Guess what our theme is this week!? I’ll give you a hint- he’s green, he’s grouchy, he hates Christmas…and he learns a sweet lesson that maybe Christmas isn’t all about stuff, but that it’s truly about spending time with “who” you love! That’s right- it’s GRINCH WEEK! We used to do a “Grinch Day” inContinue reading “Maybe Christmas, Perhaps, Means a Little Bit More”
Author Archives: mrsariellefunk
Little Deers
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again, and I just can’t WAIT to jump in to some fun Christmas themed learning over the next few weeks! To start, we’re going to be doing everything reindeer- after all, how else would Santa deliver all of his gifts if it wasn’t for the help ofContinue reading “Little Deers”
Up On The Housetop Reindeer Pause
Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, we are diving full swing into everything Christmas!!! Our house is decorated, carols are playing, our family pictures for Christmas cards have been taken (at a responsible social distance), our elf on the shelf is here (and in quarantine for 14 days- luckily he brought his tiny lapContinue reading “Up On The Housetop Reindeer Pause”
Gobble Gobble
Thanksgiving is already upon us, and although I know most people take a break from school during this week, I figured you might need some fun activities to keep your littles occupied while you madly cook 863 dishes in the kitchen (especially since the Macy’s Parade is canceled this year! Dang you Covid!!!) So grabContinue reading “Gobble Gobble”
Give Thanks
I love Thanksgiving! It’s a time of friends, family, and food that ushers in the Christmas season (which is my all time favorite!) and is just so cozy. There’s nothing quite like gathering around a table, breaking bread with those you love, and sharing what you’re thankful for. In a world of increasingly entitled youngContinue reading “Give Thanks”
Native American Culture- for Toddlers!
Although I believe people of color should be celebrated and included in the curriculum year round, Thanksgiving time is a great time of year to zoom in more closely on Native American culture. The first Thanksgiving was one of the few peaceful events regarding the Europeans’ treatment of the American Natives, so of course itContinue reading “Native American Culture- for Toddlers!”
The Rich Cultures of Native Americans- For Kids!
From the time I was about 4, I have always loved learning about other cultures- and it all started with Native Americans. I can remember dreading going to preschool except that one day where we all dressed up as American Indians and ate traditional food and listened to traditional music- it was so much fun!Continue reading “The Rich Cultures of Native Americans- For Kids!”
It’s Pumpkin Season!
Halloween is over and the holiday season is on the horizon- which means food, family and of course PUMPKINS! Although pumpkins may traditionally be a Halloween/Jack-o-Lantern type thing, we decorate with these cute fruits all fall long, so of course we had to break out some activities to celebrate their adorable orange roundness too! YouContinue reading “It’s Pumpkin Season!”
5 Little Pumpkins
I know Halloween is over, but to me, pumpkin season is all the way to Christmas! Bring on the pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin tea- and of course all of the fun pumpkin themed learning activities! Hopefully you can find a few leftover pumpkins on sale at theContinue reading “5 Little Pumpkins”
Future Voters Unite!
Here in the States, election day is rolling our way crazy fast…and with it hopefully some new dignity for our country… which has been in a bit of a mess- to put it lightly (that being said, if you’re over 18- get out there and VOTE!) It’s so important to teach our littles the valuesContinue reading “Future Voters Unite!”
Vote!
Although the idea of voting may be way over our toddlers’ heads, I still think it’s important to introduce our children to the democratic process of voting at a young age. Since having my second baby, I usually do mail-in ballots (because honestly it’s WAY more relaxing to look up all the lesser known candidatesContinue reading “Vote!”
This is Halloween
Even though Halloween is going to look a little different this year (check out my post Pandemic Friendly Halloween Ideas), you better believe we’re still celebrating- the costumes are on their way, the candy is purchased and we’re ready to go! What better way to kick off the festivities than with some fun filled HalloweenContinue reading “This is Halloween”
BOO!
Halloween is right around the corner, so I thought we’d kick it off with some spooktacular Halloween learning activities! We’ll still be celebrating Halloween this year, but in a Covid-safe way…it’s one of my favorite holidays, so opting out wasn’t an option! (Check out my list of safe trick-or-treating alternatives in my blog post PandemicContinue reading “BOO!”
