Another Car toy!

It was a complete accident that I discovered the all consuming enchantment my toddler would have with this toy. Are you ready? Here it is........drum roll..........

A half full (or half empty, depending on your point of view) bottle of water.

You are going to do a post on the fun of a half empty water bottle?

Okay, please don't stop reading. I know that sounds mundane, boring, silly, and even obvious.

Here's my story. After an unsuccessful morning nap for my youngest, we traveled to the nearest grocery store for some much needed sustenance. On the way home I was trying my best (without endangering anyone on the road) to keep my toddler awake to preserve the afternoon nap. In a last ditch effort, my daughter passed her my half full water bottle. Her eyes lit up, she squealed happily, and proceeded to shakity-shake-shake that bottle all the way home....fully awake. *insert happy dance here*

So once the girls were down for their naps, I promptly dug through our recycle bin to find any worthy container, and started filling and gluing tops on.
Here are some ideas of what to fill them with:

• water
• colored water (water and food coloring)
• make a mini ocean in a bottle
• water and glitter
• oil and water
• sand
• rice
• sand/rice with small objects, like plastic insects, marbles, dice, part of a crayon, a puff ball, whatever... (leave a little space at the top so when they shake it and rotate it, they can find the objects in the jar/bottle).
• coins
• beans

Use any combination of the things above (colored water, oil, and marbles). Add this to the car wallets, and your little one may actually make it to the afternoon nap. :)

Painting Tip

My children love to paint. Being the OCD mother that I am, painting day causes me more stress than about any other activity we ever do.

I used to put a little bit of each color of paint on a paper plate. A couple of months ago, I had the idea to use some empty baby food containers. This made painting much cleaner. It also made it so the children could pass the paint to each other with less mess. I really liked it and thought I would pass it along to you all in case you are like me.

Hands On Fun : PB & J Cookies

Peanut butter and jelly has to be one of my daughter's favorite foods. She's been known to eat 3.5 sandwiches at a time...seriously. I found this recipe and we really enjoyed making these. I think scoping the jelly was her favorite part. Well, besides the eating. This is a a great cooking activity to get your little ones involved , gaining hand strength (rolling, stirring), following directions, and great one-on-one (or two on one...however many kiddos you involve in this one) time for you and your munchkins.

PB&J Thumbprints (recipe from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups flour


• 1/2 tsp baking powder


• 1/2 tsp baking soda


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter


• 1 stick butter, softened


• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar


• 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling


• 1 egg


• 1 tsp vanilla


• 1/2 cup raspberry jam
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat PB and butter together until smooth (I used a mixer). Add sugars. Beat until pale and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until incorporated. Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Scoop level tablespoons and roll into balls. Roll each ball in the granulated sugar and transfer to parchment lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart (I used my Pampered Chef baking stone without the parchment).

(This is where my daughter loves to wash the dishes to help clean up!)

Bake until puffy, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and use end of a wooden spoon to make indentions. Return to oven and cook 6-7 minutes more, until golden brown on edges. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

.

Heat jelly/jam in small saucepan just until loose, about 30 seconds. Scoop into cookie indentions! Enjoy!

Color Matching--Easter Style

Age Range: 1-4 years old

Materials:

• plastic easter eggs
• cardboard egg carton
• crayons/markers

Prep:

color insides of the egg spaces in the carton to match as close as possible the colors of the plastic eggs you have

Activity:
Show your child how to put the yellow egg in the yellow hole. Practice with a few eggs and then step back for your child to do it themselves. If your child struggles simply say "no, not there, where does that yellow egg go?" and praise him when he puts the egg in the correct hole.

*For us this was surprisingly a big hit. I just knew my son needed practice with colors but he really latched onto this game. He completed it 3 separate times later in the day too!

Hearing, Understanding, and Talking: Birth through 5 Years

When I went to my son's Kindergarten orientation, they gave us this paper with milestones to watch for at different ages so far as hearing, understanding, and talking go. I thought it was a simple list and thought I would share it. As you look at this list, you can think of activities to do to help build and exercise these skills. I will share some of my own ideas in further posts.

