Montessori Materials Links

An excellent blog about making your own Montessori things at home...
http://homemademontessori.blogspot.com/search/label/math

What are "Grammar Filling Boxes"????
And other discount montessori things...
http://www.alisonsmontessori.com

I really like these number/place value boards
http://www.montessoriland.com/site/1270021/product/ID_%202051

Shiller Math -- look at this a bit and try the first year diagnostic to see where Jm's at or how useable it is:
https://www.shillermath.com/sm3/showitem.php?itemcd=K01-DL5-0408


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Unit Study: Star Wars

After my 5 yo has totally immersed himself in all aspects of Star Wars for the past 8 months, I finally decided to write it up in more educationalese so I felt a bit better about the process!

 

Literature:

• Critical analysis of plot, character and settings – and their consistency across the original movies, Star Wars the Clone Wars, and Star Wars LEGO wii.
• Exploration of character – is C3PO patient? When does Anakin become angry and is that what made him go to the dark side?

 Reading:

• From the Wii game: how do you spell each of the special options that need to be turned on and off (“Force Blasters,” “Poo Money,” “Invincibility”).
• Star Wars Reading for the Leapster: sounds of letters, blending, spelling, sight words.

Science:

• Discussion of body parts essential to keeping your body alive
• Life cycles and familial relationships (who is who's mother versus sister versus wife)
• The difference between a droid and a human.

Social Studies:

• Weaponry -- who carries what types of weapons and what are the pros and cons of each.
• Habitats and cultures of societies on various planets.

Math:

• Comparison of patterns between levels and episodes
• Calculating how much money it takes to get a new character on a Wii game
• Star Wars Leapster Math: addition, subtraction, place value, time/clocks

Philosophy:

• Exploration of philosophy
• Meaning of peoples' innate tendencies toward good and evil
• Meaning of life and death
• When people “turn bad”
• Why, why was Anakin angry?
• What is the difference between a droid and a human in terms of what they feel?

Drama

• Playing Star Wars with friends – each episode and each series, depending on who was alive and whether they were on the good side or the dark side
• Set design with LEGO's and DUPLO's
• Performance for Book Club about Boba Fett

Art:

• Drawing Yoda, various other Star Wars scenes

Music:

• Singing the Star Wars theme at all times of the day, including 6:45 am as a wake up song.
• Learning to distinguish by ear between those who “can’t sing Star Wars theme songs” and those who can.

Technology:

• • LEGO Star Wars Animation using iKitMovie

The requirement of this unit study is 14 hours/day of immersion for several months.

File Folder Games

Lots of great file folder games for Pre-3:

http://www.filefolderfun.com/FileFolderGames.html

From the description:
File Folder games are a great way to introduce fun ways of learning with your children.  They are great for topics and subjects that children are having difficulty with.  Additionally they make great time filler activities, or even travel games.  On our site you'll find many games you can print for free.  Our site is organized by Subjects (such as Dinosaurs, Flowers, ect.) as well as Age Level (PreK-Third Grade.)
 

Math Options for Elementary

I know preschool and kindergarten is a time to play -- and find learning in everything we do. However, I also know that some kids are really searching for more in certain areas at different stages. And, sometimes a curriculum or a spine or some other framework can provide more sanity for an over-committed Mom who may not have "preschool play" energy!

If I was to look at math philosophy, the closest math curriculum to fit my style would be Math on the Level where students need to cover a certain amount of the concepts but the order and timing is really up to their individual learning styles.  Sometimes students are in "fraction mode" and just want to keep exploring fractions way beyond what "2nd grade" fractions entail.  Sometimes you need to go with the window that's there and keep moving.

However, it's sometimes more work to be on top of those areas and know what to pull in next, it's often unsettling to go with a completely flexible route --especially for a math-uncertain parent, and many traditional math programs have great aspects to incorporate. 

Guess that's why we've used many different programs over the years with my oldest.

Here are some to look at for Early Elementary.

Right Start Math (if one agrees with their math approach, it's worth starting as you mean to go on, rather than re-learn some of the approaches)

Singapore Math -- for $8/workbook, if you have a workbook kid who wants to do more school, this is an inexpensive approach and is great at approaching math concepts in a couple different directions to give a really solid understanding of what's going on.


Moving Beyond the Page -- some of these 5 to 7 yo units look like they'd be a great fit for Jm.

