The Train To Crazy

Summer Fun: Read the Book, Watch the Movie

I love reading books to my kids. They get so excited about a good novel now. We love snuggling up and sinking into a world unlike our own. The problem is, much of the modern "chapter books" are absolute trash. Bratty kids with bad behavior. Unimaginative plots and shallow language. 

Fortunately, if you look further than the "early reader" section at the local bookstore you'll find some great books. This summer I've decided to read through some of the good ones. After making a long list of good reads I noticed that a few of them were made into movies. 

This summer the kids and I will be reading a book and then watching the movie adaptation.  

  The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread

The Secret Garden

 Fantastic Mr. Fox

 The Complete Tales of Winnie-The-Pooh

 Pippi Longstocking

 Matilda

 Charlotte's Web

 Ballet Shoes

 A Little Princess

 Treasure Island

 There are so many more as well. We could spend a whole year on this series. Of course, some of the children's books made into movies aren't great specimens of literature and some of the movies adapted from great books are terrible adaptations.

Here are some others I've got my eye on;

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, Because of Winn-Dixie, Black Beauty, The Black Stallion, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Danny the Champion of the World, Harriet the Spy, Harry Potter, Heidi, Holes, How to Eat Fried Worms, The Incredible Journey, James and the Giant Peach, Meet Kit: An American Girl 1934, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Little Women, Mr. Popper's Penguins, Nim's Island, Ramona & Beezus , Stuart Little, Treasure Island, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, A Wrinkle in Time, The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1)    

And for your picture book age children you might consider these;

The Story of Babar, The Cat in the Hat, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, The Complete Adventures of Curious George, Horton Hears A Who!, Madeline

These are all Amazon affiliate links but I'm sure your local library has all of these titles. I love using Amazon for reading reviews though!

How about you? Any reading plans for the summer?

Signing...

This post was first published August 5, 2008. Since we are back in the signing stage I thought I'd publish it again! 

So, if you have met me, or my kids, you know that we sign. Not fluently, mind you, but we do sign. I am a big believer in teaching your kids to sign. Not just because it comes in handy when they can sign "more" and "all done" but because it is a HUGE confidence builder and frustration deflector. I know this is somewhat controversial, but in my opinion, you should use ASL and not made up baby signs. Of course this is my opinion and I have no studies and scientific data to show you but in our experience it has been awesome. How many people who teach baby signs can say that their kids can communicate with people who are deaf? Not many. Here is our story and how we did it. 

When Naomi was about 14 months old she still wasn't saying any words. Nothing to be too alarmed about but she wasn't even doing baby talk so I started looking into how to teach her some signs to help with her frustration. I checked out a few books and videos and then stumbled upon Signing Time, The best baby sign language videos!. We watched a couple from the library and realized that Naomi was able to watch the 20 minute video through a couple times and was able to remember nearly all of the signs on the show. Most of the shows have about 30 signs in them. They were engaging and she loved watching them. This was great considering it was really her first TV watching experience. 

  I did a little websurfing to find more out about Signing Times and was so impressed with how the videos came about. You can read about it at Signing Time: Our Story. The great news is that they are at the library, and on PBS in most areas. Having a DVR we went the PBS route and recorded all of them. There are now about 26 videos you can get I believe. Give or take a couple. (Updated: There are more videos now!)

By the time Naomi was 18 months old she was saying about 5 words consistently but signing nearly 300 words, and Signing ABC's and Numbers. Impressive? Yes, but I think any kid can learn to sign. You do need to learn the signs too so sit down and watch the shows with your kids.  

You don't have to start them as babies either. My niece, who is autistic, started watching the videos when she was 3 or 4 years old and caught on very quickly. I think most ages up to even late elementary school will enjoy these shows. Daphne started watching them a bit younger than Naomi but didn't catch on as fast. She was our very verbal baby and spoke nearly 300 words at 18 months but only maybe 50-100 signs. She is really getting into it now though. And it does take kids quite some time to figure out how their fingers work. I think signing really helps with fine motor skills. When Naomi was around 18 months old she had a "conversation" on the ferry with a woman who is deaf. The woman was so thrilled that this little baby could talk with her. Granted she was a baby so the conversation was more like "boat, water, bird...." When Naomi was around 2.5 we ran across a man who is deaf in Costco's parking lot and her conversation was a bit more mature, "nice to meet you, what is your name? my name is Naomi..." 

Both of our girls learned their alphabet, colors and numbers by signing. I think there really is something to learning with more of your senses other than just sight and hearing. Not that kids need to be pushed to learn their letters... We are hoping they will keep all these signs in use and in their memory vaults until they are old enough to take some classes. It could be very valuable as a second language. So, this is why I think you should stick with ASL over made up signs... I wholeheartedly recommend Signing Times as a way to teach your kids signs. Yes, it is TV so if you have a problem with that then just get over it because this show is awesome. The ONLY drawback to the show is that you'll have the songs stuck in your head, forever. 

How has your experience with signing been?

Updated: We don't have Signing Times on our PBS station here so we've invested in some of the DVDs and are really happy we have! 

Growth charts and a great GIVEAWAY!

I have good memories of standing with my back against the wall in our kitchen when I was growing up. My mom would stand on her tip toes and mark my height with a pencil. We'd write my initials and the date to make a lasting memory of how tall I was at different stages. We had dozens of little marks between my brothers and me. We'd compare how tall they were when they were my age. We'd look at the marks on the wall and reminisce about our childhood. Then we moved. The marks were gone. No record of how tall I was at any age. The memories painted over. 

I suspect many of you had a similar experience. Unfortunately we move and the memories stay with the old house. I have a creative friend who came up with a great solution. A growth stick. A way to mark those heights and memories and take them with you from house to house. Thankfully she made a great tutorial so you can make your own. 

Of course, if you don't want to make your own you can always buy one. There are some really cute (and spendy) options out there! Fortunately for you, I'm giving away one of the cutest ones I've ever seen. If you need a growth chart that is less cutesy and would fit in with your modern furniture, or adult decor this is for you!

I'm giving away one Ecotots Surfboard Growth Chart. This growth chart is made from 100% formaldehyde free, FSC Certified real wood and has a non-toxic, water based finish. This eco-friendly long board hangs on the wall and also doubles as a coat hook when rotated 180 degrees. You can chose from fire red, cocoa brown, natural or leaf green.

There are 2 ways to enter this giveaway.

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me who you'd be measuring with this growth chart (or who you'd be gifting it to). 

2. Link to this giveaway on your blog, tweet about it, or put it in your facebook status. Then leave a comment with the link for your post/tweet. Sorry, just 2 entries per person.

All entries that do not meet the above requirements will be disqualified. Unfortunately, this can only be shipped within the U.S. I am so sorry for all of my international readers!! 

Comments will be open until Tuesday, September 29th at 9 p.m. EST. One winner will be chosen at random and announced on Wednesday, September 30th.

Good luck!

