As the start of a fresh new school year approaches, I find myself turning my attention to our surroundings. Our living spaces. Of course there are a lot of choices to be made concerning planning and curriculum, but I know that the spaces in our home have the potential to make or break our school […]
Water Fun with a Marble Run
August 14, 2013 by
Using water as a learning tool in the summertime serves a dual purpose; kids learn and stay cool! Below is a list of three things that kids can learn about water through water fun with a marble run. 1. Water drips in drops. Due to surface tension, when water is slowly dripping off the marble […]
6 Simple Discovery Bottles
August 12, 2013 by
I’m getting ready to start the homeschool year with my rising first grader and preschooler. I really needed a quick and engaging activity to keep the baby occupied for a few minutes while I assist my daughters with their schoolwork. These simple discovery bottles were the way to go! I already had all the materials […]
Planning Your First Year of Homeschooling
August 9, 2013 by
You’ve taught your little one his alphabet. You’ve made sensory bins, explored with play dough, and even made a light table. Now it’s that time for your little one to venture to Kindergarten — but instead of sending them to school, you’ve decided to try homeschooling for a few years. But where do you […]
The Pros and Cons of Becoming a Homeschooler
August 5, 2013 by
Homeschooling is becoming a popular choice. It gives the children a flexible schedule and allows the curriculum to cater to the individual child. Is homeschooling the right choice for you? Well, that all depends. I was brought up in the public school system. K – 12 I went in and out of a school house […]
Learning in an Instant: Scissor Skills
August 2, 2013 by
I know many families are preparing for the upcoming school year by setting aside a little time to let their kids practice some of the basics before they go back. Practicing scissor skills can be one of the easiest activities to encourage. And it can be fun! You don’t even have to have an end […]
An Introduction to the Playful Learning Ecademy
July 29, 2013 by
We here at Inner Child Learning consider ourselves play advocates and fully support learning through play. So it’s no surprise that we also love and support the Playful Learning Ecademy. My family is continuously inspired to focus on playful learning through the amazing eLessons offered. There is truly something for everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed the […]
Ocean Themed Fun
July 26, 2013 by
Interested in teaching your children more about the ocean? Make a day out of it! Here are some ideas for planning a day filled with lots of ocean themed fun. Eat ocean themed food Make an octopus’s garden snack with a bell pepper as the body and 8 legs wallowing in the dip of your […]
Beach Keepsake Craft
July 24, 2013 by
One of our favorite places to go for vacation is the beach. It’s so relaxing and enjoyable, yet at the same time, the kids love to explore, build, and discover on the shoreline. This summer, I decided to use this opportunity to create a beach keepsake using their discoveries. The supplies you need are quite […]
Developing Storytelling Skills with a Mini Sandbox
July 19, 2013 by
Here’s a quick and easy way to work on developing storytelling skills with your preschooler using the sandbox, or in this case, a mini-sandbox! Clara was very lucky to have received this mini sandbox kit from a friend for her birthday, and she has spent many hours happily playing with this!! You could easily make […]
Sandbox Social Skills
July 17, 2013 by
There is a park near our home that has a spectacular public sandbox. Public sandboxes are fun places to play and learn because the high quantity of children and sand-toys present many opportunities for preschoolers to develop life-long social skills. As parents, we sometimes forget that our children are not born with social skills. Children […]
How to Make Cloud Dough
July 15, 2013 by
Summer is a great time to get outside and play in the sand and water, but those aren’t the only sensory activity opportunities! The warm weather makes it easy to take a variety of activities outside, and that typically means less mess and more fun! So today we’re sharing a video tutorial on how to […]
How to Make Colored Shadows
July 10, 2013 by
Sometimes summer plans don’t go as we wanted them to, especially if we end up with rainy days! Last week, we ended up being stuck in the house when we really wanted to be enjoying the sunshine. We pulled out a few lamps and created our own shadows. To our surprise, shadows don’t always have […]
Pretend Cake Tutorial
July 8, 2013 by
It’s amazing how much learning actually takes place during pretend play. The first time I discovered that my son could add and subtract efficiently, without prior lessons and without prompting, was while playing grocery store. I was astonished as he added up my total! Thanks to several rainy days, we’ve recently had a great deal […]
Around the Web: Exploring Nature with Kids
July 7, 2013 by
This week we’ve shared a fun fossil finding activity at a creek and five tips for exploring nature with kids, but we don’t want the sharing to end there! We’ve gathered 10 inspiring posts from around the web that are sure to get your kids playing and learning outside. 1. Make a nature study kit […]
5 Tips for Exploring Nature with Kids
July 6, 2013 by
It’s important for children to be encouraged to connect with nature, but what if you are a little timid when it comes to exploring the outdoors? Whether you identify yourself as an “indoors” person or you just don’t know where to start, here are a few things you can do to make the transition a […]
Fossil Hunting at the Creek
July 5, 2013 by
Summer is hot and the water in the creek is cold! We had fun cooling our toes while hunting for fossils! The rocks in the creek we visited were predominantly shale and limestone. Mixed into the bunch were some incredible fossils! I explained to the boys that fossils were impressions of the remains of creatures […]
5 Must Follow Pinterest Boards for Summer Learning
July 2, 2013 by
Are you on Pinterest? Looking for some inspiring boards to follow for plenty of Summer learning activity ideas? Here are five of our all-time favorite Pinterest boards you’ll want to add to your “must follow” list to help foster your child’s love of learning throughout the Summer months and beyond! 1. Inner Child Learning — Educational crafts […]
