to the grocery store, and there is now a threat that what we need might not be there.

More recently, she figured out that the annual neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt would probably be cancelled too. I assured her that we could make our own in the yard, and she seemed happy with it on the surface, but now I know she's worried.

This is a girl with a memory that lasts longer than the shelf life of Spam. She still reminds Daddy that he blocked the car in the garage with his cruiser when we went to the hospital to have Josie and how mad she was at him. Traditions and memories mean so much to this girl.

When Big Things Change, the Little Things Become the Big Things

It wasn't about the eggs. It was about all the changes in our lives and our world that had been weighing on her heart and mind.

Reflecting on my own actions, I realized I'd become over-absorbed of keeping us in survival mode in this new dystopia that I'd been skipping out on the little things. 

I saw that I needed to stop doing this entirely. Her little things are now her big things. Whether it's those extra long morning cuddles, special walks with just her and me, or giving her more opportunities to help in the kitchen, I needed to make sure I didn't lose my focus on my most important job while the worries of the world took my attention elsewhere.

I need to make sure, especially now, that all of my children feel loved, safe, and secure. As the big things change, I need to find a way to keep the little things the same as much as possible. 

I might not always do the best job at this with my own worries going on overdrive right now, and I'm going to give myself grace on this one, but you better believe that when we do our Easter Egg Hunt, there's going to be candy in those eggs!

A "Typical" Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Family

Hey readers!

So I felt compelled to write this post to help out all the new homeschooling mamas (and dads), whether temporary or long-term, out there. With schools closing left and right, the prospect of being your child's teacher for the short-term (and perhaps long-term), can feel dizzying. Many of you were blessed with teachers who gave you a packet of paced-out assignments to do during the school shutdown and teachers that are working hard to provide quality distance learning! Honestly material gathering and pacing are THE hardest parts when first starting homeschooling, so you're in a GREAT place!

Looking at that packet could feel a bit intimidating. Maybe you've never had classroom teaching experience before, or maybe you had difficulties in school yourself and don't feel like you can do this.

Take a breath right now Mama, and repeat after me:

"I was my child's first teacher. I did it then. I CAN do it again!"

And it's completely true! You were there to offer those enriching read alouds when they were snuggled in their cozy PJs on your lap, to answer the late night questions about why the moon comes out at night, and to shriek in delight as they did their first puzzle all by themselves!

The challenge now becomes how to manage instruction time AND all the other items in the house. Now that we're in our 3rd year of homeschooling, I feel that we've hit a pretty good rhythm for our daily routine, and I wanted to share it with y'all to help ease your transition!

As a disclaimer, please note that this routine works best for my kiddos and my family. The beauty of homeschooling is that you can adjust your own routines so they work best for you! Feel free to use this as a jumping off point and tweaking it until it feels right for you!

For this schedule, kid activities will be noted in blue and "mom" activities will be noted in red.

Our Morning

Wake Up and Breakfast

• Kids wake up, get dressed for the day, Charlotte switches the laundry from the washer to the dryer and starts it, and then the kids have screen-free, free play while waiting for breakfast. 
• I dress and change the baby, empty the dishwasher from the night before, put on the coffee, and make breakfast.
• Kids eat breakfast, clean up their spots, putting dishes in the dishwasher, and are free to play outside or inside, usually about 20 minutes.
• I clean up the kitchen from breakfast, check my lesson plans, and lay out materials for the day at their places on the table.

Academics Round 1 (usually around 8:30)

• Kids come over to the table for school. We start with our morning song, calendar time, and then each child has their first morning assignments.
• Thompson, for PreK3, has a combination of his WB pages, phonics work, math, and activity binder. (He's usually done in 25 minutes).
• Charlotte, for 1st grade, has her math workbook lesson (2-4 pages), sometimes a math worksheet for the day, and occasionally I give her part of the next lesson block if I know she'll work through quickly. (She's usually done in 20-25 minutes).
• After teaching, I put the materials away and check what I need to, giving feedback. I then look up materials Charlotte will need for her next academic time and put them aside.

Free Play Time

• Kids either go outside to play or play inside (we are still doing screen-free play).
• I usually take a short 10 minute break and decompress with coffee. Then, if we need to run errands or go to practice, this is the time that is done. Also, we might get exercise in by running/biking to the park before it gets too hot or going on a walk.

