Independent Learning Time

When I taught, we always focused on teaching a skill and then giving the children time to practice the skill independently (this is the idea with centers and homework). I think this is an important idea to do at home, too. Once you've spent some time on teaching, it's important to take a step back and evaluate how much they've learned, what you still need to work on, and where they are having success. It's hard to do that and get a clear picture when you stand over/next to them and guide them. At some point necessary to let them show you what they can do.
Each (okay, most) day we spend one on one or two on one time together learning some new skill, letter, number, and practice it together. When I am working on dinner, I do something with the girls that we call Tray Time. We call it that because they are asked to stay on the blanket and work on activities on trays. That way they are within eyesight, I can help them if they need, but I can also back off and not hover. So how does it work? It's somewhat related to the posts about Learning Trays/Baskets that Manda did. We also use lunch type plastic trays. I got mine from Oriental Trading.
They review any skill/game we've previously worked on, but independently this time. I spread out a blanket for each of them. This is what they do when I am cooking dinner most nights.

Here's the basics:
*We spread out a blanket, and I put a few activities out for them to work on. My one year old doesn't get many trays yet, but the 3 year old does and has for a while now. I set a timer and they work until the timer goes off. I stop every few minutes to check on them or interact, monitoring their progress and encouraging them, but not really interfering.

Here's some examples of activities:

Stringing blocks (this is a Melissa and Doug set)

Magnets on a cookie/baking sheet. I give her family pictures a lot. They can sort, or just play.Fridge magnet sets, like the animal matching or the alphabet.For my 3 year old, I set out the trays on a blanket (she likes to spread waaaaay out otherwise). This particular day she worked on a memory game (I break them up into individual baggies to match, otherwise using the entire game for her is very overwhelming).Stamping sets...a blank piece of paper, washable stamp pads w/ numbers, letters, shapes, etc glued to the end of pill bottles. They are easier to grasp when glued to something with more of a handle for them to grab onto. Playdough is another good option. I give her one or 2 colors, one or 2 tools and let her create. At the end, I can just shake off the tiny pieces outside so they don't get on the floor.

So what other kinds of activities are appropriate? First consider your child's age, what you've been working on together, and what would be realistic for them. I wouldn't give playdough to my one year old without direct supervision because she likes to eat playdough. :)

Remember, it DOESN'T HAVE TO BE FANCY!! I do recommend starting with 1-2 trays and teaching them not to start a new tray until another one is cleaned up completely.

Some ideas:

• Coloring book and a few crayons
• Chalk board and chalk
• Paint with water
• Shaving cream on cookie sheet
• Magnets
• Matching card games
• Sorting puffs by color, shape, size
• Transferring an item (like puffs) into new containers with tweezers, tongs, etc
• puzzles
• Do-A-Dot markers
• Lacing cards
• Lacing beads on pipe cleaners
• Rolling dice and counting the dots
• Play items, like cars, dolls, dollhouse
• Playdough
• Dominoes (We have princess dominoes)
• Blocks to stack
• Legos, Duplos
• Electronic games
• A stack of books (not recommended if you have crayons out at the same time for a young child...coloring book and coloring IN a book is a little confusing)
• Clothespin games (at tot school blog)
• Stamping
• Gluing w/ a glue stick (like leaves on a tree)
• Practice pouring (I started this with pouring beads out of a container, rather than w/ liquid) or they practice pouring their own snack in a bowl
• Pen and paper
• Counting activies, like described on the blog
• Any homemade game or something that uses fine motor skills!

Library Day!

It's hot here. Sooooo hot. 95+ degrees for the past few days, humidity above 80% with very little rain. Heat index around 100-110. Is it hot at your house? I don't know about you, but there is only so much outside time I can take with merely a kiddie pool to relieve us.
To help beat the heat without being holed up inside, we've instituted Library Day. After my daughters AM nap, we head off!
If you don't utilize the library in your city/county often, chances are you are missing out! On a grading scale, our library is probably a C, maybe a C+, so it's not as though we have this fabulous resource that would leave you green with jealousy. Even if you live in the country (which is how our part of the city would be described), the library is still a great tool.
The Pros:

