Sunday, June 14, 2009

Tot school

Tot School
R will be 39 months old on the 20th

This pink spray bottle is from the dollar store and it is one of R's favorite tot school toys. Did you know that spray bottles help develop important pre-writing fine motor skills? Using the spray bottle helps to develop hand muscles. R uses hers to wash soap or shaving cream off the walls in the tub, to clean the kitchen sink, and to water trees and flowers outside. We have even put watered down washable paint in our spray bottles and created fabulous works of art on large pieces of paper. She never tires of her spray bottle.
R loved feeding the ducks near our house. The only thing I don't love about feeding the ducks is cleaning off our shoes when we get home.

R helped C build with these castle blocks. I loved that they were playing so well together. They later added princesses and knights and there was a lot of talk about getting married.


The water room is always R's favorite place in the Children's Museum and this visit was no exception.R made this bug mask because we are learning a little bit about Rhode Island as part of our 50 states project. Check out this post if you want to know what a blue bug has to do with Rhode Island. I want to take a moment to mention a conversation I had with a mother the other day. She thinks my children are too young to learn about the 50 states and commented that they would never remember any of this. I beg to differ. Age does not matter when it comes to learning about anything; it is all about how you present the material. We are doing fun projects to learn about our country and my children already amaze me with their ability to remember things they learn. If you avoid teaching your children about something because you think they won't understand or won't remember the information, then you are missing a wonderful opportunity. My children love this project and look forward to learning about our wonderful country.

Thank you for visiting and don't forget to check out what other moms of tots are doing for tot school.

9 comments:

Homeschool Friend said...

We are studying the 5o states too!!! I'm using Cantering the Country as a guide. As well we are using Eat Your Way Through the U.S.A. What are you suing if anything? I am loving your book suggestions! Thank you for everything! Your blog is so fabulous! LOVE it!!!

RockerMom said...

I've had people tell me that I'm pushing RockerTot when he's been pulling me. Certain content may be age-specific, but learning isn't. Good for you!!

I've been meaning to get RockerTot his very own spray bottle, but I'm a bit afraid. He's still so wild sometimes.

Thanks for sharing!!

Christy Killoran said...

Bookworm, I'm not really using any curriculum or guided program. I find a lot of information on the Enchanted Learning website and I love the state alphabet books by Sleeping Bear Press. I LOVE the idea of eating your way through the USA - how fun is that! I would love to hear more about your project.

Rocker Mom, Thank you for your comment! And, I was nervous about the spray bottles too but so far C and R have been good at following the spray bottle rules - I think the idea of losing the spray bottle is too much to bear! Sometimes I give them rags so they can wipe up as they go along too.

Unknown said...

I totally agree with you; kids can and do learn complex things even at a young age. :) I love the new look over hear, btw.

RockerMom said...

Just so you know... he loves those jammies and calls him "Spicy Man". I think it's cute.

Michelle said...

I love the spray bottle for watering plants outside...I am going to have to try that with Emily. We went to our children's museum this week too. Emily would love it if ours had a water area like that!

Mandy said...

I can't wait until I'm feeling better and can start really doing these things. I'm going out to get my daughter a spray bottle! She'll love it. My son will want one too.

meredith said...

I love the 50 states idea. I would like to start that in the fall with my kids. We currently live in Texas, but my husband and I are from Louisiana. My sons favorite books right now are " The Louisiana Alphabet" and "My Aunt Came Back From Louisianne"

Thanks for sharing ideas. I am constantly amazed at how much kids can remember when they are interested in something. I think it is great that you are doing this project with your kids.

Anonymous said...

I am just now getting acquainted with you blog, and it's great. I totally agree with you - there is no age limit (up or down) on learning, it's more about how it's presented. I have a question about a spray bottle, since I was looking for one for Anna as well, and I couldn't find it in a dollar store. Was it empty when you bought it or did it have something inside which you dumped?