Tot School

Tot School Oct. 7-13 (29 1/2 mths.)

October 14, 2012 By Thaleia 3 Comments

This week was just as busy as the last! Lil’ Red had lots of seasonal experiences and just plain old fun for tot school. We did not have a lot of “traditional” tot school or tot trays, but we were barely home this week. We started the week with nature and ended the week with nature!

Nature program- petted a Grass Spider and Collected Hickory Nuts

Homeschool Gym Day- got to learn some gun safety and take a hike. Big brother and big sister got to play kickball.

Pumpkin Patch– he got to ride in a hay wagon and pick HIS VERY OWN PUMPKIN! His first time at a pumpkin patch:)

Grandparents stopped by, so he got to see both sets in one day!

Tot School table time-He got a little wild with his markers! He took his dry erase marker to the wall next to his table area. I cleaned it up and he did it again. I took the markers away for that day. Next he wanted to work on his notebook, but ended up drawing on the wall and shelf again!

Cut Broccoli for soup– we put him in his seat to help make some yummy cheesy broccoli and carrot soup!

New Hair-do-He got a haircut by grandma and looks like a little boy- no longer a baby!

Scarecrows at local festival-Lil’ Red helped put up scarecrows made from recycled materials for a local festival. He waited patiently while mom and dad were busy securing the scarecrows (for a little while anyways)!

Outdoor time Tricycle Riding-He learned to peddle his tricycle! This was a big accomplishment. I thought he wouldn’t be tall enough until Spring. I guess we will need to clean the house up even more so he can ride around the kitchen and livingroom this Winter!

Nature Time-We went on a Nocturnal Wetland program looking to catch frogs and insects. We did not catch any, but got to see some!

Each day he amazes me at what things he knows and has picked up. His vocabulary is increasing especially if he can repeat a “bad” word or phrase that he hears others use. He thinks it is hysterical if he repeats something that drives the rest of the family nuts! That’s just a typical 2 1/2 yr. old.

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Tot School Oct. 1-6 (29 mths)

October 6, 2012 By Thaleia 6 Comments

Fall Themed Tot School

Super Busy Week! We have been very busy with lots of things, but I tried very hard to take lots of pictures along the way! I really want to be part of tot school link up since we do tot school each week:)

We had a movie night and had leftover popcorn. I was getting ready to throw it in the trash when I thought, “Why not make this into a tray activity first?” and that is what I did! Lil’ Red saw it and got right to work. He played for awhile trying to get the popcorn into various sized containers.

We gathered leaves and did some leaf art work. I was helping Princess and Eldest for a few minutes so Lil’ Red started chalking himself! He was a mess, but had lots of fun! To read more about this art project check out: Wacky Wednesday Autumn Leaves.

Lil’ Red gets come to the Classical Conversations group I provide childcare for each week. The class is perfect for him. He gets to play with other kids his age (1yrs.-31/2yrs.). I get to bring out busy bags and other “tray-like” activities. This encourages sharing, taking turns, and makes something old new and fun again!

I caught him reading a book all on his own:)

He carries this book around saying, “Aunt Amy bought me this book. See this book!” and things like, “I read this book from Aunt Amy.” He really enjoys reading this book over and over. He knows some of the repeated phrases and love the silly bear putting on his clothes all wrong at first. This book is perfect for a toddler!

We were heading for a quick trip out of town and broke down on the way. Here are some pictures of us waiting for Papa Jim to rescue us and from the car repair barn from Papa Jim’s church ministry:

One of Lil’ Red’s favorite activities is “Take a Cheese?” He likes to take pictures with my phone or camera whatever is handy. Here’s one he took of mom and dad. So cute and so good! Only cropped to fit in this post.

Friday it was very cold (20 degrees colder than Thursday and super rainy), but Lil’ Red wanted to go outside to play. He loves to ride his worm. So that is what he did with hoodie and rain poncho on:

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what one crazy week we have had!

10 Busy Bags I Want to Make

September 15, 2012 By Thaleia 13 Comments

10 Busy Bags I Want NEED to Make

Making your own busy bags can save SOOO much money and frustration! If you have a toddler or preschooler who you have to take with you to the doctor’s, ballet class, or homeschool group and they need to be kept occupied, then busy bags are the answer!

I tried to find 10 busy bags that I already had the supplies for, but had not had the time to create,yet. I do use the zippered pencil pouches that fit into 3-ring binder on a jumbo ring for on the go. These are great for in the car or when we have to go somewhere unexpected. I am going to start childcare for a local Classical Conversation group next week and wanted to switch out our busy bags so Lil’ Red would have something new to explore if he got bored with the kids or the selection of toys.

[Tweet “Need some simple yet educational ways to keep your kids busy? #toddler #preschool”]

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Tot School- 10 Apple Activities plus FREEBIES

September 11, 2012 By Thaleia 12 Comments

10 Apple Activities

1. Counting– real or plastic apples. You can use number cards or just line them up and count them. (linked to my apple pinterest board with loads of apple fun!)

2. Sorting and Matching– by size, color, taste, etc. You can decide which attribute your child should work and create a fun activity to do it in. I found bulletin board strips from Dollar General that could easily be cut up for this. Each strip has 10 apples. You can number them or letter them or use shapes or words. Again create an activity with your child’s skill level in mind.

