Archive for the ‘Children (3-6 years)’ Category

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my Recipe for a Kindergarten at Home

Monday, February 4th, 2013
Homeschool  ChroniclesThis is the season when homeschoolers start dreaming big dreams for the next school year.  Yes, I know it’s kind of early, but I just can’t resist!  It’s so fun to consider curriculum options and to ask my kid, “So…what do you want to learn in third grade?”

Before my mind moves on completely from Liam’s kindergarten year, I want to share my recipe for kindergarten.  Doing kindergarten at home is a great way to enjoy your little one’s childhood just a little bit longer!  Especially for families in transition (moving) or with very young kindergartners, staying home might make more sense.  In many European countries with excellent education results, children don’t start formal academics (how to read, basic arithmetic) until they are 6 or 7.  One reason we do kindergarten at home is to allow for more important learning opportunities (see my blog post from 2009).

Kindergarten at home is easy.   The key ingredient is your loving family.  The action? Just living everyday life together… cooking, keeping house, spending time in the dirt, exploring the great outdoors.  Add some playdates for spice and a generous helping of thoughtfully chosen resources.   Here are some resources I’ve used:

Earthways by Carol Petrash is an excellent Waldorf crafts book with very earthy project ideas and suggestions for creating a positive learning environment.  I’ve used this book quite a lot.  It’s more about doing seasonal projects that allow the child to relate with and appreciate nature than creating anything like art.

For art, I’d recommend Scribble Art by MaryAnn Kohl.  This is a classic!  It has suggestions for all kinds of artistic experiences with lots of mediums.  This art is about the process, not the product, which allows for real learning.

Both of the above books are bare-bones in terms of pictures.  A good inspirational art book is Side by Side: 20 Collaborative Projects for Crafting with Your Kids, which just came out.  It doesn’t have a large quantity of ideas, but they are well-selected and a visual treat.  Hmm… this book might be better for older children, actually, so K-3rd grade.

For science I recommend nature book author, Clara Dillingham Pierson.  The kids loved Among the Pond People when we read it during Aria’s kindergarten (Liam just 4 years old) and we are reading Among the Forest People this year.  These classics have very few pictures, which is a great way to encourage your kindergartner to form mental pictures as prep for chapter books.

Also read lots of lovely picture books, especially seasonal ones.  Your local library should be able to help you put together a good list.  On my old work blog, I posted seasonal book recommendations that my children loved a few years ago.  Here are picture books for Winter, Spring, more Spring, Summer and Fall.  We still check many of these out from the library when the seasons change, and they are welcomed like old familiar friends!

Read simple fairytales and folktales too, like The Gingerbread Man, The Turnip, Three Billy Goats, etc.  I choose to save the more romantic and/or violent fairytales (like Grimm’s) for later.  A good librarian should be able to help you locate a bunch of classic tales appropriate for little ears.  Also, please don’t miss the REAL Winnie-the-Pooh (which I prattle on about here).  It’s one of our favorites!

If you are a Christian, we love The Jesus Storybook Bible.  It’s a beautifully-written children’s Bible storybook that ties each story into the larger story of redemption, getting at the point of it all.

Math in kindergarten will happen naturally at home if you look for opportune moments.  Add a few simple games now and then too to expand math thinking.  Today we had fun practicing counting high while tossing a beanbag back and forth.  Whenever someone dropped it we had to start over again.  So, um, we had to start over a lot.  For ideas, see Family Math (a fabulous longterm resource) and Playful Learning (with projects and games for more than just math).

Toddler Apron in Freebird Ovals
Liam in art area, 2010

In addition to book resources, your at home kindergarten will be greatly enriched by an accessible art area.  When I was setting ours up, I wrote a 5-part blog series on creating an art area for little ones (here’s part 1), including what supplies we like to have on hand.   That was especially useful during preschool years.  Now Liam does mainly drawing and painting and some modeling.  Also, consider simplifying and decluttering the toy shelf with open-ended, classic toys that invite creative play such as pretending and building.  Soon you’ll have a lovely home environment ripe for learning, growing and a gentle opening to all that the future holds.

I hope this list is helpful for those of you who might be considering a home kindergarten.  Don’t allow yourself to get overwhelmed because the essentials are so doable. You love your kid. You can read to her, give her opportunities to explore the natural world, to play with friends, to make stuff.  That’s a wonderful kindergarten!

