Productive Parenting

Mom Feature: Meet Brianna

2012-10-24T14:25:00.001-04:00

Meet Brianna

My name is Brianna, and I blog at This Rookie Wife. I was married on May 7, 2011 to my Youth Pastor hubby. We discovered we were pregnant a few months after getting married, and I gave birth to our first child, a baby girl, on May 16, 2012.

I`m a stay-at-home mom, although I consider blogging my part-time job. I also will be getting more involved in my husband`s ministry in the fall.

What surprised you the most about motherhood?
I wasn't expecting to be so totally and completely exhausted. Even though my daughter, who is 5-months-old, is sleeping through the night, I still feel totally drained by the end of the day.

I also didn't now what a parent`s love would feel like, and I am surprised by the changes that I see in myself. I`m totally overwhelmed with love for my baby girl. It`s a precious feeling to have.

Oh, one final thing: I didn't realize how difficult it is to have a hot meal when you have a baby. My daughter always seems to be hungry right when my dinner is ready!

What do you think prepared you the most for becoming a mom?
I read a lot of books, especially on breastfeeding. I watched a lot of videos too and talked to moms who recommended that I get certain products, etc.

I found preparing myself practically did help me a bit with motherhood, but nothing prepares you like the first day of actually being a parent!

What is your "typical" day like these days?
Right now I`m typically breastfeeding a lot throughout the day, playing with my daughter (and getting great tips from Productive Parenting), and spending time relaxing by blogging and reading.

I don't get out much, which is sometimes hard, but I just tell myself that this is a short season that will be over shortly!

What are you looking forward to the most as your baby grows up?
To be honest, I try not to look forward. I have a problem with wishing the time away. I did that when I was in high school and wished for university. In university I wished for a career. When I dated my husband I wished for marriage.

Now, I just tell myself that I need to enjoy my little girl and not think about what comes next, because this time just goes by too fast.

What will you miss the most about these baby years?
Everything! I keep trying to soak up every minute of this time with her. I like that she doesn't get into things yet. I like that she snuggles with me, and I can kiss her over and over and she doesn't mind. I like that she sleeps lots at night and has lots of naps during the day! I`m going to miss this time when my pumpkin gets bigger!

Follow Brianna and her family at her blog: http://thisrookiewife.blogspot.ca/

How to Continue Seeing Updates in Facebook

2012-10-19T15:24:00.002-04:00

Facebook has made a few changes, and you're no longer seeing all of your fan page updates in your newsfeed. In fact, you probably aren't seeing most of them. Follow the steps below to never miss an update again!

1. Log into your personal Facebook account. (Please note that you must be using a computer, this does not work on mobile devices.)

2. Go to one of your fan pages (like Productive Parenting)

3. Like the page, if you haven't already.

4. Hover over LIKED. When a dropdown menu appears, click on Add to Interest Lists.

5. Follow the instructions to add this fan page to a list you've already created or create a new list.

6. The next time you use Facebook, you can click on any of your lists to see every single update from the pages you've added to the list.

We're looking forward to connecting with you on Facebook!

What to Do Wednesday: Fruit Kebabs

2012-08-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

Target Age:
Late Four-Year Old

Materials You Will Need:

toothpicks or wooden skewers
variety of fruits

What To Do:
Let your child choose several new fruits at the grocery store, (or stick with old favorites).

Invite your child to help you wash, peel, and cut the fruits into bite sized chunks or slices.

Show your child how to skewer the fruit onto the toothpicks in a variety of patterns.

Share your healthy snack with friends or family members.

Skills Learned:

Fine Motor
Eye Hand Coordination
Vocabulary Enrichment

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

What to Do Wednesday: Performing Star

2012-08-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Target Age:
Early Three-Year Old

Materials You Will Need:

props
costumes

What To Do:
Children love making make believe stories seem real through play.

Choose one of your child's favorite storybooks, then create costume props for the book's characters. Read the story then get out the props and dress yourself as well as your child as the characters.

Act out the story together!

Variations:
Use puppets to act out the story.

Skills Learned:

Creative Expression
Creative Movement
Emotional Development
Role Play

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

What to Do Wednesday: Mixing Colors

2012-08-01T15:05:00.000-04:00

Target Age:
Middle One-Year Old

Materials You Will Need:

paint
brushes
large sheet of paper

What To Do:
Children love to paint and create new colors! Weather permitting, place construction paper on the driveway or large piece of vinyl on an easel, (if you are indoors.)

Choose two primary colors your child has not worked with.

Example: Red and blue or red and yellow.

Let your child paint.

When the colors merge point out that, "You made purple!" or "You made orange!"

Variations:
Label the picture: RED + BLUE = PURPLE.
RED + YELLOW = ORANGE

Skills Learned:

Concept Development

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

What to Do Wednesday: Key Shake

2012-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

Target Age:
Early Infant

Materials You Will Need:

keys or a rattle

What To Do:
Visual tracking is an important exercise for your child. Place your child on a soft blanket. Use a set of keys (or rattle). Shake the keys and move them from left to right, from your child's chin down to the stomach and up to the crown of the head.

Move the keys to the back of the head. Observe your child's eyes tracking.

Skills Learned:

Visual Tracking
Visual Stimulation

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

What to Do Wednesday: Feet Fishing

2012-07-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

Target Age:
Late Two-Year Old

Materials You Will Need:

wading pool
soap bubbles
plastic toys

What To Do:
Fill a small wading pool with water, then add lots of dish soap and toys that don't float. Have your child sit in a chair and use his/her feet to locate the treasures and guessing what they are before pulling them out feet first.

Variations:
Fill the bath tub and enjoy the activity.

Skills Learned:

Eye Foot Coordination
Tactile Stimulation

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

What to Do Wednesday: Yarn Path

2012-06-20T04:00:00.000-04:00

Target Age:
Middle One-Year-Old

Materials You Will Need:

long piece of string

What To Do:
Children love to explore!

Make a path for your child, using string.

Secure one end of the string to a piece of furniture. Have your child enjoy following the path around the house, by walking on the string.

You may want to have a surprise treat waiting for your child at the end of the path!

Skills Learned:

Visual Development

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

What to Do Wednesday: Finger Paint Practice

2012-06-13T04:00:00.000-04:00

Target Age:
Middle Three-Year-Old

Materials You Will Need:

paper
tray
finger paint

What To Do:
This fun activity will provide an opportunity for your child to practice handwriting with finger paint.

Place some finger paint on a tray or piece of paper. Have your child make letters, numbers, or his/her name in the finger paint.

Encourage your child to practice handwriting using two fingers.

Variations: If your child makes a particularly good representation of his/her name or letters, you can make a print by pressing a large piece of paper over the painting, then lifting it off. This will be much easier to display on the refrigerator than the heavy paintings typically created with finger paint.

Skills Learned:

Language Development
Fine Motor
Pre-Writing

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

What to Do Wednesday: Painting the Driveway

2012-06-06T04:00:00.000-04:00

Target Age:
Late Infant

Materials You Will Need:

washable paint
toddler brushes

What To Do:
Provide two containers of washable paint and toddler paint brushes.
Let your child enjoy painting the driveway.

The rain or a hose will wash it off. Your child will enjoy the large space for painting.

Variations: ''Paint'' the driveway using water.

Skills Learned:

Creative Expression
Gross Motor

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

What to Do Wednesday: Worms

2012-05-30T04:00:00.000-04:00

Target Age:
Early Two-Year-Old

Materials You Will Need:

soil
container

What To Do:
Children love to explore nature!

After the next rainfall, take your child on a nature walk to look for worms. Show your child how to gently pick up a worm and put it in the container.

Collect two or more worms.

Put the worms in a terrarium or other container. Put soil, leaves, sticks, rocks, and plant a few small plants.

Ask your child,
"How did the worm feel on your hand?"
"What does it look like?"
"Where does it live?"
"How does it move?"

Skills Learned:

Sensory Development
Language Development
Concept Development

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

Baby Unplugged

2012-05-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

Baby Unplugged is a wonderful blog that launched this year.

Author is Dr. John S. Hutton, a pediatrician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, author, and owner of the award-winning blue manatee children’s bookstore and decafé and affiliate e-commerce site, blue manatee boxes.

Dr. John's main message is to keep kids screen-free until the age of 3.

A few words from Dr. John:

All parents want what’s best for their kids. A central message of Baby Unplugged is reassurance that, because of hardwired developmental stages, “old-school” – Blanket, Pets, Yard, Ball, Book – is exactly that. Childhood is not a degree-based program. Key drivers of learning are as analog as ever: interaction with caring, engaged grownups and ample opportunity to explore the world in a multi-sensorial, child-fueled, sense-of-wonder way.

Genuine creativity, curiosity, and the learning they foster flow from simple ingredients: a piece of paper, a cardboard box, the sky, books, time. The real risk of falling behind in the digital age is in traditional skills, those where technology and the distraction it brings, gets in the way.

Though traditional skills are perceived as a given – e.g. “all children love nature, and are curious and creative” – they are learned, and take time, focus, and practice. They are also best learned in early childhood, when growth and caregiver engagement are at their peak. Computer skills are important but will come later – this is unavoidable, and many of us prone to work at our computers at night and on weekends often wish it wasn’t.

Herein, opportunity: the first three years. Shorter than college, but far more potent. And with a guarantee: unplugged babies will be the leanest, strongest, most curious, creative, calm, confident, and self-motivated, with the longest attention spans, of their peers. They will run circles around them.

Given this analog base, like the founders of Intel, Oracle, and Apple, they will also be the ones who will go on to assimilate what they’ve learned with the tools of the digital world. And importantly, they will be more likely to see technology in its proper context – as a tool.

Not as replacement for people, or face-to-face/pet interaction, or creating something from imagination.

If technology was required, Steve Jobs could never have grown up to found Apple.

But perhaps the most urgent motivation for keeping children screen-free until 3 is that it’s the only time they can be.

Technology used to be something to look forward to – cartoons on Saturday, going to the arcade, watching a movie during prime time – but now it’s something we literally can not escape. We are always on, always available, with more choices than we ever thought possible, or even necessary.

Once kids go to school, technology begins to envelop their lives, taking on greater prominence until, around age 10, the only thing they do more than interact with/gaze at screens is sleep (though not always).

It’s not all bad, of course. Tech is here to stay, rightfully so. Much of it has improved our lives and productivity dramatically – email, cell phones, the Internet, and especially this blog – but one size does not fit all.

Young children don’t need a productivity boost, nor 800 friends on Facebook. They don’t need a Club Penguin virtual world avatar – they’re just getting a handle on their real world selves. They don’t need creativity boosters or virtual tokens rewarding them for poking shapes on a screen.

The rainforest is awesome but can surely wait – the park and backyard beckon. Babies don’t need to know how to read – not yours, not mine, not anyone’s. They do like mastering things like turning pages, though: look, a pincer grasp!

And so, we should give our children this gift: 3-years in the real world. This is the only time in their lives that they will experience it in a primary, non-virtual way.

Hear more of Dr. John's thoughts, read great book reviews and find more screen-free activities to do with your kids by visiting Baby Unplugged.

What to Do Wednesday: Aim and Spray

2012-05-23T14:36:00.000-04:00

Target Age:
Late Four-Year-Old

Materials You Will Need:

water bottles
hose

What To Do:
On the next warm day outside, place 5 - 6 partially filled water bottles in a line on a table or on the ground.

Have your child stand behind the line and try to spray the bottles over with a hose.

Encourage your child to stand back further to increase the challenge.

