Here we come a’gathering…*

While our dry, sunny autumn weather this year, preceded by a very dry summer, has been horrible for most plants, it has resulted in some fabulous leaf colors in the last few weeks. So I decided to drag my kids outside and make us enjoy them!

I’d recently listened to a podcast from Read-Aloud Revival** and the guest, Cindy Rollins, made a point that really stuck with me. The version in my head of her point is: when we start feeling guilty about whatever we aren’t doing with our children that we think we should, stop. Go and do that thing with your kids. Don’t go to the computer and make a lesson plan and research extension activities, just do “it”. 

It reminds me of advice a work mentor once gave me:

Don’t let the perfect get in the way of the good.

Now, I love fall color.Rainbow of fall colors

Sometimes I wonder if it is an ingrained bias, as I am a fall baby myself. Pumpkin pie spices, egg nog- like mother’s milk to me (and cheesecake, but that is another story).

Our dry, sunny autumn weather this year has resulted in some fabulous leaf colors in the last few weeks. But I just hadn’t taken the time yet this season to actually go out and enjoy it.

With the above words ringing in my head, I decided to drag my kids outside and make us enjoy them together! Continue reading “Here we come a’gathering…*”

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Finally, a good use for Jello: Homemade Jello Playdough

I finally finished Bl’s (22 mo) apron Wednesday, so I was hoping for an excuse to use it.  (I’ll try to get the post up with “directions” . Someday…) After Bl brought me the third empty playdough container to open in a vain attempt to find some to play with, I realized we had a perfect excuse. When Bl grabbed his apron & brought it over to me, I realized my time was at hand. :)

I remembered running across a playdough recipe that used Jello & thinking “Oh, great, that would give me something to finally do with that Jello I bought on sale other than just figure out different places to store it….”

Continue reading “Finally, a good use for Jello: Homemade Jello Playdough”

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S is for “Stilts”

We are actually visiting family in the San Diego area right now (nice, huh?), and I am crazy behind on posting. We’ve continued with our letter activities. As you may have noticed, we aren’t going anywhere close to alphabetical… I’ve let Br (3 3/4) pick what letter he wanted to work on next, usually by having him try to identify the first letter sound of something we are talking about.

The other day, we did “Letter S” for our letter of the day. Br found his phonics cards for the letter “S”, and watched the requisite related YouTube videos (“Letter S” songs and Snowplows, this time :) ).  Then we did our “memorable event”: this time, a craft that doubles as a cool gross motor activity.  And it’s cheap, quick, & Br LOVED it. (Yeah, the kid craft trifecta!)  Drum roll, please….. Continue reading “S is for “Stilts””

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