Academic Activity: This morning I introduced Colt to our new theme-jungle. We looked at a picture of the jungle and talked about all the different animals. Then, we looked at a picture of our new vocabulary word-vine. Colt was very hesitant to attempt to say either word. Luckily, we had our speech therapist come over today, and she assured me that both sounds are very difficult for young kids to say specifically the "j" sound. She advised me to continue saying the words, but interest him in the theme by talking about the animals he enjoys. At the end of our session, we went over the CID Articulation Age Scale and discussed where Colt was struggling. The good news is that he is only behind on 2-3 sounds. Additionally, he almost always uses the correct amount of syllables, which is a good sign that these sounds will be easier to add to his vocabulary than it would be for someone who omits the syllable all together.
Free Play: I took out all our jungle toys for this unit. It's so funny how thrilled Colt is to see toys that we've had for years! He had a blast going through his vine tunnel and playing with his crocodiles. Our speech therapist was also here for free play. She gave me a few different techniques to help Colt pronounce the sounds he's having a hard time with. We decided to really focus on the "h" sound. One suggestion she gave was to say the word into his hand so he can feel how the hot air leaves my mouth when I say that part of the word. Then, I have him practice the word by saying it into his hand. The idea is that he will try to feel the warm air when he says it too. So far, it's been surprisingly effective, but if we don't continue the technique, he either gets lazy or forgets and does not say the sound. I guess it's something we will have to keep practicing.
Adventure Time: As soon as our speech therapy session ended, I loaded up the boys and we met up with some friends at Altitude Trampoline Park for toddler time. We had so much fun! I plan on going back next week. Cody and I even jumped a little as I wore him in the Ergo. As usual, he slept through the whole thing.
Music Time: We worked up quite an appetite at the trampoline park, so we combined music with lunch. While we ate, we watched some of the music from Disney's The Jungle Book. I was really surprised by how much he enjoyed the songs. We watched "I Wanna Be Like You", "Bear Necessities", and "That's What Friends Are For".
Story: Today we read The Bird, The Monkey, and The Snake in the Jungle by Kate Banks. This is a fun book because the author choose to use pictures to represent some words. It also has a ton of repetition. This was a really great book for any toddler, but specifically for toddlers that need to practice speaking. After story time, we all took a much needed nap.
Academic Activity: I put on some music and we pretended to be jungle animals. We were elephants, giraffes, lions, snakes, and birds. With each one we made an appropriate animal noise. Animal noises are a really great way to teach kids different sounds and sound blends--that's why they're so popular in children's books and music!
Craft-After a little bit of iPad time, we created the craft suggested by the letter of the week curriculum. I found a picture of a monkey and an elephant. Then, Colt painted them using Do-a-Dot markers. I had precut a few pieces of green construction to make them look like blades of grass. Then, Colt glued them to make the animals look like they are hiding behind the grass. We had a lot of fun with this activity. The Do-a-Dot markers are great for teaching hand eye coordination, and for the neat freaks out there, they are a more controlled version of paint and markers.
Day 2:
Academic Activity: We reviewed everything on our learning poster. Then, I introduced the color green. Colt wasn't too interested in this because he already knows all of his colors really well. We went through his toys and pulled out any green ones we could find. We quickly transitioned to free play after this.
Adventure Time: We decided to go back to the Grapevine Public Library to enjoy their sensory stations. We got there a little early, so we were able to catch the last half of their music and movement class. It was a ton of fun! I have to say the city of Grapevine has really stepped up their game. Cody was asleep through most of the experience, but I was able to get one picture with him awake.
Story: We attempted to read Jungle Song by Miriam Moss. The story is very cute, but unfortunately, Colt was so exhausted from staying up way too late the night before, so he sizzled pretty quickly. Cody and I finished the book though. I think he liked it! Colt went to his room for some quiet time. I cannot get that kid to take a nap anymore!
Craft: We were all pretty exhausted because of a late night the night before, so I decided to call it a day early and just skip to the craft. We made handprint monkeys that I found here. We made two, so I'm thinking the grandparents will be getting a gift sometime soon! Of course, our final products never quite look like the model, but we always have a good time attempting them.