Remember that children reach milestones at different ages. A nice thing about this list is that after one year old, it covers one year at a time. So if your child is 12 months old and you are looking at the 1-2 years list, then don't stress if she doesn't meet everything--she likely won't. These are things she should develop over the course of this year.

If you are concerned about any of these, be sure to talk to your pediatrician.

BIRTH-3 MONTHS

 

Hearing/Understanding

• Startles to loud sounds
• Quiets or smiles when spoken to
• Seems to recognize your voice and quiets if crying
• Increases or decreases sucking behavior in response to sound

Talking

• Makes pleasure sounds like cooing and gooing
• Cries differently for different needs
• Smiles when she sees you

4-6 MONTHS

Hearing/Understanding

• Moves eyes in direction of sounds
• Responds to changes in tone of your voice
• Notices toys that make sounds
• Pays attention to music

Talking

• Babbling sounds get more speech-like with different sounds like p, b, and m
• Vocalizes excitement and displeasure
• Makes gurgling sounds when left alone and when playing with you

7 MONTHS-1 YEAR

Hearing/Understanding

• Enjoys games like peek-a-boo
• Turns and looks in direction of sounds
• Listens when spoken to
• Recognizes common words like "cup," "more," "drink" (whatever words you use often with her)
• Begins to respond to requests like "come here" and "are you done" and "do you want more"

Talking

• Babbling has both long and short groups of sounds such as "tata upup bibibibi"
• Uses speech or non-crying sounds to get and keep attention
• Imitates different speech sounds
• Speaks one or two words, though they might not be clear. Words include Dada, Mama, bye-bye...

1-2 YEARS (the one year old)

Hearing/Understanding

• Points to a few body parts when asked
• Follows simple commands and understands simple questions (Roll the ball, Kiss the baby, Where is your shoe)
• Listens to simple stories, songs, and rhymes
• Points to pictures in a book when named

Talking

• Says more words every month
• Uses some 1-2 word questions (Where's kitty?, What's that?)
• Puts two words together (more please, mommy book)
• Uses many different consonant sounds of the beginning of words

2-3 YEARS (the two year old)

Hearing/Understanding

• Understands differences in meaning (go/stop, in/on, big/little, up/down)
• Follows two requests at a time (get the book and put it on the table)

Talking

• Has a word for almost everything
• Uses 2-3 word sentences to talk about and ask for things
• Speech is understood by familiar listeners most of the time
• Often asks for or directs attention to objects by naming them

3-4 YEARS (the three year old)

Hearing/Understanding

• Hears you when you call from another room
• Hears television or radio at the same loudness levels as other family members
• Understands simple "who, what, where, why" questions

Talking

• Talks about activities at school or friends' homes
• People outside family usually understand speech
• Uses a lot of sentences that have four or more words
• Usually talks easily without repeating syllables or words

4-5 YEARS (the four year old)

Hearing/Understanding

• Pays attention to a short story and answers simple questions about it
• Hears and understands most of what is said at home and in school

Talking

• Voice sounds clear
• Uses sentences taht give details (I like to read my books)
• Tells stories that stick to topic
• Communicates easily with other children and adults
• Says most sounds correctly except a few like l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh, th
• Uses the same grammar as the rest of the family

Learning Games On the Go

In a recent Parenting Magazine, Melody Warnick wrote a Keep 'em Busy article to occupy your kiddos for 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes. Some of these ideas are great, so I wanted to share a few with you!

30 Seconds:

• Frozen Frog You are the frog, and when you stick your tongue out, your child has to freeze. They can move again when you say "Ribbit." (works for lots of different animals! Great to review animal noises.)
• Rock the Vote Have your kiddo make a thumbs up or thumbs down when you name different things, like foods, TV shows, colors, activities, places. I bet they surprise you!