For Bj, we had great success with Math-U-See -- the best parts were:  Decimal Street (an amazing intro to adding and subtracting, place value, carrying) and Skip Counting.

PreK-1 Math Story Books

A set of PreK-1 math books to check out of the library for Jm:
http://www.stuartjmurphy.com/books/level_1/

Lots of science, math, stories -- and accompanying activities on the website.

Preschool Journaling

One idea for Jm is to use daily journal activities to do one page a day in a book together. One list I have is for older kids to write a paragraph but it might be fun to use some of these ideas together. For example:

September Day 1: Trace your hand. On it write your name, age, address, phone number and birthday.
Day 2: 4 sentences about September
Day 3: Draw and write what you eat for breakfast
Day 4: Write a list of words that describe fall.
Day 5: What are your favorite clothes?

These types of topics might be good discussion points and if we did them together in a book, it would be a fun memory of "3 1/2".

Here's a set of calendars of journal topics but they may be too old:
http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/printables/writing.htm

More Preschool Options

Website with lots of good preschool sites:
http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/index.htm (Paula's Archives)
Has links for preschool as well as things to do with 3 and 4 yo's -- and some good articles about stepping back and figuring out what your priorities are for this group.

Another good article about homeschooling preschoolers (including a very cool dark to light sort of color paint cards)

http://homeschoolhighlights.com/01_preschoolers/

Preschool Curriculum

A very expensive ($99 for ebook) preschool curriculum book that looks really tempting -- but, $99 for one ebook????

http://www.homeschool-your-boys.com/learnandgrowpreschoolcurriculum.html

Preschool Themes

Soon, soon, I'm going to start thinking about Middleschool and Highschool again but for now, I'll continue to dabble in the Preschool mode...

Here's a great resource for planning themes -- each theme (including each alphabet letter) has songs, book recs, activities, science, songs, art, games on that theme or letter. We could do the typical one letter a week for the year and do all sorts of different activites.

Everything Preschool

Another cool resource is "Finding Dulcinea" -- here's the list of resources for Preschool:
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/guides/Education/Early-Childhood-Education.pg_04.html#04
But there are also lots of themes like highschool history (I'll post that separate so I can find it again!)

More Preschool Curriculum Ideas

Though I think that preschoolers really don't need an elaborate curriculum, some seasons in life require more pre-thought than others. This time around, I'm interested in doing a more directed or purposeful time with Jm each day. Not only will pre-planning help on the days when I can't think of anything fun to do with him and we're in a rut, but it also may give a bit more space that I can spend with Bj on his schoolwork.

Plan for creating preschool curriculum:
http://www.nncc.org/Curriculum/planguide.html

Very, very cool pop-up ABC folders!!!! Not sure it's worth the time and effort but might be interesting to try one or two.
http://cp.c-ij.com/en/contents/2023/pop-abc/index.html

Preschool Activities

Trying to find ideas to put together more deliberate preschool activities for Jm next year (or this summer). I think with more planned available activities, there will be more time to help Bj.

This idea is a great basis: 6 trays filled each day with activities only available at school time. I've started a box and need to keep ideas in mind. It's kind of a mix between Preschool in a Bag and Montessori.
http://lapbooksbycarisa.homestead.com/TraysforTots.html

Some cool lapbooks:
WordWorld:
http://lapbooksbycarisa.homestead.com/word_world.pdf

HandyManny
http://lapbooksbycarisa.homestead.com/HandyMannyTotBook.html

Big Machines
http://lapbooksbycarisa.homestead.com/Big_Machines.pdf


ABC and other activities:
http://totallytots.blogspot.com/search/label/Now%20I%20Know%20my%20ABCs
http://totallytots.blogspot.com/search/label/Now%20I%20Know%20my%20ABCs

Website for Preschool activities/games:
Kindersite
http://www.kindersite.org/index.html

Mini-Offices:
http://busyteacherscafe.com/teacher_resources/mini_offices.htm#sheets

Lapbook Templates
http://www.lapbooklessons.com/
http://www.lapbooklessons.com/LapbookTemplates.html

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom lapbook

A very cute lapbook for preschoolers:
http://lapbooksbycarisa.homestead.com/CHickaBoomTotBook.html

and someone's take on that idea:
http://mylapbooks.blat.co.za/

Preschool Alphabet Activity

The Active Alphabet -- I need to make some cards for J as he'd love this activity!


Spent most of the day with him practicing his alphabet on the Fisher Price keyboard attached to my laptop (tracing letters with the mouse/pen)... he's so excited that I can figure out the letter he wrote. I think he may be able to write his name before he's 3 1/2 -- unless some other interest develops before then!

http://www.universalpreschool.com/how-to/active_alphabet.asp
Use this list as it is, or come up with fun action words of your own!

* A is for Airplane — Pretend to be an airplane. Spread your arms way out at your sides and "fly" around the room. Don't forget to add sound effects too!
* B is for Bow — Show your child how to take a bow by bending from the waist.
* C is for Clap — Clap your hands together.
* D is for Dance — Put on some music and dance.
* E is for Elephant — Pretend to be an elephant by making an imaginary elephant trunk with your arm.
* F is for Frog — Jump, hop, or leap like a frog.
* G is for Grin — Smile!
* H is for High-Five — Show your child how to give a "high-five." You each raise your arm above your head, and slap your open hands together.
* I is for Itch — Pretend to scratch an itch.
* J is for Jump — Jump. (Some young children may not yet have the coordination to jump. If not, then "J" can be for Jog.)
* K is for Kick — Kick a ball or balloon or an empty box.
* L is for Laugh — Ha ha ha ha ha!
* M is for March — Show your child how to march around the house.
* N is for Nose — Point to your nose.
* O is for Open — Open and close your hands, or open a drawer or door.
* P is for Pout — Stick out your bottom lip to make a pout or look of displeasure.
* Q is for Quiet — Put your index finger in front of your lips and say, "Shh."
* R is for Run — Run around the room, run outdoors, or show your child how to run in place.
* S is for Sit or Stand — Sit down and then stand up.
* T is for Twist — Show your child how to twist their body to the right, and then to the left.
* U is for Up — Pick your child up.
* V is for Vacuum — Vacuum the floor or pretend to vacuum.
* W is for Wiggle — Wiggle your arms, legs, and body.
* X is for "X" — Make an "X" shape with your index fingers, or shape your body into the letter "X" (stand with legs set apart and arms stretched up and out)
* Y is for Yummy — Say "Yummy" while you rub your tummy.
* Z is for Zipper — Find a zipper on a piece of clothing. Zip it up and zip it down.

Developing an Educational Philosophy

In talking to people (homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers!), not many have thought about and defined their definition of education and laid out what their overall goals are for their children's education. I've searched online several times for samples of educational philosophies and questions to ask when developing an educational philosophy. There just isn't much out there. A few teachers have educational statements that they had to develop as part of their teacher training -- though because it was often written before they were in the classroom, many are theoretical and not balanced with experience.

Unlike public and private school teachers, parents (both homeschooling and non-homeschooling) have the flexibility (and responsibility) to make educational decisions throughout their children's lives that will have long term impact. It isn't just one year at a time, it's a much bigger and long term perspective.

Parents also have a broader view than public/private school teachers and can consider a more holistic view of their children -- it's not just the academics, it's also values, attitude, relationships, and life skills. And, homeschooling parents have the ability to take their overall philosophy of education and apply it to the unique individual personalities, learning styles, and needs of each of their children. Homeschooling education isn't constrained by the very detailed state curriculum goals that decide things like "4th grade is the slot to learn NC history"!

Given all of that, here's my attempt to come up with a list of questions to talk about when developing your educational philosophy. It's worth bouncing the topics off of spouses and other family members to see what makes sense for you. I'd love to hear some feedback about the questions -- and, even better, hear some of your thoughts about these areas! I'm continually tweaking my answers to these questions as I learn new things about myself, my children, and how other people think about some of my underlying paradigms I didn't realize I had.

Here's a diagram to go with the following outline!
Educational Focus Diagram (pdf)
And click here for a printable version of this post:
Developing an Educational Philosophy (pdf)


Defining Education and Success

• What is an educated person?


• How do you know someone is an “educated adult” without knowing their educational background?


• Do you need formal education to be an “educated adult”?


• As you think about all the adults you know, what do you think is the definition of a successful adult? (separate men/women and define in terms of career/work, family, values, beliefs, lifestyle)

Lifelong goals for your children

• In terms of each of your children, what attributes would they have as an adult for you to consider them “successful”? (think of them at 25 or 30 years old.)


• Overall


• Values/beliefs


• Knowledge base


• Lifestyle


• Career/work/salary


• When each child is old enough to leave your direct care, describe what type of people you hope they are? Define it further in terms of:


• Value system


• Skills (household/academic/personal)


• Knowledge


• Direction headed


• When they leave your direct care, what type of a relationship do you hope they have with you and with their siblings?


• In your opinion, how much of this can you impact and how much impact do peers have -- or their basic personality? (the old nature/nurture question!)

How Learning Happens

• In general, how do you think children learn best at different ages?


• What roles do the following play?


• Rote memory vs. experiential learning?


• Keeping children on a pre-determined schedule vs. trusting their flow in learning?


• Self-teaching vs. absorbing/learning from someone else?


• How do you feel most comfortable teaching? I.e., what teaching style do you need to see in order to feel OK about your educational choice?


• What learning style does your child have that will impact how he/she best learns? (Read “How Your Child is Smart”)

Your Child

• What interests does your child have that will play a role in what he/she learns by the time she/he is 18?


• What strengths does your child have that can be built on? What weaknesses need to be strengthened? (keeping in mind the long term goals and all aspects of growth/learning)


• Academically, is it worth doing the Woodcock Johnson test to find out more detailed information about your child’s academic strengths and weaknesses? (more for the parents' piece of mind)

What is the best learning environment?

• Given all of those answers, what are the pros/cons of public school settings vs. private school settings vs. homeschool settings?


• What strengths/weaknesses do you think graduates of public schools, private schools and homeschools have?


• Given each option, what is missing in your educational journey? What can you add to or supplement with to achieve the goals for your family/child?

What are your goals for the YEAR (or middle school or elementary school) based on your life long goals?

• Academic


• Social/community


• Values/spiritual


• Character skills


• Life skills


• Physical skills

Pick the top goal in each category

• Those handful of goals provide the focal point of the year/semester/month. Don't try to do them all but do re-evaluate on a regular basis.
  

Homeschooling Priorities

• If you’re homeschooling, choose a curriculum or approach that best meet those goals this year, keeping in mind your child's learning style, your goals for the child, and your needs in being able to keep your sanity!
  

• What are your day-to-day priorities? Keep in mind your top goals in each category – those take precedence, though may not happen every day.

One of the hard parts about homeschooling is listening to other people and doubting your own decisions. Everyone you talk to has the "miracle” curriculum or structure or learning style approach that's "perfect" -- and it might be the solution for that family in that season of their educational journey. But it may NOT be the perfect one for your family in this season of your journey. Think about the long term. It is a long term journey, not a sprint!

A Magical Childhood

Some good Waldorfy type articles and activities to do with Jeremy:
http://www.magicalchildhood.com/index2.htm

(And a very good article on finding 2 yo happy buttons.)

Article: How to Raise A Spiritual Child

http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/0_how-to-raise-a-spiritual-child_64718.pc

Highlights

What to expect at this age
What you can do to nurture your child's spirituality

What to expect at this age

Though preschoolers are too young to grasp many of the abstract concepts that go hand-in-hand with spiritual life, they have other skills that will serve them well on the road to spirituality: They have no problem believing in things they can't see, and they live almost entirely in the moment. "Kids this age have an incredible sense of wonder — they're innate spiritual beings," says Marianne Neifert, a pediatrician, mother of five, and the author of Dr. Mom's Prescription for Preschoolers: Seven Essentials for the Formative Years.

This is the perfect age to begin nurturing your child's spiritual side — as sustenance for her soul, as a way of answering her cosmic questions, and as a means of strengthening her interpersonal skills. Every religion has some kind of belief embedded in it about loving your neighbor. And giving your child a foundation in faith will also give her something to fall back on in trying times later in life. "As recent events have shown us," says Neifert, "in times of crisis, people turn to their faith. It's a way to ground ourselves, and a way to interpret events that we don't understand."

What you can do to nurture your child's spirituality

Clarify your own beliefs. Whether or not you practice an organized religion, you'll need to decide what you believe in order to foster spirituality in your child. That doesn't mean you have to have all the answers, but you can take time to consider the questions: Do you believe in God? Do you believe there was a divine element in the creation of the world? What do you think happens when a person dies? In addition to your own beliefs, consider what kind of spiritual education you want for your child: Will your family join a church, synagogue, or other house of worship? Do you want your child to attend services regularly? Do you plan to send her to religious school? If you and your partner have different religions it's wise to decide how you'll approach spirituality with your child now, before she's old enough to get confused by your differing opinions.

Introduce spirituality early on. "Young children don't understand who God is, but they don't really understand who a grandparent is either," says Neifert. "Still, you want them to know Grandma, so you start talking about her from day one. It's the same thing with the idea of God." Just as your child takes your word for it that Grandma is an important person in her life (even if she rarely sees her), so she'll take your word for it that God is, too. And by introducing spiritual practices early on — such as lighting candles or singing hymns together — your child will view them as a natural part of life, and you'll have a spiritual influence on her before other people do. Even if you don't believe in God or see God as a single all-powerful being, it's worth talking to your child about it. "Kids are going to hear about God all over," says Neifert. "If you don't put your own spin on it, with your own values, they'll absorb someone else's."

Don't pretend to have all the answers. When your child asks where people go when they die, answer honestly: "Nobody knows for sure, but some people think they go to heaven to be close to God. Other people think they're born again in a new body." Inevitably, your child will ask what you think. If you have a strong belief, share it. If not, it's okay to admit that there are some questions people spend their whole lives trying to figure out — and this is one of them.

Use daily events to teach spirituality. Big ideas don't always require big actions. You can demonstrate that spirituality is a part of everyday life by incorporating it into ordinary actions and words. When you open the curtains in the morning, you can say, "Look at this glorious day Mother Nature made." At bedtime, you can sign off with, "God bless you, sweetie pie."

Instill an appreciation of nature. Nature is a great place to find a tangible manifestation of the divine. "Kids learn with all their senses — they love to pick up a rock or jump in a puddle or chase a butterfly," says Neifert. Help your child see nature as something sacred by demonstrating your own love and respect for it. When you go for a family hike in the woods or a picnic on the beach, clean up after yourself (and even others), and be considerate of creatures in their habitat. Plant a garden with your child, and make it part of your daily routine to check on the progress of the plants together. Start a compost pile so your child can watch mealtime leftovers turn back into soil that you'll use in your garden. Introduce her to the idea that the Earth is a gift, and that our survival depends upon the survival of the planet.

Tell stories. The world's spiritual traditions are full of stories designed to explain everything from how the world was created to why people sometimes do bad things. Introduce your child to the notion that different people have different ideas about God by drawing on this wealth of literature. Read stories together from an illustrated Bible, a book of Hindu mythology, or a collection of Jewish folk tales, amending and simplifying as you see fit. Even if you're reluctant to foster a literal interpretation of the Scriptures, for example, reading such stories will give your child the opportunity to ask questions.

Build on family traditions. Spirituality not only connects us to the divine; it also connects us to each other and to the past. If you're raising your child in the same spiritual tradition that you were raised in, be sure she knows that she's carrying on family rituals that were passed along by her grandparents and even great-grandparents. Show her pictures of her grandmother taking her first communion. Let her help polish a pair of Sabbath candlesticks that were handed down by your parents. And be sure to tell the same family stories at holiday time that you listened to as a child.

Make it fun. Religion and spirituality should be more joyful than somber and serious. Encourage your preschooler to paint a picture of God, make up her own story about how the world came to be, or simply imagine what heaven looks like. Together, act out plays or put on a puppet show based on creation stories or your own spiritual themes. Above all, do what spiritual people have done for centuries — sing and dance! If you don't know any traditional tunes, a wealth of CDs and cassettes of religious music is available. Don't forget to explore songs and chants from other cultures or traditions as well.

Practice silence. Once a day or once a week, take a minute to sit quietly with your child, encouraging her to be silent and listen to her inner voice. Your moment of silence needn't be introduced as some lofty practice of meditation, but simply as a calming break in a noisy day. Whether your child uses this time to commune with the divine or simply to rest and recharge, it'll help put her in touch with the "big" picture.

Introduce a simple form of prayer. Let your child know that prayer isn't something that's saved up just for Sunday morning, or for times when she needs help with something. It's a tool for communicating with a higher power anytime. So invite her to join you in saying a prayer at different times of the day — for example, when she sees something beautiful, when she does something new for the first time, when she wakes up, or at bedtime. A simple prayer of thanks before or after meals can be an easy and effective way to instill appreciation for the basics of life. If your child is too young to make up her own prayers, help her along with what Neifert calls "ping-pong" prayers: You suggest a simple phrase such as, "Thank you, God, for..." and she fills in the blanks. The idea is to let your child know that God, or the divine spirit, is always available. "If the being who created the whole universe can listen to you, that's pretty good," says Neifert.

