Sunday Book Review: Not Really a Book Review

The majority of the time, getting LBB to sit long enough to read a book (even a short one) from cover to cover is equivalent to pulling teeth.

He just. Doesn't. Like. It.

Then, today, I stumbled upon the miracle fix.

See that pile of books that the adorable little duck is sitting on? We read those in one sitting. Even Dear Sweet Hubby kept giving me those looks that said "Is that our kid?"

Yes, it was our kid. But the secret trick I discovered today?

LBB loves when Lenny the Duck reads to him. In full-on duck voice with quacks mixed in. :)

(Mommy's can be ever so talented, can't we?)

I just started off casually...making funny duck noises and "Lenny" asked LBB if they could read a book. LBB happily obliged. OK, I thought, this is interesting. They read the book together, then Lenny asked to read another book. And another. And a total of 7 books were read. It's a miracle. That's the best way I can put it. LBB cannot sit still. But somehow, Lenny brought the best bookworm out in him. Lenny talked about rhyming. "He" asked LBB questions. They even counted together.

So, Moms and Dads, if you've got a reluctant toddler who doesn't seem to want to sit still for more than a second during book time, I would seriously give this a try! Just grab the nearest stuffed animal or doll, try out your funniest voice, and see where it takes you!

You may just be pleasantly surprised!

And, if the thought of having your little one sit long enough to read a whole book isn't enough to convince you to give it a shot (which I'm sure is not the case), you may even be rewarded with sudden bursts of affection afterwards...much like this little guy had:

He couldn't stop hugging Lenny. He had so much fun he even wanted to pose with Lenny for a picture...that never happens. :)

Here's What I've Been Up to Today:

Preschool planning. Preschool planning. Preschool planning.

And I'm loving it. :)

This past year of early preschool with LBB has taught us a few things about what works. What doesn't. And what we need to work on. So I'm having a blast sitting down and actually working on his curriculum.

It is tailor made just for him, so that means I'm putting a lot more work into it than if I ordered a curriculum (which would be nice...I just like to make sure it fits him to a tee. And this is a fun age to plan for!)

But, I've already got the school year calendar done. Planner printed out for the first 5 weeks. Curriculum themes planned for the whole year. And now I'm working on each week individually. My goal is to have the whole year planned, printed, and mostly prepared for before school starts. :) This past year I would do a few weeks at a time, and that caused us to sometimes get...a tad lazy. I'd forget to prep a week, then we'd skip a week. But, no more! I will be prepared!

Once I get the planning done, I get to adapt the dining room to a homeschool room that works for us, so that's my motivation. :)

What has your Monday been filled with? (And sorry for the scattered post...I'm a tad tired. I'm on attempt number 892 of going caffeine free. Wish me luck.)

Sunday Book Review: One-Dog Canoe

I decided that once a week, I'm going to start sharing a book review.

Mostly because the book we read today is just so darn cute. :)

Dear Sweet Hubby, LBB, and I dog-sat my parent's adorable little Shih Tzu this weekend, and LBB did such a wonderful job. He fed her. Hugged her. Gave her treats. Played with her. And even helped put her out for potty time.

He was "Dog-Sitter Extraordinaire."

And to thank him, PaPa and GiGi got him this book:

from amazon.com

It is the cutest story about a little girl who takes her pup out for a canoe ride, only to have lots of forest animals ask to join her on their canoe ride.

The story is written in wonderful rhyme. The pictures are beyond adorable. And the ending is so adorable and almost guaranteed to make a certain 2 year old gasp in delight. :)

LBB thought it was a hoot when the moose asked to join the canoe ride, and when I asked him if he thought the moose would be able to ride in the canoe, he emphatically said "Yeeeaaahhhh." :) Turns out, the Moose could.

So, whether you are looking for just a cute read, taking your little one on their first canoe trip, or studying forest animals, this book is a sure bet.

A Day at the Zoo

Last week for LBB's preschool, we focused on learning all about the farm. :) LBB had a blast all week...he made animal noises, played with tractors, actually did some of his worksheets, and seemed to have a toy farm animal in hand nearly everywhere he went.

To top it all off, we took a field trip to the zoo and their farm. And since it is Springtime, the farm was bustling with farm babies. What fun! LBB and I went with my Mom, and the three of us had a wonderful day. He got to see a cow milking demonstration, took a ride on the zoo train, and even got to watch the dolphin show! What a very wonderful adventure!

Beautiful American Cream Draft Horse

This badger was a bit of a ham.

Leopard Paw

Love this cool sheep!

Tom the Turkey, strutting his stuff.

Ah, so pretty.

Looking at a hedgehog with GiGi

Telling the calf a story. :)

Last week was such a successful week school wise, and this week? Complete opposite. When LBB gets set, or not set in this case, on doing something, he. Is. Not. Doing. It.

Sigh.

