Autumn Baby Activities: Tiny Tot School

October 16, 2017

Fall is finally here! It’s my favorite time of year, so I’m usually planning and anticipating by late July. Unfortunately I live in a part of the country where Fall takes a little longer to arrive. Nothing says autumn like 85°F weather and 99% humidity!! But now it’s October and the days are getting cooler, pumpkins are everywhere (and in everything!) and I am ready! This month I’m excited to share our Autumn Tot School theme. I have activities planned for children of all ages … ok not much for the teenagers 🙂 but today I’d like to start with some Autumn Baby Activities for our littlest tots.

I like to call it ‘Tiny Tot School’ as these activities are ideal for children 6 – 18 months old. As always, watch your child oh so carefully since EVERYTHING goes in the mouth at this age. You know your child best, so please trust your instincts if you feel your child isn’t quite ready to perform an activity safely. But that’s enough with the disclaimers – let’s have some fun with our littles!

Autumn Treasure Basket

Are you familiar with the Montessori treasure basket concept? I mentioned it here, and I really couldn’t say enough good things about it. The treasure basket is simply a basket full of a variety of objects, usually centered around a theme. Often the baskets focus on providing a variety of textures, colors, or even smells. All you have to do is pick a theme and run through your house with a basket in search of items that fit!

Once your basket is prepared, present it to your child and allow him or her to explore at their own pace. Often this exploration will include tasting as much as touching, so be mindful of your objects and your level of observation. Personally I like to take the lesson a step further and discuss the objects as they are touched.

“That is a pumpkin, it has a pretty orange color! Do you see the stem? How does the pumpkin feel, rough or smooth?”

An older child may be able to answer some of your questions while the littlest tots seem to ignore them, but I guarantee they are all absorbing what you say.

For our autumn treasure basket I included the following items:

An Orange cotton cloth
Several Small pumpkins with beaded sides for enhanced texture
wooden beads strung on a pipe cleaner (and firmly secured!)
Several yellow and orange spiked rubber balls
small yellow and red toys
a plastic toy apple
An orange bath louffa
a red ball
a green toy pear

This was by far baby’s favorite activity. He spent at least 20 minutes working through it all and would probably have spent another 20 if he had the opportunity.

Extension Activities:

Hide objects under the cloth and feel them with hands only, good for older siblings, or play 20 questions with hidden objects.

Pumpkin Sensory Bag

This was such a fun activity, and although baby didn’t love it as much as I expected, Nugget certainly did! The best part of this activity is that the presentation can be easily modified to suit the child’s development. I offered the bag loose to baby, but a child who is interested in standing might enjoy having the bag taped to a window where he or she could stand to squish the contents around. On the other hand, it could also be secured to the tray of a highchair for a less mobile baby. Or try all 3 options and see which your child prefers!

Supplies:

Large 1 Gallon Size Freezer Bag
1 Large container of hair gel – I like LA Looks from Walmart because it’s inexpensive
Black Fun Foam Cut into Jack O Lantern Features.
Orange Food Coloring, Glitter optional
Clear Packing Tape

Instructions:

Cut out the jack o lantern features from fun foam and set them aside. I keep it simple with eyes, nose and mouth. Make sure they are large enough to be easily visible once they are within the bag.
Fill the bag halfway with gel and add a few drops of food coloring. Seal the bag and mix together until your desired color is reached. This is also the time to add glitter if you wish to do so.
Place the foam face pieces inside the bag and seal it with a thick layer of packing tape.

Puff Ball Pumpkins in a Jar

Seriously guys. This may be the easiest tot school activity EVER. I almost feel silly even listing it except it works SO well. This is actually an activity I devised a few years ago when Goose was little. He outgrew it but it has been used again for Nugget and most recently, baby. As you can see in the pictures, it’s just an old juice bottle and a bunch of large orange pom poms.

The idea is to have the child stuff the pompoms into the open lid of the jar. This is a fantastic fine motor activity because it requires a surprising amount of dexterity. It also teaches concepts like object permanence and problem solving as the child attempts to get the pompoms back out of the container. Baby loved this activity although it was quite challenging for him at 11 months, and Nugget still enjoys it at 2.

