I bought a little glue-together Turkey craft from Target for $1 yesterday. As soon as Ethan saw it come home in the shopping bag he wanted to make the turkey. It ended up being a great project for Ethan and his Daddy to make together! (Love that!) But of course, the project was over quickly and Ethan was not done practicing his mad glue sticking skills.
Quick thinking Daddy got out some construction paper and cut shapes for Ethan to paste. He'd ask him what color and shape he wanted--a great way to sneak in some toddler color and shape practice! Ethan had such a great time selecting his shapes, using the glue stick, and slapping the shapes onto paper.
Sometimes the basic tried and true projects really are the best. Not to mention, check out how cool this finished product looks! :)
I have to remind myself- Shapes are FUN when you're two.
This past weekend we planned to go apple picking. We were super fortunate because just that week on Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood we watched the "Fruit Picking Day" episode, so Ethan was really excited when we told him that he was going to go pick apples like Daniel Tiger (Do your kids watch it? Ethan LOVES Daniel Tiger).
Apple picking was awesome. Ethan loved it. It was a real confidence boosting activity because the apples were low enough for him to pick by himself. He was really proud of his apple picking abilities. I would definitely suggest the activity. So fun. We ended up with a 25lb bag of apples...one of the apples weighed a whole pound by itself!
After we got home, Ethan sorted and "played" apple for awhile.
Later that night we broke in our new "studio" in our basement. (I'm so excited to have an art space to work in!) One of the projects that we worked on was an abstract apple painting. We did something inspired by this Scrubber and Cork Stamping Apple Tree on Putti's World. I knew though that I wanted to limit how much direction that I gave, so the project became a bit more abstract. (Because this is an awesome way to discover your artistic self when you're two!) Ethan painted the tree with the dish scrubber. Ethan used a cork to paint the apples. Then I painted his hands brown and we smacked down handprints to represent the tree trunk and branches. I'm pretty sure that the handprints were his favorite part.
The painting was a lot of fun, and was a great wrap-up to our fantastic apple picking day!
In case you're wondering..this is how you "play" and sort apples. I think it's a bit of an art installation myself...What do you think?
There's a funny thing that happens when you're child is in a daycare or preschool program-- Sometimes you think you're going to work on a skill, and you find out that it's one that they've already mastered, without you ever knowing it. And then you're surprised--and proud--all at the same time.
That happened to me yesterday with shapes. I knew Ethan had a basic understanding of shapes. He was playing with sidewalk chalk and I decided to draw up some shapes on the ground and see if he could name them for me. Just the exercise of drawing shapes (letters or numbers) and asking if they can identify is great practice. Of course, because it's chalk on the driveway (or sidewalk), it's suddenly a bit more fun. To my surprise, he named them all, except the oval (I was especially surprised when he came up with diamond). By the time we got to oval though, his general answer was "I don't know." He was done--the activity had come to its natural end. So who knows. The moral of that story is that it's a great activity, but don't expect it to be a long one! I think next time we're going to focus more on letters or numbers.
I was given a lovely bouquet of sunflowers as a housewarming gift. So pretty, but now they are past their prime. Ethan however, was not impressed that I was throwing them away. From there, collecting petals was born.
We took them outside where I gave him a plastic bag and let him collect the petals. Believe me when I say, it was a serious hit. Like many toddlers, he really enjoys collecting, dumping and pouring. After the petals were collected he carried them around proudly in his baggie. He talked about how he was going to save them to show to his grandparents and uncle. He was so proud.
What did we do then?
We counted them (some of them)
Looked at how some petals were yellow and some were orange
Piled them high on the table
Looked at them closely
Carried them around proudly
Took them in and out of the bag multiple times
Learned the words "petal" and "stem"
The whole experience was a great tactile one and a good science related project.
