Little Light House Educare

Just another reason why play is so important!

Another great graphic on how words matter!!

Yes! Absolutely this! 🙌🏼💖

Have you ever seen a child that says it HURTS to color? Or one that picks up a new color way too often? Or an older kiddo that uses their whole arm/elbow/wrist to color? All of these are signs of hand weakness that impacts the functional task of coloring! 🖍

New on the website is a comprehensive resource on all things coloring. It includes:
•Reasons kids don’t like to color
•Skills needed for coloring
•Coloring skills by age
•How to set up a child for success from a young age
•Coloring skills for toddlers
•How to teach toddlers to color
•Coloring skills for preschoolers (3-4 years)
•How to teach preschoolers to color
•Coloring skills for preschool/Pre-K (4-5 years)
•How to teach coloring to Pre-K kids
•Coloring skills for elementary children
•How to teach coloring to older kids

Go check it out! https://www.theottoolbox.com/how-to-teach-coloring-skills/ 🖍

What's the Hurry?
"The best preparation for being six years old is 365 days of being five years old. The best preparation for being five years old is 365 days of being four years old ... ."

Author unknown

DHS | Food Assistance Approved for Families of Students in Free Lunch Program Your default description here

‪Almost everything works better after you unplug it for a while... even you!‬

‪Image: www.leslieannemadeit.com‬

Happy Earth Day! 💚🐜🌷🦋

arbetterbeginnings.com

With school and center closures, you’re probably looking for ways to keep your child busy at home. Be mindful of how much they’re getting. Chances are, they’re being exposed to a lot of talk online. Take some time to unplug. Check out these fun resources for learning outside!

https://bit.ly/2LU8b20

Better Beginnings offers a newsletter especially for parents. I hope that you will sign up to receive newsletters. You won't be disappointed. Lots of wonderful information and activities to do with your littles. Wishing you well today!

Better Beginnings : Mailing List Signup

Let Dolly read your little a bedtime story.

Dolly Parton will be reading bedtime stories for your kids! Calling herself "the book lady," Dolly invited everyone to join her for "Goodnight with Dolly."

Congress must act immediately to provide at least $50 billion in child care funding to states to address these needs in the third stimulus package. Click here to learn more and contact your legislators today: https://www.childcareaware.org/our-issues/advocacy/take-action/support-child-care-during-covid-19-response/

A great demo on how to wash your hands.

thumbs.gfycat.com

This would be a fun live stream to share with your family tonight!

You Can Live Stream the Northern Lights Tonight Tune in to watch nature's best show.

💪 Sending out a huge elbow bump to all of the amazing parents educating their little ones at home during this crisis! Please be kind to yourself-you've got this ❤️

If you know someone who could use some support-please be sure to share.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and are looking for a simple approach to educating your little one at home (or would just like your own copy of our poster), please be sure to swing by our site-the link is in the comments!

The Big List of Children's Authors Doing Online Read Alouds & Activities Get reading and writing!

My goal is to have a new scavenger hunt for you to share with your kiddos each day. I already have the rest of this week done so watch for a new one each morning!
I also am gathering them here in case you miss one.
https://primaryplayground.net/scavenger-hunts/

Scholastic releases free daily courses for kids stuck home amid coronavirus school closures Each day of content is filled with exciting articles and stories, videos, and fun learning challenges. The students can even go on virtual field trips or meet best-selling authors.

Boredom Busters: 110 Fun At-Home Activities for Families & Kids - Family eGuide Boredom Busters: 110 Fun At-Home Activities for Families & Kids Our list of Boredom Busters includes over 100 fun (and mostly free) activities that you and your kids can enjoy at home. This handy list can easily be printed and placed on the refrigerator – a great way to have instant “ideas” wh...

30+ Virtual Field Trips for Kids Stuck at home? Here are 30+ great Virtual Field Trips for kids to explore from your home. From zoos and landmarks to famous museums, go explore the world!

6 Free Online Speech Therapy Resources For Kids Online speech therapy resources offer your child a way to refine and practice their speech and language skills at home. Here are 6 of favorite sites.

The Georgia Aquarium Has Live Cams So You Can Go Under The Sea At Home Belugas, sharks, turtles and more.

12 Art Lessons on YouTube Your Kiddos will Love! - Homeschool Hideout Check out the 12 most thorough and exciting art lessons on YouTube for your budding artists. From sketching to acrylic paints, there's something for all!

If you can’t find any in stores, here’s an easy way to make your own antibacterial spray:

1 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup isopropyl alcohol
15-30 drops of essential oils

Pour all ingredients in a clean spray bottle and shake well.

In a world that pushes kids too fast, let's let childhood linger a little longer. My 11-year-old daughter plops down next to me on the couch, curling her legs up into a ball. She says nothing, but her furrowed brow makes it clear something is bothering her. “What the matter?” I ask, praying it’s not something horrible. (I always pray it’s not something horrible.)She takes...

This is my most widely shared post. And rightly so, it’s an important one. These are “prewriting patterns”, with the average (not prescribed) age at which children are developmentally ready to achieve these patterns listed below them in years and months. Being able to process visual information and produce a movement in response (e.g. copying these prewriting patterns or letter formations), is known as “visual motor integration”. ⠀
⠀
Note that an X is not typically achieved until 4 years 11 months, and a triangle at 5 years 3 months. If a child can’t form these basic shapes...then they probably won’t be able to form letters. ⠀
⠀
It is quite concerning then that there are 3 year 7 month olds starting formal schooling, where they’re expected to write. Not only are their visual motor integration skills not developed enough, their hands are also physically under-developed. In addition, recognising letters, understanding phonics and beginning to read are all needed in order for a child to write meaningfully, skills which children starting kindy typically don’t have. We also know that when a child learns something that doesn’t hold meaning, it‘s unlikely to stick. ⠀
⠀
So if you have a 3-4 year old who spontaneously asks or attempts to write letters, that’s great; otherwise, there is no need to initiate or worry about this. Unfortunately there is a misconception, particularly with the way that the current curriculum stands, that earlier is better. Earlier is not always better.⠀

Source: Beery Buktenica Test of Visual Motor Integration, 6th Edition
⠀
⠀

Did you know this about rhyming?

http://fun-a-day.com/teaching-rhyming-part-1/