So I bought a new book

I thought it only fitting that I confess I bought a new book. After all this, I bought a book. Well, 2 books. Of course one was Bend the Rules with Fabric. I couldn't resist buying it right away. I've scanned the whole thing and I must say I'm excited to try some of the techniques. Though, I probably didn't need the book for most of it. The other was Drawing with Children. I couldn't be more excited. I think I'm going to teach myself to draw. I had intended this for the kids, but considering the kids and I are on level ground when it comes to artistic abilities, I might give it a go. 

We do a tiny bit of craft/art around here. Most of it is open ended, self directed. The "purpose" of most of it is more about fine motor skills and imagination that creating anything useful or pretty. One might think I do lots of crafts with the kids, but I don't. 

We have an art cart (plastic drawers). The top drawer has plain paper. The second drawer has colored paper. The third drawer has coloring books (though they rarely use these and I'm just trying to get rid of them). the fourth drawer has water color paint, glue sticks, a hold punch and the like. The last drawer is a large drawer and is filled with random stuff like tissue paper, junk mail, feathers, pom poms, stickers, etc. These are often made into "beautiful" collages. I keep crayons and colored pencils in a container on the top of the art cart for easy use. I keep some things out of reach, of course. Like the paint cups and scissors as well as the beads and pipe cleaners. 

One of my favorite toddler/preschooler art assist materials is the clear contact paper. I cut 2 pieces the same size. Tape one down to the table, sticky side up. This makes collages easy. All they have to do is tear tissue paper and stick it to the contact paper. No trouble trying to use glue or scissors. We've also put other collage materials in them. When they are done just stick the top piece to it and you can do whatever you want with it. We like to stick them to the windows.

I do have one other art book I've used with the kids. Scribble Art has been a great resource to get my ideas flowing. It is all about open ended art and has some great ideas. I'm pretty sure I got the contact paper idea from that book. There are great craft recipes in it as well like paper mache glue and clay, etc. 

What types of craft and art projects do you do with your kids?

Teaching an 18 month to 3 year old

**Let me preface this post by saying my intention for posting this is not to cause your heart to beat faster or wonder if you are doing "enough" or think your kid is abnormal because he can't do these things. Children learn at different paces. These are just things you can work on teaching, don't expect them to be able to do everything.**

Teaching preschoolers at home is a lot less complicated than many people think. In fact, these are things you should work on whether you are skipping preschool or not. There are some basic concepts that are building blocks for further learning. This isn't formal learning. These are things you can teach with play, while reading stories, or out for a walk at the park.

Put a name on nouns (and verbs for that matter). Body parts, animals, objects in their every day life. Give them a vocabulary by talking to them, reading, pointing out all the different objects you see. When you read don't just read the words on the page but help them discover what is in the pictures. If they are interested in airplanes teach them the words for the different types of airplanes or the different parts of the plane. Great teaching tools: children's fiction.

Upper and lowercase letters. Say the A,B, C's and recognize the letters.  I don't push phonics at this age. Teaching tools: letter puzzles, letter magnets, books.

Numbers. Beyond just counting. Teach them to touch each object as they say the number. Sing counting songs.  Point out the written number when you see it and say the number so they can put the word and symbol together. Once they can count to 20 or 30 (or higher) you can begin counting backwards from 10. Remember, not all children can do all of these tasks by 3 years! It's O.K. if yours can't. Teaching tools: counting books, blocks/balls/cars or anything you have 5 or 10 of.

Shapes and colors. Use books, shape sorters or found objects in a room. Go on a color hunt. Find all the green things you can find in the house, etc. It helps if they can touch and see things to learn the concept so touching a rectangular block and a DVD case to notice that they are both rectangles will help put the concept together. Fortunately our world is full of shapes and colors so this one is easy. Teaching tools: puzzles, books, blocks.

Senses. Put words to the five senses let them explore. Let them feel different textures, smell different smells, see, hear,and taste! 

Position relations. in, over, above, next to, between, under, you get the point. Perfect activity while playing with blocks or cars or stacking rings (or about anything). Make a fort and get "under" it, then come out and sit "next to" it or tear it down and jump "on" it. Teaching tools: blocks, stacking rings, everyday objects.

Rhyming. Kids love to rhyme. It can be a difficult concept for some children so don't get distressed if they aren't getting it right away. Read books with rhymes (think Dr. Seuss, Giles Andreae, Sandra Boynton, etc.), sing rhyming songs and make up your own rhymes. We rhyme all the time. "It's time for bed, red, fred, said..." Teaching tools: books, songs.

Comparative words. fast-slow, big-little, etc. Demonstrate these things and point them out while you are doing them. Make it fun. Play "run fast", then practice going slow. Exaggerate so they'll get the idea. 

Right and left. I've read that you should always say "correct" instead of "right" when telling a child they did something correct (I don't do this). Also, say the rights and lefts while getting them dressed.

Small motor skills. Beading, pouring, scooping, beginning lacing etc. Teaching tools: measuring cups of different sizes and small bowls to pour into, pipe cleaners with small beads, shoe lace and round pasta, puzzles, blocks, making cookies, etc.

Large motor skills. running, jumping, throwing, kicking, climbing, balancing. Go outside, get to a playground. Hold his hand while he walks along a curb balancing. Jump over cracks in the sidewalk, kick a ball around the house. This stuff is easy. Teaching tools: balls, tricycle, playground.

Teaching how things work. When she asks "why", do your best to explain it. Talk about why the toys in the tub float or sink. Why things grow, turn on, etc. She might not understand yet but that is OK. Try to simplify your answers so she'll understand at least part. Teaching tools: children's fiction, google :)

Sorting and matching. Use anything you have on hand. Sort different shape blocks, match the socks while you are folding laundry or match the blue blocks with the blue blocks and the red blocks with the red blocks, etc. Of course there are special toys and educational resources for all of this but if you are creative you probably have something on hand. Free paint chips from Home Depot work well too for matching! Sorting small objects (supervised) is a great way to work on small motor skills. Teaching tools: assorted mixed dry beans and an empty egg carton for sorting, puzzles for matching size and picture, Memory game (homemade or not), colored blocks, etc.

I'm sure I left something out but this pretty much sums up a lot of the "tasks" this age group is capable of learning. Teaching your children is fun. Look for the little moments and opportunities. Don't just read through a story book but spend time looking at the pictures and talking about what is going on. Count the objects on the page or talk about the different colors. Don't just stack blocks but talk about putting blocks on top of or between or sort them by color and shape. Sign songs, listen to music, make up stories, make believe. You get the point, just have fun. 

Have toys on hand that encourage creativity and imagination. Toys that are "one trick ponies" aren't the best. Think blocks, baby dolls, play kitchen or play food, dress up clothes, instruments, crayons and paint, etc. Simple Mom has a great list of basic toys that are worth the investment and a list of cheap or free toys that will get you thinking. If you already have a lot of toys, think about putting half of them up somewhere and rotating them. We are moving next week and that is my plan because we have way more toys than we know what to do with (and we've already given a ton away). 

Overwhelmed? Assured? Was this post even necessary? I have a post about teaching 3 to 4 year olds in the hopper but I'll trash it if nobody is interested! Do you think about a child's play as learning? How do you teach your child the basics?

