Tot School: Finger Painting & Trains

Painting

This week we did some painting. We painted some with brushes and some with our fingers to see (and feel!) the differences. They came up with some really great stuff.

Using a couple Clips Rimless Frames from Ikea, we framed their favorites and put them up in their rooms. John was very specific about his painting, “he a bad shark and he going home for noon nap” (it really looks like a shark!) while Chloe’s was a more abstract.

Worth the Read

During the week, we also spent time with a lot of read-alouds, including the book Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown which we found at our local thrift store. (You can pick up the paperback version here pretty cheap with free shipping!)A wonderful story, first published in 1949, is a story of paralell journeys of two trains heading West. They have many similarities but upon closer inspection, one is the real thing and one is a toy having a journey through the house. The story is a poem really and flows rythmically. I’m not sure John (2) understood the difference in trains but Chloe (3 1/2) picked up on it right away. This is definitely worth the read!

We also did a trip to the library. Would you beleieve they choose Usborne “That’s not my…” books? We have quite a few in our home library from that collection but they found some we didn’t have and were drawn to them!That’s not my Pirate has captivated John this past week. I think we will pick it up for his stocking this Christmas. The “That’s not my… series are fantastic quality, interactive and vibrantly colored. They come in all sorts of subjects, sure to please any little one. My friend introduced me to them when Chloe was a baby. We’ve collected many since then. My friend, who’s children are a little older than Chloe, told me they are fantastic books for learning to read. How nice to have a board book that serves a purpose past the baby years!

Play Time

After reading Two Little Trains, Chloe and John “made” their own train on the stairs, collecting blankets and passengers. What fun they had. The following day, we lined the dining room chairs up in the hall for a different kind of train. {No picture, sorry, didn’t  think of it till after}. I loved that as a child. Mom would line the chairs up in the living room while washing the floor. I’m not sure she thought much of it but it seemed so exciting to me as a child and those fun (simple!) times are forever burned into my memory.

Of course they played with their building blocks (when don’t they?) and this week they seemed to make a lot of “tracks” and drive their pretend trains {cars} down them.

• This post links up to Tot School and Preschool Corner– linkups of ideas for you and your tot!
• Chloe is 47 months, John is 27 months
• Week #6