Academics Round 2 (this can either happen in 2 pieces right before lunch and then during little kid nap, or only during nap time depending on the length of the lessons)

• Charlotte comes to the table to do a combination of lessons that can require more guided instruction. She will do:
• instructional reading for comprehension, 
• phonics work,
• spelling,
• and social studies, geography, or science (depending on the day)
• Whether we do this all at once or break it up, the combined time is usually between 40-50 minutes.
• I usually let Josie and Thompson play during this time, or I put on an instructional video for them to watch in the playroom (out of sight of Charlotte).
• After lessons, I put the materials back, prep for Religion, and then start lunch.

Lunch and Religion

• Kids eat lunch and then toward the end, we do our Religion Lesson for the day (usually 15-20 minutes). They then clean up their plates, put them in the dishwasher, and play about 10 minutes.
• After Religion, I clean up the materials, clean up the kitchen, put Josie down for nap, and then get Thompson down for nap, and Charlotte for rest.
• I'll tidy up a bit or do a couple items I need to get done (pay bills/write emails) for 15- 20 minutes before I get Charlotte to finish Academics Round 2

Nap for Littles/Academics Round 2 for Charlotte

• If Charlotte finishes early, she can do quiet play (puzzles, coloring, etc.) with me while waiting for brother and sister to wake up.

Afternoon TV/Warm Up from Nap

• Kids wake up from nap and are allowed to watch movies/shows on Disney Plus, Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. They usually need time to "warm up for the afternoon." (We don't use screens until after most of school is done, because they tend to have a difficult time focusing or having a positive attitude in school if they watch something first).
• I'll usually fold a load of laundry on the couch while they watch something and put it away.

Afternoon Free Play

• TV is turned off and kids have free play time.
• Depending on time, I will check the dinner menu and start prepping.

Independent Reading Time

• Later in the afternoon, Charlotte and Thompson will sit down with a pile of books and do their independent reading. I like to give them choice (hence the pile). Charlotte reads for 45 minutes and Thompson for 20-30.
• If Thompson is particularly restless, I have him tidy up the living room or playroom while sister is reading once he has finished at least 20 minutes.
• I keep my ear out for Charlotte as I cook dinner in the kitchen. If I have time, I might round up a load of laundry to put in for the night and help Thompson clean up.

Dinner

Evening Play/Winding Down/Writing

• After dinner, kids will clean up their plates, and Thompson and Charlotte find something to play with.
• I put Josie to sleep and clean up the kitchen.
• Then, if Charlotte didn't do her writing during Academics round 2, I'll call her over to do it in the evening. She'll work on writing a letter or journal prompt response. (This usually takes 10-15 minutes).
• After she's done, she gets dinner ready for the dog, and the kids can watch a little bit of TV before stories.
• I'll use that time to tidy up a bit, get trash together, and then sit down with them to watch too.

Bedtime stories and Nighttime Routine

• Kids pick stories for us to read together and then we go through nighttime routine.
• After Thompson goes to bed, Charlotte and I will read 2-3 chapters from one of her favorite chapter books together, alternating pages to read aloud. Then, she'll go to bed too.

Quick Takeaways

1. This is OUR schedule, but yours may look completely different based on your children, which again is the beauty of homeschooling!
2. Some days will be awesome, some will be frustrating.
3. On the frustrating days, take a break (which benefits both you and your child) and pick it up later in the day, or put it on the schedule for tomorrow.
4. This is an exciting time for you to learn about your child, how they learn, and to spend extra time with them!
5. Most importantly...YOU CAN DO THIS! You were your child's first teacher, and you can continue teaching now!

Happy teaching!

I Wipe the Butts: and Other Glamorous Escapades of a SAHM

I wipe the butts.
I clean the floor of pee puddles from missed targets.
I pull up the pants and change the ones that have dribbles on them.
I refill the diaper genie.
I scrub off the stray smudge.
I change the toilet paper.

I catch the vomit in my hand.
I am the human handkerchief.
I rub the sick tummies.
I pull back the long, curly, hair.
I mop up the floor and Lysol the rooms.

