Here’s our happy, full-o’-love, cyber-hug for our friend Susan, part two.

It’s only a fraction of what we’ve received, which amazes all of us.

Set to the amazing music of Bill Leslie, chosen especially for Susan by her bff and the amazing musician and blogger, Marty, it’s a teeny, tiny expression of our love and admiration for our incredible warrior friend.

We have had an overwhelming response to the call for @whymommy love over the last 24 hours, and the love keeps on flowin’ in!

With love, Susan, here is part one of our @whymommy love fest:

Originally created to an amazing soundtrack chosen by the amazing ladies of The DC Moms, complete with a little Indigo Girls, ‘IZ’, and Three Dog Night, it totally rocked. But thanks to You Tube’s copyright laws keepin’ us on the straight and narrow, we mixed it up to a little up-beat Cha-Cha.  Enjoy, Susan!

Part two–and all consecutive parts–of our love fest will be shared here, there, and everywhere, and we’re still happy to take little bits o’ your love for our friend.  See the original post for the skinny.

Or visit our @whymommy love fest Facebook page and share your love there. Either way works!

We are rallying to show support for our sweet friend Susan, @whymommy, and we’re calling out the big guns.

Because Susan’s complete and utter awesomeness has reached sooo far across cyberspace and beyond, Susan’s buddies from The DC Moms would like to extend an invitation to anyone and everyone who has been touched by our pal to contribute to a ‘@whymommy love fest’.

Here’s the skinny:

• @whymommy love fest: We’re making THE most incredible digital card that has ever been made to show Susan just HOW much she is loved.

We want her to know that she rocks (because she totally does).

We want her to know that she is loved (because she totally is).

We want her to know that she has made a difference in more people’s lives than she will ever know (because she has).

We want her to know that she is an incredible mother, friend, scientist, writer, blogger, daughter, sister–you name it (because she is all of that and more).

 

Cora is working on her card for Miss Susan

We want her to feel our collective strength standing behind her (because that’s where we are!).

We want her to know that she not alone (because we are all right her with her).

______________________________

So, if you would like to contribute to our @whymommy love fest, please consider doing any of the following:

• send any medium-sized photo(s) you want;
• send along a caption, a signature [xoxo amy]  OR [praying for you, my friend! love, Maddy] OR a Bible verse, saying, few lines of a poem, whatevah!! Something we can add in 1-2 slides on iMovie;
• send a picture of YOU holding a sign with your favorite word to describe Susan (inspiration, courage, strength, etc.);
• send any voice-overs or songs or anything you want included!

Send your contributions to dcmomlove@gmail.com  by the end of the day tomorrow, Tuesday 1/24/12.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And even if contributing to this kind of thing is not your cup of tea–which is totally cool–if you could lift our friend in prayer, she will feel it.

So many times–without thinking–I look to those old standbys when I am searching for information on the web.

Whether it’s just the basics or for cool multi-media clips to clarify Maddy, Owen, or Cora’s learning from school or the random questions in their heads, I’ll admit it: I often get lazy.

I’ll turn on the computer, talk to them about some basic search term ideas, and see what we can find. And there are definitely advantages to searching a huuuge database of information, but there are definitely downsides as well, like safety, reliability, quality.

Numerous times, I’ve literally speed-scrolled through our search results to hide what I don’t want the kids to see.  Please note: never ‘image search’ ghosts or vampires or witches while your kids are sitting next to you–(WHY would I have done that?). Anyway, if you do, you’ll pay dearly at 2 am when no one can sleep.

As a teacher, I know that there are better ways.  I know that there are sites rich with extensive libraries of reliable resources.  Sites with photos and clips and slideshows that align to the common core or state standards, complete with lesson plans and extensions.

But I also know that many of those cost a ton of mulah to join.

I’ve recently been made aware of a site, however, that is so awesome, so clear, and so filled with 16,000+ pieces of digital media resources for learning–and it’s totally free.

