Travel Laminated Quiet Book

I needed something easy, light, and reusable for our flight with my ever active toddler. I had seen many quiet books and they are WONDERFUL!! However, they come with small pieces that can be dropped, lost, felt that would be stuck to other things, etc. I wanted something contained.

I bought one 1/2 inch binder, laminating sheets, binder pocket sheets, dry erase markers, dry erase crayons, and LOADS of stickers. 

This binder was first used when he was 20 months old and we have "reloaded" it several times since!

        

We decorated the front, little man helped to make it his own, and I let him help fill some of the pockets. 

I printed letter sheets for him to help recognize his name and the sounds the letters in his name make. 

I tore pages out of coloring books that he loves and focused on things he could do with us and on his own. Little man picked out some of the animal pages and I chose some as a surprise. These pages were laminated so we could reuse them or use as doodle pages. 

Using the dry erase crayons, we were able to wipe the laminated pages off and recolor them. 

He loves mazes so this was a fun one to include! 

I have several pockets of stickers and blank white paper. He could sticker the paper, color, draw, write, etc, etc, etc! Stickers are a must as they love to put on and pull off. Plus, it's GREAT dexterity practice for their little fingers. 

Both of our kids are great travelers and I believe that they travel well for a few reasons:

1. We plan things out (snacks, treats, toys, activities, etc)
2. If we can get it at the airport, we buy it there (water bottle, pretzels, etc) yes, I know it is expensive but it's much easier!!!!
3. I pack ONE bag for the kids and me! 
4. Pack suckers, mints, gum to suck on and chew for take off and landing - eliminate ear pressure
5. Give ibuprofen to the kids prior take off to help with air pressure issues
6. A surprise toy to give them about half way through the trip or closer to the last hour when the other things have started to wear off

THE bag (in my case a backback) I had my littlest one in my ergo baby on in front, back pack on my back and my older one was in our travel stroller (city mini) or walking with me.

Contains: 

• two diapers for each hour we could be on the plane - in case of delay, accident, etc. (now both are potty trained - so extra undies)
• back up outfit for each kid  
• iPad for the kids as back-up and for me (loaded with games and movies)
• my phone with games for children and adult - again a back-up
• quiet binder: coloring, hangman, games, stickers, crayons
• crayons and blank paper
• snacks that require chewing and swallowing for take off and landing for ear pressure (gummies, suckers, mints, water)
• kids ibuprofen for headaches and ear pressure
• Secret NEW toy for each kiddo

***BEST advice I EVER got*****  

secret NEW toy for each kiddo, they have never seen this item or know that I have it! It's something they want or would love to help them get through the last bit of the flight. I gave my daughter a Rapuzel doll (barbie like doll so she could brush her hair) and small hair brush and my son got Ryder from Paw Patrol and his ATV. These were only a few bucks each and well worth it!!!! It gave them something to play with while we were on vacation, traveling between locations, or sitting with family (in grandma's house full of breakables) 

Sight Word Games

I love playing games with my kiddos but sometime I don't always want to purchase the latest thing or game. Since I am a teacher and could ALMOST live on the teacherspayteachers website, I figured that I could use it for my own little learners, too!

Why NOT?!?!?!

Laura Martin of teacherspayteachers does a great job creating some products for beginning readers. 

I found these great I Have, Who Has game cards that my little reader and I can play together. 

My younger one can play with us with me helping point to the card to use. 

               

I use my own laminator to make cards at home. I purchased my laminator at Target for about $30. This is similar, but there are many out there. The heat laminating pouches I normally find online from Walmart at the best value (about $15 for 100 pack). You can get the 3mm pouches, they work fine! I use the 5 mm in my classroom as they are thinker and hold up better with daily use. Therefore, these were made with 5 mm because that is want I have. 

Update**** my kiddos LOVE this game! They are 4 and 3 years of age and had a blast sorting them outside, making a tower of words!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/I-Have-Who-Has-Monster-Sight-Words-202982

Reading Picnics

A great way to get out to the house and still have some quiet time:

Book Picnics!

My two love the read and this is when they have some great individual think time. Little man begins reading to himself and our little lady normally sings to her favorite books or starts to point out characters! Both are wonderful comprehension strategies. Letting kids revisit books helps them think about what they have read, helps to introduce strategies for retelling (a great way to read a book), and point out parts of the picture that tells the story!

If you know anything about The Two Sisters, CAFE or DAILY 5 (most educators do, for those who don't it's a great way to help children learn to use reading strategies independently and begin thinking about literature), they encourage children to read books three different ways: read the words, read the pictures, and retell the story.

We began inside, however both children were having a hard time sharing books this day. So I gave each a book blanket that they could use to spread out and have their own space to read.

 That didn't last long and both were reading on the same blanket, but sharing the books.

We have a ton of different books. I try to rotate them throughout the house, stacks will end up in her room then move to his, down to the play room, and in the book box in our car - keeps them entertained while on our way. This way we have many times to revisit them, during the day or for bedtime.

We love all sorts of books! Try the BabyBug magazine (made by Cricket) for little ones. It is built with durable pages that are hard to distroy and cute poems, songs, and stories to do with your little ones. We also love sharing various languages with our kids, try grabbing a few books from other cultures. Babies love to look and read about other babies - there is quite a bit of research behind that thought, not just me chatting. Add some books to your collection that have babies as the main characters. My two are drawn to those! Don't forget some of our favorite authors and titles. Expose your kids to your childhood favorites and soon they will love them also!

 As children revisit text, they are able to tell us more, connect illustrations to text, and pick out important details that make the story. 

I took a step back and let them have their space. WOW, they really know how to enjoy a book. I need to learn to let them and not always get involved or "in the way". Both kids were telling me or pointing at things me in their books that was memorable or exciting. 