2 Minutes:

• Feeling Charades: Act out sad, happy, excited, surprised, grumpy, etc and see if your child can guess. Then let them have a turn! You can also ask them to "Tell me something that makes you feel _____"
• Food Mystery: Give one clue at a time and have them guess. "I at something green. I ate something round. I ate something that comes in a bunch." Great work on using adjectives and being aware of shapes, colors, and attributes in the environment.
• Robot Dance: When you press a pretend button on your kiddo, they have to dance like a robot. You can add "sing like a robot," "eat like a robot," "run like a robot" buttons on them as well. (Be creative!)

5 Minutes:

• Just Like the Other Find 2 things in the room and ask your child to think of something they have in common (they are both green, they are both soft, etc). Then try it with 3 or 4 objects!
• One, Two Wiggles Have your child follow instructions like "Wiggle 6 times" or "Jump 4 times". Or say a number and a body part, like "Hands, five." (They can clap, shake, wave or whatever, 5 times). Fun way to practice counting.

10 Minutes:

• Sit on It A one person game of musical chairs! Have your child circle a chair until you call out a body part, like foot or elbow. Then as fast as they can, they have to touch that part to the chair.
• Something's Missing Dump our a few objects from your purse and let them study it. Then have them close their eyes while you remove an item. See if they can figure out what disappeared.

Teaching The Alphabet

When Kaitlyn (now three) was not much older than one year old, my husband was shocked on night to realize she could point to and tell you what each letter of the alphabet was. We had never made a concerted effort to teach her. As best as we can tell, it happened through her simply reading an alphabet book she loved at bed time each night.

Teaching the alphabet to your child is as simple as exposing your child to the alphabet. Here are some ideas for helping you expose your child.

• Alphabet Song: This is a simple one. Sing the alphabet. Over and over. And over again.
• Alphabet Books: Brayden and Kaitlyn have each had a favorite alphabet book that they wore out. Brayden's favorite was The Alphabet Book. There is no shortage of alphabet books out there. You can find them with a variety of items represented or specific to suite a special interest your child has. You child might have a favorite character like Elmo. Elmo has an ABC Book. Once you have the book, the next step is to read it, and read it often.
• Magnetic Letters: You can also get magnetic alphabet letters. There are the classic Magnetic Letters. One of our favorites is the non-traditional LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Alphabet Set. 
• Alphabet Posters: You can also do alphabet posters. You can point to the letter as you say it.
• Letter of the Day: And don't forget the letter of the day! Each week, you can focus on a different letter. Practice writing it, look for items around you that start with it, focus on the sound of it...make it a part of your day! Adjust your focus on the skill level of your child.
• Shows: Leap Frog also has an excellent line of movies that teach the alphabet, phonics, and reading. LeapFrog - Letter Factory is the best one for starting out, but I love all of them. There are also two shows on PBS that I love for learning letters: Word World and Super Why!
• Various Activities: In addition to these basics, you can do all sorts of fun activities to learn the alphabet. We have several ideas for you on this blog under Alphabet.

Learning the alphabet is an important first step toward learning to read. It is probably one of the more simple subjects to teach to your children. Remember repetition, exposure, and fun!

Butterfly Kits

When I taught elementary school, we would order butterfly kits so the students could see most of the life cycle of a butterfly, up close and personal. Butterfly kits usually consist of some kind of housing (net-like), feeders/sugar, eye droppers, instructions and either live or a certificate for live caterpillars. If you want your caterpillars at a later date, go for the certificate.
It's so much fun for kids to see the caterpillars go from one state, to the pupa, to the butterfly. They get to feed them...a perfect temporary pet. :) It's not messy, it doesn't take up a lot of space, and relatively easy. Most of the sites guarantee a certain percentage of the caterpillars turning to butterflies. Can't beat that! If the weather outside is 50 degrees or higher, you can release the butterflies when ready. I've listed two sites below that have butterfly kits for $20-25. There are more expensive options around, but I'm opting for one of these.

http://www.butterfly-gifts.com/live-butterfly-kits.html ($25)





http://www.swallowtailfarms.com/pages/educationalproducts_brk.html ($21-25)

The Preschooler's Busy Book

I have reviewed this book on one of my other blogs before, so if you follow both, sorry for the repeat. The The Preschooler's Busy Book,by Trish Kuffner, is a wonderful book full of fun ideas to do with your preschool age children.

