Browse Category by Toddler School

Autumn Leaf Scavenger Hunt | Go Outside with Sawyer Kid Co.

Autumn Leaf Scavenger Hunt. Sawyer Kid Co. Explore Sawyer. Fall Activities for Kids. Leaf Activities. Fall Fun for Kids. Outdoor games for kids.

ByKandice Kelso | On November 16,17 | 2 Comments

We are so very excited to be partnering with Cindi from Sawyer Kid Co. for this amazing Fall Activity that brought both of my boys outdoors. Cash was all for a Leaf Scavenger Hunt and needed no convincing to suit up for the brisk air. I call that a #momwinning victory, especially if you’ve been following on Instagram and caught how hard it is for me to get Cash outside right now…

Thank you, Cindi, for sharing your activity with us!

Autumn Leaf Scavenger Hunt

“Just as children need good nutrition and adequate sleep, they may very well need contact with nature.”

― Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

I agree, and would take it one step further than Richard Louv by saying, kids NEED not only contact with nature but connection with nature. The number of kids getting outdoors everyday has declined by half compared to our generation. I believe this loss is the root cause for the rampant emotional and physical issues kids are developing.

But what if your kids claim they don’t want to play outside? Well, Sawyer Kid Co has partnered with A Cotton Kandi Life to be a resource of ideas that will get your kids outside. This autumn we are offering you free printables that you can use to play this leaf scavenger hunt with your kids.

Get your FREE Printable Leaf Cards

The leaves are falling to the ground and this game will help kids cultivate awareness, learn about different leaf shapes, and spend some time outside collecting. Not just collecting into a big pile, then jumping in, although I recommend that as good old fun. But, this leaf matching game turns autumn leaves into nature’s own scavenger hunt.

So make some time, even just a few moments to make nature play a priority in your kid’s life. If you haven’t started yet, maybe this game will help you break your old indoor habits. The key is not to change your whole life in one go but to start. Start somewhere. The small steps add into great distance and this distance unfolds in the health of your kids.

Leaf matching activity in 3 steps:

Step 1. Print out each of the leaf cards.

Step 2. Go outside and collect leaves that match the cards

Step 3. Glue the leafs to the cards with Elmer’s glue or with modge podge.

The first one to complete this game and send in a photo to [email protected] wins a prize!

Follow Sawyer Kid Co and Get Outside! | Instagram | Facebook | Main Website

Cash absolutely loved hunting down leaves. He is a huge Scavenger Hunt fan. We actually learned quite a bit about leaves on our property too! In this specific example, Cash first picked up some pine needles and determined himself that they were not a match. So he set off to hunt them down!

Snag this awesome Watercolor Fox Tee!

And our Cold Weather Beanie from Cotton N’ Kandi 😉

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Hi There! I’m Kandice

Wife, WAHM and mother to 2 Hooligan boys, sharing my Sweet & Sticky Story of Motherhood.

Life changes after 2 Toddlers {obviously} so now I’m sharing how I turn those every day #MomProblems into a Story of #MomWinning by building new Small Systems, Organizing Mom Routines and Making Mommy Money Online by Blogging.

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Toddler School

Positive Behavior Supports for Kids | Kudo Banz

ByKandice Kelso | On August 24,17 | 0 Comment

I’m sure you’ve been following all the Sweet & Sticky over on Instagram and you’re up to speed on our 4-year-old behavior. If not, I’m sure you can guess that it has been less than fun these last few weeks negotiating logic and unjust facts of the universe with Cash. He’s been acting up, mad over little things and naturally, as all kids do this time in their life, being defiant.

So I flexed my #MomWinning muscles and stepped up my game… I knew it was time for a change in routine that would be both fun and positive to get him through this and back on track. Being such a big fan of Positive Behavior Supports myself, I was quick to partner with this ingenious company and product, Kudo Banz.

Kudo Banz

These fun and durable bracelets are so much more than a Positive Behavior Support System. The company has utilized several aspects that kids enjoy, scaffolding a whole behavioral system they quickly believe in. When you receive your kit you’re also given a children’s book about Drago & George and their magical Banz. It’s a story about two brothers who earn Kudos from Grandma while completing the chores she gives them. The children’s book is a perfect way to explain to kids how the Banz are supposed to work as well as share with parents how we’re supposed to use them.

