School Daze- A Week of Play....

Ryleigh is 39 Months and Braeden is 12 Months

This week we did a watercolor stART project, musical mondays, dance class and lots of playdates...Lately Braeden has been really into wrestling...and Ryleigh really likes tumbling...so there is usually a lot of rolling around going on...

Braeden wrestling with Ryleigh...

Braeden successfully pounced....

Braeden...."I didn't do anything...." and Ryleigh laughing hysterically...

Ryleigh working on a huge floor puzzle to help practice numbers...

Braeden loves his farm animal block toy...great for fine motor skills

I had the girls transfer beans with the ice cream dollar spot finds...
(next time I set the trays up I will have them do the activity from left to right...
to help with pre-reading)

I used the math counting dot cards (from Confessions of a Homeschooler)and had the girls first count the dots, look at the number on the card...and then put the 3-D cylinder shape over the dot to help re-enforce the quantity of the number...
At target I picked up 2 of the magnetic alphabets from the dollar spot...so love the dollar spot... and had the girls each pick 8 letters from the first set...and then I drew letters from the second...and they had to "match" the letter...it kept them all entertained and focused...because they needed to see if they had the letter that was picked...

Then I used some of our Kumon tracing pages in page protectors for the girls to practice their pre-writing skills...

Ryleigh LOVES puzzles...and really liked doing these Melissa and Doug Jigsaws in a box when Granny came over this week....

During Braeden's afternoon nap...Ryleigh and I worked on Numbers with our Eric Carle number flashcards....they are so pretty!!

On a playdate with her cousin Sari, Ryleigh experienced the WII for the first time...did I spell that right?...they played bowling and dancing...and she LOVED it...the girls were so cute together..

During another Braeden nap, Ryleigh and I played Crazy 8's (which is what we normally do at some point during nappy time)...and Pooh's Go Together Game...which is great for a different kind of logic thinking...you match up cards that should go together, i.e. hammer and nail, wind and kite...etc.... and they are self checking....if you turn a match over they should line up to make a picture...

At another playdate, Braeden had fun exploring new toys...

and trying to yank the rug out from his friends....*sigh*....
he is cute when he is destructing...

To see what others are doing this week check out 1+1+1=1 for tot school; Homeschool Creations for Preschool Corner; and Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers for the weekly wrap-up...

stART- Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

A Story + Art = a great stART!!!For our story this week we read Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert... in which they plant many different flowers (and plants) that make up the colors of the rainbow. The book starts with seeds and ends with a beautiful garden rainbow. Ryleigh loves rainbows....so this book was an instant hit with her.

For our project I had the girls use star stickers of many different colors to represent the "seeds" of the garden/rainbow. Then they used watercolors to make the garden grow. At the end they had beautiful rainbow gardens (pictures)...

Ryleigh peeling the stickers off (a great fine motor activity)

Starting to paint her garden...

She was very meticulous and made sure that she painted all of the stars....

Ryleigh has been practicing writing her letters lately...
if you look closely you will see a "H" at the top of her painting...

The finished painting...a rainbow of colors...

For more great stART projects check out A Mommys Adventures!

For more toddler activities visit

School Daze- Before our official start back...

Ryleigh is 39 Months and Braeden is 12 Months

Although we have not "officially" started our 2010-2011 "term" we have begun doing a few organized projects to ease back in...we had dance class, Music class, a stART project, visits to the park, visits to the library, playdates and lots of giggles....

I set up a mini-obstacle course in the living room...with big foam cushions and the tunnel...both kids loved it. Ryleigh jumped continuously all afternoon....

Ryleigh jumping and Braeden standing...unassisted.....

They both fell down...and Braeden thought this was hilarious....

More jumping...but Braeden has moved on to emptying out the bins....

During our Musical Mondays... some of the kids...
the class has gotten so big that we have had to add on an "annex" to the drum...
I need to get a second big gathering drum this fall...

I set the girls up with this bead transfer...
using cute ice cream dishes and spoons that I got at the target dollar spot.
A great fine motor activity...

Braeden thought that banging his magnetic farm barn on the floor was extremely funny....

I found these great cylinder 4 color shapes at the target dollar spot... so many possibilities for them...I also got the square and triangle ones... Here Ryleigh is sorting by color and then counting how many of each color there are....this is a good fine motor activity, sorting activity (color) and counting activity...

Ryleigh and my Grandmother playing Dora Dominoes....
a great way to practice matching and turn taking...

"Oh- Do you see me about to try and take the Computer away from sister?"

Braeden doesn't really bang on my pots and pans...but he does on Ryleigh's...

I had the girls do some beading activity on a pipe-cleaner...they made bracelets...
I think they played at this project for a good half an hour, if not more...

I brought out all 3 kinds of 3-D shapes that I had gotten...the girls sorted by color and shape...and then practiced lots of counting...

Braeden and Juliette playing with the chair and magnetic farm while the girls worked on their projects...shortly they will be included in tot trays...

Ryleigh and Emily really wanted to eat lunch together....so they had an indoor picnic...

And Braeden and Juliette had a lunch date...yummy cheerios!

To see what others are up to this week head over to 1+1+1=1, Homeschool Creations and Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

stART- Little Cloud by Eric Carle

A Story + Art = A great stART!

This week we read The Little Cloud by Eric Carle. In it the Little Cloud separates from the bigger clouds and takes on many shapes (an airplane, a rabbit, etc.). Fear not...it goes back with the bigger clouds at the end... For our project this week, I had the girls paint clouds (or the appearance of) outdoors on packing paper. They painted the colors with paintbrushes and sponges. Then they used bubble wrap to paint with white...to make cloud shapes... The different textures added to the depth of the painting...and they each had fun with the bubble wrap...

Painting with some colors...

Laying the bubble wrap down...

Lifting it up...

The finished project.... what do you think the cloud looks like?
I think it looks like the Letter Y.

For more great stART projects check out A Mommy's Adventures

The one in which Braeden gives Gymboree a try...and Elmo gets a new dress....

Recently we did a trial class at Gymboree for Braeden...Ryleigh used to go to the gym classes when she was younger ... and since Juliette was doing it...I thought Braeden might like it too...and it was free...

Ryleigh climbing on the equipment before the babies' class began...Braeden....wondering how the camera made it all the way to gymboree...

Emily and Ryleigh waited so patiently while class was going on...
they are both such great big sisters...

Climbing...

He rolled the ball...and then scooted to go get it...then rolled it...over and over...
weaving in and out of people along his way...

Ryleigh and Braeden playing with our tunnel in the living room...

Braeden had no interest whatsoever in coming out of the tunnel...
and made me go in to get him...

Grandma Sue made Ryleigh an adorable strawberry shortcake dress...and one for her baby doll to match...Ryleigh promptly gave the dress to Elmo
(baby Elmo I think...not to be confused with sister Elmo or cousin Elmo...)

Ryleigh...playing in the dirt with her friend Teagan...
I love that she is wearing a "princess" shirt while digging...