My favorite puzzle maps

Since my brother lives in Africa, we talk a lot about it to the girls. We have globes and they love pointing out Liberia. They also love pointing out "Chicken" but that is a different story. (There seems to be a mental block on the country of Turkey)

We bought this Africa puzzle and we love it. Since many of you have children from Africa, or are interested in teaching your kids about the cultures and countries around the world I thought I'd pass on this review. GEO Puzzles makes puzzles for all the continents, well, almost all of them. They aren't the kind of puzzles little kids can do by themselves but that isn't really the point. There are some very small pieces so keep them away from babies. All of the pieces are shaped like an individual country so kids can get to know the shape and location of the countries along with the name and capital. We usually have to do this puzzle at least once a day. My girls love it. Yours probably will too. Just be prepared to do it with them!

You can help children in Burma!!!

Do you know anything about Burma (Myanmar)? Sadly, most people don't. Here is the short version;

Over fifty years of civil war have left Burma one of the poorest countries in the world. The military dictatorship attacks its own people, killing thousands, and leaving millions displaced.

Many in opposition are either imprisoned or killed. In most of the country there is a false peace due to the dictators' ability to control dissent, however in some ethnic areas the Regime’s army is still attacking the people. There are over 1 million internally displaced people, and over 1 million refugees who have fled the country. There is continual environmental destruction, an HIV/AIDS epidemic, the ongoing laying of landmines, human trafficking and religious persecution. Because of the Regime’s mismanagement and corruption, it’s the world’s second largest opium producer and the main producer of methamphetamines in SE Asia. Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize recipient and leader of the democracy movement, is repeatedly put under arrest.

The Regime’s army extends their control over the ethnic minorities by building roads and camps in ethnic homelands, forcing people to relocate or flee into the jungle. There is documented forced labor and the use of rape as a weapon. The Regime’s army lays landmines to keep villagers from returning home and supporting the resistance. 

For a more in depth history of Burma, read the rest of the article here. It is a really tragic, disturbing situation that gets very little press. I would dare to say most people do not know about the situation.

There is something you and your children can do to help!! Christians Concerned for Burma operates out of Thailand and, among other things, has a Good Life Club in which they bring love, healthcare, songs, games and more to the families and children on the run, hiding in jungles in Burma. You can help your children put together small supply packs. The Kid's Pack should Include these items;

• small comb and a mirror
• 1 box of children's chewable vitamins
• 2 children's toothbrushes
• 1 fingernail clipper
• 1 small toy
• 1 picture of you (or your child)
• 1 postcard from your city or state with a Bible verse 

You can also put together a Mom & Baby Pack including;

• small fingernail clippers
• multi-vitamins for mom
• pediatric vitamins (not needing refrigeration)
• 2 outfits for baby, including a cap, hand mittens, shirt (NOT a onesie) and socks
• 1 teether
• 1 picture of you
• 1 postcard from your city or state with a Bible verse

The items for one pack should be put in a sturdy large ziploc bag. Put in a standard gift sized box and mark "household/ personal goods" on the customs form. **CCB notes that the box coming from the USA should not exceed 79 inches in length/width/girth** Mark the package: GLC. Mail standard airmail to:

Christians Concerned for Burma (CCB)
Box 14 Mae Jo
Chiang Mai 50290
Thailand

This would make a great family or playdate activity!!

Roar like a lion

We love to sing and dance around these parts.  We've got a big stack of CDs that we rotate through regularly.  Daphne is even getting into making up her own songs, you know sophisticated two year old songs.  Her most recent would be titled "poop on the floor" and had such a catchy tune that I found myself singing it all day. Seriously, catchy.

We also have this Wee Sing and Pretend CD which I think is pretty great.  It is music with prompts for different things to act out.  We crawl around like lions and elephants and race around like cars.  Definitely worth it for the kids and don't forget to join in.  Let out that inner tiger.

What music do you like to play and dance to?

Sensory Tub: Shaving Cream

Feel like trying something that may not capture their attention for hours but there are multiple educational opportunities?  First I put the shaving cream in the tub and spread it around evenly and then we worked on tracing letters.  You know, I make a capital "B" and the girls attempt to trace it and Daphne starts crying because the shaving cream is sticking to her hands...  I've never worked with THAT much shaving cream before and it is REALLY annoying how much it sticks.  After we got Daphne calmed down she started enjoying the messiness.

After tracing letters we did a bit of a lesson about color mixing.  Using food coloring we made piles of yellow, red and blue and then mixed them up.  Naomi loved this and I was a bit surprised because she isn't much of a get your hands dirty kind of girl.  I'd give this exercise a B.  Clean up wasn't so bad.  Better than rice all over the floor!

Interested in other sensory tub activities? We've used straws, packing peanuts, suds n' TP, rice, screw on caps, beans and mashed potatoes.

The ultimate list of ways your kids can give to others

Here it is folks. The LIST. Much of this was generated from all of you lovely people that gave me ideas for my 25 Days of Giving I did for Advent with my girls. Hopefully this will be useful to you as well.

1. Put together a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child
2. Put money in a Salvation Army bell ringer’s bucket
3. Adopt a family through your local mission or shelter
4. Bake cookies for friends, neighbors, family & teachers
5. Tidy up the neighborhood
6. Make and send cards to family/friends telling them what they like about them
7. Do something kind for someone secretly
8. Shower family members with kind words
9. Place spare change in the missionary jar (at church)
10. Give food to local food bank- take it there themselves
11. Send handmade cards to the military
12. Visit a nursing or retirement home
13. Visit a local animal shelter and play with the animals
14. Donate food to a local animal shelter
15. Collect scarves and hats for the homeless
16. Make cards or drawings and give them to people in retirement homes
17. Let them pick out a new toy for Toys For Tots or similar program
18. Save their change and donate to a cause
19. Release a book somewhere that someone might want one. Leave a sticky note inside saying it is for whoever finds it.
20. Help a neighbor with a chore they need done.
21. Bake cookies and share them with the recipient.
22. Pick out a pair of shoes for "Soles for Soles"
23. Hot Cocoa/ lemonade stand to raise money for a cause
24. Volunteer at your church
25. Stay late in their classroom or nursery to help clean.
26. Choosing water at the fast food restaurant and giving the money saved for a cause.
27. Have a "pick up trash" day where you look for litter everywhere you go.
28. Do a story time at a local mission/shelter.
29. Sell something to raise money for a cause.
30. Buy a needy family a Christmas tree.
31. Draw little pictures and write notes- leave them around town for people to find.
32. Make craft kits to take to the children's hospital.
33. Visit elderly members from church.
34. Bring home baked cookies to Fire Fighters, NICU nurses, Police Officers on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
35. Make sandwiches and pass them out to homeless people.
36. Buy gift cards and put them under someone’s windshield wipers.
37. Hand out flowers to strangers- bus station, senior center, etc.
38. Have a car wash to raise money for a cause or wash cars for free.
39. Make cookies and have a bake sale to raise money for a cause.
40. Write notes to teachers or caregivers about what makes them special.
41. Befriend someone they don't normally talk to.
42. Bring hats to the hospital for children that have lost their hair.
43 Let them pick out an outfit from their closet to donate to a charity that gives clothes to needy children.
44. Sign up to sponsor a child through World Vision that has your child's birth date. Help them write letters.
45. Check with your local mission or shelter to find out what needs they have. Buy blankets or socks, etc. with your kids and deliver them to the shelter.
46. Have your kids help prepare a meal for a new mom or someone who is sick.
47. Mow an elderly neighbor's lawn.
48. Donate new crayons to the children's hospital.
49. Help your child organize a sponsorship drive for World Vision, Compassion International or other child sponsorship program.
50. Ask for canned food for the food bank in lieu of gifts at a birthday party.