I make the food.
I dish it onto the plates.
I negotiate the amounts that must be consumed.
I fill the bottles.
I clean up the spilled milk.
I wipe the faces and the tiny fingers.
I collect the food gunk from the high chair.
I rinse the dishes.
I sweep the floor.

I find the piles of clothes, gather them up, and toss them into the laundry.
I fold.
I fold.
I fold.
I wonder how three tiny people can amass so much fabric.
I put away the clothes only to discover the hamper full again.

I pick up the toys.
I find them when tears well up.
I toss the McDonald's ones 3 days after the Happy Meal is eaten.
I am the keeper of Mary, the Jellyfish, and both trains.
I put them in their bins only to see them spilled again.

I break up the fights.
I listen to both sides.
I decide a verdict.
I mandate the apologies and the time outs.
I tear them off each other again.
I send them to naps.

I clean the faces.
I hose off the gunk from the hands.
I scrub the hair.
I rinse and repeat.
I towel dry.
I sop up the bath overflow.
I pick up the discarded towel and hang it up.
I brush the hair and braid it.

I ring the alarm to say day is done.
I squeeze on the jammies.
I read the stories.
I check that the closet is monster free.
I comfort the one still worried about monsters.
I pray and sing and say goodnight.

I plan the meals.
I write out the lessons.
I clean up the kitchen.
I load up the laundry.
I throw a soap pod in the dishwasher.
I turn out the light.

I wipe the butts.

I welcome the little arms that wrap around my neck.
I make eye contact to the smiles that light up.
I give hugs that melt away the worries.
I kiss the boo-boos and wipe the tears.
I hold the hands of the tiny chubby fingers whose feet are taking their first steps.

I watch the coloring.
I listen to the reading.
I marvel at the world they see.
I make the good mac and cheese and pick up the pizza on Tuesdays.
I blow the bubbles.
I bake the favorite cookies, gooey chocolate chip.

I make the voices of the book characters.
I cuddle the little bodies that snuggle close to me as they crunch the warm popcorn.
I listen to the stories.
I stroke the hair.
I compliment the good deeds.
I watch them grow.

I repeat the babble, to hear more babble
I cheer a new accomplishment.
I take the pictures of the memories we make.
I lift the chins.

I sing the Disney songs.
I find them on my phone again.
I dance in circles.

I ask "How big is Josie?"
I run with them to the park.
I hold steady the handlebars on a first bike ride.
I pack the waffles and sometimes I add the cream with sprinkles.
I push the swings.
I spot the climbers.
I lift the little one whose hands beg, "Up!"
I stroke their quiet faces as their breathing slows and they finally drift off to sleep.

I thank God for putting me into this life I live, because even though I wipe the butts, I am here to do SO MUCH MORE and be SO MUCH MORE for my littles.

5 Educational Benefits of Baking With Your Littles

Sometimes it seems that the richest learning opportunities we can offer our little ones lie right under our noses, or in this case, fill our noses with sweet smells from the kitchen. Yes, that's right, cooking and baking (because let's face it, that one's almost always more fun) are wonderful ways to offer educational opportunities for your little ones. The kitchen offers an abundance of experience for little learners that will help them in a multitude of ways. Still not convinced? Well, keep reading, because I will tell you the tips I use to maximize this activity for my littles and explain five areas of early childhood education that this activity enhances!

Tips to get started

1. Take inventory

Make sure you have all the ingredients you need beforehand, in the house. This will reduce the risk of disappointed bakers if you have to stop to go to the grocery store.

2. Schedule this During Play Time

For little learners, you should be approaching this as an enriching play activity. As such, try to do this during a time when you would otherwise allow your child to do free play during the day. 

3. Lower Those Expectations

This is NOT a time to fine tune that new tart you've been dying to try or put the finishing touches on the macaroons for an upcoming dinner party. Instead this is an exploration through guided play, so if the sprinkles are a bit overdone (which believe me they WILL be) it's perfectly okay!

1. Genre Knowledge

Every time a text serves a different purpose, or is written in a different way, we label it a genre. In school, children will need to know all kinds of genres from narratives (stories) to informational, and everything between. Recipes are actually and officially known as procedural text.

Besides ringing your hands to the ceiling as you're putting together IKEA furniture and deciphering the directions, you'll notice that there are not a plethora of times a child can be introduced to this genre in such a meaningful way, than in the kitchen. As such, take the time to point out the different textual features. Point out where the ingredients are listed and how the recipe is divided into steps. This will be done naturally as you work through the recipe and you say phrases such as, "Now we're at step 5."

