Raising City Boys Outside

We live in a major urban center, and at this point, we aren't even allowed chickens in our neighborhood.  We have to actively seek out opportunities for our boys to get outside, to spend time around animals, to learn how things grow.  Fortunately, we have a lot of support from family and friends in this. …

Toddler Fine Motor Practice

A look at what our second son is up to at eighteen months: Fine motor skills are on this guy's mind daily as he works to understand and manipulate the world around here.  Recent conquests have included mastering the zippered case that holds his play tunnel and chopping all the food in his Melissa & …

Cooking with a Preschooler: Fall Edition

Thanks to a big crop of Mackintoshes from my parents' house, we are up to our ears in apples at the moment.  Just another great opportunity to get my three-year-old busy in the kitchen!  Last week, he picked apples and made applesauce with my mom, so this weekend, I let him be the expert and …

Gardening with a Preschooler: The Strawberry Experiment

This summer for one of his projects, my three year old has been diligently caring for a strawberry plant. He waters it, keeps it clear of weeds, and on three separate occasions has had the supreme delight of picking a strawberry off of it. That's right. Spoiled as it is, the plant has only yielded …

Gardening with a Preschooler: Strawberries

An update on our three-year-old and his gardening project: We wanted our preschooler to take more ownership of our family garden this year, and as he is in a big "all by myself" phase, we decided that he needed a gardening project that would be his own.  Last year, we purchased two strawberry plants and …

Preschool in the Kitchen: Hummus

My three-year-old loves to help out in the kitchen.  He's now at a point where if I get out my mini-chopper, he runs over and asks me what we're making.  This is an appliance that terrified him just a few short months ago, and now he pretty much considers it his chopper. One of our favorite …

If You Don’t Have It, Make It: Woodshop Edition

While we are a far cry from homesteaders, we would like to instill in our children some sense of self-reliance.  Rather than run out to the store and buy every little thing, if it's at all possible for us to MacGyver it on our own, we like to at least try. Our latest project was …

Threading: Fine Motor Skills

I've seen this activity suggested before, but this was our first time trying it.  We used 18 mm plastic beads, regular spaghetti stuck in a little blob of Play-Doh, and an enthusiastic three-year-old.  On top of building those fine motor skills and encouraging pattern building, this simple activity also gave me time for a cup …

Cooking with Kids

Just one more thing your kids are pretty unlikely to get in school: cooking class. That means it's up to you to teach them at home. Fortunately, most kids love food. My three-year-old is all too eager to help out in the kitchen. About six months ago, I got tired of having him under foot …