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Tot School

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!

Printables, Tot School Units

Preschool Space Activities : Part 2

August 31, 2017

So I’ve been dying to ask, “Did you try out any of the Preschool Space Activities introduced on Monday?” I have a dear friend who tried making the planet magnets yesterday and even though they ended up pretty lopsided (she was ready to call them a fail!) her kiddos LOVE them! She called me this morning and couldn’t believe how much fun her little girl was having. She kept asking her the names of the planets and then going around the house looking for things they would stick to.

If you’re having a little trouble remembering the planets yourself, then today is your lucky day! I’ve designed a new set of space themed Nomenclature Cards. I also have a fun new sensory bin and a constellation activity. Let’s jump right in!

Space Themed Nomenclature Cards

If you’ve been hanging out at Nugget & Goose for any amount of time you’re already very familiar with my love of Montessori nomenclature cards. I don’t see myself ever leaving them out of a tot school unit. If you aren’t already familiar with them, this handy post will explain everything you need to know about how to use them and why they are so fantastic.

This set of space nomenclature cards consists of 27 unique images and covers all of the planets in the Safari Ltd Safariology Solar System, as well as many of the objects in the Safari Ltd Space TOOB The images are all high quality photographs that are sure to attract your child’s attention. But since this is starting to sound like Ad copy I’ll get straight to the good stuff: how to play with them!

I found that this set of nomenclature cards worked really well in conjunction with the clay planet magnets and play mats I mentioned earlier this week. Nugget really enjoyed when I showed him a nomenclature card with a planet, and then he could find the corresponding magnet to hold up. If you really have it together you could use the images on the cards as your guide to make the clay planets. Then they would match quite a bit better than my own 🙂

I have also used the cards with Goose to play several learning games. I allow him to independently match the cards to their corresponding Safari Ltd. pieces which he always enjoys, and then once I feel confident in his vocabulary I ask him to play sorting games where he finds all the cards with a ‘M’ sound etc. He is really on the cusp of reading so phonics games are great at this age! A final game we play is what I call the ‘story game’, he uses the cards as prompts to tell a story. So for example he might have to make up a story about Neptune, a lunar rover and a space chimp. I try to record these when he tells them because they always crack me up!

Would you like to download your own free set of Space nomenclature cards?

Of course you would! Why waste your valuable time making what I already have? This set of cards and many others are all available for free in my Digital Resource Library. All you have to do to get access is join with your email address below.

Space Themed Sensory Bin

Here is another way to use the Safari Ltd. figures I mentioned above, and best of all it’s EASY! All you need is a few tablespoons of black water beads (and a few clear as well if you have them). Pour the beads in a small bin and submerge in water overnight. When you wake up you’ll find a glistening bin of plump black water beads ready for play! I buried all of our Safari Ltd. figures and prompted Nugget and Goose to go on a ‘deep space scavenger hunt’!

I still have to watch Nugget pretty closely with these beads because they look a little too food-like for my comfort. They have a particular tendency to bounce so if one escapes from your bin you may never find it (but I guarantee if there’s a toddler in your house they will find it the minute you turn your back.) … Or is that just Nugget? 🙂

Flashlight Constellations

I feel like so much of what we learn about space can feel very abstract. We tell our children about these far off planets and colorful nebulae but they can’t really see it and experience it themselves. Spending time outside star gazing is a fantastic way to bridge this gap and create a connection for your kids. If you live out in the country you’re absolutely golden (and I’m super jealous!) but for the rest of us there are usually parks or even a planetarium that you can visit to help your child get close to the cosmos.

I created this activity to teach my boys about constellations. It doesn’t require too much preparation and even my nephews who are in 5th grade enjoyed this activity! So gather your supplies and then check back in the comments to let me know how it went.

Supplies:

1 basic flashlight (with batteries of course!)
a few sheets of black construction paper or card stock
piece of foam or cutting board
small hammer
Golf Tees (or for an older child, nails)
White, Silver or Gold pen
A Rubber band

Instructions:

Begin by cutting your construction paper into circles the same size as the end of your flashlight.
Use your pen to draw dots where the stars should be to form a constellation. Label it, if you wish. You can search google for constellation ideas, or use the ones I’ve provided below.
Place the stack of constellations, golf tee or nail, and hammer on a tray beside the piece of foam. Invite your child to place a constellation on the foam. Use the hammer and tee to punch holes where the stars are.
Once your child is finished punching out constellations, attach one to the end of the flashlight and secure with tape or a a piece of cellophane. Turn down the lights and let your child shine the flashlight against the ceiling so the constellation shows up.

