intentionality

We’re in this together.

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Hey there.

You.

Yeah, you.

I know things are hard right now.

We’re in the middle of an actual pandemic. All that time spent watching Contagion, Outbreak, and fifty thousand other pandemic movies is finally paying off!

But if you’re home with your kiddos and you have to start facilitating distance learning AND you’re trying to work from home at the same time, you might be feeling like you’re in World War Z.

Ok, I have to admit. I’ve never watched any of those movies. They all give me the heebie-jeebies. Maybe that’s how you’re feeling right now too.

I want you to do one thing for me. Right now.

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I’m Still Here

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Hi everyone!

I promise, I’m still here.

This year has been crazy busy. I’ve had so many opportunities this year to do the early childhood advocacy work that I’m so passionate about and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Life is pretty great when you’re walking in your purpose. 🙂

I live in Colorado and this year we had some pretty big wins for children and families. Back in March, I got to testify in front of the Colorado House Education Committee to support funding for universal full day kindergarten. Pull out the party hats because it passed and was implemented this school year! And I won’t lie, it was pretty great getting to be a part of the bill signing.

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More Than a Feeling: The Hidden Benefits of Sensory Bins

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You know those minivan and suv commercials where they make the car look like it can do literally anything?

That’s basically the same as a sensory bin.

What is a sensory bin?

A sensory bin is a container filled with a variety of materials cultivated to ignite one or more of the five senses: touch, sight, smell, sound, and taste. You’ve probably seen water tables and sand tables at Target or Walmart. You might even have one in your backyard! There are tons of tutorials on the internet that show how to use pvc pipe and storage tubs to create a cheap table. I’ve found that those plastic under the bed storage tubs straight on the floor work wonders. You can move it anywhere (speaking from experience, don’t try to move it when it’s full) and you can store your materials in it when you’re done!

Scroll to the end of this post for a list of materials for your sensory bin!

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Four Favorites: Fine Motor Fun

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Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Pexels.com

Last week we talked about the importance of fine motor development, so this week I want to share some of my favorite fine motor experiences with you! They all require gathering some materials but you can typically find most of these things lying around your house or at a dollar store. They’ll work to strengthen those little hand muscles needed to start writing and drawing and being more independent. These activities are sure to be home runs for your little ones!

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Rough and Tumble Play

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“ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLE????!?!!!!!!”

Everyone’s attention is centered on a gymnastics mat surrounded by a circle of excited preschoolers. Two children are on their knees facing each other. Hearing the starting signal, they lunge toward each other, collapsing in a tangle of limbs as each one tries to pin the other to the ground for three seconds. Shouting fills the air as children call out words of encouragement to their friends wrestling on the playground. Through giggles, one child shouts out “I want to wrestle Jacob next!”

WHOA! WHAT IS THIS?! LORD OF THE FLIES?!

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Literacy Before Kindergarten: Intention in Book Selection

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This is part three of a series on promoting literacy in the infant/toddler – preschool years. You can find part one here and part two here.

“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”

– Emilie Buchwald

No pressure, right?

Have no fear! It’s actually easier than you think.

I’ve written before about content related things to consider when you’re buying books for your little one’s personal library. It might seem obvious to some of you more seasoned mamas and papas, but if there was only one thing you could remember about book buying, I would tell you to choose books with intention!

(Check out this post for more on book content!)

Every literacy related thing you do with your kiddos should reflect their abilities. Kids need different things at different ages.

Here are some age specific tips to keep in mind.

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My Three Guiding Words

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I’ve never been one for New Year resolutions. It always seemed to me that if you wanted to change something in your life, you shouldn’t have to wait until January 1st to start. And honestly, it seems like everyone gives up after a month or so.

But over the last couple of years I’ve noticed a new trend in New Year resolutions. Instead of a specific goal, many people — myself included — come up with a “Word of the Year.”

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Literacy Before Kindergarten: Go for the Gold

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This is part two of a series on promoting literacy in the infant/toddler – preschool years. You can find part one here and part three here.

When I got my first job teaching in a classroom, I was so excited to build up my classroom library. As a lover of stories in all forms and a self professed bibliophile, it was my dream come true to have an actual reason to load up on books. It wasn’t long after that I learned how expensive children’s books are! How could a 32 page long picture book cost and an arm, a leg, and a firstborn?!

Begrudgingly, I surrendered to my circumstances and just accepted any and all children’s books I could get my hands on. I was desperate.

I knew the quality of the books in my classroom library was mediocre at best and I resolved to gradually add better books and get rid of the subpar books as quickly as I could.

Why was it so important for me to have high quality children’s books? Continue reading →

Literacy Before Kindergarten: Creatures of Habit

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This is part one of a series on promoting literacy in the infant/toddler – preschool years. You can find part two (choosing quality content for children) here. You can find part three (intention in book selection) here.

As someone whose entire life has revolved around school years, I’ve come to recognize the return to the classroom in late August as the New Year — not January 1st. Vacations are over. The weather cools off. Parents and teachers are out buying fresh school supplies. Things are settling down and falling back into the routines that keep us sane.

Research shows time and time again that establishing and sticking to routines is one of the best things you can do for yourself. It can improve relationships, keep you healthy, minimize stress, and more.

In the case of children five years old and under, routines are essential for setting them up for success in school (and life), especially with regards to reading.

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Nature Kids

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“Passion is lifted from the earth itself by the muddy hands of the young; it travels along grass-stained sleeves to the heart.”
— Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

Being outdoors is a magical experience. Even as adults, we love to “get away from it all.” We often spend lots of money so we can go relax on a beach, camp, hike, or sit on a porch in the mountains. We crave getting back to nature. It helps us forget about the mundane aspects of life:  bills, work, to do lists…

Recently, the early childhood field has seen an uptick in “nature schools” in which the outdoors is the classroom. At my last preschool in San Francisco, many of the children had limited outdoor space at their homes. Those who did often had small, shared, or hardscaped backyards. Thankfully, San Francisco has a great parks system and we took advantage of that. Nature wasn’t our everyday classroom, but at least once a week, our classes didn’t meet at our schoolhouse; we spent the day exploring in one of the city’s beloved parks.

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