• Tons of books that you and your kids likely haven't read
• Free membership!
• Low fees if you keep track of the books (free is a pretty low fee, right?)
• Books you don't have to pay for!
• The possibility of good computer programs you can supervise but don't have to purchase
• A play area, possibly. Ours has a table set up with bins of blocks.
• Usually a separated children's area
• Free videos/DVDs
• A/C! Did I mention it's hot outside?!?!
• The possibility of online "shopping" for your books, or online renewal
• Exposure to lots of new books, genres, and authors

The Cons AND Solutions:

• You need to keep track of your books! Forgetting just that one can end up being an expensive slip of the memory. My solution: Keep all library books in ONE location, separate from other books. We have a special library book bin. I keep the printout list given in the bucket with the # of books circled at the top. That way it's easy to check to make sure all the books are there!
• Not a great selection of books. My solution: Keep digging. I usually check out about 2-3 "duds" each week. But what is a dud to me someone else may love. People donate books to the library weekly, so keep looking! You never know...that retired school teacher with a copy of every Caldecott book may have just donated this week!
• Noisy kids in a quiet library. I've been there. You can hear my daughter's squeaky voice all the way across the library. Even people in the restroom knew my daughter was looking for a Fancy Nancy book. My solution: Practice! If they don't have to use a quiet voice anywhere else, why should we expect them to all of a sudden know how to use one in the library. We practice quiet voices in the car. And if she doesn't listen? It's also important to note if the voice level is simply forgetting (you know, just being a kid) or disobedience to what you've asked them to do. If it's forgetting, I remind her. If it's disobedience, we pack up and leave, not checking out any books. But how you handle it is your decision....you are the mom! I will say that I've found that how I react to her behavior usually determines the tone and behavior of the next library trip. If I let her slide with being loud, she'll probably be loud again next time!
• More than one child to watch makes a trip difficult. This was the challenge for me, too. Sometimes it can be hard to look for books and watch your kids at the same time. You can't exactly handcuff them to the stroller to keep them from pulling off every book they see on the shelves. With that in mind, I have to have a game plan for trip out of the house. Where will they sit? What are the possible behavior issues? How will I handle them? What tips/reminders can I give them before we even get in the library? Is it close to nap or a mealtime?

Here's how I handle it with a 3 year old and a 1 year old:

I use the double stroller. My 3 year old is allowed to walk, provided she holds onto the stroller until I give her instructions to do otherwise. Before we go in, I talk with both girls about using quiet voices and keeping their hands to themselves (we practice this at home). We do a practice run of using quiet voices and what it sounds like. I have snacks packed in the bag because at 1 year, it's rare to find a time of the day that isn't close to a nap or snack/meal. I give myself a time limit. (Ex: We will stay for 30 minutes. If it's your first time, have a goal of checking out one book. Yup. Just one. It'll make it less stressful for you). If my 3 year old abuses the privilege of walking or cannot control her hands, she has to sit in the stroller or in a chair for a while. If you have aisles you have to go up and down, you can sit your child on the floor and give them a book or 2 to look at while you look, too. Or you can pull out a book and involve your child in the decision making process of choosing a few books.

Okay, younger kids. My 1 year old sits in the stroller with a book or toy while I choose a book. Then when I've chosen a few, she can walk around, holding the stroller. Then I give them a few minutes to play with blocks at the table. We clean up together. If she gets antsy (especially due to being hungry) I plop her in the stroller and give her a small, non-messy snack on the tray.

The biggest tip I can give? Don't give up after one hectic, tear-jerking experience at the library. I've had parents tell me that the library is just too stressful. In my mind, and perhaps I'm off-base, the solution is to minimize stress. Well, other than eliminating visits entirely. So instead of rarely going, try going weekly. (Sound crazy?) The library is a safe place to practice some of the skills you've been working on at home with your child. You don't really want to see if they'll stay with you while you walk through a crowded mall. And I don't really like to practice a skill when I'm grocery shopping. That's multi-tasking at it's best (or worst, in some cases). Keep practicing at the library (Remember, you can always leave!) but most importantly for us...practice at home. Teach the the skill ahead of time. Quiet voices, control over hands, waiting patiently, respect for others, sharing, sitting and reading when asked to, and listening to specific verbal commands are a few skills to practice. Don't feel like you have to tackle everything at once, either! As my husband says, "We're just trying to give them tools in their tool belts". If you don't give them the necessary tools ahead of time, it's hard to expect them to pull out the right tool when needed. Yes, even a 1 year old. :)

Have fun! Let the stress free outings begin!

