Naturally Frugal Living
I often overhear parents say, “I would like to read to my child more, but he/she (let’s face it, it is usually a he) just won’t sit still”. As a former reading lady and mother of several wiggly children, I thought I would share some of the tricks that I use to read to wiggly [...]
My son loves numbers! One day after reading his favorite counting book, Chicka, Chicka 123, I helped him create his own apple tree for the numbers to climb. He really enjoys doing art projects based on his favorite books, so while it is not fancy, it was lots of fun, easy, and inexpensive. We just [...]
I was tagged in a Homeschool Resources Meme by Tricia at HodgePodge. Some of you may already know that I homeschooled our two oldest children from kindergarten through graduation. After homeschooling for 16 years this is my year off. But my sabbatical will only last for one year. We were blessed with a bonus baby [...]
As soon as my children are comfortable counting. I introduce them to whisper counting. Why? Mostly because it is fun. You alternate whispering and shouting numbers and children enjoy whispering and shouting, especially if it is in a place that you normally don’t shout…like the grocery store! Whisper counting lays the foundation for teaching the concept [...]
One of the best ways I have found to encourage my children to write and draw is to help them make their own book. The directions below are for the first book I help my children make. It is fast, easy, and only requires 8 x 11 paper and scissors. If you are a perfectionist, [...]
I love the Sounds like Fun CD by Barbara Milne and have been singing these tunes to my children for over 19 years! The Alphabet Sounds Song by Barbara Milne is a nice quiet time or bed time song and is the first song that I use to introduce phonics to my children. When I [...]
This falls under the heading of “can’t she just throw some things away?” If you are a regular reader, then you know the answer to that question is no. To make paint pots for my toddler, I started with a mixed match assortment of empty plastic containers and then cut a hole in the lid: [...]
My son had an Aquadoodle set, but one day when I wasn’t paying attention he took crayons and markers to the Aquadoodle paper. I was unable to repair the paper and when I discarded it, I almost tossed the pen too but then I had an idea: I filled up the pen with water and [...]
The most memorable way that we introduce letters and their corresponding sounds to children is through songs. One of our favorite songs to change to fit each letter of the alphabet is C is For Cookie. The lyrics are short, easy to adapt, and provide just enough repetition to allow the child to make the [...]
We spend a lot of time singing songs with hand motions to our babies and toddlers, so signing the alphabet while singing an ABC song seems quite natural. The great thing is that we do not have to have anything other than our hands to entertain (and perhaps teach) our children. I have posted a [...]
