Thing number one: The leapfrog Letter Factory DVD. It's a cute, fun 35 minute video that all my kids love to watch, and it has an AWESOME method for teaching each letter with its sound. Each letter is a little character that does something active while making its sound. Like the F's that fly and make the sound FFFF as they flap their wings, or the A's that scream "AAAH!" when they see a purple monster. I turned it on for Amanda (who is not even 3 yet!) about a week ago. Now she asks to watch it a few times a day, and SHE KNOWS ALMOST ALL HER LETTER SOUNDS! In a week! I highly recommend this video, it's a great start in phonics!
Thing number 2: 4H! I am finally starting to unravel its mysteries. I signed Natalie up, and now I get emails twice a week detailing all the available activities that she can do. Some are free, some are just a few bucks, some are ongoing clubs or classes, some are one-time things. You just choose the ones you want to do and sign up. I'm signing Josh up too! Right now Nat's doing a cooking class, and Josh is going to try the shooting club. They're doing a bug club and a gardening club soon too. I'm excited to have some fun activities for them to do without signing them up for long-term or expensive stuff.
Thing 3: Crayola Watercolors! This little set is so cool! My little ones LOVE to paint, but paints are such a mess. Not only the mess they make when they're painting, but the blackish-brownish mess that the paints themselves turn into after a few uses. I was considering getting them some of those expensive color wonder paints for Christmas, but then I spotted these for only $3.98! It's a really cool little system. The brushes are kinda like markers, and see that long white thing? It's like a sponge to clean them off, it totally works and when it gets filled up you just rinse it off. The paints themselves are held in sponges in the little pots, so they can't spill. Very cool!
Thing number one: The leapfrog Letter Factory DVD. It's a cute, fun 35 minute video that all my kids love to watch, and it has an AWESOME method for teaching each letter with its sound. Each letter is a little character that does something active while making its sound. Like the F's that fly and make the sound FFFF as they flap their wings, or the A's that scream "AAAH!" when they see a purple monster. I turned it on for Amanda (who is not even 3 yet!) about a week ago. Now she asks to watch it a few times a day, and SHE KNOWS ALMOST ALL HER LETTER SOUNDS! In a week! I highly recommend this video, it's a great start in phonics!
Thing number 2: 4H! I am finally starting to unravel its mysteries. I signed Natalie up, and now I get emails twice a week detailing all the available activities that she can do. Some are free, some are just a few bucks, some are ongoing clubs or classes, some are one-time things. You just choose the ones you want to do and sign up. I'm signing Josh up too! Right now Nat's doing a cooking class, and Josh is going to try the shooting club. They're doing a bug club and a gardening club soon too. I'm excited to have some fun activities for them to do without signing them up for long-term or expensive stuff.
Thing 3: Crayola Watercolors! This little set is so cool! My little ones LOVE to paint, but paints are such a mess. Not only the mess they make when they're painting, but the blackish-brownish mess that the paints themselves turn into after a few uses. I was considering getting them some of those expensive color wonder paints for Christmas, but then I spotted these for only $3.98! It's a really cool little system. The brushes are kinda like markers, and see that long white thing? It's like a sponge to clean them off, it totally works and when it gets filled up you just rinse it off. The paints themselves are held in sponges in the little pots, so they can't spill. Very cool!
5 comments:
The letter factory ROCKS! As does the Word Factory! (Maybe that's one of the reasons Jackson is reading so awesomely....)
I'll have to try those Crayola things! I totally don't let my kids paint, because of the mess. I don't even know if they know what painting is, in fact, because I'm so OCD. This will be a nice thing to try!
ditto on letter factory and 4h. And I've totally gotta try the markers!
Awesome! I need to get Letter Factory for Blakey and futures.
And 4H...who knew it was about more than cows? I'll have to check it out!
I love it! I'm going to get those paints for your reasons exactly :) Oh, and here's some quick 4H humor for you... I was in 4H for several years growing up because my grandma said I "needed something to keep me off the mean streets" after school.
Not sure where the mean streets are in Flagstaff... we did quilting and photography and cooking. It was fun - I'll have to check out our chapter here in a few more years!
I sure love keeping up with you on your blog!!!
Wonderfully random and IMPORTANT things! Just wish i was younger...Oh, but if I was then you wouldn't be here to exclaim over these awesome new things! I'd rather have you!
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