Monthly Archives

August 2016

Rocking Babies & Teaching Reading: Ideas for Keeping Your Toddler Engaged – Activity 3

Today I’ll get right to it! Today was so much fun! The activities were a total success and since I really can’t say that everyday, I’m in total mommy celebration mode! I’ve been sharing with you all the short activities I’m doing with my two year old toddler to keep him engaged while I homeschool my two girls ages four and six (who are in Kinder and 2nd Grade). Of course, not all of my little boys’ day is structured play or exploration but I want to share some of the things that as I say, “Make the day count for him as well as for the girls.”

Today’s activity (by the time your are reading this…really yesterday’s activity) was lacing. I was so excited by its success that I honestly couldn’t wait to share this very simple activity. So here we go….

Lacing with Seashells

Activity: Lacing with Seashells

Skill(s): Lacing, Counting and Builds Fine Motor Skills, Patience, and Problem Solving

Materials: Shells with Holes Pre-drilled at home or found that way in nature (I had a combo of both, mostly drilled at home), bright yarn or other easily visible thin ribbon (I use a safe short length to prevent hazards and never leave child unattended).

Directions: Pre-drill holes in shells with drill or find another item for lacing such as over sized beads (I have some of these as well, I’ll add pictures of later). The shells however, brought such interest that the fun lasted a long time. Tape the yarn to the side of the tray or table with a strong tape like duct tape. This keeps the shells in the thread and limits frustration. Place a piece of tape at the end of your yarn to make it easier to lace. Choose shells that are large and easy to handle for your little ones’ hands and does not create a choking hazard.

I wasn’t sure how this would turn out but I thought it would be worth a try since lacing is such a great skill and builds fine motor skills. His concentration during this was amazing and so cute to watch. I showed him once and he quickly took over! I let him get to it right away and after a short while walked right over to the table with my girls right next to him and got right to work. It was the best! He was super engaged and laced, talked and counted on and on for 45 minutes!!! I could not believe my eyes. That is a VERY long time for a toddler! We only stopped because it was lunch time and he was already asking for the activity again within a few minutes. This was what I call a mommy HOME RUN!

Here are a few still shots of his progress:

At first I placed only a few shells out to see how it went.

He was really concentrating on this. If was fun to watch his progress.

JM working on his third shell.

After he finished the first ones I gave him, he asked for more, “Mas coco” (“More coconuts”). He made a connection to other things in an ocean book we have! I gave him the word “caracoles” (“seashells”) and he attempted to call them that for the rest of the activity. I filled his tray with more since he was really enjoying it.

He started singing a clean up song on his own! He is attempting to say, “A guardar, a guardar, todo el mundo a guardar.” (Clean up (or put away), clean up, everybody clean up). This was progress because often times when he is finished with an activity, he throws everything on the floor (or at his sisters for attention). We have been working on clean up time. 🙂

I hope some of you try this at home with your toddlers. As always, I would really love to hear from you. If any of you would like, please share pictures via my Diapursity Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/diapursity/) page, below, or through my email: bernice@diapursity.com. Happy Teaching and Learning!

August 26, 2016 0 comment

Baby & Toddler Parenting

Rocking Babies & Teaching Reading: Ideas for Keeping Your Toddler Engaged – Activity 2

written by Bernice Crespo

JM making his book selection. Sometimes he picks something right away and sometimes it takes a bit long. I let him. I like that he has favorites and can decide what story he wants to hear or “read”. This is the little reading area in his room. These are all board books.

I’ll begin today with a confession! I am ABSOLUTELY obsessed with children’s books. I have been for a very long time! I’m not sure when it began, but I remember asking my mom to let me go grocery shopping with her just so I could go to the little book section (before Barnes and Nobles folks!) and read, read, read! Now, don’t get me wrong, I read books for adults too (lots of them) but…children’s books have a special place in my heart. So…let’s just say…we have A FEW reading nooks around the house for the KIDS (wink, wink!).

So today’s activity is a quick fun one that will allow you to get some of that face and huggie time you crave with your toddler while your older ones are working on a short assignment or better yet during SDR…one of our personal favorites at school...Stop Drop and Read! Yes folks…when I say Stop Drop and Read…it doesn’t matter what subject we are on or what we are doing…everybody and I mean EVERYBODY grabs a book of their personal choice from our classroom library or browser boxes (a personal little crate or box with some of their personal favorite books that are on their independent level for reading…meaning they can read it without your help) and we find a cozy spot to read…blankets and all (if desired and you think they can handle it) and we read for 10-15 minutes just for leisure (mommy too!). How fun! This encourages reading just for fun and it creates excitement and a needed brain break.

For pre-readers (like last year when I had a 3 year old that really wanted to read but wasn’t quite there yet) I tell them, “You can read the book by looking at the pictures and seeing what you can learn just by looking at them!” This is great with non-fiction books like “All About Sharks!” I also tell them, “Look at the pictures and come up with a story to go along with the pictures! You are the author!” They loved that and after a little encouragement and modeling, it worked just fine. They even have wordless books with just illustrations (I have two of these and use them to model…pictured below.)

But how about toddlers? Well, this is a great time to have them join in. Yesterday I used one of my favorite types of books for toddlers…board books with flaps for discovery! Now all of us with toddlers know they are good at pulling these flaps off with ease but there is no harm in this. This is part of the learning process. Model, model, model for them how to use the flaps. Help them lift them and if they happen to pull them off, correct them, and tape it back on. 🙂 It’s ok!

Stop, Drop, And Read

Activity: Stop, Drop, and Read with a Number Flap Book

Skill(s): Number Recognition, Counting, Turning Pages, Lifting Flaps, Taking Care of Books

Materials: Any Number Flap Book or Book with Numbers (the flaps just make it more engaging for this age group). We used “The Cat in the Hat’s Great Big Flap Book” by Dr. Seuss

Great book for this activity for a toddler!

I don’t know about your little ones but most little ones I’ve met love, love, love books and story time. So, when we do our Stop, Drop, and Read I make sure that at least a few times in the week, JM our two year old is present. I drop down to the mat or any cozy nook (we have two giant bean bags) and start exploring. As we go through the pages, I’ll ask, “Where is the number two?” To which he will reply, “Here it is!” (“Aqui esta!”) in his loudest and most excited voice! I’ll repeat, “Yes, there is the number two. You found it! Count them.” He will then begin to count and will either get it right or begin counting the two over and over until he gets tired of counting (which I find the funniest). This is great! The point here is exploring, identifiying numbers, counting, encouraging, and just having fun. Like any activity with books, it’s a great time to teach them what we teachers call concepts of print, which, simply put is “how books work”.

Over time, toddlers will learn book enjoyment and how to use books (without tearing apart…for the most part) and will pick them up themselves for reading or simply not throw them when given. As a result of Stop Drop and Read and other story times, JM will spend about 2-5 minutes book browsing any given book. That’s a lot for this age. I have a “browser box” for him too that has books I know he’ll like with some of his favorite characters like, Curious George, Thomas, and Chugginton, however, when I read to him, I usually don’t do character books but books that are more apporpriate for learning like Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom! His all time favorite!!!

Here are a few pics from our Stop, Drop, and Read yesterday:

JM lifting the flaps of his “The Cat in the Hat’s Great Big Flap Book” by Dr. Seuss to discover “How many are underneath?”

JM counting aloud his discovery. He LOVES this book. This book is a great size for Stop Drop and Ready and is super durable. He is the third toddler in the house to use it and my girls like to “read” it with him.

JM seems to have found his choice for today… one we haven’t read together before. That’s great!

How do you introduce your little ones to books? I would love to hear about how you incorporate storytime or book discovery time with your toddlers during the day. Thanks for your emails and comments either here or on the Diapursity Facebook page. I love the sharing and ideas! Keep them coming! My email is bernice@diapursity.com.

August 25, 2016 0 comment

Baby & Toddler Parenting

Rocking Babies & Teaching Reading: Ideas for Keeping Your Toddler Engaged – Activity 1

written by Bernice Crespo

Of the jobs I’ve had, being a mother, homeschooling teacher, and small startup business owner is by far the most difficult AND rewarding! After working with teams of people for over a decade in different scenarios, I find that I’m pulling knowledge from all of those experiences to bring success in all my new endeavors. Who would have thought!

Today I found myself rocking our baby boy one moment, teaching reading the other, and checking off at least one thing off my to do list for our business during lunch (…after making lunch and feeding the kids of course…my own short lunch is during their recess!) I have to admit, there are moments when I have to take deep deep breaths and remind myself of all the wonderful reasons I do this. The work is hard but like I read and learned a long time ago from the book Gung Ho….the work is not only important…IT IS WORTHWHILE!”

How do I make it work? I start by reminding myself that being able to do this is an incredible privilege and blessing and then I plan, plan, plan, knowing that even the best of plans sometimes does not work. Some people think it an impossibility to do all of this well. I have to disagree 100%. This is not about perfection but it is absolutely about making a difference in your family’s life and pursuing dreams…whatever that is for you.

