Toddler and Preschool Boxes - Day 6

On Friday's our Toddler and Preschool box activities are:  Farm Animals/Pets, Sewing Cards/Water Wow!, and a Construction Vehicles Set.

Farm Animals/Pets Toddler and Preschool Box

 Farm Animals/Pets contains:

Assorted Plastic Farm Animals (from all the kids)

Red and Blue Blocks (part of a Jenga style game from Pa and Mimi)

Matchbox tractor (from Kent's car collection)

Stickers

Puppy Puppet (we've had this since Kent was little)

Farm Animals and The Pet Store printable books (The Measured Mom)

Little Golden Books (our book collection)

Sewing Cards and Water WOW!

 Sewing Cards and Water WOW!

Zoo animal sewing cards (from Kent)

Fire Truck sewing card (Usborne Books from when Kent was a toddler)

Melissa and Doug Water WOW! books (a Christmas gift/Target)

Clark and Lissie really enjoy the Water WOW! books.  I do have to watch because they like to "paint" the same picture over and over which softens the page and make it easy to scratch the top white paper layer with the brush.  They push hard on the pages with the brush rather than "painting" gently.  I usually have to say they are done before they want to be done.  This is one activity where if we had another couple of these books it would be great, because they could have another book once the first one has been all "painted."

Construction Vehicles Set

Constructions Vehicles Set

Usborne Lift and Look Diggers book (from our book collection)

Stickers

Melissa and Doug Chunky Construction Vehicles Puzzle (Amazon)

The Construction Worker printable book (The Measured Mom)

Toddler and Preschool Boxes Day 5

These boxes are in our Thursday rotation of activities.

 Playground Set

Little People Playground Set w/ladder and swing

4 little people

puppy

little people wheelchair

beaded toy (from Jeff)

yarn rope ( a crocheted piece of yarn)

tennis ball (from Kent)

The Playground printable book ( from The Measured Mom)

*all the Little People toys we've had for several years

Cars/Traffic Set

Wooden vehicles [school bus, taxi, ambulance, fire truck, and police car] (from Target $ section)

Black paper roads (Jeff made from black construction paper)

stickers

Cars Little Golden Book (from our book collection)

Traffic, Trucks, and Cars printable books (from The Measured Mom)

Jeff made a good number of road pieces that can all fit together.  We usually only get out a few of them to be used unless someone older is helping Clark use them properly.  We also found that they work better on the hard floor and don't get bent up and wrinkled as much as when we tried to use them on the carpet.

Clark with the Cars/Traffic Set

Puzzles

I have several puzzles for younger ages.  I pull out 2-4 each time we do this activity.  Felicity enjoys them and Clark does okay with the simple ones.  We have magnetic puzzles, wooden peg puzzles, large floor puzzles and a few others that I get out for this activity.  If I plan to sit and do them with them I may pull out a little more challenging puzzle.  We have plenty of puzzles for the older kids that range from 24 to 1000 pieces that we get out on occasion to work on together.

The picture includes the puzzles we had out last week.

I have been finding it fun to watch and listen to Lissie and Clark's excitement over getting an activity out.   Lissie smiles and is excited to get out the activity and start playing with it right away.  Clark is the most enthusiastic.  He grins as big as he can when I say its time for an activity, then he claps his hands and says "ctivity, ctivity" and runs to the living room and waits in the spot where we usually put the activity out.  Sometimes his attention span is short and other times it is long for the activities.  It depends on the day and some of the activities that I've thought wouldn't spark much interest from him have been the ones he's spent extra time playing with.

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Toddler and Preschool Boxes Day 4

On Wednesday's we use a Zoo Animal's Box, a Doctor Kit, and Magnetic Sets.

