Do you remember your first time? I sure do! I decided to find out what the fuss was all about a few years after IKEA came to Draper Utah. I walked in and might as well have heard angels singing. It was really just the IKEA playroom, but any mom who’s tried shopping with four…
A few years ago I attended an early childhood conference where Richard Paul Evans was the keynote speaker. I have to admit I was a little unsure of what he would be speaking of in regards to Early Childhood. What he did was beautiful and unexpected. He provided each of us as educators with a gift….
Our neighbor, Martha, over the back fence at our Learning Treehouse program, has two AMAZING globe willows. The trees are gorgeous, however a few years ago we noticed they were starting to get so big that some of the lower branches were growing into our fence. I approached Martha and offered to have my husband…
When families tour my program, one thing I tell them is that we don’t push kids on the swings. It seems like an odd thing to point out, but there’s a few specific reasons why we don’t. I can’t have a teacher tied down at the swings during outside time. It’s important that the teacher…
What are the best toys in the world? That’s kind of like asking which child is your favorite, but the toys I’m blogging about today are amazing! They are my top recommendation when anyone ask what they should get their child for a birthday or Christmas. I love these toys because they are open ended, versatile,…
Almost 14 years ago my oldest daughter was born. Six short weeks later I went back to work. Over the next four and a half years I learned a lot about child care from the perspective of a parent working outside the home. That perspective was invaluable as I transitioned to providing child care in…
Hey there! My name is Kristy DeGraaf and I proudly claim this crazy circus we call The Learning Tree! The Learning Tree is a Family Child Care program in Cedar City, which is a perfect quaint little town in Southern Utah. In addition to playing Ring Master during the week, I’m a wife, a mother…