Extension Activities:

Provide some blank pieces of paper and allow your child to draw his or her own constellations to punch out.
Discuss the shapes and stories behind the constellations, for example you could share the Greek myth of Hercules.
Ask your child to create their own myth and design a corresponding constellation
Take your constellation flashlight outside at night and try to find the constellations that they made (big dipper etc)

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Crafts, Printables, Tot School Units

Preschool Space Activities

August 28, 2017

Hello! I’m finally back with another full-length Tot School unit! The past month has been so busy with traveling, getting the kids back to school (school started on July 31st here – it’s insane!), and most importantly Goose turned 4! Needless to say I have had my hands full, but even when I wasn’t here sharing content with you I was still brainstorming ideas and I have some AMAZING stuff in the pipeline for you guys. First, is this awesome tot school unit full of toddler and preschool space activities. This will be a longer than normal unit, so be sure to sign up for my emails so you won’t miss a thing. I’ll never spam you but I WILL send you access to my complete library of free resources. Think worksheets, templates, TONS of nomenclature cards and more!

So, the ‘Great American Eclipse’. Did you watch it? I feel like the whole country went crazy with eclipse fever and of course our house was no exception. We were loaded down with our eclipse themed snacks (Moon Pies, Sun Chips, Capri Sun, & Milky Way Bars of course!) and I even made eclipse pancakes for breakfast. After all the hype I feel like the experience was kind of a letdown. We live close enough to experience 97% totality and if no one had told me we were having an eclipse I probably never would have noticed. The one good thing that came out of it though was a newfound interest in space for Nugget & Goose. Now both boys want to be astronauts and fly to Mars.

I created these preschool space activities and tot school unit at Goose’s direct request, so they are definitely kid tested and kid approved. I can’t wait to hear how your kids like them too – tell me in the comments!

DIY Solar System Magnets

These magnets were so much fun to make and require absolutely no artistic ability whatsoever. Best of all, your shopping list only has 2 items on it! This is definitely a project that you could knock out during nap time while you binge on Netflix, or if you have an older child let them help or even make their own. At (almost) 2 and 4 both of my boys have enjoyed working with these magnets. Nugget enjoys the resistance of lifting the strong magnets off the cookie sheet and matching them to the play mat. Goose is able to name all of the planets and is now working on placing them in their correct order.

Edit: It has now been more than a week since I introduced this activity and Nugget is still requesting it multiple times a day. This may be one of my most successful activities ever!

Supplies:

Sculpey Clay in Assorted Colors (I like this multipack)
1 package of small Round Ceramic Magnets
An assortment of round objects from around the house in a variety of sizes to use as stencils. I used jars, lids, cookie cutters, and even a pill bottle. Just about anything will work.

Instructions:

Start by laying out your stencil items and making note of which item you will use for each planet. It may help to remember that the sun is the largest, followed by Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Earth, Mars, Venus and finally Mercury.
Decide which planet you want to start with and select the colors that you feel best reflect your planet’s appearance. I used solid colors for Mars, Mercury and Uranus. Earth was just a solid blue circle that I added some tiny green continents to, and the Sun, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune were made by swirling multiple colors together.
You’ll quickly learn that this clay is super easy to work with – if you can roll a ball and smash it flat you can do this.Once you have your planets decorated, flip them over and gently press a magnet into the back to make an indentation – DO NOT LEAVE IT THERE! – Remove the magnet and use a thin snake or tube of clay to make a lip around where the magnet will go. You are trying to create a well in the back of your planet to hold the magnet once you are done. This, combined with some super glue should make it more difficult for little ones to pry the magnets loose.
Once you have finished decorating your planets and creating your magnet housings on the back you can place them on an aluminum cookie sheet and bake at 275°F for 15 min. DO NOT BAKE YOUR YOUR PLANETS WITH THE MAGNETS INSIDE.
Allow clay to cool fully before handling your planets, then use Super Glue to adhere your magnets to the back of your planets.
Pat yourself on the back – you just made something awesome and your kids are going to love it!

Notes:

I highly recommend using Sculpey brand clay for this project. Fimo is an alternate product but I don’t like working with it. The product is too crumbly and difficult to blend.
When decorating your planets, an easy technique is to lay a thin strip of accent color across the surface and then use your finger to smooth and smear it. The clay blends really easily and this will create a more natural mottled look.
If you go to glue in your magnets and one doesn’t quite fit, you can use a craft knife to plane out the edges to make room for your magnet.
I hate that I have to say this in nearly every post, but as always please use common sense. Magnets and broken pieces of clay are just 2 of the many things your child should not ingest so please use your best judgment on when your child is ready for this activity and always supervise them to ensure their safety.