Positive Behavior Supports

This is actually the exact behavioral study that I did my graduate work in, the art of rewarding positive behaviors to train the desired outcome. #love So the next step after reading the children’s book is to open the app on your Smart Phone. Cash was really interested in this part as we haven’t done any electronics with him yet… {but more are coming.} As soon as I said we had to use my phone, he was intrigued {we never get to use Mommy’s phone!}

The Tutorial

I love it when companies put together a fun and easily understandable video for both the kids and parents to learn from in the beginning. You scan your first Kudo to begin {yep, scan! They love that!} Then a tutorial video teaches them and how to earn Kudos and most importantly, it educates us parents on how to use the Banz. It is very tempting to take away a Kudo when a kid doesn’t complete a behavior, but that’s not the goal with Positive Behavior Support!

The Positive Behavior Support

In addition to receiving a Kudo for the desired behavior, kids can earn a spin at the Reward Wheel with the app. This is a necessary extra step because for kids like Cash, earning 3 Kudos isn’t enough of an incentive for him, where it is for Wyatt. Cash needs that little extra incentive to push him and motivates listening to mom. Plus, he really wants to scan that Kudo with my phone! The tutorial video introduces a Reward Wheel and tells kids how to earn a spin, by collecting 3 Kudos. When the yget the third, it is a “magic” Kudo that you scan.

Completely Customizable

Scanning the Magic Kudo brings up their own personal Rewards Wheel that you can build with each kid based on what he or she loves to do most. For Cash, he is much more interested in extra Bill Nye Episodes while Wyatt wants 10 more minutes on his bike. You know more than anyone what your kids are willing to work for, so you can set the terms, which I love.

Snag your own Kudo Banz

Summer is a tough season to come out of for some kids. I already know Cash will struggle just a tiny bit when school starts and he has to focus on tasks that he isn’t choosing. I’m glad that we started this now, two weeks before school starts to give him a little head start on discipline. Grab some Banz of your own and begin an adventure of Positive Behavior Support.

You can find them at www.KudoBanz.com

*Thank you to Kudo Banz for this opportunity to collaborate! This is a sponsored post that we enjoyed doing very much and intend to continue. The opinions and experiences are genuine and are all my own. This post does not contain any affiliate links.

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Hi There! I’m Kandice

Wife, WAHM and mother to 2 Hooligan boys, sharing my Sweet & Sticky Story of Motherhood.

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Toddler School

How to Set Up your Home School Classroom for Pre-K Kids

How to set up your Home School Classroom for Pre-K Kids. Homeschool Preschool. Home Classroom. Home School Organizing. Educational Gifts for Kids. How to make a home classroom. Preschool Classroom Ideas. Classroom Organizing. Home School Organizing. Must Haves. Top Home School Ideas. Home School Desks. Deshs for kids. How to Home School. I am beyond grateful for Cash’s Pre-school teachers and the experience he had his first year. He was the youngest kid in the building and he came out walking and talking like a Kindergartener… He still has 2 more years before he actually gets to go to Kindergarten though, since he’s still only three. In my humble opinion, I think he was prepared to start Pre-K so young because we had set up a Toddler Classroom at home, The Mess Mat, which many of you followed on Instagram with our Sensory Play and beginning developmental lessons.

Since Cash had entered Pre-K we really pulled back on the academic lessons at home so as not to overwhelm him. We did a lot more art and science while leaving the reading and writing to his new teachers. This change in my goals leads to a change in our Home School Classroom. In fact, now that Wyatt is also older, no longer a Mess Mat Baby, we’re graduating to bigger pieces of kid furniture. Many of these items overlap our previous Mess Mat structure, but they’ve been adjusted as you’ll see…

Setting up your Home School Classroom for Kids

Goodbye Toddler School! {as I cry a few soft tears acknowledging that my babies have outgrown it} and Hello to the Kid-Friendly version of a Home School Classroom where these Pre-K giants are free to roam the house and express themselves as they please… intellectually of course.

Art Easel | Chalk Board & Dry Erase

I requested this Art Easel for Christmas from the grandparents and it has not disappointed. We use it everywhere. Last summer for our Composting unit I moved it outside so the boys could paint their garden discoveries. Now that they’re older we use it to write names and words. I love that it is 2-sided for them and it is so lightweight that I can move it around all day!

4-Chair Teaching Table

Graduating from The Mess Mat brought us up off the floor and onto a Teaching Table. We’ve found a pretty awesome spot in front of our window to keep it. The boys do quite a bit here during the day and we’ve deemed in our Social Studies Center 😉

Lap Desks

Occasionally we’re still on the floor, especially Wyatt. On the wall, I have a nice big Letter Line from Dollar Tree with the Alphabet and call it the Writing Center. The boys will use the Lap Desks with the Floor Seat {see below} and post up to do a writing activity. Our Easel is stationed in front of the Alphabet Letter Line too most of the day!

