Who?

Evangeline is 10 and will be going into the 5th grade this coming school year. She is Caring, Protective, Thoughtful of others, Organized, Independent
Favorites -
School Subject: Reading
Color: Purple
Book: Little Woman
Sport: Skating
Activity: Wii games
Game: Chinese Checkers
T.V. Show: Amazing Race
Movie: Tangled

Timothy is 8 and will be going into the 3rd grade this coming school year. He is Quiet, Gentle, Artistic, Happy, Inventive
Favorites -
School Subject: Science
Color: Blue
Book: Sir Small and the Dragonfly
Sport: Softball
Activity: Drawing
Game: Uno
T.V. Show: Rescue Rangers
Movie: Curious George

Caleb will be 5 in July and will be going into Kindergarten this coming school year. He is Loud, Energetic, Outgoing, Friendly, Determined
Favorites -
School Subject: Watch Leap frog videos
Color: Orange
Book: There's a Monster Eating my house
Sport: Racing
Activity: Playing outside
Game: Donkey Kong
T.V. Show: Superman
Movie: Star Wars

Haven will be 4 in December and he will be going into Preschool this coming school year. He is Affectionate, Shy, Playful, Helpful, Inquisitive

Favorites -
School Subject: Woody
Color: Green
Book: Woody easy reader

Sport: Pencils
Activity: Lacing Beads

Game: Cootie bugs

T.V. Show: Diego
Movie: Toy Story

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Tot and a Preschooler

So I keep calling my boys tots but truthfully they are both nearly preschoolers and Caleb is nearly to kindy. :( How did they get so old?

Story time, reading about geography which they love. :)

We got these felt alphabet pillow letters at a yard sale this last summer. This day we put down construction paper in a circle to match the colors of the letters. Then they took turns drawing one and putting it on the matching color. They still have issues with most colors but they both love and know the color Orange!!

I always love that they recognize so many letters already just from watching Leap Frog Letter Factory. (In the back of this pic you can see the slightly mis-shaped pillows I sewed up for our Pre-school corner)

This is a German game we found at Salvation Army last year for .25 - I can't read the rules but IT has wooden candy pieces and 2 dice with colors on the sides. So they each roll a dice and pick a candy with that color on it. Then sometimes we get tricky and roll 2 dice and they have to find a candy with both colors on it. They love, love this game. and have named it the Pinata game! hehehe

Next week I plan to start some more advanced Pre-school type of work with the boys. We shall see how it goes.

Getting the Tots in order

So our new re-implemented "Tot Time" has been a smashing success. Well actually it has probably saved many things from being smashed. I am reminded that the busier I keep there minds and fingers the less time they have to destroy. :)


Our current schedule is simple since I am just getting them into a routine, I hope to add to it as they adjust.


For now the schedule is


1. independent coloring time (Color Wonder, Coloring books, Or blank paper and pencil)

2. 30 minute dvd - either leap frog, veggie tale, or Davey and Goliath they get to choose which

3. Activity tub time with mom. (I have a tub for each school day with an activity in it and they pick each day which to do)

4. Story time - they pick one of the books I have in a tub. They take turns choosing the book.

5. Snack time - with the big kids

6. nap time and they listen to a cd, lullaby or bible songs


So here are some pics from this week.

I found the big kids old Leap Pads up in the laundry room. We had not opened the box since we moved. I got them down dusted them off and they have been so much fun. They all have been enjoying them. :)

This day the boys used crayons to color the bottom of egg cartons to match the dinosaurs they had. Then they placed them all in the matching spots. Dumped them out/ put them back/ and repeat. :) While counting and saying the color of course. hehehe The crayon was very light and next time we will use marker.

We started out making patterns and then they just counted and stacked these.

Here the boys are putting buttons through toilet paper rolls into mason jars. I would call out a color and they would find one that color to put in the jar.

Then we used plastic wrap and a hair band to make makeshift instruments. So we shook and danced for a bit.

We did the build and grow clinic again this week. They are getting pretty good at waiting for directions and hammering the nails in.

Before next week I hope to have a few things sewn for tot time and I will be rotating our activities so we will have a few new ones next week.

