Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Tot School: Week 5
-Ella is 21 months old-
Check out what we did in Tot School last week!
This week we continued to work on learning colors; however, most of our play focused on sorting/matching colors rather than actually identifying colors (although we did do a little work on identifying colors). I made a very simple activity for her to work on. I laminated a blue piece of construction paper and a yellow piece of construction paper, as well as a few shapes in blue and yellow. I had her practice sorting the yellow shapes onto the yellow piece of construction paper, and the blue shapes onto the blue piece of construction paper. This task was very easy for her! In fact, not long after she started, she purposefully would place a shape incorrectly, and look to me to see if I noticed. Such a silly girl!
Ella also continues to thoroughly enjoy coloring. She has been asking multiple times a day to get in her seat to color. I printed several coloring sheets from Crayola's website to use. I'll be hunting down some Thanksgiving themed coloring sheets for her to use this coming week.
Ella loves to be outside, and she had so much fun running around grabbing the "marcorns" (aka "acorns"). She loved putting them in her pumpkin. One day we went to the park, and she enjoyed watching a squirrel run around. She also loved going up and down the steps at the park's gazebo (the second picture is taken at the gazebo).
Teaching Ella about God and spiritual things is incredibly important to me, and I hope to be able to share different things we do each week in regards to spiritual Tot School as well. This week we used these creation cards from Apologetic Press.
I Heart Faces: Orange
If you are a regular reader of my blog, you've probably already seen this photo, but I thought it worked perfectly for this week's challenge at I Heart Faces: Orange!
Friday, November 5, 2010
A few random things on Friday
I'm so thankful it is Friday! I'm ready for a (hopefully) relaxing weekend. It is the first time in a while that I feel like I have the time to relax (at least a little bit). Things will be in full swing again on Monday though, so I need to enjoy it while I can!
I promise to get back to blogging more regularly. October was, uh, a little crazy in our house as we were (and, honestly, still are) getting the hang of having two kids who are both in diapers! Life with two under two is great, but also very tiring especially when one of them doesn't sleep through the night! I'm thankful that I'm having an uneventful weekend so that I can catch up on some blogging. I've got lots of things on my mind to write about, but I just haven't had the time to sit down and type them out. Also, if you notice things out of place on the blog, please excuse the mess. I'm getting an itch to do some revamping of my blog, and I'll probably play with the design some if I find time this weekend.
I'm loving the weather we are having this week! Fall feels like it is really in the air, and we are entering my absolute favorite time of the year - the time of year between Halloween and Christmas! I absolutely love fall, and Thanksgiving and Christmas are my absolute two favorite holidays. I love spending the time with family and friends! We're hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year, and I'm already thinking about what will be on our menu. What are your favorite Thanksgiving dishes? My absolute favorite is homemade cornbread dressing . . . yum! And to think now that when I was a kid I used to tell my mom that I didn't like dressing - I was crazy!
Speaking of food, I've tried a couple of recipes recently from one of my new favorite food blogs, Annie's Eats. I made the Rigatoni de Gregorio (minus the wine and mushrooms) and the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins. The pasta dish was super easy and yummy! The muffins were pretty labor intensive to make, but they were also very tasty. Did I mention that another reason I love this time of year is all the pumpkin dishes?
If you are stopping by from New Friend Fridays, thanks for visiting!
I promise to get back to blogging more regularly. October was, uh, a little crazy in our house as we were (and, honestly, still are) getting the hang of having two kids who are both in diapers! Life with two under two is great, but also very tiring especially when one of them doesn't sleep through the night! I'm thankful that I'm having an uneventful weekend so that I can catch up on some blogging. I've got lots of things on my mind to write about, but I just haven't had the time to sit down and type them out. Also, if you notice things out of place on the blog, please excuse the mess. I'm getting an itch to do some revamping of my blog, and I'll probably play with the design some if I find time this weekend.
I'm loving the weather we are having this week! Fall feels like it is really in the air, and we are entering my absolute favorite time of the year - the time of year between Halloween and Christmas! I absolutely love fall, and Thanksgiving and Christmas are my absolute two favorite holidays. I love spending the time with family and friends! We're hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year, and I'm already thinking about what will be on our menu. What are your favorite Thanksgiving dishes? My absolute favorite is homemade cornbread dressing . . . yum! And to think now that when I was a kid I used to tell my mom that I didn't like dressing - I was crazy!
Speaking of food, I've tried a couple of recipes recently from one of my new favorite food blogs, Annie's Eats. I made the Rigatoni de Gregorio (minus the wine and mushrooms) and the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins. The pasta dish was super easy and yummy! The muffins were pretty labor intensive to make, but they were also very tasty. Did I mention that another reason I love this time of year is all the pumpkin dishes?
If you are stopping by from New Friend Fridays, thanks for visiting!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Happy 21 Months Ella!
Happy 21 Months Ella!
As I always seem to mention in the beginning of these posts, I'm absolutely amazed at how much you have grown and learned in this past month. This is an incredible time in your life - I find it very hard to believe how much you learn each and every day.
Your personality continues to blossom, and you are one of the friendliest little girls with whom I've ever come into contact. When we go to a restaurant or to the store shopping, you look around to see who you can wave to and talk to. Your smile is contagious!
You are trying to test your limits more and more these days, and you certainly test your parents' patience at times. You have an opinion about what you want, and when you don't always get it, you do sometimes throw a fit. I suppose it is just part of the growing up process, but we really don't like your fits.
