4 Books that Teach Us About Patriotic Songs

Labor Day Children’s Books For Labor Day most Americans are attending parades hearing patriotic songs that we all have known since childhood. Here are my favorite children’s books that describe the stories behind some of my favorite songs.  My Country, ‘Tis of Thee: How One Song Reveals the History of Civil Rights by Claire Rudolf Murphy […]

Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Weekly Trip to the Library What can you make with one oval, two circles, and eight triangles? Just ask three clever mice. In Mouse Shapes,the mice play with shapes while hiding from a cat. In the end, the mice build big mice to scare the cat away. After reading the book let the kids trace […]

The Nanny Time Bomb by Jacalyn S. Burke

Weekly Trip to the Library I am ashamed to admit I was hesitant to read The Nanny Time Bomb: Navigating the Crisis in Child Care simply because I thought the title sounded aggressive and negative. I regret having waited so long. Author Jacalyn S. Burke is a terrific writer who understands the nanny industry in America […]

Thanksgiving Day Parade Book and Activities

Balloons Over Broadway The kids I care for are going to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on Thanksgiving morning so I borrowed “Balloons over Broadway” by Melissa Sweet from the library to prepare them for the fun and festivities. But if your charges aren’t goingto the parade they will still love watching the parade on television […]

“Autumn Leaves” by Ken Robbins

Prepare kids for fall nature walks by reading “Autumn Leaves,” with this bright, informative celebration of leaves by Ken Robbins. In “Autumn Leaves” by acclaimed photographer Ken Robbins lets the blazing colors of 13 North American deciduous trees shine without technical assistance. Robbins provides life-sized reproductions of leaves, shown clearly against a white background, making […]

15 Best Rhyming Books for Beginning Readers

There is a reason that children’s books rhyme. When teaching reading and spelling, patterns using rhyming words really helps. For example, if a child can read the word cat, they can figure out how to spell bat, fat, hat, mat, and sat just by replacing the beginning letter. Research shows that learning to manipulate words […]

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon and Projects

Weekly Trip to the Library A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon is a great book for teaching individuality. This teaches kids that it is okay to be yourself, to like things that other people may not like, to be good at something that other people may think is strange or different and to not […]

Former Nanny Debuts Book

Nanny and Me by Florence Ann Romano Nanny and Me is a children’s book based on author Florence Ann Romano’s own experiences working as a nanny with families. She started working with children when she was just 12-years-old, and now she’s sharing those cherished memories in her debut book for children making the transition from being cared for […]

Stop Power Struggles with Kids

Using Natural Consequences When kids don’t wear their coat, they get cold. When children refuse to eat, they become hungry. When they don’t use an umbrella in the rain, they get wet. The concept of using natural consequences to teach children, rather than punishing them, is allowing things to happen naturally, without adult interference. In […]

Do the Kids You Care for Talk-Back?

How to Respond to Disrespectful Behavior I confess when a teen talks-back it enrages me. I know it’s normal for youngsters to whine and for tweens to be moody so why do I have so much difficulty dealing with a teen that talks-back? I typically react emotionally wanting to defend myself and I am ashamed […]