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Cozy Bedtime Books for Toddlers

December 14, 2017 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

We have a very active little one in our family. She’s running around learning everything she possibly can. But, because she’s so excited about what’s she learning to do, getting her to settle down for bed has become a bit of problem. Every time I walk her into her room at night, she says “I want to get up in the morning, Mama.” Every. Single. Time. 🙂

So I thought I’d look for some bedtime books that would help her settle down and get ready for sleep. Today, I’m sharing a roundup of adorable bedtime books for toddlers!

If you and your little one enjoy these stories, be sure to check out my list of the absolute best picture books for three-year-olds!

Bedtime Books for Toddlers

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1. The Going-to-Bed Book by Sandra Boynton

2. The Goodnight Train by June Sobel

3. Kiss Good Night by Amy Hest

4. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

5. Time for Bed by Mem Fox

6. A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na

7. Clifford’s Bedtime by Norman Bridewell

8. Bedtime in the Meadow by Stephanie Shaw

9. If Animals Kissed Good Night by Ann Whitford Paul

10. Snuggle Up, Sleepy Ones by Claire Freedman

See even more cozy bedtime stories for toddlers on the next page!

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Free Printable Flashcards: English and Spanish Season Flashcards

December 12, 2017 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

We’re smack dab in the middle of winter and, to be honest, I really miss spring (seasonal allergies and all). So I thought it was a great time to introduce our kids to the Spanish words for the seasons. It’s as close to spring as I’m going to get for the next two months…lol.

To learn how to say the seasons of the year in Spanish, we put together a set of free printable flashcards: English and Spanish season flashcards! These are perfect for learning how to talk about seasons of the year in English and Spanish, so they’re good for early learners, ESL learners, kids who are learning Spanish, and more!

Read on to see how to get your copy – Free! If you love these, don’t miss our A to Z Español Spanish Alphabet Super Pack!

Free English and Spanish Season Flashcards

To use these flashcards, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links provided here for convenience. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

These flashcards include all four seasons of the year in both English and Spanish. And a pronunciation guide is included!

That means you can use them to teach the seasons to your preschooler, to play a matching game with your toddler, or to teach Spanish season words to learners of any age!

One set features English season words, another set features Spanish season words, and a third set features the pictures only for reviewing and quizzes.

Scroll down to get your free English and Spanish season flashcards!

If you’re interested in learning even more Spanish vocabulary, don’t miss these printables!

And get more ideas for learning a foreign language with the kids on my Foreign Language for Homeschoolers Pinterest board!

To get your set of English and Spanish season flashcards, sign up for our email newsletter! You’ll get these flashcards, plus lots of other exclusive learning printables in our special subscribers library!

25 Dee-licious Cookie Bar Recipes

December 11, 2017 by Selena Robinson 5 Comments

I have to be honest: I’m not much of a baker. I didn’t learn how to bake from scratch as a kid, but I’ve been trying to teach my kids to bake (generally as I learn myself).

So – one way I’ve found to get over my fear of baking is to make things I actually want to eat. And who doesn’t want to eat cookie bars?

I’ve rounded up 25 super dee-licious cookie bar recipes that I intend to try this winter! (Well, maybe not ALL of them.) I hope these look yummy enough for you to try too! By the way, for some really simple and yummy treats, try our Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies!

25 Dee-licious Cookie Bar Recipes

1. This super simple Almond Cookie Bar recipe looks so easy and delicious to make!

2. Add a little “crunch” to your cookie bars with this Double Chocolate Butterfinger Cookie Bar recipe!

3. My mom’s banana pudding recipe is a family tradition, but these Banana Pudding Bars might become a close second!

4. Have you ever had caramel and walnuts in your chocolate chip cookies? Me neither. Time to try this Caramel Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe!

5. If you like caramel, you’ll love these Twix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars – candy and chocolate in one!

6. I love Chai tea, but I never thought of making Chai Cookie Bars. These look amazing!

7. Salted Caramel Snickers Cookie Bars. Oh my.

8. I have never thought to combine toffee and marshmallow before. But that’s exactly what this Chewy Chocolate Toffee Marshmallow Cookie Bar recipe does! And it looks heavenly.

9. Cinnamon and maple are two of my favorite flavors. Both are in these Cinnamon Chip Maple Cookie Bars!

10. The Snickers bar is the best candy bar ever. How can you go wrong making Snickers Bar Cookies?

11. Red Velvet Cake is my favoritest cake in all the world. Naturally, these Red Velvet Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are on my “To Bake” list!

