Ive finally joined the Disney Mickey Mote fun and am the parent of a child who loves interacting with her favorite Disney movies with her colorful, mickey-shaped remote control. I wasnt sure what to think of it when I first heard about them, so didnt jump on the bandwagon and buy one probably selfishly because I wasnt sure I wanted to give up possession of the remote control to my preschooler. But now that Ive given it a try and seen Emmas excitement at being able to play with her movies (kinda like daddy and his Playstation 3 controller), Im sold! Later Ill share the pros and cons of the Mickey Mote, but first I want to tell you about Mickeys Great Outdoors, the latest Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD release. Heres a list of the episodes youll find on the DVD (and it includes a digital copy as well!):…
I absolutely LOVE this shot! I can never get a clear shot of her face but caught this one SO lucky. 🙂
My daughter Emma wants to share her tips for the perfect twirl today. Read through them, laugh, enjoy the photos of my rather cute little girl, and at the end of this post youll find a fantastic giveaway you wont want to miss! But first, lets get twirling. 🙂 Tip #1: You absolutely MUST have the proper attire. One of the first things a little girl does when you put a skirt or dress on her is test the twirlability. The dress should be empire waist-ed or have a skirt with lots of material! Its also best if the material is lightweight. Emma is modeling an outfit especially made for twirling from TwirlyGirl here. Tip #2: Before beginning the twirl, its a good idea to have a quick warm-up session. You can do stretches, run around a bit, just get those muscles warmed up. Theres nothing worse than getting a…
I thought I would share some of my favorite places to find educational preschool printables and ideas. Here they are! Homeschool Creations(Great resources for alphabet, Bible, colors & shapes, numbers & math, games, lapbooks, Do-a-Dot coloring pages, and more!) 1+1+1+1=1(Tot school printables and preschool printables, themed preschool packs, tot books.) Christian Preschool Printables(Bible ABCs, Bible crafts, verse cards, mini books, and more.) Confessions of a Homeschooler (Letter-themed printables, craft ideas, and MUCH more!) Homeschool Share(This is an awesome place to find educational printables based on books and themes! The best way to find what you need is to search their database.) Raising Our Kids(Love the number coloring pages! They also have hidden picture, color by number, printable mazes, and more!) Daycare Resources (Mini charts, sorting games, sequence cards, flash cards, coloring pages, and more) Lawteedah (There are some great printables here: shape tracers, themed tot kits, alphabet tracers, etc.) Inspiring…
We focused on the letter B (Do-a-Dot Letter B Page thanks to Confessions of a Homeschooler) (We used the Pretty Bugs Preschool Pack from 1+1+1+1=1 for many of the following activities.) Sorting by color: Reading a special book I laminated and put together for her that teaches the concepts of behind, inside, under, etc. This page says, The snail is behind the flower. This is a game that helps kids learn their numbers. There are 10 leaves with the numbers 1-10 printed on them. I had Emma close her eyes (yes, she peeked!) while I hid the dragonfly behind a leaf. Then I asked her to say the leaf numbers as she looked under each one to see if the dragonfly was underneath. She also enjoyed setting the game up in number order. We played a sorting game Learning the differences between bugs and flowers and the similarities, like theyre…
My little guy is 3 months old! He likes to: – Roll over from tummy to back like a pro (a stubborn one who still doesnt like tummy time). – Smile and laugh at all the members of his family even when were not trying to be funny. – Interact and play with Emma he loves to be teased and fussed over by her! – Play pillow fight. For some reason it makes him laugh so hard when the pillow lands on him! – Stand up with someone holding his hands for support he LOVES this and grins widely. – Be held constantly. – Play with his hands and feet, studying them intently. – Pull toys toward himself, especially his new Lamaze elephant toy. He doesnt like: – To be left alone on the floor to play by himself for longer than about 2 minutes. – Something about my milk…
I absolutely LOVE Jan Bretts books! One of my favorites is The Mitten. Such a sweet story. And all of her books are equally a joy to read. Ive been a subscriber of her newsletter for awhile now because she has the coolest free printables! Coloring pages and crafts are always being released. Her newest release is a set of alphabet printables just in time for school! Full Page Sized Alphabet Cards (Would be so cute lining a wall!) Alphabet Flash Cards(Four to a page) Alphabet Tracing Cards Toothpick Alphabet FlagsUppercaseLowercase All of Jan Bretts activities can be found here.
Isnt he a cutie? 🙂 And what do you think of that dino comforter? I bought this crib set from ebay and I LOVE it! Its so our style. 🙂 Were all about dinos. This is from the Lil Dino set by Lambs & Ivy.
When I knew I was going to be doing preschool activities with my daughter at home I decided that a laminator would be a good investment. I wanted to make my own educational materials and games from all the free printables I discovered online (people are SO generous to share those!) and laminating them seems to be the best way to keep them in good shape despite the rough toddler handling they receive. Plus I want to use them again with Isaac when hes old enough. What fun! So I bought this Scotch Thermal Laminator and Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches and it has made laminating SO fast and easy! I love it! Not only does it help keep our materials sturdy when printed out on cardstock, it also works well as a dry erase surface! I bought those dry erase markers at the Dollar Store and they have a lid…
Am I the only one who finds it difficult to make family time in the mornings more meaningful and focused? My husband and I both wake up with to-do lists seared into our brains, and our mornings can easily become a mad dash with everyone talking, cleaning, cooking, getting ready. To me, a great morning as a family consists of a healthy breakfast (even if its just granola and a glass of orange juice), coffee for the hubby and me, and conversation around the table. And believe me, conversation can be difficult when the young people are 3 and 4 months old. 😉 So whats a good way to keep morning time family time? I try to make mornings TV-free time that right there helps a lot! If there is time, card games or other short games can be fun. I also like quick breakfasts so Im not spending the…