10 Fun Ways to Boost Learning During the School Year

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Netflix, but all opinions are 100% my own. I am a member of the Netflix StreamTeam.

Every parent wants their child to excel. Like many others, I encourage educational activities as much as possible to boost their learning. But during the school year, I have to tread lightly. I don't want to force something on my kids when they already have enough to juggle with school, sports and activities.

Learning can be fun, and there are plenty of ways to promote educational activities without overwhelming kids! The trick is to intersperse these activities with play. Play is EVERY bit as important as learning during childhood. Kids have a lot more pressure on them these days, so there must be time for them to let loose and do what they want to do!

Dylan, Lexie, Lily and Liam are plenty busy between school, basketball, soccer, band, chorus, dance, acro and therapies (PT, OT and ST for Liam). We don't have much time these days for extra activities, but we try to fit them in whenever we possibly can. These ten fun activities are a great way to boost learning during the busy school year!

4 Fun Ways to Encourage Kids to Learn During Summer

DISCLOSURE: I received the #CampSci kits courtesy of Monsanto and a free app download from Read With Fonics.  All opinions are 100% my own. I only feature products and services I believe in on my blog.

For 12 weeks in the Summer, Dylan, Lexie and Lily get a much deserved break from the stress of the school year. (Liam is not so lucky!) Even though the time off is needed, I want their minds to stay active. Allowing my kids to enjoy the magic of Summer is the most important thing, but I also think it's important to encourage kids to continue to learn during Summer Break!

Learning over Summer Break should be simple and stress-free! I don't force my kids to read for an hour each day or complete worksheets. As a parent, I learned that if something is forced it can quickly become something that kids begin to hate. Summer learning should be FUN, and it definitely shouldn't become a dreaded task!

I take a laid-back approach when it comes to educational activities over the Summer. Enjoying Summer activities ALWAYS comes first! I allow my kids to stay up later and sleep in. I encourage them to play outside as much as possible. I try to avoid scheduling learning activities, and instead do them when time permits. Because the issue isn't forced, my kids end up having fun while learning!

Here are the 4 fun ways I encourage MY kids to learn during Summer:

READING REWARDS

I am a book lover, so I obviously want my kids to love reading, too. During the school year, they have to read for a certain amount of time each night, and they also have to read books they don't always enjoy. Over the Summer, I encourage my kids to read what they like, to participate in the Summer Reading program at the library if they want to, and I don't force time limits upon them.

Instead, I use a rewards system. For every 4 chapter books that Dylan and Lexie read, they get to go to the bookstore and choose a new book. Lily gets to choose 1 new book for every 20 leveled reading books that she reads. Liam gets a new book once a month.

In order to receive their free books, they have to recite a brief synopsis of each book they finished, tell me their favorite part and why, and share how they can relate to the main character. Surprisingly, my kids choose to read quite often, and they are very enthusiastic when they describe the books! Reading should be a fun activity rather than a forced one!

SCIENCE CAMP AT HOME

All of my kids love science, and performing science experiments is one of their favorite things to do! I'm a big fan of STEM activities, so I hardly ever say no to a requested experiment. Dylan, Lexie and Lily were so excited when Monsanto sent them a fun science kit, complete with a binder and aprons! (I was most impressed by the personalized box!) They couldn't wait to get started with #CampSci!

The first experiment was to create Edible Soil. Some of you saw my InstaStory last month, but the kids learned about soil, created the layers using different foods, and made Edible Soil Snacks. Afterwards, they drew a picture of the Edible Soil they created, and labeled the parts. It was fun...and tasty!

If you would like to recreate this experiment, you can watch the short video below!

Science Camp - Edible Soil from Monsanto STEM Education Outreach on Vimeo.

My kids were even more excited when another box showed up on our doorstep! It arrived just in time for Pollinator Week. Their task was to create bee houses!

I already shared our first bee house, which we made during Pollinator Week, but this week we sat down to make two more bee houses for our backyard. Since we had already used half of the cardboard tubes they sent us, we had to roll our own tubes using construction paper.

If you would like to make bee house for your backyard, check out the video below!

Build Your Own Bee House from Monsanto STEM Education Outreach on Vimeo.

Dylan, Lexie, Lily (and occasionally Liam) are loving all the STEM fun thanks to Monsanto Science Camp Kits! 

