Valentine's Day is a special day that captures the hearts {and sweet-teeth} of our children, and is a day that holds so much possibility for dialogue about love, kindness and friendship.

Children of all ages love to receive and create their own handmade Valentines, and inside my latest YouTube video, I'm sharing several {new!} process-art techniques for creating Valentines cards for sharing, and ways to extend these invitations to include beginning writing.

 But how do we extend our children's Valentine's art to also encourage writing?

Begin with mind-mapping exercises (brainstorming), where you create a bubble map of children's ideas about love / kindness / friendship.

Some ideas for brainstorming:

• People we love
• What is Love?
• What does kindness look like / sound like / feel like?
• What does it mean to be a good friend?

These brainstorming moments are a great way to initiate our kids' prior knowledge. This...

Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall in a Reggio-Inspired classroom?

Do you dabble with the approach - injecting the odd provocation here and there, experimenting with emergent curriculum, but also enjoy a more predictable, structured {planned} curriculum?

Have you wondered how to meet all the academic outcomes, but also how to balance a child-centred, curiosity-driven approach?  What are the rhythms and routines? How does learning “happen?” What does a typical schedule look like?

I’m also sharing my {somewhat controversial} stance - as someone who straddles the line between a traditional, teacher-directed approach with a more Reggio-inspired, child-centred approach. The "sweet spot" where wonder meets rigour.

I used to struggle with internal questions like:

"Is this inquiry-enough?"
"Is this artsy/playful/natural enough?"
"Does this spark enough joy/wonder/creativity?" 

More recently, however, I have finally become comfortable in my...

Are you looking for fun, easy and inexpensive ways to ring in the New Year - with kids??

For the past several years, we've included our own children in New Years Eve festivities. 

Our tradition has been to gather with a few other families for an evening of kid-friendly games and activities. My friend {a fellow Kindergarten teacher} has always been a gracious host, and prepares the most fun games for our kids.

I'm sharing some fun, easy and inexpensive ways to keep your kids happily entertained as we ring in 2023! 

*All of the printables, labels, done-for-you-games are available to download in one package here.

1. Celebration Kits

These kits are a fun way to get kids excited about the evening. Inside, is a simple collection of Dollar-store goodies, homemade crafts and edible treats.  They include balloons, noisemakers, fancy necklaces, glow bracelets, crowns, and a bag of edible "Midnight Kisses." 

The "Celebration Sparkle Dough" that's inside was inspired...

So you want to level-up your learning space.

Maybe you're even ready to Reggio-fy it. {What is Reggio? Learn more here}.

You see all the inspiration on Pinterest, on blogs and your imagination, but there's one problem.

You have a LIMITED budget.

As a former classroom teacher, working in Inner City, I know what it's like to work with a meagre budget.

But we're resourceful, practical educators right? We know how to stretch our dollar!

We know the importance of creating a space that feels cozy, warm and inviting.

We probably have a vision for creating a learning environment that's responsive to our kids' emerging interests; a space that is inspiring enough to pique curiosities and promote engagement, and cheerful and bright enough to promote happy learning.

So how can we begin to take steps to transform our learning space - whether that's the dining room, classroom, garage, or dedicated homeschool room - so that it is more inviting and inspiring? 

So that children will feel...

Set it Up!

Okay! You’ve carved out a schedule for your day, now it’s time to sprinkle in the fun, meaningful learning activities {I call these “invitations”}.

Setting up an invitation requires a bit of prep, but the benefits are SO WORTH IT.

If you lay out the basic supplies needed in an inviting way, your child is SURE to dive in, and be engaged far longer. 

The kinds of invitations I'm talking about...

• DON’T require you to be glued to your child’s side 
• DON’T involve tons of pricey, scarce supplies
• DON’T involve drill + kill worksheets that will turn your kids off learning.

These kinds of learning invitations are set up with your child’s many languages in mind {in Reggio we call this “the child’s one hundred languages” - meaning, kids express themselves in MANY ways: art, movement, music, sculpture, construction, drama… 

These invitations are meant to be FUN...

How to Homeschool when you’re NOT a homeschooler!

