As we finish reading a story to a child, grown-ups often groan when they hear the words, “read it again!” Many of us grownups tire of reading the same books over and over, but repeated reading is actually very good for young children. Children learn important things from hearing a book again and again. They […]

Today is random Debbie. I started the morning by taking the books out of our book rack next to our family time area. Many times throughout the week looks migrate there they don’t really belong there. As I sorted them into stacks I paid attention to categories. I put all the music books together and […]

Natural beauty can be seen everywhere. White fluffy clouds float above the yard, spiders web flutter in the wind, and the moon sometimes graces the daytime sky. Just the other day one of the children pointed high and said ” look it’s the moon!” Short nature walks give children a chance to observe the wonders […]

Today I thought about some of the goals I have for the children. Probably the biggest concern for parents are those fine motor skills – so the more I get the children excited to practice them during normal play- the better. During family time today we talked about tomorrow being Halloween and what we might […]

In case you forgotten what is expected in fine motor development for this age. Here are a few pics I snapped today to show you where many of us are. 

Rhymes and movements for the hands and fingers, some of which date at almost 2000 years, are still used in early childhood classrooms, as well as the more modern action songs that involve the whole body. When you were a child you might remember finger plays such as “twinkle twinkle little star “or “old Mary […]

Research has proven that our environment, – the way we set up our rooms can often be the third teacher. Especially when following the philosophy of teaching we do I am reminded often how important it is to be intentional about the materials that I put out. You’ve heard me preach over and over again […]

I keep telling you this year is different and it’s really hard to explain other than saying all the kids are just so ” chill.” I think we always know that the kids love us – they are with us seven hours a day – day in and day out -sure they love us . […]

Think about how your child learned to speak. Did you teach your child one sound at a time and say ” I -want -a -snack – from – the – kitchen ?” Of course not! Language is learned through listening, speaking, and practicing in real situations. Children learn to read and write when real life […]

Yesterday we talked about puzzles. Puzzles are one tool that can be used to help children develop fine motor skills. Why are fine motor skills important? Most people immediately just think of writing. There are so many other things that come with being able to use your finger muscles and hand muscles with success. Today […]