What's on the Tray? Aug. 1-5

Super Tot is 30 months old.

Here is a sneak peak at this week's Tot Trays.  You will see a lot of fine motor work on our trays this week.  We are taking it pretty slow this summer while I plan for next year and enjoy these last few weeks of break!

Animal Match:

Match each animal with the correct picture. 

(matching)

Sticker Color Match:

Place each sticker on the correctly colored sheet of paper. 

(color recognition, fine motor)

 Tile Counting:

Place the appropriate number of tiles in each row.  We will also work on patterning and color sorting with this tray. 
~Printable available below photograph~

(counting, number recognition, patterning, sorting)

 Spooning:

Spoon beans from one bowl into the other 

(fine motor)

Eye Dropper Practice:

Using eye dropper, fill each section of the tray with water.

(fine motor)

 Manipulating Erasers:

Place a pencil top eraser onto each straw, matching colors.  I didn't have any pencils that weren't already sharpened, but these straws were just the right size!  I love this activity and first saw it over at Playing House in Maryland.  
(fine motor, color recognition)

I am sure we will do some other activities, too, but these are the main ones I have planned.  

I am super excited to be close to finishing up our school planning for next year.  I will be doing a Montessori-style Letter of the Week "curriculum" with Super Tot, and I have been working hard this week to create Letter Craft examples for Super Tot.  Be sure to check back for a sneak peak at those!  

To see what other moms are doing with their tots, click on the links below!

1+1+1=1

Sun Scholars
No Time for Flashcards
Mom to 2 Posh Little Divas

Giveaway WINNER!

First off, I would like to thank everyone who entered my Giveaway.  It has been a fun week reading all of your wonderful on-the-go activities!  

I used RANDOM.ORG to generate my Giveaway winner, and the winner is #7 - San Diego Ray Family!  

Congratulations!  I will be contacting you privately for information on where to send your package.  

Thank you again to everyone who entered and to each of you for following my little blog!  

First Giveaway - 100 Followers!!!

I am so incredibly humbled and excited that The Princess and the Tot has 100 followers!  As a way of thanking you for following my blog, I am having my first GIVEAWAY!!  

One of my most popular posts has been for my Toddler Busy Bags.  I thought this would be a great item for my GIVEAWAY!  I have created a special set of 4 Busy Bags for this giveaway. I have them attached to a large book ring, which Princess pointed out to me tonight, is perfect for attaching to a stroller or diaper bag handle.  


These are perfect for waiting rooms, car or plane trips, dining out, or anytime you are on the go!  If you do Tot School or Tot Trays, these are also an easy, last-minute activity to throw on a tray. 

Here are the bags included in this GIVEAWAY:

 

 Fish Sorting:

4 Two-Sided Fishbowl Mats for sorting fish by color or counting up to four

8 Foam Fish

Sticker Book:

Small Memo Notebook + 6 Sheets of Stickers

Paper Clip Color Matching:

Clothes Pin Shape Matching:

How to enter:

1 - Follow my blog and post a comment letting me know you are a current or new follower.

2 - In your comment, please post YOUR favorite "on the go" activity for your Tot.  

I absolutely love blogging and sharing my ideas with you, but I also love reading and getting ideas from other blogs and comments.  So whether you blog or not, I can't wait to read all of your ideas!

This GIVEAWAY will close at 9pm (CST) on Sunday, July 24.  I will post the winner on my blog on Monday, July 25!  

I apologize in advance, but I am only able to include people with mailing addresses in the Continental US and Canada at this time.  Please know I am equally as thankful for my International followers!  

Thank you all again for following!!

Linking to: 1+1+1=1!

  

What's on the Tray? 7/18-7/22

Super Tot is 30 months old.

Tot Trays for July 18-22

Place correct number of bumble bees on each flower sheet (counting, early math)
**I pieced the flowers together with construction paper and laminated them.  The bees are available here.**

Peel off sticker and place on matching face (fine motor, matching)

 Sort items by PEOPLE or ANIMALS (social skills, sorting by category)

Cut the strips between each sticker (cutting, fine motor)

 Build matching mini towers (patterning, matching)

Draw a mouth to show various emotions (social skills, fine motor, pre-writing)

**For this activity, I printed a Playdough mat from Sparkle Box, added eyes & a nose, and placed it in a page protector to use with a dry erase marker.**

I also have a few art projects and other activities planned for the week and will post about those once we have completed them.  

To see what other Tot moms are doing this week, visit these blogs:

1+1+1=1

Raising Memories - Sharing Time

Play Academy

First Time: The Movie Theater

Princess is so sweet and such a good big sister.  When we made our plans for the holiday weekend, we decided we would go see Cars 2.  This was Super Tot's first "big" movie, so Princess thought he might need to be prepared for what to expect.  She remembered being a little scared the first time she went to a movie at the theater and decided to make him a book about what it would be like.  She threw it together in about 20 minutes, but it is just precious.  It worked, too, as Super Tot talked beforehand about what to expect, and he did GREAT throughout the whole movie!

Here's her book:

Toddler Busy Bags

With summer in full swing, we are not doing full Tot School.  I still hope to do an official Tot School post every other week, but thought I would do something different this week.

I have created some fun Busy Bags for Super Tot and thought I would share them with you.  They are perfect for car or plane trips, Dr.'s visits, or any other time you want a simple To Go Activity.    

I've been looking for basic, clear front pencil cases for a few months and have been unable to find them.  I wanted the clear front so they would be more appealing to Super Tot.  I finally found these for $1/ea at Walmart.  They were back with their art supplies, rather than in the Back To School section.  I was thrilled to find them and purchased 12.  They are perfect for our Toddler Busy Bags!

These Busy Bags are easy to grab and take all or just a few.  They will easily fit into a binder, diaper bag or tote.  I have 11 made up so far and will be doing an I Spy bag for the 12th.  Here are my current Busy Bags:  

Family Memory / matching game:

 Small notebook, stickers & colored pencils:

Finger puppets:

 Lacing cards w/ laces:

 Pipe cleaners:

Small locker-size white board, marker & eraser: 

 Paint swatches w/ matching paper clips:

Small pegboards w/ pegs:

Clothes pin shape matching:

 Lauri foam disc puzzles:

 Fish sorting:

(these are foam fish w/ sorting mats I made to sort by color & number)

I am using a little plastic shoebox to store the Busy Bags when we are not using them.

Check out the following sites for more fun ideas:

1+1+1=1

It's Playtime

 Playdate Party

Thrifty 101

My Shae Noel