PBS LearningMedia is here. And it’s for everyone to use–parents, teachers, students, grandparents, caregivers, anyone and everyone.  And it’s free. Free, free, free.

This New For Us Friday, I’m sharing this site with you, you, you. And I’m hoping that you’ll love it so much, you’ll share it with anyone and everyone, including your kiddos’ teachers, your own students, other parents, and your colleagues.

Here’s the skinny:

• Rich, Diverse, FREE!! Digital Resources for Learning–PBS LearningMedia: I have known about PBS LearningMedia for some time now, and I have been reaching for it more often than not when Maddy, Owen, or Cora have questions.

We have talked only briefly about determining reliable and valid sources (a concept tough for little ones, no doubt), but we have touched on it nonetheless–especially when they blurt out, “Let’s Google it!”  But we’ve also taken measures over here to keep our kiddos safe online.  It’s not always easy, and it definitely takes effort.

 Cora’s weekly school magazine focused on penguins. So ‘penguins’ was our first PBS LearningMedia search.

 

When my kids see or hear ‘PBS’ they know it’s something safe. They know it’s something okay.  They know it’s familiar and fun. They can repeat the PBS commercials verbatim since they’ve really only watched PBS programming for the greater part–if not the entire part–of their little lives.

So when Cora came home last week with her weekly magazine focusing on penguins, and after she had spurted out all of the facts she knew about penguins, and after she confessed that she really, really loved penguins, I thought it might be a good time to ride the penguin wave. I went to PBS LearningMedia.

I typed in ‘penguins’ and a screen full of resources appeared, resources ranging from preK-13+.

Together, we watched a video of penguins waddling around, of African penguins, and more.

And Cora was engaged. She was interested. She ran to find her magazine, and she pointed at the pictures of penguins growing from babies to adults, and then she watch the penguins waddling on the video. We talked about penguins for a long while, making connections to the penguin books we know (like My Penguin Osbert, by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel) and we laughed about the ridiculously silly movie we just watched, Mr. Popper’s Penguins.

It wasn’t anything crazy–but it was time well-spent. It was fabulous for me to be able to click ‘favorite’ on the videos that we watched and save them to my free account so that she can watch them any time.

I liked the ease and reach of this site, and I look forward to introducing it to Maddy and Owen.  And I know exactly where we’re starting. . .

Okay, so what IS PBS LearningMedia? Essentially, it’s a free, online, ‘media-on-demand’ site that:

• brings together over 18,000+ lesson plans (aligned to the Common Core State Standards–woot!), videos, audio recordings, background essays, and discussion questions for PreK-12 educators and home-schoolers;
• houses resources which were produced specifically for educators, by public broadcasting producers and programs (that we love!) like NASA, National Archives, WGBH, NOVA, Frontline, American Experience, and Sid the Science Kid;
• is free to anyone who registers on the site–educators, homeschoolers, parents!;
• is really an awesome alternative to the ‘blind’ search for information on the web!

In order to celebrate the awesomeness of PBS LearningMedia and to spread the word about this great resource, we’ll be rockin’ a Twitter event next week, and we’d love for you to join us!

We will be tweeting along with the peeps who are attending FETC–the Flordia Educational Technology Conference–and, of course, our friends from PBS.  (And shhhh! there will even be some special guests jumping in on the par-tay as well. . . ).  Join us–and please don’t be nervous! Anyone and everyone can join Twitter events–you’ll be fine AND you’ll have fun!!

 

PBS Kids LearningMedia Twitter Event

Join me next week, on Tuesday, January 24 from 7-8 pm EST for an exciting Twitter event where we will be talking about how to engage all types of learners, how to enhance learning at home or in the classroom with digital media, and all of the cool things you can find on PBS LearningMedia.

What: PBS LearningMedia Twitter Event

When: Tuesday, January 24 from 7-8 pm EST  (with a post-party on the we teach forum!)