Our theme this week is fine art, which I thought he'd get a big kick out of. After all, art? All week? Well that seems fun. Oh sure. It'd be fun...if you weren't an obstinate 2 year old. :) But, such is life. He is still little, so if there are a few days where he wants to learn through imaginative play instead of what Mommy has planned, that's ok. Soon enough it will be time for him to focus on his required schoolwork, but until then, I'm just going to enjoy each day, no matter what. :)

That's the beauty of starting homeschooling at such a young age. We get to enjoy the lazy days and the field trip days without any worries about missing something.

After all, to a 2 year old, the WHOLE  world is a classroom. :) I think that's how it should be for every age.

Preschool Weekly Wrap Up #4

Good evening! LBB started the week of strong, despite the fact that he had a low grade fever the first few days, and then lo and behold, that little fever turned into a small case of croup! He went to the doctor yesterday and got a steroid shot to help him get better quickly, and already today he seems to be better! But, despite the croup and all, we still had a wonderful week full of learning!!!

This week we learned:

• A few new words, including "Boo!" (which we had been working on all week, and then as soon as PaPa said it, he had it down like a pro) and copter (for helicopter.) I'm amazed at his vocabulary improvement!


• We began singing the ABC song everynight at bed, and he loves it. The other night I forgot and he made sure he pointed to his ABC poster and said "Y." He sings along the best he can and it's adorable.


• That pumpkins are fun to paint. Fun to stick Mr. Potato Head pieces in. And fun to catergorize pumpkin guts from pumpkin seeds. :) He also put some felt pumpkin face stickers on his small bedroom pumpkin and while the eyes are off-kilter, he had the general idea, and I can unabashedly say that it's the cutest little goofy pumpkin I've ever seen.


• That TV can be an addiction. That it can be overcome. And then it can be brought right back in when LBB is supposed to be getting lots of rest so he doesn't agitate his croup. Soooo...we're back at square one, but that's ok.


• How to jump! LBB can get 2 or 3 inches off the ground on a regular basis, and he LOVES jumping.


• How to wake up sleeping people and kitties. He comes right up to you, stands in front of your face, says (in toddler speak) "Get up", and jumps up and down. I love that little guy. However, Cat #1 may not appreciate the new skill as much as we do.

You know, I really feel like I'm forgetting some things, but to be dead honest, this Mommy brain is completely fried from the lack of sleep over the past few days of LBB's sickness. Dear Sweet Hubby has been fighting a cold as well, so while he has been helping out when he can between feeling icky himself and work, I have been mostly on my own...minus last night when my wonderful parents stopped by the house, bringing soup, and then coming back when LBB woke up realizing he had missed PaPa and GiGi. He screamed and cried until they got here...and then he proceeded to only want me to hold him. Ah, toddlerhood.

So, for now, while I should techinically go get some rest before Dear Sweet Hubby gets home from work, I am going instead to waste LOTS of time pinning TONS of stuff on pinterest. :) But, I'm going to use the excuse: "I'm getting lots of ideas for preschool" and "I'm getting inspiration for house decorations" and of course, "This would be a good Christmas gift to make for someone."

I am officially addicted to Pinterest.

Have a good night everyone!

Preschool Weekly Wrap Up #3

Yikes. I was lazy getting this post up. And sad to say, slightly lazy the whole week that I should be "wrapping up." We're in the process of fine tuning...and I realize, I say that a lot.

Dear Sweet Hubby doesn't work your typical Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm job. He's one of the talented people who become very talented retail managers...meaning...no set days off (although there is usually a good chance of having Sunday off) and no set schedule.

So, I have a question for anyone in our same situation (homeschooling family where Dad works a "non-traditional" schedule.) What does your week look like? Do you have days off be the same as his?

The time we have with Dear Sweet Hubby is limited as is, so we've been seriously tossing around the idea of his days off are our days off. And generally, his day off means a field trip, so that is still school. Let me know your thoughts...but anyways...I am going to try and think of what we learned (bear with me, it's late! Haha.)

• We learned about construction equipment this week. Which, not surprisingly, LBB adored. He is bonkers about anything that moves dirt, demolishes buildings, or builds them back up again. He can now say bulldozer (sounds like "boe"), and even attempted to say excavator a few times. You go LBB. :)


• We read "Puppies" touch and feel(one of the usborne books) during potty time, and in it, there is a page that says "Most puppies like to sniff, but not this one." And the puppy that doesn't like to sniff has a bee on his nose. At first, LBB and I would pretend to be sniffing, which he loved. And now, he had learned the fine art of pretending to be a bee. He takes his little pointer finger, moves it around like it is flying, and buzzes. Then, he either lets the "bee" land on your shoulder, nose, or head and giggles hysterically, OR he lets you "swat" at the bee, which makes him laugh even more. It really is the most adorable thing. Sometimes I think he tells us he has to go potty just to play the bee game some more. :)


• And I learned...that I need to get more sleep. Shower in the evening before I go to bed and get dressed the minute I get out of bed in the morning. Stay focused. And embrace that at some moments I'm not going to get it ALL done.

Have a great evening!

