Friday, December 20, 2013

Christmas Tree Counting Activity

Cynthia(Nanny):
I saw an activity on Pinterest for counting and number identification that I liked but wanted to change out using pom pom balls to count. I came across stickers which worked out much better.
So during the activity, I noticed that the girls are continuing to get stronger at pointing and counting objects. Before it was more random counting and they needed me to help them track with their index finger.
After the activity was done, I had the ideas of creating a book by gluing in the trees and adding a sentence.
This book was one they read frequently this week. You can never have too many browsing bag books.

Christmas Tree Painting

Cynthia(Nanny):
A fun and easy way to use cookie cutters is to let kids use them to paint/stamp with them. The girls had lots of fun stamping out Christmas trees this morning.

Christmas Tree Puzzles

Cynthia(Nanny))
I cut out a Christmas tree and decorated it with letter ornaments. The letters spelled the girls names but since they were arranged diagonally they weren't able to recognize it on their own. I did ask them to name the letters, which they did. 
So, I decorated and cut apart the tree into 4 pieces. 
I drew an outline of the tree on another sheet of construction paper to make it a little easier to see. Then, I modeled how to put the tree together and then had the girls try. 
They needed a little help with the direction of the two middle pieces but overall did a great job sticking with it. 
The last step was gluing the pieces in place. 

Guru Moment: Puzzles are such important brain exercises for all kids. They don't always have to be store bought. You can make your own by cutting apart any picture or image. (Fewer pieces for younger kids) 
I need to find time to make laminated puzzles with maybe some Velcro to make them reusable. 


Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Christmas: Sticker Math

Arielle (mommy):  
We had so much fun with Christmas stickers practicing math today.  To set up, it cut up sticker sheets and put all of the stickers into a pile, then I drew 6 sections on the paper.

Sorting: to practice this skill I had Lil sort the stickers onto the paper.  She ended up with 5 groups.

Patterning: the sorting activity got her ready to make patterns.  She used her sorted stickers to create AB and ABC patterns.

Counting:  What to do with that paper with the six boxes?  Use them for counting!  I wrote sentences in each box; ex. "I have ___ candy canes." I had her start with one and go all the way to six, putting the correct number of stickers in each box and writing the correct number on the line.

We also worked on vocabulary for this activity as we talked about the names of Christmas symbols.  "Holly" was a word Lil did not know and now she does!

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Christmas Tree Ornaments

Cynthia(Nanny):
Here are a few Christmas Tree Ornaments we made this week.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Christmas: Christmas Tree Pancakes

Cynthia(Nanny):
Anytime you can incorporate a theme into your kid's meals do it!
Not only will they make more learning connections, but your reluctant or picky eaters will be more willing to try foods if they are in fun shapes or designed to go with the focus of your lessons.
Today I made the girls pancakes, but in the shape of Christmas trees since that's our theme for the next few days.

Christmas: Gingerbread Houses

Cynthia(Nanny):
Christmas wouldn't be complete without gingerbread houses.
First we created a foam house with stickers. The girls loved decorating their house and were able to stick with the activity for longer than usual. Peeling off the backs of the stickers was also great fine motor practice.
Later this week, we will create a real gingerbread house.

Christmas: Sticker Patterns

Cynthia(Nanny):
Stickers are a great resource to always have on hand. One way I use stickers is to teach patterns.
I'll share some of the Christmas patterns we create here.

Christmas: The Candy Cane story

Cynthia(Nanny):
We started today's lesson by watching The Candymaker's Gift: The Legend of the Candy Cane video. Next, we made a paper candy cane and tasted a real candy cane.
After we were all done, we hung our candy canes on the tree.

Friday, December 13, 2013

5 Senses of Christmas: Sensory Pool

Arielle (mommy): to explore the sense of touch in a festive way I decided to create a sensory experience using wrapping paper, ribbon, and various ornaments.  I admit it's not really pretty, it looks like a bit of a mess, but the kids had a blast in it!