Where: #PBSLrnMedia

Who:

• Hosts: Amy Mascott @teachmama, @PBSTeachers, @PBSLrnMedia

• Panelists: Rob Lippincott, PBS Senior VP for Education & LearningMedia Expert @robolearn;  Susan Goldstein, PBS Education @PBSteachers; Christina DeYoung, WGBH Education @PBSlrnMedia; Allison McDonald from No Time for Flashcards @NoFlashCards, Michele McGraw from Scraps of My Geek Life @ScrappinMichele; Erica from Confessions of a Homeschooler @EricaHomeschool

Why: For fun conversation about learning styles, digital media, and using PBS LearningMedia at home and in the classroom, and the chance to win prizes that include three PBS LearningMedia prize packs, and a KINDLE!

RSVP: You must RSVP in order to win prizes, so click on http://eepurl.com/inbS2  OR scan the qr code to the right.

Looking forward to chatting with you on Tuesday night!

fyi: My opinions here, as always, are all my own, influenced only by my experiences as a parent and educator.  This event is being sponsored by PBS, and we hope you’ll join us!

Somehow we have ended up with a ton of wild and crazy dice in our house.

Some are huge.

Some are teeny.

Some are old; some are brand, spankin’ new.

Some have numerals and some have dots.

Some are even double-dice–a big die with a mini die inside.

And we had one die with an addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division sign on each side.   One, that is, until I made a second using one of our cheapo foam blocks from the dollar bins.  A Sharpie and a foam block, and we were set–much like the die we made for our Ghost Bingo back in the fall.

Since we’re continually working on good, ole-fashioned math facts over here (one kiddo reluctantly and another enthusiastically), I tried to mix it up a little the other day and utilize some of our oh-so-crazy dice for some fun.

Here’s the skinny. . .

• Practicing Math Facts with Mixed-up Dice: Sounds simple because it is. All we had were a few silly dice, and a lot of sneaky, fun practice was had.

two of our cra-zeeee dice, happy to be found and used for some math-fact practice

It was right after Maddy and Owen had finished their homework, on an afternoon when neither had very much to do.

Cora was busy painting, not to be interrupted, so I said, Wow. We have a ton of dice here. (I had just started organizing a supply box in the work room.)  Let’s use them for a little game. Who’s up for it?

Owen–without hesitation–was up for it, and Maddy took some convincing.  But because she was the one I was thinking about who could benefit from the extra mathy-math–fun, I pushed a bit: Oh, Maddy, Maddy.  This game I’m thinking of is CRAAAA-ZY fun.  She was in.

 

Owen rolled a 6 + 2.

Very quickly, I made the extra die with the process signs.  Then I said, Awesome. Here’s the deal: We’re going to start out by taking turns choosing two dice. We’ll roll the dice and then roll this die (pointing to the sign one).  Then you can decide what order you want to put your numbers and you can figure out the answer to the problem. Like this. . . 

I chose two of the red dice, and I rolled them.

Owen loved, loved, loved the crazy dice.  And why wouldn’t he?

A six and a two, I said.  And then I rolled the green die I made.  A plus sign! So it doesn’t matter which order I put my numbers, because the answer will be the same, but I’m going to create my problem like this: 6 + 2.  And the answer is eight. Yay! Simple. Who’s first?

Owen grabbed two dice and rolled them. And then he rolled the green die. And very quickly, he declared the problem and gave us the answer.  I can’t even remember what it was, it all happened so quickly.

And then he chose the crazy double dice and added those numbers together and used that as his second number. It’s fun for him, and it comes so easily.  It amazes me because my brain is not programmed that way; I have to move more slowly, and I’m thirty years older than he.

By that time, Maddy was just about ready to take off when I said, Okay Maddy, here you go. You do your own, and Owen will do his own.  No contests, no stress.  Just choose two dice, roll ‘em, and then roll to see if you’ll be subtracting, adding, or multiplying. Since you’ve started multiplication at school, you get to try that with this game.

She and I worked together a little more closely for the first few times, and soon she and Owen decided to morph the game into a seriously insane-combo game where they rolled three number dice and the two sign dice and worked together to figure out the answer.

