An overview of our Early Childhood Years

I wrote up a long, detailed post for a friend on how we arranged the kids' previous early childhood years, and decided to post it here, mostly in case I want to refer to it again at some point.  :)
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We didn't follow a "curriculum" per say in my kids' early childhood years, but more of a methodology based (mostly) on the Waldorf philosophy with a little bit of Montessori thrown in, where I saw it fitting my particular kiddos well. 

The biggest way we "schooled" was through the rhythm we kept.  We had a rhythm to our days (not necessarily a schedule) and a rhythm to our week.  

Our mornings typically started (after breakfast) with a nature walk with the main focus of observing nature (not the walk itself or the destination).  We walked in every type of weather, as that was a type of observation in itself.  

Each of us had a little fabric nature satchel that we brought along.  We often collected neat rocks or feathers or leaves or acorns to take home to observe more or display on our nature table (more on that).  Usually we went out for 20-30ish minutes to the little greenbelt by our house.  Revisiting the same aren meant that we got to observe the changes the seasons brought.  We stopped and watched fire ants in an ant pile.  We sat and watched a squirrel take nuts up and down a tree.  We picked up colored leaves from the ground in the fall.  We saw goldenrods blooming, that always told us fall was near.  We saw the little leaf buds begin to peek out in the spring.  We saw crawdad holes when it was wet after a week of rains.  Etc., etc., etc.  We slowed down and observed, talked often about what we saw...Some days we went on bigger nature walks to nature parks or a field we had noticed on our way home from the grocery store, etc.  

After our nature walk, we had a snack time and our "morningtime."  For snack, I usually pulled out a big crystal relish-type plate that has 3 little compartments and put some nuts, fruit and veggies on it for snack (tried to do whole foods).  We also brewed a pot of herbal tea (which we'd drink over ice in the summer).  The kids helped prepare snack time.  One would get to choose what type of tea we were making and put the tea bags into the teapot and put the teacups on the table.  The other kid would arrange the fruits and nuts (I'd just set out the large containers from the pantry/fridge) and they would arrange them on the snack plate and then put everyone's little individual saucer on the table.  Of course, in each of these simple tasks the kids were learning language and math and science skills--as we read the names of the teas on the boxes (and they realized that the peach tea had a peach on the front and a P like Papa's name) and that the water changed color when you put the teabags into it...and that the water in the kettle steamed when it got really hot and you could hear the bubbles from the boil...and that if you left the hot water in the teapot it would cool....and how ice cubes look when they are melting in a cup of hot tea...and one-to-one correspondence as you dole out the strawberries equally....

For morningtime we focused on our literacy time.  We sang our hymn of the month (I usually just chose one but now I love the Happy Hymnody website).  We'd start the month just listening to the hymn play while we snacked and then I would turn it on other times during the day, and eventually the kids would start singing along.  I read aloud a book or two that went with that season or just ones that I wanted them to hear.  We had some little cards with seasonal or fun poems/fingerplays/songs/chants (maybe 5-6?) that I would read to them (and they'd memorize lickity split).  We had a memory verse each month from the Bible.  Often we would write or draw cards for someone--if there was a birthday or a sickness, and we also have always done encouragement cards for several people in our village, so I keep a big stack of cardstock cut to card size and they would draw cards for "our people."  We spent about 20-30 total minutes on morning literacy time.  We did the hymn and the read-aloud and the memory verse every day, and we'd start out the month with maybe 1-2 poems (or fingerplays or songs) and then add more as they learned them.  As my kids entered the kindergarten years--5ish, we added in "story," where I told a simple story using some small objects as models.  Often these were fairy tales or seasonal stories.  I'd tell the same story each day of the week, and as the week went on, i'd pause to allow the kids to fill in the details.  Then by the end of the week I'd give them a chance to tell the story and move the objects.  More details on this, if you want.  

One day a week we baked bread.  This is a very waldorf early childhood thing to do.  The exposure to following a simple recipe (usually I did the measuring of the items while I spoke aloud what I was doing and then let the kids pour them into our baking bowl).  The kids get to take part in mixing the bread by hand, which is wonderful for their motor skills and also sensory exploration.  Then we varied on how we formed our bread to bake it.  If we had observed lots of acorns around that day on our nature walk, I might say, "Remember all those acorns we saw today on our walk?  Let's see if we can make our little balls of bread dough into acorns!"  I'd hand each kiddo a manageable sized ball of dough and let them form their shape.  Other weeks we would work together to make one large item--maybe a big cat, like the one we'd read about in our story that day.  We most often baked the whole-wheat waldorf bread (that we ate for afternoon snacks for several days that week with honey or jam or cheese slices) but I also brought in other recipes at times, such as muffins or scones or pieces, often based on the seasons.  As the kids got older, they took on more roles in the bread-baking, until they could really do it all by themselves.  Sometimes we added other items into our breads--crasins, sliced almonds, cheese we grated ourselves, etc.  I can give you the simple recipe if you want it.

After morning time, we'd typically have some free play time.  Waldorf believes strongly in the concept of structuring the day as a "breath in-breath out" type of flow.  A breath in means that the child is taking in their environment.  Morning time is a breath in experience, as the child is taking in the words and songs, etc.  So after that, I'd want to follow it with a less structured, child led playtime.  Of course we always had our playroom as a learning experience all on its own, as it was set up with materials that were age apprpriate and varied and encouraged pretend play.  I'd try to have a pretend play/homemaking area, a block or building area, some books that rotated in and out, and then any other items that fit with my kids' current development.  Sometimes this free play took place in the playroom and sometimes it took place outside in our little play area, depending on the time of year.  

After free play, we had some type of art exploration every day.  Quinn has always been my more artsy child and Beck was not as into it as she ways, but I still felt it was important that he participate with us, to develop attention span and perseverance and fine motor skills and the ability to sit and attend in an age-appropriate way.  We rotated through different mediums on different days.  