Pandemic Friendly Halloween Ideas
Real talk. We are still in the middle of a pandemic. 220,000+ people have died in the United States alone as of this writing, and the numbers are still ticking upwards- and probably will until they’ve developed and tested a safe vaccine. If I’m completely honest with you, even I had a lapse in judgementContinue reading “Pandemic Friendly Halloween Ideas”
Beautiful Bats
We’re already going batty at our house for Halloween, which is just a few weeks away, so I thought a bat theme would be a perfect way to tie in some spooky fun to our learning this week! Swoop on in and check it out! –Bat light box: Ever since I discovered this activity onContinue reading “Beautiful Bats”
Going Batty
Most people think bats are creepy, but I actually love them! No, I wouldn’t want one to get stuck in my hair (actually, that’s a myth that they often do that!), but I definitely think they’re cute- kind of like little flying dogs! Since they’re one of the iconic Halloween creatures, I thought we’d learnContinue reading “Going Batty”
Aaaahhh! Spiders!
I do not like spiders. They’re unpredictable. And they bite. And their webs are about the creepiest thing to accidentally walk into on the planet. But- since it’s officially October I thought they would be a fun theme to start off with this month in all its scary, creepy crawly glory! So without further adieu-Continue reading “Aaaahhh! Spiders!”
Creepy, Crawly SPIDERS!
Since it’s officially October, I’m jumping feet first into all of the fun “Halloween-esque” themes with my littles, and we’re kicking it off with spiders! Straight up- I don’t like spiders. They are one of the things I’m totally scream your head off and stand on a chair scared of (yes…I’ve literally done that beforeContinue reading “Creepy, Crawly SPIDERS!”
Cozy up to the Campfire
There’s just something cozy and comforting about camping in the fall time- the pretty changing leaves making a roof over your head, the chill in the air warded off by the warm campfire, hot gooey s’mores melting all over your fingers. Some people think of camping as a summer activity, but my favorite time toContinue reading “Cozy up to the Campfire”
Over the River and Through the Woods
I know most people think of camping as a summer thing, but here in the south it’s just TOO HOT! LoL Camping is much more tolerable in the fall when the weather isn’t so…swampy. hahaha Hence our lovely fall camping theme this week! Don’t forget to check out my toddler post Cozy Up To TheContinue reading “Over the River and Through the Woods”
Apples and Cinnamon
Nothing quite says fall like apples (and pumpkins, but I’m saving those for October!) Visiting an orchard and picking apples right from the tree on a crisp fall day is one of my favorite things to do in the fall when we visit up north, and I always dive into some apple themed learning aroundContinue reading “Apples and Cinnamon”
Apples, Apples, Apples!
This week we dove right in to more fall themed activities with a super yummy and fun apple week! Nothing says fall quite like nice, crisp apples (except maybe pumpkins, but I’m saving those for October!) and we had a blast sorting them, counting them and of course eating them! So join us in theContinue reading “Apples, Apples, Apples!”
Autumn Leaves and a Nice Cool Breeze
I absolutely love fall! It’s my very favorite time of year with all my favorite holidays on the horizon, the beautiful colors, the warm cozy scents, and ALL the super fun toddler crafts and activities that go along with everything! I’m so excited to share these with you guys- and prepare yourselves for tons moreContinue reading “Autumn Leaves and a Nice Cool Breeze”
Red, Orange and Gold
The first day of fall is coming up next week (September 22nd!) and I just can’t wait to dive in to the warm colors, spicy-sweet smells, cozy fabrics, and cooler days that come along with it (even though where we live that “cooler days” thing isn’t going to happen until December…but I can pretend, right?!)Continue reading “Red, Orange and Gold”
Happily Ever After
Fairy tales are great simple stories to start your toddler on, so this week we’ll be reading several from the book “A Treasury of Five Minute Stories” and doing projects that go along with them- from castle building with blocks to a “Princess and the Pea” sensory bin, I hope you have fun playing happilyContinue reading “Happily Ever After”
Once Upon a Time…
I love a good fairy tale and traditional stories in this genre make for a great theme for young children (provided they have been edited from their original version…did you know in the original Cinderella the stepsisters cut their toes off to try and make the shoe fit?! Yuck!). Going into Kindergarten, I feel likeContinue reading “Once Upon a Time…”
A World of Color
Teaching your toddler their colors is probably one of the first things you’ll do since they’re so fun and easy to notice and point out. Since we’re doing crayon week with my older little, I figured this was a perfect time to focus in on learning about color with our youngest! He’s already pointing colorsContinue reading “A World of Color”
Color Me Happy
There’s just something about a nice, fresh box of sharp crayons waiting to be opened and used to create- so this week I decided to make those cute little coloring sticks the theme for our learning! Because they easily melt, there are SO many fun activities you can do with crayons other than just coloringContinue reading “Color Me Happy”
Back to School
It’s that time of year again- summer is over and it’s time to get back into the swing of things with the official start of school. We did homeschooling all summer this year just because it was nice to have some projects to look forward to each day with staying home all the time, butContinue reading “Back to School”
Tot School
Even though toddlers are too little to go to “real” school, I thought it would be fun to do some back to school activities with my littlest learner this week to go along with his brother’s back to school themed learning! He’s really been into identifying colors and counting lately (I sang him “1, 2,Continue reading “Tot School”
Two Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Get ready for aaaall the monkey crafts, snacks, and fun activities this week! Our theme is the jungle and my little monkeys certainly had a blast swinging through one last summery theme before “school” officially starts! –“5 Little Monkeys” with puppets: Back before Covid, our amazing local librarian Miss Sue used to do a toddlerContinue reading “Two Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed”
Jungle Explorers!
