A Week of Recovery

Little Tiny's first birthday and Halloween were enough to throw us all off balance for a bit, but we also got hit with a little sickness around here that forced us to slow things down for a few days. The girls and I didn't really leave the house for about 5 days and we just needed some time to rest and feel better. Unfortunately, Little Tiny had the worst of the virus but I'm happy to say she's back to her "normal--get into everything" self :) We did manage to do a few things here and there that were worthy of pictures.

We Made Pumpkin Muffins :)
This most delicious recipe came from the Pioneer Woman and you can find it here. We used our own pumpkin puree (not the canned stuff, but it works too) and got down to work. Daddy had his hands full taking care of Tiny while the mixing was going on, so we just have this picture of Little Bear ready to try her muffin for a bedtime snack :) We skipped the cream cheese frosting and had these for breakfast the next morning also...they were, by far, the best muffins I've ever made.

We're Going on a Hunt!
....a Color Hunt, that is! This was one of the first games I made when we first started doing Tot School and it has always been a favorite. I just used an empty Pringles can and covered it with construction paper (you can do SO many things with an empty Pringles can, covered or not!!!). I wrote 10 color words on wooden clothespins with permanent markers and threw them inside. Little Bear reaches in (without peeking, of course) and pulls one out and has to go on a color hunt around the room to find something that color.

If it's something that can be "pinched" she clips it on and if it's something that can't be "pinched," like something too large or oddly shaped, she just lays the clothespin on top. We recently started singing a song to go with it as we play (our song was adapted from Laurie Berkner's "We're Going on a Hunt"). After she finds every color, she gets to go around and collect them, counting up to ten to be sure she got them all.

Lids a Plenty
These days, I am finding myself not wanting to throw anything away that I *think* would make a good school toy or manipulative (if you're a teacher and you're reading this, you will back me up that "manipulative" IS a real word). Lids have become sort of an obsession. They are a bit annoying because I have to make sure and wash them well so they don't get stinky and then they must have lots of drying time on the counter (which drives Father bear quite insane). Oh well. They are FUN! While Big Sis and I were playing Color Hunt, Tiny wanted her own Pringles can to play with so here was the solution: throw a bunch of lids (only the non-choking hazard ones) in the can and let her at it! She was in heaven for a little while ;)

And sometimes when I try to *distract* Little Sis with one thing to keep her from bothering Big Sis, Big Sis wants to drop what she's doing and join in...and although this pic is a bit fuzzy, it's one of my favorites from the week. I LOVE to watch them share and grow together :D

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tot Book
One of the MANY wonderful tools I have found on the 1+1+1=1 site is a Tot Book. Anyone familiar with lapbooking might really be interested in these for younger kiddos. Carissa has SO many already made, all you have to do is print and assemble. Unfortunately, I've only had a chance to make one but it's wonderful! Little Bear is actually able to read the little repetitious book "The tree is...." after coloring the trees the appropriate colors. She did it twice before I got my video camera out and then she would not cooperate, of course! Oh, don't mind the cute little "snacker" in the picture ;)

Paperclip Color Sorting
I have kind of been throwing things together in a hurry lately, so this morning I pulled a few things out of the closet and let Little Bear explore. The idea behind this tray activity was to sort the paperclips in the corresponding color bowls. She apparently did that first...while I was tending to Tiny and starting lunch. When I got the camera of course, she was still playing a game, only her own version ;) She stacked the bowls up and then lined up all the paperclips on the tray. For some reason, she has a real fascination with paperclips...probably because she sees me using them to keep certain papers and games together and she just can't seem to figure out how I get them to "clip" on things! She did a little experimenting with bending them also, but that just gave me the opportunity to talk to her about the dangers of the pointy ends if we "uncurl" them.

Leaf Patterns
This little project has been a long time in the making (in my head, anyway). I finally got things together this morning and Little Bear was SO excited! I laminated a few strips of construction paper and used foam leaf stickers I picked up at a craft store a while back. I started the patterns and left room for her to finish the last two or three leaves. She loves both stickers and patterns, so this one was a hit!

On the last card, she got to make up her own "design."

More Fun with Lids
While Little Bear did her activities at the table this morning, Tiny also wanted to join in the fun. I gathered a few lids *that were drying on the counter,* a container and a little bowl and let her explore. And this is what I saw when I looked over at her a few times: (she's SO funny!)

Memory Verse Activities
We started working on memorizing Bible Verses a few months ago. At first, I would write a simple verse that I thought we could ALL work on in our hearts on our big chalkboard above the kitchen table. I was super surprised that Little Bear picked up on this right away and LOVED it. Here she is back in September reciting Proverbs 3:6, "In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."



Not long after we started doing this on our own, I discovered the CD "Songs for Saplings," by Dana Dirksen on the 1+1+1=1 blog. And of course Carissa began making all sorts of printables to go with each of the verses! She's wonderful, I tell ya! So back when we were doing the Apple Unit, Little Bear started with the first verse: "Keep me as the apple of your eye," Psalm 17:8. We let that settle in for about 2 weeks before moving on to the next one. I laminate all of the printables and place the verse in several different locations around the house so it is visible in *almost* every room Little Bear frequents. We listen to the whole "Songs for Saplings" CD daily and she can't help but sing along with me throughout the day. She also has a little flip book that includes the verses she has memorized and we'll add to it as time goes on. The printable packs come with the verse typed on individual word cards so the children can actually build the verse and then read it, which is what our sweetie is doing in the video below. This just FILLS my heart with JOY that she is filling her heart with God's word! :D