A Secure Base

Watch Her Grow...

2013-05-23T11:52:00.001-07:00

This Week's Focus: Emotional Regulation and Independence

Still not able to upload pictures..if there is anyone about there more tech savvy than me, let me know if you can think of anything!

Interactions with Materials

Q-ball's primary source of independent play continues to be pretend play that involves her stuffed animals. This morning she spent most of her time in pushing them in "strollers" (a high chair, laundry basket, and step stool). She still loves to have them participate in all aspects of life- potty, sleep, dressing, eating, car riding, reading and playing.
We planted a small container garden a few months ago, and she now enjoys going to water her daises.

Interactions with Others

Q-ball has continued to open up to others. She is especially excited about play dates with two close friends. She talks about her play afterwards for days. Yesterday she was especially excited to explore a "jungle" with the other kiddos. As for kids that are less recognizable to her, she still gets excited and talks about the opprotunity to "play with mine friends," but as soon as these children approach her, she typically instantly shows her fear through crying, screaming, or just freezing in place.

Critical Thinking

This week, we focused on learning shapes. Q-ball very interested and quickly caught on to all of the shape words. (Description of this 3-part lesson to come!)
Like all toddlers, she's very interested in finding and establishing her own order. One way she is doing this is through matching like items around the house.

Interactions with Life

She has reached the stage where she can't seem to make up her mind. She say, "I want Mama to do it!" Only to immediately realize that she doesn't want Mama to have anything to do with anything. Fortunately, this hasn't lead to too much emotional trauma for the family, but I can certainly see the potential.
She is getting quite good at expressing her emotions. She'll tell me if something makes her sad. Sometimes she'll even emphasize the point by telling me "I have tears." She leads a pretty tough life!

We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings! Check out what other kiddos are up to this week!

Watch Her Grow...

2013-05-09T12:51:00.001-07:00

This Week's Focus: Language and Independence
Sorry for no photos again! I've been having issues uploading photos, maybe I'll try again tomorrow!

Interactions with Materials

Q-ball is again covered with temporary tattoos- 3 at the moment, I think. She loves these things.
Apparently, Q-ball knew that last weekend was Orthodox Easter because when Daddy asked her what she wanted to do with the afternoon, she said, "Easter egg hunt." So, I dug out the Easter eggs (which I had just recently been able to pack away!)

Interactions with Others

Q-ball had her best babysitting expereince last night. This time her friends' mother came over to visit, and, while she was very nervous about us leaving, when we got home, she said she didn't want to stop playing and didn't want her caretaker to leave. This makes me leave much better about future separations as we still have a few birth classes to go, and Daddy and I are going on a date next week! (I think we've been on 3 in the past 25 months, so it's quite a change!)
I've haven't mentioned it here, but one of Q-ball's favorite games in the past few weeks has been "follow-the-leader," in which she, of course, is the leader. I'm told to stand up and sit down and stand up and sit down over there and stand up and sit down over here for a very, very long time.

Interactions with Life

We are certainly experiencing the importance toddler routines. I have to be careful to help her put on her clothes in the same order, make sure I turn off the lights before closing a closet door (rather than after the door is already closed), and getting into the carseat can be very tricky, especially as we haven't really figured out what the routine is.

We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings! Check out what other kiddos are up to this week!

The Social Patterns of a Two-Year Old

2013-05-03T11:51:00.002-07:00

While I was studying child development, I was fascinated by the research of Arnold Gesell, so I was excited when I discovered that the Gesell Institute of Human Development has a series of books that describe your child year by year. When Q-ball turned one, I posted one of my favorite bits from the book here, and at 18 months, I shared Gesell's theory of disequilbrium. (If you're still following links, here's my overview of Gesell's research.) As I just completed, Your Two-Year-Old, I wanted to again share my favorite figure what that book.
Using long-term observations, the Gesell Institute determined that at two-years-old, a child is much more likely to talk to adults than to other children. In these interactions, the two-year-old will likely use two or three word phrases rather than single-word sentences. However, the youngster is still certainly controlling the conversation- choosing to not always answer when the adult addresses him or just repeating the adult's original comment. If a two-year-old does speak to someone else his age, the conversation is typically an attempt to maintain control over his space or stuff- "no, mine!" or "me want ball." While his verbalization is increasing overall, this is the last year of life that a child is more likely to say "no" through motor behavior rather than verbally. When given a request that he simply does not wish to follow, he may just walk away, look away, or continue to play.
All this being said, the two-year-old's favorite person to talk to is himself! This makes sense given that these little ones are still firmly in their egocentric phase. This self-talk is often easily observed during independent play, especially imaginary play. At times, this self-talk may move towards an adult when the child wants to brag about all of his accomplishments- cleaning up by himself, feeding his own bear, or using the toilet alone.

What's your two-year-old talking about?

Watch Her Grow...

2013-04-25T12:46:00.002-07:00

This Week's Focus: Language and Emotional Regulation

Interactions with Materials

No big changes on her likes and dislikes- stuffed animals for pretend play, puzzles, musical instruments.
We are fortunate to have very supportive family members who often send photos of themselves to us as we do not live close by. Q-ball loves these pictures! I hang them on the refrigerator, and she often stands in front of them, naming everyone in the photos, and laughing at any stories she can recall. She'll choose a few photos and carry them around the house with her or take in a car or stroller ride.

Interactions with Others

I am incredibly happy to announce that Q-ball's babysitting went very well last week! Of course, the initial separation was difficult, and she continually stated that she wanted, "Mama and Daddy stay home!" Apparently the first 30 minutes were rough, but then she was able to make some of Grandma's rolls with her sitter, play at a park, and continue some physical play at home. When Mama and Daddy came home, she was so excited, it was hard to calm her down! I don't expect our next separations to be problem-free, but I'm much more confident!

Critical Thinking

This week Q-ball experimented with the words "might" and "maybe." It's funny to hear her use the words- not because she uses them incorrectly, but because she sounds so grown up! Daddy was reading a book with her the other day and was trying to make a small object in one of the pictures, and Q-ball stated, "It might be a train." Or, when I was looking for yet another lost object in the car the other day, she said, "Maybe it's in Mama's pocket."

Interactions with Life

Q-ball had a very exciting weekend- she was able to watch her Daddy in an obstacle-course race. While we were watching, she was clearly a bit confused about all the fuss, and was very confused about why she couldn't go swimming in all the water. We thought her favorite part of the day was getting to ride a "skool bus." But, by the next day, she was gleefully re-telling stories of the day about Daddy "jump in ice water" and "getting muddy dirty!"
At nearly 22 weeks of pregnancy, I believe that I have stopped producing milk. Q-ball seems to be taking it in stride. So far, she still tries to nurse, but gives up very quickly unless she is comfort nursing after dealing with some tough emotions. Her nursing has declined in recent months, and some days she only nurses 3 or 4 times, so we'll see how this affects things.
She continues to be very excited about the baby coming. When we were loading up to go to Daddy's race, with all of the excitement and differences in our travel (we got to each a special breakfast in the car!), she concluded that the "baby come out of Mama's tummy." A bit more time still!

We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings! Check out what other kiddos are up to this week!

Watch Her Grow...

2013-04-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

This Week's Focus: Language and Emotional Regulation

Interactions with Materials

Q-ball remains very interested in pretend play. Her animals tend to do everything she does around the house. It's really fun to watch, especially when she is clearly having a great time with the games. She often will just start laughing by herself in the midst of play.
Puzzles also continue to keep her attention. On a recent trip to visit family, she enjoyed playing with a puzzle that allowed her to use a fishing pole to pick up all of the pieces with her great-grandfather.

Interactions with Others

Tonight marks another period of separation for Q-ball. A family friend will again come and play with her while Mama and Daddy are out. The parents are again very nervous about the separation, and from the conversations I've had with Q-ball, I think she's in denial. Hopefully, she'll soon learn to have fun without Mama or Daddy.