12. Making this yummy Toll House Chocolate Chip Pan Cookie looks super easy! I imagine the hard part will be not eating the entire thing myself.

13. You don’t need a campfire to enjoy S’mores with these S’more Cookie Bars!

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All About Snowflakes Unit Study for Kids

December 7, 2017 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Winter is coming! And what better way to get excited for snowy weather than by learning about it with your students!

Since we don’t get a lot of snow down here in the South, we’re always fascinated by snowflakes.

The few times we see them are basically national events, at least in our family.

So I thought we’d learn a bit more about how snowflakes form, what makes them special, and toss in some other school subjects while we were at it.

All About Snowflakes Early Elementary Unit

All About Snowflakes is a printable early snowflakes unit study featuring math, language, writing, and science activities for students in grades K-2!

All About Snowflakes Printable Unit for Early Elementary

Read on to see how to get your copy!

And, if you enjoy this unit, be sure to check out our list of 50 free winter printables for kids!

This printable early elementary snowflake unit is perfect for teaching students about snow during the winter!

Printable All About Snowflakes Unit Study

To use this All About Snowflakes unit, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Learning about Snowflakes with Early Elementary Students

This unit study is a fun, hands-on way to add math, ELA, and science into a winter unit you can do with almost no prep at all!

Snowflake Symmetry Lesson for Early Elementary

This resource includes a two-page lesson on how snowflakes form, along with a symmetry practice activity.

Snowman Themed ELA Comprehension Activity

Snowy-themed ELA and writing practice is also inside.

Snowflake Themed Addition Practice for Kids

There’s also a snowflake-themed addition practice activity.

As well as art activities for early ages!

Using Snow Themed ELA Activities with Early Elementary Students

Answer keys are also included for each activity.

How to Use the All About Snowflakes Unit Study with Students

A good way to use this early elementary snow unit is to review the lessons together as a group.

Printable Snowflake Themed Early Elementary Unit

Then you can decide which of the activities you’d like students to complete in class.

Learning How Snowflakes Form in Early Grades

The activities are well suited to in-class work. But they can also be used as take-home assignments, particularly if you’re running short on time.

Printable Winter Symmetry Activity for Early Grades

The snowflake math addends activity can be adapted for use at math centers.

With a little prep, you can include the answer key squares on a ring for self-checking!

Using Snowflake Math Addition Practice with Kids

And the Roll A Snowman art game is a fun activity for small groups!

Get a look at this resource in action below!

Scroll down to get your copy of our All About Snowflakes Unit Study!

Books about Snowflakes:

Add to your winter unit with these children’s books about snowflakes!

Don’t miss these other winter learning ideas!

These hot cocoa 1-10 counting cards are perfect for winter counting practice with early learners!

Get into the spirit of the winter season with this list of 15 adorable snowman books for kids!

These winter literacy mats are perfect for building literacy and fine motor skills during winter!

Early Elementary Snowflake Thematic Unit

To get your copy of All About Snowflakes!, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store or check it out below!

3 Powerful Reasons to Invest In Your Education As a Mom

December 5, 2017 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

How many hours a week do you spend supporting your child’s education? Five, ten, more?

If your kids go to public school, you likely spend a lot of time helping them get ready for school, arrive on time, complete all of their homework assignments, and prepare for end-of-year testing. If you’re a homeschooling family (like we are), then you probably spend even more time preparing, supporting, and providing your child’s education.

Can I ask you something though?

How much time have you spent on your own education? When’s the last time you learned something new? What was the last book you read that taught you a new idea? If it’s been a while, you’re in good company.

As moms, we spend years giving of ourselves to our children and, along the way, we can forget to take care of ourselves: our physical health, our emotional space, and even our intellectual development. It might seem like an indulgence, but continuing education for moms is actually a worthwhile endeavor.

Whether you prefer learning through books, online classes, or in-person workshops, there are three powerful reasons to invest in your own education as a mom.

Images c/o: rawpixel & monkeybusiness / depositphotos

3 Powerful Reasons to Invest In Your Education As A Mom

1. You’ll expand your own perspective.

You’d be surprised at how much more we know about life than we did the last time you went to school. I know I was. I went back to college in 2013 – 14 years after graduating – and found that what I learned completely reshaped my views on historical events, society, and culture.

The world has changed quite in a bit over the past 20 years. Learning about new discoveries, inventions, and ways of doing things can do wonders for your personal outlook.

2. You’ll improve your teaching skills.

As a homeschooling parent, I am constantly teaching my children. What I learned by going back to college has made it so much easier for me to teach advanced concepts to my own kids.

