Materials:
Glass jars or clear containers with wide mouths (including lids)
Favorite toys or brightly colored fabrics
Place a toy in each jar or container and screw the lid on just a turn. Show your child how to unscrew the lid to get the toy out. As he or she gets better at unscrewing the lid you can screw it more and more.
M* had a good time with this but this but all the while I sat there thinking, do I really want her to know how to get into jars? Hmm....
Friday, April 2, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
A Particular Shopping Day
My wallet is regularly unpacked. It doesn't matter where I put my bag or how far down I try to hide my wallet M* always seems to find it and then proceeds to tear out all the cards and throw them around the house. It only took me once missing it at the cash register and having to send all my food back to check for it before I leave for the store.
On a particular shopping morning I searched for it everywhere and could not find it. Realizing we had absolutely nothing to eat and I needed to go I pulled out a credit card in hopes of finding the missing debit later.
My daughter used to do really well at the store but lately she just has NO patience. Some days she'll play the, "put this in the basket for me game" and other days if I ask her to do that she throws the food on the floor. Some days she'll hold the shopping list and other days it's ripped to shreds before we get past produce. This particular shopping day she did not want to do either. All she wanted to do is play with one of those plastic bags you put your veggies and meats in. I know know it says on the bag keep away from children but I let her.
So we finish shopping and I take away this bag and substitute them for the car keys which hurray it worked. And then it happened, M* had found a hole in the check out stand where some wires came through and dropped the keys down there. "Where go?" she says in her innocent little voice. AGH! They had to take apart half of the belt to get the keys out and it took forever. I didn't even know those belt things came apart but apparently they do. This whole time I am just red with shame and embarrassment. Luckily they were able to find them and get them out and they didn't ban us from the store.
We get home and M* helps by pulling all the groceries out of the bag-it's hard to stay mad at her when she is so sweet. After groceries are put away she wants to go play with toys so I open her little people house for her and there is the debit card. She grabs it and hands it to me, "Here go mama." What a stinker.
Your turn, what do you do to survive these public crazy kid moments? Do you sometimes let them do things that probably aren't the safest to keep the screaming, crying, and kicking monster at bay? When they really mess up at this age do you try to explain to them they messed up or do you just let it go? I feel like at this age when you are encouraging them to explore their surroundings it's hard to be upset when they drop keys into the dark abyss, but maybe I should have told her that was naughty. I don't know, what do you think?
On a particular shopping morning I searched for it everywhere and could not find it. Realizing we had absolutely nothing to eat and I needed to go I pulled out a credit card in hopes of finding the missing debit later.
My daughter used to do really well at the store but lately she just has NO patience. Some days she'll play the, "put this in the basket for me game" and other days if I ask her to do that she throws the food on the floor. Some days she'll hold the shopping list and other days it's ripped to shreds before we get past produce. This particular shopping day she did not want to do either. All she wanted to do is play with one of those plastic bags you put your veggies and meats in. I know know it says on the bag keep away from children but I let her.
So we finish shopping and I take away this bag and substitute them for the car keys which hurray it worked. And then it happened, M* had found a hole in the check out stand where some wires came through and dropped the keys down there. "Where go?" she says in her innocent little voice. AGH! They had to take apart half of the belt to get the keys out and it took forever. I didn't even know those belt things came apart but apparently they do. This whole time I am just red with shame and embarrassment. Luckily they were able to find them and get them out and they didn't ban us from the store.
We get home and M* helps by pulling all the groceries out of the bag-it's hard to stay mad at her when she is so sweet. After groceries are put away she wants to go play with toys so I open her little people house for her and there is the debit card. She grabs it and hands it to me, "Here go mama." What a stinker.
Your turn, what do you do to survive these public crazy kid moments? Do you sometimes let them do things that probably aren't the safest to keep the screaming, crying, and kicking monster at bay? When they really mess up at this age do you try to explain to them they messed up or do you just let it go? I feel like at this age when you are encouraging them to explore their surroundings it's hard to be upset when they drop keys into the dark abyss, but maybe I should have told her that was naughty. I don't know, what do you think?