Ethan liked the project so much that the next morning he begged to have the petals off of our one remaining sunflower, and brought his bag of petals to daycare to show his teachers and share with his friends. Long story short, toddler life is rough, and Ethan was told he could get more petals when he got home. But we had no more petals. SO after much lamenting the lost petals, we went to the grocery story and bought a few BOGO flower bunches from the scratch and dent floral section. Really though, I shouldn't have had to pay for them at all..they were in ROUGH shape. Regardless, he thought they were wonderful and spent yet another night picking and organizing petals.
Round two. He thought it was funny that I was taking a picture of "the mess."
It was nice to see the flowers enjoyed for one last time. Being such an important part of a toddlers day is a great last hurrah for a flower, don't you think?
I'd love to use the petals to make a craft. Iron them between wax paper or put them between contact paper sheets, but he insists that their purpose is to be in the bag--fine by me!
Just a warning, you could be in danger of creating a flower petal removing monster...proceed with caution (and fun)!
Yup, we're in the thick of the "I do it" stage. In most cases, I welcome the desire for independence. With a little patience, it can actually be very helpful. One independent task I don't always embrace is pouring liquids. Practice is important, but practicing with the gallon of milk is not my favorite idea!
Here's the situation: We recently had one of those days where the little guy was so excited to put out the pool that he could hardly wait for us to inflate it and lug the water out of the house a gallon jug at a time (No hose! Ugh!) Don't get me wrong- I really don't mind getting out the pool, but this was one of those days where all excitement was lost after two glorious minutes of water time. Bummer!
Thinking quick, I ran into the house and grabbed two plastic cups and suggested that we have pouring practice. It was an absolute hit. We started with me holding the empty cup and Ethan pouring the water. Then we would trade cups-- I'd give him the full cup and he'd give me his now empty cup. It was also a good opportunity to practice the opposites "empty" and "full," and also learn the word "trade." The pool made such a great place to practice...but of course, the bathtub would be great too!
The end result was fun and great practice. I'm still not ready to let him pour the milk, but we'll work on it. :)
The way that we learn is absolutely fascinating to me; the way we learn colors is no exception.
There are 3 steps to learning colors:
Color matching- "This ball is red. Can you find me a red ball?"
Color identifying- "Which ball is red?"
Color naming- "What color is that ball?"
Cool, right?!?
The ability to color match usually begins around 2 years old, but there is no reason that you can't start practicing earlier...you could be surprised!
SEE! This is serious FUN!!!
Enter Goldfish crackers. Our little guy loves Goldfish, and he's recently taken to the Space Adventures crackers (although this works real well with the Goldfish Colors too).
All you have to do is take one, for example, a purple cracker, and ask your little one to find you another purple cracker. Continue until all your crackers are sorted (or eaten)! After Ethan was done, he directed "Mommy eat the orange ones." (See how the orange crackers are way off to the side like that--clearly those are the boring "regular" Goldfish). Priceless.
I admit- it'd be better to sort on a table or plate, but sometimes learning activities magically happen in the moment, and goldfish on the carpet is the happy result.
Not only is this great for learning colors, but any type of sorting is a developmental milestone and gives toddlers a great sense of accomplishment.
This particular day we were playing by the seat of our pants, but I've seen on Pinterest where some crafty folks have made color matching boards that correspond with the Goldfish colors, and that's a great idea too!
So what are you waiting for?? Time to play with your food!
When I first suggested to Ethan that he help me plant seeds, he was so excited! He went on and on about seeds. Truth is, I don't think he even knew what seeds were- I'm not sure if he quite knows even now- but he sure knows what to do with them! Chances are, he was just excited by the opportunity to help.
My hope was to have Ethan dump the seeds into my planters and then I would cover them with soil. I got them all ready to go and it started raining! Ugh! Downpour. He was heartbroken. So I put down some newspaper, brought one of the planters inside, and gave him a sand shovel. He loved dumping the seeds into the pot, and used his shovel to help me cover the seeds with topsoil. He enjoyed the activity so much that he cried when the seeds were all gone.
Trying to mend his broken heart, I promised that we'd try it again outside soon. So we did. Same thing- he loved it! This time I dumped them into a cup and let him sprinkle them on the dirt. Again, he thought it was great. He was devastated when they were all gone. As a backup, I gave him some grass seed and pointed him to some bald spots in the grass. He could have planted seeds all day, luckily we ran out of daylight!
