2011 April

Alphabet Art Prints GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!

I am back in business because FINALLY, after two weeks, I have a working computer…thanks to a friend named David who helped us fix our problem. So because I am so happy about having my computer back I am doing a GIVEAWAY.

My awesome friend Lauren with Lauren Haddox Designs painted this picture for her little boy’s nursery:

I loved it so much that I took a picture of each letter, and edited it to make a set for my playroom. I am going to back them to coordinating colored cardstock and hang them from a line using clothespins. They are so stinkin cute that I had to make a set, with Lauren’s approval, for my Mommy Teachers too.

Maybe you dont want them for your playroom; maybe you want to use them as “flashcards” or make a “picture book” out of them! But however you plan to use them, here’s how to ENTER:

You can have UP to FOUR entries:

1. “like” Lauren Haddox Design Facebook Page

2. “like” The Mommy Teacher Facebook Page

3. “share” either one of our pages and let me know you did (either in your comment or on facebook)

4. “comment” on this post by telling me how you are going to use the prints!

The giveaway ends at Midnight on Cinco de Mayo and I will announce the winner on Friday, May 6th! Good luck!

April 30, 2011 by Jessica | 35 Comments

Chalkboard Placemats

I have been patiently waiting to write about these mats ever since I saw them 2 weeks ago on the pioneer woman’s site. I contacted Leslie who has a super cute blog and asked if I could help spread the word about these awesome placemats because well, they are awesome! I mean, what better way for your little one to practice writing their name, family members names, practice sounding out the names of the menu items, draw the shapes or other observations they see, etc.

If you are grossed out by chalk at the dinner table, SET a kid’s table and let the adults finish enjoying their food and the kids can retreat to the kid’s table to develop their fine motor skills and enjoy their creativity. I love the thought of turning the dinner table into a learning table. The possibilities are endless really. Order them HERE!!!

(Pictures from the bafriend site)

This one says it all!

Can you picture it yet?

April 27, 2011 by Jessica | 0 comments

Map It Out

Today’s activity is a combination of kindergarten grade level expectations in social studies, math, writing, and reading! And it happens to be one your little one will love.

You are going to create a simple map of your child’s room with your little one (this is the social studies skill). And you are going to use shapes to draw items like the bed, rug, dresser, desk, lamp, etc. (math skill). Then you are going to ask your little one to help you sound out the words to write on each space (reading skill), and then have your little one write the letters as you name them (writing skill). You are going to bury a “treasure” like a candy or other treat in the room and write a small “x” in the place where you have hidden it. Then your little one will use the map to figure out where the hidden treasure is.

A very simple, yet educational, and extremely fun activity for your little one to do! Share about your experience on the Mommy Teacher Facebook Page!

April 26, 2011 by Jessica | 0 comments

A Penny For My Thoughts

My computer has had a virus for a week and a half and you would swear I am lost in my own home. We have got to get it fixed…even if it costs us. Speaking of costing us…. today we are gonna talk about MONEY, HONEY.

When I taught kindergarten one of the grade level expectations is that children can identify coins and their values. But coins can be difficult to teach unless you teach them ONE coin at a time. Kids always seem to recognize a quarter because they need quarters to buy candy haha, but the other coins all blend together in their minds. So, when I teach coins I will spend a week or more on each individual coin so that the children can really store and organize the information in their minds.

So, go on a penny hunt today and collect as many as you can and put them in a coin purse or a wallet. Then write various numbers with the cent sign on post-its and place them on toys in your child’s room or playroom. First, teach your little one about the penny. The penny is made of copper and it is worth one cent. President Lincoln is on the front and the Lincoln memorial is on the back (you can just say “a building.” In small handwriting you can read the words “one cent.” “When we use pennies we count by ones….let’s count some together.”

Explain to your little one that you put a pretend price on the toys in the playroom so lets go shopping. Tell them that you work in the store so if they want to buy anything they need to count out the right number of coins and pay you in exchange for the toy.

If your little one has already had plenty of practice with the penny, teach him/her about nickels and how to count them by fives, writing all of your value amounts on the post-its in multiples of fives.

April 25, 2011 by Jessica | 0 comments

Easter Design for Development

Lauren Haddox Design has been so generous to make all my Mommy Teachers an activity page to work on with your little one between now and Easter! Lauren designs all my invitations, logos, everything…check out her etsy shop to see some of her designs. Thanks so much Lauren 🙂

Below is the Easter-themed template Lauren created and every time she contributes a design I am going to refer to it as a “Design for Development” because she is a professional creating a design to benefit your child’s development. The template is a black and white template for a reason: Your child is going to “color” it, but this isn’t just any old color sheet; this is an ACTIVITY sheet. Underneath the template link I left some tips on how you can guide your little one through the template to make it more purposeful and meaningful. I hope you have a great experience with this Easter activity!

EASTER DESIGN FOR DEVELOPMENT

1. Name all the letters that you know in the words “Hoppy Easter!”

2. Can you color the letters in a rainbow pattern?

3. How many dots are on the egg?

4. What color starts with the same sound as grass? (green)

5. How many whiskers does the bunny have all together? (3 and 3 more is 6!)

6. What shapes do you see in the picture?

7. Which word is longer…hoppy or easter? (easter) Which has fewer letters? (hoppy)

Here is a glimpse of what it looks like: