Play School with Jack~ Letter Aa

Play School for 1-Year-Old (12M) Jack

Week One

Letter Aa

Letter-of-the-Week Box~ Letter Aa

This week's Letter Aa Box is filled with red streamers, red paper strips, foam and wooden letter As, apples (red and green), a realistic toy alligator, a bag of almonds, pictures of an alligator, an army ant, an acorn, and apples, flashcards with Aa, and Aa words.

Jack's immediate reaction to the new box was to dump it and explore in a haphazard fashion.

But I captured him playing with and comparing apples.

Some of our dialogue sounded like this:

"You're holding two apples."

"You have a green one and a red one."

"What do they sound like when you clap them together?"

"That's an interesting sound!"

"Whoa, you made that red apple roll far away!"

"That alligator has sharp teeth!"

"Look at his looooong tail."

"He has a scaly body."

"These scales help protect him."

Aidyn even became interested in the alligator when I was reading the animal facts card to Jack. Aidyn continued reading it to himself once Jack lost interest.

He loved throwing the streamers and watching them wiggle back down to him. If I provided sound effects, he giggled like crazy!

Jack explored most items by putting it in his mouth, so we only brought out his box if there were immediate adult supervision.

Books~ Animals and Ten Red Apples

 

 Jack and I read through this book a gazillion times. He loved it! It's a simple board book with high contrast pictures (visual skills!) of animals. Jack helped turned pages (small motor skills) and listened to the animal names and sounds (auditory and language skills!). He often would flip the book over once we were done for a re-read.

Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins is an adorable counting song about farm animals who steal the farmer's red apples. Jack loved the singing and animal sounds, often swaying his little body to the rhythm.

More Language Activities

Music~

 

In the mornings, we listened to Disney's Animal Rock CD, which features funny animal songs like "He's a Lucky, Lucky Snake," and "Never Smile at a Crocodile."

 Journaling~

I left out a pad of paper and thick crayons and found him doodling on his own. Later, I wrote down some things we did that day and added the date. He "wrote" at other times, but I never caught it on camera.

 

Physical and Sensory Activities

Water Play

While playing with the water, he was focused and "in the zone," so I mostly observed him. He watched water fall from the colanders and scoops. He splashed the water, listening the whooshing sounds. Eventually he experimented with dumping water on himself and soaking his pants and even sat in the tub of water, joyfully immersed in playing.

Aidyn also joined in the fun!

Other physical/sensory activities Jack enjoyed this week:

• rolling a globe
• playing in his ball pit
• trampoline with his brother
• climbing up and down stairs
• standing and pushing chairs

Exploring the World

A is for Animals

Because Jack's week revolved around letter A, we visited the local zoo and observed some wild animals.

Aidyn read nearly every animal placard, telling us about the geographic locations, diet, and endangered level of each animal. (reading, zoology, geography, and physical activity all in one!)

Jack was fascinated by the birds.

Here's a sweet moment shared by Grandma, Jack, and Aidyn at the zoo.

Grandma and Aidyn at the lemur exhibit.

Jack just had to explore the zoo on his own, so we let him crawl by the fossa.

Other explore-the-world activities:

•  explored the halloween store
• attended the MJC Autism Walk 
• attended a birthday party (where he was uncharacteristically reserved)

Homeschool Environment

Jack is always within earshot of homeschool lessons and activities with his 4th grader brother. 

This week, Aidyn was learning about the skeletal system, and Jack had to get involved!

Healthy Foods

Of course, I didn't photograph everything Jack ate, only a few special goodies.
 

 Apple-Pumpkin Quinoa Cereal

Homemade Apple-and-Dark-Cherry Sauce

Apple-Pumpkin Yogurt with a Dash of Cinnamon

Take-Aways:

 When Aidyn turned two, I started "school at home" with him, and if I could yell anything at my former homeschooling self it would sound something like this:

"Chill out! Have fun! Play! Don't make him learn how to hold a pencil or rattle off the ABCs. Provide opportunities for him to explore the world at his pace. Provide open-ended learning opportunities and just follow his lead. He knows what he wants to learn, so let him!"

My former homeschooling self is constantly on my shoulder with Jack, which is why I whisper words like "wait," "play," "be free," "observe him," and "leave him be" to myself. It is a joy to watch him take his time figuring the world out. 

I understand the allure of getting ahead of the game and drilling flashcards, but really, there is so much time for academic learning later. 

Better late than early. 

This was our first week introducing some kind of pre-planned activity and resources, and Jack seemed to enjoy the nuance. The letter A box intrigued him and provided many moments of fun and exploration. He also took to writing very organically (something Aidyn was never interested in doing, but Jack usually tries to grab pens and pencils from my hand and write with them). He enjoys reading time so long as it's at his pace. Next week, I'd like to go on more treks to the playground for outdoor play time.