Variations: Do this in the bathtub with a spray bottle and empty water bottles lined up at the back edge of the tub.

Count together as the sprayed bottles fall.

Skills Learned:

Coordination
Visual Tracking

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

The Very Beginning, Reading to Your Early Infant

2012-05-21T14:26:00.001-04:00

By Kathryn Margaret Evans Ombam

Reading to your infant can be a wonderful, nurturing and soothing experience for both you and your baby.

Reading can be a great time to connect and calm, cuddle and coo, and begin the lifelong learning process for your child.

Your infant will be most interested in hearing your voice and watching you as you read. Don’t be frustrated if they don’t actually focus on the books much, trust me, they are listening!

The images they will enjoy the most will be high contrast: black and white, bright colors, darkly outlined illustrations, and simple photographic images.

Try to choose times when the baby is mostly alert. Most new parents are so tired, there are always times when the baby is awake and you are tired.

I found those to be our best times to read.

I would place my daughter on her bouncy seat, on my chest, or sometimes even during “tummy time”. Then I would get as close to the baby as I could – less than 12 inches away – and read with the book about 6 inches from her.

I personally liked to read books with an actual story, instead of those with just images, I found them more interesting and if I was interested, I read to her more.

Even tiny babies are working hard to understand facial expressions and emotions, so it is never too early to start practicing your funny voices, and animating the story to the extent you are comfortable.

You may notice that if you find your silly side, everything feels a little lighter after a particularly fun book.

So while you are planting the seeds of future literacy, accent, pronunciation, letter and word identification, and all other aspects of language, remember the most important thing to focus on is spending time with your baby!

The act of reading together is just another way to encourage social interaction, enjoy a few moments and begin to share what will hopefully be a long career of reading together.

For starters, try these titles:

Look, Look By Peter Linenthal
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? By Eric Carle
Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton
(There is an official tune, but try creating your own to this sing-songy book!)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar By Eric Carle
Baby Faces by Orli Zuravicky

Kathryn Ombam is a writer, editor, and career counselor whose specialty is in business and academic writing. She has most extensively worked with artists and designers.

Her bibliophile status and her editing work were her primary writing outlet until inspiration hit in the form of a writing contest in 2006. Her current efforts can be attributed to a fiction writing group, her blogs, and her ongoing desire to comment on her life.

Ms. Ombam’s first published work of fiction will be published in an upcoming short story anthology. She also writes a children’s book review blog: http://readingbaby.blogspot.com

Members Receive a Discount on Books
We've partnered with Blue Manatee children's bookstore to share a list of YOUR favorite books. (You can see it right here.)

AND - you can receive a 10% discount on all of your purchases by entering discount code: PRODUCTIVE.

What to Do Wednesday: Dice Addition

2012-05-16T06:00:00.002-04:00

Target Age:
Late Four-Year Old

Materials You Will Need:

paper
pencil
pennies
pair of dice

What To Do:

Introduce your child to this fun number game: "Dice Addition." Have your child roll one die and count the objects. If the die indicates 4, have your child count out 4 pennies.

Have your child roll the second die and again count out that many pennies, (or other objects).

Combine both sets and count them all to get the total number of pennies, (or other objects). If your child seems interested, you may want to write the problem 4+3=7.

Variations:
You can also make your own large dice with boxes covered in white craft paper with dots indicating the numbers.

Skills Learned:

Visual Discrimination
Counting Concepts
Concept Development

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

What to Do Wednesday: Food Coloring Mix

2012-05-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

Target Age:
Early Three-Year Old

Materials You Will Need:

yellow, red, blue food colors
3 empty containers
3 water containers

What To Do:

Mix 3 separate containers of water with each of the following: red, blue, and yellow food coloring. Have your child pick the following colors to mix: (red and blue/ red and yellow/ blue and yellow).

Have your child pour equal amounts of each into an empty container. Continue until your child makes purple, and orange, and green. Experiment with different amounts of the primary colors to see the variations in color produced.