My preschooler recently saw Disney’s “The Jungle Book” and pretended he was Mowgli for two weeks straight, so when I asked him what he wanted to learn about it made sense that he chose the jungle. A jungle is technically a very dense, usually tropical forest- but it isn’t always rainy. Since rainforests can alsoContinue reading “Jungle Explorers!”
It’s a Bad Week to be a Seal…
So Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” starts this Sunday and my little is sort of obsessed with the creatures, so I thought it would be perfect timing to do some shark themed learning! It all started when he saw “Shark Boy and Lava Girl” a few weeks ago, and since then has morphed into a fascinationContinue reading “It’s a Bad Week to be a Seal…”
Baby Shark Dodo Dodo Dodo
Since Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” is scheduled to begin on Sunday, I thought this would be a perfect week to dive into some shark themed activities with the littles! Now turn on some “Baby Shark” and let’s go make a splash! –Eatable ocean sensory play: This one is super easy to set up and theContinue reading “Baby Shark Dodo Dodo Dodo”
Snow and Ice
The weather is hot, but this week we’re choosing to “let it go” and dive into some Frozen inspired sensory play and art! My toddler hasn’t seen Frozen yet, but he loves listening to the story book we have featuring Anna, Elsa and their crew of do-gooders. For the first time in forever, we hadContinue reading “Snow and Ice”
Learning with the Snow Queen
It’s the smack middle of summer and it is HOT, so what better way to cool off than with some icy cold learning from Frozen! Both Frozen movies are amazing- the music, the animation, the story lines- it’s no wonder that kids (and adults) everywhere love them, so this week I turned to Elsa, Anna,Continue reading “Learning with the Snow Queen”
Preschool Calendar Time
With the start of the school year coming up, I’m adding in a daily calendar time to our homeschooling routine. I know many preschool and kindergarten teachers start each day with fun songs and activities to build and solidify skills such as letter name and sound recognition, base ten and counting practice, and calendar skills.Continue reading “Preschool Calendar Time”
Accio Toddler Activities
Welcome to a magical week of wizard themed learning and play! Since Harry Potter’s birthday is on July 31st, I conjured up some Hogwarts themed toddler activities I know your little is going to love! I mean, it’s never to early to foster a love of all things Potter- am I right?! –Sorting hat play:Continue reading “Accio Toddler Activities”
Welcome to Hogwarts
Harry Potter turns 40 on July 31st (the character, not the book series- we’re not THAT old yet folks!) so I figured this was the perfect opportunity to do some magical learning with my boys to celebrate! I had to get pretty creative since most of the learning ideas centering around HP are for middleContinue reading “Welcome to Hogwarts”
The Awesome Ocean
The beach has always been one of my favorite places to be! The soothing sound of the waves, playing in the water, reading on the beach, building sand castles with my kids, collecting shells- there’s just so much to do! Since it’s summer I thought this would be a perfect learning theme! We kicked offContinue reading “The Awesome Ocean”
Sand and Sun
Since it’s summer and the beach is the ultimate sensory experience (the crash of the waves, the salty smelling air, the sand between your toes, the warm sun and cool water on your skin!) we decided to bring the beach home for our learning this week! Turn on some Caribbean steal drum music (Alexa willContinue reading “Sand and Sun”
Learning like Busy Bees!
Even though bees can strike fear into the hearts of young and old alike, they’re such fascinating creatures- and are really kind of cute (at a distance!)! They’re also vitally important to the life of plants (which give us oxygen and food) so I thought we’d take a week to pay tribute to these fuzzyContinue reading “Learning like Busy Bees!”
