Tot School - Letter J

I am feeling the pressure to keep Reagan entertained and occupied during our tot school time. This week that was a little bit more challenging as just not that many things start with the letter J.

First, we colored a JET. She did a pretty good job of staying the lines. I think she may have a future in painting camouflaged military aircraft.


Then I had made up my own JAR and JELLY BEANS activity. Reagan had to glue the JELLYBEANS in the JAR. She really enjoyed this and was very careful to make sure the JELLY BEANS stayed in the JAR.



She was asking for more and I didn’t have anything but I came up with an idea anyway. I thought we could talk about JOY. And boy howdy did I need a lesson on JOY. I drew the letters on the paper and then I thought she could draw pictures of things that bring her JOY. But there she went and just started to scribble all over the place. I was unimpressed. In fact, I was a little annoyed. A lot annoyed. I tried time and time again to explain that I wanted her to at least color in the lines and not just scribble all over the place. Her response was more scribbling in other various colors. Eventually I just gave up and got crabby and sulky about it. Then she wanted to go show Maddie who was making noise in her crib upstairs (having just woken up from a nap). “Reagan,” I said, hoping to discourage her, “Maddie will just ruin your picture.” “But I want to show her Mom!” And off she went, ignoring my warning. Sure enough, I walk in to see Maddie holding Reagan’s JOY poster and it is crumpled crumpled crumpled. But Reagan didn’t care. She wanted to share her JOY – literally and figuratively. And now as I look at this crumpled up mess of a picture I can’t help but seeing how badly I missed my own lesson. And how very much Reagan already understands JOY so much better than I do. Tot school inverted.


Letter J was JOYOUS.