Easter Tot School Activities

I can't believe it is almost Easter! We have been doing some themed activities, I just forgot to post about them! Here is some of what we have done!

Easter beginning letter matching from Tot Schooling. This is the first time she's done this type of activity, so I only gave her 6-7 cards at a time. She did really well, though! We will have to continue with this type of activity!

Bunny pattern block template. This was a good size for her. Too much bigger and I think she would have lost interest.

Shape tracing. She's not great, but she likes it. She'll get there.

Some spring themed wooden puzzles.

Easter play dough tray.

Easter egg word family. This was another activity we tried for the first time. She did fantastic for her age and pretty well overall. Definitely needs more practice.

Sensory bin with little bunnies. 

Easter Vocabulary Cards

Easter Egg Pattern Matching Activity

Butterfly gear puzzle

Easter pin punching. We hadn't done this before, either, but she did great! She seems to like fine motor activities.

You can print the Easter Resources Here

 

Leaf Board Game Review

 

Leaf

Players: 1-4

Play Time: 30-45 minutes

Ages: 8+ 

If you were to ask me my ideal game, I would say cozy tile laying, cute animal/nature theme, plays well at 2-3 players and plays in under an hour. Leaf, designed by Tim Eisner and published by Weird City Games definitely checks all those boxes!

Gameplay
In Leaf, you are the wind guiding leaves to the forest floor. Depending on the connections you make between your leaf and the ones already played, you may get cards, grow mushrooms, advance the sun, gain animals or move your squirrel further up the tree. Multiple connections grant multiple actions, so you need to place your leaves with care. Whoever balances these actions the best by winter has contributed most to the health of the forest and wins.

Thoughts

I love how this game takes something very simple, like placing a leaf tile onto the table, and makes it very strategic by making you think about the type of leaf, how to orient it and the colors you’re touching. It takes a cozy tile game and elevates it, without taking away the coziness. Having multiple ways to gain acorns (points) means there are no bad turns, but you definitely need to optimize your turns to win. It seems to strike the perfect balance of a relaxing game you can play on a weeknight without feeling overly light.

The theme is wonderful and familiar, while still feeling unique. The beautiful artwork by Angela Rizza unifies the various components as well as makes this animal game stand out amongst the others. The hedgehog is totally my favorite! All of the components are nicely done. And there are TUCK BOXES! Tuck boxes within tuck boxes! (I'm a sucker for organization

*Game provided by the publisher for review, but the thoughts are all my own!

Check out my board game section of the blog:

Animal Anatomy Puzzle

We own a few Got Genius Games that we enjoy and my middle son really enjoys puzzles, so when I had the chance to try one of their animal anatomy puzzles, I jumped at it!

What is neat about these puzzles is that on one side, they are just a cool looking shaped and detailed animal puzzle. If you flip it over, it shows the inside anatomy of the animal. They also come with fact sheets and a labeled diagram of the anatomy image.

Archer picked the turtle puzzle, but there are other animals too! We might have to get him the tiger, frog or fish to be able to compare anatomies! I also think it would be neat to get their human body puzzle and compare them side by side to see similarities and differences.

The pieces are thick and sturdy and the illustrations are detailed and vibrant. I also really liked the Velcro closure to keep the box shut!

*The puzzle was kindly gifted to us, but all thoughts and content are my own.