Sniffing Spices

Whenever I open the pantry, L and E (3) rush to the spices and say "I want to smell something!".  Usually this involves removing all the spice container lids and making a big mess.  Yesterday, I told them that if they sat at the table nicely, I'd take the spices out for them.  We explored our sense of smell with a spontaneous spice-sniffing sensory game..

Playing with Pushpins

Recently, I purchased some inexpensive corkboards and pushpins for the girls to play with.  Since pushpins (or thumbtacks) are sharp and a major choking hazard, I introduced this as a very special activity for "big kids only", supervised the whole time, and made sure we stayed in one place and put every pin back in the box when we were done.  It was a fun, inexpensive activity in creativity and fine-motor skills...

Even More Preschool Learning Activities

We started our 2012/2013 Homeschool Preschool year on Monday.  Every morning since we started, L and E (37 months old) have been requesting to "play Preschool".  I have a separate post planned that details our daily routine, but here's a sneak peak of some of the activities we've been doing...

Mazes on the Whiteboard

E (3) has really been interested in mazes lately.  It's great pre-writing practice and takes a lot of fine motor skill control and concentration.  We've already gone through a bunch of maze workbooks, so I thought I'd draw some mazes for her on the whiteboard.  She absolutely love these!  She's even started drawing her own mazes for her sister to complete.  Here are some photos of my sweet girl in action..

Monkeys on the Number Balance

The other day, while L and E (3) were playing with their hanging monkeys, I brought out the number scale for a quick addition game.  The monkeys were perfect for hanging on the scale and added a bit of variety and whimsy to this math game...

The Growing Up Feet

In preparation for a trip to the shoe store, the twins (3 years old) and I did a quick little activity about foot size.  We were (still are) in the process of moving to a new house (downsizing, but more convenient location), so I wasn't sure where all our old shoes were, or I would have extended this activity to a full Shoe Store Dramatic Play (maybe another time).  Nevertheless, here is what we did...