At Home With Dot

While making play dough as a kid, I remember my mom having us put all the ingredients together and then she would cook it over the stove top. I can still recall that unique smell and the way the play dough felt so warm on your hands when you pulled it out of the pot. Then watching the food coloring move through the dough as I kneaded it was like magic. There is something about the smells and textures within a sensory activity that engrains the experience in your memory. I want my own children to have similar memories that stay with them through adulthood. This brings me to one reason why I created an outdoor play kitchen for our kids two years ago. I want my children to have memories of playing and exploration as researchers, testers, builders, risk players, explorers, adventurers, creative thinkers, and curious scientists. I love bringing the kids outdoors (or really its "kicking" them outdoors because they're running around ...

When I was in a classroom setting, we referred to our curriculum as a "Plan of Possibilities". We would make a simple list of activity ideas spurred on by our knowledge of infants and toddlers as well as our classroom observations. Our observations would guide our curriculum into a project with the children. This process is called The Project Approach and is an in-depth study of a real life topic The Project Approach usually unfolds naturally with the child leading and the facilitator (adult) adjusting the environment to meet the needs of the project. The Project Approach takes a topic that children are interested in and weaves it into the curriculum. This process goes in phases and is unique to the individuals and setting that it occurs. In order to understand this process better, I'm delighted to share with you how our most recent project unfolded with my kids at home. Each phase will take different lengths of time as you mov...

We celebrated 14 year of marriage this year! I'm here to say it has not been easy. Add kids into that mix and it becomes a REAL challenge! We are blessed with wonderful family members that watch our four little ones for a weekend here and there. However, at this time in our lives, we needed something different. Something more then just time away from the kids. We needed "something" that would push us to uncover some difficult issues and bring us closer to our heavenly Father and to each other. We've had what I considered a strong marriage. Then life brought a lot of change. Within about 8 months (starting in May 2014) we moved, said goodbye to our first foster son, my husband started a new job, the two older kids started a new school, December brought our new foster son and January 2015 his newborn sister. The dust began to settle when we were blessed in adopting both babies in 2015! (Visit Our Adoption Story and The Beauty and Ugly...

Doctor visits with little kids can be stress and anxiety producing. It doesn't have to be though! I have to admit I'm not one that gets excited about going to the Doctor with little ones in tow and I do still struggle with anxiety around it. However, with four kids I've gained a lot of experience doing it and my children have too! When I was pregnant with my second, my oldest son came with me to all my prenatal appointments! That's right, me flat on the table and a toddler on the lose in the exam room. It did not always go smoothly but he gained some great skills in waiting and entertaining himself. Now, at almost 10 years old, he is my helping hands with the younger ones. My oldest are 7 and 9 and my youngest are 2 and 3 years old. Here are some tips and ideas that may help your next Doctor trip be a success! Easing The Anxiety: * PRAY!!! Pray and ask others to pray for you. I can't tell you how many times this has reliev...

I loved my experience as an early childhood educator. I had the privilege of being a school age teacher and an infant and toddler teacher for several years. I also had the opportunity of supporting early childhood programs through our local resource and referral agency. Finally, after receiving my MA in Early Childhood, I was given the chance to be an instructor through The Program For Infant and Toddler Care . However, since 2014, I step away and now carry an important role as a mommy to my four little ones. Until about 6 months ago, I think this part of my life went dormant! I was seriously in survival mode after fostering and adopting from 2014-2016. I'm thrilled about moving forward in my profession as a full time mom! I love implementing what I've learned in my career and education with my own children. Some of my very best memories in the classroom are the materials that were available to the children. Often times, these pieces are costly. The light tabl...