A World of Learning

 I enjoy giving birthday gifts to the kids I tutor, and another one just came today! I found myself thinking, "What can I get an eight year old girl in our small town?" We don't have a toy store. Well, I was in Walgreens in line to make a purchase when I saw the perfect thing: a plush toy of Stitch's girlfriend! I think her name is Rose, but don't quote me on that. 😉 But what made this toy special is that it's just her head, and it bounces really high off a hardwood floor! She and her brother both liked it, and so did their mom. I'm always spelling out words by tossing a bean bag back and forth with the child, so the girl's mom got her to bounce her new toy with her and spell out "Thank you!" 

 Hey! It's been a while! Happy 2026! I hope the year is starting off well for you! Things are good here, other than having covid once and a cold today!  Anyway, I found a new game for the kids I tutor to play! I noticed a checkerboard pattern on the back of the cereal box, of the cereal I was eating one morning. I thought "hmmm. . . I think I could turn that into a good game for tutoring." So I drew in some lines and made a path for our players to follow, how far we go each team determined by saying the word correctly, then rolling the die. Whoever gets to Finish first wins! It's quite a success, as I can use it for being able to recognize words, spell words (without seeing them), identifying letters of the alphabet, or correctly completing math equations. It's very versatile. Game ideas can be found just about everywhere you look - you just need to think creatively!