Staying “Buzzy” this Summer
It’s summertime, flowers are in full bloom and busy bees are buzzing everywhere gathering nectar and spreading pollen- so I figured why not do some activities celebrating these tiny but important creatures! –Flying bee balloon: Blow up a yellow balloon and use a black sharpie to decorate it like a bee (or have your littleContinue reading “Staying “Buzzy” this Summer”
Learning- with a Little Pixie Dust
Disney World is definitely my favorite place on the planet! There’s nothing quite like the feeling you get walking through the gate and seeing Cinderella’s castle at the end of Main Street USA. Since Disney has been closed due to COVID, we’ve been looking for ways to add a little Disney magic to our daysContinue reading “Learning- with a Little Pixie Dust”
Bring the Disney Magic Home
Even though they’ve been closed for a few months, Disney has done so much to bring their brand of magic home to us while we’re staying away from all the germs. They’re scheduled to reopen with restrictions this coming Saturday, but we won’t be heading to the parks any time soon, so we decided toContinue reading “Bring the Disney Magic Home”
4th of July Boredom Busters
It’s almost the 4th of July and that means sensory play filled with red, white and blue glitter, star confetti and EXPLOSIONS (kid friendly safe ones of course!). I’m so excited to share these plans with you centering around the great ideals our nation has on freedom and fairness for all (such important concepts toContinue reading “4th of July Boredom Busters”
Freedom and Justice for ALL
The 4th of July is this Saturday and what a perfect opportunity to teach our children a little bit about our nation and the wonderful variety of people who live here! Sometimes our country can seem like it’s one huge mess with the hate and division and refusal to listen to other’s opinions we seeContinue reading “Freedom and Justice for ALL”
Splish, Splash- Water (and Sunshine!) Based Sensory Play
I think almost every toddle baby loves to play in the water, so this week we did some super fun (and soggy) water play activities! Don’t forget the sun block! –Bunch O Balloons: I am obsessed with these things! They come with 3 bunches of 35 water balloons that you just slap on your hoseContinue reading “Splish, Splash- Water (and Sunshine!) Based Sensory Play”
Sunshine and Water
The weather is getting hot, hot, hot and it’s the perfect time for something I think all kids love- water play! This week’s activities all have to do with fun in the sun (and fun in the water!) Don’t forget to check out the toddler page for some soggy sensory play activities like a DIYContinue reading “Sunshine and Water”
Combatting Prejudice through Kids’ Books
My whole life I have been fascinated with other cultures and the beautifully creative ways the human race has come to meet our similar needs in such varying ways. This interest lead me to study cultural anthropology as an undergraduate, and then when I went on to get my masters in teaching, helped inspire myContinue reading “Combatting Prejudice through Kids’ Books”
We All Scream for Ice Cream
Summer is almost here (and summer vacation is definitely in full swing!) so what better theme than the most yummy of all cold treats- ice cream! Ice cream is one of my favorite desserts, and of course both kiddos love it too! Plus it’s just so darn cute with the fun colors and cones andContinue reading “We All Scream for Ice Cream”
Ice Cream, Ice Cream: Play for Toddlers
Lets be honest- for a toddler, pretty much every mealtime is sensory play! So why not bust out the ice cream and let your kiddo have fun feeling the cold temperature, the smooth texture and enjoying the yummy taste! Below you’ll find instructions for doing just that, along with other ice cream themed sensory playContinue reading “Ice Cream, Ice Cream: Play for Toddlers”
The Daily Schedule
As a classroom teacher I ran by a fairly consistent daily schedule, and I try to do the same thing when teaching my kids at home. Although we don’t live by the clock as strictly as I did in the classroom (after all- if we eat lunch at 11:30 instead of 12 we’ll still haveContinue reading “The Daily Schedule”
Basic Supplies
This is probably common knowledge, but just in case someone out there needs a place to start, here’s a list of supplies that are good to keep on hand for learning activities. It’s definitely not exhaustive, but keeping these items stocked at home will make planning and completing many of my activities much easier! -extraContinue reading “Basic Supplies”
The Early Days
Oh the early days of parenthood! The midnight feedings, the exhaustion…the snuggles, the first smiles. When your baby is only a few months old I honestly don’t think that’s the time for learning anything but how to love and care for them well. Everything else should take a back seat (except your prayer life andContinue reading “The Early Days”
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