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May 2012

games for three year-olds

homeschooling and games

Those who know me well will find it comical that I'm writing this post.

I'm not really a game person. Growing up, we rarely played board games, but we did get out Scrabble on occasion, and I've always enjoyed that.

I think I would like playing a board game with adults, but I always end up watching the kids when the board games happen when extended family comes to visit because, as we all know, if Mama sits down to relax, there's some sort of siren that goes off that demands her immediate attention. A spill, a book to be read in her lap, a diaper to change, a snack to be made and consumed, an art project to do, etc. etc.

But lately, I HAVE been able to play some board games. Board games for three year-olds. And I'm liking it.

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The first is Zingo - a snazzy bingo game for pre-readers that has a very fun-to-operate tile dispenser. We first played Zingo with our friends on our trip to the mountains this past winter, and I'm glad we decided to add it to our (very small) collection.

homeschooling and games

Peaceable Kingdom makes really great cooperative games. This one, Count Your Chickens, is gratifyingly quick to play and fun for counting practice. Finn wants me to tell you that he likes the spinner.

homeschooling and games

Another game we like is Busytown, which has a big playing board that needs to go on the floor. This means that Busytown play is, for the current family stage we're in, relegated to Lachlan's naptime. The part of this cooperative game that really holds Finn's interest is the search for objects in the illustrations. You find as many objects as you can in the allotted period of time, then you count up how many you found. I'll be honest - this game isn't boring for parents, because the searches are a good challenge, even for us!

homeschooling and games

When I was teaching in Mexico, we had the most lovely, handmade Balancing Moon game. It was a favorite among my students, so when I found a similar one at a local store, I snapped it up. I don't think it's easy to find - this is a slightly different version on ebay.

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It's a simple game - a good introduction to the concepts of balance, weight, and gravity. A fun after-dinner family activity.

homeschooling and games

Here's a homemade favorite. This is our family memory game, which I blogged about here. You can find the instructions for making your own out of fabric in Alicia's wonderful book, or you could make a simple version from printed pictures backed with a pretty scrapbooking paper.

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What are your favorite games for little ones?


mama solidarity

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I just want to add something here - an apology of sorts - if this post made any other mama feel overwhelmed in any way. My dear friend commented to me today that some people might feel worried that, if they're not teaching reading at age three, then they are not "up to par" as a mother. Let me tell you something - we mamas need to stick up for each other. Breastfeeding, bottlefeeding, co-sleeping, crib sleeping, no TV, media-rich, public schooling, private schooling, homeschooling, working, or stay-at-home. Being a mother is the hardest job out there. We all have ideals that, at times, we can uphold with ease, and at other times, life just throws us curve balls. You totally don't need to homeschool to be the best mama for your little one, nor do you need to teach them to read - it's just as acceptable to wait for that to happen in school! This reading stuff is a teeny tiny part of our days. Most of it is outside, unstrucured, and - like many households with young children - chaotic. Also, Finn goes to a Waldorf home nursery two mornings a week, and my parents care for both boys those afternoons. I'm a mix between an working mama and a stay-at-home mama, and I have the odd advantage of having a partner who is in the same boat as me.

There are rough moments when I think to myself "There is no way I can homeschool this boy, I can barely keep my cool!" There are moments when our biggest work around here is recovering from all of the anxiety produced by Lachlan's heart condition and the crazy months of hospitalization. There are moments of such sibling disharmony that I wonder if I'm doing something totally wrong. There are moments when I wish I had more time to be with the boys, and that I could really be a stay-at-home mama. That will never happen. 

I always try to remind myself that I am what they need. And you, dear readers, YOU are what your child needs - working, breastfeeding, bottlefeeding, school-choosing or choosing to homeschool, Montessori or Waldorf - the life we provide for our little one is challenging and chaotic - even desperate - and totally beautiful in all of its imperfections.

You know I speak from the heart here. I'm a mama of a breastfed until self-weaned child and a pumping, then formula-fed child. I'm a mama of a little boy whose biggest challenge is overcoming his fears and learning to control his temper and get along with others, and the mama of a contented extrovert who lets the world roll of his shoulders. I'm the mama of a little baby who was born naturally in a birthing center and had his first nap on his daddy's bare chest, and the mama of a little baby who was born in a hospital with thirty medical specialists in the room watching, a baby we had with us for forty minutes before they took him away and hooked him up to an IV, in preparation for his first open-heart surgery two days later. By the time they took him away, I had a rush of oxytocin and spent the next few hours in a blurry haze without my baby boy to cradle as the love hormone did its non-productive work. I know we all have different circumstances. We all have very different children who are their own people - not just products of who we are or how we act as parents. We are all mamas, and we all love deeply, tenderly, and in a life-consuming and life-giving way.