Drawing:  Large beeswax Stockmar crayons on large pieces of paper  (often I drew with them and if it fit naturally, I spoke aloud while I drew my picture so they could see my thinking/drawing process)  

(sometimes it was free-drawing of whatever they wanted, sometimes we drew things together, such as pumpkins in the fall or maybe a butterfly we'd seen that day, but I didn't ever force them to draw a particular thing, and we always made drawing time a fun, encouraging, positive experience that everyone participated in)

Beeswax modeling: Stockmar beeswax; liek drawing, sometimes we all made our own items and other times we made something based on a theme.  I can provide more details about beeswax modeling if you want them.  A super activity for fine motor development and requires a lot of patience!

Watercolor Painting: We used the waldorf method, which uses liquid watercolors (not the pallette type) and wet-on-wet method.  More details if desired.

Handwork: age-appropriate projects--sewing large buttons on an embroidery hoop, finger-knitting, stringing beads on a pipecleaner or string, etc.  

We didn't necessarily have an art experience dedicated to each day of the week, which made it nice when we ended up going somewhere or having a playdate/dr appt/ helping a family member, etc.  Basically I just had all of the materials ready in our little art cabinet and whatever art experience we did last, we rotated on to the next one.  This required very little prep time on my behalf and lots of flexibility.  Sometimes we also rotated in seasonal art experiences--leaf rubbings, flower pressing, etc. during this time, and just paused our regular art experience rotation temporarily.  

Usually after art we had lunch.  Often we'd lunch outside, if the weather worked out.  Then the kids would help clean up lunch and we'd have a read aloud time on my bed before rest time.  Then rest time for all.  Both my kiddos boycotten napping at 18 months, but we still continue to have an hour of quiet time in rooms.  They usually listen to audiobooks on cd while they play in their room.

After rest time we had a sensory time at the table.  I had several choices of sensory play ready to go in my art cabinet, so we rotated through different items.

Examples:

Bean tray

Water tray

Playdough

Cracked corn

Waterbeads

Dried oats

Herbs

Flower cutting/Arranging

Shaving Cream

Sometimes we did sensory exploration outside...we had a sand box and a cracked corn box they could play in.  

Lots of examples listed under the tabs as "sensory."

I typically sat down with them and started playing/exploring along with them to give them some gentle guidance, but after a few minutes they got into it on their own!  Usually while they finished up with the sensory play, I would prepare our afternoon snack.  

After snack, we had more outdoor time and this was usually when we did our gross motor play--bikes, scooters, walking to the playground, driving to a park, running around with the neighbors in the front yard, playing in the sprinkler, drawing a hopscotch, etc.  

And that was it!  

Nature table:  We always kept a little nature table in our kitchen.  It was the top of a bookshelf.  The kids were primarily in charge of it and we had some pretty fabrics we'd change out for the tablecloth during various seasons, and then they could collect things outside to display-dead dragonflies, feathers, acorns, rocks....They could bring the items in their satchels from our nature walks and put them on the nature table.  Every month or so we'd clear it off (somewhat) with the kids' involvement, and then rearrange it a bit.  Sometimes we added little figures or seasonal items.  It was a great place for the kids to come back and re-examine things they had found.  As they got older we added in a small magnifying glass and some nature identification books, as well as some guides we created ourselves--the trees in our yard, types of butterflies that came to our house, etc.  

For Montessori inclusions, I used a lot of the practical life and self-care strategies.  I had a little rug (similar to the one your kids use in my entry way) with several shoe cut outs on it where my kids were responsible for storing their shoes in their closets.  We kept all our napkins and silverware and a set of dishes down at kid level.  I taught them to set the table and they would have increasing (age appropriately) responsibility for setting the table at dinner.  Montessori and Waldorf both place emphasis on bringing beauty into the world of children, so we had a little cupboard with a few different tealight candle holders and small vases, etc.  Quinn adored setting up the table centerpiece every couple of days.  Beck wasn't as into this, but sometimes he wanted to.  Mostly because if you set the table you got to use the match to light the candles. :)  I keep a set of cleaning washcloths down where they could reach them, as well as a bottle of cleaner, and they would help with cleaning the table and chairs.  I kept a tiny broom and dustpan and they would help sweep up under the table after meals or if they spilled anything.  We had a small whisk broom in the garage (a regular-sized one with a wooden handle that Matt cut down to child size) and they helped me sweep off the patio.  I always included them in as many kitchen tasks as possible, as well.  Food prep and clean up.  They would put away the silverware from the dishwasher, etc.  Also we used real, breakable dishes with the kids starting as toddlers. Both philosophies believe in the concept of teaching care in handling materials, and for children to handle things carefully, they have to handle fragile objects.  Obviously I didn't use precious china, but we did use real, beautiful teacups (from the thrift store!) and real saucers for plates for our lunches and snackls, and regular ceramic dinnerwear for our meals.  Honestly, so few things got broken because my kids understood that they were fragile.  Equally important, it is necessary for kids to see things break occasionally, partly to learn how to clean something up carefully and safely, and also just to see what happens for the cause-effect relationship.  Both of my kiddos had a special teacup that was theirs and they had a lot of ownership for them.  When I taught in the toddler classroom at the little lab school where I worked, they used real dishes with the two year olds and people touring would always freak out.  It was funny because us teachers always broke more dishes (by trying to stack piles too high or hurrying too much) than the kids ever did, and whenever we broke something, a litany of kiddos would rush over with their little brooms and dustpans and know how to safely clean up the shards.  It was adorable.  

I have lots of posts on what we did for practical life on my little education blog if you want any more ideas.  

I didn't introduce many "abstract" academic concepts (math, reading) to my kids prior to first grade, which Waldorf believes is when children are truly ready for these.  If the kids showed interest in a concept or asked about it, I honored that and answered/showed them, but I didn't give them any workbooks or anything like that.  

