Before construction even started on our home, I knew that I wanted a homework room for the kids. And the main piece in the room had to be a triple desk.

Over the course of the months it took to build our house, I scoured the internet for a triple desk that would work in their homework room. There were tons of double desks, and even rooms where someone had just put three of the same desk together, but no true triple desks.

In the end, I realized that if I wanted a triple desk for my kids that would last for years, I would have to make it myself.

I’m not particularly handy, so I knew if I was going to build this massive desk I was dreaming of, it was going to have to be simple. Simple and minimalist.

The main requirement of my desk (besides being big enough for three kids) was that I wanted the top to be (or at least look like) dark wood. This eliminated a lot of options. Ikea had a long laminate countertop that looked like wood, but with all Ikeas closed for months, I grew impatient and turned to other alternatives.

Enter, the butcher block countertop.

Sturdy, solid, wooden, and GORGEOUS. Not to mention they’re available at most home improvement stores.

In the end, all I had to do to make a beautiful triple desk for the kids’ homework room was sand, stain, and seal the wood, and then screw on legs! Easy peasy!

If you want to make your own triple desk, first you need to choose what length you’re going to do. Butcher block countertops come in a variety of lengths. I used an 8′ countertop, but a 10′ countertop would also work well for a triple desk.

Note: butcher block countertops are SUPER heavy. I recommend bringing someone to the store with you when you get it.

You also want to choose a stain and a sealer. I used Varathane Premium Wood Stain in Black Cherry for my stain and Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane in Clear Gloss for my sealer.

First, I set up my workstation. I highly recommend putting a big giant tarp under where you’re sanding, staining, and sealing, because duh, you don’t want to stain your floor. In our garage, I laid out a tarp and then propped up the butcher block on some storage bins. Make sure you have them far enough under the two ends that you can stain the sides.

Next, gently sand the top and sides of your butcher block. I used a random piece of sandpaper left over from a previous project. Since butcher block is pretty smooth to begin with, you won’t have to do much work.

Note: sand with the grain, not against!

After you sand, use some kind of towel or rag to wipe off any excess sawdust you sanded off.

Now comes the fun part! Stain your wood! I did two coats of my Varathane stain and sanded lightly after each coat.

Note: make sure you shake/stir the jar well before you stain. It’s also important to wipe off any excess stain that hasn’t soaked in after brushing it on. And again, stain with the grain!

After you get your desired color of stain, seal that baby! I did two thin coats and sanded lightly after each coat.

Note: let your stain and your sealant sit for 24-48 hours IN BETWEEN COATS. I know it’s hard to wait that long when you’re excited and just wanted to get it done, but I learned the hard way that the stain starts to lift if you don’t wait long enough before starting your sealant.

The hard part is now over! Once your butcher block-turned desktop is stained and sealed, bring it inside to where you plan on keeping it. It’s hard to maneuver such a long piece of wood once it has legs on it, so I recommend assembling it where it’s going to reside.

Flip your desktop upside down and measure where you want your desk legs. My desk legs are hairpin legs from DIY Hairpin Legs and I LOVE them. They were a little pricier than just doing some straight Ikea Adil legs like I had initially planned, but I’m so glad I went with the hairpin legs.

DIY Hairpin Legs had super fast shipping, hairpin legs in all colors, and you can even get different heights. The legs on my triple desk are white, 27″ tall, two rod legs. They also have triple rod, if that’s more your style. (And no this isn’t sponsored, I just genuinely love the hairpin legs I got).

First, screw your four corner legs on. Mine were just about a half inch away from the edge. Line them all up and screw them on!

Now you need to screw on your middle legs. I did two pairs of legs in the middle for stability, because the desktop is pretty heavy. You might be able to get away with only two in the middle and just center them, but that’s obviously not what I did.

If your triple desk is an 8′ one like mine, I’ve made it easy for you and already done the measurements for your middle legs. Eight feet is 96 inches, so each desk section should be 32 inches (96÷3=32). I centered each set of legs at 32″, about 1/4″ from the edge of the desk. Then I screwed them on, too!