I get a little stressed out by sensory tubs.  Whether they are rice, sand, water beads, Cheerios, it doesn't matter.  They stress me out because of the huge potential for messes.  That's why I decided to use a kiddie pool.  I loved using the kiddie pool so much I think we will use it for painting and other messy projects while it's too cold to go outside.

O had a great time just playing in the paper and touching everything.  Lil had a blast wrapping ornaments in the paper scraps and tying them with ribbon.  Then she put the gifts under the tree.  This kept them both (quietly) busy for almost an hour!  


Thursday, December 12, 2013

Christmas: Gingerbread Baby Story Map Activity

Cynthia(Nanny): After re-reading the Jan Brett story, The Gingerbread Baby, we completed a story map to help the girls retell the story.
I took pictures of important parts of the story. I labeled their paper with a beginning picture, 4 middle events, and the ending.
I laid the pictures out on the side and as I read the story. I wanted to see if the girls could find the picture that we needed to glue down. In the beginning, they needed more prompts because there were more choices. Towards the end they were finding the right pictures before I got to that page.
I definitely need to do more of these activities and laminate them to make them reusable.
In elementary school, story maps are used to help students build their comprehension and retelling skills. These are not only major components of reading, but all learning.
Many times, kids are expected to demonstrate mastery today by retelling what they learned and what it reminds them of. Story mapping will help build these important skills.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Gingerbread Cookies and Gingerbread Playdoh

Arielle (mommy):
We have so many different gingerbread stories including several versions of the Gingerbread Man, The Gingerbread Baby, The Gingerbread Pirates, the list goes on.  This is my first Christmas staying home with the kids and I'm so excited to be the one to get to share these fun stories with them!  

Of course after reading one of these stories the first thing we wanted to do was make our own gingerbread cookies!

We didn't make ours from scratch, we used a Krustease box mix, but we had fun mixing, rolling, and cutting out the doh.  


O was taking a nap, but Lil had such a good time rolling the dough and using the cookie cutters I knew we had to make gingerbread Playdoh.  We used this recipe.  It smells amazing!  


I found a shape gingerbread mat here and some more here (they had tons of other great gingerbread printables), printed them, laminated them, and put the kids to work!  


Christmas: Gingerbread Number Match

Cynthia(Nanny):
I made some cards with gingerbread men and put numbers 1-10 on them to create a number game.
After printing the cards I glued them onto cardstock so they'll last a little longer.

We used them to play a memory match but there are so many to use them. My main objective was to practice identifying numbers. After the game, I used them as flash cards.
What other uses can you think of?


Gingerbread Boy or Girl

Arielle (mommy):

After reading The Gingerbread Boy, I had the kids decorate paper gingerbread people using a variety of craft supplies. 

To make the cutouts I just folded brown paper in half, drew a gingerbread man, and cut the two out at once.

 I really enjoyed seeing how the kids did this on their own and seeing the 2 year old version and the 4 year old version of the same activity.

After I helped O make a face, I let them work completely independently.




Christmas: Gingerbread Graphing

Cynthia(Nanny):
Today I had the girls create a simple graph by sorting out different colored gingerbread men cutouts.
Before I showed them an example of a graph from one of their books.
Then, I modeled how to glue in the first gingerbread man in their pile.
After they glued their gingerbread men on, we talked about how it's easier to count items that we sort on a graph instead of in a pile.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Teacher Guru Spotlight: Kathy Landry

Every once in a while you come across that teacher that every parent wants their child to have and every teacher wants to be like. For us, that teacher is Kathy Landry.

For nearly 20 years Kathy Landry has been teaching, mentoring and inspiring children, parents, and other teachers who have worked along side her.
We are excited to feature Kathy Landry in our Teacher Guru Spotlight.

