I am a firm believer that learning opportunities can be found anywhere. My parents often used every day situations to teach my sister and I various lessons and skills that would be helpful to us in our lives. While driving home from places, my mother would encourage us to give her directions home. When we would go on walks, they would encourage us to point out familiar things and name them. All of these lessons helped my sister and I to become avid readers and learners. I am starting to do the same with my daughter, and she is already eager to learn from the world around her.Shopping is one of the tasks which my daughter and I do together that affords us lots of fun learning opportunities. We have been learning and reading at the grocery store since she was a few months old.
Author Archives: Vicki
Learning Fun with Usborne Books & Discovery Toys!
I believe that books are one of the best ways to teach kids about the world around them, so I am always excited to find new books that can educate. In addition, anything that brings books to life is a winner in my book. Therefore, I was excited when I was approached by Allison Silletto to review an Usborne book matched with a toy from Discovery Toys! What better way to get kids excited for a new book, than pairing it with a fun and educational toy?
10 Great Books About Dads
My father is one of my favorite people. He makes us laugh, he makes us feel loved and he teaches us everything from history, to movie facts, to random trivia. As I began searching for books about Dads, I was pleased to find several that portray the special relationship between fathers and children, as well as the many hats that fathers often wear. From books that celebrate spending time with your dad, to books about “dad humor”, there is a little bit of fun for all kinds of fathers. I hope you enjoy sharing these books with the great fathers in your life!
21 Awesome Chalk Activities to Keep Kids Learning in Summer!
Summer is here which means it is time to get outside and play! We have been spending as much time as possible out in the sun and my daughter has a newfound fascination with chalk. There are so many ways to use chalk to teach and reinforce important concepts to kids, from letters and numbers to colors, shapes and more! In an effort to keep the learning going this summer, I decided to round up some of the best learning activities that use chalk so we would have plenty to keep us busy!
Hunting for Fun with the Big Honey Hunt!
When we were younger, one of the books that my sister insisted our parents read over and over again was The Big Honey Hunt by Stan and Jan Berenstain. It 
was her favorite book, and to this day my parents can still recite some of it from memory. When I found the book at my parents house, I couldn’t wait to share it with my daughter. With summer fast approaching, it was the perfect opportunity to have some fun with bee activities!
5 Things Experts Don’t Tell You About Reading to Kids
We live in a world of Instagram and Pinterest, where “perfect” families make “perfect” crafts and have “perfect” lives. Let’s be serious. We post the good pictures on social media, but how many outtakes did it take to get that perfect shot? Reading to kids falls under this umbrella too. I have posted photos on my Instagram of my daughter and I curled up and reading together. And that totally happens! But I will not lie to you. There are definitely days where that perfect picture is NOT what happened!
Put Down the Phone! Raising Kids in a Digital Age
Raising kids in a digital age comes with a whole new set of difficulties. From managing screen time to monitoring what kids have access to, parenting with screens can be a difficult balance. While screens may be part of our everyday lives, and access to them is more prevalent than ever before, it is important that we remember to put down the electronics and enjoy the hear and now. We all fall into the trap of viewing important events through our screens, since we want to capture every adorable second. Corine Dehghanpisheh’s book #BabyLove: My Toddler Life, reminds us to put down the phones and enjoy the moment!
Learning to Be Brave with the Free Rain Chickens
Sometimes as adults, we see our kids being fearless and we forget that the world can be a big scary place for them. My daughter almost never shows fear, so when she gets scared and hides behind my knee, it sometimes takes me by surprise. It is our job as parents to help them develop the courage to take chances and try new things, while still allowing them to be afraid sometimes. (I will totally admit to still being afraid of spiders… and bats…). The book Free Rain is a great jumping off point to teach them about bravery and trying new things!
Discovering New Books with Little Fun Club
No matter how old we get, it is still exciting to receive something fun in the mail. My daughter loves going to the post office, and she is over the moon when she gets a piece of mail or a new book. I love exploring new books while reading with my daughter, and when they show up in the mail, it is even better! So when Little Fun Club offered the chance to review their book box as part of their blog tour, I was very excited for us to have some new books to share.
Funny Books About Moms: Celebrating All That Moms Do
Mother’s Day is just around the corner, so it is the perfect time to recognize how wonderful mothers are! From taking care of kids, to caring for the house, while balancing life with a smile, moms do it all. There are lots of amazing books that depict the love between a mother and child, many of which I previously shared on my list of books about love. To add to those books, I decided to gather up some funny read alouds for Mother’s Day that celebrate moms and all that they do!