Anything I left off? Help me expand the list!

Please feel free to use this list but give credit where credit is due! Thanks!

Sensory Tub: Beans

Beans. Pretty self explanatory. We put in 5 or 6 types of beans and some other fun things like an egg carton and scoops, cups, spoons, etc. The girls found all sorts of creative things to do with the beans. I thought they'd like sorting the different kinds but they weren't really interested in that. Beans were definitely a hit though.

Interested in other sensory tub activities? We've used straws, packing peanuts, suds n' TP, rice, screw on caps, and mashed potatoes.

Sensory Tub: Mashed Potatoes

It has been a while since I posted some of our sensory tub adventures. The most recent was mashed potatoes. What?! Powdered mashed potatoes. I put some potato flakes in a bowl for each of the girls and then filled a large bowl with water.

Added some measuring cups for scooping water and spoons for stirrings...

And then we got this...

Naomi played with this for at least 2 hours. She would have played longer but it was bedtime. I should have taken a picture of what it looked like when it was all over. It isn't fun if it isn't super messy!!

Interested in other sensory tub activities? We've used straws, packing peanuts, suds n' TP, rice, screw on caps, and beans.

Spin Art

Spin art is a fun, clean way to paint. This is especially helpful for me when I have to take care of a newborn and having paint all over my hands can be a problem. Or, more likely, having to take my full attention off a toddler with paint on her hands. I saw this somewhere and it really works well. You can buy spin art toys but this worked nicely, cheaper. Just don't plan on using it for food.

I bought a cheap $5 salad spinner that had a flat bottom on the insert. Cut paper to fit inside.

Then squeeze some washable paint onto the paper. We used tempura paints.

Spin.

voila!

25 Days of Giving

I've been thinking a lot lately about how to raise my children to think beyond themselves. To care for others and to understand that the blessings God gives us are meant to be shared with others. As parents we struggle to know exactly how to raise our children in a society that glorifies self centered teens who want $100,000 16th birthday parties.

This year I've decided to start celebrating Advent with my kids. I love cute little Advent calendars. I had one of sorts as a kid and got a Hershey kiss every day leading up to Christmas. I loved it. This year I decided that instead of my kids GETTING something every day, we will GIVE something every day. I don't expect this to be easy. I want to focus on things my young kids can grasp. Tangible things. I want to find ways for them to connect to the giving. I expect this to be extremely difficult. I expect to fall short and have days that we fail. That is O.K.

I want you to join us on this journey! You don't have to do 25 days of giving, but one or two days set aside would be great! You don't have to have children! Here are some things to consider;

1. You don't have to spend money to give
2. Be creative, think inside and outside the box
3. Inspire others to give as well

This ISN'T meant to be boastful! Let's inspire each other!

I want to kick off this giving extravaganza by giving something to you (sort of)! You can enter to win 3 ways.

*Get your name entered once by leaving a comment here with an idea you have for ways kids can give. I need lots of help so please inspire me with your great ideas!
*Get your name entered a second time by writing a post on your blog documenting a way you gave to others. Add the URL link to that specific post on the Mister Linky below.
* Enter a third time by mentioning The 25 Days of Giving on your blog and linking to this post so your readers can come here to be inspired to give. Send me an email so I know you've linked to me! See the email link in the sidebar or email me at thetraintocrazy (at) gmail (dot) com

I'll have my little random generators draw a name out of a hat on Christmas to see who the winner is! You will win an apron from Lazy Lavender! They have the cutest aprons! This is the best part, the winner will also have a donation made in their name to Amazina Ministries International. You will sponsor a child for a year! Your sponsorship will provide a child with their yearly school fees, a school uniform, shoes, all school supplies, 2 hot meals a day, and any needed medical care. Your sponsorship also helps provide these children with tutors and spiritual leaders, to help the do their best, physically emotionally and spiritually.

Amazima Ministries in an organization based in Uganda, East Africa. We are striving keep these children alive, and not only that, but to give them life to the fullest. We want to educate the poorest of the poor here intellectually and spiritually. Today, Amazima Ministries shares Christ's love with 150 children, providing them with school fees, supplies, healthy meals, medical needs, and spiritual encouragement. We provide a home and a family for children who have never had the luxury of either. We provide encouragement physically, emotionally, and spiritually to those who need it most. We provide these children with truth. The truth of a bigger world through education, but more importantly the truth of a God who created them beautifully in His image, a God who loves them and values them and wants the best for them. These children have never known that kind of love.

Teaching Faith to Kids

Wow, this is a big topic! We discussed this in my moms' group today. Thanks Minhee! This could be a whole series of books but I'll just mention briefly what jumped out at me.

Number 1: Loving your kids models God's love for us. Taking care of their needs and showing them love and compassion is helping them to build a positive model of their relationship with God.

Number 2: You must have your own active faith before you can teach others.

Number 3: Model! Don't tell your kids about situations they should pray about or how to have faith, show them! Pray with them, read with them, live it out in your life and explain it to them.

Number 4: Be intentional about your parenting and your actions. Think about what you want to teach your kids and then figure out how to go about that. If you want your kids to learn to pray before meals, think about WHY you would do that. Why do you do some of the rituals you do?

I've been thinking about different family traditions and rituals people have to help teach faith, thankfulness, generosity, etc. While my kids are fairly young for much of it, it is exciting to think of the things we can incorporate in our family soon. I'm always looking for great ideas. I've loved some of the Thanksgiving ideas I've read on various blogs lately about teaching kids to be thankful and teaching them about giving. What do you do in your family to teach faith or thankfulness?

My three year old reads!

A while back I mentioned that I started teaching Naomi to read. Yes she is three years old. Yes she is learning to read! Our reading lessons have come to a halt. We got to lesson 76 in our book and then Maggie was born. Naomi has been asking me to do a lesson every day but I just haven't had the undivided attention that I need to give her for the lessons.

Just because we haven't hit lesson 100 doesn't mean that she can't read! She blows me away by how much she can read. For example, she can read Go Dog Go and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. I love it! She loves it. Every time we sit down with a book she tries to read some of it. Most books that we read are a bit over her head but there are always words she can read in every book.

So, yes, you can teach a three year old to read! Some of the unexpected side effects of her learning to read have included her learning to write and in turn becoming better at drawing and controlling her pencil and crayons. Though, maybe someone can tell me, is it normal for kids to sometimes write things backward or is that something I should be concerned about? Today she wrote Daphne's name backward, mirror image backward. Odd? It seems like it could be normal to me but I don't really know anything about the brain in this matter.

