2011 | The Mommy Teacher

My Quiet Book Review and Giveaway!

I couldn’t be more excited to share one of my latest discoveries and favorite products out there for kiddos. My fingers were itching to start writing about all the things I love about my new “Quiet Book” from Pacific Kid.

Look inside and then just nod in agreement as I rave about all the things I love about it:

I love how practical it is as an on-the-go, time filler for independent reading… like road trips, waiting rooms, sporting events, etc.
I love that it is an interactive book with so many skills to practice and talk about.
I love that it incorporates numbers, telling time, colors, and matching shapes through hands-on learning.
I love that it is one of the greatest books for fine motor development (get those little hands ready for everyday skills like buttoning pants and writing).
I love that it incorporates sensory development like touch and feel because it provides a great framework for building vocabulary.
I love that it is so well made. The quality is just beautiful!
I love that you can zip the book closed and cart it around with a carry-along handle because it is so travel-friendly!
I love that I couldn’t give one away without owning one first 🙂

I’ve already spread the word to friends, teachers, and pediatric therapists because I really believe that every little one would benefit from and ENJOY owning this incredibly interactive book.

So, here are some ways that you can enter to win this fabulous book:

Enter by Midnight on Friday, November 4th so that I can announce the winner on Saturday 🙂

Pacific Kid has a lot of fabulous products like calendars, story boards, play walls, and puzzle blocks that are 3-dimensional stuffed pieces of art sewn by hand, and for a limited time you can use a promotional code just for being a mommy teacher. From November 1st to December 15th you will receive 10% off your orders placed through Pacifickid.net by entering the promo code “Mommy10”!

Take advantage of this deal in perfect timing for holiday shopping!

October 31, 2011 by Jessica | 40 Comments

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

I had to share my latest photo mug that I ordered through shutterfly. Move your mouse over the image of the mug, then click and hold as you preview the mug from left to right. This mug captures my little man, Sean Patrick, in all his Halloween personalities: he was a horse (his favorite animal), a skeleton (thanks to my sis Ali who bought him these fun glow-in-the-dark pjs), and a cowboy (like his daddy who is a cowboy at heart). If you want to make a teachable moment mug (and keepsake) you can always put pictures in order of age (age 1, age 2, age 3, etc.) to discuss with your little one the sequence of their growth and development. Or you could sequence 4 pictures of your little one that depict him/her in each season of the year…which would be a great teaching tool as well as a keepsake.

Mug

View the entire collection of cards.

October 30, 2011 by Jessica | 0 comments

Organizing Tote Sale

You may remember my recent giveaway of the Organizing Utility Tote from Thirty-One Gifts…I LOVE mine and I know our winners do too!

Well, for a few more days this bag is ON SALE for just $7.00 with every $31 you spend. Sooo…..if you are interested in doing a little pre-Christmas shopping and purchasing a tote for yourself, while entering a giveaway all at once, then go to the link for my party:

CLICK HERE and place an organizing tote in your cart along with something that is of $31 value or greater.

If you make a purchase of ANY amount through my party link, and leave a comment telling me what you have ordered, I am going to enter your name to win a $25 Gift Certificate to spend on Thirty-One products!!!

My consultant Katie Leach is “closing the party” this Saturday, the 29th, at midnight so HURRY HURRY and fill that online cart if you are interested. Winner(s) will be announced Sunday!

For shopping ideas…. I am obsessed with the “About Town Blanket” which is waterproof on one side and soft and furry on the other, perfect for picnics, “field trips,” and you name it. I also LOVE the fold and go organizer which is perfect for storing a planner, a nook if you have one, or colored pencils to provide the perfect carry-on for your little one to color on the notepad inside. And I am definitely buying the home organizer as well so I know it will be hard for you to decide with so many great Christmas gift ideas (like the thermal tote!) Check out all the options and patterns by searching the catalog.

Good luck and Happy Shopping!

October 26, 2011 by Jessica | 0 comments

Tear-ific Artwork to Write About

One of my favorite art projects to do with kids, to develop the little muscles in their hands, is to have them tear apart little pieces of colorful construction paper and glue them onto a template to make a beautiful work of art that I usually help little ones write a sentence about. One example is a fall picture that all you need in order to make it is crayons and construction paper:

You can have little ones tear apart little pieces of their favorite color construction paper (or seasonal colors) until the shreds fill a paper plate.

Then, have your little one help you come up with a template; mine was simply made up of a tree trunk and a circle for the pumpkin.

On top of this template apply a thin layer of glue…..I use rubber cement (or spread regular glue with a small paintbrush).

Before the glue dries, let your little one assemble the paper pieces onto their picture.

Finally, ask your little one to help you write a sentence about your picture. For example, “I like the Fall” or “The leaves are falling.”

If you and your little one make your own Tear-Art please share on The Mommy Teacher Facebook Page:

October 25, 2011 by Jessica | 1 Comment

A Book about how “Jack” is feeling

Oh, so many uses for such a simple pumpkin template. Yes, I have yet another use for that simple pdf that I made by copying a pumpkin di-cut, and todays activity idea develops social-emotional skills and reading skills.

All you need to do is print the template, talk with your little ones about feelings that we have and brainstorm a list of them (sad, mad, silly, happy, etc.). Then, try to make a Jack-O-Lantern expression that matches that emotion.

After doing that, cut them out, have your little one try to help you write the word that sounds out that feeling “/s//a//d/” and put all the jack’s together to make a book. Give it a title and tah-dah, you have a Book about Jack.

Accomodate each page description with whatever your little one is capable of or interested in. Your little one might like a more creative description under each jack expression like “Jack-O-Silly” or your little one might want to make a repetitive book that says “Jack is…” on each page. Let your little one make it his/her own!