Day 3

Color:  Red

Letter:  A

Verse: Keep me as the apple of your eye Psalm 17:8

Today was a little unstructured as expected with an 18 month old toddler and a 4 month old baby. The key to tot school, I am finding out is to go with the flow and follow Austin's lead. 

Today my plan was to venture away from our color and focus more on the letter along with some fine motor skills so I can really assess just what Austin needs to work on. Well Austin had other plans and as I was getting breakfast together, he kept asking for his color box. I was excited he actually wanted to play with it without my presenting it to him so while I made eggs he sat in his chair and played with his box and of course his playdough. While I was cooking and Austin was playing we went over our memory verse and sang our song. Austin is really starting to like the song and was even pointing to his eye on occasion like he saw me doing. 

After a brief break to clean up and get Mason settled down, I set up our first activity which I had seen on many blogs. I thought Austin would love to use the tongs to pick up the cotton balls since he is always pulling stuff out of our drawers. The activity did not go as I planned but was still a huge success. The tongs I had were to big for Austin and he was not ready to use them yet. He tried but found it much easier to just scoop them up with his hands. I gave him a big spoon and and showed him how to scoop them up from one bowl and into another. Again he tried and did not have the patience for this. He loves to pour so that is what he did. 

This is how I set the activity up for Austin

Austin attempting to use the tongs.

Austin pouring the cotton balls from one bowl to another.

His was of letting me know he was done with the activity.

After this activity, I took Austin back to the table. I find he is much more focused and willing to work when contained at the table. I has seen on many sites people having their tots use large lacing beads, well this mama doesn't have the money so made a fun alternative and Austin loved it. I simply made paper rings and used our paper towel holder for him to practice putting them on. I also gave him a shoe lace but he had no interest in that at all. 

After the activities, Austin and I made an Ant. I thought he was going to love the glue stick and he did but not for gluing. He kept trying to put it on his face. Gluing is not his thing yet and he really wasn't into this activity. 

Austin made his ant "march" around as we sang "The ants go marching".

That was enough for Austin and as I have learned, when he is done, he is done. I did ask him later in the day what letter was on a book and he said A, so either he guessed right, or he is learning something. Either way we are having fun and Austin is learning patience by sitting and doing structured activities, and my fridge is filled with cute art projects!