Floor Seat Back Rest

This beauty is a relic from our Mess Mat days where I would use it to be on the floor for Sensory Play. But now, since they’re so grown up, the boys prefer to use it in the Writing Station. They also use it to watch their Guitar Lesson Videos! I’m pretty glad I bought mine a few years ago. Everyone sort of looked at me funny when I asked for one, but as soon as they come over… it’s pretty obvious how much I’ve used it and how much it’s saved my back!

Supplies Storage Tower & Containers

My ultimate appreciation goes to my storage containers. These beauties have helped keep me sane for many years including those BK. {before kids} I use the storage tower in the former Mess Mat area which is now known as the Art Center to store all of our art supplies. The absolute best feature is that each individual drawer closes so that the supplies can travel around the house contained. The lid stays shut while the boys bring it over to the table or take it outside, etc.

Storage Bins

If you ever come over to my house you’ll see a ton of these, everywhere. I probably own 100+ and use them in the bathrooms, my office, the closets, everywhere. I love how the provide the perfect nesting area to stack them so they can stack high and still be controlled. If I had to pick one organizational favorite of mine for overall life organizing, it would be these bins! *And don’t forget your label maker! 😉

These products are all amazing and are available on Amazon. I obviously use them daily and am glad to review them on my own with my completely genuine opinion. I have included my Amazon Affiliate links to all of these products so that you too may begin building your Home Classroom environment. Thank you for reading!

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Hi There! I’m Kandice

Wife, WAHM and mother to 2 Hooligan boys, sharing my Sweet & Sticky Story of Motherhood and taking my Boys through Toddler School. We love to learn with Sensory Play, Discovery Learning and our favorite Subscription Box, Kiwi Crate! Join us for the fun!

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Toddler School

3 Ways to Spice Up Reading with your Toddler

Reading Remix: 3 Ways to Spice Up Reading with your Toddler. Fun Reading Ideas. Reading with Kids. How to make reading more fun. Reading is something that we all know we should do with our kids. It’s always super fun, right? Well… sometimes my kids don’t want to sit and read. Despite our pretty awesome and inspiring Literacy Corner, I still have to convince them sometimes to sit still and make the reading a little extra fun to hold their attention. I don’t have to do much to spice up our reading adventure, after all they’re just toddlers. But I have a few tricks up my sleeve!

3 Ways to Spice Up Reading with your Toddler

Costumes

Cash LOVES to wear hats right now. So I brought all of my hats down to his room and just keep them in the literacy corner. When we read we all wear a hat {little brother included} Next book = next hat! If he wants to wear a new hat you got to read a new book! Cash even LOVES putting hats on Wyatt. Confession Alert: one day we did actually get pretty distracted by the hats and spent most of our Block Schedule playing dress up instead… oops! We have a few other costumes in the room too including a superhero cape {Thanks, Aunt Kelsea} and a Ninja Turtle mask Cape {Thanks, Grandma Tammy} along with pirate costumes and even a sword. Bonus points…. I read in a different voice when I’m in costume! Cash totally gets a kick out of that.

I Spy

Sometimes we don’t even read… we flip through books and just play a bit of I Spy. I ask Cash, “Can you find the lion?” “Can you find the words?” “Can you count the pirates?” and we just flip through the pictures. I think that helps Cash get a break from sitting and listening. He also likes to flip through and just point to things asking what the word is. Or we “picture read” where I ask him to tell me what he sees happening on a page. This gets him VERY involved in the story and illustrations which build his creativity.

Phonic Phones

Big surprise! Kids love to hear their own voice! Ha ha! I’m sure we ALL knew that, but even as early learners they like to hear themselves READ! Cash will go through an animal book and just say the sounds each animal makes, Moo, Oink, Neigh… guess what? That’s READING! Seeing an icon and associating a phoneme combination that needs to be translated audibly… ta da! Sounds that
each letter makes are called phonics and the child hearing their own pronunciation builds awareness. Pretty soon we’ll be able to jump from “Cow
says Moo” to “F says efffff” and that the combined letter phonemes for C-A
& T says cat. Early scaffolding folks! Phoneme recognition sequences are key!

I made my phonic phones with pipe couplings I found at Goodwill for $0.99 each and some decorative tape!