Do you do some kind of tot school? If so, I'd love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments or leave me a link to your blog so I can read about it.

 

 

Play School Plans for 1-Year-Old Jack

Jack is currently one year old (12 months) and is, by nature, an active and curious guy. We have begun an infant-friendly rhythm of learning for him that is play-based, fun, and interactive.

The goal is simply to play, explore, and learn organically.

There is no force or coercion, drills, or threats. Please don't confuse this with "school" or "preschool;" Jack is exploring his environment with items I have strewn to help introduce him to new words, experiences, and ideas. (Visit the link above to learn about strewing.)


What follows is our plan for Jack, but what we do changes on a daily and moment-to-moment basis. We follow his lead, and boy, does he lead!

Core Components

1. Letter-of-the-Week Boxes

Each week I create discovery boxes based on a specific letter. I fill the box with everyday objects from home and some are purchased from the dollar store. Letter A box, for example, was filled with apples, almonds (in a tightly sealed sandwich bag), cards with A objects, flashcards with A words, animal cards (alligator and army ant), and a toy alligator.

Daily rhythm:

I place the letter-of-the-week box out in the living area for him to explore at his leisure. When he does, I try not to interfere as he rifles through the box and its contents. I watch him pick up items, taste them, turn them, and throw them (!). If he looks to me or hands me an object, I talk with him. 

"That's a big red apple you're holding."

"In that picture of an apple, there's a worm coming out of it!"

"Look, a red apple and a green apple."

"This alligator has so many sharp teeth!"

"This is a picture of an acorn. It came from a tree like the ones outside."

"That apple sure can roll!"

Typically, he will move on from exploring the box and return to it at random times where we follow the same pattern.

Goals: The goals here are simple: explore, play, and immerse in language and new experiences. Language is the vehicle to any new learning (and language does not always mean talking! It could be simple facial gestures.).

2. Books

Jack has a small library of books, but weekly we pick up new books from the library (board books for us to explore together and picture books for me or his brother to read to him). I am selecting books whose topics start with the letter of the week (to vary the scope of what we read and repeat the language and images of items he discovered in his box).

Daily rhythm:

If he brings a board book to me, I'll read it to him. I go completely at his pace. If he wants to babble to the picture of a horse for five minutes, we do that. If he wants to flip through pages without reading, we do that. I try to help the books come to life with a lilting reading voice or ridiculous animal sounds, where appropriate. Jack enjoys being the page-turner, and he isn't shy to tell me when he's done. If he does seem to be enjoying looking through a book alone, I let him be.

Goals: Again, simple goals here: play with, explore, and introduce books, language, and literature.

3. Language Games/Activities

a. Talking and Listening- We talk and talk and talk with Jack about everything we're doing, but I think it's also important to listen to him and allow him some silence to explore and play quietly. I do not narrate everything we do, but I will engage him in conversation if he seems open and interested.

b. Songs- I sing the ABC song every day, typically at meal times because we sit right next to an alphabet chart. Sometimes I vary the song like this: "A says ah, ah, alligator. B says buh, buh, beaver" etc. (I change the theme all the time. During A week, I used all animal names, but usually I make it up on the fly.) I also sing counting songs, lullabies, and random ditties. I do not have the best voice, but Jack doesn't seem to mind. 

c. Audio books and Music- I play audio books every day at home and in the car to further expose him to language and narration voices. I am playing different types of music based on the letter of the week. For A week, it was Disney's Animal Rock CD, but B could very well be Bach and the Beach Boys! 

d. Mister Rogers and Emotions- Mister Rogers Neighborhood is the only television show I purposely put on for Jack. (We don't encourage him to watch television or movies for a variety of reasons, at least until he's three) He tends to follow along and focus intermittently, but I feel that it is a quality show and another source for new language. The show also helps us communicate about emotions. We also do not discourage Jack from crying or expressing emotions and try to talk him through his feelings. 

 

e. Games- We play hide-n-seek, "tag," and peek-a-boo through the day. We also talk during outings in the backyard, at the playground, and out in the community.

f. Daily "journaling"- Jack loves grabbing a pencil or crayon and scribbling (unlike his older brother). We usually lay a pad of paper and writing utensils near him and let him "make his marks." I jot down some things he did that day or experiences he had and add the date. 

 Goals: Simple! Immerse in language, play, and explore!

4.  Physical Activity

We're partly influenced by RIE and so try our best not to force Jack into any position that he cannot get into and out of himself, so we don't "walk" him or use walkers very much. When he was learning to crawl and climb stairs, we didn't move him or position him in any way. It took him longer to crawl than other babies his age, but I've observed a kind of quiet balance and physical confidence in him. He's pretty deliberate in his movements and tests new maneuvers all the time. After much practice, he's mastered the stairs and can ascend and descend safely.