FUN LEARNING APPS

Electronics are pretty much a staple in every home these days. Kids of all ages have them, and they can be great learning tools. The trick is to fill their devices with apps that are fun AND educational! The newest learning app that we discovered was Read With Fonics, and we LOVE it!

I mentioned this awesome app on my blog a few months back, and recently shared an InstaStory featuring it. It is a hit with Lily, and in a few months, I'm going to introduce Liam to this app, too. Lily loves it, and it has been so beneficial to her education. As a parent, I HIGHLY recommend it!

The Read With Fonics app, which was created by a teacher, is a fun game that teaches children how to read through the use of phonics. Kids build their skills by learning letter sounds while they play, and they have to pass each level in order to unlock the next.

This app helped bridge the gap between Lily, who was one of the youngest in her class, and her older classmates. After just a few days of playing, she started to sound out words instead of simply memorizing them from her sight word list.

Thanks to the Fonics app, Lily is continuing to build her reading skills over the Summer. She earns free time on her device by choosing an educational app to play first, and the Fonics app is her go to. She's a big fan of the adorable green alien, especially when he eats the words that aren't really words!

If there is one reading app that you download for your child, let it be this one! The app is available for download on apple, android and amazon devices. It's great for preschoolers, and kids in grade school who are just learning how to read. I credit the Read With Fonics app for helping Lily improve her reading skills!

FLASH CARDS

Flash cards are such a fun and easy way to learn the basics and memorize facts! If you're looking for a wide variety, head to the Target Dollar Spot right now. We have over 30 sets of flash cards which are kept in our Busy Bags Binders, in the car, and in my purse, and most of them came from Target!

My kids love to use flash cards, so I often use them on the go to keep them busy. I pull them out while we are waiting at an appointment, driving in the car or waiting for food at a restaurant. The kids are so happy for a distraction that they aren't even aware that they are learning!

Lily has been using flash cards to learn sight words, which is helping with her reading, and addition flash cards to memorize facts. Sometimes I ask her if she would like to do them, but most of the time, she brings them to me! It's her favorite way to learn, and thanks to all the practice this Summer, she is going to be prepared for first grade in the Fall!

Flash cards are essential for Liam's learning and speech. (For those who aren't familiar with my family, Liam has Down syndrome. You can read about his birth diagnosis HERE.) We work with him every day at home, but we make sure to rotate the sets so he doesn't get bored.  He has a few fun sets of touch and feel flash cards, and they are one of his favorite toys. He will actually sit on the ground, look at each card and try to say what it is, all on his own!

To make learning with flash cards more fun, try playing the game I made up for Lily: Flash Card Slam! Just place all of the flash cards in the set on the table or ground, then call out a color/number/shape/letter/word/answer. Have your child "slam" the card with an inflatable hammer or the palm of their hand. It's a huge hit in my home!

My kids are having a great Summer full of fun, and they are learning along the way! Their excitement over learning during Summer makes me an incredibly happy mom!

What are your favorite activities to encourage your kids to learn during Summer?

You might also like:

How To Create Busy Bags Using Items From The Target Dollar Spot

KidloLand App Review & Giveaway (3 Winners!)

This post is sponsored by KidloLand. I received product in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Early Education has changed so much over the years! When I was a young child I learned the basics from workbooks, Sesame Street and good old fridge magnets. These days, electronics play a big role in early learning.

There are a LOT of apps available that are geared toward young children. Some are great but some... not so much. It's difficult to know which app to choose! As a mom of a child who just started preschool AND has special needs I am constantly trying to find ways to boost his learning. 

Recently I was introduced to an amazing app called KidloLand!  KidloLand is an interactive learning app for children in the 0-5 age range. It is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers (my young Kindergartener even loves it)! This app includes over 700 nursery rhymes, educational games, songs and phonics.

 

The KidloLand app covers it all!  The wide variety of interactive activities, games, stories and songs encourage children to learn their ABC's, 123's, animals, shapes, colors, months, days of the week, seasons, beginning letter sounds and more. After using this app for a week I ended up deleting most of the apps I previously downloaded for Liam. There's truly no need for them!

