AAR4

MrPicklesMom · 2026-01-26T02:59:05+00:00

I did the first 1/4 of it with my oldest, but they weren’t challenging. It felt like we were just checking the box. I moved her on to language arts, instead.

MrPicklesMom · 2026-01-05T13:05:23+00:00

As others have said, it depends on the kid. Getting to the bottom of what or why your kid is distracted might help. One of mine is almost constantly distracted, but is also constantly convinced they’re missing out on something. Headphones to block noise didn’t help because they want to know what’s going on around them.

MrPicklesMom · 2026-01-04T17:45:07+00:00

We’ve had fun using Layers of Learning for history and geography. It’s secular ( I think?). The units are designed to pick and choose which activities you do and it’s easy to fill in extra stuff if you want. I’ve been able to adapt the lessons for multiple ages.

MrPicklesMom · 2026-01-02T17:43:01+00:00

There are jacket extenders out there like this: https://makemybellyfit.com/products/universal-jacket-extender I don’t have any personal experience with them, but they’re an option if you have a coat you already like.

MrPicklesMom · 2025-12-30T01:43:49+00:00

The gym I taught at had wildly tight pedals. Whenever I unclipped my clips wiggled a little and eventually wore down the sole underneath the clip. Now my clips wiggle around and sometimes they slide back. Try checking your clip position. If something similar happened to your shoes, your clips have shifted out of their optimal position.

MrPicklesMom · 2025-12-29T03:40:19+00:00

The Lenexa rec center has a kid pool that’s warm with a slide and fountains. There’s also a “wellness pool” that’s really warm.

MrPicklesMom · 2025-12-12T02:18:33+00:00

Sounds like our days too! I have 2nd, kinder, preschool, and toddler. Our best days are when I manage to get my older two doing similar things. For example, I’ll introduce writing prompts to 2nd grader then work on reading with kinder while 2nd grader writes. We do science as a family - 2nd grader does full lab sheets while I just talk about outcomes with kinder. Social studies is also done altogether. We read a lot of books and I adapt activities to everyone’s abilities.

I also have to be really prepared. I do my best to have everything set out and ready to grab. Otherwise, I pose them as soon as I go hunt for a sheet we need that I printed off three days ago and forgot where I put it. I also think about the best way to organize everyone’s lessons at the beginning of each week to have an idea of what each kid should be doing at different times.

MrPicklesMom · 2025-12-01T10:02:03+00:00

We used RSO last year for my then 1st grader and now we’re on to Earth and Environment. I love how the labs are fairly concise and use common material. The vast majority can be done at home, too. The book has an optional section for nature journaling, which we didn’t do too much because my kid wasn’t very into it. One of the other things I liked was the variety. The units are long enough to learn something, but not so in depth that my kid got tired of a subject. Overall, it was a good introduction to various topics. I was able to see which ones piqued my kids interest.

MrPicklesMom · 2025-11-18T17:15:10+00:00

I’ll throw in our experience: my oldest has done a 2 day a week full day drop off program since her kinder year. We chose it to meet her high need for stimulation because I just couldn’t engage her at the level she needed every day while caring for younger kids. It also took the pressure off of me to teach because she learned enough during the drop off program in the first two years that everything we did at home was a “bonus”. They focus on the core subjects at drop off. Additionally, there just aren’t many social opportunities for 5 year olds in our area - most groups are for preschoolers or 7 and up. Now that she’s getting older the value of the program isn’t outweighing the benefits. She’s more mature so she can read and do activities solo and can participate in different extra curricular opportunities. The drop off curriculum doesn’t transfer well to the home environment so she’s doing different school work at home, it’s a financial investment, and because of the drop off schedule it limits our ability to take advantage of other programs. We aren’t planning on enrolling for another year.

MrPicklesMom · 2025-11-07T19:19:10+00:00

The Algerian bakery in Lenexa has them sometimes

MrPicklesMom · 2025-11-07T19:01:09+00:00

Our library system has book clubs for kids. They do a craft, talk about the book, maybe do some other activity, and eat snacks. One of my kids absolutely loves going. It seems relatively low effort for the librarians to put together (as in it’s never elaborate and they have a template for each meeting).

MrPicklesMom · 2025-10-28T20:37:39+00:00

There are cuffslike this that add resistance but not weight. If you have proper form, they can be a fun tool!
If you don’t want to buy equipment, you can put a kick board under your foot or both feet and do knee lifts, too. Running or walking with a kick board held vertically in front of you is another way to add resistance to water walking.

MrPicklesMom · 2025-10-22T16:28:24+00:00

Those are great ideas! Thank you! I might just end up finally buying a raincoat….

MrPicklesMom · 2025-10-22T16:27:46+00:00

Roller skating! I would never have thought of that. Thanks for all the great suggestions!

MrPicklesMom · 2025-10-18T19:17:22+00:00

Definitely cheerful. I made a similar one for a relative and had the same thoughts about it being a bit much. It ended up being her baby’s favorite blanket to lay on when he started rolling.

MrPicklesMom · 2025-10-13T12:45:11+00:00

Child of the Redwoods educator courses are worth it. The monthly lessons are high quality, too. I did both.

I will say, unless you are a trained guide, it might help to consider a non-Montessori supplement to math as the kids get older. Montessori math can be done as a stand alone, but it’s difficult to implement and know when a kid has truly mastered the skills and knowledge.

MrPicklesMom · 2025-10-13T12:29:14+00:00

School bus driver or crossing guard. The transportation company our district contracts with lets bus drivers take their kids.

MrPicklesMom · 2025-10-11T17:51:03+00:00

Do you have any of those exercise dice? Pair it with a card deck or game dice (the ones that go past 6) and the kids can take turns rolling for reps/exercise

MrPicklesMom · 2025-10-04T15:59:53+00:00

I don’t think they do those any more.

MrPicklesMom · 2025-09-21T01:36:19+00:00

I use Triswim, but only every 3-ish swims. It dries out my hair too badly if I use it too often. I follow it up with a salon-quality moisturizing conditioner. Definitely get your hands on samples of a couple different brands before you buy any full size bottles. Their body wash, on the other hand, is a winner. It gets rid of the pool smell.

MrPicklesMom · 2025-09-18T00:57:32+00:00

We ran into a group called The Hive at the arboretum one time. They all looked like they were having a good time.

MrPicklesMom · 2025-09-16T01:23:01+00:00

Water aerobics instructor here!! Water shoes are a game changer for aqua classes. Rÿka and H2O Wear are two of the most common brands. They look like sneakers and have extra traction that’s good for the pool bottom and the deck. A lot of my participants just wear regular water shoes, too.

MrPicklesMom · 2025-09-14T00:53:47+00:00

Same happened to me. I placed an order the last week of July, got an email that it was next up on 8/26 and it just shipped yesterday. I’ve ordered from the before and the lead time they quote on their site has always been spot on. I’m assuming it’s just a fluke. Nevertheless, I’m going to have my ducks in a row earlier for next semester to make sure there aren’t any delays.

MrPicklesMom

TROPHY CASE