2. Math Practice

Interestingly enough while completing a recipe, you are able to practice two different kinds of mathematical skills with your littles: number recognition and measurement

Number Recognition

As you're reading through the recipe with your little one, you can enhance their number recognition skills by pointing to numbers within the recipe (whether is be 3, 2, 1/2, or 1/4) and reading them together. As they get better at reading numbers, you can just point and they can start to take over. It's wonderful authentic practice!

Measurement

Whenever you're leveling off a 1/2 cup of flour, or pouring 2 Tablespoons of oil with your little one, you're actually giving them excellent hands-on experience with measurement concepts! Later on in school, they'll learn to convert cups to pints to quarts to gallons, etc. But by giving them this hands-on experience and understanding of just how much a cup is, it will help them when they are doing these measurements later.

3. Fine Motor Skills

A pinch of sugar, a dash of salt, and a heaping of fine motor skills are refined as you work through just about any recipe. Just having your little scoop out the baking powder, level it off, and turn it into the bowl engages an entire series of fine motor skills! Using a whisk, stirring with a spoon, or hand held mixer (with supervision) are also wonderful ways to give them practice. That doesn't even include the delicious wonders of placing chocolate chips on top of muffins or decorating cakes and cookies with icing and sprinkles!

4. Reading

Anytime and every time you can read aloud to your littles is a huge plus and the kitchen is just another way you can add more reading into their lives. As you work through the recipe, make sure to put your finger under the words in the text and show your child the words as you're reading them. Older children will be able to sound out familiar words or read sight words along with you. No matter the age of your child, reading aloud to them in this context is valuable, because they can understand that reading is essential throughout all areas of life.

5. Sensory

Since recipes can range anywhere from oily, to sticky, and even gritty, cooking with your littles is a great way to help them engage sensory learning too. Whether you are putting olive oil on their hands as they flatten out the fresh pizza dough, or you are having them roll peanut butter cookies into balls and then roll the ball into granulated sugar, you're giving them a variety of feelings to process from texture to temperature! All of these experiences are perfect for engaging their growing minds and their vocabulary as they will immediately want to describe what they are feeling.

But really the true treat...

is that once the cookies are done and the pizza gobbled, you'll be able to know that not only did you spend educational time with your little one, but also quality time as well. Cooking and baking aren't just wonderful ways to feed your littles' tummies, but also to feed the growing relationship you have with them. I hope with these tips that you enjoy cooking with your littles as much as I do!

10 Ways to Sneak in Letter Practice into your Bitties' Daily Routine

Hello Again Readers!

As I'm finding more and more with my own toddler, sometimes the secret to being a good parent is being a sneaky one! Whether you're folding vegetables into mac and cheese, sneaking around the corner to pounce when you think your bitty needs to use the potty, or making cleaning up toys into a game, it certainly takes tact to both interest your toddler, and to direct them to a useful activity. From the ages of 1-4, one of those useful prereading activities is working on letter recognition, or your child being able to name letters. With this age group, however, you can't just drill them with flash cards because:

1. It's not fun for them, and they lose interest.
2. It's not fun for you, because you get frustrated.
3. They're little! Flashcards shouldn't quite be busted out on the regular juuuust yet!

So, you're probably thinking, "Well Reading Specialista, how in the world am I supposed to get my kids to practice their letters?"

It's easier than you think, you just have to be a bit sneaky, and slyly tuck the activities into your child's daily routine! In this post I'll show you 10 ideas for how to include letter recognition into your bitties' routine from morning to bedtime!

**As a disclaimer, I do NOT do ALL of these activities every day, but I do get to all of them a few times within a week!**

Morning

Getting Dressed/Changing Diapers

1. Sing the ABCs

It's simple I know, but it can make a world of difference in opening the door for letter recognition. I began to realize this myself, as I started to think of all the times I changed Charlotte's diaper or her clothes during the day. Instead of looking at this as time wasted in the day, or a chore, I could use it as an opportunity to teach her the ABC song. Every time I change her diaper or her clothes, we sing the song together. When you first start, your little one will be doing a lot of listening, but then gradually, he'll start to pick it up too! To be fair, we don't limit singing this song just to diaper changing time, but we sing the ABCs in the car, during playtime, music time, and on walks, just to name a few! She's picked up the song very well, and now that she can sing her ABCs, she's more ready to apply the letter names in her letter recognition activites throughout the day.