I almost…really just almost pulled out my hair the other day when “the plan” for the day almost fell apart. Having a two year old in tow while teaching (not just assigning pages) is challenging. So if there are ANY of you out there who are homeschooling and have younger ones in tow as well…I WELCOME your ideas on how to keep the little ones engaged. In the next few weeks I’m going to blog about what I’m doing with JM and what has worked and NOT. If there is an idea you would like to see me try…write it in the comments below or email me at crespotribe@gmail.com. Happy teaching and wish me luck! Prayers welcomed too!

Here is one of my activities with JM today…

Letter Tray

Game: Letter Tray

Skill (s): Letter Identification, Sorting

Materials: Chip and dip tray from dollar store, dry erase marker, letter tiles/cards

Today’s activity is super simple and versatile. I simply used a plastic chips and dip tray (which I use in many different ways) and wrote a few alphabet letters on each section with a dry erase marker. The dry erase marker easily wipes off. It worked just fine for this short activity but I could have easily placed tape over each letter to make it more lasting during the activity (which I may do next time). He knows a lot of his letters already (just because baby boy is obsessed with letters and numbers) so I change the letters on the tray often but you can easily leave the same letters for a week or two. I started with just two letters at a time and did the activity with him each time (modeling for him the “how to”). He quickly joined in. I say the name of the letter aloud each time I place it in. You’d be amazed how quickly they pick up. Over time, they will begin to do it on their own and you can add letters/numbers as you wish. The letters are from an old letter game but you can print any online or make your own. You can even just do letter sorting without letter names for a while just to get them visually familiar with the letters. Today…It was a success! He will spend anywhere from 5-15 minutes on this, which is plenty of time for a two year old. This is a great toddler activity and also perfectly suitable for preschoolers and kindergarteners. Honestly, it is fine for any child who is working on this skill regardless of age. I do this with him because he is showing interest in letters and numbers around him so I’m following his lead. Here are a few pics!

JM sorting his letters.

JM trying to find a match.

JM yelling, “I found it! L!”

August 24, 2016 0 comment

Homeschool Education Parenting

IS SUMMER OVER? Back to Homeschooling and the Reasons I Love It!

written by Bernice Crespo

Although summer is still very much here…summer vacation as we know it is over. We have officially begun the school year at the Crespo household and we are excited. Yes! I officially began homeschooling the girls last year and decided we definitely want to continue this year.

When I started homeschooling last year, when due to my daughter’s birthdate, she would have to repeat Kindergarten even though she had already attended Kinder in a private school, could identify all her letters and sounds and was already a reader. I decided it was best to get her through 1^st grade and then enroll her the following year in 2^nd grade when the birth date restriction no longer applied in our state. I, however, did not foresee falling in love with homeschooling as I did.

I’m not going to lie…it is hard work! I have three little ones ages 6, 4, and 2 years old. If my school day with them is to be successful, I have to plan ahead, think about possible scenarios where what I’ve planned might not work and build in relevant and fun activities that will give us the flexibility needed to make it work. But after years of working in the private, public, and charter school systems, knowing the advantages of schooling in a social setting with other children and the perceived disadvantages of homeschooling I still choose to homeschool both of my girls now in Kindergarten and Second Grade (with our 2 year old in tow).

Here is way I love it:

Time Spent with Each Child – I’ve been the working (out of the home) mom and applaud every mother that does it. However, while I was working, I always craved for more time with my children especially knowing that time passes so quickly. I think it’s something that a lot of moms can relate to, although I’ve met my share of moms that look forward to heading back to work and love their children just the same. I never enjoyed saying goodbye to my babies when my maternity leave was over. When the opportunity arose to stay home with them and help my husband launch a family owned business, I decided there was no time like the present to do two of the things that had been on my heart for so long. To me it’s never about one or the other but about what’s best for you and your family at any given moment. Right now it’s my time to be with them and I LOVE it.

Leveled Teaching and Differentiation for Each of my Children– In plain English this means I get to teach my children at the level they really are. I like the freedom and time I can dedicate to ensure that each lesson for my children is differentiated and leveled for them. As I chose resources for this year I chose some books at the second grade level for my second grader but also chose some third grade level books in certain subject areas because I know where we left off and what she is ready for. In the same way, my four year old who would be starting PK in the public schools is now enrolled in Kindergarten. I love having this choice. The four year old is a beginning reader and ready for the content. I don’t push them because I want them to finish school at an early age. I rather them master concepts and really learn instead of just pushing them along but I just encourage them to work to their potential whether that be on grade level or above. We don’t really spend time taking about what level their in, I just make sure they have the content they need. This also works great for children that need to work with more assistance and need modified time and assignments to meet their needs (more on this at a later time).