Rainy day laundry sort

Ever been stuck inside the house with a mountain of laundry and kiddos that need energy burned off? Me too! Ever tried to sort laundry with a toddler? Me too! (insert groan and fear here). My daughter's idea of helping usually means unfolding what I just folded or rolling around in the fresh pile of laundry, still warm from the dryer.
So let's make it a learning and burning time, shall we?

Materials: Heaps of laundry. Munchkin that needs to run around.

Have your toddler or preschooler locate one piece of his/her clothing. A sock, shirt, pants, bib, whatever. The idea is for them to grab one piece of laundry as fast as they can and run it to the desired spot. For me, that was off my bed and into her room.

Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Whoa! Look at all this laundry! Let's have a racing game!! Do you see anything that belongs to you in this pile?
C: (nodding)
M: (in a hurried voice) When I count to three, I want you to grab something that belongs to you and run to your room and throw it in a pile on your bed.
C: Okay! I'm so fast!
M: One, two, three!

She grabs a piece, runs it to her bed. While she's running, I'm continuing to sort the other things. She runs back, sorts through to locate something of hers and repeats.
This was a fun way for her to sort, follow directions, and burn off a little energy. And I got my laundry sorted without any pile disruption. :)

For the younger toddler, you can give them a piece that you found and have them run it to the desired location. My 15 month old had a great time with this too. Yay for lots of giggling, sorting laundry, and tired kiddos.

Nice to Meet You!

My daughter, who tends to be on the shy side, was having trouble speaking to people when introduced or when prompted. I don't mean talking to strangers. I mean the people you'll encounter more regularly (at church, neighbors, family that comes to visit every few months, etc). At 2 I don't expect her to carry on a full conversation, but we are teaching her to say hello and answer brief questions (How are you _____? I like your dress! Aren't your sparkly shoes pretty!!) when asked.
So we tried playing what I call the Nice to Meet You game.
Materials: dress up clothes (any will do!)

Activity: I dressed up and tell her that we are at church/store/etc and she's will her mommy. I then say hello and compliment her. The conversation goes something like this:
Elderly lady at church: Hello! How are you this morning?
Daughter: Good! How are you?
Lady: Fine, thank you. I like your pretty dress!
Daughter: Thank you!

Then I change clothes, and we try it again! It's that simple! Sometimes I close her door to her room and knock, or we use her grocery cart and pretend we're at church. We've talked about how when someone says "I like your ____" it's a compliment and she's to say thank you.

For older children, this is a good way to role play encounters with strangers/semi-strangers. It's a good time to talk about a code word for your family and things to do and never to do.
At 2 we haven't gone there yet because of lack of understanding. At her age, however, she is not out of my sight except when I specifically drop her off at her Sunday school class with her teacher. For your particular situation, be aware of the situations your child will be in and use your discernment.

Where is the Room?

Age Range: 1-2 years old

Activity:
Hold your child's hand and lead him to his room. Tell him that this is his room. Next lead him to the bathroom and your room, telling your child the names of those rooms too.

Ask your child to show you his room. Praise him if he correctly shows you his room! If he seems confused, take him to his room and tell him again that it is his bedroom. Do this a few times until your child can show you his own bedroom.

If there is still interested, continue with having your child show you where the bathroom and your bedroom are. If he seems frustrated or confused still, try again in a week, it could take several days for him to go to the correct room when requested.

Skills:
-an awareness of rooms and their positions
-following directions
-language interaction
-confidence

Extensions:
To make this activity applicable for a 3-6 year old, turn it into a scavenger hunt. Write clues on pieces of paper and have them guess the room that the next clue is in. Read the clues aloud for your child if she's not reading independently yet. End the scavenger hunt with a special treat for lunch, a picnic outside, or a special art activity.