Setting up your Basic Schedule 

Now that you’ve got some ideas to create your impromptu learning space, it’s time to make a structure for your day. Kids THRIVE on structure, routine and predictability.

Neuroscientists have found that children's brains need a predictable schedule - because when children feel safe and comfortable, learning flourishes.

That said, your schedule should be flexible. Rhythms, routines...a general, predictable FLOW is what I'm talking about...

Make a list of the “musts” for the day.

Meal time. Outdoor play time. Naps. Chores. Bedtime etc.

Schedule it!

Create a schedule that works for your family. Carve out chunks of time for a morning meeting (15 minutes), some focussed learning time (20-30 minute chunks), baking or cooking, as well as free unstructured play time. You can include your children's input here also. Be intentional about screen time - come up with...

Unexpected Homeschooler?

Don’t Panic! Deep breath. You can do this. *I promise.*

School closures are happening across the nation. This is a guarantee.

But for how long? This is still an unknown.

If you find yourself in the position of a “sudden homeschooler,” but also need to get work done, you might be wondering…

• What do I do with the kids?
• How do I occupy them without the iPad or Netflix 24/7?
• How can I maintain some structure and order in the home when things feel utterly chaotic?
• How and what am I supposed to be teaching my kids?
• How do we all stay sane?

Look, Mama. You’ve got this.

And I’m here to support you through it all. 

Before you continue to read, let’s start this post with a serious #mindsetshift. 

So here we are. At home. With kids. For 2, 3, 4 maybe more weeks….

What a BLESSING! 

Seriously. Before you let the panic, stress and overwhelm consume you, step back and think… in a...

Now that you’re ready for more of a schedule for learning and some structure in your home and ways to dive into learning, let’s talk about ways to set up an impromptu learning space.

Now for a disclaimer. 

1. You do not need to set up a mini-Montessori-school in your home.

2. You do not need to burn your printer ink out with 1,000,000 free worksheets off the internet.

3. You do not need to spend hundreds of dollars on expensive arts and craft supplies from Michaels.

What you will need is an open mind, open heart and a wee bit of patience as we set our kids up for success for playful learning at home.

Step 1. Designate a Learning Space

Your kitchen. Your Dining room. Living room. Nook at the end of the hall.

Wherever it is, designate a small area as a special “learning space,” where you will do a tiny bit of direct teaching {I promise, nothing groundbreaking here}, a place where you gather to do projects, explore learning...

You know teachers who make you want to level-up your own practice?

You soak up their every word, nuance and lesson. Their students ADORE them, their administrators RAVE about them, and every parent wishes their kid was in her class?

One of those teachers is my new-found friend, Bela Luis. Her students know her as Bela, and she shares her gifts with other teachers through workshops {where I got to see her space first-hand!}, and has been invited to share her love for Land-Based Learning at a conference in Oakland, California later this year. 

Being in her classroom is how I picture heaven for teachers. She takes environment as third teacher to a whole new level. I know you will find so much inspiration in this interview, and especially in the photos of her learning environment.

Folks, meet my friend Bela. A much-respected teacher from my own hometown, Winnipeg, Canada! 

Please share a bit about your education: your school, major/minor(s) and
graduation year, as well...

L-O-V-E is in the AIR!

I love Valentine's Day for so many reasons, but mainly because they offer SWEET MOMENTS for learning.

In today's blog post, I'm sharing a few PLAY + ART-inspired ideas to get your kids engaged and learning!

1. Valentine's Day Bakery {Writing + Sensory Play}

Set out PLAY DOUGH, heart-shaped cookie cutters, loose parts and recipe books for inspiration.

Invite your kids to create menus, signs and recipes for their Bake Shop.

My favourite go-to homemade play dough recipe {that last for weeks!}

2. "Love Is" Bookmaking Ideas {Writing + Representing}

These accordion-style handmade books are a wonderful way to inspire young authors. We created a list of all the PEOPLE, PLACES and THINGS we love, and added them to our envelope books.

3. Tape-Resist Valentines {Writing + Representing}

Simple, geometric painted hearts make the perfect Valentines for loved ones. Tape various lines across paper (watercolour paper works best), and paint the inner...