The Preschooler's Busy Book also has 365 learning games and activities. It is for the age range 3-6 years old. Here is a list of the activities found in this book:

• Tips for planning activities
• Rainy Day Activities
• Kids in the Kitchen: This chapter has a lot of recipes that are easy to make with kids.
• Outdoor Adventures
• Out and About: This chapter has good ideas for things to do while driving in the car. I think this is great because you can do things that developmentally help your child rather than just turning the DVD player on.
• Reading, Writing, 'Rithmetic, and More: This chapter has reading readiness, math, geography, and basic botany.
• Music, Dance, and Drama: This chapter has ideas for music and rhythm, movement and dance, and dramatic play.
• Arts and Crafts: including drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpting, paper-mache, and crafts
• Birthdays and Holidays
• Recipes: Recipes for paint, finger paint, playdough, clay, glue, paste, and more.
• Gifts: Gifts ideas your preschooler can make
• Books: Good books for children in this age range

I really like this book. It is so inexpensive and has so many ideas. The activities are easy to do and inexpensive to implement (most are free).

Aquadoodlin'

Most of us are familiar with the Magnadoodle and possible with the Aquadoodle. I have a special fondness for the Aquadoodle Wall Mat. I've written before about the benefits of using a chalkboard or paper mounted on the wall to strengthen hands, arms, cross body lines, and help your child with pre-writing skills. We've been using the Aquadoodle to connect dots, practice drawing vertical and horizontal lines, and drawing shapes. It's a great place for preschoolers to practice writing their name or letters since it's very easy cleanup (none is pretty easy, right?).

And since it just uses water, no worries about spills. And mounting? Wall putty...super easy to move from location to location without leaving marks on the wall. Looking for an activity for kids while you are making dinner? You can use paintbrushes and water, or even let them "fingerpaint" with water minus the mess of paint.

I found mine at Target, but I also saw that AsSeenOnTV.com is offering a free Travel Doodle and pens when you buy the Wall Aquadoodle.

Hip-Hip-Hooray for another successfully spent dollar. :)

Cupcake Letters

This is a fun and tasty way to teach your children about letters and reading words.

AGE RANGE:
You can do this as soon as you want your child eating cupcakes.

SKILLS TAUGHT:
This activity focuses on letters. You can make it as simple as letter recognition on up to spelling and reading words.

If you want to include your child in making the cupcakes, you can also turn this into a math and baking learning activity.

SUPPLIES:

• Cupcakes (from scratch or from a box)
• Frosting (from scratch or from a can)
• Ability to write letters on the cupcake using frosting. I used a cake decorating tip. If you don't have one, you can try putting frosting in a baggie, cutting one corer, and squeezing it out.

PREP:

• Make cupcakes
• Make frosting if needed
• Write letters on cupcakes

ACTIVITY:
There are lots of possibilities for this activity. For the Baby/Pre-Toddler crowd, you can simply show your child the letter on the cupcake and say the letter along with the sound it makes.

For the Toddlers, you can do the same as for the baby/pre-toddlers, but as your child starts to know the letters, ask her what letter it is. Some toddlers will also be able to tell you the sound of the letter.

For Preschoolers, do the same as above, but quizing the letter and sound it makes. As appropriate, you can make words. Put the C, the A, and the T together and help your child read it. Then remove the T and put an R in its place.

You could also spell your child's name and show him what that looks like.

When learning time is over, eat the cupcake if desired.

Bowling time!