It was cool.

And it was quick, and it was a fun–easy–way to throw in a little, teeny bit of math fact practice after homework was finished, before dinner started, and before we moved into the next part of our day.

Need more quickie, on the fly math fun for your littles? Check out:

• Mastering Math Facts with Mini-Fact Cards
• Math Bingo
• Street Sign Math
• Strike it Out!
• Indoor Lid Toss
• No More Troubling Doubling
• Coin Counting and Skip Counting
• Playing With Money: Sorting, Estimating
• Veggie Kabob Patterns
• Everyday Math Activities for a Math-Mindful Summer

Happy counting! (. . . And all that other fun math stuff!)

For some kiddos, math IS fun.

Adding is awesome.  Subtracting is super-cool.  Practicing multiplication or division facts in their little heads is the stuff of dreams.  Contests and quizzes–Mad Minutes especially–make kids happier than happy.

For these children, even flashcards are a rockin’ good time.

But for others, we’ve got to sprinkle math learning creatively–through sneaky ways like cooking, assessing, organizing, experimenting, matching, sorting, moving, making it special, and playing games.  And playing even more games.

It’s not always easy.

But many of us are determined, and many of us will find ways to do it.

Thankfully, PBS Kids is also doing what they can to make STEM–Science, Technology, Engineering and Math–learning fun and cool for all learners. And this week, I’m so excited to be working with them to share news about how PBS Kids is helping with the STEM Video Game Challenge.

Here’s the skinny. . .

• PBS Kids Stream of the STEM Video Game Challenge: PBS Kids has long done what it could to promote learning–any kind of learning–for kiddos. Recently, though, PBS Kids has partnered with the 2012 National STEM Video Game Challenge–an annual competition to motivate interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning among America’s youth by tapping into students’ natural passion for playing and making video games.

The contest is open to four different categories: Middle School students (5th grade – 8th grade), High School Students, College students and Teachers/Educators.  Though the age range is above my own kiddos’, I am betting that there are hundreds–if not thousands–of parents out there of kids for whom this contest will be an absolute dream.

My boy. He needs: food. He wants: a computer.

 

Personally, with one budding video game champion under our roof, and possibly more, I love the idea of a contest that encourages kids to create video games in the name of some learning.  Particularly some serious STEM learning.

Contest participants who want to enter along the PBS KIDS stream are encouraged to develop games for children ages 4-8 that focus on early math skills (yay!!).  Early math skills are simple–think counting, number recognition, and the like. For more specifics, see the Math Framework.  Winners will rock some fab prizes, including having their game featured on PBS Kids Lab and PBS Kids LearningMedia, along with some serious cash and goodies.

The PBS Kids Stream is part of the Ready To Learn Initiative, and funded by a grant from the U.S Department of Education, and PBS Kids has created an incredible site designed to provide information and resources to help guide game production. It’s worth checking out.

 

• PBS Kids Stream of the STEM Video Game Challenge Twitter Event: In order to celebrate and spread the word about the PBS Stream of the STEM National Video Game Challenge, we’ve got something totally cool in store for you.

Please join me and co-host Leticia Barr from TechSavvyMama.com on Thursday, January 19 from 9-10:30 pm for an exciting Twitter party where we will be talking about games, learning, and the PBS STEM Challenge.

Here’s the skinny:

What: PBSKids Stem Challenge Twitter Party

When: Thursday, January 19 from 9-10:30 pm EST

Where: #PBSKidsSC

Who:

• Hosts: Amy Mascott @teachmama, Leticia Barr @TechSavvyMama, @PBSKids, @PBSTeachers

• Panelists: Andrew Gardner from BrainPop Educators @agardnahh , Brian Alspach from E-Line Media @STEMChallenge, Caitlin Skopac from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop @CooneyCenter, Erica Branch-Ridley from Content Innovation Lab and The Electric Company Digital @branchridley3, Melissa Taylor from Imagination Soup @ImaginationSoup, Michelle Bourgeous from Thoughts are Free @milobo, Candace Lindemann from Naturally Educational @candaceapril

Why: For fun conversation about games, learning, and the PBS STEM Challenge and the chance to win prizes that include two $25 iTunes gift cards, two PBS Kids prize packs, and a Kindle!

