Starfall

Had to stay home from my Tuesday morning Moms' group today since Li'l Girlie has some tummy issues.  She didn't need to be in bed, but it still wasn't a good idea to have an active day.  What to do?

Perfect day for Starfall.com's Learn to Read with Phonics.  Since Li'l Girlie is only three, we've just used the first level of learning ABC's, and she really enjoys all the interactive pictures that go along with learning each letter and its sounds.  To her, it's sheer entertainment, but she's learned a ton from it.  That's my favorite kind of learning....so enjoyable that it's all fun and being proud of your accomplishments.  Here's a sample of what you'll find on the first level:



So what do your kids like to do when they're home sick? What other learning websites would you recommend for preschoolers?

Free Chick-fil-A and Learning on the Go

It definitely pays to join Chick-fil-A Insiders.  If  you or someone you love (read:  your kids) enjoy Chick-fil-A, you'll get emails notifying you of when they have exclusive free previews of new products.  Earlier in the year I got a free Spicy Chicken Sandwich, and this month was the Spicy Chicken Biscuit.

Free food was a great excuse for a morning excursion to our favorite fast food place.  Li'l Girlie is beyond enamored with Chick-fil-A...the nuggets, the cows, the play area, not to mention getting to drink milk out of a cute container with a straw.  All happy stuff in her book.

On this trip, we discovered the cow clock table-toppers, which immediately drew Li'l Girlie's interest.  We had fun moving the cow's arms and practicing counting with the numbers on the clock.  We practiced our moos and talked about what cows like to eat and what they do.  Between that and the play area, we ended up spending almost all morning at Chick-fil-A.

And why do I share this?

Well, the first paragraph is all about the free food, of course.  The rest of it is what Miriam Huffman Rockness, in her book A Time for Play - On Childhood and Creativity describes as fanning the flames of a child's interest.  As parents we can push our children to have interest in certain activities, and sometimes our child will glom onto them and have a ball, but what really sparks a child's creativity and desire to learn is parents latching onto something their son or daughter is already excited about and helping them explore that interest.

A boy who loves dinosaurs but doesn't care to read much will readily devour books his parents supply to him about T-Rex, Apatosaurus and Triceratops and learn huge vocabulary words to describe the objects of his obsession.  While that interest may not lead him into being a palientologist, it just might.  Or, at least along the way, it's teaching him both that his parents care about his passions and that there are fascinating worlds of knowledge to explore. 

Right now my daughter loves chicken nuggets and cows.  Who says we have to eat and run when there's an opportunity for learning through something she already thinks is fun.