busy hands - toddler edition

opening and closing

matryoshka

piecing together the layers

of a much loved human body puzzle

(Hape)

matching 

young and adult animal cards

(Montessori Print Shop)

putting together the pieces 

of a floor puzzle

(Melissa and Doug)

red - the beginning of a scavenger hunt

inspired by Color Box 2

searching for green items around the house

- dressed in green, of course!

the epic results 

of the Color Box 2 scavenger hunt

observing dairy calves 

at the county fair

going on camping adventures 

lots and lots of camping adventures...

washing dishes,

writing on a rainy afternoon

(making "E" for Elise for the very first time!),

hitting the trail 

with the whole fam,

and filling her heart 

with the wonders of nature!

^^ photo credit to Elise! ^^

... speaking of full hearts - SUPRISE!!!
Another little person will be joining our family in a couple months!

We are beside ourselves with excitement!!!  :)

busy hands - toddler edition

slicing strawberries

to top our morning oatmeal

dressing a doll

- doll clothes are a great way to practice buttoning, zipping, and snapping!

whoo hooo!!!  listening for owls

- inspired by Jane Yolen's Owl Moon.

scavenging around the house

for circles, squares, and triangles

filling a spool rack with beads

- a fun idea I'd seen floating around the Montessori facebook groups!

the completed project

Elise ran out of beads, so she finished filling all the posts with - surprise! -  spools!

exploring our winter nature table

- Usually our nature table is filled with items found in nature,

but this little variation inspired lots of play 

when the outdoor world was covered in snow!

Oh!  I'm in this one, too!  ;)

hanging peanut butter pine cones 

- a wintry treat for all our bird friends in the park! 

busy hands - toddler edition

A quick glimpse at all the fun things Elise has been up to the past couple months...

posting coins

building bears

 investigating a bear trunk

stacking blocks

 reading with G-Bob

 crafting with friends

spraying rocks

swinging on the big swings

pasting pictures

 experimenting with cornstarch and water

 slicing cheese with a knife

dreaming about winter

busy hands

A quick glimpse at all the fun things Elise has been up to the past few weeks:

smelling bottles

 stacking rings 

 shoveling snow

 pushing pipe cleaners

 

reading books

 sliding in the park

matching objects

washing dishes

 

washing a dog

washing herself!

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!