The Best Part:

OK, you’ve spent an hour of your valuable time making these things – what do you do with them? I have that part covered for you! I designed a set of 3 play mats to use with your solar system magnets. The first play mat features all of the planets in our solar system for easy matching. This is a great starting point, particularly for younger children. After your child becomes more comfortable naming the planets and their order you can progress to the second play mat which shows the sun and lines for each planet’s orbit. Finally the 3rd play mat is an image of space with no planets. This is perfect for free-play or allowing a child to fully recreate our solar system on her own. I recommend laminating your play mats for increased durability and using them on a small baking sheet.

Ready for your FREE Printable Play Mats? Sign up below to get access to our free digital resource library full of fun printables and activities!

Toddler Star Sorting Boxes

Size discrimination is an early math skill that builds the foundation for so much later in life. This activity takes those size discrimination skills a step further by adding a fine motor component. When you do sizing activities with your toddler they develop vocabulary (larger, smaller, medium) and communication skills. Would you ever have guessed before having children that putting objects in boxes could be so educational?!

Supplies:

1 package of small wooden stars in assorted sizes
Gold acrylic paint
3 small cardboard boxes with lids
An Exacto knife or box cutter

Instructions:

Begin by painting your stars gold on one side. Once they have dried, flip them over and paint the other side. Don’t stress about making it perfect – you’re going to be painting at least 30 of these things. Your toddler will never notice a streaky paint job.
Measure each size star to determine the maximum width between points and draw a line on your box tops to match each size.
Carefully cut a slit in the lid of each box to correspond to the size of your stars. You should have one large slot, one medium slot and one small slot.
File the edges of the slot to ensure that it is smooth (and while you’re at it check for rough spots on your stars and touch those up too).
<Optional> Decorate your boxes with paint, stickers, etc. I left mine plain since I think I will be recycling this activity at Christmas 🙂

I find that the activities I create draw more attention when I present them in an attractive way. This makes it seem ‘special’ and the child is eager to participate. I recommend placing all 3 boxes on a tray along with a small bowl or basket containing the gold stars. When your child is ready, demonstrate the various sizes of stars and show them how to place a star in the slot. As a Montessori-inspired activity it is self-correcting. This means that the child will only be able to fit the large star into the large slot, thereby correcting the child if he or she attempts to place it in the wrong box. Once all the stars are in the box you can show your child how to open the box to retrieve their stars. This will probably be their favorite part.

Nugget had so much fun with this activity. He isn’t interested in the sorting the stars, but Goose really enjoys helping him with that part. In fact, I assumed this activity would be too easy to attract Goose but he really enjoyed helping to sort the stars and experimenting with how many could fit in one slot. Anything that occupies both boys and has them getting along is a HUGE win in my book!

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Tot School Units

River Habitat Sensory Garden

July 26, 2017

On a recent trip to the library we borrowed a book called “Beau Beaver Goes to Town“. It was a relatively cute story (a bit dry but very educational) but it has sparked a real interest in beavers for Goose. As a surprise I picked up a Safari Ltd River TOOB and we made a River Sensory Garden.

Supplies:

1 Large Aluminum Roasting Pan
Potting Soil
Several Small Stones or Pea Gravel
Terrarium Charcoal
Assorted Miniature Plants & Moss
Blue Glass Vase Filler
Safari Limited River Toob
1 Plastic Water Bottle, Sliced in Half
1 Small Plastic Food Storage Container or Similar

How To:

To make our little garden I started with a large aluminum roasting pan and a wide selection of miniature plants from our local nursery. I began by covering the bottom of the pan with a layer of small stones. This was then covered with charcoal followed by potting soil.

The most difficult part was creating a “river”. After a few false starts I cut a plastic water bottle down to size and buried it in my soil, I tried to create a gentle angle for water to run down and then placed the spout of the bottle in a small Tupperware. Both containers were lined with blue glass rocks (also from the nursery).

The final step was adding the plants, and that’s when it all came together. Our Sensory Garden finally looked like a garden! The project ended up being a bit more time consuming than I expected but the look on Goose’s face made it totally worth while.

He has spent several days playing with his river habitat. We are keeping it wet with a spray bottle of water (another great way to build hand strength!) and I place it in indirect sunlight for a little while each day.

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Holiday Projects, Montessori, Tot School Units

4th of July Tot School Unit: Part 2

July 3, 2017

Happy Independence Day! Are you going to celebrate the holiday by watching fireworks? My boys are completely terrified by the loud noise of fireworks, so the entire weekend has been one long cry fest as our neighbors celebrate (over… and over… and over!) Luckily we have had lots of educational 4th of July fun of our own. If you missed all of the patriotic activities I posted about last week, be sure to check out 4th of July Tot School: Part 1!

