Tea Party

One of the themes for "toddler school" a few weeks ago was tea. We enjoyed reading books about tea and singing "I'm a Little Teapot". We finished the week with a tea party of our own. Hannah gathered some of her stuffed animal friends around and was a great little hostess to them. She thought it was great that I let her put water in the teapot. :)

I love our days at home together...

learning how to properly hold her tea cup.

Christmas Coutdown

Hannah and I are having a great time counting down our way to Christmas. We got this great idea from Hubbards Cupboard (where we get most of our "toddler school" ideas/activities). She has a whole list of advent/Christmas activities that you can do with your toddler here and you can click here to get the link for making the same Christmas Advent Countdown chain that Hannah and I made together.

She hasn't had a lot of practice with the glue stick and is already a pro

Each day we have a Bible verse, passage, and activity to reinforce the meaning of the season. This has been so good for my focus too!

she had fun creating an ABAB pattern with the colors

One very excited toddler ready to count down to Christmas day!

Fall school

Remember our fall walk? Well...here's what we did with some of our findings:

Hannah made this beautiful fall collage. I believe this was her first time using Elmer's glue..she did a great job!

We made a fall math game. Hannah rolls the dice. She counts the number of dots and puts that many acorns on the fall leaf mat that she colored. She loves her math game and has been playing it all week!

A Fall Walk

Hannah and I have been reading fall books and talking about fall/autumn this week. Today we went for a fall walk to find signs of fall.

Isaac rode in the stroller and she ran most of the way...so excited!
She found leaves of all different colors and sizes...

acorns and helicopter seeds.
We both loved this beautiful red tree. I asked her if I could get her picture by it and she came up with this pose idea herself...I'm so glad she did! We will be framing these for sure!

Finger Painting

In between diaper changes and feedings, we have been able to squeeze in a little bit of toddler school. It's actually easier to do toddler school, than to try to go anywhere because we can just fit it into our day. On Tuesday, Hannah had a ball finger painting with a mixture of glue and shaving cream (I just used equal parts of glue and shaving cream and added a little food coloring). It's funny how she started out with just using a few fingers and by the time she was done it was up to her elbows, in her hair, and on her belly...but boy did she have fun. The cleanup was easy...just threw her in the shower :)

Sponge Painting

For school today, we talked about Mommies. We read books about Mommies and talked about what Mommies do. I said that mommies make bagels, and give hugs and kisses. Mommy thought that was pretty good. I also got to sponge paint and loved it! I was very precise with my painting and stayed in the lines as best as I could. We painted hearts and flowers because that's what Mommies like. By the time I was done, Mommy had added lots more hearts and flowers to my page and I had them all painted! Such fun!

Toddler "School"

Hannah and I both love and thrive off routine. I have learned from my teaching experience that really all children do. Routines are a way to keep your family calm, secure, and at ease with life's variables. When children know what to expect next they will feel safe, secure, and confident. I'm so excited for the new routine of fall! Now, I do know that both of our worlds are about ready to be rocked with a new baby coming, but we are going to at least start out with and hopefully return to a good routine.

This year, we are starting what I like to call toddler "school". Hannah loves to learn, and is constantly asking questions....I love to teach and am anxious to have some formal learning time with my sweet 2 and half year old. So..twice a week, we will be spending just a little time during the day doing "school". We started out with the theme of families...which is perfect for us with the new baby coming. We have been reading lots of family books, and even made a family book of our own. She is memorizing Colossians 3:20 and learning that God made her a part of a family. Here, she is sorting pictures of family members that she colored.


I'm amazed at how quickly she learns and how eager she is to learn. She asks what sounds words start with all the time, can name most of her letters, and is doing things like sorting and counting with no trouble at all! I count it such a joy and a blessing to be home with her each day and to be her teacher. What fun we have together!