Farm Life: Apple & Grape Picking

Our toddler group visited a U-Pick Farm owned and operated by a mom of two. It is incredible to think of the work she has put into this farm while also raising her daughters. Such an inspiration!

Out and About

This was a really light week in terms of Montessori activities. DJ has been making a lot of progress with potty training and I'm wondering if that has him preoccupied. We're so excited though to see success in that area.  Still a long way left to go though, but we'll take all the forward momentum we can get.
Maybe there wasn't a lot of "school work" this week, but DJ did his share of gross motor activity. We went to a park on Thursday and DJ had a blast. It had a water feature which is why he's wearing his swimsuit. But it was this rope version of monkey bars that caught his interest. He really wanted to climb to the top like the bigger kids. Some day, little man. Just keep trying.

Bears, Tapirs and Busy Bags!

We visited the zoo again this weekend and it was an amazing day to see the animals. So many of them were in full view, it was a real treat. This is the first time we've made it to the bear exhibit and what a special visit it was! While we were watching, both bears got into the water and swam up to the glass, just inches away from DJ. He was thrilled.

Helping Dad

DJ absolutely adores his dad and he also loves being useful. While he is too young to actually mow the lawn, he has decided to help in his own way. Every time my husband mows the lawn, DJ follows him with his tractor saying he's "helping daddy." If you look closely you'll see he's wearing boots and a pair of work gloves "just like dad."

Strawberries!

Our toddler group had an outing at a local farm today to pick strawberries. 40 toddlers and 25 parents. It was a real challenge to get pictures without other children in the background! The weather was beautiful after a week of chilly rain and everyone had a blast!

DIY Wall Mounted Art Easel

One of my favorite parts of DJ's play area is the wall mounted art easel.  My husband made this for DJ for his 2nd birthday/Christmas and I can't be happier with how it turned out.  And it has inspired a lot of free form art from DJ as he's able to access writing tools (crayons, colored pencils, markers and paint pens) and paper whenever he wants.  He can also see art supplies like paint, glue and scissors at all times to inspire him to ask for them whenever the mood strikes.

Toddler Activities

Although D won't be in "official" preschool for more than a year, he is definitely in the school of LIFE right now.  He spends quite a bit of time doing practical life and sensorial activities.  Here are just a few:

Baking cookies - although his bowl is just pretend, it has all the real ingredients (except egg) for him to stir.  Didn't taste too bad either.  I was mixing the real batch while he practiced.

Vacuuming - D is obsessed with the vacuum these days and if we won't turn it on for him, he'll make the "vrmmmmmm" sound himself.  In this picture, it's actually turned on.