Montessori Tonging Tray

Tonging is a funny name for a really fun Montessori-inspired activity. As the name implies, children use a set of tongs to transfer objects. Similar to spooning and pouring activities, tonging develops hand strength and muscle control necessary for writing.

For this activity I used a set of star shaped plastic ice cubes that I picked up from Target last year. I found a set of small tongs at Bed, Bath & Beyond, although this set from Amazon looks similar. Initially I introduced the activity as a simple transfer from one dish to another, then as Goose mastered the tongs I increased the difficulty by adding a color sorting element. As a surprise I didn’t mention that the stars are intended for freezing, so after working with them at room temperature several times Goose was shocked to find them frozen one day!

I also allowed Nugget to handle the frozen stars in a basin of water one day for some patriotic sensory play.

Red, White & Blue Bead Stringing

Our next Tot Tray featured a dish full of red, white and blue pony beads and a selection of pipe cleaners. The task was simple: string the beads on a pipe cleaner to make a bracelet or necklace. The mechanics of stringing alone were complicated enough for Nugget, while I encouraged Goose to design a pattern and stick to it. They both had so much fun with this simple activity and were eager to wear their ‘fancy beads’ at the 4th of July parade.

Independence Day Learning Resources

Our Tot Trays were augmented with a wide selection of historical and geographical learning materials that I have picked up over the years. Some are a bit advanced for Goose but he and Nugget both seemed to enjoy looking at the pictures as I read them different facts. Hopefully they each picked up some of the basics, at least.

The Story of George Washington by Patricia Pingry. This book is part of a fantastic series of board books about historical figures. We read the story of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Benjamin Franklin. The series also includes the story of America’s Birthday, Gettysburg, the Star Spangled Banner, Rosa Parks and more. I hope to add the rest of our collection soon.
Fandex Family Field Guides: Presidents. This guide is something I picked up last year at a consignment sale on a whim, and it turned out to be a valuable resource. Each page shows a portrait of the president and offers a brief bio. The stories are short enough that even Goose could follow them, and he delighted in picking the funniest looking presidents so I could read their stories. Even I have a hard time keeping some of the more obscure presidents straight (I’m looking at you John Tyler and Millard Fillmore!) So I don’t know how much Goose will really remember but if nothing else he is learning that history can be fun and that lesson alone is valuable.
Famous Folks of America (by Reading Discovery) and U.S. Presidents Flashcards: both of these materials along with the dry erase US Map came from the Dollar Spot at Target last year. The book is written at a 3rd grade level, and features short stories telling about key moments in US history. I didn’t have high hopes for it, but the stories proved enjoyable and the kid-friendly illustrations helped keep the boys’ attention. The flashcards have lovely portraits of each president but the facts were dry and my boys just aren’t ready to benefit from them beyond looking at the pictures. Really the flashcards were a little redundant with the Fandex so if you get that, you probably don’t need anything else for a while.

Montessori Salt Writing Practice

Salt writing is a wonderful way for children to practice early writing skills. All you need is a small wooden tray lined with a piece of brightly colored paper, and a little salt. I have seen people use sugar or sand for this activity but in my experience salt works best at discouraging children from sticking their hands in it.

I let Goose use a chopstick to trace out letters in the salt, and then give the tray a quick shake to clear the writing and start over. (It’s like a primitive etch-a-sketch!) It can be helpful to provide some degree of direction so I like to use our Montessori Cursive Alphabet Flashcards. (Click the link to learn how to get your own free copy!).

Free Do-A-Dot Flag Printable

This free printable is designed for use with Do-A-Dot markers. The download includes 2 versions, one with letters denoting which colors to use, and one with blank circles. This simple activity is a fun and easy way to work on letter recognition, and fine motor skills.

Do I sound like a broken record going on and on about fine motor skills? They really are vital to so many higher level skills that children need. Sadly kids today are losing their fine and gross motor skills at an alarming rate, so these are the types of activities that they need more than ever.

You can get your free American flag Do-A-Dot printable from my Free Digital Resource Library

Simple Punching Activity

My final 4th of July Tot Tray was a punching activity using this old star-shaped scrapbooking punch. I provided strips of red cardstock and a tray to catch the stars and let Goose go wild. The punch requires a good amount of hand strength so this was an ideal way to let him feel like he was playing while still increasing muscle control. We did this activity at Christmas last year using gold paper and I was pleasantly surprised to see how far his hand strength has come in the last 6 months.

Simple punches like this are an easy addition to any tot school unit, because the design makes it difficult (though probably not impossible) for a child to injure himself. Traditional office-style hole punches are a bit more prone to pinching skin so I would save those until you feel confident that your child can handle it safely.

