Be grateful

During the Thanksgiving season, we like to express our thanks. Each day a person gets to share what they are thankful for and then we write it on a feather for our family turkey. On Thanksgiving day, I then had my daughter and cousins write what they were thankful for. For the little ones, I had them draw a picture and I would add the words to it. 

Small steps for writing. 

Summer Stations

Integrating Seasons: Summer Bubbles

Summer is here and if your children are like mine, they love to blow bubbles. We have already been through many jars of bubbles and it reminded me of a favorite unit that I did teaching first and second grades. At the end of year, to tie in writing, reading, and fun, I taught a bubble unit. The information and ideas are from a Teaching Guide called "Bubbles, bubbles everywhere." It was originally published by Macmillian and has tons of activities, ideas, and reproducibles. The rest of the ideas have developed since I have had a child that could be entertain for hours with bubbles. To make sure you will successfully entertain your children, first, make sure you have bubbles! A cheap way to create bubbles in a sink is with dishwashing liquid. You can also buy some jars at the dollar tree. While you are at the dollar store look for various wands, blowers, and items to blow the bubbles with. Or you can make your own: Pipe-cleaner wand: Form a loop at the end of a pipe cleaner. Dip and use. Paper cup: Use a pencil to poke a hole in the bottom of a paper cup. DIp the open end of the cup into the bubble mix. Blow gently through the hole. Funnel: Dip the large end of the funnel into the solution. Blow gently through the small end. Six pack holder: Grasp the holder at a corner. Dip it into the bubble mix. Gently wave the holder through the air. I googled a few images to give you an idea. If you buy these crayola bubbles, I recommend you do these in the tub. They are a bit messy. This bubble gun is a lot of fun. It was a gift this season. It is a light up bubble gun. I saw that you can purchase it on amazon for a great price. This is a great bubble wand I purchased at Gymboree Play and Music. I even bought the bubbles. There is something they are made of because they last a long time and do not create residue so are perfect for indoor rainy play. Here is something that I can save you from buying. I wish I read the reviews, but I saw this in the store and thought, "WOW! Thousand of bubbles in minutes!?? Bubbles 30 feet into the air!?" So I bought it. In front of my child and four neighborhood kids, we filled it, read the directions and waited with great anticipation for bubbles. We waited the said 2 minutes and there were still no bubbles. We even kept it going for 10 minutes and it looked pitiful. A few bubbles here and there. Sad. The kids walked away disappointed. So did I. That evening, I dumped the solution out and cleaned it with water, just like the directions state. My husband turned the machine on and there were more bubbles coming out of that machine just like we wanted earlier. I will try it again tomorrow. But be warned if you purchase it. Some fun books to read after an afternoon of blowing bubble are below: I had to throw this book in, there is a cartoon on the Disney Channel called "Bubble Guppies." Really has nothing to do with bubbles, but the title. And the songs are catchy. And to keep the summer fun going, have your kiddos write things down to become a "bubbleologist." Observations such as: What is inside a bubble? What colors are seen in a bubble? What shapes do the different wands make with the bubbles? Are all the bubbles the same size? How do you touch a bubble without breaking it? For the older kids, have them explore what bubble films are, how rainbows are created in or on the bubbles, and how they can create bubble domes. They can write their findings in their journals.

Integrating writing: National Poetry Month

Spring has a lot of reasons to write. The melting of the snow, the budding of trees, new animal babies being born, and the sprouting of flowers.

A new book for young poets that came out March 2011:



For more ideas, books for adults, and a poem a day visit: Poets.orgRemember mom and dad: Poems do not have to rhyme!

Integrating writing: Journals

I have always written in a journal. I regret throwing my early ones away. Now that I have children, I get them to write as often as I can. During the summer, I have my children reflect on the activities they did that week. It is fun and it keeps their writing going as well.

But how early, is too early? The minute a child can pick up and hold a pencil to make a line. I have a journal that I write in each month for our youngest daughter. As she makes milestones, I enter them in the journal. Each month, I have her "write" on the top of the page. We have been doing this for a year. (She is two). I am excited about the progress and growth of her lines. She makes circles thanks to my dad teaching her and other things. She asks me how to spell her name and she will put it on the paper as she "writes" it. The past few months, I have been writing the actual phrase she is saying underneath and as time goes on, I won't be surprised to see letters form. She watches me write everyday, and I know that has a big effect her her writing.





For more information about Early Writing Development, click here: Early Writing Development.