Books on CD

We are enjoying the Candlewick Press READ, LISTEN, and WONDER series a crazy bunch!  You can, of course, purchase it, but we've been checking out the different titles from the library.  I am noticing there are some titles that are not shown in this above photo (via amazon) that we've also checked out, so there are more out there. 

We don't do any television/dvds/movies with our kiddos at this point, not even on car rides, so we've had to get creative to keep Quinn entertained on long drives.  Books on cd work perfectly!  She loves them so much that she also listens to them on her bedroom cd player as she falls asleep and even in the car on shorter trips--as the cd's are pretty short. 

I particularly love this series because they are primarily non-fiction.  Traditionally most books on cd are fiction, so this is a nice change.  It's important to expose young children to good quality non-fiction so they begin to learn its features, and these are a very good quality example!

Listening to the cds repeatedly builds comprehension and fluency.  Also the vocabulary in the stories is exceptional--lots of scientific vocabulary.  I have heard Quinn internalizing and using many of these words in her everyday conversations after she's learned them in the stories after hearing them read dozens of times.  Remember that children can comprehend something much more difficult if they hear it auditorily--even things they might not be able read/write/or say themselves.  This is a great reason to use books on cd with kids.  They also build concentration, understanding of plot elements, and are just plain enjoyable!

We've also checked out the complete series of Curious George, as well as a smattering of other titles as we come across them at the library.  We own several fairy tale/folk tale sets as well.

I highly recommend using books on cd with older toddlers and preschoolers...

Ocean Songs and Fingerplays

Q and I worked last week on decorating our lyric cards for our ocean songs and fingerplays.  Beck is super into bees right now, as well, so we also included some Bee items.  I typed out the words and we glued those one one side of the card, and then Q and I worked together to illustrate the other side.  I then laminated the cards.  Here is a picture of a few of them.  We keep them in a basket, ready to go for song/fingerplay time!  They are great because they provide emergent literacy experiences for Q--she can tell by the illustration what song is being represented.  And it reminds me of all the songs we can sing!  Otherwise I tend to freeze up when we sit down to sing and I can't think of anything relevant!  And Beck just enjoys throwing them out of their basket and onto the floor.  :)

 

Ocean Watercoloring

After a bit of research and discussion about the colors of water in the ocean, we determined that there are blues, greens and purples.  So we got out our big watercolor set and taped off any colors that WEREN'T in the ocean (to keep us from forgetting and dipping into a color that isn't needed).  Then we set to work painting our ocean water.  We'll use this page folded in half to make a cover for an ocean book we are both writing. 

Sensory Water Play

This was another sensory play with water--I put some water and a little bit of bubbles into a tray.  We added some fabric fish from another play set.  Beck enjoyed catching them and splashing, and I worked with Quinn on "wringing."  I showed her how to squish with one hand or to use two hands to wring the water out of the fish.  And of course both kids just enjoyed some swirling, splashing, wet play!

Simple Baby Rattle

I was putting together a little gift to mail to a sweet 2-month-old friend of ours last week and took this picture.  This is a very simple rattle perfect for little ones just learning to hold and refine movement of their large muscles (arms).  It's made from a long wooden macreme noddle (bought at Hob Lob), 2 jingle bells and some embroidery floss.  I tied it super-securely, as it is definitely destined for some mouth visits! 

This rattle is a great first toy for babies because it isn't overstimulating--many rattles combine different textures, different "rattly objects" and different colors all in one rattle.  This is often too much sensory input for very young babies who are first learning to explore the world through their senses.

It can be lifted, moved, twisted, lightly shaken, and explored by a very young baby. 

 

Sensory play

We've been doing some simple sensory play with water lately to go along with our ocean unit.  This particular day I made green ocean water.  We've been looking at ocean water in different photographs in books and talking about the different colors we see.  Q and I watercolored an ocean and used different colors of blues and greens (post to come soon!). 
A friend loaned us a set of small ocean animals, so we've been having fun catching them.  I had a small slotted spoon that came with one of Q's kitchen sets, and then I made another little net with a piece of wire and some tulle I robbed from Beck's birthday bow stash.  They have fun catching the animals and Beck likes to feel the water and splash. 
This is a very simple sensory activity and nice because I can leave it out and we can revisit it several times during the day.  Q can of course stay engaged for long periods of time, but Beck has a very short attention span and so we like to come back and explore throughout the day. 

 

Invitations

Lately I have begun putting out "invitations" to projects/activities/work that I think might interest Q.  For example she's been very motivated to cut things lately, so I made this simple cutting work and left it out next to her scissors on her writing table in the kitchen.  Other times I leave out a basket of blocks I know she enjoys but hasn't used in a while--she goes downstairs and plays a bit in the mornings before everyone else wakes up--so I left the blocks right at the end of the stairs where she'd be sure to see it.  When I came downstairs there was a lovely creation she'd made! 
When she was younger I used to do this same thing in her room.  I'd leave out a puzzle or books or other items I knew she'd be excited to see and work with when she awoke in the morning.  It gave me a few more minutes of sleep and her some great independent play time. 
These days I leave work on her art table, her writing table, playroom floor (perhaps a dress up outfit draped across the doll cradle where she'll be sure to see it) and she loves discovering something I've set out for her.
This is a gentle, inviting and simple way to help direct and motivate children to work on a particular project you know would be good for their current skill/development level.  Of course a nice presentation makes it all the more appealing, so I try to do that when I can!