Family Fun, Recipes, & Healthy Living
Activity 1 Print out and discuss the anatomy of a butterfly with your child. Allow them to color the parts as you name them. For younger children, have them practice writing the letters for the word butterfly. Say each letter and say the letter sound(s) …
Insects & Arachnids OH MY! I bet you didn’t know this but bugs are a type of insect. Another fun fact, spiders are not insects, they are arachnids, which do not fall under the insect category. On the blog you will find I’m sharing a …
First print & cut out the words and letters. Now you have an option, you can laminate the letters like I did or not. I like to laminate, so we can use over and over. Plus you can use the letters over and over for other literacy activities.
You can use the word or letters for your child to create in a sand tray. Click here to see the full activity.
You can also put the letter in a bin with rice or beans and allow for a sensory search. Have your child count how many letters are in the word. How many have they found so far? How many left to find?
Discuss all of the letters and letter sounds as you create the words. For older kids, you can use the letters to aid them in spelling. Give them the letters and tell them the word they are spelling. Now let them create the word with the letters.
How is this educational? This lesson involves Sensory Play, Math, Science & Literacy.
Click here to download B-U-T-T-E-R-F-L-Y-Letters-WordClick here to find more insect themed activities.
XO Eryka
For all my homeschool parents, here is a super fun way to work on writing letters, words & shapes. Izzy loves using the sand to create letters, words and shapes. The first thing you want to do is find a low edge pan or box …
I you have the chance to check out these super fun coloring pages and our book suggestions then you know all about life cycles of insects. Step 1. Explore Outside & Collect Nature What should I collect? Anything fun you find outside. Some examples are …
I linked a bunch of fun and free printable life cycles below. These are great for you to talk through with your child and then allow them some independent coloring time.
How is this educational? Coloring is important because it helps build hand strength & control for handwriting (fine motor skills). You are also working on science and math.
Optional idea: Share real life images of each stage so they can see what colors the insects are in each stage. For older children, teach them research skills and show them how to search for these images online. Discuss the life cycles and how many stages are in each life cycle. Discuss which ones have more or less.
Life Cycle Of a Praying Mantis
For all of you homeschooling, you can find more educational bug & insect themed activities by clicking here.
XO Eryka
This post is sponsored by Juicy Juice, however as always, all opinions remain my own. We are so thankful for the teachers Izzy had last school year. Although the year ended differently than originally planned, the teachers did what they could to ease the transition …
This post is sponsored by Kleenex, all opinions are my own. I know many of us parents, we have not made a final decision on what school will look like for our kids this fall. For us, no matter what going back to school looks …
Okay guys, with back to school starting for some and coming soon for others, I decided it was time I pulled a must haves blog post together for you guys. I tried to break it all down in easy to search categories.
First I want to say, if you are new to this… it’s going to be okay. I have been working full time with Izzy home her whole life. Last year was the first time I had a “break” from mom life during my work week. Izzy was in Montessori 3 days a week for 3 hours each day. So, not a ton of time, but it was something.
Some links in this post may bring a small commission. These help to keep this blog running, so I can keep creating content like this for you all.
Snacking
Independence is key you guys! If you haven’t really done this whole, working from home with kids think, this is one of my best tips for “home” management. If your kids can more freely snack or grab their lunch from the fridge or a cooler, then you won’t be interrupted as much.
Organizing & Decorating
An organized space helps children to learn where things go, so they can clean up. Less clean up for you, means more freed up time during the day. Use that for teaching your kids, playing with them or getting your work/chores done.
Posters
I plan to switch out posters on the wall in Izzy’s learning space. Based on what we are focusing on for that week/month. I think this will be a fun way to keep the space new and will provide extra learning support for older children, when parents are busy.
Handwriting & Fine Motor
Literacy
Literacy is the ability to read & write. I listed a ton of items below, but if you want more lessons & detailed support from me on reading, go to my blog post: Teaching Pre Writing & Writing Skills.
Math
Science
Art
Gross Motor
Outside Learning Gear
Just because it’s raining or snowing, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get outside! We have been loving Reima gear because they create quality clothing and accessories that last. Being in Maine, we need seasonal gear that doesn’t just look the part, it needs to be functional. I have found Reima products are super functional. Bonus they have clothing and accessories for every season. I’m sharing some rain favorites with you all, linked below. For 20% off on Reima gear you can use our code: BUSYIZZYXREIMA20
For Rainy Days:
I hope you guys found these tips and easy shop lists helpful!
XO Eryka
This post is sponsored by Sony Pictures. You guys, I created the cutest little “S” is for Swan activity, to go along with the Digital release of THE SWAN PRINCESS: A Royal Wedding. Click here for the educational and fun printable PDF. We hope you …