I have considered cutting a whole in the lower edge to make retrieving the pompoms easier but have feared that the kids would use it as a shortcut and the entire purpose of the activity would be defeated. It’s definitely an option to consider though. Overall just wash an old container, and find some pompoms that are just barely larger than the opening at the top. Show your child how to push the pompom inside and then let her go. You will be amazed by how a simple activity can captivate your child!

Fall Sensory Bottle

You know I love to make sensory bottles out of Voss water bottles and this unit was no exception. I’m constantly attempting to improve my sensory bottles and this one turned out particularly well. My goal was to use some leaf shaped sequins within the bottle and create a mixture that would allow them to slowly fall when shaken. It took a few attempts but the recipe below resulted in a nice relaxing pace, perfect for entrancing an overstimulated child.

Supplies:

1 Voss Water Bottle or similar
Super Glue
Water
Clear Hair Gel
Gliter (I used a combination of orange and gold)
Orange Food coloring
Small Leaf Shaped Sequins in fall colors
Light Corn Syrup

Instructions:

Begin by washing your bottle thoroughly, you don’t want anything growing in it down the road – yuck!
Fill the bottle 1/3 with water, then add roughly 1 Cup hair gel. Shake to combine.
Add food coloring, glitter and leaves until you reach your desired concentration.
Fill the remainder of the bottle with corn syrup, and repeat step 3 if neccessary.
Screw on the lid and shake the bottle thoroughly to observe the movement within your sensory bottle. Now is the time to make any adjustments if it isn’t quite right.
Remove the lid and apply superglue to the inside so that it is fully secured.

Did Your Child Enjoy These Autumn Baby Activities??

Are you excited about Fall? Have you conquered your Fall Bucket List?

Tell me all about it in the comments!

Early Tot School, Tot School Units

Easy Early Tot School Color Unit

July 10, 2017

Lately Nugget has really been developing his vocabulary. It seems like I hear a new word several times a day lately, and I love it! He didn’t speak as early as Goose (which I think is quite typical for younger siblings) and all too often I find myself comparing the two. I know that’s a major no-no but it’s so hard not to, when two children are so close in age. Luckily, his new-found interest in vocabulary has resulted in some major interest in tot school activities. So this week I have focused more on Nugget and developed an early tot school color unit.

Of course Goose has known his colors for quite some time, but even he has enjoyed some of the activities I devised. Since he doesn’t require vocabulary building I focused on visual discrimination, sorting, and of course fine motor skills.

Rainbow Colored Sensory Bottles

What, I used Voss water bottles to make a set of sensory bottles for a tot school unit?? You’re shocked I’m sure. This set of sensory bottles was so fun and easy, and best of all I had all the supplies I needed around the house. I actually made these when Goose was little, but pulled them out of storage this week to introduce to Nugget. As you can see in the pictures, the boys have hidden my red bottle so please forgive my incomplete rainbow. Lately hiding things (and themselves!) seems to be a favorite game of theirs.

Supplies:

6 medium Voss water bottles
Super Glue
a WIDE assortment of colored items from around your house (examples below)

Instructions:

Empty your Voss bottles (I water my plants with it because I can’t stand the taste. Great for crafting, awful for drinking!)
Remove labels by warming with a hairdryer to loosen adhesive
Allow bottles to dry thoroughly before proceeding. Even a tiny bit of moisture can cause mildew to form inside your bottles down the road.
Fill your bottles by color until they are mostly full, leaving just enough space for items to shake and move.
Use superglue to secure the lid.
Give them to your kiddos and watch as they stack them, shake them, and turn them into light sabers (or is that just my boys?) and hopefully learn their colors along the way.

Some suggestions on filling your bottles:

This is a great opportunity to clean out that junk drawer, the back of your craft closet, and even that pile of random mismatched toy pieces. You can fill your bottles with ANYTHING. In fact, the more variety the better. Mine include Easter basket grass, beads, sequins, ribbon, pompoms, pipe cleaners, a barrette, cheap plastic toys that we’ve gotten free from the dentist office, baby food pouch lids and more. Seriously – anything goes. You don’t even have to worry about choking hazards since the bottle is glued shut!

Color Discrimination Cards

I designed these color discrimination cards using paint samples from my local home improvement store. They were easy to make and the only cost was a package of clothespins and about 20 min. time. The idea of the cards is to help the child discern between varying shades within a color family. Some of these required a second look for me, so I know this is a challenging activity for kids. Goose really enjoyed matching the colors to each strip, but then took the task one step further by going around our house looking for matching colors. I suspect I will be finding color clips around the house for weeks, but he was learning and having fun so what more could I ask for?

