Don't Throw Away That Box!

We made a big day trip this past Sunday and by the time we got home, I had no energy left to set up and prepare for a day of home preschooling the following morning. I wasn't too worried about it--we would find a way to spend the day for sure and perhaps after a day of being stuck in the car and dragged to kosher grocery stores and restaurants, a day of play would be a good thing. And then I saw it, sitting unpretentiously on our front stoop. The holy grail of childhood rainy days and indoor play. A huge cardboard box! Actually, it was a huge cardboard box containing our monthly Amazon Subscribe & Save order and thanks to having two kids in diapers now, it arrived in a perfectly toddler sized box. "Don't throw away that box!" I instructed my husband as I foresaw a perfect Monday up ahead--with two freshly diapered tushies AND a giant box to provide hours of entertainment.



My toddler was so excited to see the big box in the living room the next morning, it was hard to get him (out of the box!) to eat his breakfast.

What is it about a box that is so inviting? I have my own childhood memories of amazing cardboard creations--from DIY costumes to a whole neighborhood of cardboard houses after we made a family move... And most parents have a memory (or two or three) of those early birthdays and holidays when our children were far less interested in our carefully chosen gifts than the boxes and wrapping they came in. This great article by the National Association for the Education of Young Children explains why this is from a developmental standpoint. That said, even well past my own early developmental stages, I still find a recycled box to be a treasure in the making!

 We began our adventure with some markers. For very young artists, a cardboard box can be a wonderful canvas that simultaneously invites and contains their creative expressions. If you're concerned about wandering marker strokes and painty handprints, a cardboard box is a great place to plop your little Picasso for some messy and artistic fun! You can even bring the activity outside to altogether avoid any indoor mess. (Bonus points if it's warm enough to hose 'em off before you come back in!) I helped cut a window on one side and position the box. My little artist wanted to share the fun and doodling and had some specific requests for commissioned work. He wanted a dog, two butterflies and flowers drawn on! From there, the experience took off entirely from his imagination as I watched in awe and nostalgia!

His box became an office (and yes, he's wearing a tie...)

...a shul...

...and throughout the day, a bakery shop, a snacking spot, a reading nook and a parking garage...

The options were as endless as his imagination and he was eager to return to it again today. Nowadays we have a plethora of amazing DIY ideas to do with something as simple as a cardboard box. Peruse Pinterest for a while and you'll find loads of amazing posts on the topic. And yet, very little is as simple and enjoyable as providing the most basic materials and letting your little ones take the lead. When a toddler's imagination travels outside the box, the results can hardly be contained! Our little house/office/shul/bakery/parking garage may not last so long before it makes its final journey to the recycling bin, but until then we will be happily playing. And after that, we can look forward to that next diaper delivery!

Mad Science Monday: We're Growing Butterflies!

We found this great life cycle of a butterfly wheel at
the Dollar Tree last fall and are tracking the days of the process of
observing our own caterpillars grow into butterflies...

 BIG news here just in time for Mad Science Monday! We'd like to welcome to our family five new friends: "Yisroel," "Menachem," "Pete the Cat[erpillar]," "Flamingo," and "Very Hungry," our brand new baby caterpillars. We are trying our hands at growing our own butterflies! My slightly older junior scientist assisted in naming the first four caterpillars. I initially did not see the fifth caterpillar, who was hiding under the lid of the larva jar in our kit when it arrived this morning, so I took the liberty of naming him myself once I finally discovered his whereabouts!

We bought our kit from Amazon.com, however many garden
shops likely carry caterpillars if you prefer to buy locally.

