Author: S. J. Little

Water Pipes

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

I jerked awake when an emergency alert sounded from my phone.

Dazed, I reached for my phone as I glanced at the clock. Not yet 7 am.

What could require an emergency alert so early in the morning?

I squinted at my phone: “Critical water supply alert.”

Fully awake by now, I sat up to read the details.

A major water pipe break was affecting my city’s ability to provide water. The alert instructed everyone to cut back water use wherever possible.

Definitely an unexpected shock in a city where an abundance of clean drinking water is taken for granted. Our rivers never run dry. Yet suddenly our tap water was about to run out.

Over the following days, the city provided more specific instructions and information.

Outdoor water use was forbidden. Fines were issued. Voluntary indoor water use reduction was urged.

Don’t shower as often. Only run the dishwasher or laundry machine when it’s full. Use “grey water” to water plants. Don’t flush your toilet unless absolutely necessary.

We joined countless neighbours in turning the tap off while rubbing soap on our hands, and trying to use as little water as possible to boil pasta.

We were shaken by the realization that clean drinking water in our taps is a luxury, not guaranteed.

It became a common sight to see various bowls or plastic containers poised under drain spouts to catch rainwater for backyard gardens.

After several weeks, the pipe was repaired and life returned to normal, yet a question remained for me to ponder.

“What pipes do I rely on?”

Where do I find the umph to keep going? What do I turn to for happiness?

Pipes such as good health, friends, family, financial savings, a good job, or a pet, will eventually break, sometimes without warning.

What will I do then?

I am so thankful that I know of a pipe that will never break. It is the pipe that carries Living Water.

May Jesus be my source and my umph to keep going. He will never leave me nor forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5b-6)

Here’s a song that reminds me to ground my life in Jesus.

Build My Life by House Fires

Let’s Wash – 2.2 – Add A Little

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Add A Little – 2 Year Old Curriculum – Unit 2

Let’s Wash

Developmental Focus: Social Skills / Basic Chores

Want to learn more? Check out the Add A Little 2Y Parent / Teacher Guide

Disclaimer: All activities require adult supervision and discretion. Read more…

Muscle Moving

Wall Wash

Large up and down arm motions strengthen core muscles that are a precursor to bring able to write well.

Supplies:

  • Clean sponges – one per child and one for you. Alternatively, use a baby wipe or clean cloth.
    (Do not give your child a Magic Eraser sponge as these contain many chemicals that should not be consumed.)

Time to Play:

  • Model how to pretend to clean the walls or an empty bookshelf using the clean sponge.
  • Invite your child to join in. Be encouraging and thank your child for helping clean.
  • (If using damp baby wipes, your child can truly help clean, but be sure they don’t try to clean surfaces that are sensitive to moisture.)

Brain Boosting

Dish Wash

Supplies:

  • One tub such as a plastic 15L container. A large bowl could work, but might tip over.
  • Water
  • Several small containers (such as clean yogurt containers) or bath toys to wash
  • A cloth or sponge to wash with
  • A water friendly area (Consider using a bathtub or doing this activity outside. Alternatively, place a large towel beneath the tub of water to catch spills.)
  • Optional: dish soap or bubble bath

Prep:

  • Fill the tub with 3-5 inches (5-15 cm) of water.
  • Optional: Add a drop of dish soap or bubble bath for added bubbly fun
  • Place the cloth and containers in the tub
  • Place the tub in a water friendly area

Note: Adult Supervision Required – As with any activity involving water at this age, supervision is required due to risk of drowning.

Time to Play:

  • Invite your child to sit down and wash some dishes for you. If needed, join in the washing fun to set an example.
  • Expect your child and the surrounding area to get a bit wet. Don’t be anxious about this. It is part of the learning experience. If needed, help them change their clothes afterwards.
  • Thank your child for washing the dishes.

Let’s Sing

Top and Bottom

Let’s Read

Curious George: Wash Your Hands

Let’s Sing

Christian Song

Naaman Song

Let’s Read

Bible Story

Naaman
2 Kings 5:1-15

Beginner’s Bible Chapter:
Naaman Is Healed
Page 230

Clogged Drains

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

I ignored the flash of lightning and tried to hide my concern about the heavy pattering of rain as I helped my toddler into her pajamas.

My husband headed downstairs to check how the drain in our driveway was doing. He returned with good news. The drain was keeping up with the rain. No sign of flooding.

Cheerfully, my husband proceeded with our toddler’s bedtime routine while I prepared to settle our baby for the night.