All this to say that you totally don't need to feel pressured to teach your three year old his letters! ;) And I hope, as we begin exploring this new part of our family's life, that you will always remember that what I offer here is in the spirit of solidarity and idea sharing, not dogma or judgement or anything of the sort. We all go our own ways, and those ways are unique to each family.  

Much warmth and love,

Meg

 


starting on the homeschooling journey

homeschooling and games

homeschooling and games

That, my friends, is Finn's first legible letter. With all the hoopla and busyness that occurs every day at our writing center, his interest in all things letters and words has blossomed into a passion. It's time.

Time for me to start doing a little bit of planning, time for me to organize all of the learning materials that I collected while teaching 3-6 year old in that one-room Montessori schoolhouse in Mexico, time for a little daily activity - playful-yet-planned - to guide him down the path to literacy.

A year or so ago, I wasn't so sure that I would take proactive steps to help him to read. I very much believe that learning must come from a place of joy, curiosity, and intrinsic motivation. At two-and-a-half, Finn showed no interest in letter games and such. I was fine with following his lead, even exploring a more Waldorf-ian, later reading pace with him. I still think that is a wonderful approach for many children.

But my boy is intense and passionate about most everything. He's into it, and I will follow his lead. The more I think about it, the more I know that using games and fun activities to teach phonics and sight words is the right approach for him. The more "unconscious" he can be about learning to read, in the same way that a young child absorbs his mother tongue without effort, the less frustration he'll have down the road.

Although I have my graduate degree in Montessori education, a whole slew of handwritten curricula "albums," as well as experience teaching in a classroom, teaching my own child is a different ballgame. I've found that most of the Montessori materials are far out of my budget range, plus I'm running a business so I don't have time to make all of the traditional Montessori materials by hand (although I do have a good number that I made back when I was teaching (and before I had my own babies!) Plus, learning at home (at least in my home) is much less formal than it would be in a classroom setting. 

I felt a little lost with where and how to begin. And I'm trained in this stuff! It was all just a bit overwhelming. Until, one fortuitous day, John of Montessori At Home contacted me about using one of my photos in the next edition of his e-book. Why yes, of course, and oh my - what is this book?! He sent me a copy and I breathed a sigh of relief. Here it is. For all of you wondering how the heck to implement Montessori in the home, either in a homeschool or as a supplement to classroom learning, this is a real jewel. It's packed with sequential learning activities, it's organized, and it's not overwhelming. John, a former teacher and administrator himself, tells it to you straight. The activities are home-centered, the materials are easy to find, and he lets you know what you don't need to buy, as well as what materias are truly useful in a home setting.

Unlike How To Raise An Amazing Child the Montessori Way, which is a great introduction to Montessori for parents of young children, Montessori At Home is an organized curriculum for the 2-6 year-old.

Speaking of other Montessori parenting books, did you notice that two of my boys are on the cover of Learning Together: What Montessori Can Offer Your Family? As far as I can tell, it's only available in the UK, and I don't yet have my hands on a copy. A few more of my photos are used inside the book as well. How fun! Check out this review at How We Montessori.

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Photo by How We Montessori

 

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a few of our favorite toys (& a giveaway!)

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We're outside a lot. Outside or in the kitchen. There are quiet, inside moments spattered throughout our days, though. I've been collecting a handful of fun games and activities to have on hand during such moments - educational toys, mostly, and a few fun board games (more on our favorite board games for three year olds in another post!)

Finn will spend a lot of time hammering shapes, making cars, trains, trees, etc. out of said shapes with this Haba Hammering set that I had in a closet for a while, just waiting for him to get old enough to try it out. It's certainly his favorite quite time activity (other than writing letters!) The recommended age is 4+ years, but, as you can see, this barely three year-old loves it, and it provides a fine motor challenge that's perfect for him.

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It comes with examples of designs you can make with the shapes, but he prefers to go his own way. I think that spacial challenge would be a little much for him at this point in his development. 

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I was pretty thrilled when For Small Hands (the Montessori-in-the-home division of classroom-focused Montessori Services) contacted me about reviewing a few of their products from time to time. They are one of my go-to educational kid stuff sources. They sent me Pattern Play, seen below, and Finn gave it a whirl.

