Snow!

It doesn't happen very often here in Portland, but we have been hit with a whole lot of snow (for us) and it is still coming down. I would guess we're easily at 6" now, but it's hard to tell because yesterday was so windy, so levels vary. I've been taking lots of pictures, but here are just a few I want to share now. 

Learning

I am always amazed at what my little girls (I guess not so little anymore) are learning every day. They are always showing me something new. 

Both girls love puzzles, and for awhile now, have been challenging themselves with turning the pieces upside down on a puzzle they have already mastered. It's something they decided to do all on their own quite some time ago. Both girls can easily master a 48 piece puzzle now. It's amazing! 

We've also been practicing our names. They know their letters and sounds, know the letters in their name and can usually correctly spell their own, and each other's, names. They have also written letter "Es." Yesterday Ellerie tells me, "I wrote my name!" I walked over to see her in the process of writing the last couple letters. I quickly grabbed my phone to snag a photo as she finished. The "Ls" are upside down, and the "R" looks like a 2-year-old version of a stick person, but she did it and I was/am proud!

Bowling

Esme and Ellerie were able to have their first bowling experience at my husband's "holiday" work party at Big Als yesterday. If you don't know what Big Als is, it's a giant place with a lot of everything...bowling, arcade, sports bar, restaurant and more. My girls loved it! They really only experienced the bowling, but have been asking to go back. 

Here are a few photos I snagged...

(Esme in pink. Ellerie in blue. 34.5 months)

Spelling Practice

I walked into my girls' playroom the other day to find them practicing their names. I was quite impressed (even though we sing songs about their names regularly). They even had to point out that we need more letter "Es" to finish Ellerie's name. They're not into writing as much, but will/can write an "E" with far more than 3 lines. :)

Walking the Mall

My girls love the mall! No...they don't like to shop. They just love to walk the mall. It's an excellent way to burn some energy if the weather is yucky. Well, the weather wasn't yucky at all today, but we found ourselves walking the mall this morning. We even picked up some special treats...Jamba Juice smoothies. 

(Ellerie in blue. Esme in pink)

We also had a mall adventure last Saturday. My girls received Build a Bear gift cards for Christmas from their uncle, aunt and cousin so we took them for their first time. They loved it! They loved picking out, stuffing and "bathing" their animal. Ellerie chose a lion and Esme a pink elephant. They still have some money left for another trip. 

(Ellerie in blue. Esme in pink)

Out for a Walk

There is a park with a lake that is within walking distance (1 + mile) of our house. There is a nice path around the lake and a playground at one end. It's a nice park. 

We decided to venture there today. The girls and I go for lots of walks around our house without the stroller (we honestly don't use one much anymore), but I decided that today the walk would be more for me this time and I would let them ride in the stroller while I got a little exercise

The girls had a lot of fun watching everything from the comfort of their stroller.

Fall Fun

We've been doing all kinds of fun fall activities around here. Many have centered around pumpkins. Here are a couple activities we've done in the past couple days.

Roasting pumpkin seeds...in "princess" attire of course...YUM! Wash the seeds, let dry, add a little oil and seasonings (I used sea salt and a sprinkle of garlic powder and paprika) and roast at 350 degrees (stirring occasionally) until golden brown. Scooping the seeds out of the pumpkin was a great sensory activity. Esme wasn't too fond of the slimy texture. Ellerie loved separating the seeds and putting them in a bowl.

Painting pumpkins...They sprinkled glitter on the wet paint too!

Pumpkin Patch Tradition

We usually visit a handful of different pumpkin patches each October. There are so many around here and they are all so different. There is one patch, however, that we always visit with our friends Whitey, Dan and Lily. It's become a tradition to visit the patch and get a picture of the 3 girls in the same spot each year. It's fun to watch them grow! Thanks Whitney for the pics!

Year One (Esme and Ellerie: 7 months)

Year Two (Esme and Ellerie: 19 months)

This Year - Year Three (Esme and Ellerie: 2.5 years)

Reading?!?

Wait...What? Where did this come from?? They're 2 and a half!!!