Supplies:

2 sets of paint sample cards from your local home improvement store. I selected a strip in each of the ROYGBIV colors and then grabbed a duplicate set of the same strips.
A package of clothespins
Hot glue gun or other adhesive

Nice to have but not necessary: a square hole punch (about 1″x1″), and a laminator.

Instructions:

Using a square punch or scissors, cut a 1″x1″ square from each color.
If desired, laminate the squares for added durability
Use hot glue to attach one square to the top of each clothespin
Match each color to its color strip and use the clothespin to attach it.

Early Tot School Color Sorting

This activity is so simple I feel like the pictures alone are pretty self-explanatory. All you need are 2 colored bins full of matching ball pit balls or similar, and one eager tot. Dump out the balls and then help your child to sort them by color into the appropriate basket. Depending on your child’s age you could make this more difficult by adding additional colors.

Homemade Wooden Rainbow

OK, how amazing is this wooden rainbow. If I can take a moment to brag, my Dad made this for Goose for his birthday a few years ago after he saw me lusting after the Grimm’s 6-Piece Rainbow Stacker. I would love to give you guys a detailed tutorial on how to make one yourself but honestly, he’s a craftsman and I know absolutely nothing about woodworking. The rainbow was just too pretty not to show though, and has proven to be such a versatile plaything. If you have the money I totally recommend buying one from Grimm’s 6-Piece Rainbow Stacker. If like me, you can’t justify shelling out that kind of cash for wooden blocks here is a tutorial from Shape of a Spoon.

The individual arches have seen use as headbands, bridges, car garages (of course!), and toy animal pins. Mixed with traditional blocks they open up so many new avenues for creative play. Plus they help teach colors!

Touch & Feel Color Cards

If you followed my posts during our Farm themed tot school unit you’re likely already aware of my love for the DK line of touch and feel picture cards. They come in a wide range of themes and so far we have loved every set we order. To help add a tactile element to our color learning activities I brought out our My First Touch and Feel Picture Cards: Colors & Shapes. As you can see in the picture they are large, sturdy enough to withstand a rough toddler and each card features a large tactile surface. The images are bright and compelling – just right for slowing down your busy mover long enough to learn a little. The backs of the cards feature several conversational prompts for you to use with your child, as well as translations to introduce the word in multiple languages. As you’ll see in the picture, the color blue is expressed in Spanish, French, German and Chinese.

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Early Tot School, Montessori

Why Fine Motor Skills are So Important

July 5, 2017

If you have spent much time at all on my blog you’ve heard me talking about fine motor skills. Nearly every tot school activity I introduce focuses on building vocabulary or fine motor skills (and often the activities do both!). If you aren’t already taking an active role in your child’s fine motor development you are missing a critical opportunity to help them reach their full potential.

What are Fine Motor Skills?

Fine Motor Skills (also referred to as dexterity) is the blanket term for activities that require control of small muscles in the hands. If you think of the way that a newborn uses his or her hands, they are clumsy and awkward as they bat at things. Even the simple ability to grasp and release is an acquired skill. Now think of your own dexterity. You and I can perform complex tasks with our hands easily. The development of fine motor skills is the path that a child takes from those early baby days to reaching the skill level that you and I share.

Why are Fine Motor Skills Important?

Many studies suggest that the use of fine motor control is the basis for all intellectual functioning within the first 2 years of a child’s life. This reliance on fine motor control for learning continues throughout childhood. Children naturally learn with their hands, this is why increasing the skill level with which they are able to use their hands is so important.

Development of fine motor skills is vital for developing independence, self- confidence and even social skills. A child with advanced fine motor abilities will stand out amongst his or her peers in a preschool or early elementary setting. This child will be early to dress himself, early to excel with cutting or playing with small toys, and most importantly early to write. Children are cognitively ready to write at a much earlier age, the lack of congruent muscle ability is what delays them.

Sadly the development of fine motor skills has declined dramatically in recent years.Children spend more time watching TV, playing video games, or using an iPad. Consequently they spend less time working the many muscles in their hands. I have spoken to many teachers who lament the decline in their student’s abilities. One friend who teaches kindergarten says that today the majority of incoming students are unable to correctly hold a crayon or pencil. Even 15 years ago she says that most students possessed that skill by 3 or 4 years of age.