We also had little songs that went along with all the different times of our day that indicated the flow of the day and helped the kids move through transitions.  

@Mamaschool....sink or float experiment.

I told you he was into science experiments!  His other interest this week has been sink/float experimentation.  This probably came about because of a couple new boats he bought with his chore money at the dollar store.  Anyhow, we've done sink/float several times over the past couple years and he remembered it and asked to do it again.  Yesterday I set him up with a nice table of objects and a big glass bowl of water and he had a good time experimenting.  Today he asked to do it again while I was doing some dishes.  I didn't have a good window of time to set up the "big" activity, so I told him to get out a tupperware bowl (no matter what, it's best if the dish is clear so you can observe the object from all sides) and sent him out into the backyard with a small bowl and instructions to bring in 5 objects to see if they'd sink or float.  After sending him BACK out to dump out the bowl of sand he though he'd try (maybe next time, buddy....creative but it wasn't a good time for kitchen floor mud!) he came back with a pecan, a shell, a pine needle, a little teacup from Quinn's fairy garden (DON'T TELL HER--YIKES!) and a rock.  He got straight to work trying them out.  So today's experiment was a float/sink snack, eh?!  Just a little tidbit of time he spent exploring and a smaller set up than we often use, but he was still exploring and doing science!!  Besides just the floating and sinking, he was also exploring the properties of water/a liquid!  Wow, such scientific power in a few minutes of curious play!

@MamaSchool....the daily things.

At MamaSchool we look for the learning in the little things...the daily things that happen over and over again, but leave openings for little hands and hearts and minds to grow.

Lunch is one of these times.  Learning to set the table properly.  Taking time to add beauty through the dishes and linens we use.  Handling breakable dishes carefully and learning what to do when one of them accidentally breaks.  Learning to pour tea independently.  Using a knife to spread peanut butter and jam (fine motor!).  These are all niches for learning to occur.  Sure, it might take a little longer to teach a small person to carry our good pottery plates instead of tossing out some plastic ones.  Of course I could have made that sandwich WAY quicker and FAR less messy.  But these are the moments in our day that MamaSchool is most beautiful....when Mama takes a breath and steps back and lets him do things himself...or takes a breath and steps up to show him one more time how to do it carefully and correctly and with his very best effort.  

And no, lunch doesn't always happen this way.  Sometimes I do make his food and it is on plastic...and that is life and that is okay....But we try hard to slow our days enough that being 4, and all the lovliness that involves, can unfold....as he learns to gracefully and kindly and lovingly navigate this world around him.  And me?  I am still learning those lessons too.  So it's MamaSchool for us both!  

@mamaschool....science with magnets!

During the week my big girl is in first grade all day.  That leaves me and the little man (he's 4) home together.  He always gets asked if he goes to school too, and saying, "No," didn't seem quite right, because we do a whole lot of learning during our days, so we started calling it "MamaSchool."  Typically our mornings are devoted to his "schooling," with lunch and a brief rest (and a bit of work for Mama) afterwards, then we go get Q from school.

My background (and my passion!) is teaching early childhood, so of course I can't NOT school my kiddos. :)  

I strongly believe that young children learn primarily through play and self-initiated exploration and their own curiosity with the world around them.  You won't find us doing letters of the week or math lessons....or really any type of conventional "lesson" at all.  However, we do spend our days learning a whole lot.

We base our days and our studies on my Little Man's interests.  Right now he is ALL ABOUT doing science experiments.  Not sure where he heard about science experiments--probably one of his audiobooks.  Anyhow, that is what he asks to do any chance we can!

He has also been interested in magnets.  I don't remember exactly how that came about, but he was asking questions and expressing interest in magnets, so I followed his lead.  I got out a few magnets I had from my classroom days, and we went to Mardel with some of his birthday money and bought  a little set of various magnets (the strong science type that have the poles marked on them.)  Then we got out a tray of stuff and set to work figuring out what things the magnets would pick up and which things they wouldn't.  As we worked, I began to use the correct vocabulary--repel, poles, attract, etc. as I talked with him about what we were doing/seeing.   I showed him how two magnets with the same poles would push away from each other.  We just played and played with magnets.  Through this, he was absorbing and exploring fundamental principles of physical science and of magnetic force.  We were also having so much fun!  Of course the first day he used the magnets for about 5 minutes.  But we've gotten them out every day since and he's stretching the time he wants to spend exploring.  He'll repeat some of the same activities again that we've done previously (repelling magnets, etc.), but often I will show him (or he will figure out) something new.  Today we put paperclips on a tray and moved them from below with a magnet.  

As I teach my son science simply by DOING SCIENCE with him, I hear the wise voice of one of my wonderful college professors in my head.  He drummed into us the importance of teaching science by just letting kids do science.  Not by vocab sheets or matching terms or definitions....not by writing out a lab report...but early on, just by doing the work of a scientist.  By using the tools scientists use--and learning to use them correctly.  By trying things.  By exploring.  And that makes me smile, because Dr. Vincent is right.  

Tonight the kids decided Matt would read bedtime stories to Quinn and I would read to Beck.  Beck commented that boys go with girls and girls go with boys (Matt/Quinn & Beck/Me) and further observed that it was kind of like magnets, how North goes with South and South goes with North.  AND HE'S FOUR!!! 

Best of all, this type of learning was so easy for me to facilitate.  Magnets and objects....and that's it!  Other than that all I have to put into this is the gift of my time--sitting down and playing and learning and talking with my little scientist.

In Art News

We have an art easel that we use off and on in our kitchen area.  Our art studio area is upstairs, so I also like to offer some art opportunities downstairs.  The easel was put away for about 6 months, but I recently brought it out again and of course it was a big hit!  Absence makes the heart grow fonder, especially with easels!  Ha!  