Happy 4th of July!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday full of family and friends! Do you have any secrets for helping your little ones tolerate noisy fireworks? Comment below. I need all the help I can get!

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Montessori, Printables, Tot School Units

Farm Themed Tot School: Part III

June 23, 2017

It’s Friday, and that means the end of another fantastic week of Tot School. This is the final post of my Farm themed tot school unit. If you missed the first 2 parts, you can find them here, and here.

“Feed The Chickens” Tot Tray

This is a fantastic Montessori-based activity that focuses on spooning. Spooning is a fantastic way to develop hand strength and muscle control which is vital when children begin learning to write. To present this activity I placed a tray on our learning center with 3 small ceramic ramekins, one larger ceramic ramekin, and a spoon. Inside the larger ramekin I poured about 1/2 Cup dried split peas. The 3 smaller ramekins each contained a chicken figurine from our Battat Farm Animal Set.

I then demonstrated for goose how to carefully scoop up one spoonful of peas and pour it into a ramekin. He up the necessary motions quickly and was soon rotating out his chickens so that all of our farm animals could be fed.

It’s important to note that no matter how careful your child is, you will ultimately end up with peas on your floor. However, presenting this activity on a tray does help keep the mess contained.

Animal Sorting Activity

I came up with the idea for this activity when I noticed that Nugget was having a hard time distinguishing between the animals in our Battat Farm Animal Set. This set contains 60 figures, 5 of each species. Unfortunately, unlike Safari Ltd. Toob figures, these have less detail and very similar coloring. To be honest, there are times when I have to take a closer look to determine what animal I’m looking at. Instead of being frustrated I decided to use the similarities to help develop visual discrimination skills.

I purchased these wooden trays several years ago at Target, but this one is very similar. Inside each tray I adhered a set of 4 Velcro tabs. The opposite side of the Velcro tabs was attached to a laminated image of each type of animal. This provided a great deal of variety in the sorting, because I could group up to 4 types of animal within each ‘fence’.

Once the activity was prepared, I gave a lesson to both Nugget and Goose. I showed them how to sort through the animals to find the ones that match the picture within each tray. For Nugget, I kept the activity very simple. I began with only a single, easily identifiable animal in each pen. Then I gradually increased the difficulty.

For Goose, I focused on the animals that looked the most alike. Then I encouraged him to carefully examine the animals to find characteristics that make them easier to identify. I.e. the goat and the dog figures are very similar so I helped him check for horns to tell the two apart.

Farm Animal Alphabet Clip Cards

I designed this set of clip cards to help children begin to recognize the sound that words start with, and then associate that sound with the corresponding letter. We love to play “the sound game” with Goose when we’re driving in the car. I pick an object and ask him to tell me what sound it starts with. Then we take turns trying to think of other words that start with the same sound. This is particularly great because I often come up with words that Goose isn’t familiar with so he is building vocabulary as I explain what the words mean.

The sound game can easily be adjusted to accommodate older children. Ask them to identify the sound that a word ends with or even a middle sound. As children become more accustomed to this game, you can begin to introduce clip cards like these. The idea is for the child to name the animal shown, then identify the sound that it starts with. Finally, have them point out the letter that makes that sound. They are called ‘clip cards’ because parents often have the child use a clip or clothespin to mark their letter selection.

I like to present the cards on a metal tray or cookie sheet along with a set of small magnets. (As always, keep small magnets away from young children for whom they could present a choking hazard.) To get your free set of printable clip cards sign up below. You will receive your link and access code for my Free Digital Resource Library. Hint: There’s a lot more there than just clip cards!

What do you think? Did you enjoy this week’s farm unit? Let me know how it went, and what unit themes you would like to see next in the comments below.

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Crafts, Printables, Tot School Units

Farm Themed Tot School: Part II

June 21, 2017

We are rolling right on through our farm themed tot school unit, and so far we have been having a blast! If you missed Part I, be sure to check it out. There were some really great crafts, recipes and activities for preschool or tot school. Today, our farm unit is going to the birds – literally! All of our crafts and activities revolve around poultry, so we will be feeding poultry, gathering eggs, gluing feathers and much more. Let’s get started!

Feed the Chickens Counting Mats

I think counting mats are such a fun way to combine fine motor skill development with early math skills. Plus, they make counting just a little more fun. I designed these mats for counting up to 20, although you could easily use only the first 10 to match your child’s skill level. On each card I have featured one or more bird from the farm, and these birds are hungry! I recommend using dry corn kernels but you can use any dry beans or small counter that you have at home. As always, any small object (such as corn kernels) can post a choking hazard to small children so use your own best judgement.