RSVP: http://eepurl.com/isLpM

OR scan the QR code above!

Looking forward to chatting with you on Thursday night!

fyi: This party is being sponsored by PBS.

Lately, my tiny Cora has been a little, teeny, tiny bit on the tough side.

We’re back on a regular diet for her, after our gluten-free spring and summer, thanks to the advice of a pediactric GI specialist.  In order for any testing to be done–and accurate–Cora needed a minimum of four months on ‘regular’ foods.

So we’re four months in at this point and waiting to talk about next steps.

Until then, she’s been hot. And cold.  Short-tempered. Quick and loud one minute, loving and cuddly the next minute.

We’re not sure how much is related to her stomach discomfort and how much points to genetics. But I’ve read and read and read some more about how to handle bossy children, what to do when kids are strong-willed, and how to parent appropriately when one kiddo seems to control the temperature of the house.

Over and over and over again, I’m finding that creating distinct boundaries is huge.

I’m finding that recognizing and identifying children’s feelings is huge.

I’m finding that continuing to shower those kiddos with love is huge.  Even though it’s sometimes really, really hard.

And right about now, when the winter doldrums are setting in and we are all in need of some sun and warmth and happy places, the bickering and short tempers have been a-rockin’ over here.  We needed some help, and I was starting with my tiny one.

Here’s the skinny:

• Quick Trick– Showing Love With Flowers:  So this Quick Trick is my first deliberate attempt to throw in a little love over here, as corny as that sounds.

We are all big fans of flowers–flowers for any and all occasion.  Flowers for no occasion.

And we’re big fans of surprises.

So when Cora and I were at the grocery store the other day, she said, Mommy! Let’s get some flowers! and that was all I needed to hear in order to give me a simple–but meaningful–way to start the soon-to-be lovefest under our roof.

Cora prepared her vases!

I said, Oh my gosh, Cora! That’s a super idea. But if we’re going to get flowers, who should we give them to?  It’s totally cool to get flowers for yourself–but these flowers are going to be special. Let’s make them Surprise Flowers.

Maddy! Owen! exploded out of her mouth immediately, which I thought was so amazing since only an hour before she was bickering with them at breakfast.  And Daddy! And Brady! she continued.

Perfect. You pick the color, and we’ll surprise everyone when we get home.  You are a sweet and loving girl, Cora. Maddy and Owen are lucky to have a sister like you.

So she smiled the entire way through the grocery store. And occasionally she smelled the pink flowers she decided on.

When we got home, I pulled out some tiny vases, and I grabbed a mix of ribbons. 

You choose the best ribbon for each vase, I told her. Make sure that each ribbon you choose is perfect for each person you’re giving it to.

She counted carefully how many vases we would need and how many ribbons we would need.  And then she made her choices.

Cora counted how many flowers and vases she would need.

We left the groceries in bags on the floor while we filled each vase and cut flowers–she was that excited.  I tied the ribbons onto vases, and Cora placed the flowers carefully into each vase.

And then she started her travels around the house, putting a pretty pink flower in a super-special vase in each person’s room, skipping along the way.

 

A flower for Owen’s room. . .

. . . and a flower for Maddy’s room (while she stopped to point out a baby Cora).

And she put a flower in the powder room (because everyone will see it there!), in my room, and in her own room.

Literally, all day long, she was tip-toeing and dancing, and skipping around the house; she was that excited for Maddy and Owen to come home, and she was that excited for her dad to come home. It was wonderful.

Instead of dragging her feet up the hill to school, she ran ahead, calling to me that I wasn’t quick enough.  And she waited at the doors for Owen and Maddy to come out of the building, saying Maddy! Owen! There’s a surprise for you at home!!

