Toddler Beginnings Week 9

My notes on Mavi's homeschooling for Week 9

Date:  May 24 - 30, 2010

Source:  Bright Beaming Resources

MONDAY

Theme:Cookie

For the cookie theme, we "pretend" to make a cookie out of his PlayDoh.  I first demonstrated how to make one using a blue clay and topped it with the yellow clay.   When he finally figured out what our activity was all about he started making his own version of cookie as well.

I just have to watch him carefully as he might eat the clay as he will associate it with a cookie.

TUESDAY

Shape: Circle

I couldn't come up with an idea of how to introduce circle, because he already knows the shape.

Suddenly, I remembered that song "Small Circle,small circle" we sang while drawing a bear out of circles. I can only remember a few lines of the song, so I just made up the rest of the lyrics.  He loves this activity to bits!! He kept on pushing the notebook and pen to us, while saying "circle circle", entailing that we should do the activity over and over again.

WEDNESDAY

Letter: I

I was busy this week so I just gave him this letter "I" printout and made him color the letter and the ice cream.  I will try to come up with a more creative idea on how to associate letters with words.  I decided not to continue the "introducing of letters" since he already knows his alphabets.

THURSDAY

Number: 9, Nine

I didn't focus on number 9 alone. Instead, I made him count my fingers from 1 to 10 everyday.  From time to time, I would make him count his own fingers, but he still can't do it alone.  

Just like with the letters, I wanted to advance my number lessons for Mavi.  I just wonder if I should taught him the numbers 11 to 20 now, or focus more 1 to 10 and make him master the "counting" activity.

I wanted him to master the "art of pouring" hehe, so we still had the same activity as the previous weeks.  Although he knows how the contents of a cup, I still think that doesn't get the idea of it.  When I told him to pour the contents of the blue cup to the red cup, he doesn't seem to understand. But whenever I allow him to do a free play with the cups, without me telling him to pour, he does it so.  He pours the cereal from a cup to the other cup, or sometimes just on the table.

Aside from homeschooling, I also wanted to incorporate the more important things to be taught to a child other than the academic ones.  Take for example, the self-feeding thingy.  When Mavi started to show signs that he wanted to hold the spoon by himself, that was really a hint from me that I should let him eat on his own.  Messy at is, and a lot of work for parents like me who would end up cleaning the rest of the stuff.... it takes a lot of patience to train a child how to self-feed.

So yes, it's an agony seeing all the foods fell on the floor, but I really do encourage him to eat on his own that's why during mealtime, I would make him sit on the his chair, give him the plate and spoon and he knows what to do with it already.

So whenever he sees me prepare foods on the table during mealtime, he would go to his high-chair and say "eat".  It's a sign that I should put him on his chair and give him his foods.

My only problem with it is that sometimes, or say, most of the time, he doesn't eat his food.  Instead, he would just play with it until all of the contents of his plate are scattered on the floor.  Grrrh.

Oh this week, we discovered this mini-carnival at the park near Mihailova.  I don't think he enjoyed the rides though.  Mavi doesn't really show his feelings whether he is happy or not, in public.  Aside from that, you see, Mavi is an only child, so I guess he's a little bit shy showing his emotions.  I think he also gets that from his Daddy hehe.