I have the best of both worlds.  I get to stay home with my son 5 days a week and I am able to maintain my skill and expertise as a NICU nurse 2 days a week.  My son is growing and changing so much and I’m constantly searching for ways to foster his curiosity.  He is taking in everything and I find myself struggling since my background is not in education.  

Recently, I came across a unique education program, geared towards children ages 0-5, called Wiggle Giggle Learn.  The program includes simple activity plans that can be done in just 15 minutes a day.  The suggested activities are age-specific and include things like nursery rhymes and finger plays, field trip suggestions, and vocabulary word cards.  The program was founded by twin sisters Stacey and Tracey in response to a lack of resources for parents who wanted to prepare their children for school.  Their mission statement mirrors the goals I have for educating my son:  ”to advance the intellectual and social abilities of children by empowering parents with the knowledge and tools necessary for teaching their children to learn to flourish from birth.”  

I appreciate play groups and music classes to complement what he is learning at home but I want to be his primary educator at this point.  My son loves for me to read and sing to him but beyond that I really had no idea how else to educate him before receiving this program.  He is starting to speak (mostly words that only mommy and daddy recognize) and I have definitely noticed an improvement in his development since we started doing some of the activities in the program. My son and I like to sing songs like the Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and The Wheels On the Bus.  Now that we have this program I’ve been using the finger plays with my son and he is actually doing the motions when I sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider.  It has been so much fun doing the activities with him.  

I highly recommend visiting the site so you can preview the program for yourself.  The site itself contains a wealth of information including recommendations on educational books and toys, how to create family rules, and a checklist for choosing a childcare center.  You have several options available if you’re interested in purchasing the Wiggle Giggle Learn program including a la carte and all-inclusive packages.