I should mention that while I pick a theme for the week, that doesn’t mean we aren’t talking about that topic at other times.  I just like having a theme to help me pick the toys and activities for the week.  We won’t suddenly stop trying to teach Baby L about her body parts once the end of the week arrives ;)  I picked this theme because we were looking a First Words book and when we turned to the “My body” page she reached up and grabbed her hair, which is the first word on the page.

On a completely unrelated note, I think Baby L needs a new web name; she isn’t a baby really anymore, although she’ll always be my baby ;)  I’ll have to think on it.

Baby L is 15.5 months 

 

Baby L is in a stage where she wants to know “what’s that?” (except she only points), and I was looking for ways other than books to show her body parts.   I made up our tot baskets based on that, more than picking something she would choose to play with if she were picking something to play with on her own. 

The majority of our tot school time was spent in song and fingerplays that talk about body parts, rather than focused on the tot baskets (I think we watched on DVD and performed “clap your hands” by they might giants about 500 times).  We did them in front of mirrors.  We did them using stickers, adhering one to whichever body part we were chanting about.

 

 

Stomping to “Clap Your Hands” (the second verse is stomp your feet) by TMBG.

 

I’m missing pictures for a few activities this week; couldn’t find my camera for a couple days. 

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Tot Basket: Baby Doll / Play Doctor

First we read “Doctor for a Day” and then got out the basket.  While playing with the doll (she doesn’t have a ton of interest in them yet, but we have one that Grandma S gave us when Kidlet was learning to potty that came with a little potty chair), I’d say “Uh oh, baby has a boo-boo!  Where does she hurt?!” and wherever Baby L would touch, I’d stick a band-aid on and say “She has a boo-boo on her {insert body part here}”. 

Vocabulary: Names of body parts, boo-boo, band-aid

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Tot Basket:  Mr. Potato Head

I had doubts that Baby L would be able to actually assemble Mr. Potato Head, but it provided opportunity to name each part; and they were 3-D pieces she could pick up instead of just a flat picture.  As she picked up a piece, I’d name the part and give a small fact like “That’s the eyes.  We see with our eyes.”

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Tot Basket: Hand puzzle, layered body puzzle.  Obviously there was no expectation that Baby L would be *assembling* the puzzles.  As with Mr. Potato Head, I was naming whatever she picked up and tried to give a small fact about that part.

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Tot Basket:  Counting Bees and Bee Hive (no longer sold).  This is a toy I bought some years back from Lillian Vernon for Kidlet.  I was amazed to discover that I was able to find all 10 bees (all over the house!)since Kidlet hasn’t played with it in ages.

I put this in because I had a bumblebee/bodypart chant, and also because its just something she likes to do — stuffing the little bees into the holes.  In the picture she had just picked up a bee after we were done playing and started making it kiss her own toes.  Definitely my favorite moment of totschool this week!

Bumble Bee, Bumble Bee (tune: Jingle Bells)

Bumblebee, bumblebee,
landing on my toes.
Bumblebee, bumblebee,

now he’s on my nose.
On my arms, on my legs, on my elbows.
Bumblebee, oh  bumblebee he lands and then he goes.

 

A Bee is on Me

A bee is on my bonnet
A bee is on my nose,
A bee is on my shoulder
A bee is even on my toes.

A bee is in my hair
A bee is in my pants,
A bee is in my ears
A bee is making me dance.

The bee is near my socks
The bee is near my shoes,
SPLAT!
Bee, I know how to take care of you!

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Crafts: Make a Face

 

 

I cut out some eyes, ears, mouths and noses from magazines to glue (mommy did the glue) onto a paper plate to make a face.  The hair is some doll hair stuff I had bought a long time ago.  I didn’t glue it on, but put it in place to try and show her that this was a face, and what was the top of the head.  I recited one of our rhymes, then repeated a line as she did that part of the face.

 

Two little eyes to look around, 

Two little ears to hear each sound, 

One little nose to smell what’s sweet,

One little mouth that likes to eat!

 

 

Well, she didn’t want to stop at 2 eyes and 1 mouth.  Other than that, she did a really good job getting the features into generally the right part of the face!

 

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Various cards.  We used her Wimmer-Ferguson gallery cards to pick out facial features on different animals and people.  I also made our own body part flashcards using pictures of her own body parts.

 

 

Here she is showing me “Where are your ears?” without putting the cards down 😉

 

 

Here are the flash cards made with pictures of her.  The plan was to make a ziploc bag or paperbag book for her with a full body shot at the end, all with labels, but I didn’t get that far.  I’d say “This is Baby L’s mouth!” and tap the card, and then say it again and tap her mouth.  Then I would ask her to find the hand, or ear or whatever.

 

She was sitting in my lap while we did this, so no pictures with her. 

 

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I also tried the “Make Your Body Like This Cards” from Today Is Fun!, but as of yet, it’s too advanced for her.  Kidlet enjoyed them ;) 

 

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Nursery Rhymes & Songs:  Fingers and Toes – Milkshake (one of my favorite kids music bands; grownups can listen to it without going mad), Clap Your Hands – They Might Be Giants (another goodie.  I spent my teen years listening to thier “grown up” music, and I love thier kids CDs), Hokey Pokey, Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, This Little Piggy, Little Girl with a Little Curl, Little Jack Horner

 

On topic books we read this week: Find a Face, Parts, Doctor for a Day (out of print), I Get Dressed (from Gymboree, out of print), Baby Faces, Toddler Two, Where is Baby’s Belly Button, My First Body Board Book

 

On topic snacks this week:  Sandwiches cut with boy and girl cutters, ham and cheese stackers cut with hand shaped cutter,

 

New sign: See.  Make the letter “V” with your hand, hold it near your eyes and then move it away and down.

Find more terrific tot school posts over at 1+ 1 + 1 = 1 

 

Posted by Kristen in totschool