Tot School – September 2011

Amelie Tot School - Sept 2011
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So the big question about school I get lately is some variation of, “What do you do with Amelie? How does Amelie do while you do school with Nadia?”

The first real issue I ran into is that Amelie does not know how to play alone. Not even for a few minutes and in fact she reacts like it’s a punishment to play alone while Nadia is doing school at the table. Even if she is playing with toys at my feet she still gets upset. I attribute that to her various issues that come from being in an orphanage for the first 20 months of her life. She would have been constantly surrounded by other children and ultimately she loves to be the center of attention at all times. Which just isn’t possible or good for her.

When it’s feasible I have her on my lap and she will listen, but for a lot of Nadia’s more advanced stuff I need to have my hands free. So we have purchased and been given a variety of toys for her to use with her hands that will also help her learn. I found early on that she is a lot more cooperative in her chair and I am sure that is because she is on the same level as us. So here is a little peek at what Amelie has been up to.

Amelie tot school - 01

These links are hard for her to get apart since her hands are still pretty weak, but she does like to dump the container out and refill it. She also likes if Nadia or I will hook them together like one big necklace.

Amelie tot school - 01

Playdough is always fun.

Amelie tot school - 01

Animal magnets on a dry erase board. She can identify 18 of the 20 animals now.