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Dollar Tree Bulk Buys | 7 Summer Fun Must Haves

7 Dollar Tree Bulk Buys for Summer Fun. How to keep kids busy all summer. Dollar Store Summer Fun. Affordable Kid Fun for Summer. Summer Activity Ideas for Kids.

ByKandice Kelso | On May 27,17 | 1 Comment

I am a huge fan of the Dollar Tree if you hadn’t already noticed from Toddler School and Instagram. The boys get what I call a “Dollar Tree Education” and it is perfect for our family in so many ways. The Dollar Tree has some amazing finds in all sections, especially both their Education aisle and Toy aisle. I think my favorite thing though is that I can combine several things and get a $5 lesson that I can stretch out for weeks. We used to call this $5 Friday on Instagram where I would share the weekend lessons and my sweet, sweet finds for home-school preschool. Now that we’re getting into Summer Vacation I’m sharing my favorite bulk buys that last all summer. Cash and Wyatt are now 4 and 2 years old for age awareness.

7 Summer Fun Bulk Buys from Dollar Tree

I shop at the Dollar Tree a lot. It is sort of my escape for happy-time shopping when I get to go out on my own away from the boys. Funny thing about that is that I’m usually buying everything for them! I do love to buy things here and there when I only need a few, but the Dollar Tree has an exceptional website where I can order bulk supplies and have it shipped to the store for free. On occasion, like the summer I place big orders all at once so that I’m stocked and don’t have to keep running in. These are my favorite bulk buys because I can use them in large quantities and with multiple kids for play dates or camping trips.

Teaching Tree Educational Wipe-Off Charts

I’m a huge Wipe-Off Chart fan. Wyatt and Cash also love the ability to quickly erase a mess as soon as they make it, which they also love to do. These charts come in a fun variety of styles. Most of them are chore charts where you can fill in tasks or goals. Others have activities or calendars. Right now we’re working on days of the week and erasing days until they get to see grandma again!

36 per case- minimum buy. 6 Variations, but each has 2 different charts in it!

Homework Helper Educational Workbooks

Cash, having just left pre-school is really eager to keep going. These Workbooks are the perfect activity to keep him entertained while laying out in the grass, the beach or on car rides throughout the summer. I also bought these Kindergarten prep workbooks although Cash is a bit too young for them still. He likes a challenge 😉

24 per case- minimum buy. 6 Variations though so 4 copies of each book. This makes for an awesome purchase if you’re going camping with a group of cousins and all want to work through the books together!

Sidewalk Chalk

Can you ever really have enough? These boxes come with 20 pieces and they’re only a minimum buy of 4 Units!

Motivational Cones

Okay, so in addition to the motivational sayings on them, mini cones have endless possibilities for kids in the summer. {As do the pool noodles!} Cash once did wind sprints around them up and down our porch to tire himself out before naptime. These little cones are thick and heavy, but small. They’re perfect for toddlers to practice jumping over.

48 per case- minimum buy. You can also buy the bigger, 7-inch playground cones that come in sets of 2 with a minimum order of 4 units (8 cones)

Backyard Bug Catcher Sets

The kids love to be outside all day now and what better way to keep them there than exploring? I’ve actually bought quite a few of these sets. Cash likes to keep the bugs separated into many containers so he can spend time observing each one before he lets it go. Wyatt just likes to strut around with a bunch of bugs in a basket around his neck… They also have another set with some better bug grabbers which are a minimum buy of 36 for a case.

Minimum Buy 4 Units

Glow Sticks

These babies tend to be a staple for summertime fun. The Dollar Tree might very well be the best place to get them already, but they make it an even better deal when you can buy in bulk! 36 units per case which means 144 glow sticks for $36.

Flash Cards

I may or may not have a Flash Card addiction… we love them and have them everywhere. I even have multiple decks of the same cards so that I know I have them in the car, restaurant bag and just around the house. Sight Word Flash Cards are even a part of our Screen Time Password for the summer. For these, you get a huge variety of the 36 packs.

36 per case- minimum buy

Thank you so much to Dollar Tree for always giving us fun and affordable supplies. I’m not sure how we would do Toddler School as big as we do without you and your budget friendly options. I am a proud Dollar Tree affiliate and the links above are my affiliate links which will give me a small commission if you buy through them. I will then use said commission to buy more awesome Dollar Tree supplies so THANK YOU! Be sure to enroll in Toddler School too so that you can follow along with us all summer and build a Dollar Tree Educational System of your own!

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