Tot School Week in Review - "Pizza" by Frank Asch

This week we had another simple week of tot school with Zeke. I'm still busy planning for and preparing our homeschool curriculum for this year. We will be starting homeschool August 9! 

One of Zeke's favorite books is "Pizza" by Frank Asch, so I decided to create a book companion to go along with it! This is available in my Etsy shop for $3.00 as a digital download, or it's free to my existing blog subscribers. Subscribe to my blog to receive exclusive free printable resources!

This week-long unit has a five-day lesson plan, but feel free to use these resources however you wish! Here is an overview of our week, and you'll get to see exactly what you'll be receiving with this download.

Monday:

Today we talked about circles. There is a page in the book that says the moon, the car tires, and the manhole covers reminded Baby Bear of pizza. We discussed how that was because they were circles! 

First we did some circle stamping using different sized plastic lids. Zeke really enjoyed this activity and stamped the entire outside of his paper!

Next he did a cut-and-glue worksheet matching circle-shaped objects to their outlines. This is a great visual discrimination activity that Zeke and I do quite a bit.

Tuesday:

Today we talked about pizza toppings. The bears ordered a cheese pizza, but you can discuss your family's favorite pizza toppings. 

We did another cut-and-glue worksheet matching pepperoni shapes to their outlines. It was a quick way to name shapes Zeke already knows and introduce shapes he isn't familiar with (like the trapezoid).

He also colored his P is for Pizza worksheet, but he wouldn't trace the letters. He loves tracing, so I'm not sure why he refused to do this. Oh well!

He also colored his own placemat like Baby Bear did in the restaurant. This can be laminated and used as a placemat with your supper! We took a trip to our local pizza place in town for lunch. 

Wednesday:

Today we talked about all of the strange toppings the aliens put on their pizzas. Zeke traced the numbers 1-10 (and did an excellent job, may I add!) and then dotted each pepperoni with a red dot marker. He did such a good job and it was a great way to get in some counting practice.

Next he traced the lines from the pizzas to the letters. He can trace so well for a 2 1/2 year old! 

We then worked on scissor skills. He does not have great scissor control yet, but he can snip. Then he finishes off by tearing the paper! A cute little story - he calls cutting "scissoring." 

Thursday:

We combined two days into one day today. First Zeke glued paper cut outs to the pizza template to make his own pizza! He stayed very focused and glued every single piece on his pizza. I told him he didn't have to use all of the pieces and he said, "Yes. I do."

He also made a breakfast foods collage from pictures I cut out out of magazines. Baby Bear doesn't want any of the breakfast options his mom and dad give him because all he wants is pizza! We had fun naming each of these breakfast foods.

Other Activities:

Of course we do tons more activities each week. Zeke loves to do tot school! He loves these two-piece puzzles and put them together several times this week. 

He also enjoys this button art toy, which is a great fine motor and visual discrimination activity. He doesn't pull it out as much as some of his other toys, but I'm always excited when he does.

He also did some water play this week. This was super simple set up, just using an ice cube tray, a syringe, and colored water. I asked him to fill each of the tray compartments with water. He stayed focused for awhile with this activity!

He also played with this busy bag. I put in a six-trayed paint palette along with some cards I created that have different colored circles. Zeke had to use the palette as a sort of grid and match the colors that are on the cards. He did really well with this, although I had to help quite a bit at first. A few more times and he probably won't need any help.

If you'd like to purchase this digital download, click here to go to my Etsy shop! Have you read this book before? Are you familiar with Frank Asch? 

Zeke's Tot School Curriculum for 2021-2022

 Zeke will be 3 in November, but he already loves tot school. He asks for it almost every day! I've been compiling a really fun, hands-on bundle of curriculum for him. He absolutely loves worksheets, and even though I think worksheets are unnecessary at his age, I try to find him plenty to keep him busy. I know as I'm trying to work with my older kids this fall, he is going to need engaging activities and worksheets to keep him focused. 

His main curriculum is going to be Heart of Dakota's Little Hands to Heaven. This is written for ages 2-5, and is mostly a Bible/letter of the week curriculum. There are very few worksheets, but lots of hands-on activities planned. We are going to use this as our starting off point each week. He will learn Bible stories and songs, letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. There are beginning math activities each week - super simple things like color sorting, counting, and patterns. I did make some worksheets for this curriculum, and they are listed under my Toddler Resources tab. Feel free to print them and use them. If you're interested in this curriculum, you can look at the first week for free! Each day has it's own page of plans. The plans are detailed which I really like.

I know this is not enough to keep Zeke busy. In fact, it will probably take us 15-30 minutes each day to complete the activities. I also purchased a huge bundle of Tubs and Trays activities from Teachers Pay Teachers. I printed quite a few worksheets that will go along with Zeke's letter, number, and color themes as well hands-on centers that I will use as tot trays or busy bags. I also printed some from different places that he will be able to use independently. 

I'm also creating lots of busy bags and busy boxes for him to use when I need some time with the older kids. I purchased another bundle of Center Mats which is a collection of pattern block cards, craft stick cards, pom pom cards, playdough cards, linking cube cards, and geoboard cards. These will be used as independent busy bags/boxes/trays.

I also purchased the Learning the Alphabet bundle from This Reading Mama.  She offers each letter for free, but I bought the expanded and update bundle and I'm so glad I did! There are quite a few worksheets and activities we will be using each week from that.