It’s my opinion that children today move too little in all aspects of life. They have become so accustomed to electronic stimulation that they are not spending the time playing outside that children did even a generation ago. This impacts their fine and gross motor skills as well as their overall health. Spending one hour each week playing t-ball is not enough activity for a healthy growing child.

What does Montessori Say About Fine Motor Skills?

Maria Montessori was a strong supporter of movement as a means of developing mental acuity. She believed that the physical movements of the young child were directly connected to the child’s learning potential.

“In fact, it is only by movement that the personality can express itself.” Maria Montessori in The Absorbent Mind

“The child has to acquire physical independence by being self-sufficient; he must become of independent will by using in freedom his own power of choice and ability.”

This belief is repeated throughout the Montessori classroom. The use of motor skills is believed to increase the ease with witch a task is learned and understood. For example, the Pink Tower, a classic Montessori material initially appears to be a simple stacking activity. However, as the child stacks each cube he or she is building hand strength, muscle control, and learning about ordering. That very sense of order is vital to later math concepts.

What Can I Do To Help My Child?

There are also numerous activities to build them. Most can be practiced using items you already have around the house. Ultimately any activity that uses the hands and arms is going to be building muscle control. The important thing is for the child to practice a wide variety of activities so all of the muscles are worked equally.

Here are some simple activities to begin with:

Scooping or spooning activities
Pouring a variety of liquids and solids
Working with clay or playdough
Lacing
Stringing beads
Cutting
Coloring
Painting
Picking up small objects
Using tongs
Handling delicate objects

Here are just a few of the many activities I have featured that build fine motor skills.

Poking toothpick flags into floral foam requires a strong grasp.
Spooning beads requires a steady hand and good coordination.
Using tongs to transfer objects uses the hand muscles in new ways.
Spooning peas is an easy way to develop hand eye coordination.
Pouring colored rice encourages hand strength and spatial judgement.
Handling tiny objects like corn kernels requires precision and dexterity.
Coloring is a classic children's activity for a reason: it uses many hand and finger muscles while allowing children to express their creativity.

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Early Tot School, Montessori, Printables, Tot School Units

Ocean Themed Tot School Unit: Part 3

June 9, 2017

All good things must come to an end, and so too must my Ocean themed Tot School unit. I have had so much fun with my boys as we learned about aquatic life, and tried out some fantastic games and crafts. Today I’m going to show you the rest of what we tried out, and give you my final verdict on what to try (and what to stay away from!).

Underwater Chalk Art

This was a really unique activity that turned out to be a lot of fun – even for Mommy! The supplies are minimal and the results are striking. Best of all – this is a activity that covers a wide range of ages so everyone can participate together.

Supplies:

Dark Colored Construction Paper
Chalk
Sponges
A Shallow Dish of Water

How To:

Use your dish of water to wet the sponge and apply it to both sides of your construction paper. Let it get good and wet! Then use the chalk to draw on the wet paper. As the paper dries your chalk art will become bright and vivid. See? I told you it was crazy easy!

For the littlest tots the sensory experience of handling a sponge and wet paper will be fun enough. This is a very tactile art project that can create some really fun looking art.

Animal Activity Cards

I designed this free printable to encourage kids to get up and get moving. Each card features a cute ocean creature and an action for your child to perform. They can ‘Wiggle like a jellyfish’ or ‘Squawk like a Seagull’. It didn’t take long for this to turn into a game of ‘who can be sillier?’ at our house. After sitting still for an art project it’s great to get moving, so this was a perfect follow-up to our underwater chalk art.To download yours just sign up below and you’ll be sent an access code for my Free Digital Resource Library!

Colored Rice Sensory Bin

As I mentioned in Part I, Safari Limited Ocean Toobs played a huge part in our Ocean themed tot school unit. They worked very well in our water bead bin, but they’re also perfect in a dish of blue colored rice. Rice is always a safe bet if you feel that your little ones aren’t quite ready to be trusted with water beads.

If you haven’t made colored rice you can see how we do it here.