Some of you had mentioned that you were going to start using this book to teach your kids to read. Have you started? What do you think?

Update: For those of you who have asked, I use Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and I highly recommend it. The biggest requirement your child needs before you start this book is the ability to pay attention for a while. Naomi isn't very good at that so it made our lessons a bit more difficult but we still had great results. The book claims you can teach advanced 3.5 year olds and all average 4 and 5 year olds to read. We started before Naomi was 3.5 and she did fine. See my full review here.

Help ME! I'm out of ideas!

As you know, we like to support Kids Lake. The idea of kids raising money to feed and clothe orphans in Africa is awesome. Here is the problem, I need help thinking of creative ways to help little kids raise money. We did the lemonAID stand this Summer and it went well. Who doesn't want to buy lemonade from a couple of cute little girls?

I'm thinking that since Naomi is now a budding artist she could get some money out of her portraits. I mean, they are uncanny! This is my dad and his portrait is on the right. What do you think, would you pay $10 for her to draw you? :)

By the way, there is still a LONG way to go to meet this month's goal! Hint, hint. PLUS, if your family donates you'll be sent a free t-shirt!

I can think of ways older kids can get out there and raise money but what about preschool aged kids? I know you are all creative people. What do you think?

***Ladies, please do the survey on the top right of my blog! Thanks!***

What to do with all that kids' artwork?

Every parent's dilemma. What to keep and what to toss? Clearly the prolific little painter doesn't need to keep ALL of his or her paintings. Which are important to keep, where do you put them, how do you display them? Right now I have a stack of arts and crafts I'm trying to go through. This is what I've come up with in my research to remedy this problem.

The first thing you have to do is SORT it! Just keep a few of the things that represent your child at the moment, or showcase the stage of development. I'm sure your kids can help you decide which to keep and which to toss. Then, write down the artists name, when it was created, how it was created, etc. on the back.

So where or how do you SAVE this stuff? Here are some great ideas I'm hoping to incorporate.

* scan them or take pictures and save them on the computer, less clutter!

* create a rotating display gallery

* use shadowbox frames to display special art

* create a book

* buy a pretty box to put them in after they've been displayed

* go rubermaid

Once you've done this, how do you DISPLAY it all? I've seen some pretty creative display ideas on other people's blogs lately. One was particularly impressive and I am really sad I can't find where it was. Let me lamely describe it to you. This mother probably used photoshop to put somewhere around 16 pieces of art together. there were white borders around each and there were a few that were just solid color. This was then framed. Very cute. It was similar to this, but with artwork and just one large frame, obviously. I think it was much cuter.

A display idea that I really like is this one at Land of Nod. My 30 cent version includes some string, 3 picture hooks and some clothes pins.

With a little time and creativity I'm sure you could make one just as cute as the store bought versions, probably cuter. Here are some ideas to get you started (not me though, mine are staying plain jane).

Some other great display ideas I've seen but didn't bookmark include buying some large pegboard from Home Depot and then clipping artwork to that. I've also seen magnetic boards used for rotating current artwork. Cork boards work fine as well.

Another one of my favorites was this one. I've scanned a few of Naomi's pieces of art into PDF documents so far but not nearly enough to make a book. This would be cool to make after 4 or 5 years of artwork. I don't need a book for every year.

GIVE the artwork as a gift. This is a shirt Naomi drew for my dad's birthday.

All you need are fabric crayons, blank paper and an iron! If the original artwork wasn't done with fabric crayons you could always trace it onto another piece of paper with the fabric crayons.

You can also;
* use the art as wrapping paper

* scan the art and put it to music on a CD for family viewing pleasure

* frame the art in a nice frame for a gift

* make a greeting card out of them

* use the scanned images to create a calendar for the grandparents (or yourself)

I'm planning to make photo albums for each of my girls at some point in the future to chronicle their early lives. Much like a scrapbook or a baby book, but I don't scrapbook. Scanning in some of their artwork and other memorabilia would go very well in this type of project. If you've never made a book or a photo book, I highly recommend Blurb.

What do you do with all the artwork and crafts at your house? I know some of you make A LOT of crafts with your kids. Do you save it? I'm always looking for great ideas!

Can You Teach A 3 Year Old To Read?

The answer is a resounding YES! Naomi has always loved books. Since she was two she's been asking me how to spell this word or that word. She loves everything about reading, only she couldn't read. My sister-in-law taught her kids to read using the book Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons and recommended the book to us so we got ourselves a copy. I had it for about 8 months before having the courage to try it out. I am so glad I did!

I know most of you haven't heard of this book so here is a little background info. The program is called Distar, which is unlike the way most students are taught in public schools. Distar has been involved in more than a dozen comparative studies. The results show that children taught with Distar outperform their peers who recieve instruction in other programs. The results hold for one, two, three and four years after instruction (that is impressive). The program in this book has been streamlined and modified for home use. The book claims that the program is appropriate for bright three and a half year olds, average four and five year olds as well as anyone who has not learned to read. Let me just say that I am a TRUE BELIEVER! The best part is that it is so easy! The lessons are completely written out for you and take between 12 and 20 minutes depending on how well your child can hold their attention (it takes us 20 minutes). They recommend that you follow it word for word. You just read the words in red out loud. That easy. And by the 100th lesson your kid will be reading at a second grade level. We are on lesson 34 and Naomi can read quite a lot. She is moving from sounding out words to "reading them the fast way" which is pretty cool to see.

The lessons also teach your child how to write. This was where I was hesitant about Naomi being able to do the program. After the first lesson I nearly quit because she is SO FAR from being able to write a letter (other than "O") on a piece of paper. Thankfully I had these write and wipe cards around that I've been using as a substitute. She does these very well and is learning the concept. I highly recommend them if you try this program with a kid that isn't able to write letters yet.

Like I said, we are only on lesson 34 so I'll have to let you know if we continue to love the program as much as we do now but as of now I am super impressed.

Have you had experience teaching young kids to read? What method worked for you? For all of you teachers out there, what do you think of this program? Have you even heard of it?

Signing...

So, if you have met me, or my kids, you know that we sign. Not fluently, mind you, but we do sign. I am a big believer in teaching your kids to sign. Not just because it comes in handy when they can sign "more" and "all done" but because it is a HUGE confidence builder and frustration deflector. I know this is somewhat controversial, but in my opinion, you should use ASL and not made up baby signs. Of course this is my opinion and I have no studies and scientific data to show you but in our experience it has been awesome. How many people who teach baby signs can say that their kids can communicate with people who are deaf? Not many. Here is our story and how we did it.

When Naomi was about 14 months old she still wasn't saying any words. Nothing to be too alarmed about but she wasn't even doing baby talk so I started looking into how to teach her some signs to help with her frustration. I checked out a few books and videos and then stumbled upon Signing Time, The best baby sign language videos!. We watched a couple from the library and realized that Naomi was able to watch the 20 minute video through a couple times and was able to remember nearly all of the signs on the show. Most of the shows have about 30 signs in them. They were engaging and she loved watching them. This was great considering it was really her first TV watching experience.

