Week 1 - Social Distancing
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This week was our first FULL week of social distancing. That being said, last week I think I went out maybe Monday or Tuesday just to get a few groceries (and we are already low). We've been utilizing Instacart but there have been glitches in the system, no available delivery times..etc.. Basically they are having trouble keeping up with the demand. I actually spoke to them on the phone 3 times - quick tip, if you need to reach Instacart, schedule a call back and when you do get a call back, ask for a supervisor.
Here's how our week went!
Rough Schedule
(as my girls don't always wake up at the same time every day).
7:30 Wake Up
7:45 Breakfast
8:15 Academics/Activity/Craft
9:00 Play
9:30 Snack
I don't follow this schedule exactly. It is just in the back of my mind. Sometimes our academics take longer and that is okay. I also don't mind if it is shorter. I'm trying to be as relaxed as possible with my girls. They can sense stress and I want our "modified" homeschool instruction to be fun since it is a change.
10:00 Educational Activity or Play
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Nap/Quiet Time
2:30 Screen Time (iPad Educational Games, GoNoodle, Cosmic Kids Yoga)
3:00 Educational Activity our Outdoor Play
The rest of the day I usually just go with the flow and see how the kids are doing.
Day 1:
Goldfish Counting - My oldest's school had sent home a worksheet so we practiced grouping numbers using goldfish.
Letter Collage - Write your child's name on a piece of paper and have them use glue and cut/ripped up pieces of construction paper on their name.
Leprechaun Hat Process Art - This is a great activity for young children. My youngest (16 months) even participated with a modified version. Print out a Leprechaun hat template and cut it out. Have your child trace it onto construction paper and cut it out. Once they've completed those steps, they can decorate it with whatever you have on hand. I couldn't find our pom poms and feathers so we used foam stickers. To get the most out of this activity, give your toddler the directions and see if they can follow them without having to repeat yourself multiple times.
*I found my leprechaun template from Mailbox Gold (it's a subscription) but I'm sure you can find them on Google or Pinterest.
Pretty Pretty Princess - Fun board game that I actually played when I was little.
iPad with Daddy and Math games at night - My husband lets my toddler do ABCmouse or Osmo at night with him or they play math games with cheerios.
Day 2:
Pipe Cleaner Cereal Counting - We used Frozen cereal (it's like cheerios and lucky charms combined) and threaded it on pipe cleaners. We counted as we put them on and took them off as a way to practice addition and subtraction.
Contact Paper Shamrock - Using contact paper and pieces of construction paper, I cut out a shamrock shape using a template and had my toddler decorate it.
Cosmic Kids Yoga - Mama needed a break so my kids did some Frozen themed Yoga with Cosmic Kids via YouTube on the TV.
Day 3:
Letter Sound Scavenger Hunt - Our letter of the week is the Letter R (following my oldest's preschool schedule). We searched all around the house for things that began with the letter
Soggy Doggy - Fun new board game
Outdoor Play
Day 4:
Counting Backwards from 10 - On a piece of paper I drew a picture of my daughter. Using paint crayons she drew 10 apples on her head. As she drew them we counted to 10 and then after she counted down from 10. We used these crayons that turn into paint so that she could use a wet paintbrush to color in the apples.
Pretend Play
Car Wash/Dish Washing - Using a play sink, the girls scrubbed their toys and had fun splashing in the water since it was rainy outside and we couldn't do outdoor play. (Our play sink broke, so I ordered a new one).
Day 5:
Color Mixing Predictions - We filled ziplock baggies with two colors and made a prediction of what color the two would make when mixed.
Ziplock Bag Butterly - We filled it with hole punches (we had Easter Eggs and Bunnies)
Caterpillar Making Sets - I cut out large leaves and wrote a number in the middle. Using a dot marker my toddler made sets of that number.
Some Products I Found (DEALS TOO):
Some of these are for homeschooling, others are fun board games, and a few are miscellaneous. Just wanted to share my finds and some DEALS!
Busy Toddler Playing Preschool 1 & 2 - We started homeschooling this week with my oldest. I don't want her to miss out and fall behind. Her teachers shared some resources with us but as a former teacher, I like to have a curriculum to look at and modify to fit our routine, her interests, and make sure that she is experiencing and learning things she would normally in a regular classroom.
The Good and The Beautiful Pre-K Language Arts Course Set - This course was on sale and got great reviews. It is more of a workbook type program but everything is included. You don't need to get library books or anything. The child works with you and completes everything in the book. It's more than a workbook because they cut, they paste...etc... If I were to compare it to anything I would say it is similar to "Wreck This Book" but an educational version.
Target:
*Easter Basket Idea - Hatchimals CollEGGtibles
*Easter Basket Idea- Paas Easter Color and Hide Dyeable Plastic Eggs
*Easter Basket Idea - Barbie Pool & Doll Playset
Wonder Forge Frozen 2 Surprise Slides Game
Walmart:
Little Tikes Splish Splash Sink & Stove Play Set - We had a similar one but it broke. This one was 1/2 off so I snagged it for my girls.
Amazon:
*Easter Basket Idea - Barbie Dreamtopia Chelsea Mermaid
Avery Removable Print or Write Color Coding Labels - These are great to have for a lot of toddler fun activities.
Melissa and Doug Drawing Paper
Melissa and Doug Alphabet Coloring Pad
Terra by Battat Jungle World Figurines
Terra by Batta Farm Animal Figurines
Nordstrom: 25% off sale ends March 25th
Easter Basket Idea* - Tangle Nightball Soccer Ball - This sounded pretty neat. It is a soccer ball that lights up so that your kids can run around the backyard playing soccer at night.
Easter Basket Idea* - TWEE 3-Piece Unicorn Horn Sidewalk Chalk Set - Chalk is always fun and these look like unicorn horns. I thought my oldest would love these in her Easter basket.
Misc.
Homedics UV Clean Sanitizer Bag - Wanted something that would fit my phone, keys, remote..etc.. (Link will give you 20% off).
I hope everyone is practicing social distancing and staying safe.