Liam never showed any interest in electronics prior to being introduced to the KidloLand app. I downloaded all the apps that were recommended and still didn't have any luck. There was one BIG factor missing from all those apps: music. The KidloLand app has plenty of that and Liam LOVES it! (Notice the Itsy Bitsy Spider moves?)

Thanks to the KidloLand app, Liam's early learning skills are being boosted through fun learning songs, games and activities.  This app is the first one to keep his attention and he's actually singing along and learning new words.  For a child who is delayed in speech that is a HUGE benefit!

 

I truly can't say enough good things about this fun learning app but if you're not convinced yet, here's a sneak peek at all the interactive activities it has to offer:

KidloLand offers 20 categories full of fun learning songs, stories, games and activities!

Nursery Rhymes 

The Nursery Rhymes category was a hit with toddler! It contains almost every nursery rhyme you can think of. Liam's current favorite nursery rhyme is Itsy Bitsy Spider so he played it over and over again while acting it out!

Stories 

The Stories category is a very expansive. It contains sub-categories which include Fables, Early Reading, Animals and Bedtime. When a story is chosen you are given the option to have it read to you or to read it by yourself.

Phonics

 

My 5 year old actually uses this category. She loves to review her letter sounds through these fun phonics songs for each letter of the alphabet!

ABCD Songs

This is a great category for my 3 year old. Each letter is accompanied by a fun song that helps teach letter recognition and beginning letter sounds!

Games

This category includes a wide variety of games geared toward the younger crowd. Liam loves Pop the Numbers, First Words Coloring, Musical Petals and Train Adventures!

Activities

 

This is another fun category! The activities are organized by theme such as Farm, City, Marine, Space, Vehicles and more. Each theme includes a wide variety of activities. The Farm activities were Liam's favorite!

Create & Play Occupations

This category contains so many occupations. The first step is matching pictures to their shadows to create the scene. After the scene is complete it "comes to life" to teach the child about the profession.

Wheels On The Bus, Weather & Seasons, Dinos, Row Your Boat, Numbers and Lullabies

Each of these categories is filled with catchy songs! Liam, who has special needs, is very much in tune with music. He loved the Wheels on the Bus, Row Your Boat and Lullabies Categories. The Weather & Seasons, Dinos and Numbers categories were also hits with their fun learning songs!

Christmas Songs

I loved the fact that the KidloLand app includes seasonal songs. This was the first category that Lily noticed and she started singing along to the Christmas Songs and Christmas Carols right away!

Vehicles, Old MacDonald Songs, Months & Days, Colors & Shapes, Animals and Fruits & Vegetables

These six categories contain fun learning songs! Learning about animals, months and days, colors and shapes, and fruits and vegetables is so much more fun when there's a song to go with it! Who would have ever thought that there would be songs about all the different types of fruits and vegetables?!?

The KidloLand App was a HIT with Liam! It is, without a doubt, the most used app on our iPad right now!

 

KidloLand is available for download on:

•  ios (KidloLand)
•  Google Play Store (Nursery Rhymes For Kids)
•  Amazon Appstore (KidloLand)

GIVEAWAY!!!

KidloLand has generously offered to give away a three month subscription to three different winners!

*This giveaway is open to readers worldwide. It will end on October 20, 2016 at 12:00 AM EST. Winners will be notified by email. Enter on the rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you to KidloLand for sponsoring today's review and giveaway and introducing my family to this fun learning app!

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Transitions

I received a message today.  A message I was expecting.  A message that still made my heart skip a beat.

From the moment the doctor spoke the words "Down syndrome" we knew our lives were about to change completely. I remember sobbing into my hands.  "I can't do this!  I don't WANT to do this!"

What I was fearing was the unexpected.

But life with Down syndrome quickly became our new normal.  Life with Down syndrome was actually pretty awesome...and, well, normal.  And what I learned was that I COULD do this, and even more surprising, I WANTED to do this.  I wanted to show the world that Down syndrome is not that scary.

Yes, there were more doctor appointments. Yes, the future seemed uncertain. But if you really think about it, everyone's future is uncertain.  In my arms was the most beautiful baby boy and I vowed to give him the world.

The only aspect of life with Down syndrome that took some getting used to was the fact that we now had a child who had special needs, and our child with special needs required weekly therapy to help him thrive.