Both Esme and Ellerie have been able to identify a few words here and there for awhile. But now, out of the blue, Ellerie (especially) has developed a whole new confidence in her abilities and has completely taken off. This video was taken a few days ago, and I have already seen a lot of growth since then! She grabs her pile of books, sits on the couch and just starts reading her way through them...asking help on words as needed.

Ellerie is my girl who would sit and look at/read books for hours...or put together puzzles (she easily puts together 50 piece puzzles). Esme loves books and puzzles too, and is equally as gifted, but her attention span isn't near Ellerie's...but still longer than most 2-year-olds. Esme can read most of the same words, but she just won't sit and read a book on her own like that for very long...especially if the camera is on her. She'd much rather be read to, and that is completely fine by me.

I haven't pushed reading at all, but I have exposed them to lots of books, and reading/listening to stories is their favorite activity. They have learned to recognized a variety of words through me reading and playing games..."This is the word 'the.' Let's see if we can find the word 'the' in this book." This is also a fun game for learning letters. Or, play "hide-and-seek" with letters/words/shapes/numbers (anything). I'll write the word on a couple index sized cards, hide them in the room and ask my girls to "find the _____."

They have also started learning how to sound out words. Phonics is important too! Their little brains are amazing!

Check out this video of Ellerie reading one of her books. This particular book is from the library and I believe this was only the second time she had read/heard it.

Toddler Writing Practice

Today, we practiced "writing" in chocolate pudding. Once Esme and Ellerie got done licking their fingers, they had fun drawing shapes in the pudding. We used cookie sheets with white paper taped to them for our pudding writing.

This a great sensory activity for little ones. It's also great writing practice. It's easier to write with a finger in pudding (shaving cream works well too...try adding glitter for an added touch) than it is to hold a pencil to paper...there is less resistance. Have your toddler/preschooler practice drawing lines, circles, triangles and squares before letters. Once your child has mastered those shapes, they will have enough fine motor control to begin writing the letters of the alphabet.

Stay tuned for more writing practice tips...

"Aa" is for Apple

Esme and Ellerie have been able to identify all their letters (both upper and lowercase) and letter sounds for quite some time. Their new favorite question is "What does _____ start with?" I'm not one to "push" learning, and I know that isolating the beginning sound in a word takes practice, but I do listen to their interests and go with it. We talk a lot about what we see when we're out an about...even while grocery shopping. It has almost become a fun game to try and listen for the letter sounds we hear in different words. Learning can happen anywhere!

I'm starting to pull out some more projects for the girls. I'm going to try and start sharing some of them here. With over 9 years experience teaching early childhood prior to having the girls, I have a lot of plans in my head.

This morning, we peeked out the window in the playroom (it was pouring rain outside) to take a closer look at the apple tree in our backyard. It's been dropping apples, and we've even tasted a few of them (they are a little sour still, but the girls don't seem to mind). I asked them questions about what the tree looked like...what they saw. Then we came inside and decided to replicate the tree on paper. I had an idea in my head, but I let them "come up with it" through questions I asked.

They wanted me to make a tree and leaves out of paper so that they could glue it on. I let them glue their pieces wherever they wanted (it's the process, not the product), but I was surprised at how straight their trees ended up! To make the apples, we cut a couple apples from our apple tree in half. We dipped the halves in green and red paint (the colors they chose) and stamped them on the tree. While stamping, we talked about the apples...what they look like, how they felt and what sounds we heard in the word "apple." Once their paint is dry (I forgot to write it before), we'll go back and write the word apple on their pictures. For now, they're hanging in the playroom with their other recent artwork.

Roar!

We love visiting the Oregon Zoo! We have a membership and visit 2-3 times a month. It's a great way for the girls to burn some energy and we always see something "new."

On Thursday, we were able to see one of the "mama lions" (as the girls call the female lions) up close. Usually they are all up lounging up on the rocks (the rocks are heated). The girls were having a blast following the lioness back and forth and she paced along the glass.

This is one of the pics I snagged with my phone...Esme and the lioness having a stare down!

Glow In The Dark Bath

Here's an easy, inexpensive and fun activity for kids!

Today, I used this to calm my fussy, whiny, sleep deprived, trying to get over a cold toddlers.