Now you can grab a buddy and flip your desk over! This part absolutely has to be done with two people. You can’t just tip it up because you’ll bend your hairpin legs. Trust me.

Voila! You’re done! A beautiful, custom, DIY triple desk, made just by you!

I love our triple desk. My older two kids did some of their distance learning there, and they’ve all enjoyed doing arts and crafts at the table. It’s exactly what I wanted and I’m so glad I decided to go the DIY route!

The post DIY Triple Desk Tutorial appeared first on Life With My Littles.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kellogg’s. The opinions and text are all mine.

I love to read, and passing that love of books on to my kids is very important to me. I have read to all three of my kids since they were babies, and I love when they bring me books on their own and ask me to read to them. But sometimes my preschooler and toddler would rather watch TV than read books, and that is not my favorite thing! Today I want to share a few tips on how to get young kids excited about reading that have worked for us and helped encourage my kids to read more.

1. Let them choose what books they want to read. Unfortunately, the books I want to read to my kids aren’t always ones they want to read, and that can sometimes discourage them from coming to read with me. So instead of picking what books we read myself, I let them choose what books they want to read. It makes a huge difference and I can tell they like reading more when it’s from a book they picked. My kids recently just picked a few free books from the Fantastic Scholastic Book Giveaway Program at Walmart. One box equals one book with purchase of participating products at Walmart stores, and you get to choose from 80 full-length Scholastic titles for beginning readers to teens. It only takes three steps to redeem, and it’s super easy, especially if you’re already used to uploading receipts and sending them through other rewards programs like IBOTTA or EBates. You just buy a participating Kellogg’s product, send a picture of the receipt via text (to 89332 with keyword BOOK) or email (to book@kfr.com), and then you get a free book credit to redeem for a free book of your choice at www.KFR.com/FreeScholasticBook! My son starts preschool next month, so while we were doing some school shopping we grabbed a few participating products. We had three credits to redeem so I let my 4-year-old pick two books and my 2-year-old pick one book. It’s worth taking the time to let my kids choose the book that’s “just right” because the right story at the right time can open a child’s eyes to new worlds and ideas. We haven’t gotten our books in the mail yet, but they ask me every day when their books will get here, and I know they wouldn’t be as excited if I had chosen the books myself! It’s so easy to buy, send, and get a free Scholastic book, and it’s such a simple way to build up your home library and get rewarded for things you’re probably already buying! And yes, sometimes letting your child choose what books you read together does mean reading the same book over and over, but it also means that we are reading for longer, so that’s a win in my book (see what I did there?).

2. Make sure their books are accessible. We just moved into a new house, and one problem we had with our old house was that the bookshelf with all my kids’ books on it was in their closet, which wasn’t very accessible. In the new house we are living in, there is a giant playroom in the basement, so the kids’ books are out where they can see them every day. This has made such a big difference in how much they are reading! Making sure that your children’s books are accessible is a huge part of getting young kids excited to read, because when they can see them and get to them, they’re more likely to grab one!

3. Provide a wide variety of books. I’ve been collecting books for my children’s library since before they were born, so we have tons of different kinds of books now. We have board books, picture books, beginning reading books, and books about all kinds of different things. Providing a wide variety of books with different lengths, genres, and reading levels can help your child find the right book at the right time, and ignite a love of reading inside them. We also love going to the library and checking out books, and the Fantastic Scholastic Book Giveaway Program is another great free way to provide a wide variety of books since there are over 80 full-length Scholastic books to choose from. The program runs through the end of November (you have to purchase products by 9/30/17, send the receipt by 10/30/17, and redeem your credits by 11/30/17), so you have plenty of time to stock up on lots of new, different kinds of books for your home library!

4. Point out colors, letters, numbers, and ask them questions about what they’re reading. My kids love it when I read with them, and I love it, too. One thing we do that makes reading special is we talk about what we’re reading as we go through the books. Depending on your child’s age, you can point out colors, letters, or numbers, and ask them questions about what they’re reading. It helps them stay focused and pay attention even better, and it’s a great way to make reading a happy habit at home.

