layered ball scavenger hunt...

i'm not really sure what to call this activity...

it's a scavenger hunt of sorts...

definitely a fine motor exercise...

a tactile activity, as well...

and one that kept leo engaged and interested for awhile.

i'm going with "layered ball scavenger hunt."

here's how it works...

start by gathering the following supplies:

• a few small objects (we went with buttons, a small truck, a quarter, and a rock)
• a piece of paper
• pencil/marker (to make the list)
• crayon (for the little guy to cross off his findings)

and some materials to layer the balls with, such as:

• aluminum foil
• yarn
• wicky sticks
• masking tape

start by making a written or picture list of the objects that will be wrapped...

then, grab one of the small objects, and start wrapping!  i went with wicky sticks, then aluminum foil, some masking tape...

some more masking tape, yarn, and more wicky sticks to keep it all from unraveling.  repeat with all the objects.

a couple of suggestions...

1) don't wrap too tightly... this should be fun, not frustrating!

2) when using any kind of tape, it's helpful to fold over the ends so the child can find the end easily.  leo had to ask me for help several times to find the start of the tape layers.

3) use various colors, especially when layering similar materials... this gives some visual cues as to which layer is next, and when the layer is completed.

once they're all balled up, gather them up, and let the hunt begin!

leo really was so busy working on these...

working those little fingers...

making piles of mess...

and was so excited to find out what was at the center!  

i couldn't even handle when he was marking off what he found... searching for his crayon under all the mess... and making his little squiggles... aye... adorable!

and proudly showing off his completed work...

have fun!

linked up with...

along with reflection comes honesty...

a few days ago, i wrote about reflection.

how important it is to just reflect, and respect, our children's emotions... their space...  where they are, in that moment, and no further. 

that said, i feel it's also important to honor my own feelings.  very important, for that matter.

as parents, we so often do our best to hide our frustration.  stay calm.  we want to have peaceful homes.  and we do a pretty good job at it.

however, that's not to say that being honest about our own feelings can't be a part of that. 

i sure am not a vessel of calmness at all times.  yes, i think i do a pretty good job at not losing my temper... or not yelling at leo... or taking time to think things through before i react.  but leo also needs to know that there are times i am frustrated.  and i do get sad.  and i do get angry.  and sometimes, yes, he is the one that makes those feelings surface.

by no means do i shout out and blame him for those feelings.  but when i've asked him to do something over and over again, and he hasn't, i think it's worth him knowing "leo, this is making me feel frustrated."  or, when he's crying, still, after i've said no to something, that "i need some space from the crying.  if you need to cry, that's fine, but i need to take a break from it." 

or, when i've sat, for many, many minutes, with him... as he's sad... and i no longer have the time available to sit and wait, that "i understand you're still feeling sad.  you've been sad for a long time, and i am sad too.  it's time for me to move on now."

he freely expresses his emotions.  he moves on from one emotion to the next pretty easily.  he lives in the moment.  and i envy that.  if i can't do that, the least i can do is be honest with myself and him.  and be easy on myself.  there's nothing wrong with getting frustrated... or angry... or sad... or just needing a break for a few minutes.

and leo needs to know that.  if all he knows is me remaining calm, taking deep breaths to avoid frustration... than how will he ever know that emotions are healthy?  that expression is healthy? 

i'm not saying it's right to yell.  or encouraging losing patience. 
 
but i do think it is okay to just be honest. 

in whatever emotion that may be.

beautiful little butterflies...

this week, in our school group, we talked about butterflies!

 we read the very hungry caterpillar, by eric carle...

as everyone arrived, we made some butterfly paintings.  i had already drawn some butterflies on large white paper... then the kiddos poured little blobs of paint all over them.  once that was done, we folded them in half, and used some small rollers to smush the paint around.  we opened them up to reveal an adorable butterfly... and once they were dry, cut them out.

we also made some wearable butterfly wings...  we cut out both of the small sides of some brown paper bags (the ones with the nifty little handles)...

so it looked like this...

 

decorated them with some shape stickers and glued on paper shapes...

 took them outside, and flew, flew, flew!!!

and then, my favorite part...

getting back to the very hungry caterpillar...

i cut out some really big fruit shapes used in the book from large cardboard boxes, with nice big holes in them... and painted them accordingly...

and used them to reenact the story!  

start as a little tiny egg in the light of the moon... when the sun comes out, the caterpillar POPS! out...

and that little caterpillar starts to eat...

one apple, two pears, and three plums...

four strawberries, and five oranges... and tada!!!  (he was still hungry, so we just pretended to feed him all the other many foods, as well as a green leaf...)

 he then wrapped himself in a chrysalis, and opened up into a beautiful butterfly!

 the big cut out fruits lasted for a lot of play time... leo wanted to do it again... and again... and again.  eventually it morphed into a story adapted from the little red hen called the little red hen (makes a pizza)....

he decided to make a pizza in his apartment, and call out the window for help from his friends...

why be locked into one story, right?

just linked up to this new site i've been reading...