It's been a few weeks since I updated Tot School but we are chugging along! It seems every month or so I change the format of our learning, so I am not really sure if she is learning anything or not. She is definitely having fun, though, and that's what matters!
Every Monday, I have been swapping out the contents of the sand table, Coloured pasta, coloured rice, orange lentils and coloured chick peas have all made an appearance, I am hoping in the future to do coloured oatmeal, and if I can find enough at a decent price, aquarium rocks.
The pasta is one of my favourites because it can be used in many ways. We sorted colours and shapes, and attempted to thread onto pipe cleaners.
She had some success, but she was being a bit to rough, causing the pipe cleaner to bend and making it harder.
For the last couple of weeks, we have been settling into a format. While I cook dinner, Salean either does art or works on a tot tray, I chose dinner prep time because Daddy is working away again and she wants to be with me all the time. It is also a good time because I can keep an eye on her without interfering, and it has a concrete end time, when dinner is ready. I find transitioning from activities easier when there is a concrete end time and can present something else right away, like a plate of food.
We always go out to Grandma's on Saturday night, and Sundays are usually crazy or we go out as a family, so art has been on Monday, then tot tray introductions Tuesday and Thursday and continued play on Wednesday and Friday. This week's art was painting, above. The one on the left was done the Friday before during a play date at a local private school, we got to go in to check it out and play with the preschool class for an hour.
This week's tot trays were stamping (Tuesday and Wednesday) and gem transferring (Thursday and Friday). I got some gems and olive tongs at the dollar store and showed her how to pick up the gems and drop them into a mini muffin pan. She really needs practice on this one, and preferred to use her fingers. No big deal, it will come.
As you can see above, I made two tot trays with old cookie sheets. I put scrapbook paper on them and put about 5 layers of modge podge, plus additional around the edges that had lifted a bit. She is prone to picking at loose papers and stickers, so I didn't want her to peel it off! With these trays, she can do magnetic activities as well as regular activities.
So this was our week at a glance, I made up next weeks tot trays this afternoon, we will do matching and threading more pasta on pipe cleaners.
Hope everyone has a great week!
~Natasha.
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