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- October 9th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
Falling Gracefully
This week, I was asked why I had my almost 4 year-old enrolled in our local gymnastics program. After all, he also attends preschool for three mornings each week where I teach. Socialization isn’t an issue for him. And, it isn’t lik
- October 2nd, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: Mom's Toy Reviews
K’Nex 400-Piece Bucket
When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time reading my two favorite “books” - every volume of the World Book of Knowledge, and the Sears Wishbook. For those of you who group up in rural America like me, the Wishbook represented childhood utop
- October 1st, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
CPSC Recalls
Here are this week’s recalls from the Consumer Product Safety Commission: 1. Toy Police Cars Recalled by TCB Imports Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard 4. Toy Boats Recalled by Buzz’s Boatyard Due to Violation of Lead
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
Make Mealtime A Teachable Moment
I got a terrific idea from my son’s teacher this week. This idea can be used with just about any subject being studied. Take a piece of posterboard (12 x 18 inches) and have your child decorate it with anything that is currently being studi
- September 29th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
Working With Preschool-Aged Children - Pre-Writing Fun
“Practice makes perfect.” These words couldn’t ring truer for preparing a child to become a writer. Writing isn’t an acquired skill; it is learned and practiced long before pencil is actually placed in hand. Here are so
- September 26th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
From Our Blogroll
As a Friday treat, I would like to point you to Nicole’s site. Nicole is the mom to four beautiful girls, and I have enjoyed reading through her site since we added her to the Wonderbrains Blogroll (see our sidebar for more blog-worthy reads!
- September 24th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
Playing - It Isn’t Just For Fun!
I spend three days a week with a class of twelve children, ages four and five years old. As one of my boys was leaving the class to go home with his mom last week, I overheard her ask her son, “How was your day today?” Her son replied
- September 22nd, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
The Perks Of Puzzles
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what does that make a puzzle worth? Puzzles are wonderful learning tools without even appearing as such. Children love to piece together puzzles at almost any age, from toddlers through the teen years and i
- September 19th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
CPSC Recalls
Here are the latest recalls from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Please visit their website for more details. 1. Pottery Barn Kids Recalls Children’s Metal Water Bottles Due to Choking Hazard 3. Remote-Controlled Helicopter Toys R
- September 17th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
Even The Little Guy Does His Chores!
(aka how I got my sons to be active participants in the way our household runs) First off, let me just state that I am NOT Supermom. My kids have tantrums, all my ideas don’t necessarily work - all the time, and I have been known to yell from
- September 16th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
You’re Never Too Old For Pretend Play
My nine year-old came bounding into the living room yesterday, weilding an unsharpened pencil and wearing his Harry Potter robe from last Halloween. “To your feet ye scallion and walk the plank or fix me snack…please!” I jumped
- September 12th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
Potty Training - The End Of The Road
It has been a long, hard road, but we finally crossed the bridge into Big-Boy-Pantsland. My younger son is almost four, and I wasn’t sure he would live to see his next birthday at the rate we were going. While my first son was Mr. Compliant
- September 10th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
For The Love Of A Doll
My husband thought I was weird at first. There I was, a new mom with a baby boy, and I was picking out a baby doll for him. He never outright said anything negative about it, but I could tell by his hesitation and slight resistance that he figure
- September 8th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
Split-Second Breakfast Ideas
There’s oftentimes that moment of panic around here when we realize we are running about ten minutes behind in the morning: will we make it to the bus? Will Mommy leave for work on time? Will we remember to brush our teeth? And, while it
- September 5th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: Mom's Toy Reviews
Indiana Jones and the Jungle Cutter Legos
These are not your mom’s LEGOs! These building blocks have really grown up since we were kids. My son got the Indiana Jones and the Jungle Cutter set for his birthday and holy cow…he hasn’t had a moment of peace to play with the Wii
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: Mom's Toy Reviews
Mom Blogs - Free Ad Space Contest
I can’t wait to tell you about The AdSpace Contest I found! The idea is simple and easy: Get as many entries as you can (very easy to do) over the next 30 days. The more entries you get, the better chance you have of winning! At the end of the
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
CPSC Recalls and Warnings
Here are the latest recalls from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. At WonderBrains, we strive to keep you up-to-date on products that may pose a hazard to your family or others near you.
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
And The Winner Is…
Earlier this summer, we ran a contest to promote our “50 Days of Summer Fun” series through the WonderBrains weblog. Thank you to everyone who participated! Today, we used the Random Number Generator at randomizer.org and our winner
- September 3rd, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
Preschool Art - It Is All In How You Look At It
“Ms. J! Ms. J! Come look what I painted!” Ella beamed at me from around our art easel in my 4 year old classroom yesterday, barely able to contain her excitement. It was catching. I wondered what I would see as I rounded the side
- September 1st, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
Supplementing Your Child’s Education
Bells are ringing across the country, in classes (and homes) as children make their way back to school for another year. As a parent, I want to give my child the best possible chance at a successful school year. Being actively involved in my chi
- August 27th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: Mom's Toy Reviews
Moon in my Room
Moon in my Room is the coolest nightlight on the planet. It’s a great-sized plastic moon that you hang on the wall. It’s remote control lets you change the phases of the moon from new moon to full moon, with a total of 12 different phases
- August 22nd, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: Mom's Toy Reviews
Summer Bridge Workbooks
This summer we’ve been working especially hard with our three-year-old daughter’s development. Her language skills have lagged behind her classmates, and some of her pronunciation is still very toddler-like. However, she’s a smart k
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
Meeting The Teacher
Many children are heading back to school this week (if not already back already). It is a time of transition and change, of new faces and old. It is a time of adjustment and a time of schedules. And that’s just the teachers!
- August 21st, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: Mom's Toy Reviews
Sticky Mosaics for Boys!
I’ve loved the Orb Factory line of Sticky Mosaics craft kits, but although their designs are awesome, they were mostly aimed at girls. There are kits for mermaids, unicorns and ponies, princesses, and even a 3-D princess palace and a jewelry bo
- August 20th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
Make Your Own Concentration Game
Concentration, or Memory, is a simple game for children that is wonderful for increasing memory skills and learning to pay attention to details. While commercially-created games are available in a wide variety of themes and ability levels, you can
- August 18th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
Edible Geometry!
Even our little kids will get a kick out of this great idea for using fun food to create some excitement about geometry! It is a great way to explore shapes, and even older kids can benefit tremendously from this hands-on activity with shapes.
- August 15th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
Reading Readiness - Get Ready For School!
Here’s a fun activity to try with your child that promotes critical thinking and school readiness. This idea can be adapted for any age from preschool through grade school and beyond. Best of all, no supplies are needed!
- August 14th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
Sightless Drawing - a New Perspective
I recently came across an activity that is quite simple, but for my boys and me, provided oodles of fun and playing time. While this is really geared toward older children, it can be just as fun with younger ones as well.
- August 11th, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: WonderBrains Weblog
FIFTY DAYS OF SUMMER FUN: WEEK 10 - FINAL INSTALLMENT!
We’ve survived (and thrived) through 10 weeks of summer. One of the few things that got me through this season was finding a small activity or purpose for each day. I hope you found a few gems yourself and will continue to search for new id
- August 1st, 2008
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spetracco has posted a new entry on: Mom's Toy Reviews
Wobble Deck is a Sturdy Toy Choice
The Wobble Deck gets my vote as the new favorite toy in our household. I’ve been looking for good toys to get the kids up and off the couch. Summertime in Florida brings warmth and sunshine, which is great for water toys and trips to the pool.
