Teaching Tools

Special Discount on Glasses for Mommy Teachers!

Hey Mommy Teachers,

I recently came across a REALLY great company that sells quality eyeglasses online at affordable prices.  It is called GlassesUsa.com, and this is why I have to
tell you about it:

I have come across several children who were completely capable readers, but their vision was not strong enough to make out the formations of the letters.  These sweet students of mine would struggle through sounding out words, not because they couldn’t sound out the words correctly, but because they were “guessing” the wrong letters when they couldn’t quite see them clearly.  You might have done the same thing if you have ever been to an eye exam.  You squint your eyes and guess what letters you think you see, but it is a little blurry.

Please don’t put your new learner through this stress.  Do me a favor…go get your eyes examined and your little one’s eyes examined soon!  You can set a great example for your little one doing this with them and there are several books that can build confidence so that your little one will feel so cool wearing glasses.  Maybe if you buy glasses you might even be able to read those books to your children without squinting and getting a headache.

If you already have a prescription and would love a new set of frames….go buy glasses now while you can save 10% on your next order with THIS code: Mommy10

They also have a summer sale so you can take $25 off any order of glasses with Transitions lenses with the code: Trans25.

My favorite….They have a fun virtual mirror that allows you to “try on” your glasses before you buy them. You can even send the pictures to your friends!

So, go buy some nice and cheap glasses a little cheaper while you can at GlassesUsa.com.

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Weekend Project

Reading phones are one of the new(er) classroom trends, but for good reason:

Children can practice reading (or reading strategies) independently when you give them a tool that allows them to hear themselves more clearly.  When I teach little ones to read they LOVE to use these phones.  I usually incorporate them when I have already introduced the book, walked through it once with them, and then allow them to read it by themselves.

This is the best time for the little one to practice his/her fluency, articulation, and reading strategies using the phones.

Maybe your little one isn’t “reading” yet….then use this phone to help them practice their sounds, rhyming, or alphabet.  This phone can also be great for tackling speech issues…. http://www.mommyspeechtherapy.com has great ideas and tools to help if that is the case.

You can make these reading phones for cheap!  This can be your weekend project.  Get a Daddy Teacher, neighbor, or your handy tools to help you cut one piece of PVC Pipe just two inches long and attach two 90 degree PVC elbows to make a child-size phone 🙂

Or, you can cut corners and buy one:

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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?

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Picture Book

I know you must have so many pictures on your computer that get stored over time into various files.  Well today, I am going to ask you to open the files and print the pictures.  I know I know, crazy thought that you might put your pictures to use, but hey, your kids will thank you later.

For the sake of this activity, print a handful of pictures, individually, into a word document.  After you print each image out (one image per page), you are going to ask your little one to help you put the events in order.

Let’s say you choose your Easter Day File.  You will ask your little one to remember Easter day.  What did we do FIRST on Easter?  And then?  Etc.  until all the events follow some kind of sequence.  After sequencing the images, you will assemble the pages into a little “booklet” by stapling it on the left side a few times, or hole punch, fastening with ties (however you want to do it as long as it opens “like a book”).

Then, you will ask your little one to help you write a story about your Easter Day, a sentence for each picture.  You will practically just write verbatim what he/she tells you, unless you would like to take the opportunity to “re-phrase” it to make it “sound more like a book,” but re-reading it later using your child’s words is a really special keepsake.

I am going to use my neice’s pictures from Easter from four years ago using my words to give you an example of what I mean:

Mmmm….The Easter Bunny filled my basket with candy.

I got ready for church in my new Easter dress!

When we got back from church, Mommy and Daddy let me dye Easter eggs!

Before I went to bed, I dressed up like the Easter bunny and ate my bunny snack.

*This activity of book-making is a great way to teach sequencing, model writing, and introduce print concepts.  Book-making using your child’s pictures in place of illustrations also makes print more meaningful to your little reader.

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Growth Charts

My good friend Casey specializes in making creative decor and one of my favorite things she makes is growth charts because there are so many opportunities to teach math and science skills. Once you are aware of the skills you can teach it makes “talking it out” with your child so much more of a natural learning experience.

Here are the math skills that are my summaries of kindergarten grade level expectations:

1) Treat the growth chart like a number line: identify the numbers that come before or after a given number or between two numbers.

2) Count forward from a number or backward from a number.

3) Use measurement vocabulary: “feet,” “inches,” “taller,” “shorter,” etc.

And the science skills:

1) Use the chart as a “tool” to measure, observe, and keep information (talk about what you have learned from the tool from previous measurements).

2) Compare the human body at various stages of development with language like “You were shorter 3 months ago when you were younger.”

3) Predict and anticipate possible outcomes “How tall do you think you will be in 3 more months?”

Now, make your own growth chart or order one from Casey! She makes everything customized and personalized!

Check out some of her work:

 

Her latest….butterflies!

Coordinating charts for sisters.

How cool does this kid feel?

LSU theme for two….LOVE!

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