Meet Marissa...

At 2 1/2 yrs of age she can outrun most Olympic gold medalists. She is full of energy and loves to play outside. She loves people and is not the least bit shy. She recently has taken a big liking to music and loves to "perform." She is a little clown and loves to laugh. She has a big sister named Alanna who is 11.

Her Favorite Tot School Toys...

1. Colored Chalk
2. Megablox
3. Crayons/Markers/Finger painting
4. Animal Books
5. Puzzles
6. Leap Frog Alphabet magnets
7. Aquadoodle
8. Her Elmo kitchen set
9. PBS online
10. Play dough

Her Favorite Books...

1. Sesame Beginnings, Bubbles Bubbles
2. Precious Moments, Little Prayers
3. Scholastic, The River
4. Brainy Baby, 1,2,3's
5. Disney, My Very First Encyclopedia

Her Favorite TV/DVD shows...

1. The Little Mermaid
2. Dora the Explorer
3. The Wonder Pets
4. Clifford the Big Red Dog
5. Go Diego, Go!
   

Marissa's Mommy blogs at: My Box of Chocolates

Do you want your tot to be featured one week? Go here to read more details!

Crafty Corner ~ Fall

Arm Print Tree
from Tired, Need Sleep

Hand Leaf Collage
from Montessori Moments

Fall Wreath
from Crunchy & Green

Leaf Counting Activity

from My Montessori Journey

Bean Leaf Mosaic
from A Mommy's Adventures
Sponge Fall Trees
from Ramblings of a Crazy Woman

Paper Towel Roll Fall Trees
from Ramblings of a Crazy Woman
Pine Cone Painting
from Just for Fun
Leaf Sun Catcher
from Ramblings of a Crazy Woman

Letter T Tree
from Ramblings of a Crazy Woman
Paint & Stuff Football
from No Time for Flashcards

Torn Paper Fall Tree
from Our Crafts n Things

Do you have an tot-friendly fall craft on your blog? Read here first and then Email me (CarisaAtTotallyTots@gmail (dot) com) so I can add it here! If you feature crafts on your blog often, be sure to let me know in the email so I can add you to the "search" list for future posts!

In My Heart ~ Psalm 17:8...Aa

We are finally starting to implement this at MY house!!!! I am SO excited!!! We are using the In My Heart Bible verse as a part of our new "Raising Rock Stars" homeschool program! You can read more about that here. Each week I will feature the new verse here on Totally Tots!

I was given the opportunity to review the cd Songs for Saplings: ABCs. They graciously sent me this cd awhile back and we were so busy I didn't get going with it really. Then finally I put it in, and it has been playing almost non-stop ever since. This cd is AMAZING!!!!! If the cd itself isn't playing, the songs are still heard, from either the mouths of my boys or from the bigger people (me and hubs)! I will be sharing more about the cd, but in a nutshell, it is wonderful and I highly recommend it. You can get it here, or here.

One new feature is a coloring page for each verse, focusing on the letter and the item beginning with that letter in the verse. Some of the verses are tricky to do this for, but I am finding a way! Thankfully this one is easy-APPLE!


Another new item in the PDF files will be a new flashcard each week. I am printing mine on cardstock and laminating them. We're using for review as we add our new verse each week. We're on Bb and already Krash is loving looking back at his Aa-apple verse!

We will be working our way through the cd, starting with the verse for A this week! Stay tuned for a new pdf file for each song on the cd!

Find the PDF files to download here!

See our intro post about teaching Bible memory verses to tots here.

Now I Know My ABC's ~ Vv

It's time for some fun Vv activities!!! We hope you enjoy these! If you are new, you can visit our ABC webpage to find links to any other letters we have done, letters (with books listed) coming up, as well as the PDF of the cover sheet for your ABC notebook!

From the Garden : A Counting Book about Growing Food
by Michael Dahl

Summary: Introduces the numbers from one to twelve as family members pick a variety of vegetables from the garden. Includes activity page and glossary.

Vv is for Veggies

Print or hand draw Vv's and cut out veggies from your grocery ads. Have your LO color the Vv's (if they want) and glue the Veggies on the Vv sheet Hole punch the sheet and add it to your alphabet binder.

Vegetable Cards

You'll Need:

~ Two sets of grocery sales ads
~ Glue
~ Construction paper

To Make & Play:

1. Cut the veggies out of the grocery sales ads.

2. Glue one set of the veggies onto construction paper to make a matching board.

3. Have your LO match the remaining veggies to the ones on the board and play like a matching game.

More Vegetable Fun

~ Veggie Prints: gather some different Vegetables and cut in half and press into paint and press onto paper for some neat veggie prints

~ Cornucopia craft: make a cornucopia (perfect for thanksgiving) of Vegetables (cut out from magazines and grocery ads)

~ Play Hot Potato

Treats 4 Your Tot

Here are some more cool giveaways for tots/moms of tots, check them out below and let us know if you win something we told you about!!!!