I did a little websurfing to find more out about Signing Times and was so impressed with how the videos came about. You can read about it at Signing Time: Our Story. The great news is that they are at the library, and on PBS in most areas. Having a DVR we went the PBS route and recorded all of them. There are now about 26 videos you can get I believe. Give or take a couple. By the time Naomi was 18 months old she was saying about 5 words consistently but signing nearly 300 words, and Signing ABC's and Numbers. Impressive? Yes, but I think any kid can learn to sign. You do need to learn the signs too so sit down and watch the shows with your kids.

You don't have to start them as babies either. My niece, who is autistic, started watching the videos when she was 3 or 4 years old and caught on very quickly. I think most ages up to even late elementary school will enjoy these shows. Daphne started watching them a bit younger than Naomi but didn't catch on as fast. She was our very verbal baby and spoke nearly 300 words at 18 months but only maybe 50-100 signs. She is really getting into it now though. And it does take kids quite some time to figure out how their fingers work. I think signing really helps with fine motor skills.

When Naomi was around 18 months old she had a "conversation" on the ferry with a woman who is deaf. The woman was so thrilled that this little baby could talk with her. Granted she was a baby so the conversation was more like "boat, water, bird...." When Naomi was around 2.5 we ran across a man who is deaf in Costco's parking lot and her conversation was a bit more mature, "nice to meet you, what is your name? my name is Naomi..."

Both of our girls learned their alphabet, colors and numbers by signing. I think there really is something to learning with more of your senses other than just sight and hearing. Not that kids need to be pushed to learn their letters...

We are hoping they will keep all these signs in use and in their memory vaults until they are old enough to take some classes. It could be very valuable as a second language. So, this is why I think you should stick with ASL over made up signs... I wholeheartedly recommend Signing Times as a way to teach your kids signs. Yes, it is TV so if you have a problem with that then just get over it because this show is awesome. The ONLY drawback to the show is that you'll have the songs stuck in your head, forever.

How has your experience with signing been?

Sensory Tub: Packing Peanuts

These are something everyone gets in the mail at one point or another and wonders what to do with them. We feel bad throwing them away but we don't really want to store them because we may never need them. So now you have a use for packing peanuts.

I threw a bunch of jungle animals into the tub and covered them with the packing peanuts. Then I put an empty egg carton in the tub and let the girls go to town. At first they hunted for animals, then they discovered you can break the peanuts in half so the game turned into "breaking eggs" and putting the shells into the egg carton. Then they pretended they were tossing salad (which is the messy portion) but thankfully, unlike rice, packing peanuts are easy to pick back up and put into the tub.

You can put whatever you want into the tub with the packing peanuts. I'm sure kids can think of all sorts of crazy things to create. This is one of my favorite things in the tub so far. It held their attention well, was easy to clean up, and they were able to use their imaginations well.

Educational Toys: Counting Bears

Counting bears are a great tool for learning colors, counting, sorting, adding and subtracting. We got a great little book at Target for $3 with 10 counting bears and a book with it to help inspire. The book has math problems like "3 yellow bears got on the bus at Cindy's house, 1 purple bear got on at John's house, 2 green bears got on at Juan's house. How many bears are on board?" Then goes on to say something about 2 yellow bears getting off the bus at the library, how many are on board? There are about 20 different pages with different problems.

Both girls are able to do the putting the bears on the bus part. Daphne then prefers to send them all flying. Naomi can count them all. This is a great activity for learning to following directions as well.

You don't need to go buy counting bears to be able to do this at home. Here are some other examples of things you may have around the house already. We've also used our jungle animals and our books to improvise this activity. We have a few great books with outdoor scenes that we put the animals in. I'll say "put 2 zebras, 3 giraffes and a hippo in the watering hole" and then we count how many there are total.

When playing "kitchen" or "restaurant" you can add this little game. Most of you have colored spoons, forks, bowls, plates, etc. Just ask for a certain number set at your table and then count how many pieces total you have. Do some subtraction as well. Play food will be a great addition to this game too. Not all learning experiences have to be like "school." The kids can learn while playing and not even know it.

A while ago we made a bunch of bean bags. I sewed some scrap fabric in 4X4 inch squares, turned them and the girls filled them with beans. Then I sewed up the opening. Easy. There are tons of things you can do with bean bags but counting is one of them. I used a bunch of different fabrics so we have 5 different patterns for our bean bags. Here are some of them.

I'll share some more bean bag ideas in another post.

Educational Toys: Balance Boards

Naomi got this balance board last week. It is one of her favorite things now. The first time she got on it we had to explain to her how to put her feet on the board so that they are in a good position for balancing. Since that point she quickly figured out how to rock herself back and forth and then balance her body on the board. It is a great tool for helping preschoolers and early elementary age kids to master their physical selves.

I can't think of a "do it yourself" way of accomplishing this unless you are good with wood. I know there are other toys out there with a similar goal of helping kids learn to balance. Of course there are the no toy methods of putting a tape line on the floor and having them walk carefully on the line. You can also have them practice balancing on one leg and then the other. Naomi loves doing this. We have one of those hop along balls but it is still too big for her to use. She is also very excited about jump ropes but that will be a while before she can actually do it herself the way it is meant to be used.

It is also fun to sing and dance while balancing.

Daphne also enjoys the balance board but we usually have to help her adjust her feet and then hold her hands while she tries to balance. Surprisingly, she has been able to balance herself a couple times without holding on.

Sensory Tub: Suds n TP

The rice has finally left the tub! After hours and hours and hours of messy fun I've finally put it away for a bit. Today we created what I call suds n TP. I'll tell you what we did and I'll tell you how it could be improved upon.

First we grated a bar of dove soap. We put that in the tub and then tore up a whole roll of toilet paper. If you are opposed to the idea of wasting that much toilet paper then I suggest you don't do this activity.

After shredding the TP, add some warm water to make a gooey mess. We added about 6 cups of water at first and then Daphne added another few cups later.

This created enough suds n TP that you could probably do this in an XL salad bowl. We added some bowls, measuring spoons, shovels and buckets for a good time.

NEXT TIME I will have them tear up the toilet paper before they get their hands on the grated soap because it was much more interesting to play with the grated soap. Along that same vein, we will shred the paper a little better next time.

Naomi played in this for about 10 minutes (compared to hours and hours in the rice) because she isn't a fan of messy hands. Even though I tried to convince her that her hands were actually clean because it was soap.

Daphne, on the other hand, probably played in it longer than she usually plays in the rice. This morning she played in the rice for about 15 minutes before she wandered off and this afternoon she played in this gooey mess for a half an hour until I got her distracted with pictures on the computer inadvertently.

I'm not sure how long this concoction will stay "fresh". I put the lid on the tub so we'll see...

Teaching Character?

I have written a bunch about educational toys and activities and what not. I haven't written a whole lot about the more important education- character education. So we could debate all day how much you can teach character, and how much is genetic, but let's assume for the moment that your children are blank slates (which they aren't). I haven't found a whole lot of "toys" specifically targeted at character development. However, the use of regular, every day toys and situations, is an awesome way to teach these principles. There are teachable moments and modeling moments everywhere you look.

