tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34637138945315830672020-09-06T04:47:30.974-05:00A website focused on creative learning and play ideas, as well as parenting topics.Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comBlogger696125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-37885696804120175942020-08-16T11:13:00.000-05:002020-08-16T11:13:03.013-05:00

Hello, friends! Sometime in the next week, the name of this site will be changing. You'll see a new name, a new setup, and new icons. But don't worry, it's the same me!! Just now known as Do.Play.Learn.It's been over 8 years since I started this blogging journey. The blog name, Crayon Freckles, was initially chosen based on the children I had at the time. One had freckles, the other liked to

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-72375093708830289392019-12-09T13:43:00.000-06:002020-06-26T00:08:28.025-05:00

Dinosaurs are one of those preschool themes that never fail to interest and thrill young learners. After winding down Dinovember, my 5 year old was interested in reading some books about dinosaurs. As luck would have it, a new dinosaur children’s picture book has come out that can help us do just that! This post may contain Affiliate links. More here. I’ve been friends with Janine over

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-72237269595101931982018-05-08T01:44:00.000-05:002020-06-26T00:03:56.436-05:00

Being able to identify the alphabet is the stepping stone to recognizing sight words and independent reading. It's always wonderful when books can tie into these important skills. So when Penguin Books sent us the latest Llama Llama book, we fell in love! Practicing the ABCs doesn't have to be boring or redundant. See how I used this book to draw my little learner into working with the ABCs.

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-4305871947889564662018-04-18T23:19:00.000-05:002020-06-26T00:21:20.109-05:00

Sleep is probably one of the toughest issues we face as parents. So many different issues come up... one last drink of water, having the right stuffed animal, it's too hot/cold, too light/dark. Seems like these funny little ones can think of hundreds of reasons to prolong going to sleep. So how do we handle this as parents? Over the years, I've found that having a consistent bedtime routine has

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-13583399754036827992018-04-12T02:06:00.000-05:002018-04-12T22:15:00.602-05:00

As a parent of a child who has had to repeat a grade, it can be a tough issue to tackle. Children's books on this topic are hard to find. So when I heard of Rebecca Eisenberg's new book, My Second Year of Kindergarten, I knew it was something I wanted to share with all of you. I'm so very grateful she sent me a free copy to preview and share my thoughts on with you. So what do you do when

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-67177901926233732592018-03-29T00:07:00.000-05:002020-06-26T00:22:20.179-05:00

Spring is officially here so we get to do one of our favorite things: go on walks after dinner. There is so much happening during this season... plants are growing, birds are chirping, bugs are crawling. So why not use this time to develop literacy and observation skills? This post contains Affiliate links More here. Go for a walk and encourage children to observe all the sights,

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-40066534094075377972018-03-25T01:02:00.000-05:002020-06-27T01:12:15.027-05:00

It's the Spring Break season and so many people are taking trips to distant destinations. That's what makes this airplane and cloud math activity perfect for young learners. It combines learning with things that interest a lot of children. This post contains Affiliate links. More here. Materials needed: Counting Clouds Activity Mat 10 cotton balls Laminator (if desired)

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-81947456244166555592018-03-15T02:04:00.000-05:002020-06-26T00:23:28.745-05:00

Where we come from can often tell our story. Our heritage is an inherent part of who we are. That's what makes the new book, Islandborn, by Junot Diaz, such a gem. It tells the story of a young girl who looks for her roots and find pride and joy in them. Find out how we translated this into an activity that pertains to our family. And a quick "thank you" to Penguin Random House books for

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-25978812939594255912018-02-27T02:18:00.000-06:002020-06-26T00:23:59.207-05:00

I'm so very excited to announce that I'm a new contributor over at Rainy Day Mum! I want to share my first post with you. It's based on one of our favorite books, Dragons Love Tacos! This post contains Affiliate links. More here. This fun activity uses the fun book Dragons Love Tacos and incorporates it into a math-based learning activity for kids. Download the free printable for

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-23094284131060410992018-02-26T01:31:00.000-06:002020-06-26T00:24:51.528-05:00

Recently, Penguin Books sent us a new release to preview. The book, Come With Me, by Holly M. McGhee and illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre is a touching story about a little girl who sees tragedy in the news and struggles to deal with it. In light of the recent tragedy in Parkland and the general climate in our country, it's a book that can truly help children cope with tragedy. Find out how we're

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-1835858293237823092018-02-20T01:04:00.000-06:002020-06-26T00:25:21.680-05:00

"Mom, why are all the flags half mast today?" This question from my nine year old son two days after our nation's most recent school shooting in Parkland, FL. I told him simply and without much detail that there had been another school shooting and that 17 people had been killed. "Another one?" he asked. "Yes, baby. Another one. What do you make of that?" And then our conversation ensued.