Our Favorite Ocean Themed Books

I LOVE to read, and I try my hardest to instill that love in my boys. I think the most important thing is to read as often as possible, so I always go out of my way to find books that go with our tot school themes. Here are a few of the books we enjoyed the most:

DK Eyewitness Books: Ocean – I adore the DK Eyewitness Series. The books offer great graphics along with a wide array of facts. Even if the books don’t hold your child’s attention, the eye-popping images should.

Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae – This is a fun book for all ages. It features brightly colored illustrations accompanied by short poems. Each poem highlights a different ocean creature in a light and informative way.

Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale – Clark the Shark has a whole series of books now, but this is the original. It tells the tale of poor Clark who is just too big and rough for his smaller classmates. I think it’s definitely a must if you have boys, to help them learn to be considerate and not play too rough.

The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen – One of my favorite children’s books, the Pout-Pout Fish is just fun to read. Who doesn’t love the face you make as you chant “Blub …. Blub …. Blub”? The prose has a great cadence and the end has a nice twist. Overall this is a book you will come back to time and again.

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister – This book is another classic, and if you haven’t read it you probably have at least seen it on a bookshelf before. It tells the tale of Rainbow Fish who learns the joys of sharing his beautiful shiny scales. The message of generosity is fantastic for children and the artwork is beautiful. It would be impossible to have an ocean unit without Rainbow Fish.

Wrap-Up

Our ocean unit was a ton of fun! I feel like my boys learned a lot and I will definitely pull out some of these activities again as Nugget gets older and is ready to participate more. The biggest hit was the ice-cavating activity and the least successful was the jellyfish bottle.

Which activities did you try?

Comment below with your own hits and misses, and let me know if there is a tot school theme you would like to see soon.

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Early Tot School, Printables, Tot School Units

Easy Ocean Themed Tot School Unit: Part 2

June 7, 2017

Welcome back! I’m super excited to share with you more of our ocean themed tot school unit. If you missed the first part of this unit just click here.

Ocean Ice-Cavating

This activity takes a little foresight to prepare but is still super easy and my boys just LOVED it! I used small plastic storage containers and froze an assortment of seashells and ocean figurines within several layers of colored ice. If you’re short on time I think most kids would be just as happy with a single color block of ice, but the rainbow definitely adds a little something extra.

Once your ice block is frozen your work is done and it’s time to let the kiddos get to it. I provided a bowl of warm water and an assortment of sponge brushes, spray bottles and droppers for applying it to the ice. I also gave the boys several toy hammers, saws and screwdrivers. They aren’t very effective but it didn’t stop Nugget and Goose from trying.

This is definitely a messy activity so I recommend saving it for a hot day outside.

Jellyfish Discovery Bottle

This was one of those activities that I wasn’t too impressed by, but my boys have loved. We made our little jellyfish out of an old plastic grocery bag and a Voss water bottle. My biggest complaint is that he moves too quickly and tends to hide at the top of the bottle. I have experimented with adding corn syrup to the water (Spoiler Alert: DON’T Try That!) and it had a very slimy reaction with the plastic bag and quickly started growing something disgusting. Perhaps the bags from your grocery store are cleaner but I learned that mine are a petri dish of germs just waiting to grow. Ick!

To Make your own jellyfish bottle you will need:

water bottle
light colored plastic grocery bag
Fine white thread or clear elastic
Small syringe or dropper (I used one that was leftover from a bottle of infant Tylennol)
Food Coloring (optional)

Begin by laying out your grocery bag and carefully cutting away the sides and bottom until you have a large square.
Gather the center of the plastic and stuff with some scraps before fastening with string or elastic. You want to trap a little air in here but also leave room to add a drop or two of water with the syringe.
Carefully cut the remaining bundle into strips for tentacles, leaving them attached to the body. If you leave too much it will turn into a tangled mess in the water, but you can always pull it out and perform surgery on your little guy if necessary.
Once you have your jellyfish complete, place him in your bottle and fill it to the brim with water. If you are adding food coloring now is the time to do so.
Screw on the lid and give your jellyfish a good shake. Hopefully he (or she!) will gracefully glide from one end of the bottle to the other.

How did your jellyfish turn out? Did he have the same swimming issues that ours did? Tell me all about it in the comments, and if you find a way to slow down his swim please share! 🙂

Size Sorting Printable

This printable turned out to be one of my favorites, because there are so many ways to modify it. The download includes a basic large vs. small version as well as a large vs. medium vs. small page. Once you have printed out the sorting background, print the page full of ocean creatures and cut them out. As always I laminated mine so it would withstand multiple uses. After finding tiny creature cut-outs all over the house I went back and added clear velcro dots to the back of each creature and the background page so that they stay with the activity.

