Hilltown Families 
Apple Love After a trip to Pine Hill Orchard and taste testing several kinds of apples, strolling the quaint hills and admiring the artwork, my kids were obsessed with apples. It...
Candice's newborn is getting older and wanting to explore everything by putting it in her mouth! This month in "Let Them Grow: Fresh Ways to Engage Toddlers in Create Free...
Summer is a time to cool off and have fun. Use these water experiments as a time to let your child explore and experiment with science.
Garden Chores Galore
At three, rounding four years old, my daughter is still...
Fun Gardening Activities for Little Hands!
Garden starts like tomatoes, pea shoots and other...
Creating bath balls with your littles is a fun way to fizz up all their senses!
A tasty way to enjoy the last dregs of winter!
Use tape to build your way out of a sticky situation with multiple age groups!
Do You Want to Build a Snowman?
Do you want to build a snowman,...
Being thankful isn't something with which we are born. We all have to learn how to be considerate, appreciative, and kind. Helping your toddler and preschooler learn these skills isn't easy,...
Feeling Fall
Fall is such a busy time for the valley. Apple picking, pumpkin patches,...
"Three years ago I wrote a post about (daycare / preschool drop-off) separation and how to make it an adventure. This year, I am the mom, not the not the teacher,...
This week Candice takes us on a camping trip with kids. Camping can sound overwhelming with little ones, yet with a little preparation, camping can be a low cost, high...
My Pop Rocks Dad, Aba, Pappa, Baba, Daddy, Pop… Yesterday was Father’s Day and like any teacher or mother I was racking my brain to find the most unique way to...
Around two years old, most children can identify members of their family by name. Knowing the name of their caregivers can help a child if they are ever lost,...
Playing in the dirt is a joy at any age. Fostering a love of gardening will help sprout a true love of nature and with this, there is hope that the...
Let Them Grow: Anatomy Canvas for Preschoolers
Certain holidays are hard for small children to grasp. A great example of this is Presidents' Day. It’s a vague concept for young preschoolers and toddlers to understand there is a...
In this column, Candice Chouinard, a local daycare owner, takes a long hard look at winter, then she looks at the faces of the toddlers standing before her. She thinks “what...
During this season of giving, it may be hard to help young children fully enjoy giving to others. They can’t empathize fully with others yet, so why share? As we...
Some of my favorite time with children is spent baking. Children love it, and if I am not too performance driven, I love every minute, too! Baking with toddlers can also...
It's pumpkin time in Western Massachusetts, surrounding us with their plump beauty of orange (and even white, red and yellow!). I try to stretch the pumpkin and squash season out to...
Emergent Curriculum: Honeybees
Bugs of Summer Toddlers love bugs and insects or they are terrified of them! Either way the curiosity that bugs and insects evoke in young children is endless. I am a...
Art Abandonment... the simple act of leaving little works of creativity for others to find; spreading art, joy and kindness. This month in "Let Them Grow: Fresh Ways to Engage Toddlers...
Working with herbs and spices help children make the connection between farm and table, or in our case front yard and table. Making these connections early on is a great way...
We have talked a lot about engaging children in nature-based art. It is a fun and easy way to get outside, have fun and expose your child to the process of...
My favorite thing to do is collect early spring flower pedals and let them dry for use on the contact paper. Daffodils, crocuses, dandelions, daffodils, early mint leaves are all out...
Using natural object as a medium allows us to make the connection between the land and art. A favorite nature-based art project for Candice is vegetable stamping... with her...
This has been the worst season for sickness. Well for me anyway, a first time mom with a toddler in daycare! It seems toddlers are the best and worst patients. They...