The takeaway is this: Planting seeds is a super fun activity for toddlers, inside our outside!
Hope you get some time to plant and that you're flowers are beautiful this summer!
Do you have any good experiences planting with toddlers?
I've seen cookie sheets used as magnet playboards in a number of different ways. It's really easy to print clip art or photos, cut them out, laminate them (clear contact paper on both sides works great too), and stick a magnet to the back. In the past I've made them with letters, number, animals (shapes would be good too!)
Then I got to thinking- it is a cookie sheet after all. Maybe I should make cookies.
So I found what I thought was the perfect chocolate chip cookie clip art and printed out 10 cookies. As a toddler who loves cookies, he thought it was pretty cool to have cookies for on his cookie sheet. It also makes a great addition to his play food. He plays. We can count the cookies as he places them on the tray. Can you tell he likes them?!
Toddlers love magnets, they're inexpensive, and can be a great learning tool. What creative ways have you found to use cookie sheet magnets?
It was a chilly, windy, winter day and we had a toddler in the house who was clearly bored until Daddy had the great idea to play Memory- toddler style.
Not only is the game great for entertainment, but the ability to see similarities and differences in objects practices classification, an early math skill.
We worked through a number of different ways to play until we found the one we thought worked best.
What you need:
Cards from a Memory game, 4-6 pairs seemed to work best. Or create your own- print out pairs of clip art images or even family photos and cut into squares.
How to play:
Mix the cards, picture side up on the floor and encourage your toddler to match like pairs.
"Here's a lion. Can you find another lion?" or "Can you find me two owls?"
Repeat until all of the card matches have been made.
Play again. :)
Do you have a similar matching game that you play?
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go!" ~Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"
Today (March 2nd) is Read Across America Day and March is National Reading Month.
Ethan's been enjoying reading since he was just a wee little thing!
Reading is a very important at our house, and Ethan constantly has board books spread out all over the floor. Now that he's a little older, it's fun that Ethan likes to read to us too!
These are 18 month old Ethan's top 5 favorites:
1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? - Bill Martin Jr./ Eric Carle
One of the things I wanted to do with Ethan this summer was #16 on my Summer Bucket List, to go to an art exhibit or an art walk. Our trip to the art exhibit at the State Museum in Harrisburg was such a success that we caught up with my friend Liz and went to First Friday in downtown Lancaster.
So excited to get his own "painting" to hold!! Wish I could share the artist name, but the card was pretty "goopy" by the time he was done with it!
We had a great time, but I am pretty sure that Ethan enjoyed it the most! He loved looking at the sculptures and the paintings. He loved the live music (someone even played him a special song on the piano all about Ethan). And of course, he loved walking around and smiling at everyone who would look his way!
The moral of the story is that I was once again amazed by how much a baby can enjoy an art exhibit. It is known that babies enjoy looking at pictures and images, especially those that are high contrast. Must be even more exciting when those images are "larger than life!!"
First Friday=Baby approved! So get out there and inspire your little one's inner Picasso!
Babies naturally find music more engaging than speech. Additionally, music stimulates metal awareness and development.
I've always enjoyed concerts and live music, so I wanted to see how my 11 month old would react to a "concert." (Listening to live music was #9 on my Summer "Quality Time" Bucket List.)
It's easy enough to find "family" concerts over the summer. So many community parks hold concert events, and so many of them are FREE. Kick it up a notch? It's doubly fun if you can pack a lunch and picnic at the same time!
Since music is so enjoyable to even the youngest children, summer concerts can be great fun for all ages!
We were extra lucky enough to find a kid's concert, and Ethan had a great time! He especially enjoyed watching some of the bigger kids dance and "making friends" with other concert-goers! I'd definitely recommend it!
This spring (I know, that seems so long ago!!) we took infant swim lessons though our local Recreation Center. I know sometimes swim lessons for infants can be controversial-- I'm not going to join this debate. If you have any doubts, wait until you child is over one year old to start swim lessons and proceed only with activities with which you are comfortable.