Remember, after kids are exposed to books repeatedly only will they have the stamina to read and THINK about they are reading independently. Talk about the books with your kids so that they build their vocabulary and have the words to retell stories to you. 

Play Ball!

A trip to the park today lead to a wonderful new game for us! 

Play Ball!!! 

Beside one of our parks is a sports complex with 6 ball fields, room for youth football, and tons of space for picnics and such. We needed to, literally, run some energy off so we started pretend baseball. 

It was great to practice naming shapes using the bags and home plate.

We got creative with the rectangle for the pitchers mound and squares for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd - our fields pick them up after each game.

It was a blast to stand at home, let little man pitch to me and run the bases. He took turns "batting" and running the bases!

Realizing that each ball field was numbered we quickly went on a number hunt. It is an awesome way for Little Man to practice spotting numbers rather than letters and to have fun counting. We had a blast giving the kids the vocabulary to have fun on the fields. Fun conversations came afterward about running, bases, baseball, home-runs, etc. !

Inside Garden from Tomato Containers

Indoor Easy Garden

As my little man and I created these little indoor gardens, I become more excited about summer coming and having him learning about gardening, plants, and growing. 

We were invited to the neighbors for a dinner party and there was no way I was showing up empty handed. I created an easy and DELICIOUS tomato and olive salad that was a HUGE hit. 

I rinsed the cherry tomatoes and realizes I NEEDED to keep these containers for something and it me later to use them as a little terrarium or mini green house.

 

I purchased little violets and used some extra dirt from the backyard. I had little man join me in the backyard to gather the dirt. It had just rained and he wasn't too thrilled with the 'mud' aspect. 

   

Conversation during this activity was all about how plants grow. We got to see the roots of the violets and spent time feeling how small and thin they are. It was cool to talk about how the roots soak up water and nutrients (I related it do plant food) to help the plant grow strong and beautiful. I showed him that trees are plants, too. We discussed plants are large and small but they all have roots. 

 

We have these in the kitchen window. I would love to put them in the play room on their art table however, the dog would love to help redecorate our home with these. :)

 

I love reusing containers. Anything works. Get Creative on your own terms. 

Remember: Every activity is an opportunity to help build your child's vocabulary. Don't worry about talking 'above' there head as long as you connect it to something they already know and can give them a visual. 

Special Paint

We spent time painting our new8 dining room and of course he wanted to help paint the room. 

I gave him a cup of water and a paint brush and he painted parts of the wall that were "out of the way". 

 

This led me to an amazing idea!!! I taped construction paper to the dishwasher while I made dinner and TaDa!! An awesome canvas with  "special paint". It kept him busy for a good 20 minutes!

Color Collages

CP is one smart little man but needs so practice with his colors. We have a ton of books, coloring books, crayons, markers, and toys that we use to teach color. (Basically, everything we see) 

Today, we had a wonderful day where mom and son could send a few quiet hours just playing and being crafty together.

 

We chose a few pieces of construction paper together and decided which colors we would focus on today. I used an old house decor magazine that we could rip apart, or destroy without hesitation :) We turned the pages together to find yellow, blue, or green. 

*** Be sure to stick with one color at a time in the beginning to secure each color.***

We would rip then glue and repeat. 

 

Ripping pictures and letters out to match was a blast. We used a nontoxic glue stick that I use for scrap booking so really who cares how messy we got! So much FUN! 

-For me this craft was TOTALLY free!!!-

Stacking

We have a ton of cars and trucks. Some of our favorites are the wooden ones from Melissa and Doug. Instead of running them around his race tracks, he realized that they can be stacked on top of each other. Very clever. He was so proud of himself!

We also have a set of Melissa and Doug road signs. He quickly realized that he could stack his signs. We talked about the shape of each sign and if it could be stacked. We also talked about which is the best for the base and which could go on top. We saved the triangles, circles and rhombus shaped ones for on top.

Window Markers

I loved the moment I found these! Rainy day activities....here we come........ 

Crayola window markers that wipe off with a baby wipe, windex, whatever works for you!!!!

This was an activity that kept daddy and CP busy for several minutes while I made dinner.

Painting Made Easy

 My son LOVES painting. One of the first ways we were successful painting independently with minimal mess (for paint) is to use bingo markers.

Hand held paint makes it really nice so that even daddy is willing to get messy and Grandma doesn't get covered in various colors.

Some of the best places to get bingo paint markers are craft stores like JoAnn Fabrics and Hobby Lobby. They can also be purchased at any Target, Walmart, etc.

Travel Play Dough Mats

We LOVE these mats for when we are out to dinner and need to hold CP until the food arrives. They are also fun in the car and of course around the house. I can stick CP in his high chair while I am making dinner, doing laundry, or trying to vacuum. 

~ Print various activity pages off of a great website that your child may enjoy.
~ CP loves animals and transportation, so many of our pages include items geared toward his interests.
~ You can use store purchased play dough or make your own. In an earlier post, you can find 10 different homemade dough recipes.
~ Ring clips are found in the office supply aisle and Target or similar stores.
~ Use a three hole punch with the middle punch removed (or however you want to connect them).

Laminate each page to make it last a LONG time. Laminaters can be found at WalMart for about $30 or any office supply store - this one was about $40. 5mm plastic covers work the best and are more sturdy that then 3mm.

A jumbo sized ziplock bag will hold a few small play dough containers and the 8x11 placemats you made.

 

Idea: http://planetoftheapels.blogspot.com/2011/09/busy-bag-swap-day-5-playdough-mats_05.html

Chicken Themed Mats

Giraffe Mats

 

 

Downloads:
Playdough Mats Instructions
Playdough Mats Booklet