Open Ended Art: Pumpkins

The theme of open ended art this week at Mommies Wise Little Bookworms is pumpkins. This is our first time to participate. The only type of art the boys are into these days is open ended, so this is perfect for us.

I put out pumpkins, paint, pom poms, googly eyes, glue, and stickers. I told the boys to decorate the pumpkins however they wanted.

Sawyer put star stickers all over his pumpkin. He said he was making a roller coaster.

Jax had fun painting and putting googly eyes on his pumpkins.

Sawyer said this one was a "diniosaurus." Gotta love these little imaginations.

Here are the finished pumpkins. Beautiful!

Raising Rock Stars: God made the Great Lights

Last week I helped Sawyer memorize two verses for Cubbies. The first one was "He...made everything beautiful" Ecclesiastes 3:11

I helped the boys make an apple tree with apple prints. I wrote the verse on it and hung it in their bedroom. That way it reminded me to say it every time I saw it or I would ask Sawyer what it said. We have been talking a lot about all of the beautiful things God made.

The next verse or verses he learned was "Give thanks to the Lord...who made the great lights...sun...moon and stars..." Psalm 136:7-9 We made these fun puffy paint moons that I found on No Time For Flash cards.

The boys loved exploring and painting with this fun paint. I kept asking them "who made the moon?" Jax was so cute because he would yell "God!" at the top of his lungs.

Next, Jax painted some stars on a piece of poster board.

When everything was dry I cut out the moon and glued it the poster board. I wrote the Bible verse on the poster and hung it in the boys room. I put it down low, so they can constantly see it and feel the soft, puffy moon they made.

The next day we made suns. Sawyer was able to recite both verses for his teachers, so I think all of the review is really helping him remember.

Tot School: A is for Apples

Jax: 24 mos
Sawyer: 42 mos.
Learning Toys

The boys had fun with the lacing tools this week.

This chunky Melissa and Doug puzzle is one of Jax's favorites, but his big brother hogged it quite a bit this week.
Art and Alphabet Activities

We painted moons this week. I made the moon goop out of 1/2 cup of glue and 1 1/2 cups of shaving cream. We also made suns and stars. I will post more on this in my Raising Rock Stars post.

We talked about the letter A this week. I had the boys help me find things that started with the letter A. We found animals, apples, an alligator, airplanes, and an ant.

One day I gave the boys markers and paper to see what they would create. Sawyer wrote this and told me it was an A for his friend Aidyn. I was so proud of him. He is really trying hard to write his letters. It is great because I am not pushing him, he really wants to do it.

We made apple prints and made these cute Apple Print Trees.

When they were done stamping the A's I had them decorate this tree with apples. They loved this activity. I think they would have stamped all day, but I finally had to take the paint covered apples away. They were not real happy when I did this.


One day we made these apples. Sawyer drew a face on his apple and wrote his name at the bottom of the page. This was the first time he tried to write his name all by himself. He was upset because he said it didn't look right, but I told him how great it looked and how proud of him I am.


We made this yummy snack one day. I found the idea for these apple shakeups on the Totally Tots site. I told the boys to come to the table to cut apples and Jax ran and got this little plastic knife from his play food bucket. I had to help him, but he was actually able to cut with it.

Next they put the apples into plastic baggies. This was the hardest part, because they would not stop eating the apples. They love apples! Next, we put cinnamon and a little bit of sugar in the bags and they shook them up.

Sawyer gave the snack a thumbs up!
More Apples

I made and laminated this file folder game. We used raisins as seeds.

We also learned about apples in my class this week. Finding apples in the rice was a huge hit! I saw how big of a mess the rice made in my classroom so we used beans at home.


They also did this file folder game and apple sequencing game.

My Favorites

We took the boys to a pumpkin patch this weekend. They picked these halloween costumes out at Old Navy. I let them each choose the costume they wanted and I love them. They do too and would probably wear them everyday if I let them.

My sweet boys walking in the park.
Click here to see what went on in tot school this week.

Raising Rock Stars: Week 2

I really enjoy reading Carissa's Raising Rock Stars posts. I am trying to be more intentional about Bible study and scripture memory with the boys. I am struggling with being consistent. We try to pray together as a family before my husband leaves for work. Sometimes we sing a praise song and then pray. It really depends what our morning is like, but I am going to keep trying.

Recently the boys started going to Awanas. Sawyer goes to cubbies and Jax is a puggle( baby platypus). They really love it. Saywer learned 2 verses and earned his vest. He was so proud of himself that he wanted to wear his vest to bed that night. He has a verse each week to memorize. There is also a little homework each week to reinforce his learning.

I have decided to plan my Bible lessons mainly around what he is learning in Cubbies. That way he has a chance to practice his verses. The last few verses have been about creation.

One day last week we went on a walk and looked for things that God made. The boys told me what to write and then we talked about it when we got home.

I am so glad that my boys are excited about learning and memorizing God's true word.

Tot School: Letter B and Fall Fun

Sawyer -42 months
Jax-24 months

Tot Trays

I have put these shape patterns out several times before, but the boys were really into them this time. They probably spent half an hour covering the designs and making their own. It was a great way to review shapes with Jax.

I have been trying to work on writing with Sawyer, but he isn't really interested in it. He does like to write on his chalkboard, so I had the idea to write letters and designs on little pieces of paper. We took turns choosing a piece of paper and copying the design. He really liked this and he was practicing his writing!


I saw these fun file folders on Ramblings of a crazy woman. I made my own variations and put them on tot trays for the boys. They saw them before I put them out one day and were so excited. They were asking for me to please put the trays out.


On another tray I put these pumpkins and gourds. I just wanted them to explore them and describe what they saw and felt. I was pleasantly surprised with their imaginations. They both thought the one Sawyer is holding looked like a microphone and took turns singing into it. Jax said the orange bumpy gourd was a chicken leg. Sawyer thought the larger light colored pumpkin looked like a big marshmallow.


I got this pumpkin ice tray at the dollar tree. I wrote numbers inside the pumpkins and had the boys put these little pom poms in the spaces. I couldn't find my little tongs, so I let them use my tweezers. It was a little tricky for Jax, but he did his best.

Fall Art

I had these orange plates and black foam, so I cut out little shapes from the foam. I put everything out and let the boys make jack-o-lantern faces. Sawyer said these were daddy and mommy pumpkins.

One day I put out paint and fall cookie cutters for the boys to paint with. They had a blast!

Letter B Activities

Here is Sawyer stringing beads on a blue pipe cleaner.

The boys helped me find B objects for our B tray.

They painted a Bb blue.

We also did blue bubble painting. I just mixed dish soap, water, and blue food coloring.

Fall Fun

Daddy took the boys to the store to pick out pumpkins. We would have gone to the pumpkin patch, but it rained non-stop for 2 weeks here and would have been very muddy. We are hoping to have a chance to take them next week.

They helped daddy clean out the seeds and the goop. Then while daddy was carving the big pumpkin the boys and I sponge painted a smaller pumpkin.

Sawyer wanted to name the pumpkin Fritz. They were proud of their pumpkin and their Daddy.

Check out what some other fun tots did this week.