Many people comment on how "good" my kids are. This is where I usually stop them and say something along the lines of, "they were born that way." The truth is that they were definitely born with strong personalities but I think we've probably done a little influencing along the way. I get sad when I hear comments like one I heard the other day. I was telling a woman that we were taking our kids the the street fair last Saturday and her response was, "that is a good activity to call up the grandparents and ask them to take the kids." I kind of joked it off and said it would be fun and then she said, "yah, but my kids aren't like your kids." Seriously? That is sad (not that they aren't like my kids but that she thinks like this).

So, how can we influence our kids behavior and ultimately their character or internal thought process? I'm no expert so I can't tell you. I CAN tell you what I've learned over the years working with kids and my few years with my own. The most important thing you can do is to understand that they are not their behavior. Meaning, your kid isn't "bad" because they behave badly. See the difference? Please, never tell your child they are bad or any other demeaning thing. The looking glass self is a real issue. This doesn't mean that you have to be all positive all the time but just be aware.

Back to teachable moments... These are so easy to do! When your kids are playing they will supply you with hundreds of opportunities to help them think through problems and situations or for you to point out different ways they could have handled things. Use a calm, steady voice, and do it while you are at their level playing with them. Yelling things from across the room isn't really considered a teachable moment. I can remember my dad using TV shows as teachable moments a lot while I was growing up.

Modeling behavior is an amazing tool. Don't expect your kids to be honest if you lie. If you leave the grocery store and realize there was a can in the bottom of the cart you didn't pay for, take it back in and pay for it. What do you think your kids will learn if you say something dismissive and just go along your merry way? Think about how you relate to other people, how you treat strangers and friends alike. What tones do you use at home? Of course, looking at yourself in this way you'll probably get depressed at all your failings and shortcomings so give yourself a break and then focus on small things you can work on. There is nothing wrong with teaching your children that we are all human and fall short. Show them you are not above apologizing.

Discipline is also a way to build character. There are as many methods of discipline as there are parents in the world. Discipline can definitely cross a line and become harmful to a kid. Lack of discipline is also harmful. There has to be a balance and the only way it will actually teach a child anything is if it is consistent. Not just that you are consistent, but that all parents are consistent with each other as well. Tall order? Maybe, but like any of my other advice I'd say talking about it with your spouse or whoever your children's mother/father may be is important. It is possible to get on the same page. If you are in totally different ball parks then I'd suggest seeking outside help.

I have tons of ideas to share but those will have to wait...

Educational Toys: Dressing Frames

I wish I could remember which blog I saw it on but someone gave a head's up that this store had a massive clearance on their dressing frames. I jumped over there and bought them considering they usually sell the set for $70+ for a set of five and they were on clearance for $9. They still have a few individual ones left if you are interested.

They are WAY over Daphne's head at this point. Though, she does enjoy putting the open ones over her head and shouting "window!" Naomi really enjoys the snap frame. She is fascinated by the safety pin one but hasn't attempted it (thankfully). I think she could actually do the hook closure one but that and the buttons she gets intimidated by and won't even try. Needless to say, this activity is probably best for advanced 3 year olds through probably 5 or 6 years, maybe more.

Naomi has a dressing doll she got for her 1st birthday that has a snap, zipper, button, velcro and shoe lace. Unfortunately that one isn't very easy to do because the doll doesn't quite stay as still as she would like when she is trying to work on these new skills. She learned to do a zipper on her own sweatshirt much easier than on the doll.

Clearly these are not must have items. I'm sure you have clothing with buttons, snaps, etc. that your kiddo could practice on. It really helps with independence issues and builds self confidence when they can do it themselves so don't forget to teach them how to do it.

Educational Toys: Puzzles

We love puzzles at our house. Our kids first get interested in them around their first birthday. Of course at that point they can't put them together by themselves at all. We got some Melissa & Doug chunky puzzles as hand-me-downs and those are probably the best ones to start with. The pieces are very large and the knobs are big enough to to fit in little hands well. I like the shape puzzles because they help kids learn about shapes and geometry at the same time as learning spacial skills. Of course, my kids love the animal puzzles as well. We have a few puzzles with the tiny little knobs and those are good to move on to after your child gets the idea about what to do with the puzzle pieces.

We love name puzzles. We have one for Naomi and need to get one for Daphne soon. It helped Naomi learn how to spell her name. Plus they are just fun since it is so personalized. We got ours at One Step Ahead but I've seen them other places as well.

Attempting to clean up clutter, I started putting all of our wooden puzzle pieces into the same plastic container. We have 5 wooden puzzles I think. What started out as an organizational tool has ended up being an added difficulty level for puzzles. The girls love putting all the puzzle boards on the floor and then picking a piece out of the box and deciding which puzzle it goes to and then finding the right place on that puzzle.

Sometime between 18 months and 2 years your child will probably be able to move onto other types of puzzles. Of course, their ability to accomplish them may take some time. We bought these for Naomi around 18 months and they were WAY too frustrating for her until around 2.5 years. Daphne can do them some now at 22 months so you have to take your kid's abilities and temperament into consideration. I like these puzzles a lot but the kids don't get them out as much as other puzzles.

Three dimensional puzzles are a next logical step. Daphne is starting to enjoy this one we have. The trick for this one is getting all the pieces into the box to fit, and to stay in, since there are open sides. It is a bit frustrating for her at this point but she is so patient she just keeps working at it.

Melissa & Doug See & Spell puzzles are my absolute favorite. We bought these for Naomi when she was around 18 months and was just mastering recognizing her letters. Now, at 3 years old she loves learning how to spell words. She now looks at the picture of a frog and sees the word next to it and can tell me you spell frog f-r-o-g. Daphne is at the point where she gets excited to find the letters she needs for the puzzle. She'll see an "i" on one puzzle and excitedly says "I need an i" and looks through the pile for one. I highly recommend these. If your little one still likes to put things in his or her mouth you need to supervise this puzzle well since he pieces are a bit small.

The next logical step in learning puzzle and spacial skills is to move on to regular cardboard puzzles. They make tons of these in various sizes. Naomi has a couple with 20 to 40 pieces and loves them. Unfortunately (for me) she needs a lot of assistance. How many times a day do I need to do a Pooh puzzle? Too many. I’ve been trying to work on her logic and spacial skills by “thinking” through the puzzle in different ways each time. Sometimes we start by putting all the edge pieces in a pile and all the middle pieces in a pile and put the whole edge together before doing the middle. Sometimes we just look at all of them and see what fits together. Sometimes we chose a particular scene (for instance, the cow) and put it together then chose another part of the scene to put together. I’m hoping this helps her build those critical thinking muscles.

Then of course, you can move on to pattern blocks and boards like these.

Educational Toys: Visual/Spatial Relationships

There are a lot of different pattern blocks and boards out there but we really like the Mighty Mind ones. We have the magnetic version, which helps Naomi focus on the patterns and shapes rather than the fact that her blocks are sliding out of position (which is a deal breaker for her). There are all different shapes and sizes of the magnetic blocks. They come in red, blue, green and yellow. The pattern cards start off really easy on card number one and get very difficult by card number 30.

