Toddler activities

Many homeschoolers blog about the great ideas they have for keeping toddlers busy during school time. They show photos of their toddlers peacefully and productively engaged in prepared activities. I confess to having done the same in the past. We do have good days around here.

But lately, our toddler has been wreaking havoc. She has a new habit of tearing pages. Not so upsetting when it is an old magazine. Very upsetting when it is the 5-year-old's current favorite picture book.

Yesterday, while Patrick and I were reviewing for his history exam and the older kids were upstairs making valentines, Meghan was quietly working in the dining room. She has several engaging toys there, so I wasn't concerned about her quietness.

I should have been. (password: waxy)

Meghan's Mess from John & Judith Riordon on Vimeo.

This was a pile of wax pellets from a candle-making kit that she had dumped on the floor. When I first walked over to her, I stood there silently. She looked up at me. Calmly and very seriously, she said, "Mess," paused, then said, "Big mess," and went back to peacefully scooping the wax pellets with disks from the Spirograph set.

Turns out, Matthew forgot to re-fasten the doors of the art cabinet when he came down for extra construction paper.