Learning Colors

I'd like to say my preschool goals have gone as planned, but Reid still watches a load of TV each day. Oh well, I'm pretty sure Super Why is teaching him all his letters.

I've definitely decided kids learn things on their time line. One night Reid will hand us pipe cleaners in all the right colors when asked, and the next night he'll just throw the pipe cleaners up in the air and giggle, completely ignoring our "where's the green one?" I just wish he had some kind of note on him that said "okay, I can focus right now, and I'm eager to learn" or "try all you want to make my play structured, it ain't happenin!" A little heads up is always nice.

I made a couple file folder games for Reid to practice his colors. He loved playing with them the first week they were new, but lately he hasn't had the attention span for them. I'm torn. I felt so productive when I made them. Printing, cutting, laminating, cutting, and glueing takes some time. He loved them; he was truly excited to play with them, and I know they helped him learn his colors. But, I'm pretty sure all that cutting and gluing took more time than the amount of time spent playing. Maybe I just need to figure out a way to be more efficient. Or maybe once Nell is old enough to start enjoying them it will feel like it was worth it.

Anyway, sorry for my reflective pity party. 

The Dino Eggs game was probably the most fun. I just made up the mouse paint one using clipart I already had. The mouse paint one is a little more complicated though, so that was nice. I used velcro dots, which you can kind of see on the mouse paint one. Word to the wise, use the rough side of the velcro on the file folder page and the soft side on the individual pieces. The rough side tends to stick to carpets. It doesn't harm anything, it just makes things less convenient. I couldn't laminate the whole folder per the directions @filefolderfun.com, since I just have a 9x12 home laminating machine, but I did use rubber cement glue to stick the laminated pages inside the file folder and I feel like that held up really well. Modge podge seemed like it'd be too sticky once the folder was shut, and I thought hot glue might leave bumps (and be harder to spread all around the laminated sheet). Rubber cement glue is cheap and definitely my recommendation on projects like this. 

The whole toilet paper roll sorting was a fail. I can't believe it is floating around pinterest like that. I don't know if other people have super sturdy TP rolls or what, but ours just kept falling down. Luckily I had some clear plastic cups on hand and Reid has been using those to sort the popsicle stick colors. He's only had the patience to do this once. But he loves using the cups to "build library." 

Overall I'm fairly confident he knows his primary and secondary colors and a few others (pink, brown, white). We also played with colored ice cubes, both in the tub and in the snow. 

So yes, my "preschool" was essentially just focusing the whole month of January on colors. Originally I'd just planned for a week, but I followed Reid's lead and it carried on longer than expected.

Right now he is into letters (thanks Super Why!) and numbers, so I guess I better come up with some learning games for those!