Babbyone Blog

I’m sharing a couple of old faves while I’m away this week. This one was initially uploaded January 19, 2010. Mouse Paintby Ellen Stoll Walsh is just one of my extremely favorite publications for showing concerning main as well as secondary colors. The children absolutely love it too. In the tale, 3 mice climb up… continue reading

I’m sharing a few old favorites while I’m  away this week.  This one was originally posted way back in June of 2009. It’s only June, and my preschool age son is already antsy for school.  He asked me to “play preschool” with him yesterday.  A convenient request, since I’m pretty good at playing preschool.  He’s watched the… continue reading

I’m sharing some of my old favorites while I’m away this week.  This one was originally posted July 6, 2010. Many parents have come to their child’s preschool teacher with the same concern.  “It seems like my child plays dress-up all day at preschool.  What could he possibly be learning from that?”  The question is… continue reading

In my ebook I discuss the importance of developing intrinsic motivation in our children.  It’s widely accepted that children shouldn’t be bribed because it can reinforce power struggles and negative behaviors.  But at the same time, positive reinforcement and celebrating accomplishments can also be powerful tools.  This can sometimes be confusing for parents and teachers… continue reading

I’m trading my usual Wednesday post for a Tuesday post to let you know about a couple of guest posts I have out there in the blogosphere right now. First off, at Simple Kids I’m writing about the importance of sharing family stories — from the mundane to the miraculous — and the effect it… continue reading

This Friday’s Q&A is a hot topic.  In response to a reader’s question about handling weapon themed play among preschoolers, I’ll discuss the importance of fantasy play for children and how we can come up with reasonable, enforceable boundaries.  Of course, this is a question with answers that come from a variety of perspectives, so… continue reading

I had actually orginally planned on including the moment Timer in the First Friday Q&A, however it simply really did not seem to jive with the hot topic I wound up with for the Q&A feature, so I’m offering it a post of its own. This is one of my favorite time administration tools for… continue reading

Due to the enormous amount of fun we’ve been having with face painting around here lately, I thought I’d let you in on a little secret I learned about a decade ago while teaching at the lab school.  If you purchase an inexpensive set of  Watercolor Colored Pencils you can use them for face paint simply by dipping… continue reading

Just one page into Fountas and Pinnell’s new book, Literacy Beginnings: A Prekindergarten Handbook, I turned to my husband and said, “There’s a good chance I’m going to like any book that starts a discussion of early literacy with a diagram of a classroom that includes things like a sensory table, art supplies, and a dramatic play corner.” Before… continue reading

This week, I’ve written about the Importance of a Good Foundation and introduced you to Literacy Beginnings — A Prekindergarten Handbook,  a resource I truly believe will become a new standard resource for early literacy.  After Wednesday’s post outlining the wealth of information in this great book, you might be surprised to know there’s even MORE!  At… continue reading