Variations:
Write out a key for color mixing, using crayons and paper. It will say red + blue= purple, etc. Use colored circles instead of words.

Let your child experiment with color mixing when painting at the easel or a table.

Skills Learned:

Visual Discrimination
Concept Development
Cause and Effect

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

What to Do Wednesday: Pack Your Bag

2012-05-02T06:00:00.001-04:00

Target Age:
Late Two-Year Old

Materials You Will Need:

tote bag
clothes
toothbrush
comb
brush

What To Do:
Pretend you are going on a trip! "Let's pretend we are going on a trip. We have to pack your suitcase. What do we have to put in the suitcase?" Let your child make decisions about what to put in the suitcase. You can ask questions such as, "Do you think you will need socks?"

Variations:
Put a tote bag or small suitcase in your child's play area with clothes in it for your child to pack and unpack.

Skills Learned:

Problem Solving
Self Concept
Language Development

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

What to Do Wednesday: Scrub a Rock

2012-04-25T06:00:00.001-04:00

Target Age:
Middle One-Year Old

Materials You Will Need:

towel
scrub brush
soap
large rock
container of water

What To Do:
Scrubbing will help develop your child's upper body strength and eye/hand coordination. Some children scrub for long periods of time. Show your child how to put the scrub brush in the soapy water and scrub a muddy rock. Observe the time your child spends on this activity. Towel it off afterwards.

Skills Learned:

Upper Body Strength
Eye Hand Coordination
Attention Span
Gross Motor

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

Four Ways to Build Your Child's Library

2012-04-23T02:13:00.000-04:00

By Kathryn Margaret Evans Ombam

Imagine an enormously pregnant woman with a huge smile on her very swollen face; that was me when I realized could register for books. I registered for a dozen for me and another dozen for my baby. And so began our library of children’s books.

But staring at seemingly endless shelves at a bookstore or library can be intimidating. Do you go for the classics? Try something new? Buy all-Elmo, all-the-time?

Here are some tips for navigating the shelves of your local book shop.

First Rule: Try to read the books from beginning to end right there in the store.

If you are buying books online, try reading reviews and following recommendations, and don’t be afraid to return a book that you don’t like after a read-through.

If that imperfect rhyme or slightly boring plot annoys you now, imagine after you’ve read the book 200 times in a single month. Now imagine three months later when you have unwillingly committed the book to memory.

Be kind to yourself; choose books that you also find at least vaguely interesting.

Second Rule: Ask for books as presents.

I know this seems to run contrary to the first rule, but trust your friends and family to buy you books that will serve a purpose. I cannot think of a single book that we have received as a present that has caused even minor annoyance. Quite the opposite, I cherish those books and think of those beloved people as I read them.

And I’ll take a well-chosen phrase over a tinny-tuned piece of plastic any day.

Third Rule: Give books away.

Think of it as a karmic action, if you give books (either new or used) to your loved ones, they will associate you with that book and with books in general.

The book love will surely flow in your direction at some point. If you receive a windfall of great used books from a friend, be sure to do the same pay-it-forward action in the future.

Does my daughter care that some of her books say “Property of Joey Jaspers” – No! Neither does she miss the baby books that are starting to disappear from her shelves.

Fourth Rule: Forgive and forget.

Maybe you were burned by a recent bargain bin purchase. A book so annoying entered your world that you cringe every time your darling offspring even looks at the bookshelf.

Hide that book!

Not-so-accidentally leave it at your sister-in-law’s house!

Then maybe take a list of authors with you to the bookstore. Does your baby love Sandra Boynton’s silly songs? Go to the Bs and peruse some new options.

Does your older toddler love Dinosaurs? Try Byron Barton or Bob Shea’s masterful books on the subject.

Need more specific advice? Looking for the best dozen books to add to your registry? Have a toddler that cannot sit still through even a simple board book?

Leave your question here in the comments or on our Facebook page. When it comes to books and literacy, I am always happy to help.