I made the decision to enroll in the class for three reasons:
1. Ethan loves playing in the bathwater
2. Ethan is always in need of some good entertainment
3. Heck, it sounded like fun, and I'm always looking for fun activities to do together!
First and foremost, Ethan really enjoyed the classes, and I was able to see growth and development in the pool, even over the course of only six weeks.
Possibly my favorite activity we learned is to toss a floating object out for baby to reach for (we use his small rubber duckie) and encourage them to reach for the object. You hold them "floating" on their bellies and help propel them towards the object, teaching them to reach and stretch with their arms. It's incredible how this naturally progresses into the baby cuing you to move forward by leaning forward into a "swimming" position, and adding the kicking of the legs.
The best result however, was a confidence for both of us in the water, making our summer pool trips significantly safer. I mean, let's face it...It's scary to hold your squirming infant in 4 feet of water (and they're scared too!) But now I know things like how to get into the pool safely and we are both more comfortable in the pool together.
Unfortunately for us, our local public lessons are not held year round, however, I am certain that we will be taking lessons again the next time they are available!
Have you ever had success with baby swim lessons? What water games do you play with your baby or toddler in the pool?
This weekend I amended that bucket list line item (it's my list...I can do with it as I please!) to "Go to an art exhibit." My reasoning is simple. We were at the State Museum in Harrisburg, PA to visit Curiosity Connection, and they just happened to have a special art exhibit on display. Perfect!!
So we went to the exhibit. We walked around and I talked to Ethan (for reference- he's 11 months old now) about what he was seeing. "Look at all the paintings. You make paintings, right? Look, that one is of a cat!"
Ethan has his "THAT" finger out and ready!
He was totally interested in what he was seeing! More so than I would have ever imagined. He was constantly exclaiming "THAT!" and pointing at things that he liked.
This isn't Ethan's first trip to an art exhibit. In fact, his grandpa and I took him to an Ansel Adams exhibit when he was barely over two months old. Can't start too young!
Ethan before his first art exhibit trip!
So I ask again..why take a baby to an art exhibit? Because they may just enjoy it more than you would think--and a little culture and excitement is never a bad thing!
I saved this science and exploration activity for one of those nights when the little guy decided that he just wasn't going to go to bed on time. Looking at fireflies in a jar was #21 on my Summer Top 25 Bucket List!
As the sun was setting and the fireflies (or lightening bugs) were just starting to come out for the night, we got out a jar and caught ourselves some bugs! I caught maybe 5 or 6 bugs in the jar before we sat down and really took a closer look. The fireflies were stubborn and didn't want to light up at first, but it didn't matter-- Ethan's 11 month old curiosity was fixated on them running around the jar anyway!
We talked about the bugs and how they lit up so brightly. I held one gently between my fingers so he could take a closer look, and even let him try his hand at holding one. When we were done, we opened the lid of the jar and one by one watched them fly away.
Want to further enhance the firefly activity??
Find and read a copy of The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle (I think it may be out of print, but it's still available!) I would have never known about it had Ethan not fixated on a copy at Curiosity Connection in Harrisburg!
Learn and practice the ASL sign for "bug"
Also, make sure to stop by my previous Baby Science Lesson: Bird Feeder
Reading together is a big activity at our house, and I love an opportunity to make a book more engaging and "interactive." There's no better way to aid in a young child's understanding and reading enjoyment than to bring a story to life! Most recently, we've been reading "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb" by Al Perkins.
Add a drum, and suddenly the book comes alive!
Don't have a drum? How about a hat box? Or a round food storage container??
We drum when we read the words "drumming on a drum" or anytime the book makes a drum noise "dum diddy dum diddy dum dum dum."
It's amazing how this small interaction has increased my 10 month old's interest in this book. As soon as we pull out the book, he knows exactly what to do!
How do you make reading with your little person even more fun?!?
First step, attract the birds...
