The Toddler on the Tables

I find the idea of having all three kids in the school room unnerving.  As the day played out, that's exactly what happened.  Honestly, it went much better than I had imagined.  It helped that the older two were intensely engaged in the environment.

The little guy has taken an interest in the window.  He loves to climb in the chair in the reading area and stare at the water.

William was enthralled with the Red Letter Book.  He meticulously traced each felt letter, naming them.  He then announced the pictures on each side.

Lockelan amused himself with the fruit in the object-to-picture matching basket.

Here he is putting pegs in the counting box.

William is listening to the singing marble tree.  This is still extremely popular with all three.

Lockelan is matching 3D objects at the infant/toddler table.  I adore this photo because I  have an identical one of William doing the same activity around this age.

He removed and replaced pegs for some time.  I was taken by his concentration.

Lockelan is working with the blue cudes on a  dowel.

This picture is mostly for me.  He looks so old here.  This is the first time he's been exceptionally interested in sitting at the infant/toddler table.  I have had a difficult time convincing William that he is now ready for the primary tables.

Here William is working on the bolt board.  He has matured a great deal in the last few weeks.  While he  may have taken the work to the language table, I am still pleased that he selected and retrieved it himself.  He also did not insist on using the toddler table.

And when the work was done I looked over to discover this.

Elora has been captivated by this peg board since she was a year old.  Here she has sorted the pegs by color and shape.  She proceeded to stack them, making towers of each shape.

She finally picked a math work without my insistence!  We began by reviewing the introduction to the decimal system tray.   

And I looked up to see this...

I had no intention of introducing the number cards yet but she was eager for the next step.  I was amazed at how quickly she grasped the concept.  She created different numbers for at least 10 minutes.  She wasn't interested in the tens or teens boards but that will be my goal next time.

Elora also wanted to work the power of two cube.  She worked it a number of times.

She even allowed me to show her how the blocks double in size.  She was fascinated by the concept.

William chose this work on his own as well.  He put it away correctly and returned it to the shelf.

Here William is matching fabrics while blindfolded.  He must use  his sense of touch to create pairs.

This is the first time William has shown interest in the knobless cylinders.  He began by completing all four cylinders of the knobbed cylinders.  When he moved to the yellow box, I explained that he would need a lesson.  In the past, he has always resisted lessons.  Today, he was more accepting and allowed me to complete it.  I could tell he was struggling to control himself but he allowed me to continue.  Once he was free to use the material, he was very excited to complete it himself.  And yes, he put it away as well!

It was a surprisingly wonderful day in the classroom.  I am encouraged by how much each child is changing.  I have a feeling they will keep me on my toes in the coming weeks.  The shelves will be getting frequent makeovers.