Stress the spiritual side of holidays. Try to balance the commercialism of the holiday season with activities that underscore its deeper meaning. Volunteer at a local charity. Donate food, clothing, or toys to a shelter, and have your child do the same by choosing a few items she no longer plays with. Participate in church or synagogue events centered on holiday themes. On the fun side, share some holiday crafts with your child: Create a homemade nativity scene out of cardboard and fill it with little dolls, craft a menorah out of modeling clay, or make a Kwanzaa kinara to hold the symbolic candles representing the principles of the holiday — unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

Consider joining a faith community. By regularly attending services and social events at a place of worship, your child will come to see that spirituality plays a central role in the life of the community. She'll also grow up more comfortable with the liturgy and rituals of your faith and come to see a house of worship as a place where she can feel comfortable and secure. "Kids thrive on predictability," says Neifert. "Whether it's a Catholic child seeing the communion bread and wine, a Jewish child hearing the Hebrew prayers, or a Hindu child smelling the incense in the temple, by experiencing rituals kids come to appreciate the predictability of a religious service, if not the deeper meaning." Most churches and synagogues also have children's services that introduce kids to the tenets of a religion in a way they can understand and enjoy.

Follow your child's lead. Let your child ask the questions, and give her plenty of opportunities to discuss her own notions of issues such as who God is, what heaven looks like, or what happens to people after they die. Try not to dictate the answers to big questions. If she asks you where God lives, begin your answer by asking her what she thinks. Or ask her to draw a picture and tell you about it. Spirituality is a two-way street: If you listen carefully to your preschooler, you might discover something you never thought of before.

Com

Language: Muzzy

A reference on another link to Muzzy makes me wonder about finding a similar language program for Jeremy for this fall. He loves videos. It's available on VHS for not much money on ebay... worth checking. It's available free for 30 days -- maybe worth trying?

http://www.early-advantage.com/

Also on the Muzzy site, they have childrens' books on DVD in spanish to reinforce it (including Curious George) -- a scholastic collection -- maybe cheaper elsewhere?

http://www.early-advantage.com/product/detail/scholasticdvdcollection291.aspx

Ponderings for Me: If Only...

July 31, 2008
If Only... (a wish list for busy Moms)
From MOPS -- very funny! (And mostly too true)



If Only…
By Linda Vujnov

Bread crust was moist and delicious.

Clothing had no sizing so you bought what fit.

Hamburger Helper tasted great three days in a row.

Ice cream sandwiches counted as a complete breakfast.

Beds made themselves.

BOZ made house calls.

Oprah aired at 1:00. 3:00, 5:00 and 7:00…in the morning!

Hotels offered free get-away weekends for couples with preschoolers.

Coffee came in one gallon jugs.

The washing machine could carefully separate dark clothes from the whites and complete six loads of laundry in one cycle.

Men could complete 18 holes of golf in thirty minutes.

Varicose veins were in style.

Your best friend lived across the street.

The Emergency room had punch cards. After five visits, the sixth one was free.

Your neighbor had three teenage girls who loved babysitting free of charge.

The plastic vacuum cleaner you daughter loves to play with actually worked.

Your cat could clean the kids too.

Hosing down the inside of your car resulted in no interior damage.

Everyone’s advice truly worked.

Pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, musical chairs, cake and punch were a hit for an eleven year old birthday party.

Photos joyfully put themselves in books and wrote catchy captions to ago along with each picture.

Easy Bake ovens could make Tex Mex casserole for six.

Two cars really could fit into a garage along with everything else.

School started at 10:00 a.m.

Cupcakes came with more frosting than cake.

Every backyard came equipped with a rollercoaster, dancing pink unicorns and a water park with a full-time lifeguard.

Date night was more than dinner at the local drive-thru and a gift purchase for your niece’s birthday.

When women said, “I don’t want anything for my birthday” men understood that they really meant, “Surprise me with something creative and personal that I’ll love!”

Preschool: PreSchoolMama Blog

8/3/2008: PreSchoolMama Blog
Good blog of ideas based on preschool activities

http://preschoolmama.com

Beginning Reading: StarFall

8/3/2008: Starfall
A free phonics program introducing letters, phonics, etc. Cool videos about each letter, some sheets to print out, etc. Don't know if there are activities as well or not.

www.starfall.com