This sorting page also works great for sorting seashells, or even stickers if you find a variety of sizes. What did your kids prefer to sort?

Some of Our Favorite Ocean Themed Toys

One of the best things about these learning units is the opportunity to scavenge your house to find materials. Sure, you can make some activities, but you’ll be surprised how much you already have to work with. Here are a few of our favorite toys and games.

Color Fun Fish Bowl – I’m not a fan of electronic toys. As a general rule I prefer a toy that uses imagination instead of batteries but this thing rocks! Nugget spends 20 – 30 minutes playing with it, and at 18 months old NOTHING holds his attention for that long. My favorite part is that it has 2 play modes. The first simply tells you the color of the fish that is inserted into the bowl (GREAT fine motor practice!). The second mode asks for a certain color and the child has to find it and insert it. Even though Goose has known his colors for quite a while he still has fun with this toy, so it definitely gets points for versatility!

Melissa & Doug Sea Life Wooden Chunky Puzzle (7 pcs) – what I like about this puzzle in particular is the chunky pieces that don’t have tabs or handles. This allows them to be used in imaginative play beyond the puzzle. There is also <this> magnetic version which is great for older kids as they use a fishing pole to lift the puzzle pieces.

Baby Einstein: Animal Discovery Cards – These cards are made of sturdy, heavy-weight paper and feature a glossy photo of an animal on one side and fun facts on the other. We have used ours over and over as a vocabulary building tool, in sorting games, and more. There are even questions and tips on each card to help encourage critical thinking!

Safari Ltd Ocean TOOB – I am crazy about Safari Limited Toobs. I don’t think I’ve ever done a tot school unit without including at least one toob. They bring a fantastic hands-on quality to vocabulary lessons and can be used as a manipulative or toy. For our unit I used the Ocean Toob, Coral Reef Toob, and the Dolphins and Whales Toob. The Deep Sea Creatures Toob wasn’t available near me but if I had known about it I probably would have gotten it too! (I think I may have a problem …. is anyone interested in forming a Toob support group? :))

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Early Tot School, Montessori, Tot School Units

Easy Ocean Themed Tot School Unit: Part 1

June 5, 2017

Summer is a great time to take a vacation to the beach, but if it’s too far away you can bring the beach inside with this fun ocean themed tot school unit! I have created so many printables and activities that I had to divide it into three posts! So check back throughout the week as I continue to share all the ocean themed fun we have been having!

Baby Nomenclature Cards

As a Montessori Mama I am a HUGE fan of nomenclature cards. What are nomenclature cards, you ask? Simple, they are cards that feature a vocabulary word and image (think flashcards for vocabulary building). In the Montessori tradition they are frequently used as ‘Three-Part Cards’. There is a complete card with both the image and title, as well as a second divided card with an image on one portion and the title on a separate portion. It really isn’t as confusing as it sounds 🙂

As children begin to read they can use 3-part cards to match the title to the image. For now, my boys just use nomenclature cards which allow them to build vocabulary. (If you’re interested in learning more, click here) For months Nugget has been trying desperately to get his hands on Goose’s laminated nomenclature cards for each unit I introduce. Unfortunately his little motor skills just aren’t quite ready to handle the laminated cards without bending (and often chewing!) them to pieces.

This is why I decided it was time to find a way to create his own set of nomenclature cards that would be virtually indestructible.

How To:

First, gather your supplies. You will need
- Mod Podge
- Acrylic Paint (I used white)
- A set of Images for your cards – download mine here
- Thin pieces of Balsa Wood
Begin by printing and cutting out your nomenclature card images.
Using your paper images as a guide, mark how large you wish for your wooden pieces to be. Mine are 2.5″ x 3.75″.
Cut your wood strips into the desired size and thoroughly sand the edges. You don’t want to leave any splinters that could find their way into tiny fingers!
Use your acrylic paint to apply a background color to both sides of your wood card.
Once the paint has dried fully use Mod Podge to adhere your paper nomenclature cards. I applied 6 coats to the front and 2 coats to the back of my cards to ensure a smooth, shiny finish.

