d is for duck

Here's the promised "d is for duck" page. No pictures- but here's a summary of what we did through the week:


Sign Language


We reviewed the sign for duck.


Books 

A Cuddle for Little Duck by Claire Freedman

Totally Tots had this book as part of their regular feature "Now I Know My ABCS". It's a large board book with a rhyming story about a little duckling's day.  Overall, I think the book was a better book for Grace than for Jonathan. the story was a little too simple to hold Jonathan's interest. Grace, however, liked turning the large pages and patting the pictures. The story is sweet and soothing- it would be a perfect bedtime story for my little girl.

Little Quack by Lauren Thompson


A cute counting story about five little ducklings taking their first swim in the pond. The pictures are colorful and engaging and the story captured his attention easily. As a bonus, Jonathan had a lot of fun counting the ducklings on the bottom of the pages with the "quack-ulator". There's a whole series of Little Quack books and I know we'll be checking out more of these books!

One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Root

This is a very fun tongue-twister of a book about a duck stuck in the muck. The colorful and vibrant illustrations are very engaging as the book counts up from one to ten as different animals try to help the duck get unstuck from the muck! It's a great book for reinforcing counting and is very engaging for toddlers. We've checked this book out of the library a couple times now and it's grown on Jonathan each time.

Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings by Matthew Van Fleet

This is another touch-and-feel book from Matthew Van Fleet. Van Fleet's book helps to reinforce lessons of shape, color, and texture. Several different animals are featured throughout this book with minimal text. This is another book that was more appealing for Grace than for Jonathan, although Jonathan did pull it out several times to have daddy read it to him.

Art 


We used watercolor paints for the first time to paint a picture of a duck. He liked mixing and swirling the colors a lot, but I didn't get a picture. The picture was from Carisa's Tot School Printables pack.

Misc


We also did some pre-writing sheets from Carisa's Tot School Printables as well as a duck puzzle and a duck lacing card. Jonathan did a very good job on the puzzle!

Anyways, sorry for the lack of pictures, but it was still a fun day looking at ducks!

Tot School- d is for dinosaur, doctors, diggers, dogs, (and ducks)- oh my!

Jonathan is 27 Months

This week both Jonathan and Grace sufficiently recovered from croup/ear infections and we got back into the swing of Tot School. We started looking at the letter d while we were sick and learned about dinosaurs. This week we focused on doctors, diggers, dogs and ducks! I haven't gotten the ducks post up yet- but hope to sometime in the next week.

Bible 


We continued to review our memory verse this week from the Songs for Saplings CD:

"He will take great delight in you" Zephaniah 3:17. 

We printed out the memory verse from the Totally Tots printable. We've started having a little "circle time" every morning which Jonathan is excited about. We pull out our baby band and sing several songs, including our memory verse. Even Gracie plays along!

Books 


We read lots and lots of books the past couple weeks about all of our "d" words. We also started reading a children's devotional in the morning,  Everything a Child Should Know about God by Kenneth Taylor. Here were some of Jonathan's favorites- click on the links to see our reviews and lots more books!

Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff
How do Dinosaurs Say Good Night by Jane Yolen
Dazzling Diggers by Tony Mitton
Digger Man by Andrea Zimmerman
Angus Lost by Majorie Flack
Go Dog Go! by Philip Eastman

Sensory Bin 


We played with a dinosaur sensory bin- this kept him occupied for a long time!

Motor Skills 


We did some work on lacing using cards (dinosaurs and ducks) I printed from Confessions of a Homeschooler and 1+1+1=1's Tot School Printables.

We also worked on transferring water using a medicine dropper:

And we worked on puzzles.

Letters  & Writing


We did a dinosaur letter match from Confessions of a Homeschooler. This didn't hold his attention for too long, but he got the concept. He would confuse the letters if they were upside down- for example, the font made the "n" and "u" look the same. And initially he thought "d" was "p" and there's no "p" in dinosaur.

We also did some pre-writing exercises:

Art

We made our own doctor kit:

We did a dog craft:

Pretend Play/Music/Games


We played with Jonathan's toy digger 

And played hide and seek to Oh Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone using a toy puppy:

Practical Life 

Jonathan helped Mommy with some Spring Cleaning:

Anyways, this upcoming week we're starting on the letter "e" for eggs and elephants. We're mostly focusing on eggs for Easter! I'm excited about this week!

I'm linking up to:

Link & Learn @ No Time for Flashcards

Tot School @ 1+1+1=1

What My Child is Reading @ Mouse Learns, Mouse Grows

d is for dog

Image source

Jonathan loves dogs. We don't have any dogs at this point, but several family members do and Jonathan just loves them. So, it was only fitting to spend time talking about dogs!

Sign Language 


We reviewed the sign for dog.


