Circle Time!

As a former teacher, I started circle time at home with my kids. I bought a complete pack that would include everything I would need for the next few years. Yes, I could have made it cheaper and cuter, but this was so much easier and with two toddlers at home, I didn't want to. When we started circle time it was only 2-3 minutes long. We kept increasing it so that by the time they were 3 years old, they could sit and focus for around 12 minutes. I should state that when I say sit and focus it includes many different activities and songs, not just being still and listening.

We started when the kids were 21 months old with just the calendar. At first we didn't even pay attention to the numbers. We started with a simple AB pattern using colors. Once the kids could continue the pattern independently, we did start counting the numbers on the calendar as well. Following the patten and counting the numbers while pointing at them also teaches an important pre-reading skill... left to right and top to bottom. Knowing this is how we follow text is crucial to reading when the time is right. Eventually we moved onto other patterns and focusing on the day of the week.

I taught them a song about the Days of the Week - pointing at each word as we sang it. We would figure out what day it was and then add that to the strips you see above the calendar. Pointing at the current day, moving back one for yesterday, and forward one (from today) for tomorrow to help them visualize the time. By using the phrases "Yesterday was..." "Today is..." and "Tomorrow will be..." will seem repetitive, but it's a great way to teach proper grammar.

Once this was all going well, we added a song about the Months. I held up the words and pointed as we sang each one. This is beginning word recognition.

 At the same time we started the calendar, I introduced these two concepts as well. The weather one is fairly self explanatory - we look outside and move the arrow to what the weather is that day. I also taught my kids the Water Cycle Song. It's a great way to introduce evaporation, condensation, and precipitation all of which are directly related to the weather.

We also talk about the seasons. Rather than introducing them all at once, we started with the current season (Summer) and talked about what happens. I introduced each season as we came upon it so it took a full year before they knew all 4 seasons. They can even tell you 3-4 things that happen in each season as a way to help remember it. "Summer is hot, hot, hot and we wear sunscreen." "In Autumn the leaves change colors and fall off the trees." "In Winter we wear coats and it might snow." "In Spring trees grow leaves and flowers bloom." There are more, but you get the idea. This, of course, depends on where you live. If we lived in Canada, I would be able to promise snow in the Winter.

We didn't add graphing for a full year after starting the other things. I would love to say this was a good idea, but honestly I put it off too long. I should have introduced graphing much earlier. We graph the weather over the course of the month, the number of books by specific authors on the bookshelf, and above is a graph of what vehicles drive by our street. This is a great way to introduce collecting data, graphing, more/less/equal, and interpreting information.

We also keep track of the number of days in school. Of course, this actually is just a count of how many times we have done circle time. While this obviously teaches counting, it later helps teach other things. We added a discussion on place value, carrying in addition, and counting up from a number other than 1. It's much more difficult for a child to start counting at 12, 23, or 64. We also decided that once we got to 250 we should start over again. That's more than enough days in a "school year." 

When the kids were 33 months old, they became fascinated with money. They knew that Daddy goes to work to make money and that things cost money. Yet, it isn't very often they actually saw money. We tend to pay for things with our card and between auto bill pay and online shopping, it was all very abstract. We learned a song (notice the theme) about each of the coins and this was the same time we introduced family contributions (jobs they do because they are part of the family) and chores (jobs they can do to make money). I will get into that in another post.

Art with Toddlers

I've already written about Art with Babies. Here we are more than a year later and it's time for an update - Art with Toddlers!

Stickers, markers, finger painting, chalk

We still do art almost every day around here. My kids love it and it's great for fine motor, sensory experiences, learning colors, and verbal development. I include at least one dictation each week after they have created something. I ask them to tell me about their picture. I don't judge or offer any ideas. I write down what they say, which helps kids develop an understanding of how the written word is connected to the spoken word.

stickers, collages, brush painting

Stickers are always a favorite activity. The smaller the stickers, the more developed fine motor skills are required to get them off the page and onto the paper. We usually do a variety so that they can always feel success and challenge with each project. For the 4th of July, the kids made American flags. They started with a white piece of paper, some red strips of paper, a blue square and some star stickers. We looked at photos of an American flag, then I gave them glue and let them do whatever they wanted.

Gluing, stickers, painting, collages

 Here you can see two different types of collages. Grandma cut out magazine photos of kids and we often let the kids pick their favorites and glue them on paper. They even name the kids and talk about what they are doing in each picture. At the bottom (black paper), you can also see a collage of random stuff. There are buttons, feathers, cotton balls, pompoms, and a pipe cleaner.

markers, water colors, golf ball painting

 The smaller purple papers at the bottom with the yellow paint, are golf ball paintings. I wanted to do marble paintings, but didn't have any marbles. I took a box without a lid and taped the paper inside. I put some paint next to the paper and dropped in the golf ball. The kids held the box and rolled the ball around to create the art. There are a couple of benefits to using a golf ball instead of the marble I had originally wanted. The golf ball weighs more and is more difficult for the kids to bounce out of the box. Every kid will try this, so this was a very pleasant surprise. The other benefit is that it leaves a cool pattern because of the bumps on the ball. I would have loved to be able to do both (and possibly other balls - tennis, etc) to see the different patterns each ball will leave with the same method.

finger painting, stickers, brush painting, markers, stickers

Feeling the difference between coloring with markers, crayons, and chalk helps kids get tactile feedback as they are coloring. Many Kindergartens around here won't let the kids use markers because they are too easy. The kids are coming in without the hand strength and fine motor control needed to properly write. In order to help this, they are being required to only use crayons, chalk, and colored pencils. All of which require (and build) more strength. Starting to use things other than markers early, will help build hand strength and make the transition to writing easier.

Wordless Wednesday

6 Flags Over Texas

Just like last year, we took another trip to 6 Flags Over Texas thanks to the company my husband worked for. This year the kids were more into it since they could ride more things.

Here they are on the swings. They are so much bigger than last year! (This is still great for their vestibular systems.)

They loved the airplanes. There was a lever you can pull and make the plane go up as it is going around. They rode this one more than once.

My husband hates spinning rides, but clearly the rest of us love them. I love that sweet son even has his hands up. Sweet daughter was just trying to make it spin faster.

As the sun went down, it started to rain. Here's a travel tip - if it rains, don't leave! Most of the people left and we rode the big train around until the rain let up some. Yes, we got wet, but we didn't melt and it was so much fun without anyone around.

Sweet son wanted a hug from a skunk. My kids didn't know any of these characters, since we don't watch tv, but he was still impressed.

We got both kids a flashlight with their name on it. You will notice it doesn't matter who he is posing with, the flashlight is the only thing holding his attention.

Sweet daughter wasn't getting near any of these characters. We were lucky if she would wave while hiding behind us. 

The other good thing about the rain and the people leaving, is that we could easily find groups of characters standing under awnings with no lines to get your photo taken.

This was from earlier in the day, before she realized she was scared of the characters. Yes, she dances like a white girl. haha

I'm linking up with Suitcases and Sippycups and Walking on Travels for Travel Tips Tuesday!