When I get a kid on my caseload who has been forced, from too early, to trace and write — for whom it is HARD to trace and write, who quickly learns to HATE tracing and writing and learns that they are BAD AT tracing and writing — It snowballs from there. Sometimes compounded by … Read more
Since people were into my “spy code” activity in its extremely simplified form, I thought I’d share a few printable ones along with the whole “code” that I usually use. (Eagle-eyed readers may notice that this code is not identical to the one I shared yesterday. It’s something that I use as an activity because … Read more
I have a “secret spy code” activity that I do with lots of kids at different times. I love it for lots and lots of reasons: it’s a fun writing and reasoning activity that doesn’t feel like “handwriting practice”. I make the “code” something with lots of foundational pre-writing shapes, so that kids who struggle … Read more
A multi-week activity: a student and I have been working on making “wizard scrolls”. First we used teabags, coffee grounds, and brown markers to test which would make the best “aged paper” by staining them brown and crumpling them up, then letting them dry. Next, we looked at our dried experiments and picked our favorite … Read more
When you start to understand how thin — or nonexistent! — the dividing line is between “playing” and “learning/growing”, suddenly so much more of what children do makes sense. And suddenly so much more of when adults do/don’t choose to correct them about it seems…totally nonsensical or arbitrary, from a child’s point of view. My … Read more
This is a very short prompt/invitation to play today! Short and easy – that’s the best type of prompt, right? Find something in your house that you have a bunch of. It could be anything. Invite your child to help sort it with you. This type of activity is going to be best and most … Read more
Inspired by Busy Toddler’s “Playing Preschool” — but a way more informal version of it — I sat down with the book “Ten Apples Up On Top” from the library and began reading. I didn’t call anyone over to the rug or make them pay attention to what I was doing. I read it all the … Read more