Rap a Tap Tap:Here’s Bojangles – Think of That!by Leo Dillonshis is a cute story about Mr. Bojangles. There is a rhythm to the story and Xander was bobbing his head and slapping his thighs.
This was an adorable true story about a little pig who was the runt of his littler and was adopted by a dachshund. It was full of photographs of the cute little pig and his adoptive siblings.
Last week I posted about Xander's water beads. Well, over the weekend my brother came home for spring break and brought his girlfriend and a friend. Xander had his water beads out and they were all captivated! More then once they exclaimed how cool the beads were and how they were jealous of Xander's awesome toys. My brother probably played with the beads for at least half an hour. Goes to show that those cheap little beads were a great investment!
I am so excited (probably disproportionately excited) about the new addition to our Tot School! Xander got a new table. I have been wanting one for months, but couldn't find anything locally that looked sturdy enough to last. Ideally, the table will make it through all potential future children. I had planned a trip to IKEA to get one, but it fell through last minute. While I have other things I still want to purchase at IKEA, I was impatient for the table. Ultimately, I ordered the KidKraft Farmhouse Table and Chairs. I really didn't need all four chairs, but it seemed like the best table for the money. It came this week and I absolutely love it! Xander is so proud to sit in his own little chair! I hope we can share lots of good learning and playing time at this table together.
Of course, Xander had to help me unpack it and assemble it. He also ran around with the little wrench that came with it, testing it on various objects. He was particularly persistent in trying to open shut doors using the little wrench. I absolutely love seeing his little mind work at things like that.
The finished product (with only one chair, the rest are downstairs).
Already got some good coloring done at his new "desk."
This week's color was black. I have to admit, it was not our best week for Color Themes. Part of it was that I didn't feel well and I had an exam, a big paper, and a ton of scholarship stuff due this week, but it was mostly that black is kind of a boring color.
I did have a bin of black items, but somehow I forgot to take the picture. It had crafting pom poms, painted wooden balls and spools, a comb, socks, beads, cars, and a toy motorcycle.
Xander's favorite activity of the week was play dough. I wasn't sure I would be able to get a rich black if I made it myself, so I bought it. I have to say, I much prefer homemade play dough. The store bough kind flakes so much more! He still had a great time smooshing and cutting.
We wrote on our Crayola Dry Erase Activity Center with black markers. He is always pointing to this thing, wanting me to get it out.
He also ate some black olives. Amazing how kids figure out to put them on their fingers without being shown!
Of course we also did our regular color theme activities. We read our color related books, played with our Leap Frog Maracas, and did some flash cards. As I mentioned in a recent post, Xander has been obsessed with Little Reader lately, so we have been doing our flash cards on there most of the time.
One of our "trays" this week wasn't really a tray. I got out the white erase board and a bunch of Cars magnets for Xander to practice putting on. A few weeks ago we had done magnets on a cookie sheet, but these were much harder for him to grasp because they are so flat. It also took him a little while to figure out that they would only stick on the back, not the colored side.
This week's puzzle was a safari themed one. I like it because the names of the animals are printed in their slots.
This is the tray that surprised me the most. I set out some large beads (similar to these) and a shoelace. The first day I showed Xander how to line up the lace with the hole and push it through. He loved grabbing the end of the lace and pulling it through. What impressed me was his persistence with this activity by himself. In fact, he was able to do it unassisted more than a few times. He also really enjoyed taking the beads off after I helped him string them.
Here are our favorite finds from week eight of our book challenge!
Xander's Favorite:
The Noisy Way to Bed by Ian Whybrow
Xander is very into animal sounds and loves any book that has them. This was a cute bedtime story that incorporated some farm animals.
Mommy's Favorite:
Who Ate All the Cookie Dough? by Karen Beaumont
A cute story with repeated rhymes. A toddler or young child could easily help you “read” it since it follows a pattern.
My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall
An absolutely adorable book that features multiple animals made out of hearts. I could see reading this book when Xander gets a bit older and then trying to create our own animals using hearts.
his is a cute story about Mr. Bojangles. There is a rhythm to the story and Xander was bobbing his head and slapping his thighs. 
This was an adorable true story about a little pig who was the runt of his littler and was adopted by a dachshund. It was full of photographs of the cute little pig and his adoptive siblings.