I entered the living room one day and found Q-ball had set this up to read to her rabbits.

Critical Thinking

This age is wonderful as we can now have full conversations with Q-ball. She is really enjoying making analogies, comparing behavior between Mama or Daddy, or explaining that her stuffed animals are doing things just like her. I'm constantly amazed at the connections made.

Interactions with Life

She is now in the full blown "do-it-herself" phase. I have added about 20-30 minutes unto each planned outing as this is how long it takes to get her to get herself into her shoes, carseat, close her own car door, etc, etc. Or, calm down any tantrum that is caused by my ill-timed assistance. "No, no- me!" is the most common phrase in the house right now. Last night, she was actually saying this in her sleep.
As she is trying to work through emotions that are much bigger than she is, she is very observant of others' emotions. She'll often watch me and say, "Mama happy" or "Mama mad" (it happens...), or watch a crying baby and say, "baby sad."

An Announcement
In other news in Q-ball's life, she is very excited to be expecting a new baby brother in late August or early September. She loves reading books about new babies and is very excited about explaining how she is going to help Mama with the baby and that she is ready to share so many things with the baby (her water, her clothes, her potty.) Hopefully, she's able to hold on to the excitement for another 4 and a half months!

Early Potty Learning the Montessori Way- Our Journey

2013-04-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: This is a long post! But, do not fear, you don't have to read it all- I really want it to be helpful for those interested, so I've presented lots of information and lots of the same information in different ways, so you can choose which version works best for you! If you have questions or tips for other parents, please comment!

Here's what you'll find below:

Overview
Our Basic Action Plan
Summary of Early Potty Learning by Month
What I'd Do Differently
Our Favorite Potty Books

Overview
As I've described in several posts, we began potty learning quite early by current Western standards. Dr. Montessori considered the "sensitive period" for potty learning from 12-18 months. We started at 14 months. When I started our journey, I looked for sources and stories from other families for inspiration, but, frankly, I did not find very much. Two of my favorite Montessori blogs had some information (How We Montessori (it was especially interesting to follow this mom's journey as her son and my son are the same age, so we were struggling together!) and Vibrant Wanderings). Additionally, I used some elimination communication resources (specifically this book and this book) for tips, although we were certainly beyond the timeline for EC.
It was a very slow road- with many pit stops along the way, but ultimately one that I'm very happy we took. So, I wanted to share our journey- month by month- with the goal of helping or possibly inspiring other early potty learning families.

Our Basic Action Plan

Introduce potty, when child is interested and comfortable, encourage her to sit on potty.
A few hours of daytime diaperless time. During elimination, introduce your sign and/or verbal cue. Move child to potty during/after every elimination and explain that all elimination happens on the potty. Encourage them to help clean up any messes, but otherwise use no reward or consequence.
Increase diaperless time during the day as understanding progresses. Move to diaperless time during naps.
Go diaperless outside of the house (use trainers or just bring extra clothes).
Go diaperless at night.

***If at any point, your child is clearly uncomfortable or upset by the potty, put it away for awhile. You don't want your child to have negative feelings toward the potty!

Short Summary by Month

13 Months
For the first time, I noticed that Q-ball indicating to me that she was "feeling" when she was peeing. As a baby who was never bothered by dirty diapers, I felt this was a significant change that signaled readiness for potty learning. For the next few weeks, I researched potty learning (see sources listed above).

14 Months
I finally got around to buying a potty. We just set it in front of Q-ball on day, explained what it was for and waited for her to be comfortable to sit on it. It really didn't take long- just about a day or two. At this point, we started going diaperless at home for a few hours a day. When Q-ball peed on the floor, we would make the sign for "pee" and a "pssss" sound. We then moved her to her potty and encouraged her to clean up the mess. We went through lots and lots of towels. We were lucky that Q-ball did not mind sitting on the potty; if anything, she loves it- we get to read lots and lots of books. But, no "catching" this month.