Nugget was so excited when I introduced his very own nomenclature cards! He’s at the age where he wants to do everything that big brother does. First we sat together and went through each card as I read the titles to him. Then, I brought out a basket containing Munchkin Ocean Squirts bath toys. He quickly figured out how to lay out the cards and match the bath toy to the corresponding card. It was so much fun! When he proudly said “Sark!” it just warmed my heart!

Lacing Cards

Lacing cards are such a fun way to develop fine motor skills, so I knew I just had to include them in my Ocean themed tot school unit! All you have to do is print, cut them out (this can be great cutting practice for an older sibling – and can save you time, too!), and punch the holes.

Personally, I prefer to laminate my cards so they last through more than one use. If you are looking for a laminator this Purple Cows Hot and Cold Laminator is very affordable and has worked perfectly for more than a year.

Some easy extension activities can include asking your child to lace every other hole, or even do a blanket stitch. There’s no reason that a material you took the time to make has to be used only one way.

Water Bead Sensory Bin

If you visit my blog very often you already know how much I adore water beads. The slimy, squishy texture is shockingly addicting and my little ones are over the moon excited when I get them out. I ordered these from Amazon and the tiny package has lasted several months. The beads expand to nearly 200 times their original size, so it doesn’t take many to fill a sensory bin. I usually prepare them the night before – pour a tablespoon or two in a bin full of water and by morning they are ready for play!

Note: Always supervise the use of water beads in your home. Although they are non-toxic they can still be hazardous if swallowed due to their exponential growth. Always store your water beads away from children and pets, and contact your doctor or vet if you believe they may have been ingested.

Free Printables!

OK, you’ve been patient – and you will be so well rewarded. I got completely carried away designing printables for my Ocean themed tot school unit. There are the lacing cards I showed you above, size sorting games, animal activity cards, even a pretty ocean quote to decorate your tot school space! To get all this and more sign up below and you’ll receive your exclusive access code for my Digital Resource Library!

Check back Wednesday to see more of our Ocean Tot School Activities!

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Early Tot School, Montessori, Tot School Units

How to Make Colored Rice (and What to Do With It!)

May 12, 2017

Colored Rice: The Basics

Colored rice is incredibly easy to make and extremely fun to work with. The color combinations are endless as are the applications. Below is my favorite recipe for how to make your own colored rice, followed by a few easy activities you can use it with.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Uncooked Dry Rice
1/8th Cup White Vinegar
Food Coloring

Instructions:

Begin by pouring the vinegar over your dry rice. Ad 3-5 drops of food coloring in your desired color(s) and stir until well combined. The more food coloring you use, the darker and more vivid your rice will be.

Once the rice is fully combined spread it evenly over a baking sheet. Let sit for 1-2 hours until completely dry, stirring occasionally. Store in a dry, sealed container when not in use.

OK, I’ve Made My Rice – Now What??

Colored Rice is perfect for sensory bins. It works particularly well for smaller children because it doesn’t post a chocking hazard and is non-toxic. Below you can see that I used it in an Ocean sensory bin and a Farm themed sensory bin.

This material also works well in several Montessori activities. I have used it as an introductory pouring medium, as well as for scooping.

Comment below with your favorite colored rice activity!

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Early Tot School, Tot School Units

5 Awesome Activities for Early Tot School

May 11, 2017

6-18 months is a magical age. It’s the time when your baby finally begins to express itself and let his or her personality shine. That’s not to say it’s easy. In fact, I think it can be one of the most difficult ages as they become old enough to get into everything but too young to really understand the rules. This is a fantastic age for introducing some simple early tot school activities. Below I will show you a few basic early tot school activities that you can introduce to your 6-18 month old. All of these can be easily modified to suit your child and most can be made using things you already have around the house. How easy is that?!

1. Fine Motor Skills

Developing fine motor skills is so important at a young age. These skills will form the building blocks of future writing skills. The hardest part of creating fine motor activities for this age group is their tendency to put EVERYTHING in their mouths. So many small items are a choking hazard that its easy to spend all your time keeping small things away from your baby instead of giving them opportunities to handle these items.

One of my favorite early tot school fine motor activity is threading pipe cleaners through holes. I like to use an inverted colander and show baby how to stick the ends of the pipe cleaners through the holes. If you have a little more time and are feeling crafty you could carefully poke holes in the lid of a Pringles can, creating an activity with built-in storage! As your child gets older experiment with stringing pasta or large beads on the pipe cleaners – just remember to always watch them with any small or sharp objects.

