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October 27, 2011 by Amanda Leave a Comment

Family Pictures

Did you know that even the youngest infants can remember people’s faces from pictures? I always thought that was pretty cool.

We live pretty far away from family and only really get to see them a few times a year. It is very important to me to have J know his extended family. One way I do that is by having magnetic pictures of our family that I put on the fridge for J to explore.

These are so easy to make! I gathered the pictures I wanted to use, magnets, and self-laminating sheets. I placed the magnet on the picture before laminating it (magnets are a choking hazard). One of the best things about displaying picture in laminating sheets is that they can be cleaned so easily and they are nearly impossible to ruin.

~Amanda

October 26, 2011 by Amanda Leave a Comment

Fall Fun–Orange

The weather is turning colder and Fall is officially here. It is my favorite time of year and I am looking forward to introducing J to everything Fall!

ORANGE is currently my favorite color! Yes, my favorite color does seem to change depending on my mood, the season, or just on a whim. Orange is always on my list of favorites. I love that it’s such a great Fall color, so we have been working with the color orange a lot lately.

During naptime I made some playdough and dyed it orange (see recipe at the end of the post for the playdough). It was J’s first time exploring playdough and he was really focused on it for a long while. Based on his smiles and laughter…I’d say he loved it! Playdough is such a wonderful sensory experience and is great for cognitive development and problem solving.

Paint in a plastic bag that’s taped to a window. I can’t say that this was a favorite of J’s, but I’ve seen other children love this.

Orange leaf drawings. J and I went on a nature walk and collected leaves along the way. I taped some of the leaves between two sheets of paper and then gave J an orange crayon. That’s about all the direction that he needed. He immediately started scribbling and the impressions of the leaves showed right up! J was very interested in the texture of the leaves so I opened up the top sheet to show him the leaves beneath. I do not believe in destroying a child’s artwork in front of them and I tried not to rip the top sheet….however, J had other plans.

Here are some more ways to incorporate learning colors into your day:

-Dress in the color of the day

-Have a snack in that color (orange cheese, goldfish, carrots)

-Do a scavenger hunt and find as many objects in that color as possible

-Make a sensory tray only using that color

Playdough Recipe

1 1/2 C flour

3/4 C salt

1 1/2 C water

1 Tbs vegetable oil

1/2 Tbs cream of tarter

As much food coloring as you wish

Put all ingredients into a pot on medium-low heat and stir occasionally until ingredients mold together into one lump. Then pour dough onto a piece of wax paper and let cool for a minutes.

Here’s a website with a bunch different ways to make playdough.

~Amanda

October 25, 2011 by Amanda Leave a Comment

Sensory Trays: Why, How, and Where?

J’s favorite activity is playing in sensory trays. He gets so excited when he sees it and will play with it for the longest time….like 20 minutes…and that’s forever in toddler time.

WHY do a sensory tray?
I’ve recently had one Mom ask me why I do sensory trays with J and what the purpose was. Well, here’s the breakdown. Sensory trays help enhance all the senses and it provides a wonderful self-directed play time. It also helps with the development of creativity, fine motor skills, and cognitive development. Another perk is that it helps build self-esteem!

Think about it…

Today J took a bunch of dry beans and put them inside a cylinder container and then poured all the beans into another cup. That may not seem like a big deal to an adult, but J thought it was the best thing ever. He learned that he was able to make a plan, try it, and succeed at it. Isn’t that what builds confidence in all of us…making a plan, trying, and then succeeding!?

Plus, if you’re anything like me, having your child sitting and engaged in something for 20 minutes is heaven!

So….HOW do you do a sensory tray?

First of all, sensory trays can be used for pretty much any age…starting at infancy. Just make sure that the objects are age appropriate (like no choking hazards for babies).

Use any container that you wish. I’ve used tubberware boxes and cardboard boxes. My favorite box is the white dishwashing tub I found a Target super cheap. You don’t need anything special, just any ol’ box will do.

Sensory trays are probably the easiest thing to do with your children. You can put anything you want into the tray! Most of the time I look around the house and see what I already have laying around that would be good in the box.

Most of my trays follow some sort of theme

I’ve done:

BLUE TRAY – rice, blue beads, blue construction paper, blue and white pom poms, blue pipe cleaners, blue foam stars, a blue magnet I had, and a blue chip clip.

RED TRAY – red beans, red hearts, white pom poms, red pipe cleaners, red bowl, and red letters.

WHITE TRAY – Pasta, white dog bones, foam stars, pom poms, white pipe cleaners, paper plate, and navy beans in a white container.

DINOSAUR TRAY – navy beans, foam dinosaur shapes, 2 small bowls, marbles, and pasta.

FARM ANIMAL TRAY – oats, rake, bowls, easter eggs, and farm animals from a puzzle.

HALLOWEEN TRAY – black beans, bouncy ball eyeballs, bat rings, spider rings, marbles, plastic skeletons, orange foam bucket…I added a cylinder container later.

AUTUMN NATURE TRAY – leaves and pine straw we picked up on our nature walk, and fall colored feathers.

SAND TRAY – sand from our sandbox, shovel, marbles, and bowls.

WATER TRAY – I dyed the water in this one red, but I’ve also done others where I added soap for bubbles, or done them just plain. Add cups, measuring spoons, things that sink or float. The ideas on endless on this one.

RICE TRAY – rice, beads, measuring spoons

DIRT TRAY – planting soil and cars

Some other ideas are:
-Playdough (or any kind of gooey dough)
-Paper and scissors
-Popcorn
-Bubble solution
-Corn Starch
-Ice Cubes
-Shells
-Buttons

You can seriously add whatever you want. It’s a great way for you to get creative too!

WHERE do you do a sensory tray?

Anywhere you want!

There can be a bit of a mess factor, so you might want to take that into consideration before picking a spot. I usually do them in J’s high chair or booster seat. There’s no good reason for this…it’s just where we do it. As you can see from the examples, I’ve also done them on the floor. It could be fun to do them outside as well. Outside is also a good place if you mind the mess that these can sometimes make.

The most important thing about picking a place is that you want to make sure that the child is able to fully explore the tray. Make sure that’s not too tall that he can’t see or reach everything inside the box.
NOW…go out there, get creative, and make a sensory tray! They are the best things ever…in my opinion.

October 25, 2011 by Amanda Leave a Comment

Pumpkins!

I’ve heard so many Mom’s say that their child is too young to do crafts with or that they can’t wait until their kids are old enough to do holiday activities. I say…they’re never too young! Check out J at 17 months helping us carve pumpkins.

He loved scooping out the slimy insides of the pumpkin and watching Dad carve out the face.

Later that day he helped season and stir the seeds for toasting.

~Amanda

October 25, 2011 by Amanda Leave a Comment

Daddy Book

My husband goes out of town a lot and is often gone for multiple weeks at a time. I am always looking for ways of keeping him in our daily lives when he’s not here. One way I’m doing this is by having a Daddy book that J can look at anytime he wants to.

To make the book:
1) Take any old board book that you don’t want anymore.
2) Print out the pictures you want to use.
3) Decorate however you want. I used scrapbooking paper.
4) Glue everything down…Modge Podge works well for this.
3) Cover each page with clear contact paper.
Then presto…you have your own board book!
J loves this book and I am planning on making one with picture of all our extended family members.

Another Daddy Activity

Here’s another activity that I do with J when his Daddy is out of town. Daddy hide and seek! I take a picture of my husband and cover it up with a blanket. J loves pulling off the blanket and giggles every time!

~Amanda