Hooked On Phonics Worked For Me!
Calvin has been itching to learn how to read and spell ever since we bought him The Talking Word Factory for his Leapster system. To encourage his current obsession, we introduced him to Starfall, a great website for teaching phonetics and first sight words. I also started making simple phonetic booklets for him to do in the mornings in lieu of crafts (since I haven’t been able to come up with any good ones). Today, we read and illustrated “The Cat”, Calvin’s very first book! (I printed the words on white cardstock, hole-punched it, and stuck it in a binder. You can download my version here.) Calvin loved this activity. This would still work well with younger kids who like to draw.
Calvin liked the last page (the one before “The End”) the best 
… and of course, what post is complete without some sewing pictures… (apologies for those who are sick to death reading about my sewing adventures…)
Variation on a Theme
I originally made this for a special little girl back in Baltimore 
but given that it was the first time I was using colored embroidery thread, the handiwork wasn’t good enough to give away as a present. So it’s back to the cutting mat for this one
