Fine Motor Fun (Love to Learn Linky #3)

 

Welcome to Love to Learn Linky #3! I am happy to announce that we have a 4th co-host joining us: One Time Through! Readers - that means you have another awesome blog to follow. Bloggers - that means even more exposure for you and more chances of being featured!

Today's features from last week are all about unique and fun ways to practice fine motor skills!

I love this Flower Cutting activity from Dabbling Momma. What a creative way to practice scissor skills!

Have you ever used kinetic sand? We haven't, but this post from Mom Inspired Life convinced me to try it! 10 Ways to Play with Kinetic Sand

Simple. Home. Blessings shows us how cooking with kids can be great for fine motor skills, plus you get a yummy reward at the end!

For all the dinosaur lovers out there (and what kid isn't), check out how to create a Backyard Dinosaur Dig, plus download an adorable Free Printable Dinosaur Tot Pack from The Kennedy Adventures!

Visit my co-hosts to see all the other features!

ABCs & 123s from One Time Through
5 Garden Play Ideas from Left Brain Craft Brain
Fun Painting Ideas for Kids from A Little Pinch of Perfect

If you were featured, grab a button!

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LOVE TO LEARN LINKY

Now it's time for some more links! I hope you'll join me and a couple of friends for a brand new linky party!

 

Bloggers, link up your posts every Thursday and watch as we round them up and share them all over the place.

 

Almost anything goes, we're just hoping your activities teach kids (or us!) something. (science, art, cooking, behavior, crafting, parenting, etc...)

 

The Love to Learn Linky is Hosted by:

Totschooling: Viviana is a blogging mom to a toddler and a preschooler, sharing ideas and resources for early education. She specializes in unique, hands-on printable activities that are educational, fun and inspire creativity in young minds.

 

 

Left Brain Craft Brain: Anne is an ex-engineer, current stay-at-home mama writing about crafty ways to encourage creativity (and brain power!) in our kids. Each of her projects gives kids the chance to learn about a new subject and do something crafty at the same time.

 

 

A Little Pinch of Perfect: Katie combines creativity, play, and learning for the perfect mishmash of fun activities that keep kiddos entertained throughout the day. She wholeheartedly believes in the power of play and feels that all activities naturally provide a fun way to learn.

 

One Time Through: Sue is an Elementary School Teacher currently on leave to be at home with her preschooler son.  She shares ideas for connecting and learning with kids through meaningful, play-based activities that nurture curiosity and creativity.

 

Love to Learn Linky Etiquette:

 

• Posts should be about educating our kids in any way - science, art, cooking, crafts, behavior, parenting, etc. Please keep them family friendly and please no Etsy shops or giveaways unless they are relevant to the topic.

• Upload your direct post link to the InLinkz widget. Link up to 3 posts.

• Like the hosts on Facebook: Totschooling, A Little Pinch of Perfect, Left Brain Craft Brain and One Time Through.

• Or follow the hosts on Pinterest: A Little Pinch of Perfect, Left Brain Craft Brain, Totschooling and One Time Through.

• Post our button on your site.

• By linking up, you agree to have your images shared with credit.

Link up and grab a button!

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An InLinkz Link-up

Rhyming Sorting Game with Free Printable

Why is Rhyming important for preschoolers to learn and practice?

• It increases their phonological awareness (ability to listen and discriminate between the different sounds that make up words) which is one of the biggest indicators of reading success.

• It helps them recognize rhythm and patterns in language, which improves their oral language skills.

• It teaches them to make predictions and anticipate a rhyming word, which is an important reading skill.

There are many ways to practice rhyming with your child:

• Read lots of rhyming books

• Read and memorize nursery rhymes

• Sing and memorize rhyming children's songs

• Play rhyming games like this one!

This is a Free Printable Rhyming Sorting Game that you can use with children of different levels. For kids who are starting out learning about rhyming, you can have them sort only 2 or 3 groups of cards, while more advanced kids can sort all 6 groups. This is great for both readers and non-readers!

Here is how I played it with my almost 3 year old:

I set up 3 groups of cards, then gave her one card at a time to sort in the correct group.

I started out by asking her "Does bat rhyme with cat, does bat rhyme with dog, or does bat rhyme with pie?" She was confused at first, so I said "Bat rhymes with cat because it sounds like cat. Bat, cat, bat, cat." I did that for a few cards until she got the hang of it and started doing it on her own.

Click here to download your FREE Printable Rhyming Sorting Cards!

Also check out this fun Alphabet Sorting Game:

Learning with Nature (Love to Learn Linky #2)

 

 I would like to thank all the wonderful and talented bloggers who linked up last week to the debut of Love to Learn Linky! I can't wait to see all your new posts this week!

 

In today's modern world, it is easy to forget the importance of connecting with nature on a regular basis. Research shows that children who have daily contact with nature benefit in many ways: physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually.

 

Even kids who are indoors most of the day can still benefit from incorporating natural materials into their learning activities. Here are some great ideas to inspire you! 

 

Stimulating Learning with Rachel has many Garden Maths Ideas using stones, sticks, leaves, pine cones and other found objects to practice math concepts.

 

My Nearest and Dearest shows us how to make Natural Paint for Kids from crushing rocks and creating ochre - a natural pigment used for centuries in art, body paint, fabric dye and soap.
 

 

 Tired of the same old x-rays and xylophones? eager ed has a unique activity for the letter X!  X is for Xylotheque

 

 

Who knew you could learn so much from a strawberry! Check out Dot-to-Dot Connections' Review of Strawberry Craze eBook to see some great ideas!
 

Visit my co-hosts to see all the other features!

4 Ways to Simple Sensory Play from Left Brain Craft Brain
Outdoor Activities for Kids from A Little Pinch of Perfect

If you were featured, grab a button!

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LOVE TO LEARN LINKY

Now it's time for some more links! I hope you'll join me and a couple of friends for a brand new linky party!

 

Bloggers, link up your posts every Thursday and watch as we round them up and share them all over the place.

 

Almost anything goes, we're just hoping your activities teach kids (or us!) something. (science, art, cooking, behavior, crafting, parenting, etc...)

 

The Love to Learn Linky is Hosted by:

Totschooling: Viviana is a blogging mom to a toddler and a preschooler, sharing ideas and resources for early education. She specializes in unique, hands-on printable activities that are educational, fun and inspire creativity in young minds.

 

 

Left Brain Craft Brain: Anne is an ex-engineer, current stay-at-home mama writing about crafty ways to encourage creativity (and brain power!) in our kids. Each of her projects gives kids the chance to learn about a new subject and do something crafty at the same time.

 

 

A Little Pinch of Perfect: Katie combines creativity, play, and learning for the perfect mishmash of fun activities that keep kiddos entertained throughout the day. She wholeheartedly believes in the power of play and feels that all activities naturally provide a fun way to learn.

 

Love to Learn Linky Etiquette:

 

• Posts should be about educating our kids in any way - science, art, cooking, crafts, behavior, parenting, etc. Please keep them family friendly and please no Etsy shops or giveaways unless they are relevant to the topic.

• Upload your direct post link to the InLinkz widget. Link up to 3 posts.

• Like the hosts on Facebook: Totschooling, A Little Pinch of Perfect, and Left Brain Craft Brain.

• Or follow the hosts on Pinterest: A Little Pinch of Perfect, Left Brain Craft Brain, Totschooling

• Post our button on your site.

• By linking up, you agree to have your images shared with credit.

Link up and grab a button!

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An InLinkz Link-up

Preschool & Tot School Resources for Back to School

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.

I've done a lot of educational activities with my daughter over the years.. hence this blog, Totschooling! Now that she's turning 3 this summer, I feel that she is ready for a formal preschool curriculum. I did a lot of research and I decided to buy Angela Thayer's The Preschool Journey. I love it so much that I became an affiliate so I can help spread the word about it.

I plan to use this curriculum with my 3 year old starting this fall. At the same time, my younger daughter will be about 1 1/2 which is around the time I start taking "tot school" more seriously.

I've never been able to find a Tot School curriculum or guide of any kind, so I always improvised. But I have great news for you! A little birdy told me there will be a Tot School eBook launching September 1st. I can't disclose any details yet, but I do want to tell you that I'm a contributor to it! Stay tuned for details to come!



 

I'm looking forward to using both of these resources in the Fall with my daughters!

 

Let me tell you a little more about The Preschool Journey and why I chose this curriculum!

 

• This is a 160 page eBook that includes a 26 week Preschool curriculum for children ages 2 1/2 - 5.

 

• Can be used as a homeschool curriculum or as a supplement for children attending school.

 

• It explains in detail what skills your child needs to learn in Preschool and how to prepare them for Kindergarten

 

• 26 weeks of lesson plans centered around letters of the alphabet. The plans include an alphabet letter craft, games, hands-on activities, and a list of books to read for each letter.

 

• Each week is full of hands-on educational activities for learning not only letters and letter sounds, but also math concepts, art skills, motor skills, as well as sensory and social development.

 

• Includes 50 pages of printables to use for these hands-on activities.

 

• Also includes ideas for how to set up and organize your preschool at home, and how to schedule your day.

 

If you are planning on homeschooling your preschooler, this is the ultimate resource!

 

 

Angela Thayer, the author of The Preschool Journey, is a former public school teacher turned stay-at-home mom to her toddler and preschooler. She has the experience and knowledge to put together an amazing preschool curriculum, and she did!

 

The Preschool Journey normally runs for $6.99 but it is currently ON SALE for only $3.50 from now until August 11th.

 

Just use the Discount Code: SUMMER14

 

 

 

Click below to purchase The Preschool Journey!

 

OR
 

Click here to visit Teaching Mama. (Angela's website)

Teach Letter Sounds with 26 Photos

 

I had the amazing opportunity to write a guest post for Teach Mama! So I decided to share this super cool and fun activity for learning letters and letter sounds. It's actually multiple activities in one, and it was a huge hit with my daughter!

 

Click here to check it out!

15 Backyard Learning Activities (LOVE TO LEARN LINKY #1)

 

The kids and I have been spending a lot of time outdoors this summer, and we've started to run out of new ideas. So I wanted to put together a little collection of learning activities that can be done right in the backyard! These activities combine gross motor skills, active play and natural curiosity to help children learn letters, numbers and science!

Learning Letters & Sight Words Outdoors

1. Watering an Alphabet Garden by Toddler Approved

2. ABC Garden Hunt by Fantastic Fun and Learning

3. Gross Motor Phonics Games by Learn Play Imagine

4. Sight Word Scavenger Hunt by Sugar Aunts

5. Letter Hop by It's a Long Story

Learning Numbers Outdoors

6. Number Splash! by And Next Comes L

7. Put out the Fire! Number Game by Toddler Approved

8. Math Fun in the Pool by Toddler Approved

9. Number Identification Life Sized Board Game by Coffee Cups and Crayons

10. Pedal for Numbers by Dabbling Momma

Learning Science & Nature Outdoors

11. Outdoor Color Matching Game by Nurture Store

12. Sink or Float by Buggy and Buddy

13. Homemade Giant Bubble Recipe by Happy Hooligans

14. Ice Experiments by Teach Mama

15. Nature Cuttings: Outdoor Scissor Skills by No Time for Flash Cards

LOVE TO LEARN LINKY

Now it's time for some more links! I hope you'll join me and a couple of friends for a brand new linky party!

 

Bloggers, link up your posts every Thursday and watch as we round them up and share them all over the place.

 

Almost anything goes, we're just hoping your activities teach kids (or us!) something. (science, art, cooking, behavior, crafting, parenting, etc...)

 

The Love to Learn Linky is Hosted by:

Totschooling: Viviana is a blogging mom to a toddler and a preschooler, sharing ideas and resources for early education. She specializes in unique, hands-on printable activities that are educational, fun and inspire creativity in young minds.

 

 

Left Brain Craft Brain: Anne is an ex-engineer, current stay-at-home mama writing about crafty ways to encourage creativity (and brain power!) in our kids. Each of her projects gives kids the chance to learn about a new subject and do something crafty at the same time.

 

 

A Little Pinch of Perfect: Katie combines creativity, play, and learning for the perfect mishmash of fun activities that keep kiddos entertained throughout the day. She wholeheartedly believes in the power of play and feels that all activities naturally provide a fun way to learn.

 

Love to Learn Linky Etiquette:

 

• Posts should be about educating our kids in any way - science, art, cooking, crafts, behavior, parenting, etc. Please keep them family friendly and please no Etsy shops or giveaways unless they are relevant to the topic.

• Upload your direct post link to the InLinkz widget. Link up to 3 posts.

• Like the hosts on Facebook: Totschooling, A Little Pinch of Perfect, and Left Brain Craft Brain.

• Or follow the hosts on Pinterest: A Little Pinch of Perfect, Left Brain Craft Brain, Totschooling

• Post our button on your site.

• By linking up, you agree to have your images shared with credit.

Link up and grab a button! Featured? We have a special button for that!

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An InLinkz Link-up