5. Read stories about things they like. When my son was younger he was obsessed with trains, cars, and construction vehicles. One way we enjoyed what he liked together was to read stories about them! I can’t tell you how many different books we read relating to trains, cars, trucks, diggers, cement mixers, and bulldozers. It wasn’t my favorite, but he loved it and I know it helped him learn to love reading!

6. Read stories with characters they know. My kids also have both gone through phases of loving different characters, and when I let them pick books out at the bookstore or library, I almost always know what they are going to choose before they show me. Yes, we may have a lot of books at home about the same characters, but those books are the ones my kids keep coming back to, so it’s definitely okay with me!

7. Do activities together after reading the books. When we were doing Tot School, I would plan activities around the books that we were reading together. We read a book about the zoo and then we made a zoo at home with their stuffed animals, we talked about different animals and animal sounds, and then we finished it all off with a trip to the zoo. It helps get them excited about the things you’re reading about, and in turn, get them excited about reading!

We love reading in our home, and I know that by doing these things, my children’s love of reading and books will continue to grow, just like mine has. And we’re all so excited to get our books from the Fantastic Scholastic Book Giveaway Program soon! Don’t forget to grab participating Kellogg’s products next time you’re at Walmart and let your kids choose their own free books!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kellogg’s. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post How to Get Young Kids Excited About Reading appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Ever since we started doing Tot School with my kids last year, I’ve been on the lookout for toys that my kids love and that can be used in different ways to make learning fun for toddlers. Usually the kids get bored with them after playing with them once, or they are too expensive for me to even invest in.

One toy that we have found that has really helped make learning fun and worked for a variety of different themes and activities are LEGO DUPLO products. There are so many different sets, they are big enough that you don’t have to worry about losing the pieces or having younger kids eat them (they are twice the size of standard LEGO bricks), and they can be used to teach toddlers in lots of different ways!

Since we got our first set two years ago, our whole family has enjoyed playing together with them. Yes, they are geared towards kids 1 1/2-5 years, but they are also fun for parents to play with! A lot of toys for young kids aren’t super interesting to me, but I could sit and play with my kids and their DUPLO products for hours! Whether I plan an actual activity with a theme (like colors or transportation) or we just sit together and build, my kids have fun and have no idea the are actually learning!

Here are four specific ways to make learning fun for toddlers with LEGO DUPLO:

1. Encourage creativity. There’s basically no limit to what you and your kids can build with your LEGO DUPLO products. Whether it’s what’s on the instructions, a big tower, or a tunnel, you and your kids can get creative and build anything you want. You can also combine the sets and build even bigger structures. Your toddlers learn how to be creative without even knowing they are learning!

2. Encourage independence. While I love playing with my kids, I also like to step back and let them be independent sometimes. When we got our newest LEGO DUPLO set, I handed my 3-year-old the instructions and we went step-by-step through them. I just showed him each step and he built them all by himself! I was so proud, and he learned that he could follow instructions and be independent if he needed to. And he just thought he was playing!

3. Encourage imagination. My son has been doing pretend-play for a while now, and my daughter has seen him do it and is now learning how to use her imagination and make the toys come to life, too. And LEGO DUPLO products offer open-ended play for every stage. Even though my kids are 18 months apart, they both love playing with their DUPLO sets. And I’m sure they will keep playing with them for several more years, too! I love racing trains and cars around our playroom with my son, and I love playing with the minifigures with my daughter. And the best part is, every LEGO DUPLO product can be used for pretend-play!

4. Educational learning. One thing we’ve loved doing with our LEGO DUPLO products are using them to learn colors and counting. We have sorted them by color, put them in rainbow order, counted them, and built towers a certain number-high. Plus, depending on your set, you can incorporate them into learning about transportation, homes, animals, food, and even holidays. If you needed a reason to get a LEGO DUPLO set, I think this would be the most persuasive!