2. Sensory Play

It feels like sensory play is such a buzzword these days – what does it even mean? It really is just a fancy way of explaining that kids need opportunities to get their hands dirty and interact with lots of different textures. I have found that rice and beans make excellent sensory bin foundations. Dry rice is easy to color to increase the visual appeal, while beans are a bit easier to clean up.

It’s best to begin with the foundation material alone in the beginning. Let your child explore the texture and run their hands through it. Then introduce a spoon or scoop. From there continue to add bowls and pitchers for pouring, or place objects within the material to be ‘excavated’. For easy clean up, sensory play is ideal for a plastic shower curtain or table cloth.

Click here to see my easy recipe for colored rice!

3. Cotton Ball Painting

Art projects for babies – are you crazy? Aren’t they messy enough already? Don’t worry, I’ve found a few activities that both babies and moms can love. Of course, a smock never hurts. I love to pour a little washable paint like this one; and use clothespins and cotton balls to make simple paint brushes. Little ones love dabbing and it keeps them from getting too messy. Visit my Digital Resource Library to download and print 3 free pages that are perfect for this project! Don’t have the password?? Easy! Just sign up below and it will be emailed to you immediately.

4. Craft Paper Mosaic

This is such a fun craft that works well for little ones and older siblings alike. All that you need is some construction paper, Elmer’s Glue the printable pages available in my Digital Resource Library. Ripping paper is great fun, so let your child tear the construction paper into small pieces. Then make a 50/50 mix of glue and water in a small dish. Have your child dip each piece of paper in the glue and then place on the printed page.

5. Montessori Treasure Baskets

One of my favorite early tot school activities was creating treasure baskets for my little ones. It’s fun to pick a theme and then just walk through your house looking for every day objects that fit it. Shown below is a ‘Red Themed’ treasure basket that I made for Nugget. I even used a red basket and then displayed it on a red blanket. Could this thing get any more red?? Inside is a drink koozie, a flashlight, legos, a glove, large buttons from a threading game and a foam acorn. This stuff is like catnip to babies and it offers so many learning opportunities! Besides the obvious lesson in color, you expose them to lots of new vocabulary words as you introduce each item. Believe me, once you introduce a treasure basket your child will return to it again and again!

Some of my favorite themes for treasure baskets are: colors, shapes, textures and seasons.

Have you tried any of these activities with your early tot schooler? I’d love to hear how it went and if you would like more printables like these. Comment below with your input (or to just say ‘hi’)!

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Early Tot School

Autumn Treasure Basket

Extension Activities:

Pumpkin Sensory Bag

Supplies:

Instructions:

Puff Ball Pumpkins in a Jar

Fall Sensory Bottle

Supplies:

Instructions:

Did Your Child Enjoy These Autumn Baby Activities??

Are you excited about Fall? Have you conquered your Fall Bucket List?

Tell me all about it in the comments!

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Rainbow Colored Sensory Bottles

Supplies:

Instructions:

Color Discrimination Cards

Supplies:

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Early Tot School Color Sorting

Homemade Wooden Rainbow

Touch & Feel Color Cards

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What are Fine Motor Skills?

Why are Fine Motor Skills Important?

What does Montessori Say About Fine Motor Skills?

What Can I Do To Help My Child?

Want to See More Great Activities? Sign Up & Get Access to Our Free Digital Resource Library!

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Underwater Chalk Art

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Animal Activity Cards

Colored Rice Sensory Bin

Our Favorite Ocean Themed Books

Wrap-Up

Which activities did you try?

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Ocean Ice-Cavating

Jellyfish Discovery Bottle

To Make your own jellyfish bottle you will need:

Size Sorting Printable

Some of Our Favorite Ocean Themed Toys

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Baby Nomenclature Cards

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Lacing Cards

Water Bead Sensory Bin

Free Printables!

Check back Wednesday to see more of our Ocean Tot School Activities!

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Colored Rice: The Basics

Ingredients:

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OK, I’ve Made My Rice – Now What??

Comment below with your favorite colored rice activity!

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1. Fine Motor Skills

2. Sensory Play

3. Cotton Ball Painting

4. Craft Paper Mosaic

5. Montessori Treasure Baskets

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