Create your own backyard bliss just in time for summer

Dust off your grills and break out the pool toys summer is right around the corner. Pretty soon your kids will be camped out on the couch remote in hand complaining that there is nothing to do. So do yourself a favor take a weekend and get your backyard ready for summer. There are some inexpensive things you can add to your backyard, no matter what the size that are sure to keep your kids engaged and having fun. Here are a few of my favorite backyard...

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Lil Sprouts Book Club: LMNO Peas

Go ahead and admit it. How many of you still rush through the middle of the alphabet to get to the chorus of "LMNO Peas?" You're not alone, we've all done it! It has such a nice flow to it, and it becomes a hard habit to break. Now with a little one at home that is carrying on the tradition, Keith Baker's LMNO Peas was a must read.It's a delightful story of some rambling little peas that make their way through the alphabet with a variety of different...

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Mommy & Me Mondays: A heartfelt Thank You

 Happy Memorial Day!  Boy am I proud to be an American.  Days like today make me stop and realize that we remember many, but we honor all who serve and served our country.  Both of my grandpas are veterans, and I couldn't let this day go by without a thank you.  Throughout the years I have have found it very important to teach my students about civic responsibility.  We've had pen pals in Iraq, made hundreds of...

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Make snack time learning time with a patriotic snack

  We decided to pack our kids up today and take a little adventure. We went to a local blueberry farm near the Wacissa River. There were so many blueberries! Our kids each got a gallon bucket and were encouraged to fill it up, neither one of their buckets ever had more than a few berries at a time because they spent their time eating them...once my 1 year old discovered he could just walk right up to a bush sit down and eat, it was all over. I...

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My Wish For You - Graduation Grab Bag

I'm always looking for a way to put my wishes into words for my students as they depart fifth grade and move on to middle school. It's a time of anxiety for me and them. I am hoping and praying that I've taught them what they need to know in the classroom and beyond. I hope that I've instilled some life lessons on them, and always encouraged them to be the best person they can be. I told you the other day that I write them each a letter to go...

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Lil Sprouts May: Ocean Fun

 Our lil sprouts had a whale of a time today learning about the ocean!We started off with a book about whales, Baby Whale's JourneyWe did a little science demonstration to show the lil sprouts how whales use their blubber to keep warm on their long journey to arctic waters.Our lil sprouts put their hands into our ice bucket to experience the frigid temperatures. Then they slid their little hands into a glove insulated with blubber (crisco) and...

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Volunteer Thank You

It's the time of year to thank our classroom volunteers for making our year successful and memorable. Without parent support, I wouldn't have a leg to stand on. There are thousands of teachers across this country that do it alone, and I commend you! Times are a changing, so I am a huge proponent of being creative and finding a way to encourage working and non-working parents to be involved with their child's education. As a child of two working...

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Lil Sprouts Book Club: The Rainbow Fish

 Rainbow fish by Marcus Pfister is one of my favorite books. It's a great story to teach your little ones about being humble and sharing. Rainbow fish is a beautiful little fish with shiny scales that seeks the wisdom of the wise octopus...along his journey Rainbow fish discovers that his shiny scales are no longer the most important part of who he is, but rather its about the kindness he shows others and how he learns to share what is most...

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