Fun with a Gum Container

While at work last week, I noticed a gum container that one of my friend's had.  She noticed me eyeing it and offered me a piece of gum.  I declined, but I told her that I really liked the container.  She emptied her gum into a bag and gave me the container.  It's the perfect container for E!  She loves it!  While my mom and I were sewing, I gave her the container and a cup of small spools.  She loved putting the spools into the container.  Fun times!












She really enjoyed opening and closing the container, too.

Fun with a Parmesan Cheese Container

E had fun putting popsicle sticks into a parmesan cheese container last week.  She also really loved opening and closing the container. 






They also use this container in the rice pit and the bathtub...gotta love free toys!

A Fake Fall Leaves Activity

E started stuffing fake fall leaves into this empty tennis ball container, and I thought that was a great idea! 






After she put all of the leaves in the tennis ball container, I showed her how to put one at a time in a 2 liter bottle.  I showed her how to push it down with just one finger at a time.  She copied me exactly and was able to push the leaf in the bottle easily.   After that she tried to use her thumb and a couple of fingers at a time.  She wasn't as successful, but it was fun to watch her try different ways of doing things.






Check out those long fingernails!  I felt like a bad mama when I saw how long her fingernails were in this picture...I have a hard time keeping them cut...they grow SO fast!



After she finished the activity, she put the leaves on her head and said "hat, hat."  She puts EVERYTHING on her head and calls it a hat...love it!

Corks in a Container

Yes, it's another "putting objects in a container" post!  It's what she loves, so it's what we do!

My mom had a bunch of corks when we were at her house this weekend, and she asked me what she could do with them.  I told her we should find a container with an opening that was the same size as the corks.  She disappeared soon after that (I thought she was washing clothes, but she was really searching for the perfect container), and found the perfect container.  E was SO excited!  I wish I'd videotaped her because her excitement over this activity is not adequately shown by the pictures (especially since I'm trying to crop them to show less of her face!)





After she put the corks in the container, she enjoyed closing the top.




She opened it and tried to shake the corks out.



I eventually showed her how to take the whole top off to shake the corks out of the container.



E was supervised very closely during this activity since corks are a choking hazard.  I was very glad that she was so into putting them into the container that she spent very little time putting them into her mouth!

Putting Clothes Pins in a Container

Here's another of E's favorite activities!  To make this activity, I cut a square opening in a 2 liter bottle and lined the edges with duct tape.  E puts the clothes pins in the top, and she takes them out of the bottle via the square opening.  Since her current interest is putting small objects into any and every container, this is the perfect activity for her.  The clothes pins catch on the rim of the bottle if she puts them in with the open end down, and it's fun to watch her think this through and figure out what to do.  Watching her focus on a task is so much fun!






After she finished working with the 2 liter container, she took her imbucare box from the shelf.  She enjoys putting her small animals in it, and on this day she put O's yogurt drink container in it (she carried the yogurt cotainer around ALL day).  She had fun putting the clothes pins in the yogurt container, too.



Then we put her small animals in a Coke box and closed the lid.  She kept opening the box and waving at the animals.  It was incredibly cute.  She is the friendliest baby, and she waves at everyone (and everything!) she sees.  I adore her.

Sticky!

E has had fun learning the concept of "sticky" this week!  I taped a large piece of contact paper with the sticky side out on our sliding glass door.  She loves to touch it, pat it, and pull it down (next time I'll used duct tape, so it won't come off so easily). 

We put various objects and toys on it to see if they would stick.  The kapla blocks stuck for hours, and clothes pins stuck for a few minutes.  Larger objects didn't stick at all :)  This is an activity that we will do often as I plan to show her how to put construction paper and tissue paper on the contact paper to make a collage next week.

Fun with Mr. Potato Head

I put a basket with a potato head and several accessories on E's Montessori shelf, and she thinks it's pretty cool!  She needs help putting the pieces in and getting them out, but she loves to try to get them out (and really works her little finger muscles while trying!)...sometimes (often) she resorts to using her mouth :) 

Playing with Mr. Potato Head is a great way to learn body parts and colors!  And it's fun, of course!