Tot school - three weeks worth!

Oh my, it's been three weeks since I've done a Tot School post. With M&M being in school three mornings, playgroup once a week, going to the library, the park, grocery shopping and doctor appointments our weeks are pretty busy. We aren't used to being this busy so it's just a matter of settling into a new schedule. I've found that my focus has changed from Tot School mode all of the time to wanting to do crafts during my free time.

I've also been wrestling with the decision to keep doing a letter a week. I think I've decided to postpone doing the rest of the letters until the beginning of next year. (With the exception of this next week because we are going to do a lot of apple activities.) We just have a lot of things planned in the next three months and I will probably end up doing a lot of arts and crafts for Autumn, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've got the craft itch BAD! My mom is coming in November with her sewing machine to help me do some projects, but there is a lot of prep work that I need to do for the projects before then. Considering October starts this week (can you believe it?) November really isn't that far away. I haven't decided if I'm going to continue with Tot School posts until the beginning of the year or not either. We'll see. I might just end up posting about certain activities that we do without having one long post which seems to take forever. I'm really trying to simplify my life right now.

Anyway, it's been great weather here so M&M and I spent an afternoon on the back porch with sidewalk chalk. She started drawing some letters and then I drew a roadway for her to drive a little car on.


We made Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats using my mother-in-law's recipe. (I'll post the recipe in a separate post.)

We also did these sound eggs that I've been meaning to do forever. This idea came from Chasing Cheerios. I filled each set of eggs with beans, small seashells, rice, lentils, overhead counters (I think that's what they are), and stones. Then she shakes one of them and tries to find the match in the other color just by listening to the sound. She kept wanting to open them and cheat, but she did a really good job at recognizing the differences.

I've set up an art area in our playroom for M&M. (more about that in another post) I've set out stickers for her to use and this is what she did with them. She put them into "families". Everything that has big and little things are mommies, daddies, and babies.
M&M also painted one of those packaged ceramic figure kits from the craft store. The kit only comes with red, blue, yellow, and white. Once she used all of those colors she wanted more colors and mentioned that we can mix them together to make new colors. I pulled out the color wheel puzzle from the Target dollar spot and used it as a reference. We made green, orange, purple and pink.

When I first got these lacing cards M&M wasn't really interested in them so I put them away for awhile and just brought them back out. She only did one, but at least she went until the string was all done.

I got this doll from the dollar store and it was a great transition from the last activity because you have to lace on the doll's clothes and hats.



This community helper tools match game is from Kelly's Kindergarten. (Scroll down on the link.) M&M really liked this, but she needed a lot of help the first time.


I also got this game at the dollar store after seeing it on several blogs. M&M put the pegs in several times.


She wanted to hammer them in one of the times.


She also put marbles on top of them. I saw this on a blog, but I can't remember where, sorry.


I made these tongue depressor shapes a while ago, put them away and then found them recently. I got the idea for these from My Two Happy Homeschoolers.


With these popsicle sticks she is matching uppercase letters to lowercase letters. I've posted about this activity before here.


There was also renewed interest in this dry erase book. She is doing really good at tracing letters.


We made bug racers. Got the idea from here. It's made out of the cups from an egg carton, put faces on them and pipe cleaners for antennas. Make a ramp, put marbles under them and race!


Ours aren't nearly as cute as the ones on the link.


This counting activity came from Childcareland. Using clothespins M&M put the correct amount on the circles. These plastic clothespins are a lot easier for M&M to squeeze.


This is a syllable count game. I did this one not knowing if M&M would understand. I tried to explain it to her, but she didn't get it. Maybe 3 is too young to teach syllables? I don't know. Has anyone else tried something like this with toddlers?


I loved these color matching pictures from Homeschool Creations. I printed them out, laminated them and had M&M match them using these pocket charts from the Target $1 spot.



I saw this idea somewhere to take the backing off of stickers and then have kids take the stickers off and match them up with the holes. We tried this, but it didn't last very long.


Sometimes when M&M plays on the computer on Nick Jr. or PBSkids.com she will print out stuff. She printed this Yo Gabba Gabba thing and then wanted to cut them out. I gave her the scissors and was expecting little cuts all over the edges like she usually does. Not this time! She actually cut around each card. I was amazed. My lesson learned during Tot School this week was never underestimate your kids!


I made these 5 frogs and monkey posters from the idea I saw at Izzie, Mac and Me. The graphics for the monkey posters came from Kizclub.com. The frog ones came from Childcareland. M&M loves pulling the monkeys and frogs off to match them to the number we are on.