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Archives for September 2021

10 Most important simple steps to teach your child to read: Step 6

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Teach your child to read 3 letter words

In Step 6 of our series of posts on how to teach your child to read, parents will learn how to teach their child to sound out and read simple 3 letter words. This step will empower parents:  they will see and hear their child read words.

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home made sound board with blue and red magnetic letters for teaching reading
Home made sound board used to teach children to read three letter words

First, make a list of simple 3 letter words that have a vowel in the middle and use the most common sound of each letter. Use simple words like cat, pet, lip, top, cup.  It is fun to make lists of words to use.  Parents can enlist their children to help think up simple, 3 letter words. 

Look around the house for inspiration.

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Our favorite pure vanilla extract

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Penzeys pure vanilla extract bottles double and single strength
This is our favorite pure vanilla extract. It is from Penzeys Spices.

Vanilla is my favorite baking ingredient. For some reason I feel decadent using extra-strength vanilla. Usually when I am baking I end up spilling in a little extra vanilla because it overflows the measuring spoon. Now I just write that right in to the recipe: “1 teaspon vanilla plus spill in a little more.”

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Acme Brownies are a back to school treat

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Acme Brownies are great for kids to bake and eat as an after school snack.  These are a real back to school brownie treat. My sister used to bake these brownies for a deli in town called Acme Deli.  We looked it up in the dictionary, and the word “acme” means “the point at which something is the best.”  These simply are the best homemade, from-scratch brownies. The proof is in the brownie!

close up of Acme Brownies dusted in powdered sugar on a turquoise fiestaware plate

The basis for this recipe is from our favorite retro kids’ cookbook, Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Boys and Girls published in 1975 by General Mills.  This cookbook is so retro 1970s. The kids pictured in the cookbook have classic clothes and hair, and the recipes in the book are quirky. Check it out here.

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