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-85596997094273243692018-02-12T00:05:00.000-06:002018-02-12T00:05:32.639-06:00

Classifying nouns can be tricky. So when Bear was going over them in school, I created this worksheet for him just to provide extra practice. So I figured I would share it with you all so that you could use it. Because of his interests, I developed a community themed noun classification worksheet that you can download free below.    It's a very straightforward activity. All kiddos have

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-34062097199302757332018-01-16T03:30:00.000-06:002020-06-26T00:26:00.454-05:00

What is love? How do children see various aspects of the ultimate human emotion? We're coming up on Valentine's Day, which makes this bookmaking activity perfect for this time of year.   This post contains Affiliate links. More here. I was inspired to do it after reading a book that Penguin Random House sent us to preview. Newbery Medal-winning author Matt de la Peña and bestselling

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-41784198920115595062018-01-15T02:53:00.000-06:002020-06-26T00:26:50.496-05:00

It's the new year and so many of us are trying to do things better this year than we did last. So I thought I would touch on how we can help our children change the world through social activism. Now... in today's social climate, there are few words that draw as much criticism as the word "activist". It's seen as a radical, leftist position that goes against the norm. But, the world is a crazy

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-25247219254299530422018-01-09T03:12:00.000-06:002020-06-26T00:27:17.816-05:00

There are so many stories of influential women in history that are little known. That's why I wanted to put together this list of amazing women in history for young readers to explore. In today's climate, it's important that we give young girls strong women to look up to. AND that we give young boys examples of strong women to respect. These books provide young readers with a broadened horizon

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-49602190219933848832017-12-31T04:36:00.000-06:002017-12-31T04:36:01.581-06:00

I'm planning on starting out the year by focusing on small moments of joy, the little things everyday. I hope that after the year is done, I can put together a photo book documenting our year. Life has been nonstop one thing after another and I've lost sight of what's really important. Can you relate? Do you ever feel like you're missing the little things that make being a family so amazing?

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-12581704831046001622017-12-28T01:14:00.000-06:002017-12-28T01:33:05.032-06:00

The New Year is fast approaching, making it the perfect time to do a year in review for kids! Use this free printable to create a memory that can be repeated year after year to document changes in each child’s interests. This is an activity that can be done with kids of any ages. Year in Review Printable for Kids It’s amazing how much children can change from year to year, so documenting

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-53655387849001983272017-12-16T02:24:00.000-06:002017-12-16T02:24:25.737-06:00

I'm not sure if you know it or not, but I'm a contributor at the amazing site, The Preschool Toolbox. My most recent contribution is a Snowman Color Matching Game Free Printable. This activity is fun for toddlers and preschoolers at this time of year.     I encourage you to  visit The Preschool Toolbox and get the Snowman Color Matching free printable free to use for your homeschooling or

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-37231795991277683402017-11-27T01:29:00.000-06:002017-11-27T01:29:10.103-06:00

Christmas shopping has begun! There are so many great gifts out there for kids. But how do you decide what to purchase for them? So many different factors come into play... What are they interested in? What is most educational? What can they get use out of for a few years? All this being said, I've put together this list of the 50 hottest gifts for kids this year (in my opinion, lol).    (

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-72584566880695869762017-11-15T01:47:00.000-06:002017-11-15T01:47:41.720-06:00

We recently got a chance to review the new book Hoot and Peep: A Song for Snow. Penguin Books sent us a free copy to check out. The kids loved it! My three year old wants to read it almost every night. So I thought I'd create a fun learning activity based on the book for her (and you!). See below to download your free version of it. And make sure you enter to win your own copy of this book!  

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-37049441011884979652017-11-01T14:00:00.000-05:002017-12-18T04:45:21.381-06:00

I've fallen off the wagon again....Stopped focusing on the small parts of our days that make them wonderful. Life has been crazy, so instead I've been in survival mode. Can you relate? Do you ever feel like you're missing the little things that make being a family so amazing? The Moments Matter monthly photo challenge can help with that. In previous months, it's helped me  to focus more on the

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-5090779117765600262017-11-01T08:48:00.000-05:002017-11-01T08:48:00.943-05:00

It's Thanksgiving time! One book that I've always found to engage preschoolers' favorite books is Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. So I wrote this fun Thanksgiving felt board story that invokes the same storyline with a Thanksgiving theme. It's a great way to help preschoolers practice colors and have fun through a new rendition of a familiar story.      The idea behind this

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-3485053768271879782017-10-29T00:22:00.004-05:002017-10-30T01:17:48.620-05:00

Can we get real for a minute? October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I read that 1 in 4 women will experience abuse from their partner. In looking at stats, that means that somewhere around 5,000 of you who read this page often have experience it. And that breaks my heart. So, I invited my dear friend, Stephanie, to share her powerful story. It's raw, and scary, and heroic. After she's

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-34157806793317156562017-10-24T00:46:00.000-05:002017-10-24T00:46:30.443-05:00

Halloween is fast approaching and I'm struggling to cram in all those fun activities I've jotted down in my ratty composition notebook. This activity, making caramel apple scented homemade playdough was one of them. Caramel apples are symbolic of fall for us. A trip to the local pumpkin patch isn't complete without one of their yummy, sticky caramel apples. So I thought we'd take that

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463713894531583067.post-70392985990460720182017-10-09T00:15:00.000-05:002017-10-09T00:15:10.002-05:00

It's getting close to Halloween!! I love this holiday because it affords so much in terms of creative and imaginative activities for kids. There are so many great resources to find fun activities for kids during the Halloween season. Here are a few of them that have free printables to use with kids.   Halloween is a fun time for kids and adults alike. Here are some exciting activities

Andie Jayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13598871164711470154noreply@blogger.com