Emotion Cards Freebie

  I openly admit that we are Daniel Tiger Neighborhood fanatics in this house. When P turned one, we started introducing the show slowly. And from then until he turned two, that was the only show that he would watch. Let me stress that again, that was only show in this entire world that he would watch. I can quote every episode, and every song. But to be honest, I didn't mind.  Social skills are incredibly important.  I can teach P letters, sounds, names, numbers and whatever else.  But social skills take time, control, and lots of practice. Social skills can be tricky to teach sometimes, but those jingles that go along with each episode are the. best. ever.  We sing them all the time around this house and 75% of the time they produce desired results. And with a very high strung two year old, that's a miracle. 

  When I decided to start doing preschool with P, I knew emotions and social skills were going to a big objective for me. Not only did I want Porter to be able to identify his emotions, but I wanted him to identify the emotions from other kids as well. And I wanted to help him understand how we get these emotions. For example, someone took our toy, so now we feel mad.  Now, I get it. He's two. He won't conquer this concept entirely. But I know two things will happen: 

1.  Kids are constantly learning.  He will pick up little pieces of this big concept. That is good enough for me.  

2.  Talking with your kids about emotions build relationships. And I strive to have a good relationship with my littles always. Not just when they are little.

So. Here is a freebie to help get that discussion going.

These emotion cards can be a great way to start a conversation about feelings.  Here are some examples of questions you can ask.

*How is the child in the picture feeling?

*How can you tell that is how they feel?

*How can we make someone who is sad feel better?

*When is a time that you felt happy?

  After your discussion, put magnets on the back, put them on Popsicle sticks, or hang them around the room! Then when you need to talk about feelings, refer them back to these cards! It will help them make a connection between the lesson and their little lives. 

For your free download, click here.

Alphabet Sort File Folder

Let's talk preschool.  Doing preschool with one little or multiple littles can be a challenge. 

Scenario: It's time for preschool, but if your a SAHM like me, some mornings are unpredictable. Maybe your little split their ENTIRE bowl of cereal on the ground, and as soon as you clean up that you find their water spilled in the kitchen, and then as soon as you clean up that you find them hypnotized by Paw Patrol and their sitting in a puddle of pee {have I mentioned I'm deathly afraid of potty training??}. And it's all you can do to throw on those comfortable leggings, a t shirt, and throw your hair in a mom bun {let's be honest, I rock those every day}, before the door bell rings and the littles are here from your preschool swap group.  Crap.  Or even if you are doing preschool alone, it's that designated time for preschool, but you're not ready for it yet. And think to yourself, Maybe we will just skip today. 

Two words: File Folders

File folder games have multiple purposes. For preschool, they are perfect for when you need that time filler.  I have multiple file folder games on hand.  If I need a few minutes to gather myself for preschool, then we start preschool that day with a file folder game. I call them "invitations to learn." I choose the games that are at P's level or a give him a little challenge. But then, here's the kicker, he chooses the file folder game. Let your little take charge of their learning. Next, he sits at his work area while I grab the materials needed for his preschool lessons that day.  Every couple of minutes, I will check on his progress, give him some direction, and then remove myself again so he can work independently.  See the beauty of it! It makes it very easy to manage one little or many littles.  This also works great if some kids are finishing up a project, but one or two finish early. File Folder Games. They are still engaged in learning, which makes little disruption, which makes less stress for you! 

So here is the file folder game we are introducing to you today. 

It's an alphabet sort for uppercase and lowercase letters. It's a pretty easy concept, just place the uppercase letters on the uppercase seaweed, and the lowercase letters on the lowercase seaweed.

It always makes me smile how much P loves velcro.  I am a serious lover of velcro. It's like my duct tape. To me, velcro can fix anything. I blame my addiction to velcro on the carpet walls I had in my classroom.  Any other teachers out there who had to decorate with carpet walls??

To make a file folder game, glue the cover on the front, the two sheets of paper on the inside of the folder, and the directions on the back.  Send the file folder OPEN through the laminator.  Send each pufferfish card also through separately. Cut the extra lamination off the ends.  Finally, place the velcro on the seaweed, and the other half on the card. Easy as that!

But hey. We get it. You're busy. So if you would rather have us make it and ship it to you, you can buy it here. But, it honestly can be super easy to make if you have the time! So feel free to buy the printable here or here.