The Zoo Animal's Box contains:

Yellow and Blue Blocks (Pieces from a Jenga type game which was a gift)

Stickers of animals

Animal Flash Cards (Target $1 section)

Various Plastic Animals (these have been collected over the last several years)

Animal Fact Cards (Little Kids Geographic Magazine)

Zoo Animal Book and Forest Animal Book (printable from The Measured Mom)

Zoo Animals Box

We've had a lot of fun with this box.  Clark likes to ask what the animals are.  Felicity likes to make pens with the blocks for the animals.  Everyone likes to look at the animal cards.  The books are fun to look at with them and ask them if they can find an animal to match.  We don't have all the animals in the books, so I don't ask them to find the ones I know we don't have.  This box has lots to do and it great for toddlers and preschoolers.

The next box is our Doctor Kit Set.  This is another box that is great for both toddlers and preschoolers.  They enjoy pretending to listen to hearts and give shots.  I like to read them one of the books and then they like to do what the characters in the book did.  Felicity has fun dressing up like the doctor while she plays too.

Doctor Kit Set

Our Doctor Kit Set includes:

Dr. Vest (Target $ section two years ago)

Surgeon Hat and Mask (Target $ section two years ago)

Doctor Kit w/stethoscope, shot, thermometer, glasses, ear 

scope, and reflex hammer (from Dad-Dad and Grammy)

Doctor Dan, Nurse Nancy and Let's Go to the Vet Little Golden Books (from our collection)

Doll Patient (Katy's first doll from Pa and Mimi)

This last box is our Magnetic Set Box.  It is geared more for preschoolers and needs to be used carefully so that the pieces aren't lost or broken.  The older kids enjoy playing with these as well.  I choose one of the sets for Felicity to use when she needs it.  I usually only get this out if Clark is down for a nap and Felicity is still up and needing something to do.

Magnetic Set Box

The Magnetic Set Box has the following sets:

Christmas Story (from Pa and Mimi)

Resurrection Story (from Pa and Mimi)

Creation Story (from Pa and Mimi)

Rainforest (purchased at Walmart for a car trip several years ago)

Farm (purchased at Walmart for a car trip several years ago)

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Toddler and Preschool Boxes Day 3

On Tuesday's Clark and Felicity have been enjoying their toddler and preschool boxes with themes of Beach/Ocean Life, Emergency Vehicles, and Magnetic Dolls.

 The Emergency Vehicles Set is mainly for Clark, but all the kids enjoyed playing with it.

Melissa & Doug Stacking Emergency Vehicles (Mardel's on Clearance for 50% off)

Rescue Vehicles Stickers (Mardel's)

Fred the Firefighter and The Fire Engine books (our book collection)

Calling 911 book (our fire department's presentation at the library this summer)

The Firefighter and The Police Officer (printable books)

 Beach/Ocean Life Box

Sea Life plastic animals (from Kent)

Starfish blinking necklaces (a gift)

The Beach and Sea Animals books (printable books)

Sea life and lighthouse stickers

Red Reef Lobster fact card (Little Kids National Geographic Magazine)

Plastic boat (we've had a long time)

2 pairs of sunglasses (Mardel's, 12 pack)

handtowel (I've had for a while)

rubber ducks (the kids got these from the 4th of July parade)

They had fun exploring the different items in this box.  Then I put a little water in a basin, set it on a towel and let them play with the boat, plastic animals, and rubber ducks in the water.  Kaomi joined them.  Then Felicity figured out by accident that the ducks were squirt toys.  The wall was all wet.  They were quickly informed that they weren't allowed to squirt them.  Clark fell in the basin and got his shirt all wet and they had plenty of fun.  I used some waterproof glue to seal the ducks mouths after they had dried.  We will see how well that works.  If it doesn't the water aspect may need to be taken outside, where I suppose I could add some squirt guns, too.

The  Magnetic Dolls set is mostly for Felicity.  She got these for Christmas.  They are Melissa & Doug Magnetic Dolls.  I'd like to add the boy doll to our set, but I don't think Clark will ever have much interest in them.  He's into cars and trucks and other vehicles of all kinds.

Currently the magnetic dolls are where Felicity can access them whenever she wants too.  If I find that she doesn't have as much interest in playing with these as a Preschool box activity I will either take them and only let them be available on Tuesdays or I will replace it with a different activity that I know she will be interested in playing with during school.

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Toddler and Preschool Boxes Day 2

To see all of the posts in this series click the picture above.
 
