Tot School: Monday

Today was a very cold, dark and rainy day - not at all the Spring weather we're supposed to be having. So Andy and I made the best of it and kept busy indoors.

I made Andy a set of Montessori Sandpaper Numerals. I asked my Dad last week to cut pieces of hardboard for me with his machine and we went to go fetch it this weekend. I printed out some numbers, onto scrap paper, and had to alter the numbers 4, 6 and 9 slightly to make it like the Montessori Sandpaper Numerals that you buy.

Printed numbers (I used the upside down 6 as the 9), hardboard (cut to 11cm x 9cm), sandpaper...


To trace the numbers I drew the outline of the reversed number with a pencil onto the back of the sandpaper...


I cut out all the numbers and placed them onto their bases to be glued...


I glued them with clear drying glue suitable for wood and put them under a heavy book to be pressed. When they were dry we put them onto our tray to enjoy...


Andy absolutely loves this. We focused on the numbers 0 - 5 today and we traced each one a few times while saying what number it is...


Then I set them out and asked Andy to e.g. "find number four" he then pointed out the number tracing it and repeating the number while tracing...


He asked me if he could paint so he spent some time creating whales and sharks...


Tea time I gave Andy 2 oatmeal biscuits to have with his Rooibos tea and left the packet on the counter so next thing I knew he had served himself the remainder of the packet...


Of coarse I gave him a few and packed the rest away so when I looked again he was 'recklessly' looking for them...


I spent most of the afternoon sewing on Andy's pajamas and his cousins 7th birthday present and I also made this drawstring bag for Andy to collect things from nature in it when we go on walks...


Some close ups of the embroidery I did...




Because it was a very rainy day and we couldn't go for a walk Andy asked if he could put his beans in it...


Admiring Mommy's handiwork... :)

A Montessori Moment: I Spy Bottle

I found this wonderful idea from The Wonder Years. We used salt which works just as well as sand and was more readily available. Andy had such fun choosing a few things at our local craft store and finding things around the house to pop into his bottle. It is one of his favourite toys. He rolls it over and over seeing what he can spy next. Things we included were a bell, a feather, some pom-poms, some shaped buttons e.g. flower, a little Lego soldier, some eye's (the ones you put on toys with the eye ball that moves), beads, etc.

After we made it he came to me out of his own and said "Mommy, I love my toy so much, thank you!" He appreciates homemade toys so much more than bought ones. What a lovely result to a little love and effort.


Some things he is enjoying this afternoon... his I Spy Bottle, tonging large pom-poms and spooning pasta bows with a large mussel shell...


He built a church with his wooden blocks and was very proud of himself and so was I. :) He's at this very moment having very lengthy conversations between his wooden blocks pretending they are different family members.