Daycare Life

Noah and B. did some colour sorting last week with the different coloured vehicles. Afterwards, they sorted them by vehicle type, instead of by colour, and then counted how much of each they had.

Oscar is becoming very smart at the ripe old age of 14 months. He helped Noah stick the ABC's on the wall in alphabetical order.

Actually, he's watching the boys even more closely lately. Whereas he used to only take the ABC's down, he now helps to put them up. Whereas he used to only take puzzle pieces apart, he now tries to put the pieces together. Though he's not yet walking, he drives ride-on toys down the hall with the big boys, can climb on and off of Noah's bed, lifts a kiddie chair while standing up, and climbs up on the baseboard heater to look out the window. His athletic ability and strength rivals that of B.'s. Even B. knows that he's met his match!

One lovely day last week, Aidas and B., (and later, Oscar) worked diligently to fill toy dump trucks with dirt. Their focus and the resulting calm was a really nice break for me! (I'm used to the boys being very wild these days!) Noah, though not afraid of dirt, was more interested in pretend play. He usually is. He likes to play house or restaurant. He especially likes to pretend that he's going to Ontario Place, or to The Ex, or to Centre Island.

The superintendent of our building, her husband and the assistant superintendent often joke around with the boys from inside their offices. Man, these people put up with a lot from us, and I'm very thankful that they are still so jovial and playful with the kids.

Here's a video of the 3 older boys engaging in an activity that they all enjoy: running around in circles. 

So simple. And yet it brings such joy. Perhaps we adults should try this activity the next time we get together with our friends and see if it has the same effect. Yeah....probably not.

We've recently moved Noah into a car booster seat, and boy, did the kids have fun with the box it came in! First I cut a big hole in the front, so they could put it over their heads and pretend to be robots. They love saying things like "I am a robot", and "I come in peace" or "Take me to your leader", so they were crazy about the "costume". Later on in the day though, they switched to a new activity: slowly demolishing the box. They did this by cutting the cardboard with toy knives from Noah's kitchen set. They did not tire of this. When I periodically instructed them to throw the little bits of cardboard they had cut off into the garbage, they did not complain. If it meant being able to continue their slow demolition, they were perfectly agreeable to this small task.

B.'s mother donated an Easter themed gingerbread house to the daycare. The kids had a great time decorating the house, and testing the candy and icing as well. I gave them a spoon covered in icing to lick so that they would stop dipping their fingers into the icing on the house!

I recently decided to change the rules regarding couch cushions. Normally, the kids weren't allowed to remove the cushions from the couch at all. Now, they are allowed to remove the back cushions only. Boy are they enjoying this new perk! One day last week, we got out our basket of sea shells to look at. After inspecting them and talking about them, we pretended the hardwood floor, with the shells scattered on it, was the beach, and the carpet was the ocean. You can see Aidas surfing on his surfboard cushion in one of the photos below.

We stayed in one morning due to inclement weather. We brought out Noah's little trampoline. Oscar is really getting the hang of it, and loves it! He of course had some trouble taking turns, but jumped like a pro whenever he got the chance!

We have this hand-me-down Sesame Street comforter, that for some reason, the kids call their rocket ship. Here they are goofing around, hiding under the blanket - er- I mean their rocket ship.

Like most kids, they like to congregate under the dining room table. Oscar is learning, and the others are periodically reminded, that it is not wise to stand up under the table. Ouch!

Here is their 'wall of glory'. Every morning, they get one sticker for putting on (or pulling up) their own underwear and pants after using the toilet. They also get a sticker for putting their own snowpants, boots and coat on. Actually, all they need to be doing is trying. They can still get a sticker if I help when they really are stuck, but not when they are giving up without trying. As you can see, they have gotten very good at self-dressing skills! Way to go, boys!

We visited the Annette Street Library Drop-In last Friday. The kids were very overwhelmed by the crowd there at first! It has been a while since we have been there. For the first time at the daycare, they got to try cutting with scissors! Aidas and B. particularly loved this activity. I have never seen them sit still for so long! B. cut a paper into the tiniest pieces he could.

This was Aidas's and B.'s last day at the daycare for 2 months, since I am due to give birth to a little girl at the end of March. (Though I have one outstanding blog post that will include them all.) Oscar is going to stick it out with Noah until the day I go into labour! It is nice to have it a little bit easier this week, and yet not too quiet. We are missing the big boys, but will surely have a visit with them before they return to the daycare in May.