Preschool Weekly Wrap Up #2

Hello! I haven't written much this week...Dear Sweet Hubby took a 4 day mini-vacation so we've been busy just relaxing and spending some time together. This week we learned about Fire Prevention Week and read "The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle. What a fun week it was! Here's what we learned:

• LBB went on a field trip to the fire station with Daddy and his PaPa. He had tons of fun. :) He says "MIMI" when he sees a fire truck, ambulance, or police car, and was running up to the firetrucks yelling "MIMI". He really wanted the firemen to turn on the sirens, but they couldn't because they didn't want to scare the other kiddos. LBB doesn't get scared of sirens at all, and just adores hearing them up close. :) (And why MIMI? Well...Mommy isn't very good at making American sounding sirens, so she makes European sirens. Think "Meeeeooooo. Meeeeeooooo. Meeeeooooo." It drives Dear Sweet Hubby crazy that I taught him that siren sound. Haha.)


• He is also on a bug kick right now. He learned how to say "bug" this week, and when he was at the firehouse he saw a fly land in the middle of the garage, yelled "BUG!" and ran over to point it out. :)


• We've been reading his Usborne Touch and Feel Puppies book, and on the second page there is a dog with a bee on his nose. LBB yells "Uh-Oh! Bug!" And then takes his pointer finger, makes a buzzing noise, and has the "bee" land on your nose. Then he laughs hysterically. :) Way too funny. He also swats at our hands if we pretend to be the bee.


• LBB made the most adorable fire truck this week...I haven't taken a picture, but I cut one large red rectangle, two black circles, one small white rectangle, and one long white rectangle and he helped glue them on and placed the pieces where he wanted them. It turned out really well!


• He's learned lots of new words and has associated a few of them together: moon (which he said a while ago but then stopped saying). Sky, Bike, Wind, Bee, and Bug. And tonight while trying to go potty, he was looking at his Batman cupholder, and pointed to the moon, said "Moon. Sky." I love that he associated the two!!!!


• And speaking of the potty...he went potty once a day for four days in a row! WOOHOO! He has sat on the potty the past two days and didn't go, but he is still trying and that is what matters! That's the joy of starting this early...we are taking it at his pace, and he is loving it. We haven't had any tantrums over the potty issue, and he is doing things at his speed.


• We also went to the zoo this week (for free! You can't beat that!) We rode the Monorail for the first time with LBB, which he loved. He pointed out all the "GEESE" to our car-mates, explored to his hearts content, got to ride in the wagon of a tractor ride. He loved the penguin exhibit and was probably the most excitable kid watching them. He also spent a lot of time in the Toddler room climbing, singing, dancing, and charming the "ladies" into reading him a story. Ah, he makes me laugh.

So, that's our week. We didn't focus on as much schooling as I planned, but between his field trips, potty training, and lots of Daddy time, I'm not complaining. :) Hope your week was just as wonderful! Check back tomorrow for a few more posts!

Story+Art "The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle (Spider Craft)

Well, that's a pretty long title...but I wanted to make sure that it could be differentiated because we plan on doing some more crafts about this book this week!

Yesterday on our way to the zoo, I was talking with Dear Sweet Hubby about how I didn't think LBB was necessarily interested in focusing on a letter a week (in addition to a weekly theme.) And then I started talking about how he seemed much more interested in reading the same book over and over and over for a week, and it dawned on me...

Why don't I focus on one story and do a few projects throughout the week that tie into that story. Think story+art, along with a little learning (like a field trip that ties in), and voila...my hybrid of preschool for toddler. :) We are still going to do a weekly theme, but this replaces the major focusing on the alphabet...he's not even 2 yet, so we can postpone that (although we do still point letters out, of course.)

At the zoo, LBB fell in love with "The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle (and tried to get a little girl he met to read it to him...what a charmer.) So, of course, I bought it for him, because it is for his preschool, after all...sooooo, that makes it ok. ;)

We decided to do his first project with the book today. A sweet little Paper Towel tube spider. Read on for directions!

The materials we used: A paper towel tube, cut to about 1 1/2 inches. A piece of black construction paper, cut to a length to fit around the tube with a little bit of overlap. 8 pieces of construction paper (cut 1/2" by 3 1/4"), and two wiggly eyes. (Because what kind of spider is it if it doesn't have wiggly eyes.)

LBB had a blast trying to make a glue fountain. :) I put the construction paper around the tube for him, since he is so little...I used invisible tape because it was quicker.

Inspecting the glue bottle before starting his project. We started with a little glue on the end of one leg, and put the leg on the inside of the tube. LBB got about halfway through and decided he was done gluing, so I used tape on the rest and tape to reinforce. After all the legs are attached to the inside, I folded them at the edge of the tube so they sat nicely. This becomes the bottom.

Then, just add a little glue to the eyes (or use those fancy self adhesive ones if you have them...I'm beginning to think they would be worth the investment), and you have a cute little spider. :) LBB's favorite part of any project like this is always gluing the eyes on...it's quite adorable.

Preschool 2011 Weekly Wrap #1

To see this closer, just click the pic!

Good evening! I decided I'd post this tonight so I wouldn't have to try to do it tomorrow...my computer is archaic, and as a result, simple things like posting one blog post are like playing the lottery...sometimes, it is quick, sometimes it takes 30 minutes to just get the thing from jamming up. :) But, it's what we have, and for that I'm thankful.