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It's about time for the Tots :)

So My sis and I occasionally think alike! Seems we both started Tot time up again this January. A dedicated somewhat organized time just for the littles. I do find it necessary to make this time happen, it is so much easier to just pop them in front of the T.V. or let them rip there room apart and argue with each other. :) (Well it actually isn't but it somehow seems that way when I am distracted by the big kids school)

So here are a few things we did last week during tot time and I hope to continue this until next school year when I will start the boys on a Dedicated Pre-K/ Kindy Curriculum together (To be assembled still hehehe).

This little space is there's for Tot Time and I hope to sew a few floor pillows today so we have something to lounge on while I read them a story. (Here they are using lacing beads and cards)

 Here they are putting tooth pics through straws. (They loved this and did it for longer than I thought that they would)

 A Wedgit train. We added to our Wedgit set as Haven got some of the mini Wedgits for his Birthday and they work wonderfully with the normal Wedgits. I will say my boys do not put things into there mouths unless it is food. :) The mini Wedgits would be too tiny if your little ones like to eat toys.

 I have been specifically making the boys clean up after themselves. I had found myself in a bad habit of asking and when they did not do it putting them in bed or time out and doing it for them. Problem is they didn't mind and were getting much worse about cleaning up after themselves. So now we make sure to put away what we get out after tot time. Small step but so far it is helping.

Plus look how cute they are helping each other. :)

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Tot School 6

Here we are playing with these brightly colored cards I found at the dollar tree! You just match up the pieces. He really liked this and we had alot of fun doing it together. :)

We found this bug in the hallway and spent some time holding it and talking about bugs before we released it outside.

He finally took a bath without crying like he was dying thanks to some patience and this bath toy I got him at Ross for Christmas. He really likes swimming the fishy in the little pond and building the houses along the roads. (Yes his face is very dirty thusly he needed a bath)

Planting clovers

Dirt for the clovers

Watching dirt absorb water

Tot School 4

Taking a walk with they Tots cousins who stayed overnight on Valentines. We don't see them often enough so this was a treat for the kids. They love there cousins.

The whole crew my kids and my Brothers 2 kids on our walk.

Not sure what game this was but it entertained them for at least an hour. Close the door, open the door. Peak a boo mommy! And no one was scared!

Gave the tots the wedgits to play with again. My go to tot toy. They decided to make it more exciting by climbing into the bottom bunk and building a boat. ( Pillows shoved around all sides, more like a cave really) The wedgits became a soup bowl for some reason. Everyone knows pirates like soup. hehehe

Okay so I have been horrible about taking pics the last 2 weeks. On top of that we are tearing out carpets and doing alot of painting ect... So here is what I caught on film. It's not much but it's something.

Tot School 3

So we didn't do too much since my last post.

We did make these instruments last week. We used tissue paper, some empty containers, and glue sticks. I just had the tots rip pieces of tissue and glue them onto the containers. Then when they had finished I used a hammer and nail to punch holes and put a ribbon onto them. Then they spent the rest of the day playing there drums. Actually they have been playing them everyday since we made them. :) WE used an empty cocoa container which sounds really cool since we left the bottom off and a cardboard wine tube I got some biscotti in for Christmas. You could really use any empty container you were going to throw out and transform it this way. If you wanted you could also fill them with some beans and they could be shakers. I think after Easter we are going to transform some empty Easter eggs into egg shakers for our band. :)

Tot School 2

We didn't get to do too much tot school this week. I don't know why but it was just one of those weeks, I kept thinking it had to be almost Friday already. :)


Here the Tots are mixing up Lemon Cookies. We like to make cake mix cookies. Easy and a fun way to teach cooking basics.

The finished product :)

(I told them to smile and say cheese and this is what they did! Silly kids)

New lacing cards I picked up on clearance at Ross!

They had alot of fun with these. I didn't really make them go all around the edges, just kinda let them lace how they wanted this time. I will probably have them do a bit more of a pattern next time.

We played with this awesome space floor puzzle. It was a little advanced for the tots but big brother (5) helped them out. They loved it and afterwards there were little cards to pull out and find the match of on the puzzle. It was fun and we got to talk all about space. I also found this puzzle on clearance at Ross this week.

I hope to do some more organized like activities this week, of course we will see what really works out. :)