I initially thought about purchasing a butterfly kit last summer when my then younger toddler become obsessed with the butterfly exhibit at our local botanical gardens. He was casually known as "The Butterfly Boy" by the lovely volunteers in the exhibit, which features beautiful live butterflies and moths fluttering around a beautiful greenhouse room and several small exhibits of caterpillars in various stages of metamorphosis. We visited almost every week and he always wanted to see the butterflies. I resisted buying the kit even though it was on his birthday wish list as I worried he might be sad when it was time to release the fully grown butterflies.
Fast forward to this year and, in spite of loving butterflies in theory and out in nature, my now older toddler was terrified in the exhibit he loved so much last summer. We took a family trip on a nice warm weekday over the Pesach break and everyone was eager to see the butterflies...until we actually went through the exhibit. There were some school children on a field trip, so we waited longer than usual and then the room was rather more crowded than we were used to. The part that really sealed the deal for my previous butterfly fan was when two lovely moths landed on my skirt (unbeknownst to me at the time) and my little guy became very afraid they might land on him. It did not matter how much I told him they were not hurting me and that they are very gentle. He is very much in the age and stage of being fearful of animals coming toward him, making unexpected noises or, worst of all, touching him. This makes our trips to the zoo and botanical gardens and farms and even around the neighborhood a little more anxiety-ridden than they once were. It is a normal childhood anxiety and one we both validate and simultaneously try to work through. I took both the boys back to the gardens a few weeks later and Big Brother was adamant that he did not want to see the butterflies that day. In an amazing display of awesome parenting, I bribed him with a butterfly kit to try one more time...
Perhaps I should have listened to that and accepted it right away. A part of me, however, really wanted for him to have the confidence-building experience of working through his anxiety. I suggested we try it again to see if he still felt as nervous and explained to him that many times when we are nervous about something, practicing it again and again can help us to feel less worried. We got into the building, we got into the entry room and that is, I am afraid, as far as we got! He cried and cried and while the volunteers offered a stool to watch from the outside and I tried to gently encourage him to try walking through just one more time, I had to pick him up (while wearing Little Brother) and haul him out of there like a football! Part of me was frustrated because he had so loved this exhibit last year and I could not help but feel sad for the "step back" this resembled to me. And then I took a step back. Childhood anxieties are normal--even when they do not occur in a chronological time frame. Time, in fact, means very little to toddlers! Ever seen one get dressed and ready to go at a turtle's pace when you're in a morning rush? To push my little guy beyond his comfort zone in a way that is too harsh and too fast would not only damage his relationship to those butterflies more significantly, it would potentially also damage his relationship with me and his own self confidence.

a themed snack after our
last visit to the gardens

I also recalled many of my own childhood anxieties. I was terrified of thunder storms. No amount of cute explaining helped at all. G-d bowling? Nope. Offers of ice cream? No, thanks! Benadryl so everyone could get some sleep? Well--you get the picture. And the one thing that made me feel OK about thunder storms (and now even love them) was understanding the science behind them through a well written book by one of my favorite figures of all time, Mr. Rogers. On the car ride home, we talked about our favorite parts of the trip. I didn't even mention the butterfly incident. "I no see butterflies today," my toddler announced a bit nervously. "You didn't feel up to seeing them today. That's OK. We can try again another time if you'd like, when you feel ready." We talked about things that make us feel nervous and I told him about how I used to be afraid of thunder and how understanding it made me feel less nervous. I asked him if he thought understanding butterflies might make him feel less nervous? He felt sure it would! We decided to learn about them at home and to borrow books from the library. We also decided to buy a butterfly kit and grow our own butterflies at home, where we could look at them through a container like our pet fish and they would not fly all around the room.

Our playroom is set up to learn and play about butterflies, flowers and gardening!

Our caterpillars arrived with our butterfly kit today right as we sat down for lunch. He seems quite comfortable with the caterpillars so far (comfortable enough to hold the container while he's eating his yogurt!) and we were both excited to read through some of the literature in the kit as well as a book on Painted Lady Butterflies (the type we are growing) that we had borrowed from our local library!

We set out to naming our new little friends and started journaling about the process...

We will be learning about the life-cycle of a butterfly both in real time and through some learning materials, like these sentence strips I made (with pictures), which can be used side by side (as shown) or on a metal ring.

Join us later this week when we make this fun Life Cycle of a Very Hungry Caterpillar craft!

The truth is that my son may not overcome his fear of animals right now. He may not go back into that exhibit this year. And that is OK. We will work with him in comfortable increments to understand the things that scare him. And for now, playing and learning about (and growing) butterflies at home is a safe and fun way to do that.

 We will keep you posted on our journey here from caterpillar to butterfly...until then, happy playing!

