We live in a major urban center, and at this point, we aren’t even allowed chickens in our neighborhood. We have to actively seek out opportunities for our boys to get outside, to spend time around animals, to learn how
Raising City Boys Outside
Cooking with a Preschooler: Fall Edition
Thanks to a big crop of Mackintoshes from my parents’ house, we are up to our ears in apples at the moment. Just another great opportunity to get my three-year-old busy in the kitchen! Last week, he picked apples and
Preschool at Home: Scissor Practice
You don’t need anything fancy to successfully guide your child through preschool development at home. My son has been really interested in scissor work lately, so we do a very simple activity in which I draw lines and shapes and
Gardening with a Preschooler: The Strawberry Experiment
This summer for one of his projects, my three year old has been diligently caring for a strawberry plant. He waters it, keeps it clear of weeds, and on three separate occasions has had the supreme delight of picking a
Make Messes
There’s always a lot of discussion amongst educators and parents about scaffolding — giving kids just exactly the right amount of challenge to allow them to stretch without overwhelming or frustrating them. It’s a pretty difficult balance to strike, and
Summer Veggies
Before I begin, let me state for the record that I neither advocate for nor tacitly endorse the lying to or manipulating of children. I firmly believe this is a violation of their personal dignity, and that parents who do
Rein in the Chaos: Toys
The topic of organizing our kids’ million and one toys seems to come up constantly in my Instagram mom chats, so I thought I’d take today to share a few thoughts on the subject. First, you should know that I
Travelling with Littles: Fostering Independence
We’ve recently returned from our first major trip with our kids, and now that we’re home, I can safely call it a success. There is plenty of advice out there on how to entertain your kids on an airplane. Some
Gardening with a Preschooler: Strawberries
An update on our three-year-old and his gardening project: We wanted our preschooler to take more ownership of our family garden this year, and as he is in a big “all by myself” phase, we decided that he needed a
Gardening with a Preschooler: How Plants Grow
Our seed project has been taking off! Our preschooler planted zinnias in a few pots, and he has been faithfully watering them every day and making sure they get plenty of sun. The sprouts are finally big enough to put