Picture this: Twenty-five tenth-graders walk into my World History classroom to find an ordinary object sitting on each desk. A soda can. Before anyone could crack it open, I stopped them: “Imagine you’ve never seen this before. You’re on an archaeological dig 500 years in the future, and you just unearthed this mysterious cylinder. What…
Here’s a test: Ask any student (or adult) what the Declaration of Independence is about. You’ll likely hear: “Freedom from England.” “Taxation without representation.” Maybe they’ll quote “all men are created equal.” Now ask them these five questions: Silence. That’s the gap between knowing about the Declaration and actually understanding it. And with the 250th anniversary approaching in July…
I was a teen nanny and babysitter in high school. In fact, I started watching kids as young as 2 when I was just 11 years old. I am pretty sure I would have never let a pre-teen watch my own children that young; nonetheless, it’s something I did in the summer, on weeknights, and…
I admit, I threw my hands up in the air and walked away after 13 times my daughter declared that West was actually South. What the heck had I gotten myself into? How did I think I could teach my own child, especially abstract concepts? I knew good and well she was just as stubborn…
Sitting in a local ice cream shop, my kindergartener refused to share her ice cream. She refused to give up even a single bite of her precious treat to her sister. “But she’s a baby. She doesn’t eat sugar yet.” Those words. She was just repeating what she had heard me say far too often…
Last Sunday, we picked our daughter up from class at church and before we left, we checked the table to get her artwork for the day. Almost none of them had their names on them, but one or two did and then there was one with somewhat recognizable letters. I immediately knew it was hers. While…
We don’t let our kids eat food with sugar in it until after they’re two. And yet my nearly four-year-old loves it. Because don’t we all? So even though she’s a great eater, I have been working on a nutrition learning theme that teaches children about food but also works to drastically reduce sugar intake in…
Traveling with children is always a fun but tricky situation because you never know what to expect or what to bring. Taking the train with kids is actually a great way to get around and see the countryside and our newest means of day-tripping as a family. So whether you’re going on a long or short…
I think every mother dreams of the day she can have cute little parties with her daughter. I know that even though I am not a girly girl and my daughters really aren’t either, there is always still fun to be had and even learning with Piggy Paint!
Teaching the alphabet is part of every parent-child relationship. Whether we just feel inclined to sing the ABCs constantly, or make it more fun, it is something that we all do regardless of whether we even intend on implementing more of a tot school routine. For us, when we took time to focus on the…
One tradition that our family has had for as long as I can remember is going to look at Christmas lights. Over the years some of the demonstrations and decorations have become very extensive and so much fun to watch. So instead of just sitting in the car driving around or even finding a place…
My daughter loves to break crayons, and chalk, and anything thin and cylindrical. And to be honest, this can be very frustrating for me. However, I know that she seeks tactile input by breaking crayons so instead of just getting upset, we sought to find fun ways for her to explore. Here is our latest…