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Making Family Your Top Priority

April 6, 2011 by notjustcute Filed Under: Celebrate!, Uncategorized 4 Comments

I was just sitting down to write a post about making your family your first priority when ironically – or perhaps serendipitously – my oldest son woke soon after going to bed, crying in pain with an earache.  So the laptop quickly closed, and I spent the next few hours curled up with a warm and snuggly six year-old.  Particularly set in the context, it struck me how easily sobs abated simply by putting my attention, and my presence in the right place.

Making family priority #1 seems more clear-cut in these moments of crisis than in the everyday.  Is it more important that I comfort a sick child or write?  The answer there is obvious.  But in our day-in, day-out life, it sometimes becomes more difficult to ensure that our priorities are reflected in our actions.  We become caught up in the “Tyrrany of the Urgent” or commonly suffer from “Intention Deficit Disorder”.  [Read more…]

Dr. Seuss’ Birthday is on the Way!

February 28, 2011 by notjustcute Filed Under: Building Readers, Celebrate!, Learning through Play and Experience, Unit Themes 6 Comments

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Dr. Seuss.  Not only is his writing creative, humorous, poetic, and lovably quirky, but as an educator I’ve found it to be the perfect vehicle for promoting phonological awareness, a critical skill for building readers.  With his birthday looming just around the corner (March 2), this is a popular time of year for all things Seuss!

[Read more…]

Valentine Art You Can’t Buy

February 14, 2011 by notjustcute Filed Under: Celebrate!, Create Leave a Comment

I’ve struggled to find Valentine decorations I like.  I’m really trying not to have “stuff” for the sake of “stuff”.  Similar to the guide used by Tsh of Simple Mom, I’m trying to choose things for my home that I find beautiful, useful, or meaningful.  And the standard decor in the Valentine aisle wasn’t fitting any of those three targets.  Inspired by these posts by the Nester and Childhood 101, I decided to make these Valentine canvases with my three boys. 

[Read more…]

Turn to an Old Custom for a New Tradition on Valentine’s Day

February 7, 2011 by notjustcute Filed Under: Building Readers, Celebrate!, Uncategorized 19 Comments

Valentine’s Day has never really been my favorite.  I’m no Valentine’s Grinch, I’ve just always been stumped by the traditional gift choices.

[Read more…]

Will You Be My Valentine?

February 2, 2011 by notjustcute Filed Under: Celebrate!, Create, Learning through Play and Experience 2 Comments

Valentine’s Day is rolling in!  I have some Valentine favorites from the past that I often use, like these Five Valentine Treats ,and the sweet math activityValentine Candy Heart Count , and I always bust out my post office dramatic play area to coincide with the season of love letters.  But I’m always looking for some new ideas, and so I thought I’d share some of the posts that got me excited lately!

[Read more…]

Simple Ways to Keep Little Hands Busy at Christmastime

December 20, 2010 by notjustcute Filed Under: Celebrate!, Create, Get Outside, Learning through Play and Experience 3 Comments

This is an exciting time of year!  And sometimes that excitement, left unchanneled, can wreck havoc on your sanity.  If you’re finding that the nervous energy in your house is being directed into whining, fighting, or general destruction, consider ways you can redirect that energy in positive, productive ways.  To paraphrase from my e- book, it isn’t enough to tell children to STOP what they’re doing.  To be more effective, you need to give them things they CAN do.  It’s like trying to stop water from running down a hill.  You can’t just tell it to stop, or even try to force it to stop with a dam – it eventually runs over the top.  But you can dig a ditch, a channel, to move it in a more constructive direction.

[Read more…]

Do You Believe in Santa Claus?

December 15, 2010 by notjustcute Filed Under: Celebrate!, Uncategorized 23 Comments

I’ve felt conflicted for some time about the role of Santa Claus in Christmas. 

[Read more…]

It’s Turkey Time!

November 24, 2010 by notjustcute Filed Under: Celebrate!, Create Leave a Comment

With Thanksgiving right around the bend, it might be a fun time for a little turkey craft at the kiddie table.  That’s right, I used the word craft.  Remember, there’s a Spectrum of Preschool Arts and Crafts.  There are times when a craft may better fill your objectives, but as I mentioned in last year’s Turkey Time Craft, you have to be sure your craft matches the abilities of your children, that you have the time and extra adult assistance that crafts require, and that you are willing to let go of the final product and let the children own it.

[Read more…]

It's Turkey Time!

November 24, 2010 by notjustcute Filed Under: Celebrate!, Create Leave a Comment

With Thanksgiving right around the bend, it might be a fun time for a little turkey craft at the kiddie table.  That’s right, I used the word craft.  Remember, there’s a Spectrum of Preschool Arts and Crafts.  There are times when a craft may better fill your objectives, but as I mentioned in last year’s Turkey Time Craft, you have to be sure your craft matches the abilities of your children, that you have the time and extra adult assistance that crafts require, and that you are willing to let go of the final product and let the children own it.

[Read more…]

What Would Your Pet Monster Look Like?

October 27, 2010 by notjustcute Filed Under: Celebrate!, Create Leave a Comment

Halloween may provide an ideal window, but there’s really not a bad time for Laura Numeroff’s book,  Ten Step Guide to Living with Your Monster.  From the same author who wrote the “If You Give a…” series, this whimsical spin on monsters explains how one should select and care for a new pet monster.  It’s hard to hang on to any fear of monsters as this story shows them playing the banjo, blowing bubbles, and drinking from the bathtub!

[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.

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