We Played Outside ALL Day (And Why I Don't Feel Guilty)

I can vividly remember those first warm days of spring when I was growing up. I remember the smell of everything in bloom. I remember the itchy eyes and runny nose of pollen counts rising! I remember staring longingly out of the classroom windows and how free I felt as I zoomed away for that first bike ride of the year, not to return until dusk. Up north, spring was a little bit sluggish in really arriving, so I truly relished the odd warm day and awaited (sometimes impatiently) the official beginning of the sunny, endless days of spring and summertime.
As a classroom teacher, I was always notorious for being the one to take the kids out NO MATTER WHAT. And when spring arrives? You can bet you'd find us outside for a good chunk of the day. What about school and learning? No problem, we could bring it along. Many times, I'd have the students each carry materials to take lessons outside. Other times, the lesson itself was outdoors: working in the garden, observing parts of plants and trees, planting seeds, looking for worms and bugs...
And now as a home-preschooling Mommy, do I feel guilty if "all we do is play outside all day?" for a day or two or many? Goodness, no! We aren't skipping out on the learning at all. Sometimes, we even bring it along with us, like in this letter G Garden Scavenger Hunt:

And even when "all we do is play," plenty of learning and development is going on for sure:

Garden Nap!

 In our family, the outdoor adventure starts early! (In related news, so does sun protection!) Young toddlers can help in the garden with planting, watering and exploring. Gardening calls upon the development of a variety of skills. The physical activity itself promotes gross and fine motor development as you dig, poke, pinch, sprinkle, cover and water seeds. So much learning occurs in observing the process of a plant from seed to sprout to flower to fruit.

Last year was the first one we planted an outdoor garden. My older gardener was about a year and half when we began. He loved helping pour soil and poke seeds into little holes we made with our fingers. He loved watering the seeds and got such a kick out of observing the growing sprouts we kept in his room until it was warm enough to take them outdoors. We planted a LOT of vegetables and herbs. We grew a LOT of vegetables and herbs. And the summer ended up being really hot, so we ended up not spending quite as much time outside as I'd have hoped. I was early in my pregnancy and very uncomfortable in the heat, so my husband did quite a bit of the watering for us late in the evening when it was cool (or at least dark) enough to be worth the effort (as we don't have a hose hookup outside so we haul water the old fashioned way). Some of our plants grew quite well (bell peppers, carrots, radishes, tomatoes, lettuce, beans and peas). Some did not do so well in that heat (cucumbers and zucchini never made it beyond the flowering stage). We learned a lot and ate quite well! This summer, we will use what we learned and plant a little less so we can enjoy a bit more space in our small plot for playing and observing (and a little less maintenance).

Gardening for young toddlers: it was helpful to have a sensory bin of soil alongside our planting tray so my then young toddler could play and dig without disturbing our newly planted seeds in the process. Gardening themed sensory bins are a great play material for indoors (if you're brave) or outside!

 There is a wealth of materials outside to explore. From plants and soil to worms and rocks. My older son has loved rocks for as long as I can remember. Once he was able to walk, picking up rocks became a big part of our strolls around the neighborhood. Last summer he loved exploring this sensory bin of river rocks purchased from the floral/craft department of our dollar store. They are great to play with on their own, in water, even with sidewalk chalk! Now that he is very into collecting rocks and sticks, wildflowers, pine cones and acorns, we will likely have to create a special container to keep our natural treasures in outdoors! We talk a lot about natural items that are ok/safe to pick up and those that we must leave alone (like wild mushrooms or plants that are unfamiliar as well as not disturbing trees or flowers that are still growing and aren't weeds). My son is also quite passionate about worms and butterflies. Exploring the natural world is a valuable study of science! You need no additional materials, although journaling about your experience can be a great supplement. Taking a scavenger hunt along on a nature walk can also enhance your child's learning as you search for colors in nature, favorite critters, types of plants or trees, and more.

Physical activity outdoors is a great way to introduce staying healthy. Whether you're playing organized sports and games, walking, hiking, cycling or just moving around, exercise is so important at all ages. Talking about intentional, active movement is a great way to inspire a healthy relationship with exercise for children (and adults alike). Furthermore, even the most picky of eaters is more likely to try new vegetables and fruits if they planted, grew them and picked them!

But what if you do not have a gardening space? You can do a lot in containers even indoors, but when it comes to ample room for running around a playing, we love our public parks! One of our favorite field trips is trying out new parks and playgrounds. Playgrounds promote a lot of important childhood educational experiences. Exploring new terrain and equipment is great for gross motor development. Mastering skills of climbing and sliding, swinging and bouncing are all fabulous confidence boosters. Dramatic play is such an inherently natural part of our time outdoors and when other children are involved, important social development also occurs. If we spend our whole morning getting to and playing on a playground, I feel no guilt at all. I know my children are learning a lot even if only through discussion of traffic lights or lawn mowers (language development) or navigating new play equipment (motor development) or meeting new children (social skills).


