Baby Babbles: All I Can Fit In My First Year

Comparing my two children is unfair.  T was much more talkative while F morev physical.  T was cautious.  F is daring. T observant. F is either solemn or smiley and laughing.  Now F is trying to fit all she can in her first year.

When T took his first steps it was around his first birthday.  She took hers before Christmas.  At 10 months. There's been no going back. No crawling. He gradually decreased crawling and increased walking over a couple months. F? Instant walker.



Now at 11 months she's cutting molars. Working on teeth 9 & 10. She has rejected soft foods like yogurt, oatmeal, etc in favor of finger food. So here I have food pouches in the cupboard for snacks and who is asking to eat them? T. Not baby F. Such a different child.

Taking Care of Myself: Human Body Theme (Preschool/PreK)

Last year in preschool when T and I did a unit on our bodies we studied how our bodies work and generally celebrated being alive. You can see the post here.

Recently I became more aware that T, although wanting to be independent, was doing his best to avoid some things that help keep his body healthy. Like blowing his nose. He preferred sniffing everything back in over blowing it out. Eating. It's normal but he was starting to prefer dairy and carbs for snacks over anything else. I knew we had to do something and this year's preK human body theme was the perfect opportunity.

I'm linking this post to Montessori Mondays at Living Montessori Now .

PreK Human Body: Taking Care Of Myself

Our activities were set up in baskets on shelves. T could access the activities whenever he wanted. By some activities I had sequencing cards. Most had a book or two sitting next to it that was also related. The bottom shelf had baby's toys although one of T's activities managed to sit there as it was baby safe.

Read more...

Horse stables tour!

Today was one of the best field trips ever! We went to tour a horse ranch. Well, the stables anyway.  T and the other children toured the stables, learned how they keep the horses warm as the weather turns colder, made "salad" for a horse, and even got a short ride.

Touring the stables. Most of the stalls were empty as the horses were in the various paddocks outside.  

One stall did have a horse, and the children were told to keep away. This horse was newly rescued and was still skittish.  Sadly the former owner had crossed a line between discipline and abuse (unintentionally according to our tour guide). Now they were working on getting the horse once again comfortable with people. 

The children were able to see inside the empty stalls. They were being cleaned during our visit. In fact after the visit T couldn't get over how dirty the stalls got! 

"Do you know what a horse's bathroom looks like?" T asked me. "It has hay on it."

The children were fascinated by the "bedrooms" and how they hung their hay on the walls. 

Making "salad" from hay, alfalfa, and carrots

All was so enjoyable. Best of all though was getting to ride. Now T says he wants to take lessons.


Or as he put it "Join the horse riding club."

Seasonal Delights

When I was growing up the cool seasons were short. Most of the year was warm, and green. Green or brown. You see, I grew up much further south. SoCal and the Gulf Coast states. Mostly the latter.

Up here it's different. We have quite distinct seasons. Each one brings new colors. A change in the air. Each one is a joy to explore with my children.

In the midst of the dead leaves that fell off the trees, "Look Mama!" T pointed out some delicate white blossoms. Lovely!

T was able to observe some fallen fruit off a tree and the pit that came from inside. This led to a discussion on how new the leaves falling at the same time cover it up, and eventually a new tree can grow. T kicked at some leaves to cover it and help speed the process up.

Not all trees were red, gold, or brown yet. This sapling only had a few brown leaves. T shook it. Some leaves came tumbling down. "It's a leaf shower!" he cried in delight.

Most interesting of all was a hollow log. One end jutted across a small section of the trail. T knelt down. Peering inside he gazed intently, eagerly looking for some sign of life. All we saw were a couple spiders. "Something must live in here, though," he surmised. "Something."

Wordless Wednesday: Warrior Sweeping

The crumbs on the floor after breakfast must be the enemy. So T attacked the dust and crumbs from breakfast this morning in ninja warrior mode!

"You find the element of fun and snap! The job's a game!" -Mary Poppins