Rainy Day Activities

April Showers may bring May flowers, but they also bring cranky kids that want to go outside and play. So,  I thought this would be a good time to share some projects and activities to make being staying inside fun.


Arts and crafts:

• Finger paint
• Sock puppets
• paper bag puppets
• Paper plate masks
• Make paper grocery bag costumes 

Sensory activities:

• Make and play with homemade play dough
• Play with shaving cream
• Make "Monster goo" a mixture of corn starch and just enough water to make it liquidy but still have resistance.

Fine motor skill activities:

• Create your own lacing cards 
• Make Fruit Loops necklaces or bracelets
• Make beaded jewelry (if age appropriate)
• Make a paper chain countdown calender to countdown to s special day or event (last day of school, birthday, grandparent's visit, etc.)

Large motor skill games and activities:

• Simon says
• Have a dance party
• Follow the leader
• Duck, duck, goose

Imaginative play:

• Put on a puppet show with your homemade puppets
• Have a picnic in your living room
• Have an indoor "day at the beach"
• Make a blanket fort

Setbacks

I've been thinking that perhaps I've misnamed this blog. Instead of Wiki Mom the how to place for moms, it should be called Un-Wiki Mom the how not to do things place for moms. I had dreams of the school year starting with me getting all the chores on my list done early in the day and then doing home schooled pre-school with my three and a half year old while the toddler played quietly or ate in his high chair.

Reality check! No, instead an elderly relative needed a ride to an appointment, which led to taking her to other places she rarely gets to visit. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, in fact it would probably have been enjoyed, but I didn't correctly manage my time yet again. So I ran out the door with the house a wreck. When we got home the boys were asleep and it was almost time for the teenagers to get home from school, so we chucked until tomorrow. That was Monday.

Tuesday, yea, I did get some learning time in. But  my chores were set aside until afternoon because my crazy life happened again. First off between a phone call from the school counselor and trying to find get my Tot book ready for him (Yes, it should have been ready the day before- but that is another part of the story.) we were going to run out of time again so I put the cleaning on hold, cleared off the dining room table and had some fun.

Here is what I learned from out first few attempts at pre-school:

• To make a Tot Book when the directions say to cut a file folder in half it doesn't mean along the seam. You are to open the folder and cut it horizontally. (I needed my 16 year old to figure this one out)
• When searching for regular staples you will only find heavy duty ones. When you then decide you really need the heavy duty stapler and finally find it (of all places in a box of tools in the barn) you will only be able to find the regular staples, but if you stop looking long enough to wonder what is poking your thigh you will remember you shoved the staples in your jeans pocket to keep them safe from the baby.
• Things don't have to be perfect for a three year old to have fun and learn.

What Noah has learned so far:

• Mom cares enough about me to have some one on one time.
• Taking turns is NOT the best part of playing memory match, but an important one.
• Although it usually drives mommy crazy when I play the copy-cat game, when she is trying to teach me a Bible verse that's what I'm supposed to do.
• If I eat one of my 4 PB&J triangles it is no longer a square, but if I share one with my little brother then remaining 2 little triangles make one big triangle if I push them together.

School is starting

It's hard for me to believe school is starting next week. Where did the summer go? I have decided that when school starts I will start homeschooling preschool with my 3 year old. The problem is I have not yet decided what or how I am gong to do it.

I am thinking that I will do it 4 to five days a week for about an hour or two depending on his attention span and what we are working on. During the months he has story time we will only do it four days that week, the rest of the time five because that is just too much in one day for a little kid.

My main problem is coming up with lesson plans that aren't too complex or projects that I are above his ability. I used to be a daycare teacher and I was required to come up with lesson plans for different stations in a classroom of of 10-15 children. So, I need to reign things back a bit to keep it fun and exciting and not like I am putting him though toddler boot camp.
I have some material already and some things in mind, but any suggests would be appreciated