Once our toddler was in bed, my husband decided to check the drain again. His return wasn’t so quick this time.

Instead of hearing his footsteps coming, my phone buzzed. He had sent me a video.

It was a 3 second video of water flowing over the doormat just outside our door.

That’s not good!

My phone buzzed again.

This time it was a photo of water beginning to seep under our garage door.

I hurried to finish putting the baby down.

Before I finished, my husband came in.

“I pulled the drain cover off. It’s working now.” He crossed the room.

“Good!” I replied.

“The next door neighbours opened their door at the same time,” he continued. “They swept off their drain. It’s working now as well.”

He reached for his flashlight.

“The main drain on the street is backing up. If it doesn’t get moving, it’ll flood soon and then our drain won’t be able to keep up.”

“Uh oh.”

“I’m going back out.”

“Okay. I’ll come too.”

By the time I got downstairs (baby monitor in hand), my husband had pulled on rubber boots and a raincoat and was heading outside with a broom.

I followed suit.

When I got outside, I spotted my husband standing some distance away on another neighbour’s driveway. The lightning had moved on, but the rain still poured down.

I glanced at our drain. It was keeping up, but the water on the road was nearing the brink. Soon it might overflow to our little drain. Then what?

I watched my husband gesturing. Evidently he could see the neighbour through the window.

From where I stood, I could see why this neighbour hadn’t opened their door. A lake of water, deeper than their doorstep, pressed against their door.

Something must be wrong with their drain.

Spotting me, my husband came over.

“He already has his drain cover off, but it’s still not working. He’s mopping inside his door.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?”

“Not really since his drain isn’t working.”

Gesturing toward the growing pond on the road, my husband continued.

“I tried to get the main drain going. I stuck the broom handle down as far as it could reach, but there was nothing. The jam must be further down, or the volume of water is simply too much for the drainage system. If it gets much higher, we’ll be in trouble.”

Just then, a car drove by. The wave it caused in the pool crested over the edge of our driveway and down towards our drain. Thankfully it was a small wave.

We spotted yet another neighbour staring at his driveway drain from a distance. We walked over.

Evidently he’d used the door on the other side of his house to get out. The pool on his driveway was several inches up his front door and his garage door.

My husband offered to try to help.

The man shrugged. “You can try, but I don’t think anything will help. I have an inch of water in my garage already.”

My husband poked at the drain with the broom handle to no avail.

We stood chatting with the man as we helplessly watched the pool of water.

Eventually we noticed that the water line was receding slowly, very slowly.

I glanced back at the road. That puddle, too, was draining away.

Our property had weathered the storm sufficiently, unlike some of our neighbours who now had to deal with clean up and repairs. The question on our minds was “How can we prepare now to make sure our home isn’t the one flooding next time.”

It wasn’t until nearly a week later, as I was praying about which allegory to write, that I noticed the lesson for me.

When I think of the rain as all the wear and tear of life, and the drain as my ability to pass those burdens to the Lord, the story holds a significant reminder.

God has invited me to cast all my cares upon Him. No, that’s not the right way to put it. “Invited” is too soft a word for it. I am instructed to cast my cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7).

Am I casting my cares upon the Lord?

In the light rain shower of day-to-day life, only a small amount of water reaches my drain. If my drain (my ability to cast my cares upon Jesus) is slow, but existent, I can handle the small day-to-day trials without getting backed up or overwhelmed.

Even if my drain were totally clogged, the small puddle would dry up when the sun comes out and no one would know the difference.

The real test comes when a storm hits. Can my drain handle the huge volume of rain that gushes towards it? Or does a lake form, seeping into my home and thus causing damage.

In such a situation, sandbags could temporarily help. I could protect myself from water damage, but sandbags would also block the use of my door. I’d be cutting myself off from the good as well as the harm.

Indeed, even two weeks after the aforementioned storm, as I walked by my neighbour’s house, I noticed sandbags piled against her door. This rendered the door impassable, though the day was warm and sunny.

I don’t want to rely on sandbags to hold the water out. I want my drain to work so that I can give my burdens to Jesus.

Is there anything I can do now to help prepare for the storms of life that will undoubtedly come?

Yes.

For our driveway drain, keeping the area swept clean from debris – pinecones, flower petals, leaves, and so on – helps keep it from clogging.

Perhaps this symbolizes keeping my life free from sin (no matter how seemingly small) and grounded in the truth of God’s Word.