And, for those for whom a traditional kindergarten is the family choice, you can of course take advantage of any of these resources to enrich the time you do spend together.  Enjoy!

P.S.  For Liam’s kindergarten we’re also using the Explode the Code primer series (Book A, B, C) to work on consonant sounds and the Getty Dubay Italic Handwriting Series Book A to encourage proper letter formation patterns.   Liam is an “older” kindergartner (already turning 6) and he’s interested in letters, as well as has great fine motor skills.  For a younger kindergartner or any kindergartner resisting bookwork, I would definitely suggest holding back on bookwork until first grade.  You can offer these things without requiring them.  A child will WANT to do this kind of work when they are developmentally ready, so long as they haven’t “learned” that school is something to resist.

P.S.S.  Some of these links are affiliate Amazon links, which means I will earn a small percentage if you purchase anything after clicking over.  You might want to use Amazon to learn more about these resources in the way of reviews and previews and such. That’s how I consider books, anyways!   Don’t forget to check your local library too and save those pennies!

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It’s simple: Avoid these ingredients

Thursday, July 19th, 2012

I have a friend who seems interested in making healthier choices for her family, but is also overwhelmed by all the details.  It’s true, there are a million ideas on what makes a healthy diet.  But, how about we start with where to look in order to eliminate the BAD choices from your family’s menu?

An article on Healthy Child, Healthy World listed “The Scary Seven“.  And they’re not joking. These are ingredients that should send you running in the opposite direction.  If you avoid them altogether you don’t have to wonder, ” How much is ok?”  And there really are plenty of safe options that you and your kids will enjoy! If you start looking, you’ll see.

Avoid these ingredients:

  1. High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
  2. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
  3. Partially Hydrogenated Oils (trans fats)
  4. Artificial Colors
  5. Artificial Sweeteners (including acesulfame potassium, or Ace-K; sucralose [Splenda], and aspartame)
  6. Artificial Flavors
  7. Preservatives (including: sodium benzoate, sulphites (sulphur dioxide), polysorbate 60, 65 or 80, nitrites, TBHQ, and BHT/BHA).

Check the ingredient list on the foods your kids eat weekly.  Don’t allow foods with ingredients that most EVERYONE agrees are harmful be a staple in their diets!

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Chores for Littles

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

I just came across a great post “Child Labor” at Progressive Pioneer.   It touches on the need teach our little ones that they can and do contribute to the family by helping out around the house.  I so agree!  In fact, I’ve been thinking lately about the division of chores in my household and the upcoming reality of allowance.  We don’t do allowance yet, but in time we will.  For now I’m glad they’ve learned to help without expecting compensation.  The author and many commenters share what chores their littles do around the house.  And since it’s so helpful to hear from others, I thought I’d list our current chores too:

Aria (7 years old)

  • Tidies her room every morning
  • Changes the cat sand twice a week
  • Vacuums her room weekly
  • Cleans the bathroom sink and cabinet weekly
  • Takes out the compost
  • Takes out the trash weekly
  • Unload the dishwasher
  • Sort, fold, put away laundry

Liam (5 years old)

  • Tidies his room a few times a week
  • Feeds the ducks daily and gathers eggs
  • Feeds the cat daily
  • Vacuums his room weekly
  • Cleans the bathroom mirror weekly
  • Takes out the trash weekly
  • Unload the dishwasher
  • Sort, fold, put away laundry

At this point, both of them are mainly contributing to the upkeep of their spaces (their room, their shared bathroom, their laundry) and to their pets.  I’d like to integrate them more into the care of common spaces, because it’s important that they be willing to serve others.   After reading the comments at Progressive Pioneer I think that it’s time I let Aria take over loading the dishwasher.  Then maybe Liam can have sole charge of unloading the dishwasher and that would be balanced.  Other ideas for chores that parents listed include:   dusting. wiping down cabinets, sweeping, setting/clearing the table and helping with dinner.

Do your little ones have chores too?

*Photo from For Small Hands – a source for child-sized tools of all kinds!