Everyone ran into the house, dropped their backpacks, tore off their shoes, and followed Cora to their rooms.

Momentarily, the bickering stopped. Everyone was smiling. It didn’t matter that the surprise was a single carnation–they could tell that the vases were different, that the ribbons were special.

And I really, truly believe that everyone likes to get surprise flowers for no occasion–even the little guys.

It was a sweet way for my tiny one to fill her heart–and her siblings’ hearts–with a little love.  Buying carnations certainly does not break the bank.  They may be the least expensive flower out there, but they’re beautiful nonetheless.  Especially when you’re not expecting one.

And who doesn’t love surprise flowers in their bedroom?

So that’s it–a little, tiny Quick Trick that reminds me of our Neighborhood Notes and that I hope hope hope will be repeated without my prompting.  And I hope hope hope it will remind my littles of how good it feels to be nice and do sweet things for others.

Only time will tell.

I know, I know.

It kind of makes me laugh, but our how to make candy sushi post has seen quite a bit o’ traffic over the last year.

As part of Maddy’s Cheerleading Birthday Par-tay, candy sushi was a huge hit with the kids and a huge hit with moms. But I suppose it’s also been a huge hit for people around the world who are searching for candy sushi how-to’s.

So it rolls in at numero uno in the best of teach mama countdown, which I think is a bit hysterical being that this is not a foodie blog, a cooking blog, or a candy blog.  We’re more of a learning in the every day blog, with a literacy spin and some crafty-crafts thrown in now and again.

But we are a sweet-tooth family, and this is a pretty fun activity that gets kids involved and using their hands and brains.  And to this day, candy sushi is one of our fave special-occasion snacks.

Here’s the skinny . . .

• teach mama’s top 10 all-time best countdown, #1: how to make candy sushi

how to make candy sushi

. . . Totally not a new concept but new for us.

Candy Sushi is my new favorite treat.  It’s one of my all-time faves–Rice Krispie Treats–along with another love of mine, Swedish Fish.  And Fruit Roll-Ups. And gummy worms, bears, or M & M’s.   All wrapped into one happy little sushi roll. . . .

Read the original post for the candy sushi how-to! (And happy, happy sushi-making!)

 

Though the teach mama top-10 all-time best countdown is now officially ovaaaah (phew!), I think it’s worthwhile to share a few of the other posts that came in very close to the very fancy top-10.   Just for kicks:

what NOT to say to emerging readers

_________________________

manage kids’ screen time with Game Time Cards

_________________________

help for classroom parents

_________________________

easy, backyard fun with water

_________________________

simple, beautiful sorting– fine motor and creative thinking fun

_________________________

a silly way to help teach kids about emotions

_________________________

making connections and questioning–with siblings

and the whole read-aloud learning series

And that’s it for counting down over here–at least for a long while!  Thanks for hanging in through the top 10 with us! We’ve got a lot of cool, sneaky learning activities around the corner.

Many thanks for reading, and I look forward to an exciting, adventurous, happy and healthy 2012 and beyond!

Every single day I hear about some sort of new and snazzy app that I have to download, that I must try, that will absolutely change my life.

(Okay, maybe not change my life–but at least entertain my kids, teach them a little something, or help me organize my purchases, household, or writing.)

And many of them are, in fact, pretty cool.

But there’s one app that I was recently introduced to that really caught my eye. It’s a safety app.

It’s something that anyone can add to their Android, iPhone, or Blackberry, that will give them a little added protection any time of the day.

It’s not something that costs a thing, so for this New For Us Friday, there’s no giveaway or freebie for one lucky reader.  Rather, this week everybody wins.  This week, I’m excited to share something that everyone can grab–for free!–as soon as you’re finished reading.

It’s something that you can–and should–share with your girlfriends, your sisters, your parents, your spouse, and all the moms and dads at pickup this very afternoon. They’ll be glad you did.

Here’s the skinny:

• Bipper bSafe: The name may sound funny, but what this little app can do is seriously awesome.