So what about reading and writing? How do children gain literacy skills outdoors? One of our favorite things to do is bring a book and a blanket outside and read together. Language development is encouraged also through conversation. You're sure to see new and exciting things outside; this is a great way to introduce new vocabulary! And even pre-writing and fine motor skills are developed when you bring along a bucket of chalk in different colors, shapes and sizes!

 Some of our outdoor play is structured and planned. Much of it is not. Much of our outdoor time is left to child-led exploration. If I plan a lesson, my toddler will surely gain knowledge on my target topic. If he discovers cause and effect of pouring water from up, up, up above the sidewalk or uncovers a worm from under the damp, deep soil, the topics he may learn about are infinite! Our play-garden setup is wonderful for this type of child-led play and exploration. It allows us to be outside all together and for my toddler to safely navigate his space mostly independently. Sometimes we might discover something together that inspires an activity or lesson or even just our next play session.


We recently discovered this small head of lettuce coming up where last year's crop went to seed at summer's end. How exciting to have a garden already growing when we haven't even planted yet! And it was the perfect inspiration for our next play-garden toy/accessory theme: our very own mud kitchen.

I have set out a collection of plastic kitchen toys and tools. I am eager to see what my little mud chef will come up with when we get outside. Until then, whether you're indoors or out, I wish you much learning through happy playing!

Make it at Home Monday: Alice the Camel Brown Bag Puppet

It's Monday and we're still learning and playing about Israel in honor of Yom Ha'atzmaut. We've recently renewed our family membership to our local zoo. One of my son's favorite attractions there are the camels, an animal native to the desert climate of Israel! He loves to sing the popular children's song/action rhyme, "Alice the Camel," a cute little ditty that demonstrates counting backward with a humorous surprise at the end:

Alice the Camel
Alice the camel has five humps,
Alice the camel has five humps,
Alice the camel has five humps,
So go, Alice, go!

Alice the camel has four humps...[continue in this fashion, you can also use your fingers as you count backward]

Alice the camel has no humps,
Alice the camel has humps,
Alice the camel has no humps
Now Alice is a horse!

If you have a group of children with you, grab a large sheet and you can act out the song with children as "humps" who take turns moving to the front as they are counted "out" to be the head. This was a favorite activity in my classroom teaching days!

Alternatively, you can make your very own Alice the Camel brown bag puppet to use as you sing. 

You Will Need:
a brown paper lunch bag
a google eye
brown construction paper
scissors
glue
markers, crayons and anything else you'd like to add for decorating

Instructions:

1. Trace or copy the shape of a camel to brown construction paper. If you do not have brown construction paper, you can use white paper and color your camel or you can use another brown paper bag. If free-handing a camel silhouette is not your strong suit (it's not mine!) you may want to use an image printed from the internet or a stencil. Older crafters can assist with this step and cut out the camel shape. For younger crafters or those who are short on time, you may wish to prep the camel in advance. 
2. Glue your camel to the rectangular bottom flap of the brown paper bag so that when you insert your hand into the bag, you can flap your camel up and down. Glue on the eye and decorate your camel as you like. You may wish to draw on a mouth or other details. My little artist even enjoyed decorating the bag!
3. Once dry, use your puppet to sing "Alice the Camel" or put on a puppet show! 

Yom Ha'atzmaut: Celebrating Israel through Play!

Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day/Israel's Birthday is next week. To celebrate this special day, we are learning through play here about Israel! We did a brief study of Israel earlier this year during our Around the World unit, but I love the opportunity to revisit previously enjoyed activities and to add in a few new ones. If you're looking for some ideas to incorporate learning about Israel into your home or school routine, here are some of the ones we have greatly enjoyed! Our Israeli Artifact Observation Station (pictured to the left) was a big hit with my toddler. While sorting through bins of stuff in our closets, we came across many souvenirs, photos and keepsakes my husband collected on his trips to Israel as a child. I have actually never been to Israel in spite of having a great deal of family living in the country, but on his trips, my husband collected and saved water from the Dead Sea, tea bags, Coke wrappers, coins, photos and post cards--all of which have been great to share with our children now (who have also yet to travel there). Rather than "formally" instructing on the topic, I am aiming to make this mini-unit more hands-on and child-led. In my traditional preschool classrooms, I would often swap out our picture books in the library area for copies of popular favorites in Hebrew and other Hebrew picture books. The students always got such a kick out of seeing The Cat in the Hat all in Hebrew!