I had a pack of 5 glow in the dark bracelets that I think I picked up at the Dollar Tree. In the pack there were 5 different colored sticks and little connecters to turn the sticks into bracelets. I threw the connecters away and got the 5 sticks glowing, turned off the lights and the girls had a blast playing "in the dark!"

Don't worry...I could see much better than the pictures show!

Reading Books

Esme and Ellerie love books! They are also beginning to "read" books to us now. I love that! Through the process, they have begun recognizing certain words as well. It's amazing how much they can learn at such a young age!

Here's a video of my girls "reading" Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Play Dough

I've written about play dough before, but I wanted to link you to a guest post I wrote about play dough over at Lily Harlacher last month. Lily is a good friend of my girls (she's just 7 weeks younger) and her mom asked me to write a blog post for her. I claimed I didn't even have much time to write posts for my own blog, but she didn't buy it. :)

In the post I go more in depth into the benefits of play dough...beyond it just being fun. I've had some feedback from friends that I should write more posts like this...including knowledge from my educational background. Maybe I will...

Christmas Lists

I've been asked a few times for the girls' Christmas list in the past few weeks. I thought I'd post some ideas here so that family will have a list they can access, and maybe some of the rest of you, who may be looking for toddler gift ideas, can get some suggestions as well.

The teacher in me prefers to have toys serve a "purpose." Is it a toy that stimulates them in some way, or encourages imaginative play, curiosity and problem solving? Most toys, if age appropriate, will do this...especially if you engage your child and perhaps show him/her new ways to play with a toy.

The girls have several toys that they have "outgrown," but they still play with some of them on occasion. I have started clearing toys out to sell, donate and stash away for a few months. We are limited on space, too, so I just need to make room!

Here are a few thoughts for Ellerie's List:

1. Ellerie is in love with wooden train sets wherever we find them! They hold her attention for quite some time. They have basic sets at Ikea or this KidKraft Figure 8 Train Set, or this Maxim Train Set 40 Piece, are great starter sets as well.

2. Battat Bristle Block 85 Piece Set or B. Stackadoos

3. Lego Duplo Sets

Specifically ones that have animals like the LEGO Brick Themes DUPLO My First Farm and LEGO DUPLO My First Zoo. The LEGO Duplo My First Set would be a great start too!

Also, we saw these little Lego Duplo with a book sets at Target and both girls wanted to bring them home!!

LEGO Duplo Grow Caterpillar Grow 6758

LEGO Duplo Busy Farm 6759

Can you tell Ellerie has a passion for building and constructing? :)

4. Skip Hop Zoo Pack Little Kid Owl Backpack

Here are a few thoughts for Esme's List...

1. Puppets! It's hard to find good quality puppets, but I don't think we really need more than a few. We saw a set at Costco recently...

2. Small animal play sets - Some examples include: Soft & Squeezy Animals (any set), Learning Resources JUMBO Animal sets (I would suggest Zoo Animals, Ocean Animals or Dinosaurs), or Plan Toy Farm Animal Set.

3. Draw & Write Touch Board and Color-Changing Touch Board

Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Classic Doodler with 2 Stampers

4. Skip Hop Zoo Pack Little Kid Ladybug Backpack

Here are a few ideas for either/both of the girls...

1. They both love puzzles, but the kind where you just match the piece to the correct spot are WAY too easy now. Here are a couple examples of some more challenging puzzles: Melissa & Doug On the Farm Jigsaw (12 pc), Melissa & Doug Playful Pets Jigsaw (12 pc) and My First Chunky Puzzles. There are others out there too!

2. Games

Peaceable Kingdom Alphabet Match Ups Game

Peaceable Kingdom Animal Alphabet Match Ups

Cranium Hullabaloo

3. LeapFrog Tag Junior Get Ready To Read Book Set

LeapFrog Tag Junior Book, Christmas in the Manger

4. God Gave Us You book

5. SweetPea3 2 GB MP3 Player for Kids (Violet)

I may come up with more ideas (I'll add if I do)...it could become a birthday list in a couple months!

Perhaps my next post will include a list of toddler gift suggestions based on what we already have...