Here is card number one.

The early cards show you exactly which pieces you will need to complete the pattern.

Naomi's assistant usually guards all the magnets until they are needed. Then Naomi just asks for the color and shape she needs and Daphne will hand them to her. Learning for everyone! Through trial and error Naomi puts all the magnets together to create the shape on the card.

This activity is recommended for ages 3 through 8 but I'm sure a 2 year old could do the first couple cards at least. It will take Naomi years before she can complete all of them but she doesn't mind doing the ones she can do over and over again.

For the cost conscious parent you can probably cut out your own shapes out of cardboard or cardstock and make some patterns on paper yourself. You can "laminate" the shapes and cards with clear contact paper too.

A Little Perspective

Naomi asks a lot of questions. A lot. She needs to know the hows, whens and who's about every situation. Every morning she makes sure to ask what exactly we'll be doing for the day, not to leave out any details. If any details are a bit hazy she asks for some clarification. If I say "we are going to Grandma's house to spend the night" she'll say "who is going?" Then she'll follow up with, "and what are you going to do?" Which means "Will you be leaving me there?" Then she'll ask more specifics about sleeping arrangements, what we'll be eating, who will be coming over, etc. etc. While I usually get a little tired of all the questions, I know she is just filing all the information away in her brain to make sense of her surroundings and her life.

These questions always get me thinking about what it must be like to be a young little person in this world. How scary and uncertain it must be sometimes. I've tried to make our house a bit more kid friendly by making some artwork at their eye level, providing step stools where they need them, having child sized furniture, etc. I'm sure there are many more things that can be done. I know it is important to make your movements thoughtful, not rushed, so that the kids have time to react to your movement (i.e. not get knocked over in your rush) as well as so they can watch and learn from your movements. Since kids learn from modeling, it is important to allow them to watch the steps you take to complete a task. Talking through your actions is also really helpful to eliminate some of the confusion. Don't forget to explain things in detailed ways. You may know a subject like the back of your hand and not even realize you are explaining things WAY above your little one's head.

Now, imagine what your life would be like if you were 3 feet tall and just trying to figure out what is going on. How would you want things explained to you? What would you like to know? Probably everything! And I know one thing is for sure, if you were 3 years old you wouldn't forget any details of what is told to you! If someone tells you at 8 a.m. that you can have a popsicle after your nap, you can bet that will be the first thing on your mind when you wake up!

Sensory Tub: Plain ol' White Rice

I bought a 50 lb. bag of rice the other day and poured about 1/3 of it into the sensory tub today when some of the cousins were over. Daphne, who is still 1, Naomi (3), Sophia (5), and Gabe (8) played in the rice for hours! It made a huge mess and there is rice all over the house but who cares! I put some scoops, shovels, measuring cups and a couple sand toys into the tub and they stayed very busy. I plan to dye some of the rice for future projects but for now this plain rice is loads of fun. It will probably stay in the tub for at least a few days. I still have to find a bag big enough to store it in when I take it out!

Paper Mache

We had a few friends over today to do some paper mache with us. I wasn't sure how well Daphne or Naomi would be able to do it but I know they'll enjoy painting it once it is dry. I used the recipe from this book. I mixed 2 cups of flour, 1/2 a cup of sugar and some water to make a thick paste. Then add the rest of a half gallon of warm water to the paste and bring to a boil. Stirring constantly until the paste is translucent and thick. Remove from the head and then add another 1/2 gallon of cold water and stir. Easy. I'd really recommend cutting the recipe in 1/4 or less. A gallon of paste is enough to paper mache a room. I am attempting to freeze our leftovers. I'll let you know how that goes.

Naomi wasn't fond of getting her hands messy, neither was Daphne. Naomi was able to have the attention span to paper mache about half of her 1/2 gallon milk container that I cut the top off of. I finished it for her because I knew she'd love painting it in a couple days. I had Daphne work on a flat piece of cardboard I cut from a cereal box. She had the patience to do about 4 or 5 pieces of paper (with help).

Our friends were a bit older and the 1st grader definitely enjoyed this project the most. Here he is concentrating on his work.

Here is Naomi working on her project.

I'll let you know how well this paste dries. It cleaned up easily (just clean up before it dries on your table and in your pan). I used little styrofoam cartons I buy sliced mushrooms in to put a little paste in for the kids to easily dredge their newspaper strip in. Make sure they get the paste on both sides of the paper and then wipe off the excess. This project is doable for the 3 years and up age group but probably less parent help is needed if you get to 5 years old and above. Either way though, it is fun to create.

Sensory Tub: Straws

My girls are not proficient with scissors. Daphne can't open and close them at all and Naomi has a fairly difficult time figuring them out. In her defense, I haven't done a whole lot of cutting exercises with her, and she is just three... This sensory tub activity is supposed to help with scissors skills. I put a couple hundred stirring straws into the tub with a couple pairs of scissors and let them have fun. Naomi cut for a while and Daphne held the straws and told me where to cut. I've read that the straws will morph into another activity when they become little pieces. I've also read it is good to have multiple sizes of straws so the kids can do things like put one inside the other, etc.

Of course, once they were tired of cutting they moved on to this

And this

I plan on keeping all the straws in a large ziplock bag. When they are too small to cut anymore we can use them like we would rice in the tub, or use them for artwork. I am assuming the giant bag of them that I bought at Costco will last years.

Sensory Tub: Screw on Caps

My sensory tub finally arrived last week. I've been collecting ideas of ways to use it. The basic concept of the sensory tub (or table) is that it is a place for toddlers and preschoolers to explore things with their hands. Many people have sand and water tables and this is just an extension of that idea. I bought this tub but there are many, many more out there. The cheapest way to do this is to buy a plastic tote. I'd recommend something at least 6 inches deep and not more than 12 inches deep. You can put it on the floor if you want or put it up on a little table.

I'll be sharing some of my many stolen and original ideas for this tub in the future. The first one we did was what I call "screw on caps." I have been collecting jars and bottles of different shapes and sizes for a while now instead of recycling them. I put them all in the tub with the caps off and the girls get to work putting the caps on the right container and attempt to screw them on correctly. It actually surprised me how well they are able to do this. When they finish I just take the lids back off and the girls can start over whenever they want.

This table is rather large so I plan on keeping it out all the time. I bought the lid with it so when I don't want the girls to get into it I just put the lid on. I can't wait to try the rest of my ideas.

In the kitchen: Popsicles

I have very fond memories of making popsicles as a child. We usually just mixed up some juice and poured it into the popsicle mold and waited for it to freeze (in the freezer of course). While these are good, they usually have the consistency of an ice cube so I thought I’d try to make something a little more like a popsicle. Well, we succeeded. We blended up some strawberries and blueberries and added a bit of water and then poured the mix into the molds. The results? Fantastic if you ask me or Naomi. Not sweet enough if you ask Arthur and Daphne. The consistency was just like a juice popsicle you’d buy at the store. So, if you want it to be a bit sweet, just add a bit of sugar while you blend. Enjoy.