Your speech and language continue to grow exponentially. You use two and three word phrases frequently now. You love to give us directions. For instance, if you want your milk. You'll say, "milk!" point to the refrigerator, and then say "right there!" while shaking your head "yes." You also love to identify all your surroundings. For example, we'll be sitting in the living room, and you'll start identifying everything you know from daddy to purse to chair to monkey.
You continue to be a great, sweet big sister. Whenever Troy starts to cry, you immediately say "paci!" and sometimes even make the "shh!" noise that we do to try to calm him. If you notice his blanket or pacifier are sitting out (we aren't using them), you promptly bring them to me (if I'm holding Troy) or place them on top of Troy if he is in his swing or bouncer. You still love to give him kisses, and you love that he rides in the backseat of the car with you. In fact, when we put you in the car before Troy, you often point to his seat and say "Troy, seat!"
Troy's "seats" (aka swing and bouncer) have brought a new game to your life - playing with the buckles. You are absolutely obsessed with snapping the buckles on his swing or bouncer (or your high chair). I never know what configuration I'll find the straps in when I go to put Troy into one of these things.
Words you say: I can't even begin to name the words you say! In fact, now you are saying two- and three-word phrases!
Animal noises you can make: owl, cow, sheep, puppy/dog, horse, bee, cat, frog, turkey
Body parts you identify: head, hair, nose, ears, eyes, tongue, feet, toes, cheeks, belly, belly button, hands, teeth, knees, fingers, legs, arms, shoulders, chin
Favorite foods: peaches, banana, guacamole, tortilla, eggs, broccoli, noodles (especially with meat and red sauce), chicken nuggets, bread (rolls), crackers, cookies (animal cookies), rice
Favorite activities/games: Anything that involves putting things in things (like balls in a bucket), coloring, puzzles, running around the yard, reading books (like Where is baby's mommy?
, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?
, Goodnight Moon
, That's How Much God Loves You
, and The Foot Book
)
Your speech and language continue to grow exponentially. You use two and three word phrases frequently now. You love to give us directions. For instance, if you want your milk. You'll say, "milk!" point to the refrigerator, and then say "right there!" while shaking your head "yes." You also love to identify all your surroundings. For example, we'll be sitting in the living room, and you'll start identifying everything you know from daddy to purse to chair to monkey.
You continue to be a great, sweet big sister. Whenever Troy starts to cry, you immediately say "paci!" and sometimes even make the "shh!" noise that we do to try to calm him. If you notice his blanket or pacifier are sitting out (we aren't using them), you promptly bring them to me (if I'm holding Troy) or place them on top of Troy if he is in his swing or bouncer. You still love to give him kisses, and you love that he rides in the backseat of the car with you. In fact, when we put you in the car before Troy, you often point to his seat and say "Troy, seat!"
Troy's "seats" (aka swing and bouncer) have brought a new game to your life - playing with the buckles. You are absolutely obsessed with snapping the buckles on his swing or bouncer (or your high chair). I never know what configuration I'll find the straps in when I go to put Troy into one of these things.
Words you say: I can't even begin to name the words you say! In fact, now you are saying two- and three-word phrases!
Animal noises you can make: owl, cow, sheep, puppy/dog, horse, bee, cat, frog, turkey
Body parts you identify: head, hair, nose, ears, eyes, tongue, feet, toes, cheeks, belly, belly button, hands, teeth, knees, fingers, legs, arms, shoulders, chin
Favorite foods: peaches, banana, guacamole, tortilla, eggs, broccoli, noodles (especially with meat and red sauce), chicken nuggets, bread (rolls), crackers, cookies (animal cookies), rice
Favorite activities/games: Anything that involves putting things in things (like balls in a bucket), coloring, puzzles, running around the yard, reading books (like Where is baby's mommy?
, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?, Goodnight Moon, That's How Much God Loves You, and The Foot Book)Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Tot School: Week 4
-Ella is 20 months old-
Check out what we did in Tot School last week!
This past week was pretty busy, and I didn't get as much in as I would have liked; however, Ella still had plenty of opportunities to learn and explore!
Ella loves playing with her blocks
. We practice counting (she can consistently count to "6" now, and sometimes even makes it to "10"!), colors, sorting, building, and letter recognition with these blocks.
. We practice counting (she can consistently count to "6" now, and sometimes even makes it to "10"!), colors, sorting, building, and letter recognition with these blocks.
Ella also loves to play and learn with her puzzles. She has gotten so good with them that she'll purposefully put a piece in the wrong place to see if we notice - she loves to test us! Ella has several puzzles, but we've been using a shape puzzle (similar to this one
) and a couple of different animal puzzles recently.
) and a couple of different animal puzzles recently.We continue to work on learning our colors, and this week I introduced this dinosaur file folder color matching game. Ella loves playing with it! I think it helps that it uses dinosaurs - she really likes dinosaurs!
Ella also had an opportunity this week to take a really long road trip with her daddy. She had lots of time to learn about different kinds of vehicles on the road, and she loves to point out the big trucks!
If you've been keeping up with my posts about learning activities I've been doing with Ella, you know that I'm constantly on the lookout for new blogs and websites that have activities I can do with her. Here are a few sites I've recently come across that I've found to be very helpful. I can't wait to implement some of the great ideas I've read on these sites.
- Confessions of a Homeschooler (I've mentioned this one a few times)
- 1+1+1=1 (The host blog of Tot School)
- Counting Coconuts
- Totally Tots
- No Time For Flash Cards
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