From Arielle: 
I remember when I was a new teacher back in 2006 and Kathy was my mentor teacher.  As a mentor, Kathy was always offering her help and diminishing the stress of a first year kindergarten teacher.  Many teachers look to Kathy as a work mom.  She's that person you can go to after a rough day, and you know she will make it all better.
  A quote by Charles Dickens comes to mind when I think of Kathy and her relationship with not only those she mentors but all teachers in her sphere of influence:
"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another."
For my 6 years teaching down the hall from Kathy I lost count of all the times she offered a word of encouragement, offered to take my class for a bit, or just gave me a great new idea about how to reach a student.
Kathy engages her students everyday through music.  The kids have a wonderful time singing, dancing, and playing instruments to help them learn everything from their letter sounds to the days of the week and months of the year.  These days many private preschools boast of doing yoga in the classroom, Kathy was doing Yoga with her class long before it was cool.   Being a terrific artist, Kathy draws some amazing images on the dry erase board to add as a visual to words for children who have not yet learned to read. 
  Kathy is the ultimate early childhood guru.  Even today I know if I have a question about the development of my kids or need a great idea about how to teach them, she is an amazing resource and encourager!

From Cynthia:
  I was privileged to work with Kathy for nearly 10 years. She was and still is a staple of the school she works at. Kathy is someone who always had her door open to all who needed teaching advice, a place to vent, art supplies, and a microwave!
  Some of my fondest memories of teaching is everyone huddling up in Kathy's room sharing laughs, celebrating baby showers, or the place you ran to for a few minutes of peace at the end of  crazy day. Pretty soon after talking to Kathy and whoever else migrated to her room, you realized you weren't alone and that we were all in it together. Among her many great qualities that Arielle mentioned, I think one of her best qualities is being so diplomatic and the voice of reason when we needed it. Her ability to be a calm spirit was a major reason so many teachers gravitate towards her for guidance.
  Even now, Kathy remains someone I go to when I need good ideas for teaching pre-schoolers or figuring out how to tweak activities to make them better and more effective.
Kathy, thanks for all that you are to us! You're truly an inspiration.
Do you have a special story about how Kathy has influenced you or your family? We'd love to hear from you.

Christmas: Gingerbread Story and Puppets

Cynthia(Nanny):
Today we read The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett.
After the story I gave the girls foam gingerbread men and a few decorating items (glitter glue, stickers, googly eyes).
Then, I read the story again and let the girls use their puppets to act out the story and say some of the lines.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Nativity Mosaic Art

To conclude our Nativity unit, we created a beautiful mosaic picture using a silhouette picture, clear contact paper, tissue paper.
I laid the image down on contact paper sticky side up.
Then the girls covered it up with tissue paper squares.
Next, I sealed it with another piece of contact paper and trimmed the excess off.
This was a very easy project for the girls to complete. We will definitely try to do more mosaic projects for our Christmas activities.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Nativity Free Art

Arielle (mommy):
The kids have a Fisher Price little people Nativity set that we get out every Christmas, and the love to play with it.  Today I decided to use it for Lil and O to make observations (to tie in science and properties of matter: color, shape, size) and to create some free art.  

Lil drew a picture of the scene, and as she did so, she picked up each peice and carefully picked out the correct colors before she began to recreate it on the page.  She also tried to keep shape and size in mind as she was drawing.

O used playdoh to explore.  I helped him desperate the doh into three peices to represent baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.



Nativity Handprint Art

Cynthia(Nanny):
This is another idea I found on Pinterest. The girls love handprint art so this was one project I wanted to make sure to do.
After we made the angels, we discussed how the angels told Mary, Joseph, the wise men, and shepherds about Jesus' arrival. The repetition and hands on projects are really helping their understanding of the Nativity story at such a young age.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

The Meaning of Christmas: Joy to the World craft

Cynthia (Nanny:) We created a Nativity craft I saw on Pinterest using household items.

We watched another  Nativity video and discussed the major events of the event. (The angels messages to Mary and Joseph, traveling to Bethlehem, the Star, and the celebration)
It's a lot of information but the video does a great job of explaining it in terms kids will understand.
Then, we created the manger by adding "straw" with the pieces of the bag I cut out, drawing a face on the baby,  and  gluing the star on top.
After I prompted the girls with questions about the nativCynthia (Naity to see how much they were able to grasp. They did a great job and were excited show their parents their Christmas project.