Brainy Baby DVDs, ends 10/4/09

Mega Bloks Play & Go Table, ends 10/2/09

See Kai Run shoes, ends 9/27/09

Stride Rite shoes for boys, ends 9/29/09

Ergo Baby/Toddler Carrier (I own this and LOVE it!), ends 10/16/09

Strider Running Bike, ends 10/7/09

Boon Groovy Plate, ends 10/3/09

Klean Kanteen Sippy, ends 10/5/09

Diaper Sprayer (see our Cloth Diaper ~ Did You Know post!), ends 10/9/09

$20 to eBeanstalk Toys, ends 10/1/09

SpellQuizzer, ends 10/8/09

Terrific Tot Sites ~ Tot School Highlights

Every Sunday Carisa hosts a feature on her other blog called Tot School. If you are one who doesn't know that, you can go here to read more about it!

This week I'd like to introduce you to RockerMom from Spinner's End Nursery School and her son, RockerTot. He is currently 27 months old and his mom is a work-from-home mom who manages to fit in some great learning time with her son!

RockerMom has a great variety of activities that she does with her son. From weighing and measuring...{which reminded me to pull my scales out!!!}...

...Everyday learning through building and playing....

...to practicing fine motor skills and patterns through a simple game....

RockerMom has some wonderful ideas and shows so much of their week through the lens of her camera ~ and I love how she divides out her posts {NatureTot ~ Exploring the World; ApprenticeTot ~ Basic Life Skills; ScholarTot ~ Planned Tot School Activities, and more}. Be sure to stop by Spinner's End Nursery School and see what they are up to!

Hope you enjoy this Terrific Tot Site! To see more featured sites, click here!

Once Upon a Book ~ Leaves, Leaves

Leaves, Leaves
by Salina Yoon

Summary: An autumn walk through the woods reveals surprises at every turn! Lift the flaps to see what's hiding beneath the colorful leaves.

Circle Time Song

Autumn leaves are falling

Autumn leaves are falling down,
falling down, falling down.
(arms up high like a tree then lower as song goes on)

Autumn leaves are falling down, (lower your voice)
Down to the ground (squat down and continue with this finger play).

Art Time

Leaf Mosaic: Tear up pieces of orange, yellow and red construction paper and have your LO glue it to the leaf Template.

Math

Leaf Counting Book: Gather 15 leaves and 5 sheets of construction paper and number them 1, 2 ,3 4, and 5. Have your LO glue the correct number of leaves to each sheet. Add a cover page, laminate and tie together with yarn for a cute counting book.

Motor Skills

Raking Leaves: Get out a kiddie rake and rake some leaves outside. If you don't have enough leaves outside then print and cut out some throw them on the floor and have the rake them up!

More Leaf Fun

Preschool Express

Step By Step

Want to see what's coming next (and books we've done in the past)? Click here to see our Once Upon a Book webpage!

Treats 4 Your Tot

Here are some more cool giveaways for tots/moms of tots, check them out below and let us know if you win something we told you about!!!!

Britax Marathon Carseat, ends 10/2/09

6 bumGenius cloth diapers (these are what my Ladybug wears mostly!), ends 10/2/09

Star Kids Play & Travel Tray, ends 9/25/09

Signing Flashcards & Stickers, ends 9/28/09

$25 GC to Sprout Baby, ends 9/28/09

LeapFrog Let's Go to School DVD, ends 10/19/09

Fisher Price Trio, ends 10/15/09

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil (featured in our Did You Know feature), ends 10/2/09

Granola from Granola Mom 4 God, ends 9/28/09

Babylegs, ends 9/27/09

I WON!!!!
I won this giveaway and it came in the mail and is SOOOO cute!!! Thanks Itty Bitty Bookworm and Baby Love Blankies! I chose the Itsy Bitsy Dino Roar I Spy Bag for Krash since he's in love with all things dino right now!

Crafty Corner ~ Apples

Apple Tree from Our Crafts n Things

Paper Plate Apple from Ramblings of a Crazy Woman

Apple Print Tree from Ramblings of a Crazy Woman
Hand Print Apple from Ramblings of a Crazy Woman
A is for Apple Tree from Ramblings of a Crazy Woman
Lowercase a Apple Tree from No Time for Flashcards
Pom Pom Apple Tree from No Time for Flashcards

Apple Trees from Just for Fun
Apple with a Worm from Just for Fun
Muffin Tin Monday ~ Apple Theme from Her Cup Overfloweth
Lots of Apple Stuff from Delightful Learning
Apple File Folder Games from File Folder Fun

Worms in My Apples from Mama Jenn

Do you have an tot-friendly apple craft on your blog? Read here first and then Email me (CarisaAtTotallyTots@gmail (dot) com) so I can add it here! If you feature crafts on your blog often, be sure to let me know in the email so I can add you to the "search" list for future posts!

COMING NEXT: Fall, leaves, football...send me your links!