And now for something totally lighthearted

"School time" for Little Man has been so much fun this week! Before I brought the Little Tikes table upstairs I would *try* to do some type of preschool-ish manipulative with him every day, but it was hit and miss. Now he expects this to immediately follow his room time, and it has become a regular part of our daily routine. Our son C usually does this with him so they are having a positive bonding time every day, and all the fun manipulatives stored in the cupboard behind the table, that took me years to acquire, are actually getting USED again! A win win situation all around.

For those who want to know what each activity is (you know who you are!!), the top photo shows them using "Pattern Blocks" from Discovery Toys - I bought this years and years ago and it has been well used and loved by all our children. The middle photo shows them arranging felt shapes on a feltboard, and the last photo shows Little Man sorting colored pasta into egg cartons.

This is a homemade sorting activity that I put together years ago when my oldest was preschool age. It is GREAT for fine motor skills too (if you have the child pick up each piece of pasta with a small spoon), and for developing the pinscher grasp (if you have the child pick up the pasta with a clothespin). I glued a different shaped/colored pasta in the bottom of each section of the egg carton, and then Little Man sorted a big pile of pasta according to its color and shape.

We have been doing a different activity each day for about 8 school days so far and haven't quite cycled through everything I have on hand. I hope Little Man will continue to be in love with this special time even when he begins doing the same activity over again!