I organize Zeke's lessons weekly. I bought a banker's box and some hanging files. I labeled each file with the week and letter so I can easily see which folder to grab. All of the worksheets I've printed out, I have placed in the correct weekly file. I'm also going to be putting extra craft templates, fingerplays and songs, and other flat activities, including our Morning Board posters, that go along with each week's theme. This keeps things all in one place, easy to find, and difficult to forget. I'm planning ahead about five weeks at a time since the curriculum does 4 letters a week with a 5th week review week.

I also have a smaller file box that I'm keeping some of his hands-on activities organized in - letter and number wheels, playdough mats, and pattern block cards. This way I won't be always looking for the resource I need.

I also have a cube shelf with four large cubes that contain Zeke's other resources like pattern blocks, linking cubes, counters, puzzles, and other things like that. I actually need to go through it and purge a few things as well as organize a few things a bit better. My laminator stays on top because I use it all the time.

If you need some busy bag ideas, I have lots of busy bags in my Etsy shop! I'm also creating busy box digital files that you can use to make your own busy boxes. Zeke loves short and independent activities and I know I'll be depending on these quite a bit this school year - which is coming up so soon!

How do you organize your tot school resources?

Toddler School - How to Start

Toddlers are so much fun to homeschool! I have six kids, so I've been through toddler school five times already and going through it my sixth. Over the years, my toddler's school time has evolved and changed. I've learned so much about this age group that has given me more confidence in teaching toddlers.

I have an Instagram account (@toddler_school) where I share Zeke's daily toddler school activities. I've been doing this since he was 17 months old and he is now 2 years 6 months old. I get messages all the time asking me about starting toddler school - how? when? why?

Toddler school will look different for every child because every child is developmentally on their own levels. The great thing about homeschooling is that you can adjust and adapt every activity to your child's abilities. 

WHEN TO START TODDLER SCHOOL

Knowing when to start toddler school will depend mostly on your child and partly on you. The age I recommend starting toddler school is around 15-18 months old. At this age, toddlers generally don't put everything in their mouth, are starting to focus for a minute or two at a time, and really enjoy structured play. (Remember, every child is different. If your child hasn't reached these milestones yet, it's perfectly fine to wait a few months.)

HOW TO START TODDLER SCHOOL

I always suggest starting with a simple activity that you know your child can complete. If you present a challenging activity at first, your child will be frustrated and will not want to continue with it. Here are a three examples of simple activities for young toddlers:

Color Sorting - Start with a few items in only two colors - maybe three red pom poms and three blue pom poms. Provide colored cups or felt or paper to sort in/on. Once your child is comfortable sorting two colors, you can gradually add in more, one at a time.

Pom Pom Push - This is a great first toddler school activity! Simply provide your child with a "push container" (as I call them) and some pom poms. A push container can be anything with a small hole that pom poms will fit through (even an empty water bottle will work, but it's hard to get the pom poms back out!). Every toddler I know that has tried this activity has absolutely loved it. It's simple, it's fun, it's portable. 

Craft Stick Drop - Again, this is a really simple activity. Give your child craft sticks and a container with a hole that they can drop them into. These activities are great for fine motor skill development!

I also suggest doing toddler school around the same time each day, so your toddler knows when to expect it and what to expect. I started Zeke's toddler school early in the mornings, first thing. He came to expect a "tot tray" right when he woke up. He would even go to his empty tray sometimes and bring it to me to fill! 

Don't expect your toddler to spend thirty minutes on toddler school, either! When Zeke first started with his activities, he normally spent two to five minutes on them, depending on his interest level. Keep your expectations low and you will probably be pleasantly surprised! 

I also leave the activities out for most of the day, in an accessible place for Zeke. He would often go back to the activity several times and play on his own. This also fosters independent and self-directed play.

Finally, don't be disappointed if your child decides to do an activity differently than you had imagined or planned. Sometimes Zeke would change up the activity but it was still beneficial for him! If I let him do his activity his way, he would usually decided to do it "my" way as well.

WHY DO TODDLER SCHOOL

Some people wonder if toddler school is necessary. While I don't think it's necessary, I do think it's incredibly beneficial and gives your toddler a great start on their educational journey. 

I don't think it's necessary it's teach your toddler all of their alphabet, or how to read, or how to count money. All of that will come with time. Toddler school is all about exposure, experiences, and exercises. 

Exposure to new ideas - Experiences with new materials - Exercises for fine motor development

Spending a few minutes a day with your toddler focusing on new ideas sets the stage for preschool. It gives your toddler the knowledge that learning is fun and normal. It prepares them for absorbing bigger ideas and harder concepts. It also gives you special one on one time with your child, especially if you have multiple children. I homeschool my older children, so giving Zeke that undivided attention in the mornings fills his bucket and helps him get through the day. I also really enjoy that time we have. 

I do use a toddler curriculum with Zeke now (I wrote it; it's in my Etsy shop!), and it's a letter of the week curriculum. We are on week six, and he hasn't remembered any letters yet.  That's not my goal. My goal is to introduce him to the idea of letters and sounds, tracing, cutting and gluing, coloring, sorting. He loves the worksheets we do together, the books we read together, the crafts we make together. I don't worry if he can't even sing the entire alphabet song, can't count past ten, and doesn't know all of his shapes. He has great visual discrimination skills, great fine motor skills, great tracing skills, and a love of toddler school. I believe this is time well invested into him. 

Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing some different ideas for toddler school based on the age groups - 12-18 months, 18-24 months, and 24-30 months. Subscribe to my blog so you don't miss any new posts! I'll also be including new and free printable resources with each post. 

I'm including some pom-pom shape cards today. Download, print, laminate, and use with pom poms or buttons. I have included six shapes in black and white and color. 

Leave me a comment telling me why toddler school is or isn't important to you!