Sharing times of fellowship with other Christians certainly helps as well. We hadn’t known that we ought to sweep our driveway or that our drain cover could be removed until we observed a neighbour tending to his drain.

Sometimes, however, there is a deep underlying problem in my ability to cast my cares upon Jesus. In such cases, seeking help from a pastor, Christian counsellor, or other mature Christian may be needed.

This parallels the situation for my neighbours whose driveways flooded. A couple of days after the storm, I spotted a plumber assessing their clogged drains. Their clog was too big for them to fix on their own.

Oh, that I may learn to keep my drain functioning well so that when the storm comes, I may say with David:

“The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.

Therefore my heart celebrates,

and I give thanks to Him with my song.”

Psalm 28:7 CSB

 

 

If you would like a real-life example of what this looks like, I highly recommend the book: “Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret” by Dr. Howard Taylor and Geraldine Taylor. It is available as a paperback, an audiobook, or on Kindle.

Zoom – 2.1 – Add A Little

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Add A Little – 2 Year Old Curriculum – Unit 1

Zoom!

Developmental Focus: Fast vs. Slow

Want to learn more? Check out the Add A Little 2Y Parent / Teacher Guide

Disclaimer: All activities require adult supervision and discretion. Read more…

Muscle Moving

Run, Run, Run

Prep:

  • Clear an area for running. Ideally find an area that allows for continuous running in a circle. Otherwise, a hallway or the length of a room will do.
    (The more children you have, the more valuable having a circle to run in can be. This helps decrease incidents of children running into each other.)

Time to Play:

  • Run with your child in the space you have cleared for at least a minute or two. Be encouraging as you run.
  • Encourage your child to continue running.
  • After giving your child some time to burn through some of their energy, join in again, but this time moving very slowly. Encourage your child to move slowly with you.
  • Continue moving, alternating between fast and slow.
  • For more advanced children, consider adding other movements such as hopping, taking big steps, taking little steps, and walking backwards.
  • (When teaching 2 year olds, I love to begin or end each gym time with having the whole class run in a circle. It amazes me how much their endurance increases after only a few days of running.)

Brain Boosting

Ramp

STEM – experimenting with friction and gravity

Supplies:

  • One large but relatively flat cardboard box, or one wide board
  • Something to prop the box on, ideally about the shoulder height of your child. This could be your couch, a chair, or a half-height bookshelf.
  • Toys that roll well – cars or balls
  • Toys that slide slowly rather than rolling – stuffed animals, bean bags

Prep:

  • Prop the box or board against the chair, or whatever you are using.
  • Experiment a few times to figure out what angle works well by rolling a ball or car down the ramp.

Time to Play:

  • Invite your child to join in the fun by rolling balls and cars down the ramp.
  • Talk about how the balls and cars go fast!
  • Encourage your child to try sliding other things down the ramp like a stuffed animal.
  • Talk about how the stuffed animal goes slow because it is rubbing on the ramp rather than rolling – that’s called friction.

Let’s Sing

Clap Fast and Slow

Let’s Read

Llama Llama Zippity-Zoom
Anna Dewdney

Let’s Sing

Christian Song

Peter and John Went to Pray (Silver and Gold)

Let’s Read

Bible Story

Peter and John Went to Pray
Acts 3:1-10

Beginner’s Bible Chapter:
The Lame Man
Page 484

Parent / Teacher Guide – Add A Little Curriculum – 2 Year Old

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Add A Little – 2 Year Old Curriculum – Intro

Parent / Teacher Guide

 

Intro

Why name a curriculum “Add A Little”? Because that’s exactly what this curriculum is designed to do – add a little enhancement to your child’s development by providing ideas and activities for you to do with them. This light curriculum was developed with the busy parent or caretaker in mind.

 

Activities For 2 Year Olds

2 year olds need free play. They can also be learning to follow simple instructions. You’ll find a bit of both in Add A Little (AAL). Most of the activities have been kept simple with little prep needed and using supplies you may already have on hand. With one unit each month, this curriculum is designed to add a developmental boost to your child(ren)’s life without overwhelming you.

Check out the Tips for Success below.

 

Table of Contents

Each Unit Includes:

  • Fun Theme
  • Developmental Focus
  • Muscle Moving
  • Brain Boosting
  • Let’s Sing
  • Let’s Read
  • Let’s Sing A Christian Song
  • Let’s Read A Bible Story

Supplies Needed

Tips For Success When Using Add A Little Curriculum

Disclaimer

Units

Helpful Links

Each Unit Includes:

Fun Theme

Every unit has an engaging theme selected specifically with a 2 year old’s development in mind.