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Hats off to Hats
Materials:
Hats and other random things to place on your head
Place different hats on your head and on your child's head. When you put thing on that don't belong tell your tot how silly it is-don't you love the word silly? Just saying it erupts smiles at our house. Make noises with each hat you put on; for example sirens when you put on a fire hat.
Hats and other random things to place on your head
Place different hats on your head and on your child's head. When you put thing on that don't belong tell your tot how silly it is-don't you love the word silly? Just saying it erupts smiles at our house. Make noises with each hat you put on; for example sirens when you put on a fire hat.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Bubble Blowing
So I don't want to be all about, "buy this for your kid", "oh, this is great buy this for your kid" but...buy this for your kid. My tot LOVES bubbles but for some reason she's not like the other kids and can just pop them she has to be holding the container, which big open bubble containers in her hands means lots of spilled bubbles. These things by Little Kids Inc are genius. It's like a sippy cup for bubbles only it works way better than any sippy cup we own. We got one at Target for $2 and it's totally worth it with all the money you save on spilled bubbles and all the time you save changing clothes, and now we can blow bubbles inside anytime we want. They also have big buckets with multiple wands in them if that sort of thing is your cup of tea.
As a side note has anyone seen or used one of those bubble pipe things? Were you blow into the end and then out the other end comes bubble-delight? I wonder if they are easy enough for a toddler to blow their own bubbles. Maybe, we'll have to try it one day.
Blanket Wagon
Materials:
Blanket or Sheet
Have your child sit on the sheet. Gently pull him across the floor. That's it! Pretty simple eh? After we had gone up and down our hallway a couple times I gave M* a stirring spoon and showed her how to "paddle" while I sang "Row Row Row Your Boat."
Blanket or Sheet
Have your child sit on the sheet. Gently pull him across the floor. That's it! Pretty simple eh? After we had gone up and down our hallway a couple times I gave M* a stirring spoon and showed her how to "paddle" while I sang "Row Row Row Your Boat."
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Farm Themed Day
What kid doesn't love farm animals?? Oh...you there in the pink, your kid doesn't? Well...weird...
Have a farm day! Eat only things from a farm (if you stretch enough you could really make anything come from a farm). Talk about what animal lays eggs, what animals make milk, how crops grow etc. Your child may not understand exactly what you're saying but exposure is key.
Go visit a farm. If you don't have a farm in your area chances are you do have a petting zoo. Check out this website for help finding one. http://www.pettingzoofarm.com/ They have a lot of states missing so try google if you can't find one.
Follow the visit up by some quiet story time about farms. Hit the local library if you don't have any.
If your child is old enough make a craft that has to do with a farm animal. Keep it simple like turkey handprints or make a yellow pom pom into a chick.
Sand Box
Materials:
Sand or Dirt
Buckets, bowls, shovels...you know the basics.
Ahh spring how we've missed you! I found this bucket and shovel at the dollar store and thought might as well try it (I think I saw the same thing for $1 at target if it makes you feel better buying it there). We spent an hour loading up the bucket and dumping it in. If you don't have a sand box around get a pot of dirt and set it up on your porch, it'll be just as fun and just as messy.
Does anyone have any cool things they do with their toddler in the sand? I just don't feel it's true potential has been unlocked at our family.
Sand or Dirt
Buckets, bowls, shovels...you know the basics.
Ahh spring how we've missed you! I found this bucket and shovel at the dollar store and thought might as well try it (I think I saw the same thing for $1 at target if it makes you feel better buying it there). We spent an hour loading up the bucket and dumping it in. If you don't have a sand box around get a pot of dirt and set it up on your porch, it'll be just as fun and just as messy.
Does anyone have any cool things they do with their toddler in the sand? I just don't feel it's true potential has been unlocked at our family.
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