Inclusion of their Interest – I like to look at the Standards for our State for each grade level to ensure that I’m meeting and exceeding what the grade level expectations are for each one of our children. If they are ever enrolled in the private, public, or charter schools, we won’t find any gaps in their learning. However, having said that, I love being able to include their interest within our cross curricular lessons (lessons that include more than one subject). For example, my girls particularly enjoy Social Studies/Geography and Science. I will most often find leveled reading passages that are cross curricular and include these areas of interest while teaching the phonics or reading comprehension skill needed and then integrate a writing lesson that uses that theme as a springboard for our lesson and writing assignment. I don’t purchase any particular curriculum (more on that in a later entry) I create every lesson using a multitude of resources and I’m satisfied with the results. I save tons of money this way and I feel the lessons are way more engaging than the paper/pencil only options. (We do use some workbooks and still make it fun. So much to say on this but I’ll move on.)
Field Trips – I know that all classrooms try to incorporate field trips. Having the option to chose what those will be and what we are going to get out of them is a win win for us in our home. We budget for them appropriately and make choices based on that budget. I look for many FREE field trips, pack a lunch, and go on a drive. Incorporating field trips that are a bit further or that may require an overnight stay are not as complicated nor costly when planned well with the family. The kid’s grandparents are highly involved and get to join us quite often. This is a great bonding time with them and builds great memories. Even grandma from Ohio is involved in the fun. My husband and I have some really great ideas that we are hashing out and planning for but I’ll save that for a later time too!

Values – I like to incorporate these each day and reinforce them throughout the week and after school. It’s nice to have the school/home connection and reinforce what I taught in school outside school hours. We take time to sing, learn, and pray together. That’s how we start and end our day. It keeps me in check too, as they remind me our lessons learned. “Breathe mommy, breathe.” Not everyone holds the same values and its important for me to teach them about that as well and how to respect others in spite of our differences. At home, there are no questions about what they are being taught.

Healthy Snacks and Lunches – This could be done by sending a home lunch to school. At home, I like to get them involved in the planning and preparing and we take this time to talk about how to make our lunches and why we are choosing these things to eat. We learn about the ingredients, spices and incorporate Math when it applies. This is part of what I call Home Economics (You know that class that some of us took in Middle School ages ago. I’m dating myself!) That was a favorite for me and I still think its an important class at home.

Languages, Music, Art, and Physical Education – Honestly we love all of these and while we are homeschooling I incorporate them all. I want them to be culturally aware and know about the world around them. I don’t think they are too young for this at all and so I get to reinforce our first language Spanish, teach in English, and introduce them to a third language. It has also helped us focus on our health as a family and we enjoy the benefits of what it has done for our health. We became part of a local health club and visit it a few times a week as part of our school day for an hour or two.

Kids on the Move! – Movement is a well known strategy to help get our brain up and going and in the right alert state for learning. Here at home we start with music and incorporate it into every subject. I purchased a membership to a music streaming website and use its app (commercial free) to set up all of my playlist for all the different classes. I have playlist for: Social Studies/Geography, Science, Math, Circle Time, Reading, Bible, Spanish, Italian and more! I can easily incorporate these right from my phone. I also use a small bluetooth speaker and it sounds great! The girls and baby boy love to get up and get moving! It also helps mama bear get up and have fun too…the love my silly dances!!! (Moves only seen at home!)

Homeschooling is not for everybody. Every family’s situation is different and unique to their home. Temperaments and disposition may highly influence the parents’ decision. I’m not trying to convince anyone to do it but I do think it’s worth asking yourself if it may be right for and your children if the opportunity should arise.

Homeschooling looks very different in every home and there are different regulations in each state (and often county) on how it must be done. The “how to” do it differs greatly. If you homeschooling might be right for you, check your local laws, do your research, and decide whether this great adventure is right for your family.

Some of you have asked, so I’ll be sharing here and there some of the things I do with my kiddos at home and how I include our two year old in bite sized activities throughout our day when he is not napping J! There is so much more I love…but let me keep that for another day!

Please feel free to share your reasons for homeschooling in the comments below or email me at bernice@diapursity.com. If you want more information about anything I mentioned above, feel free to ask below or email as well.

Happy Schooling! Praying everyone has a GREAT school year!

August 19, 2016 0 comment