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Flip Cloth Trainer {a review}

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

At book club last month I shared my experience using BumGenius’ newly released Flip Training Pants with my friends.  Based on my testimony, a few moms opted to cross that line.  You know the one – the one  where you actually see yourself washing dirty diapers.  In the washing machine and everything!

Yes, when it comes time for potty training, even parents who have always used disposables might consider cloth pull-ups over pricey disposable alternatives.  There’s a lot of benefits – money saved, likelier faster training (since the child can feel any wetness), not to mention we all know it’s easier on the environment to reuse rather than throw away an everyday product.  Plus there’s a HUGE eliminated drawback… the poop factor.  If your child is a little ways into the potty training transition, he or she is likely no longer having messy accidents.  A lot of us have nighttime wetters only.  Since staying dry at night can be a multi-year battle, even using a cloth trainer at night only offers such a significant savings.   Washing pee-only diapers is so much easier on the average psyche.   I totally get that.

Anyways, I wanted to let you know that we’ve been using the Flip trainer since it was released in November.  My 4-year-old still wakes up wet most nights, but bedding and pj’s stay dry when he wears the Flip trainer.  Flip Training Pants are sold in a box with 1 waterproof outer and 5 absorbent inserts for $29.95.  For a child wearing a trainer during the day, one insert provides the accident protection you need.  But, for an older child sleeping overnight we double up on the absorbent inserts to provide enough oomph for a heavy wetter.  You can buy extra inserts separately.  I love that my child can easily pull the cloth trainers up and down for those late night trips to the bathroom and that we don’t have to keep investing in throw-away solutions.

And, by the way, if you do have a really messy accident, BumGenius has you covered with snap-open access for a normal diaper change.  Just dump any solids in the toilet and wash that pull up on HOT.  You’ll be just fine.  But, all the same,  let’s hope that never happens to you (wink)!

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Reposted: Children’s Books for Fall

Monday, September 26th, 2011

Aria & I have been declaring “It’s Fall” since the beginning of September.  While the weather hasn’t always agreed, the apples are ripe and the first leaves are turning.  We’ve sent out invitations for our Harvest Halloween Party (in the style of Remaking Halloween)… and I’ve started brainstorming homemade Christmas gifts.  It must be fall.

Here are some books to enjoy with your children this fall.  Click through on any of the images to read a description of the book!

Woody, Hazle and Little Pip by Elsa Beskow (my favorite)

Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington

Harvest by Kris Waldherr

Frederick by Leo Lionni

Possum’s Harvest Moon by Anne Hunter

Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White (a funny tale)

The Story of the Wind Children by Sibylle Von Olfers

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Raising Elijah

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

I am about halfway through Sandra Steingraber’s new book “Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis” and I can’t wait any longer to tell you what an interesting and worthwhile read it’s been.  It’s kind of hard to explain how a book that shares serious, often disturbing information can at the same time be so personal and empowering.  I’m sure the answer lies in the fact that Sandra is both a talented author and a real mom, who makes real mistakes, who lives in the real world -  like all of us.

As a mom with an ear to the ground on environmental health issues (ie. no BPA products for us, no vinyl toys, no canned food, etc) I sometimes wonder if I’ve heard it all.  Of course, I have not.  And then the real question emerges – do I want to hear more?

“… a steady onslaught of information about a problem over which people feel little sense of personal agency gives rise to futility.  Ironically, the more knowledgeable we are about such a problem, the more we are filled with paralyzing futility.  Futility, in turn, forestalls action.  But action is exactly what is necessary to overcome futility” (pg 46).

The truth is, I do want to hear more, but mostly in terms of what can be done about it.  And so far, that’s what Sandra delivers.  I was appalled to hear the story behind how pressure-treated-wood came to the market.  All of the sudden I realized, our hand-me-down wooden playground could be made of this poisonous substance!  So, off a sample goes to be tested for arsenic, a serious carcinogen (free tests available through The Safe Playground Project).  And, remember last year’s post about newly approved and highly dangerous strawberry pesticides in CA?  Sandra reminded me of this crazy industry decision, which spurred me to make sure that we are NEVER buying strawberries from California.

There’s a lot more to be said about Raising Elijah, and I expect I’ll be back with more later.  For now, let me say that if you want to be an informed parent this book is something you won’t want to miss.  I think it’s my next choice for book club!

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Get Cash for your Product Reviews!