 

Developmental Focus

Each unit targets an area of learning and growth.

 

Muscle Moving

Being up and active is incredibly valuable for 2 year olds. Not only will they strengthen their muscles, but studies have shown that movement is important for overall brain development as well.

 

Brain Boosting

Under this heading you will find activities engaging various areas of the brain, whether that be hand-eye coordination, using the 5 senses, or more academic and STEM related activities.

 

Let’s Sing

Singing and music are highly beneficial for overall child development. That’s why every unit includes a simple fun song for you to sing with your child(ren).

Want more songs or don’t like a suggested song? Check out this list of Simple Preschool Songs: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/big-list-of-simple-preschool-songs/

 

Let’s Read

Taking time to sit down and read with your child(ren) offers countless developmental benefits, sets them up with a lifelong love of reading, and is fun. Each unit includes a book suggestion that (mostly) lines up with the theme.

Also, check out my board, “Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers”: https://www.pinterest.ca/sjlittleauthor/books-for-preschoolers-and-toddlers/

 

Let’s Sing a Christian Song

The Christian elements of each unit are optional. They have been included since many of our subscribers appreciate them. However, you are free to skip them.

Want more Christian songs? Visit: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/7-simple-christian-songs-for-preschoolers/

 

Let’s Read a Bible Story

Developing a love for God through reading the Bible is invaluable to the Christian life. To help you begin instilling truths about who God is in your child’s heart, every month will have a suggested Bible story. More specifically, every month will include a recommended chapter from the Beginner’s Bible. The Beginner’s Bible is widely available for purchase. If you already have a different Children’s Bible, you are welcome to use it to follow along instead.

For more information visit: https://www.thebeginnersbible.com/products/

 

  

Supplies Needed

AAL curriculum strives to be low hastle. Part of this is accomplished by using supplies you likely already have on hand. That said, for the 2 Year Old Add A Little Curriculum, among other things, you will need:

  • Paper (coloured and white)
  • Washable children’s paint
  • Unused sponges
  • Masking tape or other tape that can cleanly peel off walls and floors
  • Crayons
  • Recyclables such as cardboard boxes and various sizes of washed plastic yogurt or margarine containers, etc.

 

Tips For Success When Using Add A Little Curriculum

How do I get my child to participate in the activities?

  • Engage

    • Two year olds love to play with you. If your child doesn’t immediately engage in an activity, sit down and do it yourself for a few minutes. Encourage your child to participate with you. Cheer them on when they do join in.
    • If they still don’t want to join in, don’t sweat it. Put the activity aside and assess what their reason for not engaging might be (tired, hungry, feeling too wiggly, etc.). Try the activity again in a few days.

  • Adapt

    • Every child is different. You know your circumstance and your child’s abilities and interests. Take a moment to consider the suggested activity, then adapt it to your own situation.

  • Repeat

    • 2 year olds enjoy repeating activities until they have mastered them. While the Add A Little curriculum only provides two activities in each unit, these activities can be repeated several times throughout the month, and during the following months as well.

  • Less Is More

    • Did you know that young children play better with less toys at a time? Try putting away most of their toys before attempting to engage them in a new activity. Putting most of their toys away also allows you to do toy rotation. If you haven’t tried toy rotation, read this article https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/toy-rotation/ . You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes to your child’s play.

Disclaimer

All activities require adult supervision and discretion.

Every aspect of the Add A Little Curriculum is suggested with the expectation that it will be done under adult supervision. Some activities include potential hazards. You and your child(ren) participate at your own discretion.

Every child, family, setting, and circumstance is different. Recommended tips and/or activities in this curriculum may work well for some children but not for others. Adult discretion is required. In some cases, you will need to adapt the curriculum to fit you and your child(ren)’s specific needs.

Units 

Every month, one new unit is released. Here is a list of units that have already been released:

Unit 1 – Zoom!

Unit 2 – Let’s Wash

Want More?

Do you want to receive notification of each new unit of the Add A Little 2 Year Old Curriculum when it is released? Join S. J. Little’s preschool email list today.

 

 

Helpful Links

Smoother Transitions: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/smoother-transitions/

Choosing Excellent Books https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/choosing-excellent-books-for-preschoolers/

Big List of Simple Preschool Songs https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/big-list-of-simple-preschool-songs/

Toy Rotation https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/toy-rotation/