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There are some amazing ideas on Pinterest and the other fabulous blogs on the internet. But sometimes, the best ideas are so simple.
Of all the super cool ideas I’ve been trying with Littlest, the hands-down favorite was the day I handed him a paper sack. That’s right, folks. A plain old paper bag has been the biggest hit.
For days in a row he has played contentedly with that same paper bag, putting different toys inside and taking those same toys back out. One day, it’s cars; the next, it’s blocks; then, it’s counting bears. One sack=days of fun.
So let me just encourage you—before you stress out that you don’t have a Pinterest-worthy idea ready for your littlest learners, bring out the tupperware. Empty your spice cupboard. Get out the fruit loops and a spoon. And by all means, don’t forget the plain old paper bag!
It was with much excitement and a little trepidation (on my part) that we began school this week.
“Places everyone!” My big 2nd Grader and K5 Kid.
Though the first day of homeschool always gives me some butterflies and nerves, this year I was especially nervous. Perhaps it was the fact that I’ve spent the last month or more moving rather than preparing. Perhaps it’s just the fact that I have two in serious homeschool this year (2nd grade and K5). Or perhaps it’s that Littlest is toddling into a lot of trouble lately.
But, in spite of it all, our first day was a roaring success. The schedule ran smoothly, the lessons were enjoyable, and the kids were as excited at the end of the day as they were at the beginning—maybe even more excited!
The only one who didn’t enjoy the day was Littlest, who hasn’t been feeling up to snuff lately. He opted for a long morning nap, instead; and I definitely rejoiced in that unexpected grace.
This was supposed to be Littlest’s activity for the morning, but Middlest decided she wasn’t too big for this kind of fun.
First Day Highlights
We started our memory work review with a video of last year’s memory work. The kids had a blast watching themselves recite our timeline from last year, and it was a fun way to review. We’ll keep doing that much of this week until we feel fully refreshed and ready to add some new facts.
Middlest loved her new phonics lessons. We explored how the letter sounds are made and began our cursive work with a little magic! She used her wand to practice the strokes before we actually wrote on paper. I loved having my teacher curriculum on my NOOK! I wasn’t quite sure how I would like that format, but it was fabulous. Now I wish that all my teacher books were like that!
Middlest practicing her cursive strokes with a little ribbon magic!
Oldest really liked all of his school. When I pulled out his Essentials workbook, he actually kissed the cover; he was so excited to begin again. Of everything, however, I think he liked his audio-history with Story of the World the best. Jim Weiss will read the bulk of their history this year, and I’m very grateful to him for that convenience.
Oldest working hard on his Essentials.
Our first maps of the year! Mediterranean Sea, Rome, and the boundaries of the Roman Empire.
We also took a hot cocoa break during our combined lessons. I’m thinking that may have to be an everyday occurrence. It wasn’t just cozy; it really made the second half of the school lessons something to look forward to. It set the mood for us as we transitioned to history and science (or art and latin on alternate days).
Disclaimer: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way for a positive review, and all of these opinions are my own.
I have been casually searching for learning ideas for my littlest. When I stumbled upon Flowering Baby, I was instantly intrigued.
Flowering Baby is a curriculum of “whole child development” activities for children birth to five years old. The curriculum is about $30 for each year’s worth of lessons (organized by age: birth to one, one to two, two to three, and four to five).
I received the “One to Two” curriculum for free for this review and was able to begin at month 13 with my little guy. Each month includes titles of books to read to your baby, a classical composer to listen to, some finger-play/nursery rhymes to listen to, as well as an assortment of activity ideas that include everything from language skills and muscle development to painting and exploring.
Each month lists all books, music, and supplies needed. Most titles are available at a library or can be substituted with books from home. And the supplies are simple things that I usually had on hand.
We’ve been using this product for a couple of months, and I have loved this curriculum for two reasons. First, I love having special one-on-one time with my little one because, honestly, it’s easy for him to get forgotten in the rush to get the big kid’s lessons out of the way. Or, I tend to occupy him rather than really play with him. This curriculum gives me a very focused 15-20 minutes with him, just him! I actually send the big kids away and focus just on him. We both enjoy this time immensely.
Second reason I love Flowering Baby are for the ideas. Even as an “experienced” mother of three (that’s a joke, by the way), I often get in ruts and don’t immediately think of ways to challenge and build his little skills. Flowering Baby gives me ideas (about 25 lessons a month) and inspires me with my own variations on those ideas. It helps me to realize what he is probably capable of attempting, something that’s easy to lose track of as time flies by. Many times, I would read the plans and think “oh, he can’t do that yet” only to be amazed that he actually could (and loved trying)!
Also, Flowering Baby is teaching me! The language lessons, especially, have taught me practical things like how to talk to my baby, what to talk about, what to point out in a picture, etc. Motor skills were also surprising lessons for me, like teaching my baby to kneel rather than his default sprawl position that is hard on his little hips.
