Theme for the Week - Peter Rabbit
What a wonderful character to inspire us for this week - Peter Rabbit. We've used the theme of rabbits and gardens for our activities this week. We hope you enjoy the fun of the British icon. The official website for all things Beatrix Potter/Peter Rabbit is here.
Letter of the Week: R - for Rabbit - point out things that start with "R" - rabbit, raisin, radish, round, rhinestone, road . Show them a picture of both a capital R and a lower case r. Draw a R on paper, or use their finger to draw it in the sandbox or dirt. Use bath
tub or refrigerator letters to show them this letter as well.
Number of the Week: 6 - When you show your child anything say "6 rabbits". Count to 6. Write the number 6 on paper. Show them 6 things at a time and count them - "one" "two" "three" etc - so your child gets used to the pattern.
Songs of the Week: Little Bunny Foo Foo - Click on the title to take you to a website that gives you the tune and the lyrics - We couldn't find a song about Peter Rabbit so this is as close as it gets. If you know of one, please send it to ideas@teachingyourtoddler.com
Story of the Week: The Tale of Peter Rabbit - Of course - but don't forget Beatrix Potter wrote tons of other books - Squirrel Nutkin, Benjamin Bunny, etc. If you don't have access to the library, click on the title and it will take you to the store on the Peter Rabbit website.
Snack of the Week: Carrots and Dip - Since Peter's favorite food is carrots, how could we resist this as our snack? You can use Ranch or Hummus for dip or even Yogurt. Just make sure your child is old enough to chew and eat a carrot. If not, you can use cooked broccoli, chips or other softer foods.
Do-It-Myself Activity: Feed the bunnies. I don't know about your yard, but our yard is full of bunnies. So, you can encourage your toddler to give them a small treat like a carrot or an apple. Just leave it under a bush or in a hidden place and then check in a little while to see if they've taken it or not. Then maybe they'll leave your garden alone!
Spanish Words of the Week: el conejo - rabbit, el jardin - garden , la zanahoria - carrot
Activity of the Week: Rabbit Picture - here is a printable picture of a rabbit for your little one to color. You can print multiple copies and let them decorate it differently each day - color, markers, watercolors, macaroni with glue, etc. If you think your toddler is old enough, you could have him/her try to cut this out. The outline is very simple. Please supervise them cutting if you choose that idea.
Yoga Pose: Rabbit Pose - This is pretty easy if you start in Child Pose plus it stretches your neck really well. They even say this is a good one if you have a stuffy nose. Click on the words for a link to a picture of this pose. My kids always liked the Yoga Kids series if you'd like more ideas for doing yoga with your toddler. Check it out here: http://www.yogakids.com/
Sign Language Sign of the Week: Rabbit and Bunny - There are two ways to make this sign so we included both here. If your toddler is still learning how to talk, sign language can be a great way for them to communicate.
The source for this story is a public domain website called gutenburg.org
Like we say every week - don't forget to give your toddler a hug and say "I love you" as many times a day as you can think of! You can never give them enough love. Talk to them, even though they may not talk back and read to them everyday - even if it's the cereal box at breakfast. Enjoy!
