(on) The Road (to becoming a) Scholar: On Keeping Toddler's Busy...

Monday, June 21, 2010

On Keeping Toddler's Busy...

I'm helping out this week at VBS and I'm working the nursery. We are surrounded by 6 lovely teen aged girls, us 5 moms. We have 18 or so little charges, mostly kids of the Nursery workers, go figure!

So we were brainstorming about how to ~~not lose our sanity~~ keep them busy this week. Here are some of our ideas. These are useful when you are homeschooling as well:

New toys that aren't yours. I resurrected a ball toy that consists of chutes and ramps that balls run down. It kept many busy...Find a friend with whom you can swap toys.

Playdoh - homemade is best. Use unsweetened kool-aid type drink mix to color and scent it. Get out the cookie cutters, rolling pins and have fun.

12' long tube of fabric ribbing. I kid you not, this is probably the best $12 I have ever spent. We call it the car wash. You have two of those adorable teens each hold an end open and send kids through on their hands and knees. It's hilarious and they have a blast.

Pack-n-play and a large amount of balls = ball pit. Ball pit balls are very inexpensive and they don't hurt when they hit you. The pack-n-play helps contain them. You could also use an inflatable pool.

Dress up clothes. We're bringing hard hats, shields, knights clothes, princess dresses and cowboy hats. We're testosterone heavy in the nursery, so I'll be looking for more "manly" dress-up clothes in our bin tonight.

Roads, Rivers and Runways - Get a large sheet of paper and draw a city or just a race track for the boys to run their cars on or make an airport for the planes. You can draw a lake for the boats, too.

Kindermats. The make good napping spots, forts, baby beds and tunnels for cars and trucks.

Videos. I'm a firm believer in judicious use of Veggie Tales. We use this for that last half hour when we've heard all too many times, "Is it time to go home yet?"

Have a great week! I'll try to post more as the week goes on...

1 comment:

RealMom4Life said...: Oh I so could have used this last week. I was working at our CVBS and there were 3 of us that had our toddler's with us. Go figure, I brought a few toys from home that didn't occupy my son, but they did occupy someone else. Good point about toys swapping! And the Vegie Tales option. I am right there with you. I don't like using videos, but I am not oppposed, they have their moments. And...I so wish I would have brought my IPOD with a couple kiddie movies for when my little guys decided he was simply done...now!

Thanks for the list. I'm going to print it out and put it in my organizer for some planned toddler time. I'm trying to get in a routine this summer with the little ones that will carry over for next year. Some of these will work great for my little ones while I read history with the middles next year!; June 22, 2010 at 8:41 PM

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The Road Scholar

Cathie and her husband are blessed with six children and have home educated them since 2003. Before children, Cathie developed curricula and taught classes for adults around the world on a variety of topics in the computer industry at the corporate and technical school level. She loves to develop curricula, teach homeschool co-op classes and organize book clubs. For five years, she held board positions on a large homeschool support group such as general coordinator, membership coordinator and advisory member.

Workshops, Presentations and Seminars

To arrange a presentation for your homeschool group or convention contact me here.

Topics:

Beginning Homeschooling - Beyond the Basics

Are you new to homeschooling? Where do you start? How do you ensure a very good (not just adequate) homeschooling experience, especially in that important first year? This practical how-to session will help you determine the appropriate first steps on your homeschooling adventure. We'll talk about picking a curriculum, scheduling and strategies for developing an independent child as well as strengthening your family and social relationships.

Get Your Game On!
Using EASY, Almost No-Fuss Games to Help Keep Learning Fun

Kids love games and so much is gained by playing games: learning to taking turns, good sportsmanship, patience and development of relationships. By using games, we can tailor to the needs of the child - not just academically, but socially, too. Come join in the fun yourself and learn how easy it is to put together games for your children—and you don't have to be creative to do it, either! Besides learning how, you will walk away with instructions, tips and resources to make your own games at home.

How to Get Your Kids to See the Light (or Feel it or Hear it)!

Teaching different learning modalities requires different tactics. Learn how to determine which modality your child uses and find ways to present material so that it sticks the first time, especially if it is different than your own learning modality.

This Old Schoolhouse

The school marms and school masters of yesteryear taught several children at different levels and formed many of our favorite American heroes. We will look back at how those school marms ran their one room schools and take some tips on making our school days more successful. We’ll talk about schedules, curriculum, discipline, independence, character development and motivation for the one room school in your home.

Socrates Meets Homeschool Mom

If Socrates could teach you one thing, it would be to use his method (the Socratic Method) for literary analysis. This presentation addresses the fundamentals of literary interpretation from within the accessible world of children’s literature, so even young students can easily identify the language of literary analysis. As they mature they will readily spot these fundamentals in more difficult works, enriching both their understanding of the literature and their appreciation for the author’s handiwork. Learn the aspects of literary analysis and how to help kids appreciate and find the meaning in all the great books they read.

The Motivation Myth

What do sticker charts, time-outs and spelling bees have in common? They are examples of “Carrots and Sticks.” Over the last 40 years, study after study has shown that "Carrots and Sticks" don't work for long term motivation, especially when thought is required in the process. How are you motivating and inspiring your kids to study, do chores and reach goals? Learn about what truly motivates kids, how to mentor them and help them become successful in their endeavors. I will dispel the myths and reveal truths about human motivation and mindset. And here’s a hint. It’s you, not them. I hope you will join me to find out what that means.