Today I will be showing you the boxes we are currently using on Monday's. 

This is our Noah's Ark Set.  On our first day of school Felicity spent quite a while playing with this set.  Clark enjoyed the wooden ark set for a little while and then went to play in his room.

Noah's Ark Felt Book (this was a gift to Kent several years ago)

Wooden Noah's Ark (this was a gift to one of the girls)

Noah's Ark Book (from our book collection)

Not Pictured:  Noah's Ark Stickers (Mardel's)

Our next box is a Train Set.   Clark enjoyed playing with this until he messed the track up.  I will need to work with him to help him learn how to fit the pieces together.

Track pieces to make an oval (from Pa and Mimi)

Train Stickers (from Grammy)

2 Train Books (from our collection)

2 Train engines/2 train cars (from Kent's box of train stuff)

Our last Monday box is a Baker's Set.  Felicity and Clark both enjoyed playing with this set.  I tried to make sure there were enough pieces for them to share and to play their own ways.

2 Aprons/chef's hats (our dress up box)

oven mitt/pot holder (from Dad-Dad and Grammy)

2 cups

2 bowls

2 plates

spatula

wooden spoon

frying pan

several items of play food

2 small containers w/lids
The Baker Book (free printable)

*all of the containers and food items came from the girls kitchen stuff, most of them were gifts

If there are stickers in a box I will either take them out or provide paper for them to be used.  Every part of the box doesn't need to be used every time we get it out.  For example:  This time Clark was playing with the train box on the floor so I gave him everything except the stickers, but the next time he might be sitting at the table and I'll just give him a few stickers and a paper and crayon, or one of the trains and a book.

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Toddler and Preschool Boxes Day 1

Today's focus is on our everyday boxes.  These boxes are available to be used everyday during school.  I update the boxes as things get used up or seem to not interest the child who is using the box.  Clark and Lissie can do most of the items by themselves or with a little bit of prompting.

Toddler Box - July 2013

 Clark's everyday Toddler Box currently contains the following items:

1 sheet of colored paper and stickers

new coloring book (from $ section at store)

dry erase workbook about colors (from our librarian)

board book about colors (from our book collection)

cardboard boy and girl (from Mimi)

cars and trucks (most were from Kent)

pom-pom and egg carton activity

colors & shapes flash cards ($ section at Target)

small doodle-pro (we've had this for a while)

3 board books (from our book collection)

small notebook (Clark picked it out at Office Max)

 sunglasses (from a package of 12 at Mardel's)

Preschool Box

Felicity's Preschool Box contains the following items:

1 sheet of colored paper and stickers

workbooks about shapes and mazes ($ section at Target)

new coloring book ($ section at store)

cardboard boy and girl (from Mimi)

dry erase workbooks about colors and shapes (from our librarian)

medium size doodle pro (we've had this for a while)

pom-pom activity

3 books (from our book collection)

2 kinds of animal flash cards ($ section at Target, these were in last year's box)

Guess What I Do? cards ($ section at Target)

small notebook ($ section at Target)

small doll (used to belong to Kaomi)

plastic horses (we've had for a while)

sunglasses (12 pack from Mardel's)

small tote bag w/ yarn, feathers, flowers, and popsicle sticks in it

*I'm always checking $ sections at various stores for items to work in our boxes.  When I find something that I think would work well I pick it up and save it until I am ready to use it.

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Toddler and Preschool Box Series

I've used toddler and preschool boxes for the last couple years.  I used one box for each child who needed one and put several activities in it.  This year because Clark is so busy, I'm changing up what we are doing.

I will still have an everyday box for both Felicity and Clark, but we will also have other boxes to use each day of the week.  Each day we have a generic box and then a box that is geared toward Clark and a box that is geared toward Lissie.  They are definitely welcome to share each others boxes, too.  I'm going to share over the next six weeks what each box contains and how we use it to help keep our toddler and preschooler engaged while we are trying to keep the older kids focused on their own lessons.

Join me on Tuesdays for our Toddler and Preschool Box Ideas.