Then, there’s the fun—hide a toy; teach direction words by placing a toy under, over, beside, etc; “fold” laundry together; find faces in books and magazines; get a mirror out and look at our faces together; and so much more!
My little laundry helper. He also likes to “help” unload the dishwasher.
Just a note, I did not follow this as a step-by-step lesson, though you could. I looked through the ideas several times during a month to get ideas for our next time together and then put it away. I knew which books to read, and he quickly found his favorites. All of us enjoyed the classical music selections, which we listened to using the free Naxos app on my ipod (comes with several free playlists that coordinate with this curriculum).
Littlest’s new favorite book
And because I can only take so much mess, I modified some of the ideas to fit us. For instance, one activity was to practice pouring rice or beans. I had nightmarish visions of what this would look like, so I instead opted for our pouring lesson to be at bath time with water in the tub. Instead of painting (I tried this at Christmas for grandma gifts and am still in need of therapy), I opted for crayons.
But customizing this curriculum was really what made it a winner for me. Their ideas bred so many other ideas. If the lessons called for feeling different textured squares, I instantly thought of textures throughout our day—when we went on nature walks, when we were standing outside the restaurant waiting to be seated, or wherever we were. I loved that the lessons helped me to focus and weave in his learning during the whole day.
Littlest enjoyed creating with crayons (much sooner than my older kids did).Our sensory bottle made from adding a beaded necklace and water.
Is it worth the $30? If you’re trying to justify $30 on your little one, I’d ask you to price some of the toys in his toy box. Most likely, a couple of those (that he probably doesn’t even play with) would easily have cost you $30. And you will get a lot more out of this purchase than a new toy that he will probably quickly lose interest in anyway. Honestly, I wish I’d had this as a new mom to use with my other two children.
Also, keep in mind that this is not a list of ideas to keep your baby busy so that you can do something else. These activities require you sitting down with your baby. Many of them require you to closely supervise your baby as he explores.
Want to check it out for yourself? The website has great samples to preview for each age. The Flowering Baby curriculum is sold on CD or as a downloadable PDF (I printed mine and bound it myself to have a hardcopy). You can purchase the curriculum at the Flowering Baby store or on Currclick.com.
I’m looking forward to continuing with this curriculum, and I’m looking forward to more special “baby” moments with Littlest throughout this year.
Disclaimer: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way for a positive review, and all of these opinions are my own.
We’re wrapping up our short tour through the core of what I do with my kiddos: first grade, K4, and today you’re getting a sneak peak at baby’s schedule.
I’ll be honest, I try to do most of our school while Littlest is out of the way. So during his morning nap is when we get the bulk of our lessons done. And, to stretch that nap a little longer, I give him his independent play time right before his nap.
By noon, he’s rarin’ to go! He has his lunch, and play time is on. Thankfully, the older ones are wildly eager to play (legos or outside if it’s a pretty day). While they reunite with all of their toys, Littlest and I have our one-on-one time. I love getting out our Music Together cd with him, and he’s usually jamming before the music starts.
I use this time to work on his skills, too, an early homeschool routine. We stack tupperware lids, pull greeting cards and lids out of cooler bags and then stuff them back in again, bang spoons to the beat of the music, balance cups on our heads, pull small toys out of muffin tins or cups, play hide-a-toy, etc. (Pinterest has great ideas, too. Check out the baby pinterest ideas I’ve been collecting.)We also play the typical baby games: stacking blocks, peek-a-boo, and walk along the edge of the couch. Our playtime lasts the length of the cd. By then, he’s worn out and ready for his bottle.
Littlest’s favorite activity right now is putting things in this empty tupperware. It was a double-winner to play with a muffin tin, too!
We cuddle up for a bottle and snuggles, and then he’s off to bed once more by around 2 p.m. usually. Sometimes, if I have a noisy household chore like vacuuming, I’ll put him in my wrap, and we’ll do the chore together. He loves this, and I must admit that it makes housework a lot more fun with a snuggle-buddy. Then, he naps for another couple of hours, waking up all ready to empty my tupperware cabinet once more.
Practicing with a spoon
I’ve loved having this time with Littlest. He’s the first baby I’ve had since staying at home, and I so enjoy an all-day routine with him. And though I’m sure I can come up with lots of ideas on my own and with the help of Pinterest, I will admit that I have been curious about the Flowering Baby curriculum that includes daily activity ideas as well as story and music suggestions from an “early childhood development” perspective. Especially since Littlest will be joining our school routine next year as a whopping 18-month old! (Can’t believe how time flies!!!)
But now, for your input. What are your best tips for keeping your baby busy? And would you invest in a product to give you some additional ideas?
I’ve happened upon a new favorite toddler activity: threading alphabet beads onto pipe cleaners!
I love our alphabet beads and have used them and reused them for a number of activities, but the pipe cleaner necklaces were a huge hit with the little one. The stiff wire made it easy for her to thread the beads, and then afterwards, she gave her necklace to her princess dress-up doll.
