Tot School

We did a partial Tot School week last week since we had a playdate every day.  Playdates are always interesting. Some days Turbo plays with the other child and other days he just wants to do his own thing.  Mostly during park playdates or with shy kids he tends to go his own way. When we're at home or when he's with older kids (12-18 months older), he plays much more interactivly with them.   It's very interesting to watch the transition from parallel play to interactive play.  Of course Mommy is his biggest playmate right now, and that's just fine with me. The time will quickly come that I'm just the taxi, so for now, I'll enjoy the attention from him!

Cow Milking ~ As a follow up to our Farm Animal week, we 'milked a cow' using a latex glove.  Just fill a glove with water, tie at the top, prick a little pin hole in the tip of a finger, then squeeze like you're milking a cow. FUN!  This made it real for him and he thought this was a very fun and silly activity. Thanks to my friend Sarah for the gloves!!

Do you remember our sensory table from last week - it was dirt.  Well, it rained and I forgot to cover it. So this week we had....MUD!  Turbo didn't love it.  No mud pies for us. He just used the barn to scoop and pour a bit - then asked to wash his hands. 

Speaking of scooping and pouring, he asked for his dried beans again.  Let me tell you they still work! I get at least 30 minutes - if not 45- of mostly quiet while he plays.  I *heart* dried beans!!

Basket Play ~ I brought down a laundry basket to add to our day. It's always fun to see what he'll do with it. This time he was the band.  I tried to sing along with him - only to be told "Don't sing. You are the story teacher. I'm the song teacher"  HA!

Have I posted about his Strider Running Bike?  I saw this first on a review Carisa did last year and made a note this would be a great Christmas gift for Turbo.  Rick's parents bought it for him and we've had it since February. It is AWESOME!! He rides it every day, all the time! You'd think I'd have a better picture of him balancing, but no. He's usually riding while I'm doing chores and such, so this the picture I have.  I have no idea where his other sock or his pants went.   He gets going quite fast and is able to balance for several seconds without putting his feet down and it's usually just to give himself more momentum.  I've been very impressed at the quality of the bike and how much he loves it.  

Cutting
We're doing a lot of cutting practice. In addition to cutting paper, he cut playdough into small pieces. He still struggles a bit with keeping the scissors in the correct position. I like that it challenges him and yet he still asks to do it. 

Balancing
We're putting things on our head and trying to balance them for a few seconds.  He just likes to goof around with this activity right now. It's actually a lot of fun, good practice and a great opportunity for us to get silly with each other!

That's about it for Tot School last week. This week we're doing 'BIRDS and Nests.  I have some more resources to share so stay tuned for next week's post!


SNEAK PEEK ~  I have a GIVE-A-WAY coming at the end of this week! It's going to be about a Super Cool product I recently found. (hint!).