Kathryn Ombam is a writer, editor, and career counselor whose specialty is in business and academic writing. She has most extensively worked with artists and designers.

Her bibliophile status and her editing work were her primary writing outlet until inspiration hit in the form of a writing contest in 2006. Her current efforts can be attributed to a fiction writing group, her blogs, and her ongoing desire to comment on her life.

Ms. Ombam’s first published work of fiction will be published in an upcoming short story anthology. She also writes a children’s book review blog: http://readingbaby.blogspot.com

What to Do Wednesday: Silly Stickers

2012-04-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

Target Age:
Middle Infant

Materials You Will Need:

sticker

What To Do:

Children love to play silly games with you. Place your child in an infant seat, wearing only a diaper. Place a sticker somewhere on the body, when your child is not watching. Ask your child,"Where is the sticker?" Check each body part saying, "No, it's not on your tummy,"... until you find it and say,"Here it is!"

Variations:
You may want to place dots on your child's body with a water based marker. "Where is the dot?"

Skills Learned:

Visual Stimulation

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

Productive Parenting Reads

2012-04-15T15:46:00.000-04:00

Whether you're singing board books to your infant, reading bedtime stories to your toddler or hearing your child read to you - there's nothing quite like reading with your kids.

Over the next several weeks, we'll be sharing some of our favorite books and suggestions with you. Whether you're looking for book reviews want tips on how to build your child's library, or just want some advice on how to read to your child, be sure to follow us on Facebook to read the latest posts in our Productive Parenting Reads series.

You can also follow us on Pinterest where we'll be pinning our favorite reading articles from around the web.

Members Receive a Discount on Books

We've partnered with Blue Manatee children's bookstore to share a list of YOUR favorite books. (You can see it right here.)

AND - you can receive a 10% discount on all of your purchases by entering discount code: PRODUCTIVE.

What to do Wednesday: Cornmeal Play

2012-04-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

Materials You Will Need:

plastic container
cornmeal

What To Do:
Children learn by using the sense of touch. Your child develops hand muscles needed for fine motor skills while participating in this and similar activities.

Your child will experience a 'new feel' using cornmeal today!

Fill a large plastic container with cornmeal. Put measuring cups and scoops in the container.

Enjoy observing your child play. If you are brave, add some water to the cornmeal!

Skills Learned:

Tactile Stimulation
Sensory Development
Fine Motor

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

What to do Wednesday: Pan Scrub

2012-04-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

Materials You Will Need:

small amount of soapy water
large pot
scrubber with a handle
bath mat

What To Do:
Your child enjoys helping you in the kitchen. The next time you have a dirty pan, let your child clean it!

Sit next to your child on a bath mat and demonstrate how to scrub the pan.

Move away and let your child become engaged in this activity.

Praise your child's effort! Your child will love pleasing you.

Skills Learned:

Self Concept
Upper Body Strength
Gross Motor
Eye Hand Coordination

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

What to do Wednesday: Veterinarian's Office

2012-03-28T06:00:00.001-04:00

Materials You Will Need:

leashes
boxes
store-bought doctor kit
stuffed animals

What To Do:
Have your child gather stuffed animals and create a veterinarian's office. Your child can design the carriers or leashes for the animals as well as the waiting room.

You or your child can come up with the reason that each animal needs to be examined, but let your child come up with a diagnosis and remedy.

Skills Learned:

Imagination
Concept Development

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.

What to Do Wednesday: Mirror Play

2012-03-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

Materials You Will Need:

Large non-breakable mirror

What To Do:
Children love seeing themselves! Hang a non-breakable mirror on the wall at floor level in your child's room.

Place your child in front of the mirror. Observe your child's reaction. How does your child respond?

Variations:
Lay next to your child and talk about what you see in the mirror.

Skills Learned:

Visual Development
Body Awareness

Visit http://www.productiveparenting.com for more fun, free activities.