Children learn best when they can touch and feel something. Winter sensory bins allow a child to explore their world through their senses and creativity. Although sensory bins can create a mess for us to clean up, the mess is worth the reward. Listening to a child play, while immersed in a world of their…
Category: Early Childhood
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIES
If your family is anything like mine, nothing is more relaxing than cozying up on the sofas together and watching your favorite Christmas movies. The Christmas season can be extremely hectic and stressful, not just for the adults, but for the children too. Learning how to unwind and relax can create special memories for you…
ROCK COLLECTING
While eating lunch the other day, my youngest child casually asked, “Mom, why are there like 30 coffee cans full of rocks in the laundry room?”I had to laugh.Oh, the memories I have of rock collecting…. As most parents can relate, very few, if any, trips to parks or even just walks outdoors with young…
KINESTHETIC LEARNING ACTIVITIES
What are kinesthetic learning activities?If you have multiple children, I’m sure you’ve noticed just how different their personalities can be.Learning styles are the same. Not all children will learn the same way.I learned this the hard way.My first two children loved to sit and listen to me read, or look through books, etc. Then I…
Outdoor Art Activities
Summer is the perfect season to embrace outdoor art activities with the children in your life. Art is always important for children, and in the summer, sometimes we tend to put art on the backburner.However, there are so many fun and creative outdoor art ideas that it would be a shame to let this season…
4th Of July Fun Activities
4th of July fun activities! I’ve always loved the anticipation of holidays. The 4th of July is no exception.Holidays lead themselves to such fun and exciting festivities: crafts, snacks, books, etc.Here are some of my favorite 4th of July fun activities. Crafting with children. One of my favorite parts of working with children is the…
UNIT STUDIES
Maybe you’re like me, and as winter seems to stretch on forever, your creative juices quit flowing freely and turn into more of a slow trickle of ideas.The excitement of educating those you love kind of begins to wane.I’ve found a solution to those winter doldrums that works for me, and I’m hoping, maybe will…
Hibernation Unit Study
As I stated in an earlier blog post, one of the ways we begin each new year is with some type of hibernation unit study.Hibernation unit studies began when my children were very young.Just in case you missed this blog post, you can find it here:https://learningisawayoflife.com/getting-ready-to-hibernate/ I’m going to share with you some of my…
Lessons From The Elf On The Shelf
Elf On The Shelf Just this phrase causes parents to fill with excitement or cringe in despair.When my youngest son was almost 4, our elf, Jingle, entered our life. The fun begins. At this time, I had an in-home daycare for about 2 years. I had never heard of Elf on the Shelf.One day, 2 of…
THANKSGIVING FINGERPLAYS FOR CHILDREN
Thanksgiving fingerplays are a great way to interact with younger children. These fingerplays help children with gross and fine motor skills, improve memory skills, and help them to visualize stories, all while having FUN! Here are my favorite Thanksgiving fingerplays: I’m A Little Turkey (sung to the tune of I’m A Little Teapot) I’m a…