Nativity Activities

Arielle (mommy) I just discovered the coolest site, 1plus1equals1.com.  It free preschool theme packs to print and they are really well done.  

I printed the Christmas Nativity preschool pack, then cut, glued to construction paper, and laminated so we could use it over and over again.  This will also serve as a great thing to take with us to church or other places I want to keep Lil quietly busy.  This pack included many different activities but kept the nativity story as the central theme. 

Here are just some of the activities included:

Color word tracing cards.  Lil loves any activity that involves a dry erase marker.

Initial sound word cards.  You can also have the kids use clothes pins.

Writing around the room cards and writing paper.

Initial sounds 

A pattern book about the animals with baby Jesus.

Nativity cards to order by size.

Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus cards for creating patterns along with a patten board.


I was really impressed with this set and am excited to print more from this site.  The founder of the site offers her printable packs for free as a blessing to others, and it truely is!




The Meaning of Christmas: Cross Art

Cynthia(Nanny): Today we talked about the true meaning of Christmas. We will spend the next few weeks learning about both religious and traditional Christmas stories and customs.

We started by watching the clip of "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown" where Linus tells the story of Jesus' birth.

Then, I gave the girls a construction paper cross to paint and decorate. They are familiar with the cross being a sign for Jesus.
Little sister even tried to convince me to bake a cake for His birthday. ;) I told her it was a great idea and we will put that on our list of things to do.

Monday, December 2, 2013

CHRISTmas: 2D Shape Nativity

Arielle (mommy):

To start off the Christmas season I want to get the kids focused on the true meaning of Christmas, so we will be learning about the story of Jesus' birth.

To get them interested, I showed them a clip from the Veggie Tales Move The Christmas Star, which tells the story well.  After talking about the story, we did a fun art project that incorporated shapes as well.

To prepare I cut a lot of 2D shapes in different colors for both Lil and O, then gave them the shapes and a glue stick to put nativity scenes together.

This is what O did:
I guess he's not ready...I should have used fabric, felt, or at least laminated his shapes.  He had fun anyway and at least this kept him from attacking Lil's work.

As he "worked" Lil did too:


They has fun, it was a good shape review and it makes some cute artwork for the walls.


Monday, November 25, 2013

Counting with Dot Painters

Arielle (mommy):

I created a simple counting page for Lil to use her dot painters on to show objects for numbers to 10.  I cut out brown construction paper to represent baskets, then wrote numbers 1-10 on them, and had her use the red daubers to add the correct number of "apples" to each basket.  This would also be cute with tree instead of baskets.  I really love having Lil use the dot painters for different math activities like this and the options are endless.  


Thursday, November 21, 2013

Fall: Leaf Crayon Rubbings

Cynthia(Nanny):
Using the leaves we collected, we observed them and talked about how they felt and looked. Then, I modeled how to make a crayon rubbing. The girls had some trouble using the right amount of pressure and coloring in a single direction. Right now, they're still in the scribbling stage of coloring, so I had to realize their crayon rubbing wouldn't be as clear. Still, they had fun trying to see part of the leaf, especially the stem, show up on their paper.

Fall: Leaf Art

Cynthia(Nanny): Today we a tree with fall leaves using the girls hand and finger prints.

Fall: L is for leaves

Cynthia (Nanny):
Today I cut out leaves out of construction paper. I googled leaf templates to get an idea of how to draw the shapes. Then I gave the girls an outline of an L and had  them cover the space with fall leaves.

Fall: Leaves are...

Cynthia(Nanny):
After our leaf hunt we observed the leaves and then I asked the girls to describe the leaves using their 5 senses. Here is what they said.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Teacher Guru Spotlight: Ella Mae Woodlief

Cynthia thanks a special high school teacher.

When I was a junior and senior in high school I was blessed to have been a student of Ella Mae Woodlief. She was my Early Childhood Education teacher and FHA sponsor at Judson High School. Mrs. Woodlief was a wonderfully caring person who was there for me just as a parent would be.

