Trevy’s February Montessori/Tot School Trays

 

 

Sensory Bin

We shout out to the month of looooove with all things red and pink.  In our bin, Trevy and Bristel will find magnetic (I already have gobs of these, I just had to sort out the red/pinks) and sticker (Target $1 bin) letters, music makers (pink harmonics in Target $1), whistle lips (Michaels) and little red or pink cars and other odds n’ ends we have around the house. 

 

I don’t have any real focus with the sensory bin other than to expose Trevor to a variety of sensations.  He’s a sensory seeking guy. 

 

Bristel loves our sensory bins the most, though.  She made super cute little necklaces out of yarn and the sticker letters for herself and a friend.  She is amazingly already…but playing in the sensory bin just gets her juices flowing even more!  Which can be dangerous for a not so crafty creative mommy!

 

T for Trevy Tray

I’m still using our sand tray because it’s still a hit!  I found the most adorable little open-up-able hearts (Target $1) to hide the letters of his name.  I’m always trying to combine OT/PT with our activities!  Because Trevy still isn’t able to independently spell his name, I used a sentence strip to help him out.  As he finds the letters he can place them on the sentence strip matching letters.  He loves matching things.  And once he’s done matching all the letters we’ll spell his name together.

 

 

All About Reading Tray

I am SO thrilled to be part of the TOS All About Reading review team!  They granted me a special Trevy review – and gave me Pre Level 1.  I believe with all my heart that Trevy CAN and WILL read.  If there is anything I’m going to pour myself into the most…it’s this and his speech.  I spent the weekend organizing the worksheets (I like to hole punch and keep them in a binder for ease of use) and laminating the alphabet cards (because Trevy likes to eat random things ).  Next up, is adding the music to iTunes so we can use our iPad to listen to our lesson’s music/poems.  CDs are not off limits, when it comes to Trevy munching.  I did mention he’s sensory seeking, right?  Much of it oral!  Which is why I cannot say enough how essential the iPad has been to our homeschooling/theraplaying!  Seriously, if you’re wondering if it would help you?  I’m giving it a resounding YEEEES! 

 

For Trevy’s AAR tray, I have Ziggy the Zebra plus a couple other puppets hiding inside.  Because I know Trevy (and Bristel, she <3’s “helping” me teach Trevy) will enjoy playing with his own puppet too.  Everything else is my adorable AAR tote in a closet.  Some things just aren’t safe in Trevy range!

 

 

Music Lovers Tray

Grams & PopPop gave Trevy his cd player for Christmas and he still LOVES it!

 

 

Counting to 10 Tray

We were crazy fools and took all three kiddos to the last Home Depot workshop.  Where Trevy almost impaled me and everyone else within reach with his hammer before he made that super cute little piggy bank shed.  I had been thinking to make something with a slot for fine motor work anyway…so it was GREAT!  Even if I did swear – NEVER AGAIN!  Seriously, you haven’t seen the kid swing a hammer!  Trust me.  You want to be at the far end of the table! 

 

I’m using (in red, of course) 10 counting stix.  We count them as we put them in.

 

 

Speech Therapy Tray

Ah, the good ol’ speech therapy tray.  Where keep all things speech-y.

For pre flash card or PECS work, we use a variety of oral motor fun tools. 

 

Bubbles (in a spill proof bottle)

Whistle lips (Trevy totally loooooves them)

Newborn brush (rub cheeks and lips and face to wake up the muscles)

Straws

Cotton Ball (Trevy loves this one too. I’ll place the cotton ball on my hand and he has to blow it off.)

 

Inside the binder I have a plastic folder holding his current and past flash cards.  I try to do them all each time we work.

A pencil hold is GREAT for all those loose PECS cards!

Trevy love love loooooves just rifling through all the cards.

I have his I want _______ strip hung permanently on the white board.  He’s mastered I want, so I don’t emphasize him using the strip any more.  But he still enjoys seeing it and using it.

 

 

More ABCs Tray

(because there’s no such thing as too much!)

Recycled from last month’s trays.  Letter Recognition of Upper and Lower Case A & B.

 

 

Big Bigger Biggest Tray

I printed these super cute Big Bigger Biggest Hearts.  One for Trevy.  One for Bristel – cause she is all about this kinda stuff!

 

We’ll find the biggest and littlest and the middlest.

 

And then tear up bits of tissue paper to paste on.  Tearing tissue paper is great fine motor work and gift tearing into prep!

 

 

Fun With Friends Tray

Super cute Sesame Street workbooks found at Michaels.  But I also saw them at The Dollar Store too.  I *heart* these!  For just a buck…I don’t get psycho mommy when Trevy scribbles in them rather than letting me hand over hand help him!

 

 

And that’s what we’re doing for February! 

 

 

ps.  I’m using and loving the IKEA Trofast system for Trevy’s Trays.

We only have the small green bins that fit them but it would be GREAT to have some bigger ones for bigger toys/projects.  To be entirely transparent, when I first switched to this system out in open Trevy reach…I was terrified!  I thought he’d be munching and ripping and throwing and spreading things EVERYWHERE!  But so far so good.  He’s doing great.  I’ve found that having things broken into trays helps him understand the concept of First Then.  First finish this tray Then we do that tray. 

 

 

…danielle