Runningmom80 Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Who have decided to "do school" with their brother. :) We have lots of art supplies, but that ends up being more work than its worth most of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenNotOfTroy Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.net/ has a lot of ideas. Just getting a preschool workbook from Walmart and letting them color or scribble in it helps if they see workbook work done by older sibling. My son loved the Kumon First Step books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I let my preschoolers work ("scribble") in the finished workbooks of my older kids. Cups and buttons make a fun activity - sorting colors or just plopping them in and out of cups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 At 2.5, I started the Preparatory program at www.letteroftheweek.com for both my boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2myboys Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I was also going to suggest 1plus1plus1equals1's site as well. Also, http://totallytots.blogspot.com/ has some good ideas. Sensory bins are fun, but can be a bit messy. I would either have my son use it at the table or on a tablecloth on the floor. Then I could easily pick up the cloth and dump everything back in. I did watch 2 other children last fall a few afternoons (3 and 2 years old) and they enjoyed the sensory bins. They also loved it when I would give them 2 bowls and fill one will assorted beans and a measuring spoon. They moved the beans back and forth for quite a while. Also, cotton balls with little tongs. Same transferring from bowl to bowl. It kept them entertained at the table while I worked with my older kids. Tot trays were great. Coloring books and crayons as well as play dough. An easel with chalkboard on one side and dry erase on the other was a big hit too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 At that age my older two were doing lots of puzzles and things like pattern blocks. They liked alphabet and number activities, although I was able to do more crafty things because what we were doing was my main thing. It wasn't what I gave them to keep them out of trouble! My current 2.5 year old is completely different. We've got some verbal delays and motor skill delays. He does still like the crafty stuff, and I try to push it when I can because he needs it more developmentally. He likes puzzles and manipulatives, but he gets frustrated and they don't hold his attention for as long. He does love it when I make an extra copy of what we're doing for him. He likes getting to watch on the days we do computer things like Starfall, and I try to let him make choices and answer things too. I also try to do things when he lays down for his nap or before he gets up in the morning, so that he doesn't feel like he's missing out on as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aly9712 Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I would research Montessori, lots of hands on & meaningful sensorial and practical life skills, perfect for the two's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanikit Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I am using www.abcjesuslovesme.com 2 year old curriculum for my nearly 2 year old. When my 5 year old is busy I get out some toys or puzzles for her to play with and I try to do one craft with her per day when my older is also doing crafts - I find this takes a LOT of preparation so that I can handle two different crafts with two young children at once - with 3 you would have to be even more organised, but it has been worth it for me. I let my nearly 2 year old watch starfall and do plenty of pouring activities and sand play. I also read a lot to her as she loves books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckles Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I saw this on pinterest and thought it was a great idea. I wish I would have done this when I taught pre-k. Put a blob of kid paint in a gallon size ziplock bag and tape it down on 4 sides to the table. The littles can then finger paint without the mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meggie Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 When Digby was that age, I got some balloons and filled them w/ squishy stuff (beans, sugar, rice, etc), some geoboards, some pom poms and tongs to sort into trays, a bunch of cut up pipe cleaners in a mason jar with a magnetic wand, 8.5x11 chalkboard and whiteboard. His favorite now is Start Write pages with outlines of letters. He likes to take a marker and "write" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 Thanks for the awesome ideas! I'm taking notes!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniv Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Kumon workbooks for 2 and up are nice. Though, I've only used it a couple of times, I really liked Hubbard's Cupboard too. http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/pre-kindergarten.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferLynn Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 When my oldest was 4.5 and starting K, my twins were 2.5. As soon as they could recognize the numbers 1-5, they loved to do simple color by number books. I would use a crayon to color the key since they couldn't read the color names and then they did it by themselves. More pricey were the junior Sticky Mosaics which worked by shapes. I would also draw shapes and have them identify them, then color and cut them out. Working with chalkboards was fun too for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 http://pinterest.com...g preschool���� Pinterest is your friend!!! My dd is that age and she has her own little "school" in the front room. Just a 6 cube shelf that dh built me and stained pretty. I rotate things onto it. So when i have to focus on big brothers I set her up with an activity and play with her a bit and then ask her to carry on. I try to make a point of having fingerplay time with her because she's my first baby who actually likes these little rhymes so I'm loving it. I lay things out on inexpensive cafeteria trays and in baskets on her shelf to help her clean up after herself. Right now she has a box of nature treasures and magnifying glasses. Using Childsize Masterpieces art cards I placed in pocket folders made from construction paper. A tray of attribute blocks (big/little, thin/thick three colored squares, rectangles, triangles) that she places on different cards to sort by shape, color, size ,Venn diagram etc. I keep some puzzles there and some fave toys like sorters and stacking/nesting blocks. Lacing boards and beads and the HWT wooden letters. And any other random thing finds itself there as I put things away. In the kitchen she has her play doh caddy and a bin of dry beans with little plastic critters hiding in it. I took the time to assemble some busy bag style activities in ziplocs. This is my Pin board http://pinterest.com/walkingiris/homeschooling-preschool/ I just pull out something (sort of random to be honest) and do stuff with her and fill her cup and then let her carry on. She loves Mudpies to Magnets and will pull that down and ask to do science. And I let her do Artistic Pursuits and Harmony Fine Arts with big brothers. While they are trying to watercolor a still life, she watercolors some very interesting things!!!! I give her coloring books or old workbooks to scribble in. Occasionally she wants my attention though so I have had to be ready to ask her to circle some thing or count how many. And if I really need her distracted I can let her play Red Fish Soup on the computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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