Education

I cannot believe it is Dr. Seuss' 114th birthday, making today also Read Across America Day! Dr. Seuss books have always been a childhood favorite of mine and still are to this day. They're fun and easy to read; rhyming words are a win with all children. There is no wonder why we celebrate both Dr. Seuss' birthday and Read Across America Day together. Reading with and to our children is such a magical experience. Dr. Seuss books make it even more so by opening up each child's imagination to worlds and characters that would never have come to mind without him. What about the Who's of Whoville or a fox wearing socks? Taking Advantage of Read Across America Day When we...

Being a stay at home mom, I try to keep some kind of structure and routine to our day. Mainly for my own sanity, but also because I feel like my toddler needs it. Our mornings normally start with breakfast and worship music followed by school. Which brings me to the real heart of this post. While we still use flash cards and one-on-one learning, I found that YouTube is seriously a diamond in the rough for learning. One evening, we just decided to search “ABC’s for toddlers” and the first song we clicked on became a huge hit. It was on repeat for days. It actually reminded me of that one time when I was a kid and was...

On Wednesday, I was planning on starting a silly post listing all the nonsense reasons why I am still awake at 11:30pm on a weekday. It’s a phenomenon I’m sure all moms have experienced. We are exhausted at the end of a long day of mothering, yet we stay up until the wee hours doing nothing, because we finally can. But there was nothing silly about why I was still awake at 11:30pm this past Wednesday night. Since mid afternoon, my heart had been flooded with the pain of the families and fellow students of the children involved in the school shooting in Florida, reaching a paralyzing crescendo when the final death count was announced. Seventeen people. How could this...

Disclosure :: This post is sponsored by St. James Episcopal Day School. St. James Episcopal Day School is Announced as an Apple Distinguished School for 2017-19 St. James Episcopal Day School offers an exceptional education for three-year-olds through fifth graders. Named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2009 and 2015, St. James is recognized for providing a foundation of academic excellence and spiritual formation within a warm and loving Christian community. Challenging academic basics are enhanced with our STEM lab, Spanish and physical education programs, broadcast and art studios, and twice-weekly church services. Technology and project-based learning are utilized throughout the curriculum, with iPads and Apple TVs in all classrooms, and a one-to-one student to iPad ratio for first through fifth grade...

A few months ago, I wrote about our struggle with whether to send our July baby to kindergarten or red-shirt her. We ultimately decided to go ahead and enroll her in kindergarten. After lots of in depth discussions with her daycare director and 2 months of speech therapy, we were confident that she was ready. It's been one month, and I'm even more certain that kindergarten was the right choice. Our daughter has learned so much, and we love her teachers and school. Thankfully, she's excited to go to school each day and has adjusted to her new school with no issues. Me on the other hand? That's a different story. It turns out that I am the one who...