Tot School: Animal Babies and Eggs

leslie January 20, 2017 0 Comments
 Egg Day continues!We just had so much fun studying animals that hatch from eggs using our Mother Goose Time materials.  I prepared a game for Sweet Pea based on "Waiting for the Hatch" game supplied in the Teacher Guide by MGT .  It consisted of cards that had an image of the animal egg and on the other side of the card was a picture of the animal that hatches from that egg....

Egg-cellent Counting!

leslie January 14, 2017 0 Comments
Disclaimer:  I taught public school for 8 years before becoming a mom. I taught a new grade or subject EVERY year.  Never the same thing twice (Jack of All Trades is the perfect name *wink)I have hoarded  collected re-purposed many of the things that I used when I taught.Hence the stash of about 100 plastic Easter eggs I have tied up in my garage.Do you have some too?  I...

Pregnancy and Pigs

leslie January 9, 2017 0 Comments
I'm not going to lie... when I first saw our Baby Animals Unit Theme Web in our Mother Goose Time curriculum my heart sank a little.Our first week is Waiting on Baby.Waiting on Baby.  This.  This is what made my heart sink. The thoughts and emotions that come back full force.  It's hard for me to talk about "Pregnant Moms" when I had a molar pregnancy that led to a DNC a few months...

Tot School: Pinecones, Pine Trees, and Lumberjacks: OH MY!

leslie December 29, 2016 0 Comments
The Pineywoods of East Texas.That's what we call home.Monday was the day after Christmas and it was a beautiful warm morning.  Time to get out and go exploring! We have some gorgeous trails and gardens not far from home called the Mize Azalea Gardens which we have yet to explore!  It was the perfect place to talk about the the tall pines that tower over all the rest of the trees,...

Tot School: Snow Day in Texas

leslie December 21, 2016 0 Comments
I live in the Pineywoods of East Texas. It doesn't snow here.  In fact, I believe the last time we had snow (which was absolutely beautiful) it was 2009... let me see if I can find a picture....Here we go.  These are colored pictures that are completely unfiltered.  That snow was like God had placed a beautiful fluffy blanket completely untouched across our town.  It was...

Tot School: S.T.E.A.M. Stations and Hedgehogs

leslie December 18, 2016 0 Comments
You may have heard of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) stations. This was a huge idea in the public education field in which I worked for 8 years.  One of the top questions for educators was: "How is what I am teaching incorporating a STEM concept? Can I use STEM in my lesson"  STEAM is the same thing, but now ART  (letter A) is incorporated.  Mother...

Crafting with Kids: Baking Soda Clay Ornaments

leslie December 10, 2016 0 Comments
Every year I choose a special ornament that goes with something special that happened that year to add to our Christmas tree.  My mother-in-law did this and wrote the dates on all my husband's ornaments from his childhood and when he and I got married, I wanted to carry on the tradition.This year has been an especially hard year for us and trying to find an ornament has proven quite...

Tot School: Teaching One-to-One Correspondence

leslie December 8, 2016 0 Comments
Reciting numbers and memorizing their names is one thing....Understanding that those numbers mean a certain amount is a whole nother ball game.One-to-one correspondence is the ability to match one object to one corresponding number or object.Each month Mother Goose Time sends some kind of math manipulative and some new number cards.This month, as we study Winter in the Woods, Sweet Pea received...

Cooking Confessions: Making Messes and Memories

leslie November 24, 2016 0 Comments
In our monthly kits from Mother Goose Time, we get a "Giving Gosling" and "Friendship Feathers" each month.  They always have to do with a character trait that you want kids to be instilled with.  Last month the word was "Thankful" and this month's is "Respectful".  We don't do much with the supplies they send us (feathers and duckling), but my mind started turning into how to use...

Calendar Time: Teaching Patterns

leslie November 19, 2016 1 Comment
Calendar time is one of my girl's most favorite parts of the day... and it happens everyday.From my experience in public education, kids thrive in structured environments where they know what to expect, feel safe, and know where things are that they can have access to. We start our Mother Goose Time the same way everyday... with the Calendar and our brief circle time activities which could...