It seems a pattern has now formed with Tot School and I wanted to let you in on the scoop in case you like to plan ahead (thank Kysha for inspiring me to do this). When Tot School began I wasn’t even sure anyone would join us, but it is growing weekly and I don’t know about you but I LOVE having all of our ideas pooled together weekly, it really helps in those brain dead moments!!!

So, here’s the definite, I will do my very best…plan.

• I start “recording” (through photos) on Monday of each week and continue through Saturday. I try to photograph our official tot school times (which occur anywhere from 1-4 times per week). And I also try to capture those playful, unplanned moments that are, in fact, school for tots as they learn naturally. I document both on my weekly report.
• As for the weekly report, I plan to write it each Sunday night, which has worked well so far.
• For anyone who would like to join us but isn’t quite sure how to do a tot school report, here’s my advice…start taking pictures, keep your camera around and capture your little one in action. At the end of the week go through and choose the very best photos that show readers what your tot school looks like. For some it is planned activities, for some it is very unplanned…it doesn’t matter! Then write up a post either about ALL of your collected photos, or just one to highlight something your tot did. You certainly don’t have to do the time consuming (but worth it for me personally because I love looking back), lengthy posts that I and a few others do.
• Add of your Tot School post, ANYTIME from Sunday through Saturday, whatever works for you. Be sure to check back on old posts if you like to see ideas, as some people put their link up later in the week.
• After you join up with Tot School the first time, I add your blog to the Tot School webpage. If you haven’t seen it, go check it out.
• For those on the fence about trying to fit Tot School in on top of the hectic schedule already, I and others will say, it is WORTH it. If you agree, add a comment of encouragement to this post and share your experience about *adding more* to your schedule. It really isn’t more, as you realize you were (hopefully) playing with your tot like this all along, it’s just more focused.

Did I cover it all? If not, let me know! Thanks everyone for making Tot School such a fun thing on the web!

When I get to the weekly reports I am honestly amazed as I reflect back on the week. I so often feel that I don’t do enough for my tot and I love doing these weekly reports to see all that he has done. I also love that many of the things included in the weekly tot school reports weren’t even planned. Natural learning, just happening. I like that.

Here’s what K did this week, beginning with one of his favorite tot school toys (meaning that it is kept put away), our Melissa and Doug Bead Sequencing Set.We tried to include him on music afternoon with Daddy but he wasn’t into it nearly as much as P was!

He did enjoy practicing his cartwheels though, He found this old game we have, Barnyard Bingo, and began playing with it. I joined in and used his interest as an opportunity to focus in on the colors and animal names. He was VERY interested in this (since he had chosen it in the first place probably), we did this for a long time. He finally named yellow on his own, several times correctly!Then P and I built him little sorting boxes out of the legos, K had fun matching the colors up.Then, I let P get out the marble track for the first time with K around, I watched super closely, as I was so nervous about K eating a marble . K had SO much fun with this and has asked to get it out several times since.
We even had some extra social time this week with a visit from our great friend Daniel! This just might be my new favorite shot of them, playing Ring Around the Rosy…And, we went to a fabulous park, that has this awesome wooden slide. We have been several times since K was a baby but this is the very first time I let P take K up on the slide alone. I even *tested* him 3 times before I let them do it, going with them and watching how P managed K. Then, I let him go and it figures, he is falling in this shot, and got a big goose egg on his forehead, poor guy. He’s very tough though!The swings (of all sorts) were a big hit with K.They have an indoor playhouse here too, he loved playing with the train…
and all of their super cool blocks…
Since the weather is so nice, we moved the inside toys…outside.
And we close with a bang…one of K’s favorite activities!!! He actually calls our wooden spoons “bang bangs.”

If you’d like to see more Tot School posts, click here. And, be sure to check out the Tot School webpage for more ideas and links. And if you have a tot at home, join in the fun and share what you’re doing with your tot! Here’s how to get started if you’re new…

What are you doing for Tot School lately? Let’s define a “tot” as an 1-3 year old. I would say anything before a formal Pre-K curriculum. You know, the stuff we do with our little ones to provide opportunities to develop their love of learning and maybe teach them a few things. If you have any ideas you’d like to share, link up your exact post to Mr Linky (if you have questions about how to do that, let me know in a comment or email). Provide a link back somewhere in your post to this post so your readers can see other ideas too!