Our first week went so well! Monday morning we woke up early (that is by LBB's choice, not Mommy's), got dressed, ate breakfast, and began our chores. LBB vacuumed behind me and prepared breakfast at his kitchen for Bearemy while I quickly got all the other chores done. I have to say, it was pretty nice to get such a headstart on the day, and we were ready for Bible Study by 7 am. We read the story of David and Goliath, and I had taken out a coloring page from his Veggie Tales coloring book, but LBB colored two green lines and then wanted nothing to do with it. He quickly went to work on his preschool work though and started practicing using his tweezers on his building block sets. The first day went by soooo well, and I couldn't be happier. LBB took his normal naps and meal breaks, but he did mostly preschool activities from 7 am until 6:30 pm...pretty impressive! He did play trains and whatnot in between, but I'm not interested in the least at making him sit...I completely understand that he is still very young, so we make sure that while we focus on certain activities throughout the day, we also make sure we listen to his cues. That is what is most important!

So, if you see that picture up there, it's a few highlights from the week...I'll just go in order from left to right and I think that will work. If the pic is small, just click on it...I think it is quicker to do a collage and saves you from scrolling through a post a mile long. :)

1. Good Morning first day of school! LBB quickly went to work in his kitchen...he definitely loved playing with the practical life aspect of it and made food for his Bearemy and me. So sweet. :) He is in love with that kitchen...did I mention we got it at Goodwill for $3.99. Score.
2. Sitting at his desk playing dino's. We did letter D for the week and seeing as how he is a dino nut, it fit well...I think moving forward we won't focus so much on the letter, but it does add a nice theme variation throughout the week. We'll focus more on letters in a few months and just touch on it lightly here and there.
3. Practicing pouring with some chocolate chips. LBB loves pouring work...and he could literally do it all day long. :) Cat #2 has ardently adopted the role of class pet and was very insistent on helping. And yes, I am the crazy mom who gave her kid chocolate chips to use for learning at 8 in the morning. And yes...he ate some, and I ate some. It was wonderful. :)
4. Music time. LBB was really getting into his "Abby" song that he sings for his PaPa and GiGi's puppy.
5. Going for our nature walk! We were on a mission to find some leaves for a project. The nature walk lasted about 4 minutes. Then he was off to have some self-initiated p.e. Haha.
6. And on our nature walk, LBB discovered his shadow! He waved to it and played with it. Then he discovered Mommy's shadow, which apparently required lots of pats on her head. :)
7. The leaf wreath we made with the few leaves we picked up. He also decorated the plate with some Do-A-Dots (love those things!) and a little bit of colored pencil. It now hangs proudly on his bedroom door. It really is the cutest wreath.
8. More pouring work, but this time with water. He did this activity almost everyday this week...he poured, he scooped, he splashed. He had fun!
9. Our aluminum foil art! We taped some sheets of foil onto the cabinet doors (one for each of us, or so I planned) and then armed LBB with some washable markers. He immediately took over all of the sheets, but he had a blast and it was definitely a nice change from coloring on regular paper. Not to mention, when all was said and done, he was able to match every markers cap correctly...all by himself. Dear Sweet Hubby and I were amazed!
10. Close up of our foil art.
11. For social studies, I used the outline of Delaware (it was originally supposed to be Denmark, but you know...the best laid plans of mice and men) and cut it out of cardboard. Then I attached it to some cardstock and let LBB cover the state with some salt dough. I remember being little and doing salt dough maps and loving it, and while I was older than he is, I knew he would still get a kick out of decorating it. And I was right! He loved it! He used his children's "knife" and spread it on. He dug his fingers down in the dough and pulled out a sticky hand. And he figured out how it acts like a stamp if you don't press down all the way. (Although, mental note, must find a better recipe for salt dough...)
12. Another salt dough map picture...
13. ...and the finished project. He did pretty good!
14. As a treat, I picked up some of those cookie dough squares at Aldi's tonight, and LBB and Dear Sweet Hubby went to work placing them on the pan...
15. ...LBB did a great job of putting them where we pointed, and then he discovered that he could stack them, so he dove right into that! He had so much fun stacking them...
16. ...and even more fun watching the stack fall and yelling "UHOH!"

So, there's our week in summary!!! There was so much more wonderful things that we did, so many more special moments, but I told myself that I didn't want to have my camera alongside at all times. :) The special moments are much more special if you take the time to enjoy them!

Well, have a good night! Thanks for stopping by!

What We've Learned This Week

Ah. Our first week of preschool is almost done, and it's been such a joy! I plan on doing a post of our activities we did soon, but I've got a moment to write a bit while LBB goes down for his morning nap.

We are taking an easy morning, but after LBB wakes up, it's time for puzzles, pouring, and a salt-dough activity.

This week has been an absolute thrill...I love being LBB's teacher. There are moments when I get a tad worn out and moments when I wonder if we're doing it right, but then there are even more moments when I realize that we are following our hearts, minds, and listening to God about this, so we can't go wrong. And just in the past 4 days, LBB has learned so much.