What I'm most grateful for was the way she took an active role in helping me apply for colleges and find scholarships and grants I might be eligible for. My Dad had passed suddenly a couple years prior and my mom was now working longer hours to provide for my sister and I,  so I was going to need all the help I could get to continue on to a university. Mrs.Woodlief really helped make that process less scary and not become a lost dream.

I also remember her always staying late after school to offer her students extra time in her room to use her projection machine (yes, projection machine. Old school.) and other supplies to finish school projects. This was a class geared to teaching future teachers so we were always creating bulletin board materials, student games, and activities for the elementary classrooms we would visit.

Unfortunately,  I only kept in touch with her for about a year or so into college.  I wish I would have done more to touch base with her from time to time and let her know just how appreciative I was for everything she was to me.  A teacher,  a guidance counselor,  a listener,  but mostly someone who truly cared about me.

During the planning of this project I began searching public records for her,  but haven't located her yet. Wherever she is,  I hope she knows this kid really admires her. I hope to follow her lead and be a light for someone who needs that push to keep going and realize nothing is impossible.

Fall: Leaf Hunt

Cynthia (Nanny):
Today we began our Fall leaf unit by going on a leaf hunt outside. The twins each had a bag to put their leaves in.  They had fun running to find leaves and chasing butterflies along the way.  While we were searching for the leaves Big Sister found a wildflower and wanted to add it to her bag.  Even though we were looking for tree leaves I praised her for knowing that flowers have leaves too. Sometimes, kids will say or do something that you wouldn't expect and really show just how much their minds are always connecting and learning.  Just go with it.  ;)

Monday, November 18, 2013

We're Potty Training!

Cynthia (Nanny):
We've entered the wonderful world of potty training. Potty songs, a candy jar, Disney princess pull ups. We're trying it all! Big Sister is beginning to get the hang of it, while Little Sister is not quite ready yet.
What are your potty training secrets to success?


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Teacher GURU spotlight: Frank Youngman



Over twenty years ago (wow!) I was a shy fifth grader in a small town in Michigan called Lake City.  I hit the elementary school jackpot when I was assigned my teacher for the year: Mr. Youngman.  

He was such a dynamic and exciting teacher!  He taught us through music daily as he sang with his guitar.  He made novels come alive as he read to us when we had a free moment. In his class we did amazing projects like paper cutting, during which we used small razors to cut pictures into construction paper.  I remember making elaborate puppets using hot glue, and needles and thread.  When I think back on those days not only do I think "wow, times have really changed," but I realize how much faith he had in our abilities as ten year olds.  Nobody cut themselves or injured a classmate, but everyone did create some things they were really proud of.  

I admire Mr. Youngman because he loves teaching and kids.  As my fifth grade teacher, he never raised his voice, and had such a kind, fun, and creative spirit.  He didn't place his students in boxes or put limitations on us.  

As a former teacher and mom I have used a lot of what Mr. Youngman taught me.  Because of my time in his class, I'm a better teacher. I've tried to let my students and children shine by helping them discover their God given talents just as he did.

It was a great joy to be in his class.  I know Mr. Youngman has inspired thousands of kids in Lake City throughout his career and I am thrilled to have him as our first Teacher Guru Spotlight recipient.



I happened to find my fifth grade yearbook.  I think it's fitting that even then I wrote "best teacher" above his photo.  Embarrassing shot of my ten year old self who felt the need to circle my own picture.

About a year ago I found Mr. Youngman on Facebook.  We are now FB friends, so I told him about the teacher spotlight and asked him to send me an update.

From Mr. Youngman:  I'm now the band director for Lake City. I kinda came in the back door on this one. I do love it, and have a hard time picturing myself in a regular classroom anymore with what's happening in Education these days. It would be hard to do many of the activities which you describe and I think are so valuable for kids. They don't call them standardized tests for nothing.  I've yet to find a standard kid.




Teacher GURU spotlight


MommyNannyGuru is excited to announce our Teacher Spotlight section of our blogging project in which we will take a moment recognize and thank teachers who have inspired us in some way. Everyone needs a pat on the back every now and again, right? Sometimes the nicest thing you can do for someone is to let them know they're appreciated!