I recently purchased a mini plastic bowling set for my girls for some fun indoor/outdoor play. My youngest is 14 months and oldest is 2. This is a great activity to practice coordination, balance, aim, crossing the body line, and gain arm strength. It's easy to set up, the concept is simple, and could be great for a rainy day as well. The girls love it and it only cost me $5 at Wal-Mart. Yay!There are lots of fun variations you can play as well: spinning/twirling and throwing, counting before rolling, tossing instead of rolling, using the opposite hand to roll/throw, etc.

Definitely worth the $5 around here! If you don't have them at your local Wal-Mart, Oriental Trading also offers them for $5.99.

Spring Chick

This is really a classic activity that my husband even remembers doing in school.

AGE RANGE
The bulk of this activity is cutting, so your child will need to be able to cut well enough to do this. I would guess for most that will be somewhere between 3.5-4.5, with some possibly between 3-3.5.

If your child is unable to cut, you could let your child color the chick and even the egg (make it an Easter egg!) before you cut it out. Young toddlers would have fun playing with this once it was done.

SKILLS TAUGHT
This is a great activity for talking about baby chicks. You can talk about how they grow and how they hatch. It also provides fine motor skill development if your child cuts the chick out. You could also turn this into a shape activity.

MATERIALS

• White paper (cardstock works best)
• Yellow paper
• Orange paper
• Crayons
• Scissors
• Brads (two)
• Glue

PREPARATION

1. Draw the egg shape on the white paper
2. Draw a zigzag for the crack down the center of the egg
3. Draw the chick on the yellow paper
4. Draw a triangle on the orange paper

ACTIVITY

• If your child will be coloring the eggs and/or chick, have him do so
• Have your child cut out the items (or you do it if needed)
• Have your child cut the egg down the zigzag (or you do it if needed)
• Have your child glue the nose in place
• Have your child draw eyes on the chick
• Punch one brad in each half of the egg
• Put the egg together over the chick. Push the brads through the chick. Open out the brads to secure in place
• Talk about chicks, incubation, and hatching

Book Review: You've Got to Check This Out!!!

While meandering through Barnes and Noble this weekend I happened upon the cutest book. So cute I made my husband sit and listen to me read it to him. And I really wanted to read it to him multiple times. I loved it so much I had to share!!!

The book, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, was a breath of fresh air on a shelf full of stale and overly commercial books. Pete the cat sings a song about his love of his white shoes. Along the way he steps in different things (strawberries, blueberries, mud, etc) to turn his brand new shoes different colors. No matter what happens to his shoes, he keeps upbeat because "it's all good." It has a terrific moral to the story ("no matter what you step in...") and I immediately thought this would be a great teaching book about handling the bumps in the road (especially for emotional toddlers and preschoolers).

I don't think you'll be disappointed with this one!!

Plant a Seed

With the weather finally warming up around here we've been spending a lot of time outside. While I am working on a large vegetable garden I also wanted something small that Tobias could take part in. So we got some small planter boxes for flowers and put them on the porch.

Planting seeds is such a wonderful, simple activity for any age kid. The child gets their hands dirty (which coincidentally can help with building a strong immune system), gets some sun (gotta get that vitamin D), and learns about the world around them. You can take this activity as far as you'd like to take it, depending on your child's age and interest level. For a 4-5 year old you could even print some coloring pages about the life cycle of a plant and make a chart showing what plants need to grow. For a baby it's enough to get out in the sun and hear your voice as you explain what you're doing. A pre-toddler and toddler will mostly be interested in the physical activity of planting and will enjoy seeing the changes as the seeds sprout and come up through the soil.

Age Range: any age

Materials:

• seeds
• soil
• pot
• water

Activity:

1. Allow your child to choose a type of flower/plant he'd like to grow.
   
2. Pour soil into pot
3. Have your child poke 3 holes into the soil
4. Help your child drop a few seeds into the holes
5. Water with watering can
   

(Our supplies)

(Tobias chose the orange flowers, but it was a close call between those and the pink ones)

(after we'd planted the seeds Tobias decided we needed to plant more so he started planting the entire packets, lol!)