The English language is rich in unusual colloquial sayings and expressions.

For example, if someone tells you not to bite off more than you can chew, they are not cautioning you about the size of the morsel of food on your fork. And if something costs you an arm and a leg, it doesn’t mean you have to pay with an actual arm and a leg … thank goodness!

Spelling lists are the foundation of many spelling programs. But when you take a closer look, you’ll see that most spelling lists don’t make sense to the student. In fact, most lists have major flaws that actually keep kids from learning to spell.

Just in time for Memorial Day, this adorable ABC Snacks recipe is the perfect way to teach your preschooler about the letter S.

But that’s not all he’ll learn while you work on this tasty snack together. As you assemble this fun soldier snack, you can also help him understand why we remember and salute the men and women who have served our country as soldiers.

You probably already know that you should be reading aloud to your child on a regular basis. But sometimes that can be hard. Am I right? Between math class, science experiments, errands, and getting dinner on the table, you have to make choices about how to spend your time.

In this post, I want to lay out six really great reasons why you should make the time to read aloud.

Would you like to explore a selection of picture books about kindness? Some of the stories will make you laugh and some of them will make you cry. They’ll make you think and, best of all, they’ll make you talk.

And talking about the characters in these stories will help your children become more aware of kindness and the ways they might show it every day—to their friends, to their siblings, and sometimes even to perfect strangers.

Does your child skip small words when he’s reading?

Skipping small words is actually a very common problem that we usually notice when our children are reading aloud, but the truth is that many adults skip words as well.

There are many things that standardized tests can’t measure.

Tests can’t predict who will “succeed” in life, regardless of your definition of success. Tests can’t tell a child how or even what he needs to improve. Tests penalize our most creative thinkers. And our world needs all the creative problem solvers it can get.

Our ABC Playdough Mats are perfect for young children who are learning the alphabet. Creating letters with playdough allows children to feel the alphabet…literally. As they squeeze, roll, and bend the playdough to form uppercase and lowercase letters, children don’t even realize they’re gaining important pre-reading skills. They just know they’re having a blast–and combining learning with fun is always a recipe for success!

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep! And I think we may have found him!

Let your little one practice the sound that SH makes with this tasty snack from our ABC Snacks series. This showy sheep recipe brings together crisp veggies and creamy cottage cheese to create a snack that is rich in nutrients and big in taste.

Many English words come from Latin roots, so becoming familiar with these roots will naturally make reading and spelling easier. But studying word roots is really boring, right?

No! At least, it doesn’t have to be. And Word Trees are my favorite way to teach words derived from Latin roots—and make it engaging to boot!

Everyone knows to be extra careful with eggs. After all, you don’t want to break one and have a big mess on your hands! But this ABC Craft features an egg-ceptional egg that your little ones can go ahead and break, because it will teach them all about lowercase letter E. No mess necessary!

If your child struggles with reading fluency—and listening to him read aloud is a painful experience—then this article is for you!

We’ve all heard kids who read aloud with a choppy, almost robotic tone. It’s hard to grasp the meaning of what they’re reading. They may read too fast, or they may read too slowly and laboriously.