Remember that EASELS HELP DEVELOP MOTOR SKILLS (click).....they are essential for early childhood homes!  And fun!

Here's what it looks like for Q(6) and B(newly 4):

Paper in a basket underneath, a role of washi tape to attach the paper to the easel.  I gave the kids a mini-lesson on the correct way to do this.  Q can tape up paper independently, B needs help.  Often times I tape up a blank piece of white paper, and it proves irresistible--someone comes to paint as soon as they spot it!  I also try to occasionally stop and paint a bit to model it for my kids.  They get so interested in watching Mama paint, too!  

A jar of assorted paintbrushes

A sponge (cut in half to make a small square) for wiping brushes or spills

A small container of small chalk bits (small pieces encourage correct finger grasp for young writers) and a little eraser

2 mugs that are used for rinse water for painting--one for warm colors and one for cool colors.  Q and I learned to do this in our recent watercolor class.  I love that it teaches her to think back about her color theory and where particular colors belong.  B just uses them both for either color, and that's fine (with me, not his sister...she hates that).  

I have a little stool next to the easel that holds a pallet of watercolor cakes (the largest size crayola makes).  I put out washable cakes for independent painting, but we use liquid watercolors when we sit down for a guided painting time.  

I also recently bought Q some tempera cakes for some variety.  I am not super impressed with the ones we got, but she likes them.  I hoped they would be darker and more vibrant.  I ordered them, but I need to see what some of the craft stores or even Lakeshore carry.  Theirs might be higher quality.  Anyhow, paint cakes are great because they are less messy than liquid paint and I don't have to worry about wasting paint that dries out.  I provide liquid tempera upstairs in the studio, so they still get different opportunities with a variety of paint mediums.  

We have a cupboard nearby with a basket of old washcloths that the kids have access to for any clean up that is necessary!  They know to put completed pictures on the table if they want to paint another one!  We have a little "training session" when I first get out the easel to show them how to use everything.  Q is very helpful in getting water for her brother and taping up his paper, which is great!!

In our churchbag......

I was cleaning some junk (old bulletins, etc.) out of our church bag today and decided it was a good time to post what we currently keep in that thing!

Right now we have Q (6) and B (newly 4) using the bag, along with a random couple of other kiddos that sit with us, so our bag is made for older preschool/younger elementary-aged kids.

First off, we expect our children to participate fully in worship during the first part (singing, prayer, scripture reading, etc.).  We don't open the bag and our kiddos stand/sit and particpate just like everyone else.  Usually Daddy holds one kiddo and I hold the other, or at least they stand next to us, with our friends (our church has a large urban bus ministry....) sitting between us.  That helps us keep kids focused and attentive.  If we have extra foster kiddos with us, we disperse them between us.  :)

When communion starts, we let our kids begin to use items from our churchbag.  These items are purposefully included to help our children meditate upon, participate in and understand the meaning of communion and Jesus' sacrifice.  Q goes to children's worship after communion, but B stays in "Big Church" still and continues to use the items throughout the sermon time.

Typically I choose which child gets which item.  This might be because they haven't done a particular item in a while and I'd like them to, because they are too antsy to use playdough well that day, or because I want two kids to share the markers between them.  No matter what, they use what Mama hands them or nothing (and all of this has been discussed, taught and practiced beforehand...there is NO WAY you can introduce new items cold-turkey in the middle of church successfully, in my opinion....)  We've already had a mini lesson with the item during the week.  Or maybe just a short discussion on how to use it.  Friends do a really good job of just following what my kids are doing with a few whispered directions from me/my kids.  I love watching my kids include another friend into what they are doing and very quietly explain what to do!

We use a small canvas bag.  I keep it packed and ready to go on our shelves by the back door and I am in the habit of grabbing it each Sunday on the way to church.

 These cards are laminated printouts of famous pieces of art that depict different scenes of Jesus' life.  I just printed them off, laminated them, and keep them in a baggie.  During communion, I look through them with the child next to me and we talk about each picture and what it is of in a whisper voice.

 This is a sign language book I made--I looked up pictures for signs that go along with church words (worship, communion, pray, bread, sing, etc.) and put the picture and written directions onto cards.  The child sitting next to me and I whisper the directions and do the signs in our laps.  I love that many of the signs are designed based on the meaning of the word--for example, the sign for Jesus involves using your fingers like nails in your palms.  Through using the signs for the words, children can participate in the meanings of the words and concepts in a kinesthetic manner.

 I love art books.  My kids have responded really well to this book, which I picked up at a thrift store.  I often see similar items at the thrift store or Half Price Books, so picking up a used copy of Jesus art by the masters is a great idea.  I like my kids to see the different concepts depicted in different ways.  Of course we have had a discussion (sometimes in the car on the way to church is a good time for this) that these are from the artists' imagination, and that is why different artists depict the same scene different ways.

During communion I invite my kids to page through the books while sitting in my lap/next to me and in a whisper I provide some context about the pictures.  Older kids can look at a picture and then use their Bible to find the text (which is usually listed next to the picture).

 Inside the book I have this picture clipped, which my daughter loves.  It's The Last Supper and has the apostles labeled, and also has a page of information about different symbolism in the painting.  She loves to have this quietly read to her.

 All kids seem to love these simple, vintage books.  They are the stories of Jesus (this one is the crucifixion) depicted through simple stick figures.  Matt or I read the book quietly to the child on our lap during communion or let them look at the illustrations independently.

 We also have 2 small 3-ring binders.  One has writing and drawing prompts.  I keep them in clear page protectors and provide some vis-a-vis overhead markers for the children to write on the dry erase pages.  I also keep spare paper at the end in case they want to draw something from the binder on their own.

CLICK HERE to download the printable "Blood" page.

CLICK HERE to download the printable "Bread" page.

 I have sentence starters and also this page on how to dry a cross (link is on the photo).

