MTM: Food groups

I haven't posted about a Muffin Tin meal in a while, so here is what we had this past Monday for lunch: Annie's Organic Snack Mix Bunnies (carbohydrate), pistachios (vegetable protein), left-over smoothie from the morning (fruit and dairy), left-over organic grilled chicken from yesterday (protein), cucumber and yellow bell pepper slices (vegetable), and dried cranberries (fruit). I always try to include something from each of the major food groups in either C's lunch or dinner. Nothing fancy, but the muffin cups make it so much more appealing! As you can see, C is eager to dig in!

Beleduc Body Puzzle

C received this puzzle as a gift from her Aunt C and Uncle J for Christmas and it has been a huge hit! Not only is it a lot of fun for C to play with, but it teaches her the muscular, digestive, and skeletal systems of the body at the same time. I love that it's wooden and seems to be very durable. There's also a boy and girl version of the puzzle for obvious reasons. After spending some time working with C and teaching her how to put it together, she can now put all five layers together on her own. She is fascinated with her own skin now and keeps asking me if she can take it off so she can see her muscles and her bones. And when she dances around, she'll say, "My bones are making me move!" What a great way to introduce the various aspects of the human body to an almost three year old!

There are five layers to the body puzzle which are pictured below:

Skin:
Muscle:
Digestive system:
And the skeletal system:
C uses the picture cues on the left hand side of the puzzle to help her know which layer comes next.
And here she is working her way through the puzzle. . .

We love this puzzle! Beleduc has a variety of layer puzzles and other fabulous, educational toys and games! Check them out if you have a chance.

Button Sorting

Here is a quick and easy to assemble sorting activity. . .

I used a deviled egg tray and a handful of matching buttons and. . . voila! An instant sorting activity that is attractive to the toddler eye! What little one doesn't love playing with buttons? It also serves as a good color and shape review.

C's Nana gave us these delightful buttons from her sewing stash. Thank you, Nana! (I told you we'd put them to good use eventually!)

Water Transferring

Happy 2010! I'm back after a Christmas/ New Year's hiatus! I'm going to backtrack and post about a few activities from December. Another one of C's favorite Montessori "tivities" is playing with water. Add a little food coloring into the mix and you're guaranteed a good time!

Here she is engaged in a water transferring activity that I set up for her.
I used a silver tray, two small pitchers (99 cents each at the thrift store), and a small funnel. Simple, yet so much fun!

Early Morning Treat

Greek yogurt + blackberries + blueberries + bananas + carrots (yes, that's right, I said carrots) + a splash of whole milk= a delicious (and healthy) early morning treat!

Our Family. . . in miniature

This will be one of C's homemade Christmas gifts this year. (I made one extra little girl, just so there's no confusion!) I thought she could be one of C's cousins or a friend. I really enjoyed making these and I will eventually make more to represent our extended family. She will love playing with these in her little wooden dollhouse. The house came with a little family but, in my opinion, they are not very cute. So I thought these wooden figures would be more fun and a little more personal as well.

Scissor Time

One of C's "tivities" for the week is using her toddler scissors to cut strips of paper. I used thick card stock instead of regular paper so it wouldn't be as likely to bend while C is trying to cut.

It is quite a feat for a 2 1/2 year old to get everything coordinated and working just right to accomplish a fine motor skill such as cutting. It has taken C some time to learn the proper way to hold the scissors and the paper, but she is very persistent and highly focused with this activity. (I can't say that for most things at this age, but this seems to be the exception.)
She absolutely loves using her scissors! Every time I go to cut something with my scissors, she runs to get hers and generously offers her assistance.

And she snuck away to cut some more. . .