When I look out my window here in Pennsylvania, I see bare trees with snow on their branches. They are barren, yet beautiful. My children have come to learn that “the trees are sleeping for the winter”. As spring approaches, the trees will “wake up”, and buds will fill the branches until soft, new leaves emerge. In the summer, these leaves collect the sunlight and rain. They shake and whisper in the breezes. With fall, comes a beautiful array of reds, yellows, oranges, and browns that sweep across entire hillsides and valleys alike.
These changes in the trees are not only beautiful to look at, but they also signify the changing seasons. They are an excellent visual representation children can comprehend and use to learn about the four seasons and the changes they bring.
The book, The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree, by Gail Gibbons, offers a wonderful introduction to the seasons. Throughout the story, children are taken through the life of an apple tree as it changes during one year.
Have your child create their own tree using four copies of a bare tree (either hand drawn or photocopied off of the internet), white, green, pink, red, yellow, and orange tissue paper, and some glue. As you reread the story, help your child rip the tissue paper into small pieces roughly 2 x 2 inches square. She can then crumple each piece into a small ball, dip it in the glue, and press it onto her bare tree in order to create four different trees, one for each season of the apple tree.
If your child gets tired, it is okay to stop and come back to the activity later. You may even want to stretch out the activity over four days as little fingers may get tired quickly.
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Written by Laura on January 23, 2012
Here is an easy, long term activity you can do with your child to practice identifying letters and the sounds they make all while strengthening fine motor skills. My own son is very tactile and this has proven to be the best method for him to learn his letters. He enjoys working on this project a little bit at a time and seeing his work displayed when he is finished.
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Written by Laura on December 9, 2011
Christmas toy catalogs are taking over our house. My kids, like most others, love to look through them and ooh and aah over all of the possibilities that could make it onto their Christmas wish lists. They will spend hours pointing out their amazing finds to each other, as they circle dozens of toys in each catalog.
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Written by Laura on November 30, 2011
My younger son has a writing workbook that I purchased for him with the intention that it would help him learn his letters. However, he has recently taken an interest in drawing and thinks that the workbook is the cat’s meow. Although he still has no idea what letters he is writing, he loves to trace the dotted lines that are perfectly printed on the elementary-style lines.
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Written by Laura on September 19, 2011
Although machines now do most of the cotton picking these days, here is a game you can play with your child to get him picking some cotton of his own. It is quick, easy, and requires very few materials, but it offers plenty of fun and helps develop fine motor skills.
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Written by Laura on September 14, 2011
I suppose I am relating to many parents of young children when I say that I often struggle to get out the door on time. Although I try to start getting ready to leave when I feel I will have plenty of time to get everyone ready, it seems as though there is always something (or a few things) that comes up during the process.
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Written by Laura on August 17, 2011
Have you ever gotten frustrated while trying to thread a needle? Sometimes that tiny, little piece of string just won’t go into that itty, bitty hole. You lick the end or cut off the frayed pieces, and after several tries you finally end with success. This is much like how a young child might attempt to lace a shoe.
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Written by BRWI Staff on June 8, 2011
Last week, I was feeling very “Martha-Stewarty”, and I decided to hand-craft some table place-holders for use at our Easter dinner. (Actually, I found the craft instructions in a parenting magazine, and it was intended for completion with your children. This is my maximum level of craftiness.)
The first step of the craft involved painting coffee filters by dipping them in egg dye.
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Written by Laura on April 27, 2011
Have you ever met someone who doesn’t like to play with play dough? Even as adults, there seems to be some sort of attraction to this magical substance. You can buy it for next to nothing, and you can make it for even less. It comes in just about any color you can think of, and there are no limits to what you can make with it. From a parent or teacher perspective, it is also a wonderful
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Written by Laura on February 14, 2011
When teaching elementary school, one of my students’ favorite manipulatives was the geoboard. Unless you are a teacher, you may have no idea what this little gadget is, but lucky for you, I am about to teach you how to make one for your own child to enjoy at home. It requires a few simple materials but quite a bit of supervision.
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Written by Laura on December 22, 2010
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