Bipper is a company created by a mom who wanted a safe mobile phone for her child.  And after a while, she realized that more often than not, moms of the children carrying the Bipper-phones were grabbing their kids’ phones when they went for a Moms’ Night Out or for an evening jog.

The Bipper-phones were equipped with a safety alarm for the kids.  The moms wanted one, too.

And so Bipper bSafe was born.

Thank you, Silje Vallestads, for creating this app.  Seriously.

Because I really love it.

I’m one of those moms who goes out for a jog carrying a whistle, pepper spray, and a cell phone. I’m one of those moms who runs through fire escape routes in her head on nights she’s rolling solo with the kids; I’m one of those moms who may have seen one too many Oprah Shows.  I’m one of those moms who refuses to answer the door when she’s home alone, even if it’s the same UPS guy she sees every other week.

I’m one of those people who doesn’t really dig spending time alone at home, who still won’t watch scary movies, and who has taken every local self-defense class offered.  I’m one of those people who never sleeps in the basement and actually never slept alone in the basement of her childhood home.  Ever.

Needless to say, I’m the kind of person for whom Bipper bSafe is made for because this is really what I have been waiting for my whole life.

 

You can turn your smart phone into a safety device. So do it.

 

Bipper bSafe literally turns your smart phone into a safety device.

Here’s how:

1. Enter your phone number on this page (http://www.bipper.com/bsafe/) and download via SMS

2. Search for bSafe using the iTunes or the Android Marketplace

3. Text bsafe to 84145

That’s it.

And here’s a quickie clip to show you how it works:

 

It’s simple. It took me all of five minutes to set bSafe up on my phone, choose my guardians, and that was it.

And it took me two minutes to send a text to everyone I know and encourage them to download the app, too.   Everyone needs a friend like me, right?

And that’s it–this New For Us Friday is quick, easy, and keepin’ it real for my buddies, my sisters, my readers, and everyone out there who–like me–makes numerous after-dinner trips to the grocery store, who walks their dog early in the morning or late at night, or who just wants to feel a little more safe in their own shoes.

Happy downloading, and be safe, thanks to bSafe!!

fyi: This post is part of a compensated campaign where I was paid for my time in evaluating and sharing bSafe.  Like always, the opinions here are my own, influenced only by the three little ones I want to keep safe and by my 25+ years of wishing and hoping and pleading for my own personal safety device.

Yay! We’re getting down to the wire with this teach mama top 10 all-time best countdown!

This post is one that I have shared probably more than times than any other post I’ve written.  It seems that most of the emails that I receive are from parents who are tired, desperate, and . . . totally hate spelling words.

Or they’re pleading with me to give them some ideas on how their kids can learn those first word families.  Or how their kids can practice learning their names. Or just about anything.

So this post has been a go-to for all of those questions since it’s totally adaptable, and there are a few printables included where all of the information can be printed on handy-dandy, happy sheets of paper that you can stick on your fridge so they’re close at hand.

It’s filled with tons of ways that parents can ‘up’ the fun factor of learning those words so kids won’t even feel like they’re doing work when they’re playing with those words.

Here’s the skinny . . .

• teach mama’s top 10 all-time best countdown, #2: fun ways to help kids learn spelling words
  

I wrote the post after we lost Maddy’s first homework packet of her first-grade year and after she bombed her first spelling test of the year.

 

fun ways to help kids learn spelling words

We were starting off a bit–okay, very–rocky, and it wasn’t looking good.

At that point, Maddy despised spelling and everyone despised homework time.  It took some time and a little adjusting, but eventually spelling review became an eagerly anticipated part of the homework repertoire and homework time itself became–I’m not joking–a not-so-bad part of the afternoon.

It became a whine-free, pout-free, complaint-free time.  It became okay. Some days, it was really, actually. . . I daresay ‘fun’.

So visit the original post–Fun Ways to Help Kids Learn Spelling Words–for a sampling of what we found!

Tomorrow: teach mama’s top 10 all-time best countdown, #1.  (woot!)