Showing posts with label Tot School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tot School. Show all posts

Sunday, April 29, 2012

What's on the Tray?

Here are Super Tot's activity trays for the week:

Foam Alphabet Puzzle
$1 at CVS

1-1 w/ Pony Beads
Place one pony bead in each section of the tray.
I've had this tray for years and can't remember where I purchased it.

Mickey Mouse Memory
There are two of each color, and we will play memory to match each color.  These are paint swatches from our local hardware store.

Puzzle Cards
I am in the process of making popsicle stick puzzles, but these will do until they are finished.
I think the cards were from Dollar Tree during Back to School.

Button Shape Sort
Sort the buttons by shape.
Buttons available here.

Color Sorting
This is one of our Busy Bag activities.  There are 7 colors of envelope stapled together, along with 4 cardstock strips of each color.  Super Tot will place each cardstock strip into the correct envelope.

First Words Magnetic Book
Super Tot was given this book for Christmas.  It is really cute and has letter magnets to spell various animal themed words.  I am using it this week in Tot School to give him some variety in our letter work.
Book available here.

Counting Bees
We've been using this activity for over a year now, and it is still a favorite.  Super Tot will place the correct number of bees on each flower based on the numeral shown on the mat.

Alphabet Writing
There is a card for each letter.  They are dry erase, so they can be used over and over.
Cards available here.

We will also be doing some File Folder Games and other activities.

Linking to:

Thursday, April 19, 2012

What's on the Tray?

I'm a little late posting my trays this week, but I hope you enjoy them!  We aren't following a theme this week, just working on some fun skills!

Beginning Sound Sort
Sort the items in the bowl by their beginning sound.

 Nuts & Bolts
One of our favorites:  Match each nut to the correctly sized bolt and screw it on.

Washcloth Folding
Fold each washcloth into 1/4ths, then stack.

Button Sorting
Sort the buttons by the number of holes each has.

Counting Straws
Place the correct number of straws into each section of the tray.

Color Matching
Sort the cards by color and place on the correct crayon mat.
I apologize for the glare in the photo!

Color by Number
Practice those fine motor skills by coloring each section the correct color.

Pattern Matching
Recreate or continue each pattern using the cubes in the box.

Linking to:


Monday, April 9, 2012

What's on the Tray? Car Theme

There is nothing in the world that Super Tot loves more than cars.  Not only does he love them, but he is more knowledgeable about them than most adults (even those that are really into cars).  He knows and without thought can recognize almost every make and model, and he loves to point out his favorites anytime he sees them.  It is fun to see him so passionate about it.  I have no idea how, but I do know that God is going to use this passion and gift for His glory someday. 

After parking by a Ferrari & a Lamborghini at lunch on Saturday, Super Tot asked me if we could do a car theme in school this week.  I threw together a few things and hope he enjoys them!  

Here are some of our activities for the week.  We will also be doing several of our past activities that I have included in previous posts.


Sorting Cars
Sort the car photos by type, and then by color.  I have printed and laminated 35 photos for this activity (5 of his favorite models, each in 7 colors).  We have done this before with just 2 models, but I added 3 more for this week.  This is one of his favorite activities, for obvious reasons.
~sorting, color recognition~



Counting Cars
Count the number of cars on each card and place the clothes pin on the appropriate number.
~counting, number recognition, fine motor~



Building a Model Car
Using the pieces in the bowl, complete the model of the McLaren MP4 12C.  This is Super Tot's favorite car, and he was so excited when we found this Mega Blocks model right after Christmas.  He will need my assistance with this one for the order and placement, but he can put it together himself.
~fine motor, critical thinking & logic~



Race Car Matching
Place each sticker on the matching race car on the track.
~matching, fine motor~



Peg Play
Free play using the pegs & transportation theme peg boards.
~fine motor, matching, counting, patterning, etc. - all depends on how he plays!~

 Cars Puzzle
Complete the puzzle using the pieces in the pail.
~critical thinking, fine motor~

Foam Rims
Complete each "rim" by placing the correct foam pieces into each puzzle.  I know this one is a stretch, but at least I'm being creative!!
~fine motor, color & shape recognition and matching~

 Color Match Car Parking
Park each car in a spot that is the same color as the car.  This is an activity we did last year, but I thought I would bring it out again for this week.
~color recognition & matching~


Counting Links
Attach the correct number and color of links to each ticket.  I can't really tie this one in to the car theme, but we are working on number recognition and this is one of my favorite previous activities for that skill.
~counting & number recognition, color matching, fine motor~

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Easter Preschool Activities

We were on Spring Break this past week and are excited to get back into our normal routine.  We will be focusing on Easter this week.

