I am always on the lookout for things to occupy time and interest for Thaddeus. Especially now with Thatcher, I like to try and make the most of any one-on-one time together. Since he is getting a little older, we have been able to do things that are a little more involved. Pinterest is always a great source of inspiration for me, and a while ago I came across this:
Thad is big into animals, so these are a hit with him. Like everything, it takes some practice. The first one he did was kind of crazyness, and not very structured. Now when I say we are going to do a “project”, he knows what I am talking about, and what is going to happen. I have found that consistency is really key with him, and when he knows what is expected of him, and what is coming, things go much more smoothly. Understandable.
There are a billion craft ideas for toddlers out there, but there are a couple of things that I really like about this particular blog. First, the crafts are practical. They don’t require a lot of equipment. Mostly construction paper, scissors and glue (Remember Thad’s 2nd birthday gifts? Booyah. Do I know how to plan ahead, or what?). Which only makes sense….do you really want to spend money on something that they may decide they have no interest in, or destroy 2 minutes later? Second, book lists are included with each animal project. I thought that was actually a really great idea. We go to the library a lot already, just for something free to do to occupy our time. Typically, I would just browse the shelves, looking for something up Thad’s alley. Now what I do is pick a couple of animals off the craft list, and get on the library’s website ahead of time, and search for beginner easy books about that animal. Some are better than others, but it makes the craft a bigger deal.
What we do then, is have 5 or 6 books about our project animal that we read, and then we do our project. Like I said, it took some practice, but now we are on a roll. We have done several projects at this point. Each a little different, and really, each have been a success. He gets excited about it, enjoys doing the project, and really likes to show it off to Dad when he comes home from work.
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