It is rare that all three of my kids enjoy learning at the same time, usually a learning activity is a hit with one kiddo and a bust with the other, while the other is zoned out in the corner.  This measuring activity was loved by all! What you will need:

Ruler
Assorted Gummy Worms
Bananas

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Activity to Teach Preschool Math Concepts :
Have the kids sort the gummy worms.  Which do they think is the shortest?  Which is the longest?
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Once they have found the shortest one measure it.  Can they find any …

Do your preschoolers use a ton of chapstick?  Mine do!  And I needed an alternative to help their cracking lips (gotta love winter weather) and something that I felt safe with them ingesting.  I was inspired after reading about a friend who mixed shortening and a juice mix to create a yummy edible lip balm.  We adapted it slightly.  We like a “harder” solution – here’s what we made, and my kids love it!
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What you will need make your own edible lip balm:

1/2 a cup of vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon of …

I got this idea from chatting with Kellie, from Chicks With Kidz, she had a great idea/suggestion to include my kiddos in making our own variations of trail mix.  We eat granola regularly for breakfast, but I have always been the one mixing it up!  With her encouragement my one year old now has a way to “help mommy” cook breakfast!  Thanks Kellie!  We are always looking for ways to include our kids in household chores and activities!
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How to make your own Granola Mix:
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Grab handfuls of any or all of …

My son loves being a helper and was thrilled when he got to make lunch for us today! We are eating pancakes – yummy! How fun is it to mix breakfast with learning our letters! We have a set of cookie cutters that are in the shapes of capital letters (thanks Laney). Here is a tip that we use to decrease the likelihood of massive pancake batter spills while using cookie cutters to make pancakes in particular shapes, maybe it will help you!
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We used a dry …

This is my preschoolers favorite way to paint!  Basically, it is what it sounds like; shaving cream mixed with paint.  We usually mix the shaving cream with tempera paint as it has the smoothest consistency and is the cheapest!  We have three tubs of primary colored paint: red, blue and yellow that we mix to get a whole host of colors.  When mixed with the cream, the colors look more neon and bright.

Here is another resource for parents! My Young Child has a growing collection of online stories (you can read them online or print them) discussing different character traits that we would love to see our children model. Some of the books we have read together are: “Silly Lilly Remembers her Manners” and “Gilbert the Goat Learns Respect”. I thought these books were perfect for my one and 2 year olds. They are short and the pictures tell the story. I could ask Z what he …

Here are some simple ways we can show love to our families:
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Pick a 24hr period and try not to complain about anything during that time. Someone who is positive is more pleasant to be around!
Go on a date together as a whole family! Is there a family event or place that your kids enjoy where you can be together?  We love going to play centers and the park if the weather is nice.
Be quick to apologize if you have done something hurtful or inconsiderate. As a parent …

This is a super simple activity I remember playing when I was a kid.  Basically, we created a stop/go sign and one person got to be “in charge”.  When the sign said go we ran around like crazy banshees!  When it said stop, we’d stop.  Super simple!  Kept them entertained for quite awhile.  I even got a morning “quiet time” as a result of all our running!  I have some resting preschoolers this morning.
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What you need to make your sign:

Paper towel roll (I think we used the insert from our …

Every Friday we offer awards to what we think are a few of the most fantastic posts or interesting news we have found online or have been submitted to us.  Feel free to join in on the fun and find your own fantastic posts and blogs to feature!  We have a linky and a button award for you to share.     This week’s “shout-outs” go to DIY Crowns, Instructions on how to make your own gummi Lego Candy, some templates for making letter puzzles and the cheapest odor eliminator I’ve ever …

My sister-in-law is a kindergarten and early elementary teacher.  She has raved about how marvelous these “yarn wax sticks” were, how she uses them in numerous way in her classroom, how easy these sticks are to manipulate and how they are a no-mess craft/activity.   They sound terrific – so I set out to make my own to use with our homeschool preschool.  If you are interested in buying them, check out Wikki Stix!
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