And so has Mommy...here are some of the things we learned:

• LBB is a kinesthetic learner, no doubts about it. I kind of had a hunch that he was before we started preschool, but now that I'm working with him daily, I'm really seeing that he learns in a very unique way.
• Sadly, library storytime is not a good match for kinesthetic toddler. More on that in an upcoming post...
• My little tot runs at the sight of a coloring page, but jumps at the chance to color a piece of aluminum foil taped to the cabinet door.
• LBB can now say wreath, leaf, bus, truck (although it sounds strangely similar to bus), mine, why, and siren (but it sounds like me-me...which is Mommy's version of a European police car...I can only blame myself), bye bye, hi, pillow, Mearemy (his version of his bear's name Bearemy) and NiNi (the nickname for his little fox GiGi got him). That's in addition to what he said before, so his language is really seeming to take off!
• He is also beginning to put two words together to make phrases. He has said big boat, my mama, and mama no. (As in "LBB, don't do that" and I hear back "Mama no.")
• He can say "Love YOU!" now! :) He used to say it on command, but now he says it in return on his own. And at night, when he is going to bed, he gives Bearemy and Nick hugs and kisses and says love you to them. So sweet.
• He is a pro at putting puzzles together. Just two weeks ago he had fun, but was challenged, when he worked on his jumbo peg, 3 piece Melissa & Doug puzzle. Now, he breezes through their chunky wooden puzzles with no problem. The other day I picked one up at the consignment shop (Melissa and Doug for $3? Yes, please!), and within 5 minutes in the car he had the puzzle figured out.
• Loves this Melissa and Doug Shape Sequence Sorting Set, and it getting quite good at it.
• And I've learned that a little routine goes a long way. Skip the routine, and I'm thrown off all day. We've made it a habit to have the house vacuumed, swept, mopped, dishes done, beds made, and us dressed by 7 am. And I've also learned that I have to shower before bed the night before...because if I don't get dressed right when I get up and am ready for the day (like today), the rest of the day feels lazy and unmotivated.

This has been such a wonderful week full of learning. I am going to do a post on Saturday and it will become our weekly wrap up, so there will be details in there on what we actually did. :) I just had to share a little bit of life, especially since I was blogging almost everyday. I don't want to get in the habit of pushing it aside again!

Our Reading Basket-Week 1

I decided today that I wanted to do a weekly post of what books are in LBB's red reading basket. If you remember from the post I did showing his homeschool area, it's the little red basket in his reading area. Some weeks I will change them all out, some weeks just a few, and some weeks, maybe just one. It will all be based on what he reads, what he loves, and what I want him to explore a little more.

So, here's the first list!

The Alphabet Book---P.D. Eastman

Fifteen Animals---Sandra Boynton

Flutter Fly---Kaaren Pixton

Runaway Bunny---Maragaret Wise Brown

Not A Box---Antoinette Portis

Cat the Cat Who Is That---Mo Willems

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy---Mo Willems

There is a Bird on Your Head---Mo Willems

How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms?---Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

Little David Sings for the King---Crystal Bowman

Cars 2-Race Around the World---Susan Amerikaner

Tonka Tough Trucks-The Bulldozer---Nancy Parent

Caps for Sale---Esphyr Slobodkina

The Little Engine That Could---Watty Piper

Baby Bear Baby Bear What Do You See---Bill Martin Jr/Eric Carle

Panda Bear Panda Bear What Do You See---Bill Martin Jr/Eric Carle

Cat's Colors---Jane Cabrera

LBB's ABC Book (We made this on a photo book website...we took a picture of things in LBB's life that started with each letter of the alphabet...it turned out wonderfully!)

The Mixed Up Chameleon---Eric Carle

Animals, Animals---Eric Carle

Hooray for Fish---Lucy Cousins

What do you have in your little one's reading basket? Please share!

So Much to Learn!

I'm still working on LBB's preschool curriculum (which starts in 2 weeks, yay!), and it's amazing how homeschooling even this early is an ever evolving process. I'm learning what our priorities are, what is right for his age, what we want to incorporate into our daily schedule, and what our daily schedule should look like. We are aiming to keep it low key, fun, but educational all at the same time. And, in all of our research, we've decided that we really want to incorporate a lot of Montessori principles into our early childhood learning.

So, I've been looking for activities, setting up his homeschool area, fine-tuning the first few weeks of lessons that I've got done, and gathering supplies that we will need! It's so exciting, and a tad overwhelming, which makes me soooo happy that we are starting now. Right now we have the leniency of really trying out which methods work best for us.

We've already done a few of the activites that I've found, and LBB has loved each and everyone of them. :) Hopefully soon I will post some things that we've done, but for now, I need to stay focused! Haha! That's way easier said than done...

***Edited to add: After doing TONS of research and exploring today, I'm seriously thinking that a few things might change in our curriculum for the year. Not big changes but mostly organizational. Like I said...it's an ever evolving process!***

And Finally...