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

This January you can save $10 off your order at EuphoriaBaby.com by earning cash for 3 product reviews.

First visit Euphoria Baby to find and review any products you’ve used.  Even if you didn’t but it from us, if you’re certain you have experience with the same product, feel free to submit your review.  Make a total of 3 product reviews!

Be sure to review under the same name you use when you place your order.  To get your $10 savings, use coupon code “ProductReview” during checkout on any order of $20 or more.

One coupon per customer.  Reviews must be made this January.  $10 savings good through February 2011.

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a Poem for November

Monday, November 15th, 2010

Thanksgiving Pies

When all the leaves are off the boughs,

And nuts and apples gathered in,

And cornstalks waiting for the cows,

And pumpkins safe in barn and bin,

Then mother says, “My children dear,

The fields are brown and autumn flies.

Thanksgiving Day is very near,

And we must make Thanksgiving pies.”

Author unknown. A sweet poem Aria memorized in our homeschool this November.

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5 Fun Things To Do with Kids on Vacation

Sunday, September 12th, 2010

Our family of four had a blast in Nashville, TN this August.  Our children, ages 3.5 and almost 6, are at just the right age to explore and enjoy new places.  If you’re looking to get away on a budget, here are some fun activities for vacationing with young kids.

1.  Art Experiences:  Big cities may have an art museum with interactive exhibits for children.  We lucked out at the amazing ArtQuest Gallery at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville.  In smaller towns designed for tourism look for direct-sell art events where local artists display or demonstrate their work.  There’s nothing like talking with artists to inspire your little one.

2. Nature Experiences – What can you find nearby?  Tour a caves, climb a (short) mountain, raft down a river, take a sail on the sea or paddle a kayak on a lake!  While you’re on vacation, you have the time to really enjoy these natural treasures.  We toured Lost River Cave an hour out of Nashville in Kentucky.  The experience was truly unforgettable.

3.  Local Parks: Free and always-handy, local city parks are a great place to let the kids blow off steam and kill extra time.  We used a GPS to locate and navigate to many-a-park on our vacation.  Daddy and I enjoyed sitting still.  Other times we released our inner child, climbing and swinging along with our kids!

4.  Horseback Riding:  Taking a guided trail ride on horseback is one of my fondest childhood vacation memories.  It’s nothing compared to the pony ride at the zoo!  Aria, at almost six, was able to ride all by herself, and Liam rode in my saddle.  You don’t need horesback riding experience to do this (the horses won’t go fast even if you tell them to – believe me, I try).  And, it doesn’t have to be expensive.  Call around.  Our family had a great time on an hour-long trail ride for under $100 total.  It was another great memory-maker!

5.  Water Parks:  If it’s at least mildly warm out, I bet your children would be thrilled to go to a water park.  We made plans to go to one, but found out too late that it was closed on our designated day.  During the school year, many parks are only open on the weekend.  Oh well, something to look forward to next time!  Of course, near the beach, the ocean wins out for sure.  And, in winter, go play in the snow!

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LunchBots Love & Coupon

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

Packing lunches, whether for school or for work, tends to create a lot of waste.  If you’ve been looking for something plastic-free to pack sandwiches and leftovers, look no more. 

I asked the folks at LunchBots to send one of their containers for review.  All LunchBots are made totally of stainless steel.  The LunchBots Eco, which we’ve been testing,  is their largest model and easily accommodates a big daddy sandwich.  This baby has been receiving constant use for about two weeks and it still looks as good as new.  It dishwashes just fine, but I hand wash it too when we need to reuse it quickly.  We’ve had no problems with leaks or the lid coming off – it’s great!

We’ll be buying a few more to completely eliminate those little plastic baggies in our home.  LunchBots makes some smaller sizes, including one divided to fit fruit and nuts or cheese and crackers, for example.  And, if you have a child headed to school, you should checkout their adorable Waste-Free Lunchkits.  Each kit comes with two stainless steel containers, 2 organic cloth napkins and a Mimi the Sardine non-toxic lunch tote at a 25% savings.  So many fun designs!  Makes me kind of sad we homeschool (not really). 

LunchBots has generously provided a coupon for 15% off any items on their site.  Use code BACKTOSCHOOL to activate your savings!

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