Structured Play

We headed out to the "Dig, Dig Park," as Jake puts it, for a play date. This is his favorite place in the world! This is a park that was designed by the Metro Parks Department. There is a Nature Center, a hiking trail and a fenced in dirt park. The dirt park is an area designated for children to just play in the dirt! There is a small log cabin, dirt piles and trenches. They provide dump trucks, shovels and other tools for the children to play with and explore. Although it takes a conscious effort to release control and allow your little one get completely immersed in the moment, it is very important! And fun!! The key is to be prepared! Jake loves all things outdoors but what this park has to offer is a combination of construction, digging and water. Nothing better in the world! He dug, he poured, he splashed and he climbed. He tripped, he fell, he was completely soaked in mud but no cuts or bruises! He even did a face plant right into a muddy puddle mouth open and...

A portion of our Structured Play time is spent assembling puzzles. Jake has never shown a huge interest in puzzles, he enjoys playing with the pieces but not putting the pieces in their spots. I decided to get a new puzzle to hopefully spark his interest even more! Jacob is all boy! He loves anything with a motor, wheels or that is a tool! I knew this Melissa and Doug  puzzle with cars and trucks would spark his interest! And boy was I right (love that!). He put this puzzle together over and over for about 30 minutes! After introducing the new puzzle I made sure to discuss each car or truck pointing out details on the vehicle. Then after we dumped the puzzle Jake was able to look at the pieces and figure out where they went. He made connections to each vehicle which is important to literacy development, vocabulary and the obvious hand-eye coordination.

Today we did arts and crafts! This is the first time that I introduced glue to Jake. I showed him how to glue using a glue stick. He was quite excited! We started by reading,  The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle. I let him play in the sensory box while I read. He looked at the pictures and stayed engaged while still playing.  I was prepared before we started with all the pieces cut out. We turned to the page pictured above to use as a reference. I started by putting each piece where it should go on the paper so Jacob knew what the picture would look like and how to put it together.   Next, I showed him how to use the glue stick. He got a kick out of this! I had him feel the glue so that he understood that it was sticky and that was what made it stick. He did a great job putting it all together and even said, "Oooh!" After it was all finished. I chose colors that mimicked the flower in the book. He pointed at the book while we were putting together the picture whenever I aske...

Today we spent some time working with numbers. Jake has never shown much of an interest in wanting to count with me. We have an i-pad with counting games and he will play that but never counts out-loud with the program. I knew I wanted to make counting fun to get him interested. I wanted to introduce the digits with the counting so that he could start to recognize numbers as well. I glued wooden painted flowers to Popsicle sticks and wrote numbers one through 3 as well as adding one, two and three dots. I used an egg carton to hold the sticks. (I was plaining on painting it but didn't get that far) After reading Kipper's book of Numbers by Mick Inkpen, I showed Jake the flowers. I let him pick them up and put them back. I then pointed out the numerals and dots on the flowers. We practiced counting the flowers and putting them in the correct location. I showed Jake that he should read the numerals in the middle of the flower and then look for the matching numeral on ...

I love playing in the kitchen with my son. I guess it is because I remember doing the same thing with my mother. Seeing him learn life-skills at such a young age shows me that this will be skills he uses for the rest of his life! He loves kitchen tools especially the ones that have motors. We put the ingredients together and started mixing. I make sure to explain what the ingredients add to the cookies, ie: sugar makes them sweet. I also name and explain the tools we are using and why.   The problem started when we took the bowl out of the mixing stand. Jake stole a little taste! Once he had that taste in his mouth he wanted more! That is when the tears started! And they did not stop! The entire time we rolled the dough, cut the flower shapes, and put the cookies in the oven, he cried! I couldn't get him to stop so while the cookies cooked, he napped! Take Two After nap (and lunch) we iced and sprinkled the cookies. This went much better although we did no...