15 Months
Q-ball started to make the sign for "pee" and within the next 10 minutes would normally pee. Still, we didn't catch every pee. Mainly, in retrospect, because I do not think I was fully committed. I was a little too casual about potty learning at this point, I think as a result of reading some Montessori resources over resources completely devoted to potty learning. When Q-ball signed, I would not completely drop everything and wait on the potty for the next however long. As a result, I think I missed a real opprotunity at this point to help Q-ball connect a her physical sensations to moving to the potty.

16 Months
Not much changed. Diaperless time did increase to any time at home. One major difficulty for us was that I was never able to figure out Q-ball's elimination schedule. I kept lots of notes and observations, but, frankly could never really figure out a schedule that was consistent. Perhaps she started holding her pee very early in the process?

17 Months
Q-ball was obsessed with watching others go potty. Whenever we were out and someone went into another door, she would look at me and make the sign for "pee" with the "psss" sound. Also, I was dragged into bathrooms during every outing. Q-ball herself, however, was not overly interested in eliminating on the potty herself.

18 Months
For the first time, Q-ball moved to the potty herself and peed! Biggest success yet! She was very excited and kept looking in her potty to see if it's full of pee, but, alas, we still didn't have too much success.

19 Months
At times, Q-ball catches accidents half-way and runs to her potty, but, mostly, we still go through lots of towels. I should stress that we sit on the potty A LOT. Like, Q-ball will ask to sit on the potty for over an hour reading but will not think about peeing. She definitely holds her pee. As we still wear diapers when we go out and at night, and I know that she is holding her pee until these times.

20 Months
Stomach bug strikes household for several weeks. After a traumatizing diaperless experience for Q-ball and Daddy, we decide to take several weeks off potty learning to prevent any major setbacks. (Q-ball clearly was really disturbed by the incident was begged not to go diaperless during this time.)

21 Months
I really start to take potty learning more seriously this month. I keep fairly strict schedules for when we sit on the potty, although if Q-ball is clearly upset, I don't force anything. Also, we don't always do diapers when we go out- we also wear cloth trainers. Potty successes daily- mainly when we first wake up and before bed. But, we also traveled to see family, and Q-ball was not interested or comfortable practicing anywhere other than home. We took about a week to get back into our schedule at home. I know that we are still dealing with some pee holding.

22 Months
Q-ball's "I-got-it!" day finally has struck. I think that my increased focus on potty learning had a major impact. Where we once sat on the potty for 15-20 minutes before Q-ball eliminated, now there is success pretty much as soon as we sit on the potty. We now do not wear diapers outside of the house, although we still have accidents- we just bring lots of extras. We ordered an extra potty for the car and encourage Q-ball to use the potty before we go into a store, to the park, etc. Q-ball even took rather easily to pooing on the potty. While we did have a few instances of holding her poo and some emotional potty experiences and explanations of how it all works, we did not have complete refusal.

23 Months
I'd been looking for the time to introduce nighttime pottying with Q-ball, nervous that it would be quite dramatic as diapering is part of our very set bedtime routine. But, one night, Q-ball announced she only wanted to wear pants to bed. So, that answered the question. A few nights, Q-ball has asked to put on a diaper, and we have her help us lay out her nighttime diaper and tell her it will be close by "in case she needs it." This satisfies her. We certainly have not been accident-free, but I feel as though we have as many successes as misses. Her potty is set up in the corner of her room, and, if she calls me into her room at night, I help her sit on the potty (which, I admit, she's not always happy about.) or I quickly lay down a new towel and change pants if necessary.

24 Months
I certainly consider Q-ball toilet-trained by two years old. She is still hesitant about using a "big potty," but we have been looking at pictures from EC sources of babies sitting on big potties, and she has had success.