 I also love using the coloring sheets on the FLAME website--I usually chose those that pertain to communion or Jesus.

I also made a printable where the child copies Isaiah 55:3 and then traces their hand.

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 The other binder has our Playdough Mats--which are ways for younger kiddos (and older, too!) to respond to elements of Communion in a tactile, and age-appropriate way.  I use either the mats from FLAME or some I have made myself, located on the sidebar of this blog.  The playdough is only for completing the activities on the mat, not free play during this time.  We have had great luck with this not being too messy of an activity.  We of course keep the child working right next to us, and sometimes I don't hand them the whole cannister, just small balls at a time to work with.  Also, I try to introduce new mats (and FOR SURE the concept of using a playdough mat) first in our home, not in the communion setting, so I can teach it and demonstrate it.  Often I bring these out at the table while the kids are waiting on me to make lunch or dinner.

We keep a bag of markers.  Sometimes our bag gets left in the car, so I don't keep crayons it it, as they melt.  

 One the bigger kids go to children's worship, I let Beck use the legos during the sermon.  Research on listening comprehension shows that many kids can actually listen more intently and comprehend at a higher level when their hands are busy.  Jim Trelease recommends this in his excellent, most-highly recommended READ ALOUD HANDBOOK.  So Beck is allowed to stay sitting on the pew and work with legos while he also listens to the sermon.  It works great!  He knows if he works quietly he gets to keep the legos, and if he gets wild or loud we put them away and he has to sit in Daddy's lap with nothing in his hands.

I keep the churchbag the same for several months at a time, but after my kiddos begin to lose interest in an item, I change it out.

HERE is a link to some other items that have been in our churchbag.

As you can see, we work to engage/talk (whisper!) with the kiddos all during the communion time to bring their attention to what is happening and why, and to build their understanding.  We consider ourselves their mentors, as we guide them through some child-appropriate elements to help them draw meaning from communion time together.

Best Audiobooks for Preschoolers/Older Toddlers

This list is a younger version of my AUDIOBOOKS FOR KINDERGARTENERS.  In that post, I discuss some of the nuts and bolts about using audiobooks with young children, so you might want to read it first.

The following is a list of some of our faves for the older toddler/preschool crowd.  Also, many of the books on the kindergarten list are also great for preschoolers!  I have a lot of the photos included on the Kindy list, so you can see which ones are in bagged sets with the book--best for littler guys.

I taught my little guy to use a CD player very early on (before he was even 2), so he is independent with it.  Kids love cd players and, with teaching and practice, can be very careful and independent with them, if it is expected of them.  I always had a cd player available for listening to stories in my 2 year old classroom and the children were allowed to use it on their own.  I'll try to remember to put up a post with some of the step-by-step processes we used to teach CD player independence!

Also, I strongly recommend THIS list of nature audiobooks that appeal to older toddlers and preschoolers from another of my past posts.

Also, I add to this list as we come across new titles, so it is growing all the time!

And now, our favorite audiobooks for real little ones:

Brown Bear And Friends  by Bill Martin Jr and Eric Carle

Curious George series by H.A. Rey

The Frances Audio Collection by Russell Hoban

It's a Tiger! by David LaRochelle

Brand-new Pencils, Brand-new Books by Diane deGroat

Bad Rats by Eric Drachman

Green Eggs and Ham and Other Servings of Dr. Seuss

Too Many Toys    and   A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

George and Martha series by James Marshall

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa Series by Erica Silverman (these are longer, so best for older preschoolers)

Diary of A Fly by Doreen Cronin (or any of her books)

Petite Rouge Riding Hood by Mike Artell

Skippyjon Jones books by Judy Schachner

Fairy Tales by Paul Galdone (Rumpelstiltskin, etc)

Maynard Moose Series by Willy Claflin

The Little Moose Who Couldn't Go to Sleep by Willy Claflin

Little Bear Series by Else Homelund Minarik

Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller

Brave Irene by William Steig (a longer one)

Alice the Fairy by David Shannon

Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies

One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies

Surprising Sharks by Nicola Davies

Mole Music by David McPhail

The Gingerbread Boy by Paul Galdone

Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson & Nancy Carpenter

Happy Birthday, Sam by Pat Hutchins

Houndsley and Catina Series by James Howe

Lulubelle and Her Bones by Vashti Farrer

Geronimo Stilton Series by Geronimo Stilton (for older preschoolers)

Horton and the Kwuggerbug and More Lost Stories by Dr. Seuss

The Cat in the Hat and Other Dr. Seuss Favorites by Dr. Seuss

The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot! by Scott Magoon

Leroy Ninker Saddles up by Kate Dicamillo

LMNO Peas by Keith Baker

One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Young Amelia Bedelia Series by Herman Parish

A Sick Day for Amos McGee
Bear Has a Story to Tell (both by )  by Phillip C. Stead

And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano

Murmel, Murmel, Munsch by Robert Munsch

Olivia Series by Ian Falconer

We're Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller

The Gigantic Turnip by Aleksei Tolstoy

Mouse and Mole Series by Wong Herbert Yee

Pete the Cat series by Eric Litwin

The Story Tree by Hugh Lupton

Mr. Putter and Tabby series by Cynthia Rylant

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

Young Amelia Bedelia Audio Collection by Hermann Parish

Arthur series by Lillian Hoban

Fancy Nancy Series by Jane O' Connor

The Dog Who Had Kittens by Polly Robertus

Amelia Bedelia Series by Peggy & Herman Parish

Bailey Goes Camping; Chester's Way or any/all Kevin Henkes books

Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino

Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett

The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll

Arthur Series by Marc Brown

Bear's Toothache by David McPhail

Anna Banana and Me by Lenore Blegvad

Biscuit Series by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Annie and Snowball Series by Cynthia Rylant

Mr. Putter and Tabby Series by Cynthia Rylant

Ask Mr. Bear by Marjorie Flack

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel

Bear Books by Karma Wilson

Frog and Toad Series   and    The Arnold Lobel Audio Collection by Arnold Lobel
(any of his stuff is great!!)

