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147 Things You Don’t Need to Do During the Holidays

December 4, 2012 by notjustcute Filed Under: Celebrate!, Uncategorized 44 Comments

Have you hopped on Pinterest lately?  It’s a feast for the eyes and the imagination!  You’ll instantly be reminded that it’s Christmastime when you see loads and loads of pins with an abundance of ideas — 42 New Traditions to Make Christmas Magical, 239 Ways to Position Your Christmas Elf, 96 Christmas Songs to Download Now, and 63 New Cookie Recipes You Can’t Live Without.  So many great resources!  I have to admit I love being able to hop on and find new inspiration with just a few keystrokes.

But perhaps the real brilliance is not in finding all the best new stuff to do this Christmas, but in choosing what NOT to do. [Read more…]

Weekend Reads 12.1.12

December 1, 2012 by notjustcute Filed Under: Celebrate!, Uncategorized, Weekend Reads 1 Comment

Guess who helped me pick out today’s picture?

[Read more…]

Stone Soup: A lesson in sharing

November 29, 2012 by notjustcute Filed Under: Building Readers, Learning through Play and Experience, Positive Guidance and Social Skills, Uncategorized 3 Comments

I was working on a batch of Stone Soup today, and thought it might be time to dig up, dust off, update, and reshare my favorite Stone Soup lesson from three years ago.  It’s a great way to start a discussion about the importance of sharing.  And who couldn’t use some nice, warm soup this time of year?

[Read more…]

#blog4cause: Playdough Cupcake Decorating Kits for the Children’s Hospital

November 27, 2012 by notjustcute Filed Under: Learning through Play and Experience, Positive Guidance and Social Skills, Uncategorized 9 Comments

A while ago I told you about the Blog 4 Cause Campaign, an initiative created by my friends Amy of Teach Mama and Allie of No Time for Flashcards.  I wanted to involve my sons in projects they could relate to.  There’s an amazing children’s hospital near where we live, where they knew their cousin’s cousin, Matthew, had spent the better part of a year waiting for a second heart transplant (which he miraculously received!) before finally returning home.

A little boy my own boys had never met, but whom they had talked about, asked about, and prayed for.  They knew him as a little boy like them.  A little boy who likes light sabers and ninjas, and who wanted to be healthy  — and home.  This experience made Primary Children’s Medical Center an ideal cause for my boys.

Primary Children’s Medical Center is a phenomenal children’s hospital.  They are not only one of the best places from a medical standpoint, they also do a tremendous job of meeting the needs of the whole child as well as the child’s family.  On the list of desired donation items, which they use to engage the children staying in the hospital, I noticed playdough and craft kits.  I wanted to give my kids a chance to really get involved in the project, so I thought I’d have them help create playdough cupcake kits (inspired by this post from NurtureStore).  Nothing like the combination of playdough and party-style cupcakes to make a child smile!

[Read more…]

Amazing Ebook Sale — Thanksgiving Weekend Only!

November 21, 2012 by notjustcute Filed Under: Learning through Play and Experience, Uncategorized 4 Comments

learning through play

*Sorry — this offer has now closed.  But you can follow all links to the original source blogs to buy any individual ebooks in the bundle!

[Read more…]

Thanksgiving Activities for the Kids’ Table

November 20, 2012 by notjustcute Filed Under: Celebrate! 2 Comments

With Thanksgiving upon us here in America, it’s customary to take some extra time to ponder on the things we’re grateful for.  I am blessed with so many things.  Among those are the blessings that have come from this blog — and for that, I want to thank you, the readers of Not Just Cute.

Also on the minds of those preparing for Thanksgiving Day is how to keep all the little ones at your gathering happily busy in all the right ways.  I’ve gathered up a sampling of great activities (with tons of fine motor practice and creativity opportunities) so you can gather the kiddos around and build great memories together.

[Read more…]

Weekend Reads 11.17.12

November 17, 2012 by notjustcute Filed Under: Weekend Reads 2 Comments

Thanksgiving weekend special offer

I’m so excited to give you a heads up about a wonderful project I’ve been invited to participate in!  Melitsa of Raising Playful Tots and Cathy of Nurturestore have put together a bundle of ebooks from some of your favorite bloggers and are offering it for an amazing “Black Friday” price.  (Read more about the titles at the bottom of this post!)  This sale starts the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and ends the Monday after.  So in between the turkey and pie, check in to catch this great deal!

[Read more…]

Bread Baking with Preschoolers

November 14, 2012 by notjustcute Filed Under: Learning through Play and Experience, Snack Time 6 Comments

There’s something special about bread.  It may be its universal nature, found in different forms all around the world.  Ann Morris’ book, Bread, Bread, Bread takes a fantastic around the world photo journey examining bread throughout a variety of cultures. (It’s a great book I would strongly recommend as part of a food unit like the one I outline over here.)

[Read more…]

Here’s Your Permission to Ignore Good Parenting Advice

November 12, 2012 by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Positive Guidance and Social Skills, Uncategorized 11 Comments

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by good parenting advice?  Ever feel like your head might explode, not only from the sheer volume of well-meaning recommendations, but also from the mind-numbing contradictions among “experts”?  Ever sat on the verge of tears (or completely gushing with them) because of the thoughtless, misguided, or — even worse — totally spot-on critiquing of your parenting?

[Read more…]

Weekend Reads 11.10.12

November 10, 2012 by notjustcute Filed Under: Uncategorized, Weekend Reads 5 Comments

We haven’t hit Thanksgiving yet, but it’s already looking like winter around here this weekend!

[Read more…]

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I’m Amanda Morgan. Here’s what I’m about…

In early education, there is too much distance between what we know and what we do. I bridge the gaps that exist between academia, decision-makers, educators, and parents so that together, we can improve the quality of early education while also respecting and protecting the childhood experience.

Content Copyrighted (2008-2025), Amanda Morgan, All Rights Reserved

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