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I was totally into this. It really is my kind of game - I always loved the visual/spacial stuff as a kid (no wonder I ended up designing sewing patterns!) and Finn enjoyed it, too. 

pattern play

Pattern Play (item #Y202) comes with a bunch of wooden blocks in various cuts, as well as a square tray. The most compelling part about it is the 20-something design cards that accompany the material. They are numbered by difficulty, so you can put out one or two cards during a play session for inspiration.

pattern play

Finn tried to work with the first image for a while, but was pulled away by the possibilities of making three dimensional structures with the blocks. He had a lot of fun.

pattern play

He's asked to play with this several times since, and it's been a great open-ended material for him. Sometimes he works with a card, sometimes not. The cards are still a little difficult for him right now (the box states that it's for ages 3-6) but I'm curious how that will evolve this year as his ability in this area is rapidly changing. All of a sudden, he's painting shapes, writing scribbles that look more and more like actual writing, etc. It's fun to watch! Also, I think the possibilities for this material extend far beyond age 6. As I said before, this 31 year-old loved playing with it! I've been meaning to do this activity with him to give him some extra "play" with spacial critical thinking. 

For Small Hands is giving away Pattern Play to one of YOU! Leave a comment to enter - I'll draw a winner on Monday, May 21st. Good luck!

Comments are closed. Congratulations to Catherine who said: Looks very fun. My five year olds would love this challenge. Thanks!


writing center update

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We're back from the beach! As always, there's a ton to do upon returning from vacation - bare cupboards to fill, a birthday celebration for my three year-old to plan and attend, gardens to weed, work deadlines to meet ... the list goes on. 

Just a quick post today, but I wanted to share with you this tender experience between my boys this morning. Finn wanted to show Lachlan how to write letters and suggested bringing over the high chair for him. It worked really well. There was space enough for both of them at the desk, and being in the high chair kept Lachlan busy on his own side of the desk, rather than "rearranging" Finn's work, as he is apt to do. The whole thing was so sweet. They did this for half and hour, and would have spent more time there, but it was time to head out the door.

Mariah of Playful Learning just did a round-up post of other writing centers if you'd like to take a look. Lots of inspiration there!


the beach boys

at the outer banks

at the outer banks

at the outer banks

at the outer banks

at the outer banks

at the outer banks

at the outer banks

at the outer banks

at the outer banks

at the outer banks

at the outer banks

at the outer banks

Lachlan's first, Finn's third, and Patrick's thousandth trip to the beach. Each boy is loving it, and feeding off each other's excitement and enthusiasm! Tomorrow we celebrate Finn's birthday. Off to do some behind-the-scenes birthday prep!

Glad you loved the Paloma! Be sure to post photos of your tops to Sew Liberated's facebook page or to Craftsy. Also, if you purchase the downloadable pattern via Craftsy, I'd love it if you leave feedback and let us know how you liked the instructions and the printable format! 


the paloma top - a new sewing pattern!

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This is the top that I have lived in for almost a year. I designed it for myself last summer, and have made many tops since. Words can't express how much I love it! It's like a tee shirt, but with a touch of shaping and gathering under the sleeves that make it a really special tee. You can choose to make it in the top version (shown here) or as a tunic or dress length. An option for a 3/4 - length sleeve is also included (shown in the last photo with Finn.)

The Paloma is a VERY easy top to make - even if you've never sewn with knits before, you can easily make one!

And now it's a pattern for you! Wait - it gets more exciting - you can download and print it from home right now at Craftsy's Indie Pattern Shop! Alternatively, you can pre-order the standard, professionally printed pattern at our shop. The paper patterns should be ready to ship by May 18th.

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To download the Paloma Top pattern from Craftsy, you'll need to sign up for a free account and, while you're there, check out their great community.

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I also have fabric kits for the Paloma Top (short-sleeved version) available in my shop, which include a package of the required Lite Steam-A-Seam 2.  A limited number of hard-to-find, gray-and white-striped fabric is available, as well as the thicker green-and-gray stripe shown above. Kit orders will ship the week of May 14.

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Make yourself the top you'll live in this summer! The downloadable pattern is available here, and the pre-order printed version is available at my shop. Thanks for supporting our family!


on a sunday

on a sunday

on a sunday

on a sunday

on a sunday

on a sunday

on a sunday

on a sunday

on a sunday

on a sunday

on a sunday

on a sunday

It was a good day. A belated May Day celebration, followed by popcorn and s'mores with dear friends in our backyard - a day that makes you say "we should do that more often." Yes. We should.

As I shift to working a bit more these coming months, I'm noticing how important it is to leave my work brain in the office when I emerge to be with my three boys, yet how challenging it is to do just that. It's so easy to just let my mind continue to race and fill up with things that cannot be done, and should not be done, when I'm with the boys. I found myself reading this post again. Good. I'll start by having more days like today. 

We have a new pattern coming out this week, a big boy who is turning three, and to top it all off we're leaving tomorrow to spend a short week in the Outer Banks with my parents to celebrate Finn's birthday with the waves and the sand. (And yes, I'm bringing my sewing machine! Can't leave home without it!)

See you at the beach.