The Bear's Bicycle by Emilie McLeod

Grin and Bear It by Leo Landry

Berenstain Bear Stories by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Zelda and Ivy series by Laura Kvasnosky

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle

Wolf Pie by Brenda Seabrooke

The Teacher From The Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler (my kids loved this and weren't scared...but if your kids get scared easily, you might want to thumb through it with them first and let them see the ending....) 

Bible Play Dough Mats courtesy of Flame Creative Children's Ministry

Recently I stumbled upon an idea that I just love!  Flame, a children's spiritual development blog, had these amazingly awesome and so developmentally appropriate playdough mats they were sharing!  I knew this was perfect for my kids--for a bit of guided playdough time and response to Bible stories.

First off, I printed all of the mats relating to the crucifixion and communion and Jesus rising from the dead--I placed them each in a page protector to keep the playdough off the paper, and I will be bringing them to church on Sundays for my kids to interact with during communion time.

In this current season we are in, our kids are expected to sing/pray and participate in the first portion of church.  During communion I like to bring some type of manipulative/book/activity specifically related to some aspect of communion/remembering Jesus' sacrifice so they can participate on their own developmental level.  I have a basket of several different objects that I choose from each week.  You can follow the label link to my other posts on this.

These playdough mats are perfect!  I will bring a small can of playdough (1 color) per child and I don't see this being too messy.  Each child has a parent sitting with them, so we can help if needed.

I also printed off all the other mats for the kids to use at tablework time (like when I am making lunch, etc.)  The first time I introduced them they spent about 2 total minutes and weren't that into them.  As with any new activity, the more I bring them out, model how to do them, and talk through the activity, the more engaged they are.  I just love the tactile way these invite young children to respond to Bible stories.

Are you sold?  You have GOTTA print these off and add them to your toolkit!!
CLICK HERE to go to the Flame Playdough Mats Page

And below are photos of my Quinn using the mats (again, I did not create the mats--I printed them off the fabulous Flame site linked above).

I have made a couple of my own in the style of Flame's, click 

HERE to check them out!

Activities for travel and road trips with toddlers and preschoolers....my advice!

Because our friends and family are a bit spread out across thus US of A, we take at least one loooong roadtrip a year.  Usually more than one.  By long I mean more than 8 hours in the car in one setting.  I have spent lots of time planning our roadtrip time to make it as joyful as possible with two little ones....initially with infants and toddlers, then preschoolers, and now with a kindergartener!  I thought since the busy season for holiday travel is coming up, I'd share a few tips that work well for us across the ages.  Also, these are great to bring in restaurants, hotels, etc. as you are on your trip and find yourselves having to wait and fill the time!!  

First off, we are a mostly screen-free family.  My kiddos don't do digital games/tv/movies during the week and very little on the weekends.  As a result, neither of them has had much of an attention span for watching movies, so that has never been a huge option for road trips.  In the past couple of years since Quinn has been 5 and 6 we have started letting her have a new movie to watch on Daddy's tablet each time we take a big trip--oldies like Mary Poppins and Sound of Music, of course!  Beck (3 years) will still not watch more than 15 minutes or so before he gets bored.  Because of this, and the fact I don't love my kids movie-ing-out the whole roadtrip, I've worked hard to use the materials we have on hand to make some fun play kits for the car.  Also, I feel like when my kids spend a lot of the roadtrip time in front of a screen, they arrive at our destination cranky and bored.  We've had much better success giving them some hands-on activities to use during the trip!  Plus they are learning and being creative, which is a great use of 8 hours, if you ask me!!

Of course all of these ideas won't fit your family and you won't have all the same materials, but I encourage you to be creative and think outside the box and maybe find ways to adapt some of the ideas for your kids and your materials available.  Think of it as a challenge!  A fun one!

Also, don't go out and buy all these things!!  Shop your house--what do you already have that you can adapt to work out for your kids?  Be creative!!  

My kids are barely entering the age where they can work independently on craft projects or listen to audio stories for extended periods of time, so that makes roadtrips easier.  However, there were many trips and many roadtrips where they were too little to do much independently so I could drive or help navigate, so below are the items I found very helpful with little kiddos!

Here are the items that often accompany us on roadtrips:

(the logistics)

I have transported our car items different ways, depending on the age of my kiddos.  We have a car, so the two kids are in the backseat.  I often use a large tub that fits between their carseats and pack the items in that.  It makes for easy transport into a hotel room or someone's house when we arrive, as well.  Also the kids can put things in and out on their own easily, as bags sometimes fold in and make this difficult.  The tub also raises the items a little higher, more in-reach for arms strapped into carseats.

In the below picture we have a tub filled with items and then an additional bag of books.  We ALWAYS bring a big bag/picnic hamper of library or our personal books on every trip.  

We have found the "I SPY" books to be great in the car.  There are board books for little ones and regular, large-sized books for older kids.  My kids have loved them at many ages.  

For toddlers and preschoolers, I also bring these little books that go along with cheerios and raisins, and of course the corresponding snacks!  

These days, since my kids are older, we do sometimes pack items into a reusable shopping tote and that works fine, too.  It fits well in the middle between them.  

I ALWAYS bring a metal cookie sheet for each kid.  We call if their "art tray."  This serves so many purposes.  A hard surface for writing on, sides to contain items from rolling away, a "table" for eating snacks on the go across their lap, and magnets stick great to it, too!  

Below are my suggestions....And these are from a lot of different road trips, so I don't bring ALL the items mentioned on every trip, of course!  We try not to bring tooooo much stuff!  However I do try to hit the general categories and bring a couple from each.  General categories are listed below in italics, with specifics listed under each.  

