Toddler Child-minder Activities for Holidays

As a 10-year homeschooling mom of four, I know about multitasking with kids. The hardest age of child to keep productively occupied is toddler. Maybe I should rephrase "productive" to "occupied in parent-approved ways." Our kids were always productively employed, at least in their minds. From a parent's view it looked like mess-making. And during the holidays it only gets worse. More work, antsy kids, abnormal schedules, added events make it more challenging to keep a toddler in check. Here are parent-friendly, child-minder holiday activities. Read more

Montessori mom: At-home preschool practical life learning center

I'm a certified special needs teacher and a former home school parent. I also taught in a Montessori school. Both Montessori and special education follow a learning center-based classroom model. Learning centers (also called areas or stations), engage children in hands-on, multi-sensory tasks. Each center focuses on different activities: reading, math, science, building, gross motor, art, dramatic play and practical life. When I taught our kids at home, I brought the learning center concept into our home. If you've got preschool kids or are a home school parent, why not try the learning center approach? Here's how this Montessori mom set up a practical life learning area.  Montessori mom: At-home preschool practical life learning center