While Goose enjoyed working his way through all 20 counting mats, Nugget had fun helping by trying to name what type of birds were on each card. It’s always great when a learning activity can include both an older and younger sibling!

Visit my Digital Resource Library to download and print your free copy of my Feed the Chickens Counting Mats. Don’t have an access code? Easy! Just sign up below and one will be emailed to you right away!

Fruit & Veggie Search Sensory Bin

I wish I could take credit for this activity but all the credit for this one goes to Kim at Life Over C’s. Definitely check out her site for some fantastic learning activities and to download the printables for this fun activity.

This activity features a printable mat showing a wide assortment of fruits and veggies, along with a matching set of fruit and veggie cards. A quick pass through the laminator and a few Velcro tabs later and you have a fun and educational sensory bin search! I used Popsicle sticks and card stock to make garden signs that I adhered inside our sensory bin with a hot glue gun. This was definitely one of our cuter activities, and digging through the beans to find each fruit or vegetable kept Goose occupied for quite a while.

When we began I figured this would be one of those short-lived activities that wasn’t challenging enough for Goose but was a bit advanced for Nugget, boy was I wrong! It turns out that Goose’s fruit and veggie vocabulary isn’t quite as advanced as I thought and he learned a lot as he dug out each card and then let Nugget help him find the match.

Of course, soon the tractor was digging out the vegetables, and I had to watch Nugget like a hawk to be sure he didn’t try to eat the black beans, but overall I would call this one a win!

Decorate Your Own Rooster Craft

For this project we decided to create our own pet roosters! Goose named his ‘Captain Picklepuss’, which is of course a very respectable name for a rooster. We decorated our roosters using glue, feathers, crayons, and pretty much anything else Goose dug out of our craft closet. The end result was a rooster that would be the talk of any barnyard, I’m sure.

Visit my Digital Resource Library to download and print your free Rooster Printable. Don’t have an access code? Easy! Just sign up below and one will be emailed to you right away!

Egg Gathering Imaginative Play

My boys have very active imaginations and adore pretend play. I think that the creative thinking skills developed during imaginative play are vital to future success, so we put a lot of emphasis on it in our house. When shopping for toys I always avoid what Alton Brown calls ‘Unitaskers’. These toys that can only be played with in one specific way just seem limiting and are rarely the toys that see repeated play.

For this activity I made nests out of paper bags (instructions below) and then filled each nest with a few plastic Easter eggs. We were a little short on stuffed chickens so our nests included a variety of feathered occupants. After staging the nests, I also laid out a cowboy hat for costuming, and an egg carton for additional sorting practice. I gave each boy a basket and encouraged them to gather eggs and just have fun. Not surprisingly, Nugget decided to fill his basket with poultry and lovingly carry them throughout the house, carefully clucking and quacking at each one. This is such a sweet age! Goose took the task a little more seriously and was very intent on gathering all of the eggs, and opening each one in search of leftover Easter candy. As if candy would last that long in our house!

They returned to this activity several times this week, and each time they found new ways to interact with the nests. My favorite was when I walked into the room to find Nugget sitting very carefully on a plastic egg. Evidently his brother told him if he sat still long enough it would hatch! Oh how I hated to burst that bubble!

Supplies:

Several Brown Paper Lunch Bags
Scissors
Glue
Plastic eggs

Instructions:

Begin by cutting off the top 2/3 of your lunch bags. You will need 2 bags per nest. (Don’t throw away the tops – I will be showing you next week how to use them for a fun craft!)
Cut thin slices from the open edge of your bag down to the fold (see images). Don’t worry about making it perfect, messy is great for this project!
Open your bag and then crinkle it in to a ball. The wrinklier the better!
Repeat steps 1-3 on your second lunch bag, then open both wrinkled bags.
Place one bag inside the other and using a rolling / scrunching motion to create a nest shape.
Fill with plastic eggs, candy, or whatever else your little heart desires.

Our Favorite Farm Themed Books

We had so many farm themed books in our collection, that this was one tot school unit that hardly required a trip to the library. Here are a few of our favorites:

Dk Tractor Shaped Board Book

This is a book that I picked up a few years ago at a consignment sale, and it has been a favorite of ours ever since. It’s pretty short, but the novelty lies in the fact that it places you inside the tractor. It’s a fun short read perfect for a toddler who is just getting into tractors.

Otis by Loren Long

This is the original Otis book, although there are now several in the series. It tells the tale of a sweet tractor and his friendship with a lonely calf. The illustrations are striking and the plot is well-written enough that parents and children should both enjoy this story.

