Auggie and I have been busy this month knocking things off the curriculum I had planned out as part of my intention to stay anxiety-free, or as close to as possible, through the colder months. (You can read more here.)
I’m not sure it’s working as well as I had hoped unfortunately. To be fully transparent, I have had more anxious thoughts lately than I did in the middle of summer. Regardless, Auggie is loving it! Sometimes he even asks to repeat an activity once or twice on days I had something else planned.
So what have we been up to?
Everything from our ABCs to exploring nature.
I really tried to keep our activities for September focused on being outside. There’s very little better than sunny days and 70 degree weather, so we tried to soak it up. Also, doesn’t a little sunshine just make everyone feel better?
Below is the lesson plan I created and worked off in order to prepare for each week.
Week 1: Back to School
This was probably the most jam-packed week in terms of different activities. I think Auggie enjoyed the variety, but being a working mom, it was a little hard to keep up! You’ll notice the other weeks we dialed it back just a hair.
Monday we had arranged for Auggie to get to eat lunch with Dad at work. So, on Sunday, Auggie got to help pack his lunch for the first time. He thought it was so cool to be just like Dad and Mom when we pack lunches for work the next day. We found that because he thought it was so cool, he actually ate his lunch! That never happens. In addition to eating his lunch, he got a small glimpse into Dad’s work life and played a little basketball. Win- win!
Also, I highly recommend this Bentgo box for all your lunch needs. They’re spill-proof and make eating fun!
The rest of the week, we dug into our numbers and letters. We typically spent the morning inside to avoid the sun. For letters, we played with our Melissa and Doug ABC puzzle and magnets. For numbers, we used this Melissa and Doug toy to help us count cars. (Bonus, it can also be used for matching colors.)
Number/Letter Find
The other thing I did was write numbers and letters on colored construction paper in sharpie. Auggie and I then made up a few games using the pieces of paper. One of the most successful was to have me hide the numbers while Auggie closed his eyes. I’d then ask Auggie to open his eyes and find a specific letter or number out of the ones I had hidden (but within sight).
Chalk Number/Letter Spray
After nap, we typically put on our baseball cap and ventured outside to find some shade. Auggie’s favorite outside activity: A spray bottle and some chalk.
For this activity, I used the side walk and the fence to write out numbers and letters. I then filled a spray bottle with some water and told him not to spray until I named a letter or number for him to wash off. He listened to instructions for several minutes before it became a free-for-all, but honestly, he’s two. The more times I simply put numbers or letters in front of him, the better he’ll recognize them when he needs to.
As far as the spray bottle, depending on how old your kiddo is, you may want to opt for the same bottle I used (which you can find as a part of the Melissa and Doug Laundry Basket Play Set). It’s small so it fits in little hands and the trigger in easy to push back in order to spray. If you’ve got an older child or are all for saving money, than an empty Windex bottle will probably do!
Week 2: Plants & Water
The second week of September was still pretty warm, so we decided to play in water for one of the last times of the summer. Instead of opting for the water table or pool as we had all summer, I created a car wash sensory bin.
The car wash sensory bin was simply a large Tupperware container, soap, water, and toy cars, but it was a good 30 minutes of entertainment. (I could have made this fancier by using an actual sensory bin, but we don’t do sensory bins often enough to justify the purchase. If you do, I really like the looks of this one!) After Auggie was done washing the cars, I grabbed, a washcloth and let him practice drying them.
Other things Auggie did during the week include a trip to the farmer’s market, planting a mum with Dad, and helping mom decorate for fall.
Week 3: Leaves
Our study of leaves in week 3 was my favorite week because I enjoy hanging Auggie’s artwork.
Scavenger Hunt/Stained Glass Leaves
We started the week with a scavenger hunt around our neighborhood. I used the key to the right from Raising Seraphim and found a brown paper bag for Auggie to put his findings in.
We set out with both dogs in search of all the items on the paper I had printed out. Auggie had a lot of fun exploring and placing all this treasures into the bag.
When we got back home, we dumped out our items on his kid table and sorted through them.
I grabbed the contact paper I had and began to arrange the items with Auggie on the sticky side of the contact paper. (This works better if you use tape to stick the contact paper to the table since you’re using the sticky side of the contact paper to keep your findings in place.)
After we had arranged everything the way we wanted it, I grabbed a piece of white paper and laid it over the top. I handed Auggie some crayons and showed him that if we colored the paper laying on top the leaves and rocks, we’d see their imprint.
I remember doing this activity with my aunt when I was younger. My mom actually framed my sister’s and my art that came out of it. Now, I have one of Auggie’s.
Contact Paper Tree
The other activity we did this week was one I had created last year and dug back out of storage for this year.
I used my contact paper again by taping it to the sliding glass door, but you can also use a wall. Before I tapped it to the door, I (poorly) outlined a tree on the non-sticky side, and afterwards, I handed Auggie some felt leaves to decorate the tree with.
I love this activity because first of all, it’s so easy. It also keeps Auggie entertained, assists with his motor skills, and is easy to clean up. Once the contact paper begins to look a little used, I simply cut off another piece and draw another tree to be stuck to the window. The felt leaves are reusable, unless your dog likes to eat them.
Week 4: Apples
We spent this last week in September focusing on Apples. Auggie loves apples so when we started the week by visiting an apple orchard he was thrilled. He was able to pick his own apples while eating as many as wanted. We also took a picnic lunch and spent a little time as a family (dogs included) before heading back home for Auggie to take and nap and for Mom and Dad to hop on their computers to work.
I may have gone a little overboard with the amount of photos I look, but I loved the scenery and Auggie is the cutest apple eater I do believe I’ve ever seen, so for your viewing pleasure, I’ve included far too many photos into the gallery below.
Throughout the week, we’ve talked a lot about apples and eaten even more. In all honesty though, we did not end up making applesauce. This is mostly because I hate peeling apples so I pushed it off. Instead we made apple cobbler, which used far less peeled apples. I do think Auggie would have been able to help more had we made the applesauce, after the peeling and cutting of course, so maybe next year!
Auggie’s Favorites
Out of all the activities, I would have to say the sensory car wash and the apple orchard were among Auggie’s favorites.
Two weeks after we had first played with the sensory car wash, he asked do it again one day at breakfast when I had asked him what he wanted to do that day. It took me a very long time to understand what he was saying because car sounds more like “aaaarr” and wash was more like “shhh,” so it sounded like he was screaming “arsh.” Eventually, I had him motion what he was he wanted and he made a car sound, pretended to splash his hands in water, and said “then dry.” My heart melted knowing I had made at impact on him with something as simple as some hot wheels, Tupperware, a washcloth, soap, and water.
See More
Head to my Instagram Highlights if you’re interested in more photos of our September Activities (or if you’re interested in more really cute pictures of Auggie).
Don’t forget to follow to see what we do in October!