(stationary/drawing/writing items)

*Stickers!  Whenever we get some new ones (in the mail or in kids meals, etc.) I often put them in the cabinet to save for a road trip.  My kids LOVE the little coding dot stickers, especially the white ones to color and still all over the place.  Our rule is only on their body or on paper, so we don't end up with sticky residue all over carseats and the car.  My older infants (old enough not to eat em) loved pulling these off the paper and sticking them all over their feet and legs.  Even my big kiddos still love to play with them!  We recently showed Q how to write one letter on each sticker and then put them together to make words.  

These Melissa and Doug sticker pads are great because they have scenes the kids can put the stickers onto.  I find them at a great price at Half Price Books.  Also the stickers are reusable, so you can peel them off and move them.  If you live near Half Price Books, they have a whole section of sticker books in the kids areas for different ages, and of course, some boy stickers!!

*New notebooks and a pencil box full of new writing implements

I don't even go out and buy new ones, usually.  I just raid my pen cup or our marker drawer and find some they haven't used in a while that are new to them.  A fun sidenote on ink pens (the click kind) is that older kids can learn to take them apart and put them back together during a car trip!  I also round up some notebooks or pads of paper that are new to the kids.  I've even been known to make some from stapled paper.  It's all about novelty on roadtrips!  I like using a plastic pencil box to corral drawing items on a road trip.  For little ones, I don't love markers because the lids are always disappearing.  Crayons are fine, as long as the car won't be getting too hot on the trip and melt them, because you know some will fall down along the seat or on the floor.  Often the gel pens that you click (no lid) work well with preschoolers.  Or colored pencils!  Make sure your child knows that they only write on paper!!  

*envelopes, sticky notes, card stock, blank greeting cards, coloring books, activity pads, sketch pads, sticky notes  (they love drawing on sticky notes and putting them all over the window!)

*Crayon or marker rolls

I sew these myself (tutorials all over the internet) or you could buy them from etsy or make one with a placemat folded over and hot glue.  I love these because they display the items so beautifully and keep them from rolling all over the place during travel.  I keep that little marker roll in my purse at all times for emergency drawing purposes (times we have to wait unexpectedly).  You can always commission me to make you some, if you are inclined.  :)

*Scissors and tape

For kids old enough to handle it--blunt scissors, little pieces of cardstock to cut, and a roll of masking or painter's tape.  You would be amazed how much fun any age of child can have with a roll of tape.  Pulling it off the roll, tearing it into little pieces, taping stuff up......It is a magic item, believe me!  Especially that blue painter's tape that tears so easily.  Great fine motor practice for them, as well!  I have also started including a roll of scotch tape for my older daughter, as she knows how to use it.  We don't bring glue in the car, so tape works well for adhering things that need adhering!!  WASHI TAPE is also a really fun item!  Besides using it for taping, you can also make designs on paper with it, wrap it around sticks you found outside on a potty break, etc.  

 

*Dry erase markers and board (WASHABLE ONLY!!)

I have had different types of these over the years, but dry erase sets are fun.  Just make sure they don't smell super strongly (some types are BAD!) and that they are washable.  In my experience markers always seem to get dropped on the floor or in the carseat, then sat upon, so washability is a must for us in the car!  Also bring an eraser or old cloth.  

(tactile objects)

For toddlers and younger preschoolers, especially, their hands need things to touch and explore on a car trip.  I have a VERY active older daughter, and when she was 2-3, she needed a variety of objects to touch and manipulate in the car.  

*Bristle Blocks (or magnetic blocks or some type of blocks that fit together....legos.....)

I NEVER take the whole set of any of these items.  I take about a dozen pieces in a smaller ziplock or tupperware container.  They are all eventually going to end up on the floor of the car, so having a manageable amount is so much easier.  It is also better for the child to work with a smaller amount.  

These have been a hit across several ages for Beck.  

 

*Rubberbands

They have lots of purposes.  A package of rubberbands can be strung across the cookie sheet to make an instrument.  They can be placed around a waterbottle--younger kids love putting them off and on, they can even be put on little arms and legs as bracelets, Quinn's favorite task at 2 years old!  

I also happened to have this geoboard from my math teacher days, and my kids love playing with it using the rubberbands.  You can purchase one of these very cheaply at a teacher supply store or online, I am sure.  

 *Magnets
I round up all our magnets in a little tub for road trips.  The kids love putting them all over their trays.  Toddlers, especially love this!  Older preschoolers love exploring other items WITH the magnets--seeing what items can be attracted to the magnet.  Great science exploration!  You can also fill a tupperware container with different objects of all different materials so your child can explore and see which are attracted to magnets and which are not.

 

This type of set of magnets (this came from Half Price Books) would be great for exploring.  Just put the magnets in a little container to keep them all together!  

For older kids you can expand the magnets to letter magnets.  This is a fishing tacklebox and 4 sets of magnet letters (from the dollar store).  We sort them by letter (write the letter in sharpee on the bottom of each compartment).  Kids can make words on their tray, sort letters, trace the letters onto paper.......

 *Puzzles 
Depending on my kids' age and interest.....when Quinn was an age she loved puzzles I bought a plastic folder (accordian folder) with many compartments and put one flat puzzle in each slot, so we could take about 6 puzzles on a trip and keep all the pieces sorted correctly.  Beck loved his fishing puzzles on roadtrips when he was around a year old.  For older kids doing puzzles not on a frame, the cookie sheet works great for a table and keeping pieces from falling on the floor.  Just make sure the finished puzzle fits on the cookie sheet!

 *Pom Poms and tongs and zippered pouches
A hit with older toddlers.  First they get to zip and unzip...and zip and unzip....and zip...and....you get the picture....the pouch.  Then they can take out the pompoms and put them back in.  Then they can try to pick them up with the tongs!  Lots of fun and lots of fine motor!

 *Squeezie toys
Quinn went through a stage where these worked really well with her (2 years-ish).  She loved having items to squish and squeeze while in the car.

