We worked on the letter O this week since we were already scheduled to go to the Orchestra. Twice a year the Colorado Orchestra has a Tiny Tots Orchestra for the 6 and under crowd.  It was so fun! Mia really enjoyed seeing all of the instruments, but the conductor was her favorite!  If you are planning on taking your child to the Orchestra, I highly recommend reading books/watching videos about the Orchestra before you go.  Since Mia recognized the instruments, I think she was more interested then if she had not been exposed beforehand.

 The Scholastic movie, How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? includes the video, Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin, which is why it is pictured.

The books about the Orchestra were a little lengthy but great for showing pictures of the instruments.  Mia didn't really care for Little Owls Night, but really enjoyed the others.

O is for Orchestra

Orchestra coloring sheet

This video is a great introduction to the instruments found in an Orchestra.  (Sorry it looks so dirty, but you can tell that it's been checked out quite a bit from the library!)

 Mommy and Mia at the Orchestra (Naomi was with us too but I tried to make this a special event for Mia.)

 Kennedy and Mia watching in awe.

It doesn't have to do with the letter o, but we were able to meet up with daddy for lunch since the Orchestra was right by his work.

O is for O prints

Link to O print printable

This was such a fun activity and so easy. Since the toilet paper holder is so easy to hold on to, this activity is appropriate for young toddlers.

O is for Owl

Mia loved this project and was so proud of it once it was finished.

link to owl craft

O is for oatmeal (sensory bin)

 I just put oatmeal (uncooked) in a baking pan along with some things that start with o.  I also added a spoon, cup and truck.

 Mia played with this for 45 minutes when I first showed it to her!! 45 minutes!! It was amazing!

 She is actually playing with it again as I type this.

Yes, she has brown paint on her face.  I guess I forgot to wipe her down after the owl craft. ; )

Just be sure to explain the rules ahead of time...if you pour oatmeal on the floor, it goes away.

O is for O shaped necklaces

If you want to be healthier, you could also use Cheerios.  We used Froot Loops as a special treat and because they look pretty. : )

This is a great activity for fine motor skills.  Be sure to tape one end of the yarn to the table and put tape around the end that is being threaded through the hole.  

Up next week...the letter Vv.

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I can't get enough of this girl. She is 8 months, which is my favorite baby stage (besides newborn).

Naomi is learning so much everyday.

 She LOVES to explore and now that she can crawl, she is into everything.

 She has recently learned to clap.  Seeing her chubby hands clap together melts my heart.

 She also says mama regularly, especially when she needs me.  This girl needs her mama and loves to be held and touched.  

She is still waking up several times a night...I probably need to break that but I don't really mind my nighttime snuggles since she will be toddler before I know it.

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 I chose the letter Gg this week since Mia had two gymnastics classes scheduled- her last session of mommy and tot gymnastics at the gym and we went to a gymnastics class with Moms Rock.  Gg was super fun and I easily could have spent another week on it.  If we would have had more time, I would have included garden and grandparents, but we'll have to save those for next time.

I always have the books we are working on on display in the playroom, so this can happen...

G is for green grass

 Mia loved playing with this Easter grass. The best part about doing all of these project is exploring new textures.

 A little messy, but really fun!

 Green grassy G

G is for gymnastics

 I highly recommend this book for toddlers in gymnastics. 

 

 

G is for green

To keep things toddler appropriate, we painted our Gg green.

Gg printable

 G is for giraffe and gorilla
Link to directions

If your toddler has a short attention span, you will want to have the giraffe prepared as you see above.  

 The directions suggest using a fingerprint to make the brown spots, but Mia didn't want to get messy so I gave her a q-tip instead.

 I highly recommend this project...it turned out so cute!! 

 Naomi wore her giraffe outfit for us too. 

This books is a little long, but a cute story.

We were supposed to go to the zoo to see the giraffes and the gorillas, but it was too cold.

 G is for God

We read the creation story in her Toddler Bible and Mia put animal foam stickers on a piece of construction paper that said, God made...  She wanted to take a picture of me holding her work; I must say, I was impressed with her photography skills.

G is for guitar

Link to guitar craft

 When I told Mia to hold up her guitar so I could take a picture, she ran to daddy's office and sat in his chair (this is where he sits when he plays guitar for her). It melted my heart.

Apparently playing the guitar is exhausting!

*The guitar turned out super cute but I think it would be more appropriate for older kids so they could do more of the work.  I think Mia enjoyed making it but hasn't played with it since.

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My little Omi Om (pronounced with a long o sound), as we call her, is now CRAWLING!!  

 She is still hesitant to crawl long distances, but she can totally do it!

 This little lady LOVES to explore and is getting very curious about the world around her.

This is one of my favorite ages.

 Yesterday, we picked Joe up from work and went to the Children's Museum together.

 Mia had so much fun exploring bubbles with her daddy.

 

 Naomi wore her safety glasses just in case I decided to let her crawl through the sticky, bubbly floors. 

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