Tot School [Tuesday] - Volume 9

If one were to combine Keller's sign language skills and his [current] greatest love [trains], what do you suppose it would net?

A trip to the zoo!

Yes, all those signs for monkey . . .

giraffe . . .

turtle . . .

horse, lion . . .

and elephant have paid off big time for the small tot! Joining Grandpa on the Acadiana Zoo Train was the icing on the cake.

It is important when raising a toddler to help them order their world in reality. Fantasy cartoons and books have very little to do with how they engage in life on a day to day basis. A toddler cannot take away any skill from a fantasy cartoon since it doesn't translate directly to the world around him. Therefore, I've been careful to bring the intangibles of exotic animals [such as were listed above] into Keller's mental ability to grasp through tangibles like plastic or stuffed replicas, a Jack Hanna "Baby Animals" video, and by reading plenty of story books with pictures. Oh ~ and don't forget a youtube clip or two!

I felt I had prepared him well when we entered into the zoo grounds. His face lit up with excitement and wonder, and I could almost see his mental gears spinning as he analyzed each animal before him.

The wonder was made even more precious by spending time with Grandpa. Who can replace moments like that?

This excursion was preparation for an upcoming zoo trip we'll be taking. In the next couple of weeks, I'll be adding to his sign language/understanding repertoire with such signs as penguin, tiger, gazelle, hippo and the like. [Baby Sign Dictionary]

We'll also be using several printables that accompany these book titles:

These wonderful resource[s] can be found thanks to about.com Homeschooling, who has been awarded a resource grant for Sylvan Dell Publishing's' online book source. These delightful, colorful, and educational ebooks come with teacher's resources, crafts, and games to enhance the learning experience.

Among other things, I'll be printing and laminating these Animal ABC cards, one-hole punching a corner of them, then connecting them all with an "o-ring". This item will then accompany us on our next zoo trip. When we see a hippo, then, we'll both sign hippo, and look at the picture card for hippo, making a tangible, mental connect-the-dots for our Tot.

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