Even though I’m an eco-friendly mom, I try not to be the “Paper Police”. Access to paper is an important part of life for kids.

Top Reasons to Make Paper Available to Kids:

1. They get to be creative with crayons, markers, paints, pencils, pens, etc.

2. It gives them fine motor practice. Even if they draw the same thing over and over, it’s good fine motor practice.

3. It keeps them busy in a screen-free way. They may not always be at an age where a stack of paper is such a fun thing for them. Take advantage of this unique time in their lives.

4. It’s fairly inexpensive if you buy a ream of paper instead of the paper pads they sell for kids that may have thicker paper, but not as many sheets. White is my favorite because it’s usually less expensive. But, a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors of paper is also good.

Giving kids somewhat free access to paper is usually not eco-friendly. But, I try to do other eco-friendly things to make up for it. One way to save trees in general is to cut up stained t-shirts into reusable rags to lessen paper towel use. Also, using cloth napkins sometimes instead of paper napkins is helpful.

One last tip: Pick a spot in your home and put a stack of about 25 sheets of paper. When that’s gone, refresh it with another pile of 25 so they don’t get too wasteful. The kids will always know where to go if they need to write a list or if they feel like drawing a picture.

Agree or disagree? I’d love to hear your experiences with paper and kids.

~Carrie

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Are you looking for an engaging way to practice letter and number names with your child?

I’m working with my 4-year old on letter and number names. One of the resources we’ve been using is this “ABC123 Sticker Book”. It’s an interactive way to see which letters and numbers she knows and doesn’t know. Then, we can see which ones we need to work on.

We put a sticker next to the letter or number in the book when she knows it easily and without any clues from me. I also let her put as many stickers as she wants on the cover.

This activity would be great for both Preschoolers and Kindergarteners.
Just in case you’re interested in more info, this sticker book is available in my TpT Store here.

Here’s to having some fun with good, old fashioned stickers.

~Carrie

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I just wanted to share a picture of the hooks we put on the inside of our front closet door. It’s a really easy way to store our reusable bags.

Happy organizing!
~Carrie

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Do you know an avid Scrabble or Words With Friends player? Here is a fun gift for them. Or make one for yourself. It’s a DIY word mug. These two mugs have “q without u words” and “2 letter words.”

I purchased the white mugs at Target. I saw directions on a few different sites about how to best bake the mugs. Here’s what I ended up doing:

1. Write the words on the mug with a Sharpie. I used a regular Sharpie, but I’ve heard that the “Sharpie Paint Pens” work even better than regular Sharpies. So feel free to experiment and see what works best for you.

2. Let the marker dry on the mug for 30 minutes (let dry for at least 3 hours if you used the paint pens)

3. Place the mug on a cookie sheet.

4. Put the cookie sheet into the cold oven (this allows the mugs to warm up with the oven and lessens the chance of cracking, I think).

5.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the mug cool with the oven.

6. Remove the cookie sheet/mug after the oven has mostly cooled.

Tips:

-When you’re writing on the mug, make sure the marker is pointing down so the ink is flowing down. I think it helps get better results with regular Sharpies.

-I would probably hand wash most of the time, but I think they may hold up in the dishwasher (especially if you use the oil-based Sharpie paint pens).

If you enjoy word game resources, I have a packet available in my TpT store, which highlights 2-letter words, q without a u words, and words without vowels. There are printable lists, definitions, and bookmarks included in this fun resource. Who knew an “ai” is a type of 3-toed sloth?

Best of luck with your mug making and word game playing!

~Carrie

Follow My Book Boost on Facebook to see more gift ideas in the future!

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The future is upon us. I’m not sure how many smart phones do this, but I’ve been really loving the “microphone” feature on my iPhone! It saves me time because I don’t have to type everything out, but just say it instead.

Tap the microphone icon, say what you need to say, like “get milk and fig newtons.” Then, press “Done”.

Here are the top two ways I use the microphone:

1. For texting– it’s faster than typing (most of the time). You may have to correct some of the words, but I’m amazed at how well it understands what I say.

2. I like to use the “Notes” feature on my phone for quick notes when I don’t have paper. “Gift idea for Trevor…”, etc.

Does your phone have this feature? If so, do you use it? Are there other things it can do that I haven’t discovered yet?

~Carrie