Do you have a teacher you'd like to thank?

Send us a few words thanking a special teacher in your life. It can be your child's teacher, your own former teacher, or a colleague. A picture would be wonderful if you have it. You can be as detailed or as short and sweet as you want. 


Send all your entries to whatdidyoudoallday@gmail.com 

"To teach is to touch a life forever." - Unknown

Friday, November 8, 2013

Free Art Friday: Paper Towel "Painting"

Arielle (mommy):  Today I was excited to try an activity with Lil and O that Cynthia told me about.  She told me to have the kids draw on paper towels with marker, then use medicine droppers with water to make the marker bleed.  I knew both of my kids would love this and be able to do it.

Unfortunately O was asleep and still is so I'll have to try it with him later, but Lil had a lot of fun!  I think it is a really pretty effect!  I can't wait to try it with O, but I'm not about to wake him up! :)


Thursday, November 7, 2013

Fall: Pumpkin life Cycle

Arielle (mommy):
Today we got scientific with pumpkins.  We watched a short youtube video about how pumpkins grow, and then we created a fun craft about the life cycle of pumpkins.

To prep:
I folded 1 peice of orange construction paper in half, then cut it into a pumpkin shap, leaving the fold in tact.  I wrote "Pumpkin Life Cycle" on the pocket.

I cut one side of the pumpkin in half and glued down the side to create a pocket.

I cut out a small green rectangle and glued it behind my pumpkin pocket.

I cut a 2 foot long peice of yarn and added tape to one end, the other end I taped inside the pocket of the pumpkin.

I cut out 6 white construction paper circles and punched holes to the top and bottom of each one.



With Lil:
After discussing how a pumpkin grows we went step by step, I asked her what you first plant in the ground, she said "seed" and then I had her draw a seed on one circle.  Then I wrote the word on it.  We went step by step that way until we got to our last step (ripe pumpkin) and she drew an orange pumpkin.  After she drew all the pictures and I labeled them, I had her place the steps in order.  Then she wrote numbers 1-6 on the circular cards.  After that it was time to thread the cards onto the "vine."  We placed a peice of tape in the yarn behind each circle to hold it in place.  

This activity was really great because it pretty much hit all the "instructional" areas. 

Fine motor: threading the yarn, putting on tape
Sequencing: putting the steps in order
Science: learning how a pumpkin grows
Numbers: labeling the cards with numbers
Early literacy: labeling the cards whit words
Art: drawing each stage




Fall: 3D Thankful Pumpkin

Arielle (Mommy):
Everyday on Facebook I have been noticing my friends posting day by day what they are thankful for.  Today we began thinking about Thanksgiving at our house as we continued our pumpkin theme.

First I cut orange strips out of construction paper (the long way).  Then Lil and I talked about Thanksgiving and being thankful.  I asked her to name things she was thankful for, and as she did, I wrote each thing on a strip of paper (Jesus, God, Mommy, Daddy, O, our dog Charlie, and dolls).  Next we layered the strips in a star formation on top of eachother, then we folded them so they all met at the top.  We taped the top from the inside and the outside, then added a green circle to hide th tape.  To make a stem, I rolled a green strip of paper up, then cut and folded the bottom so it had a base I could glue it to.  Next I cut out a vine and wrote "I am thankful for..."




Wednesday, November 6, 2013

ABC Photo Book (and the second child effect)

Arielle (mommy):
When I was a little girl I loved looking through my baby album.  Sure it only had a few pages filled out, but I enjoyed it all the same.  Sometimes I did wonder why my baby book had fewer pages filled out than my older sister's, and my mom always said it was harder to find time to do things like that with two kids than with one.  This made sense then, but now that I have two of my own I truely get it.  When I talk to my other mom friends this seems to be he case with them too.  We joke that with the first child you want everything to be perfect and with the second you are just easier to please.  