What I'd Do Differently

I had a difficult time finding Q-ball's elimination schedule, I'd recommend starting to figure this out before going diaperless or immediately upon going diaperless.
I was very, very relaxed at first, waiting for Q-ball to always show interest, or ask if she wanted to sit on the potty. I'd use a bit more of a schedule next time- on the potty every 60 or 90 minutes for a few hours each day.
In the early days, Q-ball was uncomfortable pooping on the potty, so I did not force it. However, it is much easier for a caretaker to anticipate when a child will poop than pee. I'd recommend continuing to try to master pooping first or along with peeing. (Some books recommend that poop-learning come first as when a child poops, they as tend to pee.)

Our Favorite Potty Books
Many potty-learning books are for older toddlers. These were the ones that we found were most helpful in the early days and weeks. Q-ball really, really studied these books and clearly used them for tips and encouragement.

A Potty For Me! A lift-the-flap book, this was fun for Q-ball. Also, stressed that the child was proud of her accomplishments rather than external rewards.
Potty The most simple potty book we found. Q-ball (and I) still say "Uh-Hmm-Ha-He! when we really have to use the potty!
Even Firefighters Go to the Potty All kids love firefighters! This was just a fun one to read that encouraged her to sit on the potty for a long period, when necessary.
I Want My Potty We found this older book at the library. While I do not think the author intended it, this became our "poo poo book." The pictures in the book seem to show the little girl really pushing on the potty- we used these pictures to discussed different methods that can help with pooping (this was especially helpful during Q-ball's poop-holding time.)

Watch Her Grow- 2 Years Old!

2013-04-04T12:45:00.001-07:00

Last week, Q-ball turned two! She was very excited about her birthday, quickly realizing it was an occasion when even more attention than usual would be showered her way. When asked how she wanted to celebrate, she replied, "Ride boat." So, we found one of the closest boat rides and headed that way on birthday morning. Daddy even treated us to doughnuts! After returning from the trip, we told Q-ball it was time for her nap. She looked at us like us like we must be a little confused and said, "me birthday." I guess you don't have to take naps on your birthday. That afternoon, we met a few friends at the park and enjoyed some of Q-ball's favorite foods: her Grandma's recipe for rolls combined with Oma's classic pigs-in-a-blanket, mac & cheese, hummus with veggies, strawberries and blueberries, and, of course, cake and ice cream (although she didn't actually eat any cake once the blueberries made it onto her ice cream!)

With Easter and her birthday in the same weekend, Q-ball got her fill of sugar.

As I did at 18 Months, I'll list Q-ball's currently favorite things.

Books!
Blueberries
Oatmeal
Ice Cream
Larabars and dates
Swings at any park
Stuffed animals (she really attached to the Easter Bunny and has been very attached to bunny toys the past few days)
Balls
Anything musical- instruments, singing, listening to music
Running around with Daddy

We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings. See what the other kiddos are up to here!

Watch Her Grow...

2013-03-21T12:10:00.003-07:00

Bear sitting with us at the table. Q-ball wanted to make sure he had kombucha to drink- not sure all bears are the lucky!

This Week's Focus: Language and Practical Life

Interactions with Materials

For the past two weeks, Q-ball has been deeply involved in pretend play. Her stuffed animals (and a few of mine from childhood!) are invovled in nearly all parts of our life. I'm asked to fix them plates at mealtimes while Q-ball makes sure they are comfy in their chairs; they sleep with us; they wear our clothes and shoes; they go on stroller rides; they take baths in a little bath tub that an aunt gave us; and, of course, they sit on the potty!
We are gearing up for Easter, so Q-ball has loved reading her books about bunnies and eggs. I have included some books about the actual Easter celebration in our mix, but this, of course, just don't seem as interesting.

Interactions with Others

Q-ball continues to slowly open up to others. She played with another child at the park for a few minutes yesterday and was excited about the attention. But, after about 2 minutes, was ready to move on. And, then refuse to have another mother push her on the swing. Small steps.
Q-ball does continue to get excited about seeing her closest friends, a set of twins. We went to dinner with them last night, and I talked with her about ways we can say hi to people when we first meet them. I didn't think she was listening to me, especially as it was snack time, but, to my surprise, she immediately went up to them and tried to shake their hands when we first saw them!

