We're Back!! :)

I know we kinda dropped off the Earth after Easter (that was my last post!), but we're back & ready for a new year!!!  :)
We've started this school year off running & hoping that we don't lose any of our motivation!!  ;)  Olivia is so excited for preschool!!  We started the same day as the other kids did (Aug. 8), and really haven't missed a day since!!  She definitely keeps me busy!!  As soon as she finishes one project, she says, "What can I do next??"  :)  I'm trying to use lots of manipulatives & hands-on projects, but she LOVES doing "worksheets"!!  I think she thinks that if she doesn't have tangible proof - no one will believe that she's in preschool!!  ;)  ;)  (Guess I better stock up on the printer ink!!!  ;)

The first (1/2) week, our theme was "All About Me".  We did a few projects about her & sort of eased into it!  This is her "All About Me" mobile & name necklace!  :)

 Last week, we started our Alphabet themes!!  We're going in order, so we did A last week & this week is B!!  :) 

 I've decided to keep a lot of her work in a spiral notebook - as in glued in!!  ;)  This way, we can just keep adding & pages won't fall out!!  Each letter will have about 4-5 pages: page 1 is a handwriting page, page 2-3 is our Alphabet pals (have to post a picture later!), page 4 is our Alphabet Creature (shown - A - Alligator) & page 5 is for what ever we need it to be!!  ;)   This way, she'll have an Alphabet Book (or two) when we're done!!  She also has a 3-ring binder for all of her worksheets!!

 Found "A's" in magazines!

 Animal puzzle - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Carisa's creations over HERE!!  If you click on the "Preschool" tab at the top, it will take you to all her great printables!!  We used "Baby Animals" for week A!





Letter B:

 
Sorting, counting & graphing beads (made them HERE). We also started Carisa's "Ballerina" pack!!  :)  Lots more in store for the week. . . hopefully she'll let me have time to keep this updated!!  ;)

Easter Preschool

I told Olivia that we were going to do a few Easter projects today, so until I was ready, she kept asking, "Are we gonna do Easter preschool?"  Such a goofball!!  ;)

Today, we used a few pages from Oopsey Daisy and Kiboomu.  Super cute ideas over at both places!  However, only 1 of the 2 projects we actually got to was really "Easter"! :(  Hopefully we'll do the others soon!!

 Coloring birds, nest & tree.

 Finished birds, nest & tree ;)

Easter egg grid - I cut 1" squares to fit inside grid & she went to town gluing them on!!  Love the cheesy smile!!  (And her Dora princess dress she HAD to wear!! ;)

Rainbow Fun

Spring Break's over so back to school we go!!  :)  Today, we worked on a cute Rainbow Tot Pack, from HERE!!  We only printed 1/2 of the pack, because there was a ton & we didn't have much time!  However, Olivia just loved the pages we printed!!  :)  She traced some letters, some lines, colored a rainbow & then we made a rainbow with scraps!!

 Starting the rainbow!!

 My trick for toddler glue:  use a plastic lid & a paintbrush - cut a notch out of the lid to prevent the brush from rolling!!  :)

The finished project!!  She got a little tired after doing red and orange, and said, "Mommy - can you do the rest??"  So - I did! ;)

Jelly Bottle Games

We have a few pb&j lovers over here, so we ended up with a few jelly bottles laying around!  :)  After looking at the slotted top, I immediately thought popsicle sticks!!  :)  The ideas are endless, but I decided to make a simple little matching game for colors & numbers!!

 Using cardstock, I cut out squares of each color & wrote the color word on one side. . .

 then wrote numbers, number words & counting dots on the back!

 Used markers to color one side of some (obviously a random amount) popsicle sticks. . .





then wrote numbers & counting dots on the back!!








See - - perfect slotted top for popsicle sticks or tongue depressors!!  (or small strips of paper, etc!!)








Find the stick that matches the card & put it inside the bottle!!  :)  Match numbers, then turn cards & sticks over to match colors!!





 

I hot glued a clothes pin to the bottle - - this serves 2 purposes: 1. to hold the card that you're matching 2. to hold the bag of cards when you're done!!  (All the sticks fit inside the bottle!!  :)

Fun Find

A while ago, we came across this cute bag of letters - for only .99 cents at Goodwill!!!  It was missing the letter "K", but I think I can create one!!  :)  We came home & washed everything & Olivia had fun playing with them!! 

 Obviously they're not in order here, but I forgot to take a picture after we put them in order!  ;)

We don't have a "Miranda", but it will do!!  ;)

Fun With Scissors

 No matter how many activities I pulled out today, my little Ladybug was just not super interested  . . . until I got out the scissors, that is!!  ;)  She had a blast exploring the different edges & making different patterns!  (And making a mess, I might add!! ;)  When she finished cutting, she glued them down & made a collage.  She loved it! 

** I know that most 2 (almost 3-yr-olds) might not be able to use these scissors, but she did great!!  (And I sat right next to her to make sure!!)  ;)





Taking the picture, I realized she was cutting with the wrong hand!!  ;)






Loved using the glue stick almost as much as the scissors!!

Fun Printable Packs

I recently found an amazing blog, 1+1+1=1, and am in love with the Printable Packs!!!  Today, we did a few pages from the Princess Pack and the Ballerina Pack!!  Olivia just loved them!!

 Coloring tiaras & enjoying some conversation hearts!!  ;)

 Puzzle!  I attached this to a file folder & cut it out to make it sturdier.  I used packing tape to laminate the pieces (after I took the picture) - two strips are the EXACT same width as the tape!!  :)