If you’ve been a frequent visitor here you’ll know that it’s not uncommon for me to be scrambling at the last moment for a quick and easy Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, or Christmas craft to do with the children. In fact, it’s not uncommon for the children’s gifts to…
As I was looking at photos of Reggio inspired environments I noticed wool balls in baskets on the floor for infants. Eureka – what a great idea! Having used wool diaper covers on Z-Man and Little Guy I knew that wool is amazing – it’s naturally antibacterial, anti-allergy, flame…
I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m addicted to Pinterest and have collected more ideas than I know what do to with. My most recent Pinterest obsession started with photos of calm, beautiful, nature-filled environments with the label “Reggio” or “Reggio Emilia.” Reggio Emilia is a philosophy of education…
One of the best things about family child care is the flexibility… What do you do when you’ve got homemade pizza half done, then your husband the sweetest, most wonderful man in the world surprises you with pizza from Papa Murphy’s? You put your homemade pizza fixin’s in the refrigerator…
At this time of the year many people who have children to buy for are looking for help choosing among the thousands of options. Since toys are the learning tools of children, it’s important to put some thought into choosing a toy instead of just picking the first thing you…
Children of all ages are fascinated with dinosaurs. Something about their gigantic size and the mystery surrounding their extinction has intrigued children – and adults – for generations. One way for parents to connect with their children is by being “in the know” about dinosaurs. Children appreciate their parents showing…
Mother Nature provides an abundance of materials for fall family fun! The following activities won’t take a lot of time or cost a lot of money, but they will provide a great opportunity for some one-on-one time with your child. Waxed Leaves You’ll want to supervise this activity closely, but…
Ready for another section of my Parent Handbook? We started with a description of how the Handbook is organized, then I shared the history of my child care program, our daily routine, and a family child care job description. Next is a description of our curriculum. As with all parts…
Do you find yourself automatically saying “No” to your kids all of the time? It’s an easy habit for parents to fall into; often we start saying “No” to our children when they’re just babies “No-no, that’s not safe for you…” As they get older we continue to say “No”…
It’s all over the news; Americans are getting fatter and fatter, and so are our children. Today more than 15% of children are overweight; are are in the first generation of Americans who are expected to have shorter lifespans than their parents. Overweight and obese children are at risk for…