Here's a look at our activities for the week.

New Creation in Christ Butterflies
Create butterflies using paper plates & plastic spoons.

Alphabet Egg Match
Place each egg into the correct space to match the uppercase & lowercase letters.

Easter Graphing
Roll the die and color in the correct space on the graph.  Stop when you reach 6 for any one picture and compare your results.
I created the die & chart using Easter stickers.  You can find a blank die to printout here. My blank graph printable is available below the photograph.  Use your own stickers or drawings to complete the preparation.  I laminated the die before assembling it for durability.  After I took this picture, I decided to place my graph in a sheet protector and use dry erase markers so we could reuse it multiple times.

Easter Egg Sorting
Sort the eggs by color using the whisk.
The biggest challenge with this activity will be that the eggs will fall through the center of the whisk if not positioned just right.  This will be a great exercise in patience, as well as motor skills!

Easter Egg Decorating with Shapes
Decorate each egg using the stickers that are the shape shown above that egg.
Printable available below the photograph.  Stickers available here.

Counting Easter Stickers
Look at the numeral written on each egg and place that number of stickers on each one.

Making Easter Lily Bouquets
Tutorial here.  Super Tot and Princess will each make 4 of these to make our Easter centerpiece.

Spelling Easter Words
Use the Bananagrams tiles in each cup to spell the word written on the cup.

Letter Tracing Practice

Resurrection Eggs
We will go through the Easter story each day using our Resurrection Eggs.  Toward the end of the week, I will have Super Tot tell me as much of the story as he can by showing him each item in order.

Be inspired:



Sunday, March 18, 2012

Spring has Sprung! Activities for 10 Books

Super Tot is 3 years old.

What's on the Tray?

Building Butterflies with The Crunching Munching Caterpillar
In this book, Caterpillar meets a bird, dragonfly, bee & butterfly.  He wishes he could fly like them.  Of course, at the end, his wish comes true. 
Super Tot will be locating the shapes listed on each blue card and building a butterfly using those shapes (see example).

Being Fruitful w/ Secrets of the Vine
Secrets of the Vine for Little Ones is a perfect companion for teaching young children the significance of John 15, and for helping them understand the symbolism of the Gardener, Vine, branches & fruit in this parable.
Under each grape is the name of a person that Super Tot told me he wanted to pray purposefully for this week.  Each day, he will remove one grape, and we will pray for that person throughout the day.  He will also send a little note to each person, letting that person know that he prayed for them.

Sound Matching with Bunny
In Bunny's Noisy Book, little Bunny experiences the many sounds of spring as he ventures out.
Each green egg is filled with a different item, and each has a matching yellow egg.  Super Tot is to shake each of the eggs and match the sounds.  
This is my inexpensive homemade version of sound cylinders!

Finding a "Home for A Bunny"
In this sweet book, Bunny is searching for a new home.  He finds many options, but they are all taken by other animals, and wrong for various reasons.
Super Tot will help each bunny find it's appropriate home by using the chopsticks to place each one in the "home" of the same color.

Matching Fruits
How a Seed Grows teaches children what happens when we plant a seed - the life cycle of a plant.
Because many plants bear fruit, Super Tot will be matching photographs of whole fruit with photographs of each type of fruit cut in half.  Some will be obvious, but others less so.  I found these printables here.

Letter Matching with Ten Little Ladybugs
We'll be working on counting as we read this fun book, but we'll move on to letters once we are done.
Each 2-piece letter puzzle matches the uppercase letter with the lowercase and builds a ladybug.  The puzzles are self checking when you turn them over, as each one also builds an item that begins with that letter. 

Nature Walk in God's Forest of Dreams
This is a sweet book that goes through various things that God created & using our senses as we experience the end of winter and beginning of spring.
We will take a nature walk after reading this book, collecting nature items in our egg carton to match each color that I painted in the cups.  I got this idea from Family Fun.

Counting with The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Our little caterpillars are hungry, just like the one in the book!
There are 8 cards, each with a different number of holes that the caterpillar has eaten through the leaf.  Super Tot is to count the holes and place the stone with the correct number on each card.

Little Quack Math
This is one of Super Tot's favorite books.  
We will use the mat to count and do early math as we read the book.

One of this week's journal ideas:
In Don't Worry About Tomorrow, the little girl faces her fears and realizes she is having so much fun that she has forgotten them altogether.
I will be asking Super Tot to draw or write about one of his fears (I am sure it will be the dark).