Books 

Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion

This was another longer story for Jonathan, but he did quite well with it. It's the first in a classic series about the adventures of a dog who loves to be messy and hates bath time. Harry gets so dirty that his family no longer recognizes him-- unless he jumps in the tub! There's a reason this is a classic story-- at 27 months, it was simple enough that Jonathan followed the story and seemed to enjoy it as well! I think this is a book we will be coming back to.

Angus Lost by Marjorie Flack

This is the first book in another classic series from the 1930s about a little Scottie dog named Angus. Angus wonders what it would be like to experience the big world. He gets his opportunity when the gate is left open. The curious dog has some adventures before he finds his way home. The story is beautifully illustrated
and isn't terribly scary for a toddler. Jonathan really focused in on this story- the text was short enough that he sat through the story easily and he was genuinely concerned that the little dog came home. I think we will be checking out the other two books in this delightful series!

Go Dog Go! by Philip Eastman

This book was the favorite out of all the dog books we read. I think it has to do with the fact that dogs were driving. Jonathan's favorite part is where the dogs reach a stop light, as he just started telling us "red means stop! green means go!". We have both the full length version as well as the board book version and while both held his attention, he still gravitated to the board book more. Still, it's a classic story that I remember enjoying and he seems to really be drawn to Eastman's dogs as well.

Dog by Matthew Van Fleet

We checked this book out of the library after seeing how highly it was ranked on Amazon. It features moveable parts as well as different tactile experiences from petting puppy dogs to feeling a "sticky" tongue. The story attempts to introduce different dogs, show some opposites (big dog, little dog) and show what dogs do (including going to the bathroom). It's a fun experience for toddlers, but there isn't much text to it. While Jonathan enjoyed the pull tabs, Grace probably enjoyed the different textures more. It's a fun book to look at for sure, but not one we'll be purchasing.

Where's Spot? by Eric Hill

This is the first book in another series that is popular with toddlers. In this book, a mommy dog searches throughout the house for her puppy Spot. Toddlers can lift flaps to help the mommy dog search for Spot and uncover several other animals in the process. Jonathan has enjoyed this book from when he was about twelve months old, so I pulled it out again for the day. He still enjoys this book- but it isn't as popular as when he was one.

Art 


We did a glueing craft that I found over at First School. I didn't manage to get a picture of the craft in progress, but here's the end result:

Jonathan's getting much more adept at using a glue stick and he even knew where the feet/head should go.

Games/Music 


We played "Where Has My Little Dog Gone?" I would hide a beanie baby dog in the room and we'd sing "Oh Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?" Then Jonathan would go hunt for the dog. This was our first attempt at any kind of hiding game and he got the general idea of it. I'd hide the dog somewhere fairly obvious and then he'd find the dog. He was so proud of himself when he'd find the dog!

Library Links 

Angus Lost
Dog
Go Dog Go!
Harry the Dirty Dog
Where's Spot?



Web Resources


Angus Lost resources @ Homeschool Share
Harry the Dirty Dog lapbook @ Homeschool Share
D is for dog @ Walking by the Way
Dog Lesson Plan @ First School
CUTE dog craft @ Our Family for His Glory
D is for dog @ Muck Monsters
Spot Lapbook @ Kidzclub

d is for digger

Books 

Dazzling Diggers by Tony Mitton

Another hit by Tony Mitton- we are becoming big Tony Mitton fans. This is another book in Mitton's Amazing Machines series. This particular book talks about different construction vehicles in Mitton's rhyming style and teaches about the different technical parts. Jonathan loved this book the best of all so far-- he wanted me to read it over and over again! 

Digger Man by Andrea Zimmerman & David Clemesha

This is a cute story about a little boy imagining what he would do with his own digger. The boy imagines that he will use his digger to make ponds and parks. His little brother is too little to use his digger, but the boy imagines that he will teach his brother how to use his digger when he's older. This was a book that Jonathan could relate to- both with the little boy's fascination with diggers and the boy's care for his younger sibling. Jonathan wanted to read this book over and over again- it was a hit with this toddler!

Puzzles & Fine Motor Skills 

We pulled out his construction puzzle by Melissa & Doug. These chunky puzzles are too easy for him at this point, but he still enjoys doing them and playing with the chunky pieces. 

Pretend Play 

I pulled out his toy digger from the toy rotation bins. He was so excited to see it. It's battery operated and makes noise and moves the shovel. However, he was so intrigued by it that somehow he broke it and it no longer turned off. So all day long we heard "Rrrr rrrr rrrr" until the batteries wore out!

d is for doctor

Sign Language 


We reviewed the sign for doctor.


Books 

Going to the Doctor by Anne Civardi

This book is simply a great introduction to doctors for toddlers. It's about a family with three children who all need to visit the doctor for various reasons (well check up, illness, injury). The story relates what goes on during the family's doctor visit from checking in and waiting in the waiting room to picking up a prescription for the sick little girl. It's simply yet realistically illustrated. Jonathan easily sat through this story and enjoyed helping me find the duck that is hidden on each page.