My seventh-grader, for example, was recently learning about the cell. As she tried to memorize mitosis and meiosis, I actually remembered what those processes were and could help. How? Certainly not because of the science class I barely passed 15 years ago. But my biology class a few years ago prepared me for this topic and then some. I even remembered what the Golgi apparatus does!

Even if your kids go to public school, you will not be able to escape science, math, and advanced English topics. As your kids study them and complete projects, you’ll be in a much better position to help when you’ve invested in your own education.

3. You’ll set an excellent example for your kids.

Most of all, though, investing in continuing education for moms will show your children that you personally value learning. You’re more than just an adult who barks at kids to “get an education”. You’re a mother who loves to learn and takes education seriously.

I cannot tell you how many times I’d look over from completing a college assignment and see my daughter pretending to type on the computer and write papers just like Mom. That always warmed my heart.

What’s more, if you use adult education to begin a new career or advance your current one, you’ll be living proof that education is worthwhile. My kids have seen me go back to college and start a brand new career as a result. Because of that, they will always know that continuing education equals career advancement.

If you’re thinking of investing in your own education by going back to college online, Ashworth College is definitely worth your consideration.

Ashworth College is one of the premier online education providers for adults. The college offers over 125 different programs, including Early Childhood Education, Accounting (my original college major!), and Veterinary Technician.

Since Ashworth programs are flexible, you can go back to school without upending your busy life as a mom. You can go at your own pace, completing the program you choose in a timeframe that works for you.

And because Ashworth’s tuition rates, on average, are five times lower than other online education providers, you won’t have to worry about going into debt.

Unsure about how to proceed? Don’t worry! Ashworth will support your program success along the way, ensuring that you finish your program and make progress toward the career you want.

Visit the school’s website to find out how Ashworth College can help you invest in YOUR education!

See more about online learning can help you discover a brand new career below!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ashworth. The opinions and text are all mine.

Winter Wonderland! Alphabet and Number Winter Literacy Mats

December 4, 2017 by Selena Robinson 5 Comments

There’s just something about playing with playdough that captures kids’ attention.

I loved playdough as a child. Every child I knew loved playdough.

So, naturally when I was creating these alphabet and number winter literacy mats, my first thought was to use them with playdough.

Preschool playdough mats can be used to build fine motor skills, to make shapes, and to learn to form letters and numbers.

But there are other ways to use these literacy mats with young learners too!

Keep reading to find out how to get your set of these winter playdough mats.

And, for more winter fun in early grades, take a look at our list of adorable snowman books for kids to read!

Alphabet and Number Winter Literacy Mats for Kids

To use these winter literacy mats, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are listed below. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer paper or cardstock
Laminator (optional)
Playdough (optional)
Mini erasers (optional)
Dry erase markers (optional)

Mini Erasers for Letter Practice on Winter Literacy Mats

This set of winter literacy printables includes 26 letter mats – from A to Z!

Each mat shows both the uppercase and lowercase version of each letter.

And the letters are large enough for students to trace with pens, markers, highlighters, crayons – even their fingers!

How to Use Winter Playdough Mats to Build Literacy

There are also number mats featuring numerals from 0 to 10.

All of the mats have a fun wintery background theme!

How to Use Winter Literacy Mats with Early Learners

There are several ways to use this resource to help early learners build literacy skills!

Using Winter Playdough Mats with Early Learners

Kids can roll playdough into “ropes” and then connect them to form the uppercase and lowercase letters.

Working with Winter Literacy Mats in Kindergarten

If you decide to laminate the mats, hand out dry erase markers for students to trace the letters!

Forming Letters with Mini Erasers at Centers

You can also place the mats at literacy or math centers (for the number mats).

Hand out mini erasers, pom-poms, or math counters for students to trace the letters and numbers.

Or print the mats half-sized!

They’ll be a perfect size for adding to morning tubs or busy bags.

Get a closer look at this resource in the video below!

Scroll down to get your copy of our winter literacy mats!

For more winter learning fun, don’t miss these other ideas!

Use these winter sight word learning cards to help early readers build reading fluency!

Learn to recognize uppercase and lowercase letters in two languages with this fun snowflake English and Spanish letter matching activity!

To get your set of our Winter Wonderland! Alphabet and Number Literacy Mats, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store or check them out below!

ADHD Handwriting Help for Kids

November 30, 2017 by Selena Robinson 10 Comments

Do your kids with ADHD struggle with penmanship? You’re not alone. Many, many kids need ADHD handwriting help from an early age. And, once again, it all goes back to the unique struggles of the ADHD brain.