We plan to continue the following:

• playing on the playground at the park and trampoline in our backyard
• encouraging him to trust his own body and move how he likes while providing opportunities to work on balance

Goals: To respect his own physical development and allow him the freedom to practice his own movements.

 5. Sensory Activities

"All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind." -Martin H. Fischer

 

I don't want to go too Pinterest-happy, but I want to continue to expose him to new sensory experiences such as the following:

• Tactile- water play, different textures, sand and dough play, nature, art, food
• Auditory- conversation, various music, songs, audio books, sounds in nature
• Olfactory/Gustatory- new aromas, scents, and food flavors
• Visual- outdoors, books, art, pictures
• Small motor- puzzles, stacking, sorting, picking up small objects (we'll let him lead and initiate)

Goals: To nurture the thriving scientist within him--to learn through play and exploration.

 6. World Knowledge

  

"Around here, we don’t look backwards for very long… We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things because we’re curious… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." -Walt Disney

We explore the world by going out and exploring (so far, Jack has been to the Grand Canyon, a baseball stadium, a zoo, the library, and many places, but we want to continue the adventures like we did for his older brother). Places include:

grocery store, post office, department store, library, hardware store, park, fair, zoo, nature trails, museums, state parks, farms, factories, aquariums, different landscapes, restaurants, etc.

Goals: To meet and greet the world!

7. Homeschool Environment

Of course, I'm super grateful that Jack is daily exposed to his brother's homeschooling. He listens along to math lessons, exciting stories, and language lessons. He's exposed to messy science experiments (and often joins in) and accompanies us on field trips. I am not entirely sure what the outcome will be of a baby born into a homeschool environment, but I'm anxious to see!

8. Healthy brain foods

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm sort of a health nut, especially with new babies. When I was expecting Jack, I ate as healthy as possible and supplemented with whole food prenatal vitamins and cod liver oil.


Since he's been born, I continued to eat healthy (as we exclusively breastfed for the first six months and continue to breastfeed), but now that he eats solids, we choose organic, non-grain (no rice cereal until his molars come in), and brain-boosting foods. We also heavily use coconut oil (great for brains!) as a body wash, lotion, wipe solution, and food add-in. We're obsessed.

My goal is to continue healthy nutrition and independent eating while introducing new foods.

One last note:

Because the point of Play School is play, exploration, and fun, our "planned" activities are fluid. We may or may not play with his letter box, and we might scrap all "plans"and follow his lead. In other words, Jack is in charge of his learning and I am merely a facilitator.

Do you do Play School/Tot School? If so, I'd love to hear about it. Tell me in the comments or send me a link to follow. 

Poetry Teatime: Exploring "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe

 

 Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

As with all our poetry teatimes (inspired by Brave Writer), our goal is total immersion into the beauty, cadence, and joy of poetry. 

If the mood so strikes, we discuss tone or imagery or some other academic staple, but really my main objective is to form an emotional attachment and relationship to poetry. 

We have many years ahead to analyze poetry, and by my estimation, Aidyn would probably not have heard of Poe until 7th grade had he been in the public school system, but after today, he's an instant fan! 

  
Reading Poe's dark and spooky poem, "The Raven," was on my big homeschool-Halloween-season bucket list. Following writing class, I assembled a quick and easy snack, warm beverages, and Halloween-themed Hostess cupcakes. 

I lit several pumpkin-scented candles on a creepy Halloween tree, gathered the troops, and read aloud.

 Although I'm sure much of the Poe vernacular flew over both Aidyn's and Jack's heads, the haunting melody captured their attention. Aidyn's eyes grew wide, and he gave a quick little jump every time I tapped on the table to echo the raven's gentle rapping.

Afterward, Aidyn insisted we somehow watch "The Raven," so I dug up a short theatrical version.

Creepily enough, my computer completely froze as we were watching this video, and it made a weird whirring sound as it was paused on the portrait of the deceased Lenore.

Aidyn copied his favorite quote from the poem while we listened to Christopher Lee read "The Raven."

 Aidyn looks sleepy from the hot chocolate and haunting poem.

 Following a rabbit trail, we searched for related videos on YouTube and found several animations and interpretations of the famous poem.

Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" by Aaron Quinn:

Aidyn was thrilled to find a Minecraft-inspired version of "The Raven."

"The Raven" in Minecraft:

 We happily watched about a half dozen various interpretations.

Peabody's Improbable History- Edgar Allen Poe:

Bullwinkle's Corner- "The Raven":

 We even watched a Simpsons version of the poem.

Mojo's Top 10 Notes: "The Raven":

I had no idea we would dig this deep into "The Raven," but one of the many joys of homeschooling is the ability to meander along with a topic, uncovering every curiosity. We happily canceled all other school plans to follow this trail, and I love that now Aidyn (and Jack!) experienced quite a fun and spooky introduction to one of the greatest poets of all time. We're sure to visit his other works soon!


I love homeschooling!

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