They also loved books that introduced Hebrew vocabulary with pictures in a child-friendly way. My son also really enjoys learning words in Hebrew and has repeatedly requested to go through the colorful pages of our copy of My First Hebrew Word Book. We own it now but have previously checked it out from our local library. Introducing vocabulary in a second (third or fourth) language is a great asset to children. While previous schools of thought encouraged parents in bilingual/multi-lingual homes to focus on only one language, studies now show that in most cases of early childhood development, learning additional languages is a benefit to young children as they become verbal. While my husband and I are only fluent in English, we introduced words in American Sign Language, Spanish, Hebrew, Yiddish and Portuguese from the time our older son was a baby. He now knows a plethora of words in these languages and communicates quite effectively in English. He loves learning words in any language!

Maps and Flags of Israel are hung at child level so my son can access them

Our local Jewish Community Center usually has a family event for Yom Ha'atzmaut featuring performance arts, a petting zoo, camel rides, music and Israeli cuisine. If your community or synagogue does not happen to have any events for this day, or you would like to introduce the theme at home, there are a variety of ways you can do so through a multi-sensory approach:

Come SEE Israel: 

• Displaying souvenirs or artifacts, maps and flags, photographs and artwork at child level can draw in their natural sense of wonder and exploration
• A photograph of the Western Wall in a block area can inspire young architects to construct their own version
• Even pre-readers can benefit from an environment rich in written language. When you're learning about Israel, include some labels in Hebrew for popular household items/areas.
• Books about Israel and books in Hebrew are a wonderful material to include. Children also like to see greeting cards from Israel (that open backward!) and especially appreciate photographs or books that are specifically meaningful to their family. This can include photo albums from family trips, sefarim (holy books), travel pamphlets from trips or even mementos like food labels and wrappers, ticket stubs, currency, postcards, etc. 
• It is common during Yom Ha'atzmaut both here and in Israel to wave Israeli flags in celebration. We had fun decorating and making our own this year!

When it's dry, I will laminate it and attach a long wooden dowel. You can also use a laminated flag as a playdough mat, as pictured below:

Come HEAR Israel:

• We generally have the custom not to listen to recorded or live music during the Sefira period. We are more lenient with children, particularly for educational purposes. Israeli music and Israeli dance are a great way to hear the sounds of Israel right in your home, car, or community. 
• Singing songs with and to your children can also introduce the theme of the holiday. My toddler especially likes singing this song I learned while teaching preschool (and unfortunately do not know whom to credit):

I Have a Lovely Degel [Hebrew: Flag]

(to the tune of "I Have a Little Dreidel")

I have a lovely degel

It comes from a special land

It's blue and white

And I hold it tight

As I wave it in my hand!

It says we have a homeland

A land we love so well,

I stand up proud and I shout out loud

I love Eretz Yisrael!

I stand up proud and I shout out loud,

I LOVE ERETZ YISRAEL!

• My toddler loves singing popular Hebrew songs for children. He also enjoys hearing popular American songs with Hebrew words. YouTube is a great FREE resource for this and one of his very favorite videos to watch is "Morah Shifra's Sing-along:"

He also loves the TuTiTu Language Learning English to Hebrew series. The adults in the house find it a little less entertaining but the toddler requests it whenever we offer screen time! He has, in fact, learned a great deal of Hebrew vocabulary words from this and taught them to me!

Come TOUCH Israel:

• Learning is very hands-on here and learning about Israel is no exception! Encourage fine-motor development with Israel themed activities like sticking Israeli flag toothpicks into floral foam, clay or playdough. 
• Early writing comes into play when you create and keep a travel journal with your child(ren). Include what you already know, what you'd like to learn more about, pictures from your adventures, maybe even some correspondence with friends and family in Israel. My students always particularly enjoyed dictating questions for me to email to my cousin in Israel for her children to respond to. Pen-pal relationships are a great childhood asset!
• Early writers can write or dictate/draw prayers to stick inside the Western Wall. Bonus points if you get your little one's hands busy building their own Western Wall!
• Building and construction play is a great way to incorporate STEM activities into an Israel theme. Provide building prompts in the form of printed photographs of Israeli landmarks or books featuring photographs. You can experiment with a variety of building materials and mediums and even incorporate some dramatic play with construction themed props, tools, trucks and costumes.
• Sensory play is a great way to introduce some of the textures of Israel. Sand play is a great way to learn about the desert climate. Salt and saltwater can help teach about the Dead Sea. Incorporate some science into your experience by testing how objects sink or float in water versus salt water. This is a great way to demonstrate and experience the buoyancy of the Dead Sea!
• Fine motor skills are not the only ones that come into play when learning about Israel. Get the whole body involved in some themed gross motor activities by setting up your own Israeli Defense Force obstacle course or (if you have enough kids for humps) acting out the song "Alice the Camel:"

• Arts & Crafts are also a hands-on favorite for all ages. We love process art here. Last year, my son had a blast creating this painting in blue (and white) using cookie cutters shaped like a Star of David and his hands in blue paint and glitter. It still hangs above his chair at our table and he talks about it almost every day!

