About Amanda
Hey friends, welcome to the blog! My name is Amanda, and I am a professional model and illustrator. For the past 8 years I have traveled the world performing in commercials and photoshoots, all the while illustrating to my heart’s content! I have a general studies degree from Indiana University and have spent time volunteering with pre-k in Vietnam, South Africa, and right here in America.
Throughout my life, I have loved working with children. In South Africa of 2012, I volunteered with ages 3-5 in an educare program, I loved it so much that I went back to study at the University of Cape town for my final semester of college. In Vietnam, of 2019, I taught English to children and adults as a second language. Whether it’s playing with my nieces and nephew, volunteering with Sunday school, or teaching in a classroom, I love seeing little ones pick up new skills and expand their love of books and imagination.
My Mom and I make an awesome team!
My Mom, Charise Leemis is my amazing partner in our mother/daughter team! She has a bachelors of arts from Wheaton College and has been teaching toddlers-4-year-olds in Memphis, Tennessee for the past 12 years! She gives me tons of ideas for preschool crafts, activities, and art!
I am an affiliate of Bookshop, Etsy, and Amazon which means when you purchase an item through a link on my site, I take a commission of that sale.
The Pandemic Launched My Site!
For your convenience this post contains affiliate links.
During the pandemic, I began creating worksheets for my mom’s 2-year-old class. Remote learning was difficult for such a young age, and my mom had great ideas for take-home activity packets. The more I created, the more need there was. We began to build off of our Hollydog books, and soon we had several activities.
This experience led me to start The Hollydog Blog, where I share free resources for both stay-at-home parents and teachers. My mom is a huge help to me when it comes to creating activity sheets. Her teaching experience of 12 years gives her expert knowledge on what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to building fine motor skills. She guides me with new ideas, and I bring them to life with my illustrations.
Check out the entire Preschool Printable Library where every single worksheet is free.
Send me an email at [email protected].