 *Lacing and sewing work
We started out with these.  Now I bring a piece of craft felt, a needle and some embroidery floss for Quinn to "sew" on trips.  Depending on the age of the kiddo, but sewing/lacing is always good for the car!  You can make your own sewing cards with cardboard and a hole punch!

 *etch a sketch 
This was a hit with toddlers.  They loved drawing and erasing.

*Little animals (or cars....or any small object) and a compartmentalized tray

My older toddlers and preschoolers loved to sort items.  I would bring this plastic tray (from a box of candy) or an ice cube tray and an assortment of small items (Beads, flat marbles, tiny cars, etc.) for them to play with.  

 *Calculator
Another "hit at every age" item.  Toddlers love pushing the buttons.  Older kids love looking at the numbers and doing actual math with it.

 *Busy books
We have homemade versions and store bought versions.  These are wonderful for road trips, especially in the toddler days.  Round up any books you have that have tactile features (flaps, movable pieces, feely textures, etc.)

 

*Play sets 

This is a magnetic doll dress up set.  We have a bear one that velcros, as well--you put the clothes on the bear.  I always bring one of our little play sets along.  

 *Paperclips
They can be fastened together to make a long chain.  They can be clipped all over pieces of paper.  They can be bent to make shapes and objects.  They can be wrapped in washi tape to make decorations and bracelets, they can be strung onto pipecleaners.......

*Stringing work and pipecleaners

I always bring some kind of string/beading work.  For really young children, a shoelace and super large wooden beads or spools are great (make sure the shoelace has a hard end so they can use it to thread).  This picture below is some plastic cording and letter beads.  I also love pipecleaners and pony beads.  Pipecleaners are a wonderful car item, as well.  They can be used to string beads on, or bent and made into objects of every kind, or twisted together to make a long stick.  

You can also give them a small container of fruitloops and a string or pipecleaner!  

 *Personal items
My kids love having access to their own personal items, varying depending on their age.  Flashlights or headlamps are great, chapstick, hand sanitizer (not for kids who might drink it!), tissues, gum, etc.

*cards

My kids love flashcards on trips.  We have a couple different sets--one of dinosaurs and one of animals.  Quinn also has a couple little sets of bug cards she loves to bring and look through (with a very intense concentration!) on road trips.  

Cards to punch out and make into stuff:

*Travel Games:

My kids don't play these games correctly, they just like taking out the pegs and putting them back in.  We have the t's that have been cut off, so they aren't sharp on the bottoms.  

*One soft doll or animal

 *silks or scarves
Often used more at our destination to make tents, capes, etc.  Also useful to block sunlight in a car window!

(books and music) 

My kids love music and they love (and always have!) loved books on cd or mp3.  

We adore the website sparklestories.com and their beautiful stories for all ages.  We never have a cartrip without some sparklestories (and they have travel stories you can get, too)!  Usually we bring a portable discman.  My kids love the power of choosing their own cd (from a little book of cd's) and playing it themselves.  We also bring an mp3 player for the other child with a variety of songs and stories.  We love the tiger headphones--they seem to hold up better than others we have had and they also have a little volume control the child can operate.  **note, instead of discman or mp3 player, now we bring our old smartphones, which can download audiobooks from our library's site while on wifi, and then serve as mp3 players for the kids to plug in headphones and listen to their stories!  

LINK HERE

I check out books on cd from the library before every roadtrip!  

Now that my kids are older they spend the majority of roadtrip time listening to audio stories.  I love it!!  Often we all listen to stories on the car cd player together.  

Other ideas:

-box of bandaids--let the child open them and stick them all over their body! (have a plastic sack reachable for them to put trash in)

-give them a couple baby wipes and see how clean they can get their carseat and area around themselves (this is a GREAT idea toward the end of the trip!!  If you spin it right, they will get really into it and clean that seat up lickity split!!)

-lollipops are always my "trick up my sleeve."  I keep several ready to go for every road trip and pass them out when we need em....to make it that last hour or to quiet some squabbling.  For some reason having a lollipop in the mouth quiets and calms little travelers!!  

 For older preschoolers and elementary kiddos, lots of handwork items are wonderful for roadtrips.  I have a category on my sidebar for handwork, if you want to check out some of my favorite projects with my kiddos!

And jumping back onto this post after our most recent 2000+ mile roadtrip with an essential--these little battery LED lights were perfect for the trip!  I brought two per kid and passed them out once it got dark.  They aren't bright enough to read by, but they could totally see enough to switch cd's in the discman or find a dropped item, eat a snack, play with small toys, etc., and they didn't bother me driving like flashlights or the interior car lights do.  Plus they served as a great nightlight for them to fall asleep in the hotel room/our relative's house!  Just the cheapy ones from Walmart are what I have.

 Also this book has some great car ideas:

Hope this helped get your brain spinning and planning for your next roadtrip!!  Be creative and spend an hour or so getting a fun box ready for your kiddos....it will add so much joy to your trip!

My two favorite places to shop for any travel items (I ALWAYS shop my house first, but usually bring a couple new items on each trip) are Half Price Books (they have a ton of non-book kid items that are great!!) and Dollar Tree.  I have made great travel scores at both places!

Also remember that the first time young kids are introduced to an item, they may not have interest in it for very long.  That's okay....Let them explore it as long as they want, and then put it away and get it out again later in your trip.  They might use stickers for 2 minutes then move on to the next thing until they have tried everything in your trip box.  Young kiddos are developmentally designed to get the "lay of the land" when they come to a new experience, so this is normal and good.  Just be patient and perhaps later in your trip model how that particular item could be used.  Usually just playing with it in front of them is a good way to peak their interest!

Also, HERE is another post I wrote on travel items...and you can click the "travel" tab on the right hand sidebar and it will show you all my travel posts, tagged as such!