Latest Posts….
6 Creative Pine Cone Crafts & Play Ideas
Have you ever walked over an area littered with pine cones? In our yard, we have about a dozen very, very tall white pines. And on those very, very tall white pines grow many, many pine cones. And when those pine cones come falling down, it can be hard to...
How to Dry Acorns, Sticks and Pine Cones for Play
When the cool breezes of autumn begin to blow and the leaves show the first specks of yellow and orange, my children and I turn into gatherers. Not because we have to like our friends the squirrels but because we love it and just can’t help ourselves. Acorns, pine...
Solar Eclipse Story for Children
The Solar Eclipse is coming! It's hailed as a once-in-a-lifetime event. I witnessed my first total solar eclipse hiking in the Italian Alps in August of 1999. I remember coming out of the woods as our trail was winding down the mountain. We stopped every few minutes...
30+ Travel Games and Activities for Kids – New Printable
Traveling with young children..in a car for 6 hours, on a plane across the Atlantic for 9+ hours. OH MY!!! Don't get me wrong. The idea of vacationing with my family brings me utter joy BUT the actual traveling part…well, that’s a different story. Sound familiar? I...
Lady Spring’s Journey – Stories, Pictures and Inspiration
Our Spring Countdown has begun and Lady Spring is on her way to the Spring Equinox. We follow her on this 10-day journey as she tends to the tender spring flowers, welcomes the birds, and wakes up the animals that have been hibernating all winter. For instructions on...
How to Create a Spring Countdown
“Mama, come look. I have to show you something. Come!” shouted my 4-year old as he dashed back outside. I followed him as quickly as I could around the house and past the garden. We finally came to a stop by the viburnum bush in our front yard. “Look!” he said and...
Nurturing a Growth Mindset in Young Children – FREE Story and Coloring Page
When I scrolled through my inbox two weeks ago, a sentence caught my attention. Take your kid from negative self-talk to confidence. Negative self-talk is something I come across on a regular basis when teaching. Children fall somewhere between being very confident...
The Mitten Activity Pack – Story, Crafts & Activities
Did you know that the well-known story The Mitten by Jan Brett wasn’t Jan Brett’s idea? No? Me neither! “The Mitten” is in fact an old Ukrainian Folktale, which features a wood cutter and a variety of animals. In Jan Brett's version, the main character is a boy named...
Winter Books for Young Children
Winter is upon us and it's time for me to share our favorite winter books with you. As with our spring books and autumn books, these made the list not only because of their wonderful stories but also because of the amazing illustrations and photographs. Some of the...
4 Easy Steps to Less Toys and More Play for Your Child
Every year, my husband and I spend weeks thinking about what to give our children for Christmas in an attempt to keep toys to a minimum. Why not indulge them you might ask?
Because…
Halloween: A Cut-and-Tell Story, Pumpkin Playdough and Knitting
Every morning on our walk to school, my children are on the lookout for new pumpkins appearing at the front doors of our neighbors. “Look, there is a white one. I’m going to call it ghost pumpkin,” says my 4-year old. “And there is an orange one peaking out,” shouts...
The 12 Most Marvelous Autumn Books for Children
After the heat of the summer, we always look forward to the warm colors of autumn, the cool and crisp mornings and the abundance of comfort foods. And with that comes much more time spent snuggled up on the couch with my children and a good book. The autumn books I'm...
When stories are more powerful than a stack of parenting books
Yesterday, I found myself scrolling through my Facebook Newsfeed and just when I was about to close it up, something caught my eye. “I had a great experience this past month concerning story telling,…” was what I read. It was a post by a mom in one of the storytelling...
Gardening Books for Children
Last month, I shared our favorite Spring books with you. And today I'm back to give you a list of our favorite gardening books. I have been teaching a gardening class for children for over 6 years and have read or at least browsed through most books on that topic. The...
The First Sophie & Max Giveaway!
Have you ever wondered where the stories about Sophie & Max come from? Do you wish you had more time to add the stories and activities to your child’s life? If so, you are not alone and I have answers for you. Linda from Rain or Shine Mamma asked me a series of...
Counting Down to Spring
After a week of temperatures in the 70's (VERY unusual for our area) we are more than ready for spring. We started our garden last week and planted spinach, radishes, peas, carrots and kohlrabi. The kids were so excited and are checking on the seeds almost daily. With...
Spring Books for Young Children
While we love to make up and tell our own stories, we also love to sit together and read books. Our go-to resource for books is our amazing library. It is so rare that they don't have a book I'm looking for. Therefore, we don't actually own a lot of books and instead...
A Christmas Story: From a small village in East Germany
Last week, I found myself sitting in front of 23 first graders. My daughter’s teacher had asked me to share some German Christmas traditions with the class.
Instead of rattling off various traditions, I decided to tell them a story. A story about Christmas in a small village in East Germany. And it went something like this….
A long time ago, when I was 7 years old, I lived in a small village in Germany…