At first, it was very odd welcoming strangers into our home every week, but in home therapy became a fundamental part of our lives. What once was awkward is now our norm. The terms PT, OT, and ST are a regular part of our vocabulary.  Even my 4 year old can easily explain the difference! Our entire family is involved, and the older kids love to assist with Liam's sessions.

There are certainly days when I wake up and groan because I don't want to get the house ready for another therapy session.  But in the grand scheme of things, 3 hours of therapy a week is NOTHING, and we are lucky to have such an amazing Early Intervention program!

Those "strangers" quickly turned into friends.  Liam's OT has been with us since he was 2 months old, his PT joined the family when he was 6 months old, and his speech therapist came in at 12 months.  When Liam accomplishes a task during therapy, his therapists cheer with me.  When he achieves a major milestone, tears fill their eyes, too.  They worry when he's sick and they smother him with love at every session.  They work incessantly to help him achieve all of his goals and they fight for him when necessary.

Those strangers became a vital part of our team.  They became a part of our family.

Liam loves them back.  He greets them with hugs, cuddles with them during sessions, and blows them kisses when they leave.  And in just over six short months, we're going to have to say goodbye to our beloved team for good.

That message I received today was about transition.  On Thursday, his county coordinator will join in on his weekly OT session and discuss our upcoming transition meeting in March.  When Liam turns 3 in August, Early Intervention will end abruptly and preschool-based therapy will begin.  We will say goodbye to one phase of our lives and very hesitantly welcome another.

Saying goodbye to our team seems impossible, but I have another battle raging inside my head.  You see, I don't believe in preschool until age 4, so this is a struggle for me.

Dylan, Lexie, and Lily spent the first 4 years of their childhood with me.  We didn't just sit at home.  We visited a wide variety of places.  We had playdates 1-3 times a week. We started weekly Storytime at age 3. We learned at home. And they were with me, where they belonged.

The preschool transition was an easy one for all three of them and it was a positive experience.  They were properly socialized, always the best-behaved children in their class, and exactly where they needed to be from an education-standpoint. They always loved school and they continue to excel in school.  I do not regret my decision in any way.

I know my view is not a common one, but I feel very strongly about it. Yes, preschool is very important to prepare children for the school years ahead, but I believe one year is plenty.  I believe the first four years of my kids' lives should be spent with me.

Unfortunately, we are facing a very different situation with Liam. Yes, we can keep him home and pursue outside therapy, but it's apparently quite a process.  And in this situation, preschool is most likely the right choice.  Liam is just SO tiny which makes it even more difficult.

The ultimate plan for Liam includes a developmental preschool followed by full inclusion.  But what is the right decision?  What's right for him?  These questions aren't easy to answer!

I know he will thrive in school.  He's very social and he loves unconditionally. He adapts easily to any situation.  But is this Fall the right time?

Part of me wonders if I feel like I don't have a choice.  THIS is the method the majority of people in our shoes choose and THIS is the way it should be done. THIS is the way the state tells us it should be done.  But is it the right choice? Perhaps keeping him at home, attending weekly storytime and playdates for socialization, and pursuing outside therapy is the better choice for one more year?  I'm honestly not sure and I'm feeling extremely torn over the decision.

The preschool transition was so positive for my other three children because I knew they were ready and I knew it was time.  I'm NOT ready to let go of Liam.  It feels too rushed. It feels like I'm being pressured into going against my beliefs.

Education is such a personal choice.  There are conflicting opinions no matter which way you turn.  What works for one child, may not work for another. I just need to figure out what's right for Liam.

Even after sending three kids off to school, it doesn't get any easier.  Actually, I believe it gets more difficult with each child because I now realize just how quickly time passes by and just how quickly my children are growing up. You would think I would be a seasoned mom, but the reality is, I'm not.  From the day we send our children to preschool, our children will be in school until they become adults. There is NO going back.

So that's where we are.  We're preparing ourselves for some difficult goodbyes and some difficult transitions. Big changes are coming our way.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I don't like it.

Are we ready?  Is HE ready?  The answer isn't coming to me so easily this time. I pray that over the next few months, I will find the right answer and feel comfortable with my decision.

Parenting is tough. The truth is, when we send our children off to school, we're really letting go of our babies. It's the natural progression in life, but it really is almost impossible to let go.  

Was the first day of school transition difficult for you? Any special needs parents want to weigh in?

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