Tot School – Nursery Rhyme – As I was going to St Ives – Number 7

25 months

We are continuing to look at numbers, this week we used the rhyme “As I was going to St Ives” for the number seven.  7 was one of the first numbers Luath recognised so the number side was pretty much covered already.  We still looked for number sevens in our puzzles and elsewhere.  We used the number 7 beanbag in our general play, it even joined in a party one afternoon.

We are continuing to measure our amaryllis and Luath is still playing with some number toys.

No photos of our rhyme based activities. We did two puzzles featuring cats.  Read books that featured cats or kittens.  Used a threading puzzle that has a cat and kitten.  Took a  (toy!) cat for a walk in a sack.

Other things this week
This week we were enjoying some cold but bright sunny dry weather and had a fun after dinner walk with a torch.
    
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(Luath is 25 months)

Tot School – Nursery Rhyme - Sing a song of sixpence –number 6

24 months

This week we looked at the number six and “Sing a song of sixpence” nursery rhyme.  I took no number pictures this week, but similarly to previous weeks  the number part was more about recognising the number, we looked out for number 6s, played with a 6 bean bag, did some number puzzles and read some number books.

This was some things we used to play/act out the nursery rhyme – clothes pegs, blackbird, king, queen and maid, bottle tops as coins and pie with black beans (as birds)
 
I placed 24 black birds (beans)  on a cookie tray and Luath transferred them into the pie (tub).  She did it with her fingers but we gave it a try with tongs as she quite often picks these up and tries to use.  Even though she couldn’t use the tongs next time I took the tray out she insisted I got the tongs too.
                   
We emptied out the dog’s piggy bank (this was from pre Luath and I didn’t realise that it still had quite a bit of change in it).  It was good to look at all the different coins.  Luath insisted that the Queen had a king’s crown on not a queen’s.  She tried to put the money into the piggy bank’s slot (she has done this before) but found it too hard so I turned the bankie upside down to make it easier.  She mastered the piggy bank slot another day. NB Luath did twice bring a coin to her mouth, both times she looked at me and shook her head, so she was closely supervised.

She helped me hanging up the washing (she does this anyway) and I set her up with a shoelace washing line tied to the fire guard NB she wasn’t left alone with this activity

We also made a castle (just four square foam mats), with a throne (a stool) and sometimes a crown (either a tiara or a ring of cardboard).  Luath especially enjoyed sitting on her throne while I would raise and lower one of the sides as a drawbridge.
Luath loved all our Sing a Song activities and liked to sing/have the song sung as we did them.

Other things this week
Plenty of spying with our and her binoculars.  Tossing pancakes.  Took part in a RSPB survey – listening to birds.

Valentine activities – baking, heart shaped food, card making
        


Shared with 1+1+1=1
(Luath is 24 months)

Tot school – Nursery Rhyme – Five monkeys-number 5

24 months

This week I had initially thought to do five little ducklings but as Luath has been loving jumping on the trampette I changed this week’s rhyme to “five little monkeys jumping on the bed”.  We did also sing “five little monkeys in a tree”.  Last year we had a week using “five currant buns”.  Since our number weeks are more about Luath recognising the different numbers we spent more time on the monkey theme than number 5.

I looked out some monkey themed books and toys.

We found number 5s in our puzzles and they jumped on the trampette.  Luath jumped on a 5 made of stones.

We all did lots of jumping on the trampette and re-enacting the song.

Other things this week
We had a few days in a city where we had some outside time (terrible weather) but did lots of unusual for us activities – riding in lifts (including a glass one), up/down escalators, big shops, restaurants and more.
We had fun in a muddy puddle and letting a dice decide our walk direction.  Retold The Gingerbread Man using story stones.  Pretend we had a broken limb using a pretend plaster cast I had made.

  

 

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(Luath is 24 months)

Tot school – nursery rhyme – mother hen/number 4

24 months

This week we looked at the number four and used the rhyme mother hen.  It is a new rhyme to Luath and I and it didn’t quite grab either of our attention. 

I brought out some books and toys linked to the theme.  We sang the rhyme and I would hold up my fingers while saying 4 yellow, 4 brown and 2 speckled red.  Daddy started singing "chick chick...lay a little egg" and that has been much more of a hit with Luath.

We played with our number toys and took out all the number 4s.  This week the 4s walked the plank.  Luath still loves her magnetic number clock/shape puzzle, which has been played with many times every day, in many different ways.


I received an amaryllis for Christmas and I thought it would be good to measure it’s growth as I know they grow fast and tall.  Already this week it has grown.  We are going to have problems balancing the blocks soon.

 

Other things this week
We have done a few activities in the bath
Burning a boat for Up Helly Aa.  Painting with hot pink bubble bath paint.  Playing with frozen hearts.


We have had some pretty wet and stormy weather this week but have managed to stay relatively dry on our adventures.
   
Shared with 1+1+1-1.
(Luath is 24 months)

Tot School – Nursery Rhyme-Three Blind Mice – Number 3

24 months

This week we looked at the number 3.  Luath is still recovering from a bug, but we had a more active week than last. Towards the end of the week I was drawing with Luath and I drew a 3 which she told me was a 8,  but she did seem to grasp the concept of “third” as we had used that frequently in our stories.  We used the nursery rhyme “Three Blind Mice”.  I sing  it slightly adapted so that the farmer’s wife chases them away with a carving knife.  I don’t change many nursery rhymes. 

We read the Three Billy Goats Gruff and Goldilocks & the Three bears.  We don’t have the book but we told the story of the Three Little Pigs and that was Luath’s favourite “three” story - one day we acted it out using straw, sticks and stones.
        

My old exercise trampette featured in a lot of this week’s activities so the number 3s gathered there for a bounce.


We played with a number 3 beanbag I made.  It worked so much better than any of the other number pieces we have had out.  We both repeated the phrase number three frequently while we played - “number 3 in the air”, “number 3 on my head”, “here comes number 3 catch”……. 


Luath choose to play often with some toys from her number box selection.  She especially enjoyed the magnetic qualities in two of the toys. One evening as I prepared dinner she kept herself very busy by  travelling into the living room to collect two puzzle piece then sticking the magnetic numbers onto the washing machine, then returning for the next two pieces. She next took them all to the trampette. I gave her  a tray to put them on and finally back into the puzzle.  A fantastic little circuit that I will have to try again.


We did some pig based activities


I made some moon sand which was a huge hit.
   

Learnt about marking time to music.  Painted with homemade paint.  Fed the birds


Celebrated Burns Night by reading some Burns and eating
 
See what other tot school is happening this week at 1+1+1=1