We love our LEGO DUPLO sets at our house, and I 100% recommend them to any parent looking for a fun toy for their toddlers that will last a long time! Besides providing ways to make learning fun for toddlers, they are a great toy for partnering in play. Play is essential for early learning – it IS the way young children learn about their world, and LEGO DUPLO will always be there to keep kids’ minds active and their hands busy!

The post 4 Ways to Make Learning Fun for Toddlers with LEGO DUPLO appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Welcome to another post all about my new favorite toddler activity, Tot School. I learned about Tot School from Simply Learning, and it’s completely changed how we schedule our days!

I’ve already written posts about what Tot school is and how I plan each week, so today, we’re adding another helpful post to the series!

Today’s post is all about Tot School weekly themes! The first thing I decide each week as I plan our activities is the theme. The theme is basically the most important part of planning Tot School because it is what everything for that week revolves around.

I mentioned this in my planning post, but your theme can be broad or specific, and they can be seasonal or more general. You can pick a theme based off something your child is struggling with (like if they aren’t good at sharing or listening you can do a sharing week or obedience week), or something they’re interested in. As long as there are activities and books out there on a subject, you can pick it for Tot School!

Here is a giant list (that I will probably continue to add to) of Tot School weekly themes.

Tot School Weekly Themes

• Colors
• Shapes
• Ocean
• Farm
• Space
• Fairy Tales
• Forest/Camping
• Jungle
• Construction
• Trains
• Cars
• Weather
• Feelings
• Body Parts
• Thanksgiving/Being Thankful
• Fall/Pumpkins
• Christmas
• Valentine’s Day/Loving Others
• St. Patrick’s Day
• Easter
• 4th of July
• Halloween
• Music
• Dinosaurs
• Jobs
• Hygiene
• Manners
• Gardening
• Exercise
• Art
• Safety
• All About Me
• Superheroes
• Water
• Winter
• Spring/Plants
• Summer
• Health/Going to the Doctor
• Food/Cooking/Kitchen
• Numbers/Counting
• Alphabet
• Robots
• Bugs
• Sports
• Clothing
• Cultures/People
• Pets
• My State
• Being Kind/Sharing
• Obedience
• My Religion
• Pirates
• Cities

Seriously, there are so many different ideas out there, and you just have to pick what you think your toddler will enjoy. I haven’t found a theme that has been hard yet, and it’s a lot of fun centering our play and reading around a theme each week.

Let me know if you can think of any more great Tot School weekly themes that I can add to the list!

The post Tot School: Weekly Themes appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Two weeks ago I told you guys about Tot School and how much I love it. If you missed that post, first, go back and read it. Tot School is amazing because it’s like pre-preschool and it’s a way to guide your toddler’s way in an organized way, but still teach them things. And the best part is, it keeps us from being bored.

I had a few friends ask me more about it and how I find themes and activities for each week, so I thought I would do another Tot School post with more of a focus on that. Because of course if you don’t know how to plan your week then how are you going to even be able to do it? You’re not. And obviously I want you to do it because it’s amazing, so I’m here to help now!

First, let me give another little shout out to Let’s Tot School for inspiring me to even start doing Tot School with my kids. She has an entire list of themes, and for each theme there is a corresponding Pinterest board with activities, books, and ideas of things to do that week. It’s amazing, and I refer to that a lot when I am planning. So thanks for the inspiration and all your hard work!

1. Picking a Theme

The most important part of planning your weekly schedule is picking the theme. Let’s Tot School has a ton of themes on her site, and I usually pick one from there. The theme can be broad or specific, and honestly you can do it for more than just a week if it’s something your child struggles with. The first few weeks we did things like shapes, colors, and animals, but we’ve also done themes relating to the seasons and holidays. For example we did a fall theme with pumpkins and leaves in October, and we’ve had weeks dedicated to Halloween, Thanksgiving (and being thankful), and Christmas. Some of the themes we are going to do next month include trains and construction, and two weeks ago we did a week all about feelings. You can pick something specific, but it’s usually better to pick a more general theme so you will have lots of activities and books to choose from.

