Tuesday's Tot Trio #2

Here are three more tot-friendly school ideas...

Every year, I pick up some FREE paint chip samples at the local hardware store. This year, I just happened to score some Disney-themed ones in the shape of Mickey Mouse. I make sure to grab two of each color that I select.

Although we use these paint samples for numerous schooling activities, Greased Lightning enjoys playing a simple match game with them. Sometimes, I have him match up the colors all by himself. But, occasionally, when one of the older kids is not working on a school project, I will ask him/her to be the "color caller". This time, Super Boy and Blonde Warrior jumped in to play with their younger brother. They each took turns calling out colors for Greased Lightening to find and match. As he gets older, Greased Lightening will be able to play a Memory-style match game with these, but for now, a simple "face up" game will do.

I keep a Tupperware filled with beans in my pantry. With the addition of some spoons, a funnel, and few bowls, Greased Lightning has the makings of a morning of fun. I always remind him to keep the beans in the containers and reinforce this by putting the bean bucket away at the first "dump" all over the floor. After a few times of having his fun packed up, Greased Lightning has learned to keep the mess to a minimum.

Our school hutch has a drawer filled with stickers that are just for the kiddos. Most of them are leftovers from craft projects and parties but some are the simple freebies from direct mailers or the doctor's "you survived" stash. Greased Lightening loves to fill the back sides of junk mail or the pages from the scrap box with his own colorful creations.

Here are three more Tot School Ideas in last week's Tot Trio.