Critical Thinking

Q-ball's sentences are growing incredibly complex! The other morning the first statement out of her mouth was "Mama wash Daddy lightening bolt shirt so Daddy wear it right now."
It's funny to hear the phrases she is picking up. Certainly makes me think about when I use these phrases. Some favorites- "right now!" "Keep your eyes peeled." (Very important when looking for choo-choos when driving.) "Beep! Beep!" (efforts to teach excuse me have not paid off...)

Interactions with Life

Still focusing on putting on and taking off her own clothes. We introduced the "Montessori way," and she loves doing it!
The other night, Q-ball couldn't sleep (DST was not made by someone with toddlers.) So, after nearly 2 hours, Mama tapped out, and Daddy came to play. He told Q-ball that she was a "goofball," and Q-ball thinks it's the funniest thing ever. Now, she'll randomly throw herself on the ground with her legs up and say, "I'm a goofball! I'm a goofball!"

We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings! Check out what the other kiddos are up to!

The Benefits of Following Your Child's Lead

2013-03-08T12:29:00.000-08:00

A key aspect of creating a Montessori-inspired environment is to ensure that the teacher or parent follows the child's lead. As I explained in this post, teachers or parents should work not to direct a child's play or routines. I have read that studies that look at the effectiveness of a Montessori education have found that children in Montessori classrooms preform on par or slightly better than their peers in non-Montessori environments on academic assessments. However, studies have found that children in Montessori environments tend to foster greater "concentration, confidence, and independence" in addition to more respect for their classmates and even creativity, which is especially interesting as many of Dr. Montessori's critics focus on her views towards fantasy and creative play. For this Science Friday, I want to focus on a study that explores the relationship between a mother's directing of her toddler's play and future cognitive and social functions.
While the study does not focus mention Montessori practices, it compares cognitive and social functions in 4.5 year old children based upon the extent to which their mother's directed their play beginning at age 2. The researchers decided that 2 years-old was an important age to start observations as it is a time when children have the ability to understand basic verbal communications but still require a caretaker's direct instructions to complete and understand most tasks. By age 4.5 years, however, much less support from caretakers is necessary.

Toddlers can certainly come up with some creative games when allowed to lead!

   For this study, researchers observed mothers and their children during two home visits that included daily activities and a play session that included standardized toys as well as an in-office visit that included a play session. The study took place over a period of 2.5 years. Standardized tests that have been approved for these age groups were used to determine cognitive abilities. Social behaviors were measured based upon observations of two specific behaviors- responsiveness (i.e. a child's ability to respond to instructions) and initiating (i.e. the child's ability to direct his mother's attention to an activity.)
   I believe that the findings in this study very much support using Montessori methods at home or in a classroom. The children whose mothers consistently practiced "maintaining" (asking questions or making comments concerning an activity on which a child was working or responding to a child's requests) versus "directing" (giving specific verbal or non-verbal instructions for the child to follow, providing few options) had higher cognitive and language skills between age 1 and 3.5 years. Additionally, maintaining also proved to have significant positive effects on responsiveness for these same ages. Researchers believe that practicing maintaining supports cognitive and communication skills in early children as it works within their limited attention spans and current abilities without forcing them to shift focus.
   The study revealed the children whose mothers practiced maintaining would ultimately have more success in "joint learning situations." This is based upon two findings: First, at 3.5 years old, maintaining increased a child's social responsiveness, which ultimately seemed to improve his ability to initiate activities. Secondly, by 4.5 years, maintaining was directly related to a child's increased ability to establish and then meet goals.
   While many parents may believe that being directing will increase responsiveness, this study and others (one additional example- a study that analyzed conversations between toddlers and mothers showed a mother's requests were more often followed when she adjusted the request to acknowledge the child's current focus) indicate that respecting the toddler's thoughts and activities will ultimately lead to greater success for completing immediate tasks and for longer-term cognitive and social skills.

