Handprint ornaments. Tissue paper covered jars. Painted pinch pots. Do any of these items sound familiar? Yep, they are the delightful handmade gifts our kids give us and we treasure each and every one. And yet, when kids get a little older, they may not be bringing these gifts home for you any more. Perhaps…
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Poetry with Kids
We are working on adding more poetry into our lives by reading more poems, engaging in some simple simple writing exercises. During National Poetry Month we created a weekly reading challenge to help families introduce the joys of poetry to their kids. If you are new to poetry, haiku is a great place to start, or try writing a spine poem with the books on your shelf.
The Best Advent Calendar for Kids: No-Stress and Last-Minute
Does your family have a Christmas advent calendar tradition? When I was a kid I used to think opening a little paper door on a decorated piece of cardboard was exciting. And I never even got a piece of chocolate to go with a teeny-tiny surprise picture! But judging by Pinterest, those cardboard advent calendars…
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Unique and Creative Non-Boring Poetry Books to Make You Love Poetry
Whenever I talk about poetry I hear a handful of comments along the lines of “I can’t get into poetry,” “I don’t understand poetry,” “I don’t know how to read poetry,” or the perennial, “Poetry is boring!” In honor of National Poetry Month I thought it fitting I put together a list of poetry books that…
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Wonderfully Diverse Poetry Books for Kids
I love sharing poetry book lists and this collection of diverse poetry books for children is one of my favorites. (I might say that about a lot of my lists!) One of the reasons I love reading poetry to my kids so much is that it is so playful. Poetry shows us language is flexible,…
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The Trick to Making Bedtime Peaceful and Memorable
Sometimes during the nighttime routine I want to throw up my hands, storm out of the room and let everyone fend for themselves. I wonder if you secretly want to do that too. It is so frustrating dealing with kids who don’t want to brush their teeth, think that bathing once a month is more…
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Wise and Wonderful Haiku Poetry Books for Kids
Do you share poetry with your kids? Even if you are a dedicated read-aloud parent, it is easy to overlook poetry. Haiku books for kids are a good place to start, especially as National Poetry Month is right around the corner. Poetry has played a very calming and joyful role in our home, and I know…
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Lunch Box Poetry: Literacy Learning at Lunch!
It looks like I have accidentally turned my “literacy at lunch” posts into a series! Today’s lunch box poetry joins the lunch box tongue twister notes and the lunch box word puzzles as a way to make the school cafeteria a wee bit more exciting. I wondered whether it was too late to make these…
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Children’s Poets Your Kids Should Know (And Will Love!)
There is something so joyous about reading poetry to my kids. Each poem, even the short one, is so full. Full of meaning, full of emotion, full of subtext, full of fun, full of thought. I never read poetry to my kids without smiling. It was difficult to narrow this list of great children’s poets…
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