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Tot School has been on the back burner for the past few weeks as we have been traveling. We finally started to get back into the swing of things last week. I decided to go with a 'rainbow' theme for the next month. I have lots of items around the house I can already use and I have been wanting to formally (ha) introduce colors to Luke. Like I said, we started to get back into the swing of things this week, but we're not all the way there, yet. I'm giving myself grace as the weather gets nice outside and there is garden work to be done. Hopefully this week will be a little more, um, well planned. I have this entire rainy day on the Trail to get organized, so wish me luck!
Color Matching
Rating: 5/5
Skills:
Colors: red, yellow, green, blue
Sorting
Counting
Fine motor development
Sensory development
Activity:
This is the activity we used all week long. I pick up four felt pieces from Hobby Lobby awhile ago in the colors red, yellow, green, and blue. I used several of Luke's toys he has around the house to help him sort the colors. We used magnetic letters (his favorite), Legos, cars, and pipe cleaners. Although Luke hasn't quite deciphered the difference in colors and how we are sorting them, I know he is learning as I help him sort the items. As we sorted, I talked about the color of each item and how it matches one of the mats. This activity has endless possibilities and I plan on using it all month long with different items.
(Excuse the quality of some of these pictures.)
Markers
Rating: 5/5
Skills:
Colors: red, yellow, green, blue
Fine motor development
Art
Pre-writing
Activity:
I gave Luke the four colors we have been working on all week (red, yellow, green, blue) and he drew a picture. Markers is one of his favorite materials to work with when we do art. Markers are great for toddlers because they make big, bold marks they can see. Most of the time Luke comes away with red and green fingers, but Crayola markers are washable, so I don't worry so much about that.
Linked up at:
http://www.icanteachmychild.com
I know I have said this before, but I'm going to say it again. Easter is one of my favorite holidays. Celebrating Jesus laying down his life for us just makes me happy.
We had a busy weekend with lots of family. We stopped in Grinnell first to visit Kevin's side of the family. Sweet little Kathryn was there and she is just pure joy. She is one of the happiest babies I know and her cute little belly just makes me merry. To top it off, she had the cutest Easter bunny outfit with matching ears that she didn't pull off. Luke would have torn those off in a heartbeat.
Great-Grandma and Grandpa Turner with Luke and Kathryn
We headed to Ottumwa on Saturday morning after we had to wake Mr. Luke up from his sleep about 8:00. (I think he was still recovering from our travels.) Ottumwa is always so much fun, but such a whirlwind. I feel like we have to squeeze a week's worth of stuff into a day and a half. We saw my sweet Grandpa and Grandma, all the kiddos, my parents and siblings, and Coop and Paige. We played kickball, helped Santa's elf in his workshop (Coop), ate some yummy food, went to church and had an Easter egg hunt, and watched bits and pieces of the Ten Commandments. It flew by and before we knew it we were in the car headed home.
I hope you had a blessed Easter weekend filled with lots of time with your friends and family reflecting on Jesus' amazing sacrifice for us.
Great-Grandpa Hasley, Kevin, and Luke
Luke and Grandpa touching hands
All the kiddos before church
Luke wasn't sure to think of all his cousins and their candy.
Easter
A week and a half ago we were San Francisco bound. Luke, Kevin, my parents, and I all boarded a plane to take in the sights and sounds of the west coast. When we landed we headed straight for the water and spent the weekend on the beach. We explored little towns, a few wineries, and the guys checked out some breweries. It was a lazy little weekend and a perfect getaway for some family time. We spent a few days in the city while Kevin attended a conference. We walked around Chinatown (my dad's favorite), ate some seafood, and rode the crowded cable cars. Luke really enjoyed people watching and time with Grandma and Grandpa. It was a fun trip...here is San Fran in pictures.
Luke loves water.
Everything was so green!
At Korbel Cellars...it was so pretty!
Luke making a wish.
This kids makes me smile.
Grandma and Luke by the ocean...it was C-O-L-D.
He literally was trying to run into the water the entire time on the beach.
Pretty backdrop.
Our family.
Mom and Dad at Viansa Winery.
Luke loved this place.
In San Fran at Fisherman's Warf.
Luke loved looking out the window on the cable car.
At the Chinatown playground.
Headed home.
One of Luke's favorite parts of the trip....seriously.
We have been traveling the last week and are finally back home and all ready to...travel again for Easter! I will share pictures from our travels at a later date, but here are some random pictures from the last few weeks. Hope you all have a blessed Easter weekend with your families!
Gary and Kevin putting a fence up in our backyard...they are the best!
Luke helping me pack.
Out for a walk.
Papa Jeff enjoying some cuddles.
Luke and Courtney catching up, always great to see this girl!
Happy Saturday, all! I combined the last two weeks of Tot School together for this post, as it seems like we have been gone a lot lately and not gotten to all the activities I've had planned. Here is what we were up to the last two weeks on the Trail...
Magnetic Letters
Rating: 5/5
Skills:
Fine motor development
Letter recognition
Name recognition
Activity:
This is pretty straightforward. I get out the magnetic letters and Luke sorts them, while I talk about each letter and then proceed to make words on a cookie sheet. With an older tot, you could sort letters by color, holes/no holes, straight lines/curvy lines, uppercase/lowercase. Sorting is a great way to get your tot to think about how letters are similar and different.
Markers
Rating: 3/5
Skills:
Fine motor development
Pre-writing
Art
Activity:
We have done this many times and Luke enjoys it almost every time. I had an extra cut-out heart from Valentine's Day, so we used that along with some markers to make a picture. Why do I prefer markers over crayons? Mainly because they're easier for Luke to maneuver, but also because they make brighter, darker marks than crayons and Luke likes that.
Ping Pong Balls
Rating: 5/5
Skills:
Fine motor development
Gross motor development
Counting 1-5
Activity:
I put five ping pong balls in a cup. Luke likes to throw them and then chase them. I count them as he picks them up and throws them. I use five balls because the number five is a landmark number (a simple number to work with; i.e. 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, etc.).
Easter Eggs
Rating 5/5
Skills:
Fine motor development
Sensory development
Colors
Counting
Activity:
I don't have my Easter sensory basket put together, yet, but I chose to get some plastic Easter eggs out for Luke to explore. He liked feeling the shape and moving them around on the floor. We talked about the color of each egg.
Easter Egg Color Matching
Rating: 5/5
Skills:
Fine motor development
Colors
Counting
Activity:
I gathered blue and green plastic eggs along with a blue felt mat and a green felt mat. Luke and I sorted the eggs onto each mat. We talked about the colors and also counted the eggs on each mat and in his cup. I'm not sure he really understood the color matching, but he did like when I counted the eggs on each mat and in his cup.
Linked up at:
http://www.icanteachmychild.com
You probably have noticed I haven't been baking much lately. Mostly because my sweet, slim hubby is currently boycotting all things sweet. I'm ready for the craziness of summer to ensue with BBQs, visits from friends and family, and Quarry parties that give me a reason to bake for a crowd. Although I'm taking a hiatus from baking, I wanted to share my top three very favorite dessert recipes I've tried over the last year and a half here on the Trail (they might all include peanut butter). Hope you find one you like!
Deep Dish Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookie Bars
No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies (gluten free!!)