Froggy Goes to the Doctor by Jonathan London

This is another book in London's Froggy series, a character Jonathan has enjoyed. In this story, Froggy goes to the doctor for his annual check-up and is worried that he may need a shot. At the doctor's office, Froggy meets another patient and is up to his usual antics. I didn't enjoy it as much as some other Froggy books. There was more slapstick humor and Froggy misbehaved a bit in the book (without any consequences). Jonathan, however, found the story humorous, but I'd probably pass over this one.

Field Trip 


We went to the doctor, of course! Gracie needed to go in to have her breathing re-checked. So we all loaded up into the van and talked about what we would see at the doctor's office.

Art 


We made our own doctor kit, using a craft idea I found over at Homeschool Creations. We cut out a "doctor" bag and glued or taped different medical items to the bag- a tongue depressor, Q-tip, gauze, and bandaids. Jonathan's favorite part was the "Cars" band-aids- he wanted to wear them. Unfortunately, the craft didn't make it long- Jonathan kept wanting to tear everything off the paper.

Fine Motor


We also worked on transferring water using a medicine dropper. Jonathan really enjoyed this activity- he was very focused while he working.

Library Links 


Going to the Doctor
Froggy Goes to the Doctor

Web Resources 


Doctors & Nurses Preschool Pack @ Homeschool Creations
Doctor Craft @ Homeschool Creations
Doctor Printables @ Making Learning Fun

d is for dinosaur

Image source

Last week did not go as planned-- but I suppose that's life, right? Jonathan did develop croup and when we went into the doctor they found out he had a double ear infection as well. He was really dragging and wasn't so interested in activities. So, we only focused on dinosaurs last week. I took hardly any pictures- sorry!

Books 

Since Jonathan was sick, we read lots of books! So this post will be pretty heavy on dinosaur books.

Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff

This was the longest book we read and Jonathan did surprisingly well sitting through the story. It's an early reader about a boy who goes to a museum and a dinosaur follows him home. They have adventures strolling through the city and meeting policemen and playing hide and seek. Jonathan brought this book to daddy several times to have daddy read it to him and he generally sat through most of the book.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen

This is the first book in a very cute series that is designed to teach children good behavior and manners. This particular story is about good bedtime behavior. Misbehaving dinosaurs try different tactics to delay bedtime. In the end, however, the dinosaurs hug and kiss their human parents goodnight. The story is cute and humorous and reinforces a good lesson. Jonathan enjoyed it so much that we ended up checking out How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? and How do Dinosaurs Count to Ten? 

Dinosaurs, dinosaurs.  by Byron Barton

This book is a great introduction to dinosaurs for toddlers. The bold pictures and clear text teach toddlers about different dinosaurs and focus on main features such as size and appearance: dinosaurs with horns, dinosaurs with spikes, etc. It ends with dinosaurs going to bed, which also makes the book suitable for bedtime. Jonathan liked this story, and we read it a few times. But he enjoyed some of the  others better. 

Dinosaurumpus by Tony Mitton

We've really enjoyed some transportation books written by Tony Mitton so I decided to check this one out as well and it was a definite hit! Mitton's rhymes introduce different dinosaurs as the rumble and dance across the pages. There's one point where the T-Rex comes bursting into the scene that I thought might turn out to be scary- but it ends up being fine! This is a great book to get your toddler moving and like Barton's book, has the dinosaurs settling in to sleep at the end of the night. This was quite the hit for Jonathan- even being sick he had fun with this book!

Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! by Sandra Boynton

This is a book that daddy picked for Jonathan and Grace. We've loved Sandra Boynton books in the past and this one is no exception. It is filled with colorful, fun-loving dinosaurs and teaches children about opposites. Both Jonathan and Grace really had fun with this book!

Sensory Bin 

I made our first sensory bin- I filled the bin with oatmeal and black beans and threw in some dinosaurs we received from a friend. I gave Jonathan some cups and measuring utensils to play with, spread out a plastic tablecloth to catch the mess and let him go at the bin. He loved it-- it occupied him for about an hour!

Fine Motor Skills 


We worked more on lacing . We laced a dinosaur card I printed out from Confessions of a Homeschooler's Letter of the Week curriculum. (COAH)



Letters 


We also did a dinosaur letter match from Confessions of a Homeschooler. I made letter disks using the caps from gallons of mlk. He did it a few times, but would get the letters turned upside down- the "u" and n" looked a lot alike.

That was it for the week- but this week we've been able to do more- so stay tuned!

Library Links 


Danny and the Dinosaur
Dinosaurumpus!
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?
How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?
How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten? 
Oh my Oh my Dinosaurs!

Web Resources 


d is for dinosaur @ Confessions of a Homeschooler
ABC Dinosaur Flashcards @ First School