Foam Necklace

What you will need:

Foam shapes

String

First Cali and I separated the shapes by color.

Next we said the shapes we saw, circles, stars, hearts, etc.

We spent about 20 minutes doing this.

Next it was time to make the necklace.

I made a knot at the end of the string and let Cali begin her magic.

She had the best time making he "necky" as she calls them.

I actually crocheted a "necky" for her by request last night.

Here is her finished necklace.

Cali 31 months old

The Tot Car

What you will need:

Art Box

Wooden Car Kit

(Found at Joann's for $1.99)

Cali loves cars, tractors, fishings, football, soccer, etc. So when I told her we were going to build our very own car she was more than excited! I opened the package and let her explore with the pieces for about 10 minutes. After the 10 mintues I directed her by using hand gestures on how to make the car. I didn't want to actaully "show" her how to put the pieces together, because I think it is very important for her to learn by gesture on how to make/build anything.

I knew she could do it! And I praised her for listening and watching my hands on how to put the wheels together!

Next I simply said "Where do the wheels go?" Of course she knew, so she placed them in the correct holes. (You will want a hammer close by to make sure the wheels are good and tight)

Next, she colored her car! I wrote her name on it, we practiced C..A..L..I. I love the way she actually says her name, its "Talvee." On this car we also drew shapes, and talked about colors. Purple is by far her favorite!

Cali very proud of her new car!!

Animal Face Plates

What you wil need:

Paper Plates

Colored Construction Paper

Art Box

Scissors

Glue

I told Cali that it was craft time, and she came to check out when I had in store for her on this day. She was excited to hear we were making animals! She is such an animal lover!

Get your paper plates, we made 2 animals. First turn the plate over, you want to use the back so the face will "pop" out. Have an animal in mind, and start talking about the color of the animal and give your child that color or crayon. We did a pig, so I can gave Cali a pink crayon. As she was coloring we talked about what sounds a pig makes, and where you can find pigs!

Next give you child a darker colored crayon for the eyes. I told Cali that the pigs eyes where circles that we colored in. (Circles are Cali's favorite)

Next draw with a dark crayon on the construction paper the shapes you will use for the ears, nose and mouth. As I drew the shapes, Cali told me what they were. She loves her shapes! As I was drawing the mouth, she said that I was making a moon! How awesome is it to see your child do a comparsion before your eyes! I was pretty amazed she put them together!

Glue your shapes to complete the face!

Look at how awesome her pig is! It is now frigde art, and dont forget the put their name, age, and date on the back!

Cali the pig!

We had so much fun, we decided we had to make another one. Cali said she wanted to make a dog. Follow all the steps again, and complete the face.

Cali the dog!



Take Every Moment To Teach Your Tot

Any chance I get I take the opportunity to teach or have Cali learn something new. One of the best places is the grocery store. There are so many new smells, textures, colors, shapes, etc that tots can benefit from. On this day we talked about sizes and colors of fruits and veggies! We also did some smelling too!

Flour Drawing

 What you need:
+Flour
+Foil

Sprinkle the foil with flour, the more the better :o)
Show your child how to draw shapes, numbers, and the alphabet with his/her fingers.

 This is an easy way to teach them as well as to make learning fun.
I suggest depending on the child's age, 10 to 20 minutes of structured learning time, once you can see you have lost their attention span let them enjoy playing in the flour.

Of course I knew this activity would be best on the floor because, we must let our piggies get some play time too! Cali kept saying "Sof fower," meaning soft flour.