Don't Forget !! School countdown jar!

Don't forget your school countdown jar!! (If you forget what it is , see the original post here )

This year I have 2 going to school so we changed things up a little bit. We used some leftover pastel Valentines M&m's for the princess and primary colors for the big one. :)

I also made them count out the number of M&M's they needed.

Cause' I'm super mean like that :)

They have really been enjoying their daily m&m !!

Summer Learning Ideas!

I love my sons preschool teacher. She was a lovely lady and she was kind enough to send home some summer learning ideas. I thought since I thought they were so clever, I would share them with y'all.

The plan is every Friday to post a couple throughout the summer so that we can sneak in some "learning". (Mamas are sneaky people, I tell ya!)

* Practice writing your child's name. First letter capital and the rest lower case. No more all caps for kindergartners!

* Attend a Metro Parks program. (Which are free!)

* Visit your local museum of Art. (Sundays are free in most locations, I believe.)

* Count things. Have your child help set the table and count out the number of forks needed.

Summer Learning Ideas

I love my sons preschool teacher. She was a lovely lady and she was kind enough to send home some summer learning ideas. I thought since I thought they were so clever, I would share them with y'all.

The plan is every Friday to post a couple throughout the summer so that we can sneak in some "learning". (Mamas are sneaky people, I tell ya!)

* Attend special summer reading programs at your local library. (I know locally there are several libraries that offer stories or movies on the lawn for the whole family!)

* "Write" a letter to a family member or friend. The letter can be a picture, a dictation or written words.

* Create a travel journal for a vacation or special trip. Your child can draw pictures of the days activities and then dictate or write about their adventures!

A Teachers View: Summer School???

I am blessed to live next to a elementary school teacher who loves my kids and we love her!! She has multiple education degrees and is the first person I run to when I am worried about speech, development or anything learning related!! She has agreed to write a weekly post for me on some common concerns involving little ones. If you have a topic that you would like to see addressed, please e-mail me at everythingmom@live.com

My Child has to go to Summer School?!?! In Elementary School?!?!

As the school year winds down, many teachers are sending out recommendations for summer school. If your child gets ones, don’t panic!

At the primary elementary level, summer school is not punishment, it does not mean Billy did not pass 1st grade. The intend of primary summer school is usually one of two things: 1) to help get a child over that final hump to be ready for the next grade or 2) to help a child maintain the progress he/she has made all school year. Studies show that students can lose as much as an entire reading level over summer vacation as well as math skills. The goal of primary summer school is to prevent that loss.

At the intermediate elementary level, things are a little different. Summer school may be used to reinforce what was taught over the school year, to work on specific skills such as Achievement Test preparation, or to combat a failing grade. Again, the goal here is to help the kids be successful for next fall.

Summer school is usually only a couple of weeks for a couple of hours a day. The summer school teachers I’ve talked to tell me there is a lot of work being done, but the kids also really enjoy themselves.