Day 3
Academic Activity: Today we learned a new letter, B. At first, Colt was having a difficult time saying it, but once I explained to him that it is said the same way we call Uncle Brandon B, he caught on pretty quickly. I gave him a coloring sheet with the letter and he choose to color it his favorite color, yellow. As he was coloring, we were talking about our family. He loves his CiCi, Pop Pop, DeDe, Peepa, and B. Clif and I just came back from a little weekend get away in hill country, and our family was nice enough to watch the boys while we were away. I am so thrilled that Colt and Cody are able to make so many memories with their grandparents and uncle. They really make an impression on him. He keeps talking about Pop Pop's red Jeep, Peepa watching baseball, and playing in the water with Dodger (my parent's dog). I always find it interesting what leaves a lasting impression on him.
Free Play: During free play, Colt wanted to take out the Play-Doh. He always likes me to make bracelets and rings while we play (trust me, I will use that against him in his teenage years). Today I told him I was going to make something special. I made a square, an A, a B, and a 1. As we reviewed, he got them all correct. This was just a fun way to assess his retention. Cody joined us at the table, too!
Adventure Time: I must have been feeling very adventurous today because I took the boys to a splash pad at a local shopping center. This splash pad was absolutely perfect because it was small enough that I didn't completely freak out every time I had to take my eyes off Colt to do something for Cody. Luckily, we were able to get a spot in the shade with an umbrella. Cody and I had a fun time playing with toys and watching the big kids plays. Another bonus to this particular splash pad is the Ben and Jerry's near by! Of course, we had to get ice cream!
Academic Activity/Craft: I combined these activities today because I felt like it covered both bases. I found this fun worksheet on Pinterest. The goal is to match the animal halves. Honestly, I was a little nervous that this activity would be a little too advanced for Colt. Now I feel like such a jerk for underestimating him! He did a great job. He was able to match the patterns correctly every time. He was also able to glue them correctly almost every time! Lesson learned-don't make your own concerns about your children's potential failures effect the opportunities you provide them with. When you do that, you keep them from learning opportunities.
Day 4:
iPad/Music: Colt is really into these Youtube videos of Spiderman riding various vehicles set to children's songs. Here's the link to one. They're creepy, right? But he loves them, so sometimes when I have a ton of dishes left over from the night before, or I need to get the laundry done, I let him watch them during breakfast. We sing along with the music as he eats and watches. We talk about the scenery and the current vehicle Spiderman is driving. He loves it, and I can get things done. I do feel a little guilty that I let him watch during a meal time, but I suppose everything in moderation is okay.
Academic Activity: We learned about the number two. We talked about different things we have two of: eyes, ears, legs, hands, dogs. Then we added the number and two stickers to his number notebook. We also practiced one, A, B, and square. It was really sweet because Colt wanted to show Cody his work when he was done. I love the way Cody looks at Colt. I can tell he wants to be just like his big brother, and I really appreciate how sweet they are with each other. Colt got a wild hair and really wanted to play golf outside, so that's what we did for free play. It was hotter than the devil's toe nails, but the boys had fun. Cody will do a solid 20 minutes of tummy time when he's outside.
 |
| Here you can see one of our camp counselors, Tex. |
Adventure Time: We met up with friends and went back to that trampoline park. Cody was awake this time! I think he had fun bouncing. When he was ready to go, Colt asked for ice cream. I told him we couldn't eat ice cream at the park, so he started putting on his shoes to go. Although we did not get ice cream, I did decide to get Chick-fil-a. Man, their superfood salad is delish!
 |
| Faster than a speeding bullet! |
Academic Activity: Today was my birthday, so we did not get as much done as usual because we were so busy celebrating. After nap time, we did have fun pretending to be frogs in this sensory/gross motor skill activity. We practiced taking turns, working on the R sound by saying, "ribbit", and more jumping. I got the idea for this activity here. When I went to the Dollar Tree to find elephants, I could only find frogs, so I improvised.
Overall, I really enjoyed this theme. I'm glad I was able to find some different activities that went with it. I also feel like we were able to use this theme to work on Colt's speech development. It's crazy how much Colt's vocabulary has grown in the last month or so. Clif and I have both seen so much improvement.
No comments:
Post a Comment