...pictures of LBB's preschool area! Before you read any farther though, make sure you read THIS post first, mostly because I didn't plan tonight's posts very well. Haha!

And since I really didn't plan very well...the pictures are kind of in the opposite order I would have liked. However, my computer doesn't seem to like me much tonight, so I'm just going to take what I can get. :)

First picture is LBB's Work Tray. We haven't technically started LBB's preschool yet, but everyday is a learning day, and right now we are working on beginning letters. LBB knows A pretty down pat, but we still did the Letter A this week...and are moving onto B next week. His tray for this week includes everything that has to do with A. :) And he loves it, which means that at least 3 times a day I see an apple roll across the floor as he pulls the tray off the shelf.

LBB's reading area. We originally had that adorable Pottery Barn Kids basket in his room, but his room has since been rearranged and things were moved out here. It's been a rearranging kind of week. The rocking chair was made by my grandpa for me when I was little, and I passed it down to LBB...with a new cushion that is the cutest little book print on it.

And LBB's preschool book bin that is over by his desk. We put all the books that have to do with both the letter of the week and theme of the week in this bin. :) It makes me happy because it reminds me of when the library does their theme shelves.

And LBB's chalkboard/dry erase easel...he loves this thing. And you can tell he is definitely from our gene pool because he is already showing an affinity for the chalkboard side. Dear Sweet Hubby and I both love chalkboards. We make sure we put a the day up each day, and usually draw a picture for him with the word. He loves going over and trying to draw it himself. So cute.

Some of his tactile toys! He already loves this corner.

His book corner, along with his bulletin board, more tactile toys, and my old childhood bear who is in "charge" of watching over the preschool area.

The main part of our preschool room. We split the living room in half to make a special spot just for it, and I love how it turned out! And I love the alphabet puzzle mat...it really makes the room complete. On top of the main shelf unit we have 3 bins that hold LBB's chalk, clay, and letter blocks. It also holds his work tray and more tactile tools. I also love the little poster we picked up at the local teacher's supply store that is about colors. :) And the bulletin board is a work in progress...I ran out of staples.

And last, but definitely not least, LBB's desk area with his Letter of the Week learning board, puzzle shelf, theme book bin, and magnetic boards. He loves his little desk, and it is just perfect for him!

Thanks for stopping by for a little tour of LBB's preschool room. We are so blessed that we were able to make space for it in our tiny little apartment...but hopefully that is an encouragement. If we can utilize this little area of our 1000 square foot apartment with NO extra rooms, then I hope it helps anyone that is looking for ideas to utilize every inch of their space, as well! It's a challenge sometimes, but all in all, it's so well organized for our family that it stays very clean, especially considering that it's intended for a very active and rambunctious toddler!

First Off, A Desk Redo...

I think I may have mentioned that we found a super cute desk at a flea market for LBB. One problem though...it was a tad girly. :) But, it was only $5 for the desk and two chairs. Here it is: (and please pardon the terrible picture...it was late when I painted it.)

And, after about 15 minutes or so of painting, here is the finished product!

I LOVE it!!!! It looks so nice there in his little preschool area, and really fits his "Little Boy Blue" nickname. :) And of course, there has to be Cat #2 making an appearance in the photo. :) Now...off to finally post his preschool area! I've been promising for a while...it's about time that I actually posted it!

This Toy

image from melissaanddoug.com

We got LBB this Stack & Sort Board a few months ago, and he plays with it off and on. He really enjoys it, and quickly figured out how to get the shapes on the peg. Then he quickly figured out that they all go together.

And then today, he sat down with it on his own and put every single block on the right peg. :) He'd start to put one on the wrong peg, giggle, and say "No." Then he would move it over to the night peg and go back to work. :) So sweet.

After he played with it once, he did it again, this time handing me blocks every so often and pointing to the peg that they belonged to...what a smartie pants! And such a good sharer too. Now that he's gotten the sorting down pat, we are going to move on to the extension activites...it will be great for helping him learn to count.

It's always the best feeling watching him learn something and really get it down. I know that as he gets older, that feeling will never go away...and it makes me thankful that I'm the one that gets to teach him!

Now I'm off to try and get LBB settled for a nap...I'm exhausted and his mood is showing some pretty good signs that he is a tad tired as well!

I Love Our Librarian

When we moved here, we went to multiple branches of the public library system trying to find the one that fit us. We tried 3 different storytimes...and yet none of them clicked.

I know...it may seem weird that we put this much emphasis on the library we go to, but it's so important! A good library is more than just a place to check out books...it's a place to grow, for your kids to grow, to learn, and have a fun as a family. :)

So, anyways, back to what I was saying. We finally tried the last one that was within a reasonable distance (and ironically, one of the closest), and we fell in love at first sight. It's a gorgeous library filled with tons of books, resources, and friendly staff. And then, we brought LBB to Baby Storytime.

And we met the Children's Librarian. LBB just adores her...she is so kind, so wonderful, and cares so much about the kids. And as LBB grew and learned, she has been such an important figure in his life.