Come SMELL Israel:

• We loved making (and using) these "Jaffa Orange Scented Dead Sea Salts" earlier this year using Epsom salts and sweet orange essential oils

Come TASTE Israel:

• Make some of your favorite Israeli cuisine together and enjoy it as a family! Israeli salad, schawarma, falafel, couscous, and shakshuka are some of our favorites. My toddler also LOVES squeezing oranges for fresh juice like the type he might enjoy if he were to visit Jaffa!

Play is a great way to explore and learn. You don't have to get too complex to incorporate Israeli themes into your dramatic play. You can make a pretend passport, board an airplane made from chairs and visit Israel right from your living room. While you're there, perhaps you'll try some of the activities we have tried and loved. Whether you're here (or there), happy travels, happy Yom Ha'atzmaut, and HAPPY PLAYING!

Learning about farm animals at a kibbutz through farm-themed play!

For the Love of Letters! (and Numbers...)

Whenever I need a quick and easy to prepare homeschool activity, I know I can count on my toddler's love of letters. We have not exactly done a "letter of the week" this year, but I have introduced alphabet letters, one at a time, over the course of the last several months. I have chosen a specific order of introduction based on studies of child development and early literacy. That said, I do not drill or push worksheets or even have a goal in mind of my toddler being able to recognize letter names and sounds at 2 years old. He does recognize a good number of letters by name and some sounds. Most importantly, however, he loves learning and playing about them! If you've followed our alphabet posts in the past, you'll see how I utilize a multi-sensory approach to introducing both English and Hebrew letters. We do some crafts, some sensory play, some learning activities and a lot of repetition/predictable routine (like the songs we sing when introducing letters or certain materials used to introduce them). Here are a couple of our recent alphabet adventures (along with some of the numbers and counting themed activities we have incorporated as we learn about Sefiras Ha'omer):

Our Munch Monster is a favorite material that I bring out repeatedly for learning new letters. He loves to eat our letter of the week (in magnet form) and proudly displays his favorite "food" in sticky-note form whenever a new letter arrives. 

Mmmm, letter Qq! Quite delicious!

Q-tip painting was a fun (and fine-motor-developing) way to decorate our letter Qq page.

Half of the fun was exploring color mixing, using Q-tips to stir several colors of paint together in an ice cube tray.

Dinosaur collage and plastic dinosaur stamping for letter Dd

We display our letter art for a short while and then it gets saved inside the alphabet book we've been working on inside this binder over the past months. There are many great ways to preserve work like this. You can make your own alphabet book or even laminate your letters for play-dough mats (another great way to practice pre-writing).

Sometimes our letter of the week will incorporate our current theme (we were learning about dinosaurs when these letter Dd projects were made). Other times, I may choose a letter-related theme that my son is particularly interested in. He is right now very interested in zoo animals since we have purchased a membership to our local zoo. That seemed like a great theme to incorporate into learning about the letter Zz this week!

It was the 14th day of the Omer, and we counted 14 zoo animals!

This time, we used a favorite alphabet board book to introduce our letter of the week and my little letter lover immediately found his toy zebra to match the picture on the page!

Even baby brother gets in on the fun and learning with a zoo-themed setup on the activity mat. I recently printed out and laminated the whole alphabet onto colored printer paper to use for just this purpose. Both brothers are enjoying it!

Z stamping and zoo stickers on our letter Zz page. 

Sometimes our letter learning is intentional and at other times it happens naturally. We might point out that zipper begins with our letter of the week as we are zipping up a coat to go outside. While doodling on paper, we might notice a zigzagging line. My greatest feeling of "success" comes when I hear "p-p-p P!" from my little guy who is snacking on potato chips in his car seat and recognized the letter P on the bag! He also loves pointing out letters on signs, trucks, in the grocery store and beyond. As long as he is motivated and interested, I know his love of learning will carry him toward development of literacy skills all in due time. For now, we are learning a lot and happily playing here!