P is for Penguin

This week was the first official week of me trying to do some sort of formal-school-type-thing with Logan. In a previous life, before I came a stay at home mama, I was a elementary school teacher. And before that I was a special education teacher. And way back when, I even had a brief stint as a infant/toddler teacher. So, as you might have guessed, I think education is important. But more importantly I think having fun while learning is important. Since we only have a little longer of winter in this good ole northeast corner of the USA, I figured I would start with some winter themes first so they would actually be relevant to my little peanut.

In my free time, (aka after bedtime when I choose to go on the Internet, rather than wash my floors), I like to read a lot of blogs. Many of them are geared towards early education. I printed out the P is for Penguin unit from LAWTEEDAH.  I also got some ideas from The Peterson Party. The first day, I introduced the letter P. We talked briefly about the sound the letter P makes and we made a letter P into a penguin. I reviewed the letter every subsequent day.

We also did a color matching activity.  He still confuses some of his colors, so this was a great review for Logan. The actual matching was very easy for him, but he thought it was fun, and played this game a couple of times this week.

We also did a classic size sort which was provided in the LAWTEEDAH download. We went from largest to smallest and then smallest to largest.

Logan completed a penguin puzzle. He liked this activity, but it was a bit hard for him since the puzzle pieces kept moving around.

Logan also sorted penguins into three different categories. I introduced it as the Daddy (large), mommy (medium), and baby (small). By the end of the activity he was using the correct terminology.

We made a penguin out of hearts.

And there was another penguin matching activity using real pictures of penguins. Logan loved the pictures of the baby penguins.

I printed out these penguins and sang the song to go along with it. Next time I think I will laminate them and add magnets to the back so he can play with them more. He loves songs and this was a huge hit with him. He would ask to sing the song again while we were driving in the car or in the bathtub.

I also checked out a great number of books about penguins. I read both fiction and non-fiction to him. One of my favorites was: If you were a Penguin, by Wendell Minor. The text is easily accessible to young children, and it teaches them facts about penguins without being too long to lose their attention.

So overall, our first go around of "school?" It was successful. Next time, I might include some more songs and finger plays since he loved them so much. Perhaps I will also include a wrap up activity of the week, whether it be a movie or fun night. Next up in "school" is S is for snowman.

Valentine's Day 2011-The chocolate covered edition

I know it is a little late, but I wanted to share some activities the little one and I did for Valentine's Day. We decorated the house with all different types of hearts that we created. We also made sun catchers.

Valentine's day morning, Logan woke up to some special presents from Mom and Dad.

I made pink heart pancakes with chocolate chips. I know it's not the healthiest breakfast, but it was a special treat. Plus, my guy only ate one bite of his pancake and all of his bananas. And this is off topic, but can you check out those little hands? I'm obsessed with them. They could be grimy and covered in markers and I would still cover them with kisses.

Later on, we cooked up the husband some Smore bars. My poor husband was stuck at the car place because his truck got a flat tire, so we decided to surprise him with a treat.

Notice that I dressed Logan up in a Valentine's day themed shirt? Ignore the flour marks all over the shirt, please. He was hard at work, and decided it would be fun to try and eat flour. I love holiday themed clothing for kids. This shirt says Mama's Boy, and I thought it describes him perfectly. He like, totally LOVES me. 4-eva.

Smiling

When watching one of his shows this morning, Logan ran up to me. He said, "Mama.... I'm scared. Will you hold me and keep me safe?"

From the mouth of babies #5

Logan took his Handy Manny screwdriver and turned it around and around on his stuffed Mickey Mouse.

Logan: Mickey, screw you.

From the mouth of babies #4

Logan runs up to me, hold a pointer finger up in the air, and says: "I know! I need some regular cheese!"

All about Logan- An interview at 27 months

Dear Logan,
You are 27 months old today. And what better way to describe you then to have you answer questions about yourself. Here's what you had to say:

What is your name? Logan (says last name)

How old are you? 2.

How old is Mommy?  3.

What is your favorite food? Sugar and chicken and chicken nuggets............ and french fries. And ketchup. I'm getting hungry.

What is your favorite color? Purple. And pink.
What is your favorite animal? A giraffe.

What is your favorite tv show? Mickey and Minnie.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A monkey.

Who is your mommy? Mama.

What does your mommy do? Play moon dough.

Who is your daddy? Daddy.

What does your daddy do? Work.

What food do you not like? I like food.

Where do you want to live when you grow up? (He said his address).

What do mommy and daddy do after you go to bed? Dress me up.

What does daddy say? Hug me.

What do Smudge and Scout say? Meow, meow, meow. Let me come in!

What does mommy say? I love you.

What is your favorite song? Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

What is your favorite movie? Car movie

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Pink (strawberry) and vanilla too.

Who is your best friend? Daddy and Nana.

Who do you love? Mommy. And Nana. And Gabby. I miss Nana and Gabby. Do they miss me?

What is your favorite thing to do? Play.


I couldn't have said it better.
Love,
Mama

From the mouth of babies #3

Logan: I save my coins for Disney World.

Me: How are we going to get money for Disney World? What should we sell?

Logan: Packages.

Me: What kind of packages?

Logan: Chicken salad.

Squeaky clean floors

Remember the post about my New Year's resolutions? Today, I tried something to address two of those little goals. It wasn't going all out and trying to make the world a better place. I was trying to clean my floors. I tried something new-to-me that is supposed to be cheaper and greener. I used a vinegar water solution to wash my linoleum floors. I found the recipe for the mixture on a blog I love, Young House Love. It was recommended that I use one cup of water to two gallons of warm water. I had high hopes and a dirty floor. So I mixed it up, and I started a scrubbin'.

The verdict? It works. Does it work as well? It is debatable. I had to scrub a couple of spots a bit harder than normal. I usually try to wipe up spills when I see them, but I have a two year old who walks around dropping things like he has rubbed his fingers in cooking oil, so it is inevitable that I miss a couple of spots. It did take care of everything with a little extra elbow grease. How about the smell? It's still drying, but it seems that most people who swear by this solution claim that once dry the vinegar smell disappears. Will I do it again? Probably. I bought the economy size vinegar. When I try things, I go big. 128 ounces big. (I know that is a gallon, but is sounds better this way).

From the mouth of babies #2

Me: Did you touch the dog's bone?

Logan. No way. It's toxic.