Brushing Teeth

2. Letters in the mirror

Another spot to work on letter recognition is the bathroom mirror. Simply use a dry erase marker and write 1 or 2 letters you're working on with your child. You can change them out every morning, or every few days to surprise your child with a new letter, or you can wipe the mirror clean every night and then write the letters in front of your child so they can watch you make the letters. An example of dialogue during this activity would be:

"Hmmm, I wonder which letters are going to join you today when you brush your teeth! Let's go see! Oh look! What letter is that? You're right! It's an 'M.' Look there's big 'M' and little 'M.' Oh, I'm going to add our other letter from to the mirror now, do you remember this letter? You've got it! It's a 'B.' Here's a big 'B' and a little 'B.' Can you say good morning to our letters?"

**On a side note, your toddler will not judge you for being silly, so don't worry if this exchange feels silly at first!**

Breakfast

3. Making letters with cereal/finding letters in cereal

There are so many fun ideas to practice letter recognition with breakfast food as long as you're willing to throw out the old advice of "don't play with your food!" You can make letter shaped breakfasts for your kids! One easy way to do that is use letter cookie cutters as pancake molds or to cut letters out of pancakes once you've made them. You can also arrange cereal in the shapes of letters before dumping it in the milk. You could even go one step further and buy alphabet cereal and have your little one look for certain letters. Berries, grapes, and banana slices all can be arranged into letter shapes. You can even have your little one practice making their letters with their food! It's a fun and tasty way to keep letter recognition in your morning, and maybe it will help them eat their food too!

Morning Walk

4. Using Wreaths and Letter Monograms

If you're like me, you live in a beautiful neighborhood where people love to decorate their front doors and lawns with single monogram letters of their last names! I've found this to be a wonderful opportunity for Charlotte to practice her letter recognition, out of the alphabet sequence on our walks. Another reason monogram letters are good to practice on, is because they look a little different than typical Arial of Times New Roman Font, which they usually see. This helps children to learn letters when they look a bit different, and thus cements their recognition that much more. Initially, I do most of the work to point out the letters, but now, Charlotte is familiar with these letters and where they show up on our walk. For example, we'll round a bend, and I'll tell her "Oh we're going to be on the lookout for that letter 'H'! Can you find it!?!? That's right! What sound does 'H' make again? Mommy can't remember? That's right! It makes a Hhh Hhh sound!"

If your neighborhood doesn't have a lot of monograms, you can always go on a letter hunt using license plates. We've done that before! For example, one walk, we spent the whole time looking for the letter 'B' which was hiding on the backs of cars and trucks and on signs! It's perfectly fine to repeat the same letter over a few walks! This gives your little one extra practice in really isolating that letter and identifying it among many letters.

Reading Time

5. Include ABC Books in your little one's library

There are honestly a plethora of possibilities when it comes to ABC books and they are SUCH a useful resource for teaching letter recognition to your little ones! The best books are ones that are engaging, bright, show both uppercase and lowercase letters, and that give examples of objects or words that start with the letter featured on the page. The books pictured below are some of my absolute favorites for all of those reasons, but if your little one likes a different ABC book, go with it! Motivation is absolute key, because you want your bitty to read these books again and again and again so they can get constant exposure to these letters and start to learn them!

If you're looking for more suggestions on great ABC books, click the following link http://childrensbooksguide.com/alphabet. It's a pretty impressive list, and it will give you a great starting point!

Lunch Time

Potty Time

6. Keep 3-5 letter flashcards by the potty for your child to practice

At my house, Charlotte is currently in the process of assimilation to the

potty. I hesitate to call it potty training, because with juggling her 3 month old brother Thompson, we haven't been able to get serious yet. As of now, we're at the point where I try to get her to sit on the potty once a day, and just get her comfortable with it. As I initially spent time waiting for her to do something/anything on the potty, I started playing I spy with her with colors in the room. She quickly cemented her recognition of colors and even started to quiz me. It was then that I realized I could use this time to have her practice letters.

