Remember the first time riding your bike with training wheels? Those little wheels that when your dad went to take them off, you had a moment of panic? You trusted those wheels, because you KNEW your bike wouldn’t tip over and you wouldn’t fall! Do you remember how accomplished it felt to ride without training wheels? Now, you could bike so much faster without cumbersome training wheels attached! Training wheels. Needed at first. Even if they slowed you down. Preparing you to ride your bike...
15 days ago • 1 min read
My mission is to help moms of beginning readers in K-2, and struggling readers in 3rd - 5th grade, confidently model simple phonics skills, so they can teach their child to become a strong, successful reader! Mom friend, when you... KNOW which phonics skill you’re looking at in your child’s reading curriculum Can identify the exact phonics skill your child is being asked to practice understand HOW to model phonics skills to teach your child to read and spell YOU actually feel confident in...
22 days ago • 1 min read
When I, Melanie, began teaching students to read (the right way), I reached out to a phonics coach. Yes, I had a phonics coach in my classroom, modeling simple phonics skills for K-2 readers! You can bet I was paying attention! Grateful for the opportunity to observe how she modeled phonics skills, I watched carefully, so that I could confidently lead students through the same phonics drills and skills too! The exact phonics skills you need to teach your child to read! Wondering how to model...
29 days ago • 1 min read
Does teaching your child to read feel impossible? If your child is in 3rd grade or beyond, the struggle can be real. It's hurts to see your child struggling to read. Teaching your child to read feels hard when next steps are unclear. When you don't know where to start in tomorrow's phonics lesson. In seeking to help, I would complete a simple baseline reading assessment with your child. This 30-minute assessment shows which phonics skills your child can apply to read and spell words, and...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
The steps in which we complete tasks matters. An order that makes sense. You wouldn't put ingredients for icing in the bowl and mix it together with the batter. You would have too much butter and sugar in the batter, it would change the consistency of the cake. And now, you don't have any icing. Your cake wouldn't have the same structure or tase. It would be a FLOP! Most tasks have a series of steps that make sense. A sequence. Much like teaching your child to read, you wouldn't start with...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Recently, I had washing machine meltdown. You know, the kind where you’ve been ignoring the noise during the spin cycle? Yep, well, that sound got worse. A lot worse! So, I called the appliance store. Turns out, the new version of the same model was now 28” wide instead of 27” wide. We literally do not have an inch to spare. We would have to buy a different brand to get a unit exactly 27” wide. Would the stacking brackets line up? Then, there's the chore of sliding out the heavy stacked unit...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Do you fear that you’re dropping the ball? Before you’ve even started? Juggling all the responsibilities of being a mom first, let alone homeschooling your child? Teaching them to read, maybe even for the first time? Back to School season is here and you’re wondering if you have what it takes to teach your child to read? Well, I have good news. Great news! I'm working on something special that will calm the fear you feel in your stomach. Tune into Monday's podcast where I'll spill all about...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Ever had that niggling feeling in your gut than something was off in your child's speech and language development? Even when other well-meaning friends and family members brushed it off in an attempt to encourage you and diminish your concern? Dinalynn Rosenbush, SLP (Speech and Language Pathologist) knows that your concerns are valid! She supports parents with children's language development through her podcast The Language of Play and through 1:1 coaching. On this week's podcast, Dinalynn...
2 months ago • 1 min read
When was the last time you have a coffee chat with a friend? If you're like me, there is always someone or something that needs attention. Making room for a coffee date with a friend feels like one more thing to do. I've found some of the best conversations I've had with my mom, or family members, are impromptu visits or 'accidental' run-ins while getting groceries. Or, a quick impromptu call on the way by asking if 'they're home for the next few minutes' for a drop-in visit. "No, you won't...
2 months ago • 1 min read