Stay tuned for bundles of file folders!

Jar Color Sort

Hey there, friends! We have a really cute game available for you today! It's a color sort - but better! We have been doing sorts around here since Big P was about 18 months old. Colors are definitely a favorite sorting tool.  By the time he was two, he knew a few of his colors because we had practice sorting so many times! But like I said, this is even BETTER. Here's why: It's magnetic - like learning! {See what I did there. Throwing our blog name in there shamelessly}. 

There are 8 different colored jars with four items that can be put "inside the jars." Big P and I played this game 5 times today.  And for a little boy who chooses a different toy/game every two minutes, I call that a win! When we did the activity for preschool, I got out a baking sheet and we sorted it on that.  When I was making dinner, I had him use the fridge while I watched and encouraged him. Each time it took about 5-8 minutes.  I had a huge magnetic board in my classroom {now in my house} that the kids used for spelling or similar activities. They loved it! There is just something about magnets, and being able to physically move the pictures around.  Something simple as that can really engage the Littles!

But just wait, it gets better. For some, printing, cutting, laminating, cutting again, and then gluing the magnets on just seems ridiculous. But for two teachers turned SAHM, it's therapeutic. So, if you would rather just have this neatly packaged outside your door in 5-7 business days, go to our Etsy shop here.  We'll even include two of these cute little bags to hold all the pieces.If you are just as crazy as we are and want to do this little craft on your own, you can find the printable here or here. 

Enjoy!

Letter A Craftivity & Book Preview

Have you ever heard of a Craftivity?  It is a Craft + Activity and it creates a whole lot of fun and learning! I was OBSESSED with them while I was teaching. Each week, I always included a crafitivity into at least one of my lessons.  Luckily, my little P loves them just as much as I do. In my crafitivities, I try to include coloring, cutting, and gluing as much as possible. I know the messes are so inconvenient, but the fine motor skills are priceless!  Here is a little preview (& freebie!) of  our ABC print-n-go crafitivity book.  It has a craft to go with every letter!  P & I work on one letter a week or every other week.  Then we put his little letter creations into a sheet protector and then in a binder.  It goes with all of his other books so he can refer to it often. And you know he does. Alligator! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!

He's adroable.

  I hope you love it as much as I do!

All you have to do is download the link here.

You will find that each letter includes three things:
1.What the final craft should look like.
2. The letter.
3. And the pieces.

After you have downloaded the file, just print it at home and do a letter craft with your little!

Welcome to Magnetic Learning!

Hey there, friends!  It seems fitting to introduce ourselves on our first ever blog post. So here it goes:

I'm Chelsea! I was married to this handsome guy in 2011 and in those five years we had two cute kids.

I am an avid blogger, planner, and total Fixer Upper fan girl.  I have a house full of boys who keep me exhausted and happy. While my husband was in school studying Civil Engineering, I taught 4th grade in Idaho for three years.  That's where I met my adorable co-worker Neoloni (you'll meet her soon...lucky you!). Those three years mean more to me than words can describe. But as soon as I had my second boy and my husband graduated with his degree, I closed the door to "Mrs. Thompson All-Stars," and jumped into the role of Motherhood. 

P & B are my inspiration for everything I do. My oldest boy just hit two and his energy is out of this world, and so is his love for learning.  He loves counting, letters, colors, and anything that has to do with exploring. When I create my activities, my goal is for them to foster his love for learning.  I want learning to magnetic for him. I want him to be drawn to it. I want these activities to stick to his little brain and I want him to love it.

Hence, Magnetic Learning!

I'm Noelani! Yes, the name is Hawaiian but unfortunately I am not! I love creating, Crafting, Tennis, and cozing up to a good book.  Like Chelsea I got married in 2011, how could I resist this man and his dimples.

Since then we have been blessed with two children, a three year old boy and an eighteen month girl. My husband just finished his undergrad in Idaho. While he was in school I taught third grade for a year then first for two and loved every minute! My husband recently got in to PA school and now I'm a stay at home mom, teacher at heart. So days are filled with fun, exploring, playing, and learning.
I love learning, and I want that same love of learning for my kids.
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Now that you have met the brains behind this blog, don't be a stranger! Let us know what resources you are looking for. Educating little minds is a BIG task (trust us, we know). So, let's work together on this and make learning magnetic!