Today, I called and signed LBB up for his first session of Toddler Storytime (which she happily agreed that he should start sooner than the recommended age...see what I mean, she's wonderful!) We had a nice conversation about LBB, what he'll be doing in Toddler Storytime, and then we started chatting about how we homeschool and that he will be starting preschool in October. What was so wonderful about the conversation was that she showed so much interest in what we were planning in his curriculum and even talked about some people she knows who homeschooled their kids. (Sidenote: These people were studying Pompeii and took a extended vacation in Italy for some "roadschooling"...that would be awesome.)

And then, she told me that if we ever needed help with books, to just let her know. :) Isn't that awesome?!?!? It feels so good to have a support system out there that knows LBB and his learning style and abilities, and is willing to offer assistance when needed.

See what I mean? I love our librarian. :)

I Just Have to Share...

I came across this blog today, and absolutely love it. :)

It's called Delightful Children's Books, and has book lists for themes and ages. So cool! Some of my favorite lists so far are 5 Books Every Toddler Should Own, 7 First Stories to Share with Your Toddler, and 12 Books for Nature Loving Babies and Toddlers.

We always walk out of the library with a bag overflowing of books for LBB, but I always walk out wishing that I had been a bit more precise in our book choosing. :) Now I've got a few more ideas for books to get...and it will be perfect as I work on our curriculum planning.

Which...is what I was supposed to be doing right now. :) I got a little sidetracked.

Stories from the Trenches of Tot School

Sometimes I feel like my blog post titles are a little blah...that one spiced things up a bit, didn't it?

So, we've been really focusing on Tot School and incorporating it into daily life...it was amazing how much easier it is to do so when there isn't a computer to distract a person. Technology is a double-edged sword, isn't it? On one hand, you get so much done when you don't have it around, but then on the other hand, there is so much that you are lacking...especially when it comes to Tot School because there are a lot of awesome resources on the internet out there for it.

Anyways. I haven't blogged in so long, so please excuse the random rambling that is making an appearance in this post. :)

Back to Tot School.

LBB and I have been doing more activites, fine tuning things (we seem to do that a lot), and getting his homeschool area organized.

That's right...homeschool area. In our sweet little 2 bedroom apartment, we have managed to make him a little preschool style room.

In our dining room.

The way I figure it, we have this huge room that is well lit, has plenty of wall space, and we only use it about 45 minutes a day. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. So, we converted it. We still use it for eating, but it's main purpose is clearly evident in the toddler art hanging all over the walls, IKEA Trofast storage proudly holding all his educational things, and a dining room table that has two of his workbooks serving as a constant decoration. :) We still have a few more things that we want to do in there, and as soon as we get those done, I will post some pictures. I'm very excited.

I've got to say that having a little area has helped immensely. LBB has been working on his Kumon "Let's Cut Paper" workbook. He's used his Do-A-Dots to learn the shape of the letter A. He has done marker painting. Music. Clay. Used his felt board to make animal noises. (Which, surprisingly, if you ever take a visit to his felt farm, you will learn that all of his felt animals tend to roar like a dinosaur.) All in all, having that area dedicated to just his tot/preschool has been a blessing.

Now I just need to get my homeschool storage area in the linen closet cleaned up. Well, I need to get the linen closest cleaned up in general. Ugh.

We are going to start LBB's preschool when he turns two (But I'm actually starting a few months early). I've been planning our lessons and activities, and I've can't express how fun this is. :) I'm going to enjoy every minute, because I know in a few years, he will be doing more detailed homeschool stuff that needs to be a bit more structured.

So, come October 1st , LBB will be busy with Toddler Storytime, Nature Play at the nature center, home learning, playdates, field trips, and who knows what else. :) There are so many opportunities where we live, it's just fun to think about all the things we can do with him.

Alright. I'm done typing now...I really feel like I'm a bit all over the place. My blogging brain is a bit rusty. :) I'll get back in the swing of things.

18 Months...nearly

Last night I read an article about how around 18 months, you'll see an "explosion" in your child's vocabulary.


Sure thing, article that doesn't know my stubborn boy. :)

But then, this morning, just a little over two weeks from LBB's 18 month "month-day", LBB proved them right. He's been a regular chatterbox today. He was sitting on my lap and turned to me and said, clear as day:

"Hey, Mom."

Uh. That's a bit strange.

Then he was playing with THIS puzzle, and I held up the cow and said "This is a cow. Can you say cow?"

And guess what he said.

Yep, that's right. "Cow." So I asked him again to say cow. And he did. Then I held up the cow and said "What is this?" And guess what he said.

Yep..."cow." (Granted it sounds a bit like "caw" but we're getting there.)

So, then I asked Mr. Smartie Pants what sound cows make. And guess what he said.

"Baa." :) Close. But no cigar.

And in other amazing, my-kid-is-a-smartie-and-I-have-no-shame-bragging-about-him-on-this-little-bitty-blog, news, we picked up THIS toy last night, and by this morning, LBB was already able to get all but THREE off the blocks on the right color pegs. Isn't that awesome? And he was also able to get all the pieces in the right place on his little barnyard puzzle, too. It was a very exciting day for us! :)

And just for the record...we adore these Melissa & Doug toys. They are hands down the best toys. Ever. Our wish list of toys from them is growing nearly everyday. ;)

Tot School: Week 1

LBB is 16.5 Months.