Also, I think it’s important to note that I do all of my theme-picking and planning on Sundays either during nap time or after the kids have gone to bed. I can focus on it and it really only takes like 20 minutes max. If you do it at the start of the week, you are ready for the week and all set to go!

2. Planning Activities

The next most important part (and basically why you are even doing this) is planning your activities. I usually plan one on Mondays and then two per day Tuesday-Friday. Some weeks we don’t get to them all, and that’s totally fine with me. And some activities only last like 30 seconds or are a total disaster (I quickly found out that my son HATES playdough) and that’s okay, too. The longer you do it the more you get the hang of it and find out what works for you and your child.

So the way I pick my activities are first, looking through Let’s Tot School’s Pinterest boards if the theme I picked is one that she has a board for. Sometimes I find all my activities there, and sometimes I only find a few. But the good thing about Pinterest is that you can just search things like “Halloween crafts for toddlers” and tons of things come up. I try to pick things that aren’t too complicated and that I think my son would like. Anything involving paint I know he’ll love.

You can do crafts, songs, videos, TV episodes (when we did feelings we watched a Daniel Tiger episode about feeling frustrated), snacks (one time we made turtles out of apples and grapes), or games. Since you are in charge, you can do whatever you want to do. It’s the BEST. I try to pick out two “letters of the week” but sometimes I forget. But it’s a good idea if you want to help your toddler learn the alphabet and letter recognition!

Some other sites I love for getting activities are Busy Toddler, Munchkins and Moms, and I Heart Arts n Crafts.

And depending on what you pick and what’s in your Tot School bin (read about what’s in mine here), you might need to buy a thing or two when you go grocery shopping. I recommend putting activities that need those things at the end of the week so you can make sure you get them in time.

3. Books

I mentioned earlier that on Mondays I usually only pick one activity for us. The reason for this is that Monday is our library day and we go check out books that have to do with our theme for the week. We like doing it on Monday because we can read the books all week. Then when we go back the next week, we return them and check out new books! It’s a great way to test-drive books to buy for your kids, and it helps them love reading early. Reading with my kids is one of my favorite things we do every day.

I look for books the same way that I look for activities: Pinterest. Just search Pinterest for your theme and add “books for toddlers” at the end. So like, “feelings books for toddlers.” Super easy. I usually look at a bunch and then I write down ones I think would be good, and then bring that list to the library. If your library has an online catalog, you can see if the books are checked in the night before and it’s a lot less frustrating when you go the next day.

I highly recommend having a full-fledged library card (which is free everywhere and you totally should have), then you can get as many books as you want. Also, sometimes libraries will let your kids get library cards, so even though my daughter is only 16-months, she has a library card (adorable, right?). Right now we can only check out two books per card since we aren’t technically Idaho residents, but wherever we move next we are 100% getting full-fledged library cards so we can check out all the books.

Anyway, we read the books we get at least once a day until we return them. It’s a lot of fun and like I said, teaches kids how fun it is to read from an early age.

Planning your weekly schedule for Tot School can seem intimidating and like a lot of work, but seriously, it’s easy and doesn’t take any more than about 20 minutes. And it’s so rewarding and fun to do these little “guided play” activities with your kids. They are learning but they have no idea they are learning, and it’s amazing! And if you want more inspiration, check out my Instagram where I like to post some of the Tot School activities that we do each week.

That picture above is the weekly planning schedule I made for the first Tot School post, and I thought I would share it here, too, in case you missed it before and now you want to use it for planning each week. I usually just use my planner, but I think as I start involving both kids then I might have to have more space!

Also, I know this post was information heavy and I apologize for that. And if you made it through this post, then thanks. You’re a champ and I hope that Tot School goes great for you!

I hope you guys love Tot School as much as we do! Good luck!

To read more about Tot School, check out this post.

The post Planning a Week of Tot School appeared first on Life With My Littles.