OK so this semester I have not been very good at doing activities/projects with my girls. I have tons of ideas in my head or that I find online but only some of them actually get done. Sometimes I write my ideas down, sometimes they get started but not finished. Now that Sydney is in school M-F and Maddie has EI appts three days a week plus Music Together on Wednesdays it doesn't leave much time for me to plan and do activities with them. In the afternoon we are usually outside (even now that it is getting darker sooner) and then it's dinner, baths, bedtime and the day is done.
So I have decided to make a conscious effort to plan and follow through with activities that will take them away from the TV, me from cleaning and give us time more quality time together. First on my list is to rotate toys in our playroom. I also came across a blog last night, pigtailsandtutus.blogspot.com, created by a Mom who has some pretty creative and fun ideas that she's done with her daughter. I did one of her activities today with Sydney. I hope to keep going in this direction and to share it all with you along the way!
Rotating Toys: I brought up some toys from the basement for Maddie. Sydney got this puzzle set from her Grandpa on her 2nd birthday. Maddie loved it and actually had no trouble matching the shapes to make each picture.
While looking for other things in the basement Maddie found markers and wanted to make pictures. She said "Momma, I make a crocodile, don't be scared, ok??" She talks incessantly about the crocodile at the Rainforest Cafe at our mall. Everyday she tells me "I go see Crocodile later, ok?" She knows we can't see him everyday so she says "later". She doesn't miss a thing.
Maddie's "crocodile".
In the blog "pigtailsandtutus" there was a post about putting trinkets in a bowl of water and freezing it, then using warm water, spoons and other tools, the kids tried to get the items out of the ice. For Sydney I froze the numbers 1-10 and she put them in order once they were out. We talked about whether cold water or warm water worked best and what number she wanted to work on next. She can recognize numbers 1-10 with ease now, but it was nice to give her an activity that worked on patience and a little perseverance.