Theme of the Week: Our Body

This was our first week of Tot School, and we had lots of fun! We are learning what works best for us. So, here's our weekly recap!

Monday

Dear Sweet Hubby was home when we did Tot School today, so LBB and Dear Sweet Hubby worked on putting the eyes, mouth, and nose on the face I cut out of cardstock paper. LBB did ok with this...but had more fun trying to eat the paper eyes. He did have lots of fun pointing out everyone's nose, and could point to his nose when asked. He still has a bit of trouble with his eyes and nose, but every so often he can point to them when asked. We went with my Mom to pick my Dad up, and on the way there, LBB had a blast pointing out the airplane he saw and all the trucks and buses. I am going to make sure we do a week about cars, trucks, planes, and trains. :)

LBB also had a blast dancing to Head Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. All in all, it was a wonderful first day of Tot School! We read "The Nose Book" by Al Perkins and his Sesame Street Babies Eyes & Nose, Mouth & Toes book.

Tuesday

We watched a Baby Einstein DVD called Baby DaVinci:From Head to Toe. We got through the eyes, mouth, and ears segment, and LBB was able to point to his eyes, ears, and nose more consistently, but not as often as just his nose. LBB played with his Sesame Street Your Body flashcards while I pointed to each body part on him, which he got a kick out of. We did pudding body paint in the evening (right before bathtime! HaHa!) and he had a blast painting his tummy and his arms.

But the most exciting thing was when we were reading a book called "Pirates" by Viviana Garofoli, he was able to find the little green bird that was on each page! The first time he did it with me I thought it was a fluke, but when Dear Sweet Hubby came home from work, I read the book to him, and LBB was able to find the little green bird each time as well! So exciting! We also read "The Shape of Me" by Dr. Seuss. (In the picture below.)

Wednesday

LBB was able to point to his knees while we were dancing to Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes today! I was so proud of him. He was also able to show me his foot when I asked him where it was. (He'd do this cute little leg lift thing and smile at me. Adorable.) We used his felt board and person that I made, but he was more interested in pulling the person off the felt board and trying to go for a walk with him than anything else, but that's ok. :) That's the fun of tot school! He also took his Melissa and Doug wooden food playset and fed his Bearemy a stick of butter. I asked him if he could feed Bearemy and put the food in his mouth, and LBB got it right away. :)

Thursday

We discovered that since this is usually storytime day, we are going to skip doing Tot School at home on the days he has storytime at the library. He gets so much stimulation from storytime that by the time we get home, neither of us seem very motivated to do Tot School. :)

At storytime, they learned about Springtime Animals (just in time for Easter). At the beginning of each class, they do a little drum song to introduce themselves, and as usual, LBB was nuts about the drum. He loves playing it and is the most vocal of all the kids in there when he gets the drum. They also played with little bunny and chick finger puppets, and after showing him once that it goes on the finger, he was able to put it on all by himself. He did great sharing with the others, and loved when it was parachute time. :) I love taking him to storytime because he has such fun.

When we got home, we worked on some Easter stuff. We made Jelly Bean Prayer Eggs for his PaPa, GiGi, Auntie, and Daddy, and he had a blast putting each bean in the egg. It's a great way to introduce colors! We also brought out his Easter Sensory Bin. I dyed some rice some nice springy colors, and then made some Egg Shakers out of plastic eggs (making sure to tape them shut so he couldn't get to the beans and such). We put some empty eggs in as well, and his grasshopper shovel and rake, and he went to town. LBB loves his sensory bin, and we are going to start changing it up each month with a new theme. He loves to scoop and dump the rice.

Friday

LBB didn't have any Tot School today, although we did introduce the Letter A to him. I made a Letter Basket (I'll have to take a picture this week) and put things in that start with the letter A. I also printed two A's off the computer and cut them both out. One I put some magnets on the back and put on the dishwasher (his magnet area), and the second I just let him tote around. We are taking an approach of slowly introducing each letter of the alphabet in play so that it doesn't get to structured right now. Once he gets used to Letter A and can point it out when asked, we'll introduce Letter B. :)

We also put LBB in nursery at church for the first time today! We were at the Good Friday service, and he was being very rowdy, so I brought him done there, and he did excellent! I was more nervous than he was! We also brought him on Easter, and he had even more fun, and found another little guy his age to play with. So sweet!

Saturday

LBB colored eggs today, and he had a BLAST! He loved dropping them in the dye and pulling them out (using his hands, of course.)

So, there's our week! We had tons of fun doing all the activities, and I look forward to this week. I noticed a big change in LBB...it really helps having some time each day taken out to focus on doing something with him. We played before, but it is easy to get distracted (Both he and I! HaHa!) so it's nice being focused. We've also had a lot more luck with meals now that I'm planning every single one of them...snacktimes included. I know I was doing a good job as a mom before, but I feel like I'm doing even better now! Yay!