3. Literature– so many wonderful books to learn about apples! Add a finger play, poem, or story sequence cards to round out your learning time!

4. Transferring/Pouring- Plastic apples or red beads would work great for this. I have plastic apple beads from years ago that I bought at a small hometown bead/craft store. These would be great with a long-handled teaspoon or pouring from a pitcher.

Photo Onceuponadayinpreschool.blogspot.com

5. Lacing- plastic apples, red wooden blocks, or red beads could all represent apples! Use lacing string or bamboo skewers with the ends dulled for this lacing activity. You could make apple-shaped lacing cards on heavy cardstock. Apple Jacks cereal would be fun to lace on yarn and eat!

Photo teachpreschool.org

6. Art- apples sliced and printed or apple-shaped sponges.

photo RockabyeButterfly.com

7. Fine Motor- created an a bare apple tree on paper. Then allow you child to place small pom-poms on the tree for apples. You can glue them, use magnetic pom-poms, or glass gems. Be SAFE and monitor your child with small objects and choking hazards!

8. Science- weighing apples, measuring circumference, or checking density by seeing if your apples sink or float could all be adapted for various ages of children.

photos snippetsbysarah.blogspot.com

8. Math- an apple graph of what you can do with apples or the different colors of apples would be a fun math activity.

Photo icanteachmychild.com

9. Playdoh Mat– simple to print apple mats and making apple pie scented play-doh would be an added bonus.

Photo CountingCoconuts.blogspot.com

Source: childcareland.com via Carolyn on Pinterest

10. Taste Test- go to an Apple Orchard or Farmer’s Market to get a variety of apples that are NOT usually in grocery stores OR try a variety of apple products such as:
applesauce
apple chips
apple crisp
apples in peanut butter or almond butter
apples dipped in chocolate

I got a little carried away pinning apple recipes-oops!

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EXTRAS:

Photo Play Create Explore.com

My FALL Pinterest Board and TOT SCHOOL Board

FREEBIES:

A is for Apple– Preschool Unit

Science Printables from SnippetsbySarah.blogspot.com

Apples Preschool and Tot Pack by 2 Teaching Mommies

Letter Aa Printables from 1plus1plus1equals1.com

Apples Days and Months Printable from Owens Family

A is for Apples Preschool Lesson Plans ReReleased by Melissa

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Tot School

Tot School – 10 Ways to Play with Your ABC’s

September 4, 2012 By Thaleia 7 Comments

10 Ways to Play with Your ABC’s

(Disclosure: There are affiliate links within this post. The links provide a way for us to support our site and provide great ideas and content to you! Thanks for your support.)

Just wanted to share with you some simple ABC Tot Trays. I’m sure you will be able to find suitable items lying around your house to create these fun Tot Trays.

1. Magnets and Metal Juice Lids– if you drink frozen juice concentrate or know of some families that do, then ask them to save the lids. Wash and dry very well. Then use permanent marker or vinyl alphabet stickers. The magnetic letters will stick to the lids and make a great matching game.

2. Flashcards– Try to come up with a new way to use them. Say the name of the letter, match a magnetic letter to flashcard or spell the object on the flashcard.

3. ABC and Baseball Card pockets– use a few baseball card pocket sheets and stickers to create an easy match game. Small or flat letters can be placed inside pockets. Larger etter can be placed on top.

4. Sound and Letter Match– small 3D objects (dollar store toys) to represent the letters you have. Some sort of divided tray helps to sort out objects. (I bought mine at a garage sale for .10) You can use foam alphabets or magnetic letters or wooden alphabet for this tray. Use what you have or borrow from a friend.

5. Small ABC erasers and ABC Desk strip (magnetized)– I have a few sets of small abc erasers, probably from the dollar store, that work great with the small deskstrip abc’s teachers often buy in rolls for their classrooms. (I got mine at a teacher’s moving sale!) I used some old business card magnets to make the strip so it won’t move on those metal trays from Dollar Tree!

6. Foam Letter Stamps, Paper, and Metal Tray– I bought these foam alphabet stamps at Joann Fabric and Crafts using a 50% coupon. Princess used these during 1st grade to stamp some of her spelling words. I know Lil’ Red will love the hands-on crafty mess!

7. ABC Wooden Puzzle on Metal Tray– I wish I knew where these wooden puzzle pieces came from. My husband has a larger set from his childhood and we got this set, but are missing some of the pieces.

8. Poker Chips, Stickers, and Magnetic Letters– I made these BEFORE Eldest was born while I was going to college to earn an AAS in Early Childhood Development. They have been sitting in my alphabet box all this time!

9. Chalkboard and Jumbo Letters– This is a small chalkboard bought at a craft store years ago. The jumbo magnetic letters were back from my ECD college days as well.

10. ABC Wooden Blocks and Plastic Animals– Use wooden blocks to spell out the names of animals. For younger tot’s I would use a flashcard or nonmenclature card for them to match the letters. Older tot’s you can help them read the words and match the animals. You can ask the child what sound the animal makes.