Tiny & Organized Kitchen Writing Area

Most of the time while my husband and I are cooking the girls like to be with us in the kitchen. We try to find jobs for them like ripping up lettuce or broccoli, sprinkling cheese, or even just being a spoon holder. Sometimes it is just not possible to give them a job, but (even though I'm tempted many times) I don't want to say, "Go away." After all, I want them to eventually to be able to do more in the kitchen to help, and I don't want to send them to college only knowing how to make a peanut butter sandwich. Experience is the best teacher.

Because of this, I've been giving them pieces of scrap paper and pens to write with while we are in the kitchen. They love it, but it's always a mess for me. After reading an article about the habits of neat and organized people, I decided it's time to make organization and less clutter a habit. Here's what we made to control the pens and scrap paper:

I took an instant Quaker oatmeal box and ripped off the sides. Then I wrapped it with pretty wrapping paper that we thankfully had. It's simple, but effective. The girls now get up on the stools and grab the box when I tell them I don't have a job for them to do right now. 

Other materials you could use:

• Cereal box with 3/4 of it cut off and wrapped up
• Soup can (cover those edges)
• Cute basket
• Mason jars
• Cookie jar
• Anything that can hold paper, pencils, or pens

How can you make it even better? Make it with your child. Show us yours on FB or comment below. 

Junk Mail & Other Tools for Writing

How do kids get better at a sport? They have a coach. They practice. They play. They try out different strategies. They make mistakes and get messy. They enjoy it. Writing is no different. If you want your children to write and enjoy it, they need the tools to make it engaging. 

Free supplies:

• Return envelopes from junk mail 
• Hooray for reusing! Open those credit card offers and other envelopes you generally don't keep to find this golden tool. Your kids will LOVE stuffing their notes inside, licking it up, and even drawing stamps. 
• Notepads from charities like St. Jude's Children's Hospital
• It's fun to have different types of paper. 
• Return address labels that come from charities too
• They'll enjoy making their envelope "official."
• Advertisements with pictures and letters that can be cut 
• Decorations and embellishments can be found in unlikely places.

Low cost supplies:

• Plain white computer paper (It's possible to get rebates from stores like Staples, so you can get this paper free.)
• Construction paper
• Pencils
• Pens
• Crayons/Markers
• Stickers
• Glue sticks
• Scissors
• Plain envelopes for letters they'd like to mail

Here is our set up: 

The kids don't need their own table. All they really need is a basket or caddy to keep the supplies in, a place to go, and time with you to get them started.

One of the best things you can do is make the writing center/caddy/box with your children. They can decide with you where the envelopes, paper, glue, magazines, etc. will go. You can sit down and create a letter side by side. They can use the junk mail envelopes to write immediate family and friends they see notes. You may want to have some plain envelopes available, so they can mail a letter.  They may also want to draw pictures, write a story, or simply glue pictures. Let them decide. The materials are their supplies to use as they please.

How do kids get better at writing? They have a teacher. They practice. They play. They try out different strategies. They make mistakes and get messy. They enjoy it. Just like a sport. 

Super Bowl: Defend Your Team

Who's going to win the Super Bowl: Eagles or Patriots? Even if you know who your child is rooting for (even if it is the same team you are), make them defend their choice today. Ask them, why are you cheering for the Eagles? Don't let them say they are better. Make them provide specific examples. They could talk about the players, stats, or any other conditions that they feel make the team more likely to win. You could give them a few examples if they don't know how to respond. "I think the _____ will win because..."  This could turn into a great debate or two minute conversation. Both are great. Explaining why and defending their decisions are necessary life (and comprehension) skills, so why not start with the Super Bowl?

Groundhog Day!

Will we have an early spring or six more weeks of winter? Our Pennsylvania groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, has been correct 64.4% of the time. Apparently, it's really not Phil's fault that incorrect predictions are reported. Check out this article from PennLive. It has fun facts about Groundhog Day as well as a drop down menu where you can pick a year, see Phil's prediction, and see how the weather really panned out. The dates range from 1898 to last year. Your children could pick their birth year and see the stats. You could all make predictions and maybe even make a friendly bet.

Here is a screenshot of my birth year:

Article info and Screenshot from Pennlive.com

What's your prediction?

Serving Others & Writing

As parents, we try to teach our kids to step outside themselves.  Learning to read and write should be completely connected to service. One way to incorporate learning and using your children's literacy skills is to make cards as a family (or host a card making party) for Caitlin's Smiles. Caitlin's Smiles creates craft kits for children who are being hospitalized. They put a card in each bag. These bags are delivered all over the US.

