learning tower acrobatics

Getting in and out of the learning tower is as easy as...

When we first brought the learning tower home for Elise, I decided to model the proper way to climb in and out using the "ladder" on the side.  Climbing up was easy, but when I tried to back down, I realized I was too big and that I was stuck!  I struggled for a ridiculous minute or two before deciding that the only way out was over the top.  I definitely didn't want Elise to see THAT way modeled, so Hubs distracted her while I catapulted myself to safety!

Needless to say, I haven't been in the learning tower since.  As for Elise, she loves being up there!  She quickly figured out her own way of getting in and out, and although her technique is slightly unconventional, it works.  I admire her determination and independence - and upper body strength!  ;) 

on the shelves - 15 & 16 months (in action!)

stacking trucks

One of Elise's older friends loaned her these trucks when he heard how much she likes to stack rings on posts.  ;)  While she doesn't necessarily put them back together (yet!), she loves pushing them around and taking them apart.

(stacking trucks - Melissa & Doug)

pounding balls with a hammer

We've been using this material for months now, but I just recently introduced Elise to the hammer. 

What's old is new again!

(punch and drop activity - Plan Toys)

peeling clementines

I'm so excited for citrus fruit to be back in season!  Pulling the peel off this juicy snack is a great way to strengthen fine motor control, as-well-as develop organization and problem solving skills.

 sorting and stacking rings

Elise continues to explore this intriguing stacking activity.  While she occasionally rebuilds the cone to its original form, she seems to prefer taking it apart and creating her own combinations!

  (cone sorting activity - Plan Toys)

"bear!"

It's been a signing explosion around here lately! Elise loves reading this book, which features illustrations and photos of children signing familiar words. Bear, wind, book, and all done are some of our favorites!

dropping a cube into a box

I made this imbucare box a few months ago, but Elise has only recently showed an interest in it. 

Now, she thinks it's so great, she hauls it all over the house.  Seriously.  

Oh, how I love this girl!

hot and cold: a toddler experiment

Elise is fascinated by hot and cold lately.  She loves watching the fireplace, and "hot!" is one of her favorite words to say.  We've also woken up to snow on the ground a few times, and Elise is beginning to sign "cold."  I decided to put together a simple hot and cold activity, so she could explore these two very different temperatures in a safe way.

I filled two identical tubs:

one with ice and one with hot water.

To get the ice, I poured water in the bottom of a tub, 

and popped it in the freezer overnight.

Elise was very cautious about touching the hot water!  

I didn't want it to be so hot it would hurt her skin,

 but I wanted it to be a little steamy and uncomfortable to the touch.

After her initial observations of the two tubs,

Elise started experimenting...

At first, it was fun to pour hot water onto the ice:

it made loud cracking sounds and broke into pieces.

Then, Elise dropped pieces of the ice into the hot water.

It was a challenge to fish them out before they melted!

We left the tubs out all morning, and checked on them every once and awhile.
It was interesting to see the ice melt and to discover that the hot water
was no longer hot, but actually kind of cold!

Have you done any hot or cold experiments with your kids?  Elise enjoyed this so much, I think we'll do something similar again soon.  Maybe ice in the bathtub?  I'm open for suggestions! :)

e and her shadow

Shadow, shadow on the wall

Sometimes you're short, sometimes you're tall.

Either way, I love to see 

My good friend Shadow following me!  

Elise discovered her shadow a couple weeks ago, and it has been so much fun watching her interact with it! I constantly catch myself looking around to see who she's waving at, only to realize she's just saying hello to her shadow!  They're getting to be pretty good friends.  ;)

Usually, we just explore our shadows as they occur naturally, but we were up very early the other morning - thank you time change! - and needed something to pass the time before the sun came up.  I put one of Hubs' very bright shop lights in our darkened dining room, and gathered some items with good shadow-making potential.  I also set up a mirror, so Elise could see her reflection at the same time as her shadow.   We ended up having a really good time experimenting with shadows and reflections - even Rosie the dog! Ha!

Here's hoping you and your shadow have a great week!
     

pink tower vs. rainbow stacking boxes

As soon as Elise started to show an interest in stacking blocks, I began to debate which of these two materials to buy for our home.  Some may say this is a bit like comparing apples to oranges, but here we go...  

the stats:

the verdict:

The pink tower is a beautiful Montessori material that isolates the quality of size, and prepares children for many mathematical concepts.  No Montessori preschool classroom would be complete without it, but I decided that it wasn't necessary for our home environment - yet!  I ended up purchasing the rainbow stacking boxes because they seemed to offer more opportunities for exploration and play.  While they aren't as precise as the cubes of the pink tower, they can offer a similar experience.  Both materials support the development of visual discrimination, and can be used for matching and language activities.  In addition, the rainbow stacking boxes can be nested together, and can hold or hide small objects.  As E begins to play more imaginatively, the boxes may become houses, nests, or caves. Call me crazy, but these boxes are lovely enough, I can even imagine them holding pencils in E's college dorm room one day!  ;)

Although we love our rainbow nesting boxes, I haven't completely ruled out the idea of buying a pink tower,  too. We'll just have to see where this Montessori homeschooling adventure takes us...