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Why every child needs an inventor box + how to create one

Forget buying kids expensive toys…instead, create a no-cost inventor box (AKA – tinker box) that will inspire endless hours of creative play and STEM exploration.

Forget buying kids expensive toys…instead, create a no-cost inventor box (AKA - tinker box) that will inspire endless hours of creative play and STEM exploration.

Note: This post contains affiliate links to products that I have used and loved. See my disclosure to learn more.

My six-year-old wants to be an inventor when he grows up. And, honestly, I won’t be a bit surprised if that’s exactly what he becomes. He is constantly creating, imagining, and experimenting with something.

Yes, sometimes it drives me crazy. His big ideas have no bounds (hooray!), but he has a habit of leaving behind a trail of debris (we’re working on that one).

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How to beat the heat: 9 ice play activities for kids

If you feel like you’re melting in the summer heat, these ice play activities will cool things off while you learn and play with your kids!

If you feel like you're melting in the summer heat, these ice play activities will cool things off while you learn and play with your kids!

Note: This post contains affiliate links to products that I have used and loved. See my disclosure to learn more.

I grew up in central California where summers literally got hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. August was downright brutal, with highs that hovered near 110 degrees!

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How to make a human sundial + more fun shadow activities

This human sundial is a fun outdoor STEM activity that will help kids understand how shadows are made and encourage them to experiment with light and shadow.

Note: This post contains affiliate links to products that I have used and loved. See my disclosure to learn more.

Science was one of my least favorite subjects in school as a kid. Ironically, I actually love science itself, but much of the way science is traditionally taught (or at least how it was taught to me in school) sucks the life and wonder out of learning about how the world works.

But science isn’t boring!

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How to encourage creative learning at home (without stressing about it)

If you’re looking for simple ways to help your children with learning at home without stressing yourself out, you’ll love this round-up of amazing (and FREE) resources.

If you're looking for simple ways to help your children with learning at home without stressing yourself out, you'll love this round-up of amazing (and FREE) resources.

With schools closing all over the nation, many of us are scrambling to figure out what to do with our kids home all day!

Our school district has dismissed school for at least the next two weeks, and we’re not sure what will happen beyond that time. …

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What to do with leftover Halloween candy…sweet learning activities kids will love

Now that Halloween is over, what are you going to DO with all those sweets? If you’re overwhelmed by the gobs of leftover Halloween candy in your pantry, try out these simple learning activities to give all that candy a new and noble purpose!  Now that Halloween is over, what are you supposed to DO with all those sweets? If you're overwhlemed by the gobs of leftover Halloween candy in your pantry, try out these simple learning activities to give all that candy a new and noble purpose!How was your Halloween, my friends? Ours was crazy, but the kids had a ball. The boys went trick-or-treating THREE times (trunk-or-treat at church, party at Daddy’s work, and traditional trick-or-treating in the neighborhood), so they got GOBS of candy.

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Dinosaur Footprints: Preschool Measuring Activity

This simple preschool activity is a fun way to help your preschooler practice measuring and see how HUGE some of the dinosaurs were by making your own T-Rex footprint and comparing it to your family members’ feet.

This simple preschool activity is a fun way to help your preschooler practice measuring and see how HUGE some of the dinosaurs were by making your own T-Rex footprint and comparing it to your family members' feet.Note: This post includes affiliate links, meaning I will be paid a small commission on purchases made via those links; however, your cost will be the same.

Little boys and dinosaurs…they go together like peanut butter and jelly. And Little Man is hanging with the best of the dinosaur-lovers right now. He has requested a “dinosaur world” cake for his birthday next month and is constantly stomping around the house, roaring, and proclaiming himself to be a hungry T-Rex. That boy cracks me up….

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The Best Nest: A Literacy and STEM Preschool Lesson

This simple preschool activity brings to life P.D. Eastman’s beloved book, The Best Nest, as your child reads the book, searches for nest building material and then creates his or her own nest. It’s a fun hands-on learning experience that your child will love! Last week, our home preschool unit centered around birds. We had all sorts of fun pretending to fly like birds, making a giant nest out of blankets, learning about the parts of a bird, and making play dough birds and sticking feathers in them (see the bottom of this post for links to some of the great resources I used). My favorite activity (and Little Man’s, too) was when we made our own bird’s nests….

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Practical Guide: How to do preschool at home with your child (with free printable planner!)

Teaching your child preschool can be simple if you stick to what matters most. This practical guide will give you all the basics you need to know to get started, including a FREE weekly brainstorming and planning sheet.

I love being a mom, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But I have to admit, there are days that I miss my career as a teacher in the public school system. So I was really excited when Little Man got old enough to be interested in doing more structured learning activities with me in a home preschool setting….

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