Here are some card making tips:

• Visit the website together. You can read the story of why Caitlin's Smiles formed and see some pictures of children who have received the craft bags and cards. 
• Come up with a few positive phrases or even jokes together that would be nice in a card. Write them down, so your children can see how they are spelled.  Stay away from "Get Well Soon." Sadly, some of the children will not get well. Also, stay away from anything religious. The children have various beliefs. Don't sign your name. 
• If your children are too young to write, have them decorate the card, and you write the message. They should still agree upon the message and see you write it. 
• If they are learning to write, they could write the message, and you write how the words are actually spelled underneath their words. 
• Use crayons, stickers, glue, markers, paint, magazines, stamps, etc. etc. Whatever you have at your home will work. 
• Have the children use their interests to guide the card making process. Dinosaurs, fairies, volcanoes, and mermaids make great cards. 
• Make a pop-up card. Following directions is a great skill to practice!
• If you do not live close enough to drop them off (they are located in Harrisburg, PA), put the cards in an envelope and address it together. You can find Caitlin's Smiles address and info here. 

This will be a meaningful activity for you, your children, and the children whose day will be brightened. 

Follow Caitlin's Smiles on Facebook.

Screenshot of Caitlin's Smiles site banner. Visit: http://caitlins-smiles.org

Thank You, Ladybug Girl

Do you have a list of things you want to do with your kids, but they always end up on the back burner or forgotten? Sometimes I need a reminder (or a kick) to get me to do something. In this case it was taking my 3 year old twins and 9 month old to the museum. It was one of those things that we said we would do and then forgot about.

My husband's aunt gave my girls Ladybug Girl by Jacky Davis for Christmas. G in particular loved the book. She loved how Lulu climbed the tree and explored her backyard.  Since she liked it so much, I picked up Ladybug Girl's Day Out with Grandpa at the library. In the book Lulu and her grandpa visit the museum. The girls liked it, but didn't want to read it over and over. They didn't have a personal connection. That's when I realized I had to take them to the museum.

We went to the State Museum of Pennsylvania on Saturday. They had a ball checking out the animals and the dinosaurs. They particularly loved Curiosity Connection, an area dedicated to children under 5 years old. It was a land of pretending. They loved picking apples, riding pigs, and climbing the school bus. One of the best parts is we have more to talk about. Thank you, Ladybug Girl, for the inspiration and the kick.

Screenshots from Amazon

Can 3 year olds write thank you notes? You bet, and so can your older kids.

It's never too early to show your children how to be thankful. One way to do that is to write thank you letters together. This is something I started to do with my daughters when they were a few months shy of their third birthday. Here's what we did:

1. Sat down side by side one child at a time.
2. I'd write and say aloud, "Dear Aunt Leslie, Thank you for..." We would then discuss what Aunt Leslie gave her, and I would write it down.
3. I'd help her say something she liked about the present by asking, "What do you like about the lady bug?"
4. I'd ask, "What else do you want to tell Aunt Leslie?" "Do you want to say anything else?"
5. Lastly, I'd ask, "How do you want to end the letter: Love, Gabby? From, Gabby?"

Here's our finished product:


Dear Aunt Leslie,

Thank you for the lady bug. I love her. She is soft. I love you, Aunt Leslie. I want to go swimming.

Love,
Gabby


We read it together one more time, and my daughter decorated the letter with crayons and stickers. What was a cool perk about this? Aunt Leslie wrote her back! We've read her letter 100 times. 

We still have a ton of thank you letters to write for Christmas and birthdays. We are doing one every few days, so they don't get burnt out. Who could your children say thank you to? 

Reading & Experiences

Today I took my daughters to the dentist for the first time. Despite being very timid, they did amazing. No meltdowns. They opened their mouths. They even answered a question or two. I had to repeat it to the dental hygienist because their answers were barely peeps. They even said when we were going home that they liked the dentist! It helped that our dental hygienist and dentist are the nicest people in the world, but they have been around other nice people and had breakdowns. What was the biggest help in this success was reading Usborne First Experiences: Going to the Dentist a thousand times before our big day. They knew exactly what to expect thanks to that book and our discussions based on that book.

Experiences are prime reading topics. These topics can help kids prepare for the dentist, the orthodontist, the doctor, the zoo, a wedding, owning a pet, or even a vacation. Children are never too old or too young to read information on your upcoming events with you.

For example, you are planning a trip to Washington D.C. Check out books about the city from your library. For very young children you can show them the pictures and talk about the places you will be visiting. They'd love to see a preview. Once you get there, you'll be able to point out, "Look that was in the book!" For older children and teens, let them help you plan. You can look at travel guides and websites together. They will be more excited for your trip because they have some ownership of the plans.

Experiences are close to a child's heart, so learning about them will be too. Let's help each other. Comment below how you incorporate reading into your experiences.

Screenshot from Usborne Books & More