This activity was suppose to be a Mother's Day gift for Jacob's grandmothers but we had a new birth in the family and schedules were mixed up and we did not have a chance to make them. I wanted to go ahead and make them and send them on their way. We are having a very cool, rainy week so no better time! I always start by getting my supplies together. I have a cheap little table that is just Jake's height that we use, although all the paint washes right off! The most important supply is the baby wipes to clean accidents right away or to wipe hands! The flower pot at the bottom of the picture came from Tip Junky . If you haven't checked out that site, spend a little time over there! There are a lot of neat ideas! We made two pictures one for each grandmother. Because this activity included many steps I put one paper on the table at a time and then quickly pulled them down in between steps. I had another paper available for Jake to free paint on so that he did not get frus...

Today we read Flower Garden by Eve Bunting. I feel it is important to make connections to your toddler's life, the world and the books you are reading. This helps facilitate reading and helps children gain comprehension. To go along with the introduction of the Sensory Box I chose to read Flower Garden . I started by introducing the Sensory Box and allowing Jake to try it out for about 15 minutes. He enjoyed planting flowers, watering them and looking for bugs! It was very cute every time he found a bug he said, "Ewww!" and then laughed! Next, I introduced the book. I started reading as he was still playing, but I made sure to point items out in the story or in the picture so Jake was listening and paying attention to the story.  In the story the little girl plants flowers in a planter.  Here I point out that she has dirt, a pot and shovel as well as flowers. At this point I pause the story and have Jake plant his flowers as the little girl does in the story. ...

Our Sensory Box for this month is designed to reiterate our flower theme. I used black beans as the base then added small ceramic pots, plastic bugs, flowers, a shovel, wooden watering can, and a bug catching net.  We used the shovel to scoop the 'dirt' (beans) into the pots then planted the flowers. After planting the flowers we have to water them! We can then use the bug catcher to pick up some of the bugs scattered throughout the tub.  This is a mess free option for inside. We have an outdoor option that I will share in another post. I feel it is important to make play a real world experience and as spring and summer approach there is no reason for us not to be outside as much as possible! With a cold and rainy week ahead we will be using the inside sensory box! 

Ever have one of those days? Or a lot of those days? I seem to feel like that every night between 5-7pm. I guess it is called the witching hour for a reason! I just want to make dinner then enjoy dinner without incident! It never seems to happen. Jake wants to be right at my side the entire time, as does the dog. We have an incredibly small kitchen and it just does not work! I love for Jake to help out in the kitchen, when that is what he is doing, but most of the time it is him whining (ugh, his new favorite past-time) while I am trying to speedily cook. I decided I needed to get him out of the kitchen and the whole process would be faster and more pleasant for us both! I did not want to discourage his love of the kitchen and cooking so I made a compromise. I put out an old baking sheet, a bowl of water and every (safe) kitchen utensil that Jake could pull out. I placed them on a built-in window seat, just his height for a counter, in the dinning room. He 'cooked' water ...

Spring has sprung in Nashville! And it is a welcomed event!! It is so nice to have windows and doors open. We enjoy spending our days outside so this theme fits right in! I will be having Structured Play time outside when ever possible! It is not necessary to think activities, games, crafts, coloring need to be completed inside. Everything is more fun in the sun! I want to reiterate a few points before the download: 1. My plans are not meant to be completed in any specific order. Each day is different and Structured Play time should be a fun learning experience. Pick an activity or activities that fit the mood of your child for that day. 2. Practice activities more than once because repetition is key to gaining new skills. 3. READ, READ, READ- Read everyday and reread stories to allows your child to 'read' the books themselves. This is the first step in literacy. 4. Walk Away- Try to keep Structured Play time 'fun'. If things get frustrating to you or your child, w...

So sorry for those that have been loyal followers! I have been riddled with sickness! Started with mastitis and went on and on from there! After it is all said and done I am coming out of a dark place with some good news! Baby boy number 2 is on the way! Although I have not posted I have not given up on our Structured Play time! It might not have been a thorough but we have still been learning, playing and reading! I am ready to jump back into the blogging world but it will come slowly, as I have fallen behind in A LOT of other areas as well! Can't wait to catch-up!