Where Do I Begin?

As Trip approached the age of two, I knew I needed to become more purposeful in providing learning opportunities for him. Sure, we had been reading together since he was an infant, listening to our Spanish and French CDs, counting, singing songs, pointing out letters and words, thinking out loud for him, and all of the good things that parents do, but as he has grown, I knew he needed more. As a teacher, I am acutely aware of how important the early years of learning are and how much of an impact parents can have on their child's success at school and in life by the learning activities they facilitate at home. I also knew that the things we do don't have to be complicated, expensive, or original, they just need to be happening. I have boxes upon boxes full of books, games, materials, and ideas for elementary and even preschool-aged children, but I wasn't so sure what to do with a two-year-old. It was time to get some help...

Where does any mom in 2011 turn with such questions? Why the internet, of course! I had read about busy bags on Money Saving Mom (one of my favorite places to find coupons, deals, and freebies) and figured that I could figure out some similar activities for Trip. That lead me to My Delicious Ambiguity and a great post with links to well over 100 busy bags and projects for toddlers. I promptly went out to our shop, opened up a bunch of boxes from my old classroom, and got to work making things. Money Saving Mom also lead me to I Can Teach My Child through a link about edible playdough (which I still haven't tried yet, but look forward to). It has become another favorite site and a great source of inspiration. My journeys online have helped me discover many sites (look for them on the sidebar) that have flooded me with great ideas and have given me the push needed to get me started purposefully teaching Trip.

So here I am, a mom wanting to teach her son with love to help him grow, a teacher who loves to teach and needs to grow in how I work with my toddler. I hope that my adventures can help you to teach, love, and grow as well!