The Grumpy Morning by Pamela Duncan Edwards

This is a cute book about the morning that the farmer overslept. I like the fact that the farmer is a woman, since too many farm books only feature male farmers. It also has a nice rhythm that makes reading it aloud pleasurable.

Moo by Matthew Van Fleet
Matthew Van Fleet is famous for his beautifully photographed and highly interactive children’s books. Each page features tactile stimulation and moving parts, sure to hold even the youngest child’s attention.

Cock-a-Doodle-Doo! Barnyard Hullabaloo by Giles Andreae

Giles Andreae is back again with this tour through the barnyard. Each page features a different animal and a short rhyme. The illustrations are fun and bright and the rhymes are playful. It’s definitely worth adding to your bookshelf.

Lift the Flap Farm by Hinkler Books

This book can be a little tough to find, but it’s worth the effort. It’s chock full of photographs of farm animals, equipment and even produce. My boys love lifting the flaps, and I love the extra questions at the bottom of each page to encourage critical thinking or find hidden extras.

Pass It On! by Marilyn Sadler

This is a fun and silly story about how a message can be distorted as it gets passed from person to person (or animal to animal as it were). It’s great for an older preschooler who can understand the concept of pass it on, but the humor might be lost on younger children.

The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson

I love love love Karma Wilson. Her books never disappoint, and always include an attractive rhyming structure along with a playful plot. If you buy one fiction book from this list – buy this one. It’s just plain fun to read!

Have you enjoyed our Farm themed tot school unit so far? Comment below!

Be sure to check back later this week to see the final portion of our farm unit. Some of the best is still yet to come!

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Crafts, Montessori, Tot School Units

Farm Themed Tot School Unit: Part I

June 19, 2017

Something about Summer just makes me think of life on the farm.

I don’t know if it’s the slower pace or the long days outside in the sun but it always is enough to make farm life appealing. At least it was until last week. Last week we signed up to have farm duty at Goose’s Montessori school. The school has it’s own miniature farm with chickens, ducks, sheep and miniature donkeys. Since there is a new baby donkey I was quick to sign up to take care of the animals for one week of summer break. Little did I know that I was going to be in WAY over my head!

In way over my head …

The first day I showed up with a 3 year old and 1 year old thinking it would be a quick visit. We would hand out a little food, pet the baby donkey and be home in time for naps. Nope! I think the highlight was when the sheep got out of their pen and I spent an hour attempting to chase / bribe them back in. Or trying to corral the chickens into the coop …. or was it when I was hauling buckets of water (PS I think it weighed at least 50 lbs!) and a donkey knocked me over and I spilled the bucket all over myself.

Long story short – I have learned that I am NOT cut out for farm life. That hasn’t kept me from designing a super fun farm themed tot school unit. Please forgive the 3 enormous posts this week – there were so many cute activities I got a little carried away!

Nomenclature Cards

It wouldn’t be a tot school unit without nomenclature cards. If you aren’t familiar with these fantastic learning tools I explain them here. I always like to start any new unit with nomenclature cards because they are such an easy way to introduce the new vocabulary that you will be using throughout the unit. I have designed my own set of farm nomenclature cards that you can download for free from my Digital Resource Library. Don’t have an access code? Just sign up below and one will be emailed to you right away!

One of my favorite games with nomenclature cards is to combine them with one or more Safari Ltd. Toobs. I used the Farm TOOB and Farm Babies TOOB. Then allow your child to match the photographic image on the nomenclature card to the Toob figurine. For us this process often devolves into imaginative play but even then the boys are learning. It usually sounds something like, “The baby horse is driving my Hot Wheels, Mommy!” “The foal is driving the Hot Wheels dear.”

Is it just my house or does every activity ultimately involve Hot Wheels?

Pigs in Mud Sensory Bin

Now this is one FUN sensory bin! Probably because it’s so messy. We used some pigs from our Farm TOOB as well as pigs from the Battat Terra Farm Animals Set , and set them loose in a tub full of chocolate pudding.

I introduced the activity with this video explaining why pigs roll in mud, and we read ‘Hogwash‘ by Karma Wilson.

Goose prefers to keep his hands clean, but even he was willing to dive into the pudding when he figured out how tasty it is. Nugget, of course, can always be counted on to coat himself from head to toe in any substance he gets his hands on.

Fast Craft: Paper Plate Lambs

Making paper plate lambs is easy, fun and the end results are surprisingly adorable! Best of all this is a craft that a preschooler can complete with minimal assistance from Mom. Elmer’s glue scrubs clean from just about every surface, right? *wink*.

