Monsters and Pom poms

~Bella is 31 months~

~Twins are 13 months~

 Before we get into tot school.... Just a little parenting advice, make sure the gate is always up- don't just assume :)

Ok so anyway :)  Bella has started to show emotions of fear and nightmares.  So one thing she has been talking about is monsters, so I deviated from our normal letter work to a monster pack.  My thoughts were to make it a silly, funny thing in hopes to relieve some of the fears.  We have been doing other things, so this was just one aspect of our work to help her in her new struggles with fear. (I am aware this is a normal and "healthy" development in her growing)

So she did some dot art for "M for Monsters"

 Then she counted the monsters on the card and would put a counting bear on the corresponding number.  She got all of these correct! That is growth! As of a couple weeks ago, this was a more difficult task.







Next she did a matching game.  One set had pictures of monsters on it with a shape on their belly's.  The other set were the shapes that she had to match.  She did this one very well also.






Then we worked on puzzles.  She was just putting the strips in the correct order to make monsters.








Then she did some shadow matching...

 Color by number...

Onto Teeny Tot School for the week.  I got a package in the mail this week and it had bubble wrap in it.  Most of the time when we get packages it is stuffed with that air packed cylinders.  So I let the kiddos have at it.  They loved it.  Caiden did however prefer the box. 

Next we played with pom poms.  The twins LOVED this!!! I could not believe how long this kept them seated and occupied.

I also gave them scoops from our formula that were the perfect size for the pom poms.

This picture is from Saturday.  I was so excited about our new table that we did some more pom pom play time.  We used ice cube trays this time and some big fluffy ones too.  Once again a huge hit :)

Can't wait to use the table for some Teeny Tot School fun!

Resources:

http://mamasmonkeys.blogspot.com/p/printables-for-tots.html

When Daddy's Away...

So this is in lieu of a tot school post.  Daddy went away on a business trip and Momma thought it would be a great opportunity to go visit Aunt Kimma and Uncle Jerry in Pittsburgh.

So I took the 5 HOUR drive by myself with the kiddos.  It actually went REALLY well!  One thing I did learn, is that while traveling by yourself with three kids, you better make sure to use the bathroom BEFORE you leave.  Because there is really no way to go with 3 kids, of which 2 need to be held.... 

Anyway....

So Bella once again got her nails painted by Aunt Kimma

Then we went to the mall that had an indoor play area.  The kids enjoyed the cars they could climb in.

~EEk! Melts my heart these too~

Ada, learning about her colors with Aunt Kimma.

 Then of course there was the snuggle times...

I love my Brother and Sister.  Miss them already....

Sensory Fun Week!

~Bella is 30 months~

~Twins are 13 months~

So this was a paper free, worksheet free, all sensory play week :)  And the kids had a blast!!!

So for our first experience we played with those air packs that you get with packages from Amazon.

Then the box that they came in is also very interesting...

Bella enjoyed tearing them apart.

Caiden thought it was fun to fling them around...

And Ada like to stuff a bunch of them underneath her...

These are pictures of Bella trying to pop them :)

The next activity we did was using a muffin tin and cut up toilet paper rolls.  The kids really enjoyed squishing them, putting them in and out of the tins, Bella counted and would stuff them into a wipe box.  Caiden did try to eat a couple, so adult supervision is required with this activity :)

Next, Bella has a color with water book that I thought would be a great way to let the twin paint with their big sister.  So I wet sponge paint brushes for the twins and let them paint that way.  They all really enjoyed this.

Bella worked on the iPad a bit...

We did some reading together...

We got out her Tot Time Notebook.  She hasn't worked on this in a while.  When I first used it, she wasn't too into it.  But this time she was more interested.

So if you are my friend on Facebook, you will remember that picture I posted of those "beads."  Well here is that activity.  They are called water beads are supposed to be used for floral arrangements.  Well who says you have to use everything with the purpose it was initially set out for?  

So the beads start out really tiny (the hand in the pictures is Bella's).  Then you add 4.5 quarts of water and let them grow over 4-6 hours!

So after lunch we put the beads in the water....

Then after nap, we began to explore!!!

Daddy came home and insisted that was a silly investment on my part.  But after Bella convince him to play with her, he couldn't get enough of them :)

The last activity we did, was we had a bin filled with soapy water.  We took it outside and I let the kiddos go at it!

I provided all kinds of utensils, cups, balls, toys for them to explore with...

Caiden was apparently thirsty, because I could NOT get him to stop drinking the soapy water, YUCK!

And eventually he ended up in the bin :)

Get Wisdom - Joy

~Bella is 30 months~

Our lesson this time in our "Get Wisdom" book was on JOY.  I felt this would be a good time to teach what the difference is between Joy and Happy because the twins would be having there party and opening presents.  So we talked about the questions and Bible verse in Ruth Younts' book.  

Then we did an object lesson with bubbles.  I don't know if Bella really got the connection.  I think the Birthday party was a better example to her.

Anyway here is our play with bubbles.  We used nontraditional bubble blowers...

Here bella is reciting her memory verses. I decided to make flash cards instead, which you will see in the video.  I am also considering figuring out signs to the verses to aid in memory.  She is really into sign language right now.

Resources:

Ruth Younts "Get Wisdom"

http://kidsofintegrity.com/joy-8

Tot schoolers in training!

~Bella is 30 months~

~Twins are 12 months~

So the twins are really interested in doing everything Bella is doing, and with naps decreasing, that means they are seeing Bella do big girl stuff.  So I have been trying this week to include them in the big kid experiences.  

So for our first attempt at "Wow mommy this is great!" we did painting in a bag.  My supplies were:

-Gallon ziploc bags

-Finger paint (but it could be any paint)

-Tape

-Paper of any kind that will fit in the bags

So you put the paper in the bag, then add your paint and tape it to your surface.  Ada was the least interested in this.  And Caiden didn't last very long either!  I think this was actually slightly boring to them.  I'm thinking next time to put a marble or something like that, that they could push around inside the bag and move the paint around that way.

Another activity we did was coloring together.  I have a huge roll of paper for our easel that I cut a long piece out of.  I then sat the kids on the paper and let them color on it.  

Bella loved that her brother and sister were coloring with her :)

This was also a short activity as the twins eventually just wanted to eat the crayons. lol  I know that for this first little bit, while I am exposing them to these new experiences, that they will be short activities.  There attention spans are small and they don't understand what to do yet.  But Im ok with that.  We will get there....

We played with the wipe box again.  This time we used our Melissa and Doug cookies.

Then we did some imaginative/gross motor play.  Mommy built a tent in the living room!  This was great fun for all the kids.  They loved being able to climb, play peak-a-boo, and Bella went wild with her imagination :)

We did some more drawing outside with chalk one day.  They seemed to like this more and for some reason weren't as tempted to eat the chalk like they were the crayons...

Bella worked some more on writing her name...

And she got to paint one morning while the twins were taking a cat nap!

Do you see what she decided to make??? She is all about her "B" Bellas!