I recently purchased a bird feeder and a shepherd's hook at the dollar store for $1 each. I picked a bright red feeder in hopes that it would be easier for a baby to spot. I had some thistle seed at home, but even that is a relatively inexpensive purchase at the hardware or pet store.
Ethan enjoys spending time standing and peering out the front door, so I put the feeder just outside where he can view it easily.
It didn't take long for the Goldfinches to find the feeder.
Don't let the tree line fool you--we attract these finches in the suburbs!
What did we learn? Did you know that by 10 months old the average baby recognizes approximately 20 words? Add "bird" to the list!!
By observing the feeder, Ethan has learned to understand the word "bird" and will crawl full speed ahead to the door when we point out that there are birdies outside. (the birds do spook easily, although this seems to be lessening over time). Although I find Goldfinches easiest to attract, experiment and try other feeder types too!
This mini science lesson will help any kiddo learn to appreciate the natural world around them, but is a simple, inexpensive activity that even under 3 year old babies and toddlers can enjoy!
Besides, Mommy enjoys the pretty yellow songbirds just outside our front door too!
Ethan and I started checking out the local library when I saw that they had story, song, and play time for kids of all age groups! Even a class just for babies under 18 months! Did I mention how excited I was very excited to find that some of these times are on the weekend! :)
The stories and songs are fun. They are well done. However, even though Ethan loves to read and be read to, he has a real hard time sitting in a reading circle (although many of the other kids do just fine!). He does great with the playtime, though, so there is lots of kid interaction and fun to be had. He loves that part!
So many books, so little time!
Other Library Play
After story time, we play in the Children's area of the library. We have such a blast playing somewhere other than our living room on a Saturday morning! He really enjoys the activity stations and the play kitchen. And of course, there are lots of books and other multimedia to check out.
So excited!
I look forward to checking out some of the other free activities that the library has to offer! What other library resources do you take advantage of?
I've always been an advocate of giving kids cameras. It's always so interesting to see the world from their vantage point and to see the items they select to photograph. When I worked in photofinishing, I'd so often process kid's cameras, the photos usually full of photos of family, pets, and their favorite toys.
If you know me, my cameras are very near and dear to me. I’m not sure if it was a lapse in judgment from a lack of sleep, a moment of weakness caused by that cute baby face, or a sudden moment of clarity, but last week, I handed my camera over to my 8 month old.
Let’s start by saying that we’re talking about an inexpensive underwater point and shoot camera (underwater=drool proof!), not my digital SLR!
I must also add that if I want to take a photo of Ethan, I have to be super crafty. As soon as he spies my camera he launches himself towards it and reaches with his go-go-gadget arms. Suddenly, photo time is over (or definitely altered)!
Seriously-Watch what happens when I take out my camera…
After I took this video of Ethan crawling full speed ahead across the room to me (correction: to my camera), I flipped it around and let him watch the video I had just captured. He watched it in awe—legs kicking, arm flailing with excitement-- 5…10…15 times? When I stopped replaying the video, he just had to see for himself.
I turned the camera to photo mode and let him watch the live preview in the display.
He was thrilled when he realized he could see Mommy in the camera. I tried to show him how to push the shutter button, but he was way too distracted. So I let him hold the camera to look at me, and I pushed the button.
The results?
Pretty good! Not to mention, he was equally intrigued when we reviewed the photo he had taken.
The take away?!?
It’s so easy to say “no, you’re to little,” but with a little patience, the positive results can be long lasting. Obviously judgment is warranted. I don’t suggest a baby “learn” on a piece of equipment that is near and dear to you. Disposable cameras work just as well.
Try it- You may be surprised!
Has your kid taken a great pic? Please share a link in the comments section! I'd love to see them!
Yesterday, March 2nd, was Read Across America Day. Annually, Read Across America corresponds with the birthday of Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss!
I was aware of the event a little too late in the game to craft up anything too exciting, but we did read some Dr. Seuss before bed.
This is Ethan with Mr. Bird and a Wocket in my Pocket character when he was 4 months old!