Supplies:

1 White Paper or Foam Disposable Plate
White Cotton Balls
One printed copy of the lamb template from my Digital Resource Library.
Elmer’s School Glue
2 Googly Eyes
Scissors

Prep Work: Download my template and cut out the legs, face and ears of the lamb.

**Don’t have an access code for the Digital Resource Library? No problem! Just sign up below and one will me emailed to you right away!

Instructions:

Use Elmer’s Glue to apply the round head to the center of the plate, then glue all 4 legs to the edges.
Glue the eyes on to the face (shocker, I know. Unless you have more of a Picasso-esque lamb in mind …)
Let your child go wild gluing as many cotton balls as they would like to the plate.
When finished tuck the ears into the cotton and glue in place.
Admire your adorable lamb – and maybe give it a name.

Milking a Cow Imaginative Play

Ok, I’m going to level with you. This was a super neat activity that turned out far better than I initially imagined, however it might be difficult to replicate at home. I will show you what I did, and then offer my suggestions for how you could possible put your own spin on the activity using things you already have around the house.

To begin with you need a frame of some sort. We made our own out of this Discovery Kids Construction Fort (which we have used endlessly for fort building!) I think you could use just about anything with 4 legs, maybe even a kitchen chair?

Next, you need a rubber glove and some twine. Fill the glove with water and use the twine to secure it shut at the wrist opening. Then use your frame to suspend the glove so that it dangles in the opening. When your child is ready to begin ‘milking their cow’ use a safety pin to poke 3-4 holes in the tip of 1-2 fingers. The glove will tend to drip so please keep a bucket beneath your milking station.

Like a real cow, we found that our glove gave us the best results when we used a push-pull motion. If you feel particularly ambitious you could even decorate your frame so that it looks like a real cow. If you do that you officially win the Mom-of-the-Year Award and I absolutely want you to send in pictures!

Delicious Haystack Snack Recipe

Nugget and Goose worked up quite the appetite doing all of our farm activities today so I figured it would be a great opportunity to finish the day with a yummy farm-themed snack. These tasty haystack snacks are a sweet and easy treat!

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter (or substitute your favorite nut-free butter if your household has allergies)
2-3 Cups Pretzel Sticks, broken into small pieces
1/4 Cup White Chocolate Chips

Optional Additions: Slivered Almonds, Nutella, Chopped Nuts, Mini Marshmallows, Caramel Chips, Heath Bar Crumbles.

Recipe:

Microwave the peanut butter and chocolate chips on high for 1-2 minutes until melted and stir until fully combined.
If you wish to add any of the optional toppings stir them in now.
Stir Broken Pretzels into your melted peanut butter mixture and spoon dollops of it onto a baking sheet covered in a Silpat Mat or wax paper.
Let cool in a refrigerator for about an hour.

There’s way too much sugar to call this snack healthy, but I think it’s just right as a special treat after working hard and learning all morning.

Did you try any of our farm-themed tot school activities?

Which did your kids like best? Are there any other farm-related activities you would like to see later this week?

Check back later this week to see Part II and Part III of our Farm Themed Tot School Unit!

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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? :))

Sign up below to get access to my exclusive Digital Resource Library where you can download all of the printables from this post and MUCH MORE!

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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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Space Themed Nomenclature Cards

Would you like to download your own free set of Space nomenclature cards?

Space Themed Sensory Bin

Flashlight Constellations

Supplies:

Instructions:

Extension Activities:

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DIY Solar System Magnets

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Instructions:

Notes:

The Best Part:

Toddler Star Sorting Boxes

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Instructions:

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Montessori Tonging Tray

Red, White & Blue Bead Stringing

Independence Day Learning Resources

Montessori Salt Writing Practice

Free Do-A-Dot Flag Printable

Simple Punching Activity

Happy 4th of July!

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“Feed The Chickens” Tot Tray

Animal Sorting Activity

Farm Animal Alphabet Clip Cards

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Feed the Chickens Counting Mats

Fruit & Veggie Search Sensory Bin

Decorate Your Own Rooster Craft

Egg Gathering Imaginative Play

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Our Favorite Farm Themed Books

Have you enjoyed our Farm themed tot school unit so far? Comment below!

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Something about Summer just makes me think of life on the farm.

In way over my head …

Nomenclature Cards

Is it just my house or does every activity ultimately involve Hot Wheels?

Pigs in Mud Sensory Bin

Fast Craft: Paper Plate Lambs

Supplies:

Instructions:

Milking a Cow Imaginative Play

Delicious Haystack Snack Recipe

Ingredients:

Recipe:

Did you try any of our farm-themed tot school activities?

Check back later this week to see Part II and Part III of our Farm Themed Tot School Unit!

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Like this:

Underwater Chalk Art

Supplies: