On a cold winter’s night, William is visited by a progression of animals of increasing size, each requesting a warm place to rest their head. When a bear shows up, the other guests are reluctant to share their space in bed, but William’s generosity has warmed them to accepting one last friend. This is a beautiful… Read More
This story will gently lead our young readers to the understanding that thoughtful, warm friends are wonderful to have around when the going gets rough. I’m quite certain your family will agree, the best adventures are the ones you share with family and friends. ********************************** “A charming, fantastical twist on the backyard adventure.”— Booklist FERN and OTTO… Read More
Today’s activities provide opportunities to practice core math facts and skills in the context of games. Think of them as ‘thoughtful practice’. Sums of Ten and The Itsy Bitsy Spider are games that promote numerical fluency in an engaging way and can be played again and again. ************************************ THE ITSY BITSY SPIDER A DICE GAME… Read More
This book has endearing, unexpected details and is a heartwarming affirmation of the powers of aspiration and determination. The Dog Who Wanted To Fly is such an empowering story for young children to read because it encourages them to follow their dreams even if the world or people around them are constantly telling them they can’t do… Read More
For my final blog post of 2020, I’d like to share a book that was just published. After the Snowfall is a beautifully illustrated book that introduces our children to the wonder of nature in winter. While the narrative may be slim, the marvelous art will warm up your family this Winter. After the Snowfall… Read More
As you share this gem of a book, you will instantly realize this is no ordinary children’s picture book. It is delightfully complex. Your children will be introduced to the parts of a story—setting, character, plot, conflict, and resolution—in a most engaging manner, and the witty dialogue between the narrator and the panda is hilarious. *************************… Read More
Important discoveries about triangles can be made through creating these 3-sided shapes. Children will discover how rigid triangles are, and that three fixed lengths can only be arranged in one way, unlike other polygons such as quadrilaterals where the angles can be changed. *************************** LET’S INVESTIGATE TRIANGLES Age 5 to 7 Charlie and Addy are making… Read More
There are some cognitive benefits to playing hiding games. Peekaboo makes babies giggle but also teaches them the concept of object permanence; that things can still exist even though they might not be able to see them. Searching for objects or people encourages children to use their imagination and helps them develop problem-solving skills as they… Read More
This dear book is a great way to introduce shapes to our youngest children. Every page includes a few basic facts about shapes which, because of the rhyme scheme, fit naturally into the story. There are real world applications for the shapes too, such as balls and triangular mountains. ************************************* BEARS LOVE SQUARES CARYL HART –… Read More
These problems are excellent for helping to reinforce the properties of squares and in particular for highlighting the fact that a square is a square no matter the orientation. ****************************** THREE SQUARES Age 5 to 11 What is the greatest number of squares you can make by overlapping three squares of the same size? What do… Read More
