Sticky Leaf Collage

The Bug has always loved to be outside so we took advantage of the fall leaves everywhere while we were playing! 

I taped contact paper sticky side up to the table (you REALLY have to tape it down to keep it from sticking to your kiddo!) and spread the leaves out around it. 

The Bug noticed it pretty quickly and came over to explore. I talked about the colors of the leaves he was sticking and pulling off.

He definitely did both sticking and pulling off and it made a 'torn leave' mess but we did end up with a nice collage of fall leaves and he loved peeling and sticking and exploring colors!

Spider Web Watercolors

The Bug and I have been doing a lot of art projects as it gets colder and tougher to stay outside as much... I saw this project on Pinterest though we skipped the salt step!

Before I set out this project, I used a white crayon to draw a spiderweb design on the paper. Direct sunlight made it easier for me to see where my lines were!

The Bug used orange and purple Watercolors to paint on the paper.

As the spiderweb emerged, he kept saying 'whoa!'

Because I wanted him to understand that it's a spiderweb, I gave him a sticker spider to add when he finished painting!

Overall a fun and easy project! I do recommend thick paper for toddlers! We had to stop to avoid ripping a hole!

Construction Week

As a mom, I am not immune to wondering if I'm doing a good job. I've read every article, mom blog, and book all with different advice. I don't know who is right or if any one person is but my son has learned. No matter what I do, he is learning!

I set up his shelf with activities but let him direct the play. He mostly throws the counting blocks on the floor, he loves hammering the golf tees though!

He is working on his hand eye coordination and self regulation! The first day, he hammered everything and we had to put the hammer away... Now he is gentle and sticks to the tees!

He was fascinated by the cars driving and drawing but it lasted for 5 seconds before he ripped the crayons off...

Building with blocks has been his favorite no matter what creative activities I come up with. And that's ok! He has surprised me pointing out things he has learned. So yes, I will give him fun activities and maybe some will spark his interest and some will go untouched. And that's ok!

Pom Pom Muffins

Letting the Bug play and explore without structure sounds great but it leaves me feeling guilty and often leaves him crabby and asking to watch TV... So when I stumbled across the concept of invitations to play, I knew we had to try!

I set up 3 simple activities and showed them to the Bug and he gravitated to the Pom poms!

I helped him sort them and we talked about the colors (I used fall colors since we've been focused on fall!) 

Then he just explored. He felt the Pom poms, moved them from muffin cup to muffin cup, and pulled the cake liners apart! 

We will be doing more invitations to play and tot trays based on the Bug's interests! Stay tuned!

Shape Collage!

The Bug and I have been working hard on settling into a fall routine as new activities start again!

He's extremely into art lately so we've been doing lots of painting! I drew shapes on his easel and he's been painting, tracing, and coloring in the shapes so this week we're further exploring shapes!

The Bug spent lots of time looking through and talking about the shapes he was pulling out.

He also peeled them off the sticky paper. It was a great simple activity that lasted much longer than I expected!

Let the Children Play

One thing I have struggled with as a stay at home mom with only one kiddo is how to balance teaching and learning with play. I truly believe that we expect way too much from our kids at a young age- they're in playgroups and activities every minute that they're not in school and we as parents are stretched to the max running them from one activity to the next. 

But I'm at home all day with one toddler. He doesn't have classmates exposing him to different ways of doing things and while he does get socialization through playgroups and such, he's with me most of the time. 

So I try to show him a variety of things then let him explore. I play with him for 15-30 minutes then go do housework while he plays. He knows how to turn on the tv now... That's a skill right?

We go places- he LOVES going to the petting farm to see the animals!

Playgrounds and splash pads are things we got to explore much more this summer! We also take classes- I joined a mommy fitness group so the Bug gets some socializing at playgroups and I get to stay in shape! The Bug took swim lessons last winter and is taking gymnastics this fall! We go to Storytime at the library too!

At home, we started a biweekly lesson. I come up with a theme and pick out different activities- 3 sensory bins, 1 fine motor, 1 gross motor, 1 loose parts, 1 pretend play, and a basket of books. Not all the activities fit with the theme- it's a general way of introducing shapes, body parts, and things of that nature. The Bug has free reign in his art nook though I do try to come up with some activities that fit with the theme such as this shapes collage

So, play and explore. The Bug is learning so much despite my fears and I have the memories to prove it! He doesn't need drills or apps or toys to help him learn- he needs parents who read to him, play with him, and explore the world with him! Let the children play!!!

My Body

I've started more directed play with the Bug though it's still self guided. I set up a shelf with several themed activities (that focus on different skills such as gross motor, fine motor, early math, discovery/science, music, and language)

This week's theme has been 'Body Parts' and the Bug has enjoyed playing doctor to help learn! He loves giving shots...

We did several sensory table activities with pictures of body parts. Parts of the head and face were hidden in rice (not pictured)

And other body parts were hidden in oats! 

The Bug tried matching the pictures with his own body parts (pretty sure this picture is an arm...) he can identify parts if we say the word though not all of them. 

These were his two favorite books and he had fun playing with Mr. Potato Head and making faces using eyes, noses, and mouth we cut out of pictures! It was a fun week of learning about our bodies!