12 Learning Activities using Cars, Boats & Trains

  One of the best ways for kids to learn is through play!  And you can easily introduce some formal learning (such as math and science) by using everyday play things. In our house, the kids are always more likely to practice mat...

12 Fantastic Fractured Fairy Tale Books

Laugh out loud with these funny fairy tale books of favorite retellings for kids & tweens!My daughter is a princess-loving girl but she's also a kid with a great sense of humor. She loves to read books with puns, clever twists and ...

Books about Trains, Boats, Planes and Things that Go

Today our Discover & Explore topic is Things that Go!  This is always a favorite topic for young kids -- cars, planes, boats, trains -- anything they can ride, drive or fly.  It's always fun to take kids on a new adventure ...

7 Colorful and Creative Fine Motor Activities

  Do you remember when your kids were really young and they would pick up Cheerios to eat?  In addition to the amazing ability of learning to feed themselves, they were also developing their pincer grasp and fine motor skills. T...

Items that Help Improve Fine Motor Skills

  When my kids were young, they had no issues with their fine motor skill development.  I attribute it to the fact that they loved Cheerios and were always playing tug-of-war with the dog :) But once they hit elementary school, ...

17 St. Patrick's Day Activities that Might Bring You Luck!

  Four-leaf clovers and rainbows are all the rage this week! Just check out any elementary school hallway, art room or any aisle at your local Target -- you'll see they're all decked out for St. Patrick's Day. Discover & Explore ...

70 Free Spring and Easter Printable Activities

It's time for one of our amazing round-ups with FREE printables for Spring & Easter!!  The days are getting longer and the weather’s getting nicer – finally!  And we are preparing for Spring Break at our house.The kids &am...

10 Map, Geography & Culture Activities for Kids

I love to explore the world with my kids! There's something very eye-opening about learning how other people live and seeing the beautiful places around the globe.And even though we love to travel, most of our foreign explorations happ...

8 Unique Ways to Play & Create with Books

When is a book not a book? When it's an inspiration for a really awesome activity! As I was browsing through the Discover & Explore linky from last week, I was blown away by some of the great ideas that were inspired by kids books....

Art & Science: Painting and Experimenting with Watercolors

  One way we beat those long, indoor days is by pulling out the paints!  Snow days, rainy weekends or days off from school always invite a little creativity in our house.  And painting is one of those activities that keeps th...

9 Colorful Ways to Learn Math

I remember the first time my daughter had to do a math worksheet at school -- she's a rainbow kind of girl so a black-and-white worksheet full of numbers was just not her style. Sooo... she decided to use a different color crayon for each ...

85 Valentine's Day Cards & Games {free printables!}

Enjoy these free printable Valentine's Day games, cards and activities that are perfect for class parties and family fun! We are snowbound this week!  Yep, 12 inches of snow overnight tends to shut down most of the city.  Now this...

Music Activities & Instruments for Kids

I'm sure you've read at least a few of the research articles highlighting how beneficial music is in a child's life .  Music has been shown to boost memory, enhance learning and help kids to focus on a task. Most importantly, music i...

Penguin Unit Study: 17 Books & Activities for Kids

Kids will love learning about penguins with these activities, books and lesson plan ideas -- you'll find TONS of information for a unit study or penguin project!Who loves penguins?! Those adorable and quirky birds are intriguing to so ...

Fun Ways to Encourage Pretend Play

  Not long ago, I walked into our playroom to find my daughter surrounded by all her cooking items and talking aloud to no one.  I just smiled and she smiled back. "What's up?", I asked. "I'm doing a cooking show!" I guess I h...