Executive function is what helps us organize our thoughts and carry them out. Because that is sporadic in kids with ADHD, they may have trouble understanding the process of handwriting, including how to hold the pencil, how to form the letters, and how to copy what they see in a book or on a chalkboard.

Tigger has struggled with her handwriting for the past couple of years. On occasion, it would look perfect – identical to the models in her handwriting book. At other times, though, it was barely legible. For the longest time, I did not understand why handwriting seemed to be so difficult for her until I started reading about all the ways ADHD affects children.

Now that I have a better understanding of how ADHD works, I’ve adjusted my teaching style to offer her more help with handwriting. Here are a few tips I’ve been using.

How to Offer ADHD Handwriting Help for Kids

This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.

1. Adjust your expectations.

We’ve mentioned this a few times in the past, but when it comes to developing handwriting skills, we have to adjust our expectations of our kids. They may not develop the fine motor skills to write well at the same time or age as their peers, which means their handwriting skills may develop slowly.

If that’s the case, having them write pages and pages of copywork is not going to help them develop these skills any faster. It will, however, make them hate handwriting.

Let your kids write to the best of their ability and then have them do a small amount of daily copywork. After a few weeks, you’ll see their handwriting improve. It may not look like the D’Nealian model, but it will improve…in time.

2. Don’t rush to teach cursive.

There’s a minor debate going on in public school right now about the value of teaching cursive writing in the modern age. Personally, I love cursive and I teach it to my kids. But, I don’t insist that they use it at a certain age.

Cursive is generally harder to master than print handwriting. So if your child with ADHD is already struggling with handwriting, don’t insist that he master cursive simply because he is at the grade level when cursive is taught in school.

We introduced cursive to Tigger in third grade, but I noticed that her print was getting sloppier by the day. So, I stopped teaching cursive and we went back to print. Now she’s learning cursive again, but without letting her print penmanship slide.

3. Let kids use alternate methods for composition.

Some kids who dislike handwriting or have sloppy handwriting are actually excellent storytellers. Don’t insist on them writing their work by hand. Let them use other methods to compose their stories, papers, and responses. Try teaching them to type. In fact, learning to type can actually build fine motor skills that will improve handwriting in the long run.

You might even want to let your kids dictate their stories or draw pictures to express their thoughts. Let them know that there are several ways to tell a story. That way, the frustration of trying to master penmanship won’t poison their love for writing.

Do your kids with ADHD struggle with handwriting? How do you help them develop good penmanship? Let us know in the comments!

This post is part of the 31 Days of ADHD Homeschooling series! See plenty of ways to make homeschooling kids with ADHD easier!

Get even more tips and suggestions for parenting kids with ADHD by following my ADHD Tips board on Pinterest!

You can get plenty of tips for homeschooling and parenting kids with ADHD when you sign up for our email newsletter!

Don’t miss these other great posts!

Children’s Books about Composers

November 28, 2017 by Selena Robinson 16 Comments

We’re getting into our study of classical music in our homeschool lessons, so we’re sharing children’s books about composers! These are perfect for circle time stories or unit study resources, especially if you want your kids to learn more about the music and the lives of these musicians.

While there are classical composers in this list, there are also kids’ books about modern composers, including the great Duke Ellington! If you enjoy these stories, be sure to check out the Duke Ellington unit in our ebook “We Got Jazz”!

Children’s Books about Composers

This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.
One of the most interesting things about many classical composers is that they often began their musical careers while they were still children. Mozart began composing at the age of five. Five! That’s some serious inspiration for kids who are interested in music. 🙂

Some of the activity books include coloring books and unit studies about composers. In fact, Stories of the Great Composers is one of the resources we’re using in our homeschool curriculum this year!

Picture Books about Composers

The Extraordinary Music of Mr. Ives: The True Story of a Famous American Composer – Joanne Stanbridge

George Frederic Handel – Mildred Clary

Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue – Anna Harwell Celenza

Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince And His Orchestra – Andrea Davis Pinkney

Secret Lives of Great Composers: What Your Teachers Never Told You about the World’s Musical Masters – Elizabeth Lunday

Sebastian: A Book About Bach – Jeanette Winter

The Other Mozart: The Life of the Famous Chevalier de Saint-George – Hugh Brewster

Becoming Bach – Tom Leonard

The Story of the Orchestra: Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, Music, and the Composers Who Wrote the Music! – Robert Levine

Why Beethoven Threw the Stew (And Lots More Stories About the Lives of Great Composers) – Steven Isserlis