My point is not a pity party for the second born.  Subsequent children have the benefit of more easy going, experienced parents, and have someone to play with from the second they arrive on earth.  What I have decided personally though is that there are some things I did with Lil that I want to make sure I do with O too.  He may not grow up to relish looking through his baby book, but I know as he grows, I will enjoy looking back.

One thing I did with Lil when she was O's age was create a personalized ABC book with her featuring her posing with all of her favorite things from A-Z.  Not only is it a great memory book of that stage in her life, but it is also a great tool for teaching her letters and helps with speech.

To make the book I gathered pictures of Lil with family members, and then took pictures of her posing with her favorite objects.  I used some pictures we already had (some of her younger months) also.

I found a Groupon for a photo book from a company like Vistaprint or Picassa, and created the book on my computer.  Because of the Groupon, the total cost was under $20.


Today I'm going to start taking photos of O and his favorite things to create an ABC book for him.  I need everyone to keep me honest, I will post it here by 2014.  I'd love for others to accept this challenge with me and share your results!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Toddler Talk

Arielle (mommy):
Very few things make me feel more helpless than when O is frustrated, crying, pointing, trying to tell me something, and I just can't understand what he's trying to say!  At 22 months his vocabulary is growing and he's working on learning to use it to get his needs met.  

Today O's therapist came over to work with him on speech.  He doesn't necessarily have an issue with speech, but he has a diagnosis of "failure to thrive" which qualifies him for occupational therapy (to help with eating) and speech is related to all of that.  Basically the therapists visit him and help make sure he is on track in all areas developmentally.  

I thought it might be helpful to share some of the ideas and information I learned about speech today (and during my 8 years as a teacher) for 1-3 year olds.  

*For the first three years use the rule of thumb a word per year.  1 year olds say one word at a time, 2 year olds say 2 word phrases, 3 year olds use three word phrases.

*By two, children can be expected to say 50 words.

*If your child has certain object words he or she is comfortable with, model adding one word on.  Ex.  O is comfortable saying "ball", so I can model saying "yellow ball" or "small ball" or "my ball."

*Look at books with real life pictures of objects to help build your toddler's vocabulary.  We used Pompoms and had O place them on different pictures and repeat the word after us.  Ex. "Put the pompom on the nose.  Say nose."


*Give your child foods to eat with a variety of textures in order to strengthen different muscles in the mouth..

*Help your little one use an electric toothbrush when brushing teeth.  This can help by stimulating the oral muscles.

*Discontinue pacifier use by 6 months.

*Switch from a bottle to sippy cup by one.  Better yet, have your child use a regular cup.  Also give opportunities to use a straw as well.

*Take pictures of objects around the house to make photo cards to use for naming familiar objects.

*Say words correctly and annunciate the sounds.

*Let your little one explore orally by blowing bubbles, blowing feathers across a table, blowing paint across a paper, and blowing bubbles into water through a straw.


I think the important thing to remember with speech and other milestones is not to get too hung up on what kids should be doing and when.  They really grow at the pace God wants them to.

I'm looking forward to hearing ideas that have worked for others to get their toddlers talking!






Monday, November 4, 2013

Fall: Comparing and Contrasting Apples and Pumpkins

Cynthia(Nanny):
Today we created a modified Venn Diagram to review what we've learned about apples and pumpkins.
The twins did a really great job being able to place the description cards in the correct box. 

Guru Moment: When I asked them about where they grow little sister said "in a garden" then big sister added, "like a pumpkin patch!" I loved how they were able to recall their real life experience when we picked pumpkins at a pumpkin patch. Hands on/real life experiences make learning so much more fun and they remember so much better than just being told.





Arielle (Mommy):
Today I was inspired by Cynthia's comparison of apples and pumpkins with the girls to do the same with Lil while I was napping.  We created a traditional Venn Diagram with facts about pumpkins and apples.  After that was complete, we created a book, and lil used the Venn diagram as a word bank to fill in the blank spaces I provided her.  Then she illustrated each page.  This was a great opportunity to learn about the properties of matter, review the 5 senses, and discuss how things grow.  Lil added the book to her browsing box.