In her bathroom, she has 3-5 letter cards at anytime. While she's sitting on the potty, she flips through the cards at her own pace, she talks about them, and every once in a while, I'll ask her to show me a certain card. When I can tell she's just about had enough of looking at her cards, I'll just casually ask her to name the letters on the cards one by one. This is in no way a drill or mindless repetition, but it's at her pace and at her comfort level. So far, it's working well for us. She may not be potty trained, but she's learning those letters! I'll call that a silver lining!

Nap Time

Afternoon Playtime

There are countless opportunities that you can use to play with letters with your child, but here are just a few games/activities that my little one loves!

7. Letter Balloons

After her second birthday, we had balloons all over the house, because she loves them so much. After the initial thrill of batting them around wore off, they would just gathered in corners and sat. As I was about to pop them one night, I realized I could use them to help her learn her letters. I then took 3 of the balloons and wrote both uppercase and lowercase letters on them as pictured.

Now we play a variety of games with them. We'll hide the balloons and then I'll say "Go find the 'A'" balloon!" or I'll get out a laundry basket and say, "Can you put the 'B' balloon in the basket? Good job! Now go get the 'A' balloon!"

Even when we're cleaning up, I refer to the different balloons by their letter name. This way she's getting used to identifying the letters on the balloons and not their locations.

**Note: Make sure to use the same color balloon so your little one isn't confusing learning colors for learning letters!**

8. Coloring Letters

A great way to have little ones interact with letters and practice their early writing skills and coordination is by doing alphabet coloring pages. There are many books you can buy on Amazon that offer great coloring pages and activities to reinforce certain letters. I have some of these that I've bought throughout the years, but I do like using Pinterest as my main source! The reason being that I can easily print multiple pages of 1 or 2 letters for free and have her work on those letters during the week. When you're on Pinterest, simply type in "letter coloring sheets," and a ton of free pins will pop up! I really like the ones that have not just the letter to color, but also trace, and then color objects that start with the targeted letter! Again, this is just another way to expose your child to letters and get them recognizing the letters and naming them!

9. Letter puzzles

There are SO many reason why I love doing letter puzzles with Charlotte!

1. She gets to work on fine motor skills.
2. It demands that you work on letters out of sequence.
3. She's improving her muscles memory for the form of letters as she's fitting them in their spots.
4. We work on sounds of the letters as well as names, because her puzzle has objects associated with the letters.

My absolute FAVORITE brand for letter puzzles is Melissa and Doug, but there are lots of other great ones out there too. Pictured above, there's the classic peg puzzle in the right corner, a Disney version on the top left, a butterfly version where the lowercase pieces help you figure out where to put the uppercase pieces, and Charlotte's new favorite on the bottom left which talks to her when she puts the letters in (for example '"R' is for rose."). These are just a few of the many examples available, and your little ones will enjoy doing them again and again!

Dinner Time

Bath Time

10. Bubble Bath Letters on the Wall

If your toddler is anything like mine, baths don't happen without bubbles. It's pretty much just a house rule! With that said, there's no reason you can't have just as much fun with those bubbles as your little one and use them to reinforce letters one more time before bed! Simply scoop bubbles from the bath and write letters on the wall with them, and ask you child which letter you wrote. Then, your little one can have fun splashing that letter away, clearing the wall for you to write another letter. When they get really good, you can have them make the letters in bubbles and then you can try to guess which letter they wrote! This is an especially fun activity because it's kinesthetic and it's getting your child to make big movements while making the letters. Not to mention, as long as the splashing outside of the tub is kept to a minimum, the clean up is really not too bad!

Bed Time

So there you have it, up to 10 activities you can sneak into your little ones' routines to help them work on their letter recognition! As you're starting out, so as not to make it overwhelming for you or your little one, I would suggest just picking 2 activities from the list to try a day, and focus on one letter. When both you and your little one feel more comfortable with the activities you can gradually expand to do more of them in a day! As with all things on my blog, remember to keep it fun and stress free! That's the best way your little one is going to learn and the best way to guarantee that you will keep providing those quality opportunities for your bitty to practice her letters, because you won't feel overwhelmed either!

Have fun with that ABC practice, and until next time...

Yours in Literacy,

The Reading Specialista