Nonfiction and Activity Books about Composers

Stories of the Great Composers – June Montgomery & Maurice Hinson

Getting to Know the World’s Great Composers: Ludwig Von Beethoven – Mike Venezia

Great Composers Coloring Book – John Green & Paul Negri

Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? – Yona Zeldis McDonough & Carrie Robbins

Duke Ellington: His Life in Jazz – Stephanie Stein Crease

World of Composers: Verdi – Greta Cencetti

Peter Tchaikovsky: Getting to Know the World’s Great Composers – Mike Venezia

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons – Anna Harwell Celenza

18th Century Superstar: Mozart (Time for Kids Nonfiction Series) – Georgia Beth

Johannes Brahms: Getting to Know the World’s Great Composers – Mike Venezia

Do you have any favorite resources for introducing classical composers to kids? Do you have any suggestions for great children’s books about composers? Let us know in the comments!

If you enjoy these stories, check out our other ideas for teaching music and art to homeschoolers!

And don’t miss your chance to learn more about introducing kids to jazz with our We Got Jazz unit study ebook! It’s packed with over 120 pages of music history and activities about jazz greats such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and more!

For more tips to make your kids into readers, check out my Reading for Kids board on Pinterest!

Want to get more ideas for making homeschooling fun? Sign up for our email newsletter to get plenty of homeschool tips and resources in your inbox!

This post is part of The Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists by iHomeschool Network! Click over to read tons of awesome booklists shared by my fellow homeschooling bloggers!

Winter Sight Words Flashcards

November 27, 2017 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Winter is quickly approaching and it’s a great time to introduce a set of handy Winter Sight Words Flashcards!

Learning sight words is a big part of early literacy education. After all, phonics are great, but the typical phonetic rules don’t always apply!

Some words are simpler to learn through memorization and repetition drills.

And that’s where these winter sight words learning cards can be a huge help.

Read on to get your set!

And be sure to grab our printable snowflake counting cards for some wintery math practice!

Printable Winter Sight Words Flashcards for Kids

To use these sight words flashcards, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are listed below. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Fun Winter Sight Word Flashcards for Kids

In this printable pack, you’ll find picture flashcards for the following winter-themed sight words:

Coat
Cake
Fire
House
Hill
Wind
Snow
And Shoe

There is a set of cards with images and words. A second set of cards features just the images.

A third literacy card set shows only the printed words.

There’s also a set of blank word labels for writing the words on the labeling cards!

How to Use the Winter Sight Words Flashcards with Students

There are several ways to use these learning cards with early readers.

Using Word Labels with Winter Sight Word Flashcards

Review the picture cards, especially if you’re working with pre-readers or ELL students.

When students are ready, have them practice matching the pictures they’ve learned to the picture matching cards.

This is a nice way to introduce them to the written sight words.

Printable Winter Sight Word Cards for Early Readers

As your early readers become more comfortable, let them begin practicing labeling the picture cards with the written sight word labels.

Printable Winter Sight Word Learning Cards for Kids

They can even use the blank word labels to write the sight words themselves!

If you laminate the cards, students can label the pictures using dry erase markers.

Winter Sight Word Picture Labeling Cards

You may even want to turn the matching exercises into reusable activities with hook and loop adhesive coins.

Scroll down to get your copy of our printable Winter Sight Word Flashcards!

Don’t miss these other literacy learning ideas!

Learn the Spanish ABCs with this fun Spanish alphabet literacy center for early learners!

These fun dinosaur word matching puzzles are so fun for early literacy practice!

These printable beach number literacy mats are perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners!

To get your copy of our Winter Sight Words Cards, pick up our Seasonal Sight Words Learning Cards!

You’ll find the winter-themed sight word activities, plus practice for spring, summer, and fall nouns too!

Get a look at this resource in the video!

To get your copy of our Seasonal Sight Words Learning Cards, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store or check them out below!

50 Fun and Easy Winter Crafts for Kids

November 16, 2017 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Cold winter days are just made for crafting, aren’t they? Well, they’re made for sipping hot chocolate, curling up with a good book, and crafting.

Like a lot of you, I don’t have a natural “crafty” gene and I don’t have a lot of time to gather supplies and create intricate projects, no matter how much I’d like to. So when I start looking for crafts for kids, I tend to stick with those that are easy and use regular household items.

So I had a blast finding this list of 50 fun and easy winter crafts for kids! These art projects are simple enough for kids of all ages but beautiful enough to hang on the wall afterward!

If you want to share some cozy winter stories, don’t miss our list of must-read winter books for kids too!