J's interest in trains

J is fascinated by anything with a motor, be it large or small. But he has shown a particular interest in trains. He constantly brings me books with trains to read, and he watches in rapt fascination when we get stopped by one (now I turn off a side road to get closer to one if we are too far away in traffic).

Knowing this, I brought him to a park we don't normally visit because of its nearness to some railroad tracks. First we went and observed the tracks. Then we went to play in the park for a little bit until we heard a whistle blowing in the distance.

The train was so close and SO loud. J turned his head into my neck when the horn blew and missed the conductor waving to him!

After the train went by we investigated the gate. I explained how the gate went down when a train was coming and that it means cars have to stop. (We got closer to the gate than this photo, but I was alone and unable to photograph up close for obvious safety reasons). 

J was very interested in the gate: it's lights, it's movements, and its sounds. When we got home he looked at his train book again and again and said, "Gate. Cars stop." He also shared his experiences with his teachers at school. (The school is near some tracks as well and the children can see and hear the train from the playground). 


J has a set of wooden train tracks that he builds with daily. I wonder if we could focus a little on creating  a gate for it or recreate the movements of the gate and the train using our bodies.


The end!

straws in a containter...in the tub!

Bath time is always a struggle. J likes the bath once he gets in, but getting him in there can be an ordeal. Today I enticed him with a container and straws. We do a lot of Montessori-inspired transferring activities, but have yet to try them in the tub. 

At first J struggled with the empty bottle because of it's buoyancy (it tended to flip over) and wanted to stand up. Not wanting him to slip,  I opened the cap and filled it with water so it was more stable. I gave J about 30 straws and he patiently put them in one by one, but he could have easily done more.

It seems he wanted to challenge himself so he tried to do a couple at a time, and he did struggle:

Good for you little man!

The end!

"cooking"

J was playing on the kitchen floor with some of the more benign contents of our silverware drawer when he came upon the garlic press. I offered him a clove of garlic. It proved to be too difficult for him so he gave up and  pointed to the counter and said, "cooking." 

I lifted him up and offered him a bowl of flour and a spoon and a small jar of thyme. He then said, "milk?" I told him we couldn't play with milk, but offered him some stale iced tea I had in the back of the fridge that I had been meaning to pour out. I put a splash into a measuring cup and set it close by, refilling it when he wanted more:

He poured and sprinkled, and tinkered with the lid of the jar for a little while. 

 

Then I remembered I had some coffee grounds still in the coffee maker, and curious to see what he would do with them, I set them nearby as well. J said "coffee, uck!" and filled up a measuring spoon. 

He then dug his hand in and said, "uh oh, mess!" and needed me to clean his hand (he definitely doesn't get this from me!) After cleaning up J decided he was done. 

This interaction made me realize that my baby is talking now and I had better start documenting his words!

everything in a row

I love when children line things up in a row. To me it indicates the beginning of mathematical thinking: intentional organization, categorization and pattern making.


J is interested in lining up almost anything:


Cars:

Books:

 Cheese puffs:

 Candy hearts (I swear these snacks were initally in a bowl):

Dog treats (that he was supposed to be feeding to the dog. The minute J turned his head the dog lapped it up, lol)

Rocks, cars:

The end!

"tacks" (tracks)

J loves playing with his "cahs" (cars) and his "tains" (trains). So I thought it might be nice to make tracks in the paint with his cars. While he was playing J pointed and said  "tacks" (tracks) and "chachacha choo".

All done:

The end!

pennies in a bunny bank

I love these Montessori type activities because they work on fine motor and build concentration. Initially I had 10 pennies on the tray. But he burned through them and banked about 15 more.

Please note, pennies,as with all small objects, are choking hazards. I have worked long and hard with J about what kinds of things he can taste and what kinds of things he cannot put in his mouth. If he doesn't know he will look to me for guidance. Still, whenever J works with small objects such as these I keep careful watch over him and the objects he is using.The end!

J experiences snow indoors

It was too cold to go outside and play so I brought some snow indoors in a tray.
He dug his hands in and said, "cold".

I happened to have a paint roller nearby so he picked it up and began to explore:

He wanted a place to roll it, so I offered him a towel:

The activity ended with a little taste:

The end!