Sources:
Crain, W. (2011). Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications. Prentice Hall:Boston.
Landry, S.H., Smith, K.E., Swank P.R., & Miller-Loncar, C.L. (2000). Early maternal and child influences on children's later independent cognitive and social functioning. Child Development, 71(2 ) pp. 358-375

Watch Her Grow...

2013-03-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

This Week's Focus: Language and Emotional Intelligence
Over the past week, it seems my little girl has really entered a new toddler phase. We had several days of 3 more or major tantrums, no matter what I did. These seemed to be do to her inability to sleep- perhaps because there was just too much going on in her growing mind. But, this new phase also ushered in some very, very concentrated play, which I'll discuss below...

Interactions with Materials

So far, her concentrated play has centered on stacking or unpacking. Some of the activities she practiced this week- she self-checked out 8 books at the library for almost 20 minutes, carefully stacking each after scanning; she laid all of Mama's cupcake holder around the kitchen and then re-stacked (most) of them; she has removed and replaced entire shelves of our bookshelves at home.
Of course, stacking involves blocks! These are items that I rarely remove from her toy rotation as she always finds something new to do with them.
Like blocks, Q-ball has always loved her stacking tree ring, although I think it is supposedly aimed at children younger than her. With this new interest in stacking, I quickly again brought out her rings.

Interactions with Others

Q-ball seems to have found her first real friends- a set of twins. She practices saying their names, and she is excited to learn when we are going to meet them. She loves showing them new toys or tricks, and even held the little girl's hand to when they were walking to watch a band at the market this past weekend.

Critical Thinking

Q-ball's language skills are always growing. She can express very complex ideas- describing what makes her happy and working to fill Daddy in on all of the details of her day.
This week she seemed to really be practicing prepositions- on, off, in, out, on.

Interactions with Life

Q-ball is really increasingly focusing on doing more and more herself, especially when it comes to getting dressed. She really wants to put on and off her own clothing and shoes.

We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings! Check out what the other kiddos are up to!

Watch Her Grow...

2013-02-28T12:10:00.001-08:00

This Week's Focus: Language and Emotional Intelligence

Interactions with Materials

As I've discussed previously, Q-ball loves to push her umbrella stroller. She now pretty much never rides in it- just pushes it around our small neighborhood as I walk next to her. As we don't have sidewalks, this provides an excellent learning opprotunity for walking safely in the road...and a really big opprotunity for Mama to strengthen her patient muscles.
About two weeks ago, we gave Q-ball her dinner knife (part of a set of small silverware) for the first time. She was very excited and quickly started to attempt to use it while carefully observing Mama and Daddy. She now asks for a knife at most mealtimes.
We have a small boombox set up in Q-ball's area, and she loves asking for us to turn on the music so she can dance along. I'm surprised it's taken so long, but she is now working to figure out the buttons for herself- hopefully she'll be able to start and stop the music on her own soon.

We attended the stock show again this year- look how much she's grown by comparing these pictures to those from last year!

Interactions with Others

I think she is starting to try to initiate play with other children her age. Of course, her social skills still need a bit of work. At this point, she just runs up to other toddlers and then a short distance away and then toward them again, and repeat a few times. A little like a dog trying to get your attention. She hasn't had much success yet, but I'm sure she'll figure it out.
She does have some guts in social situation. The other day at the park, while I was sitting a short distance away, an older boy (around 8 or 9) was trying to kick her off of the swing. Q-ball stood up, but held on to the swing and just said, "no, no, no," while pointing him to the slides. He continued to try until he saw me watching. Why don't kids pick on people their own size?

Critical Thinking

Q-ball has loved stacking blocks and other shapes in the past, but this week she worked to expand her skills and stack plates and bowls during her snack time.

Interactions with Life

Potty-learning success continued. We've had only one daytime accident all week- even while out and about. And, Q-ball completely surprised me on Tuesday by sitting on the potty and even pooping! More glorious potty details to come in an upcoming post dedicated to early potty learning.

We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings! Check out what the other kiddos are up to!

Watch Her Grow...

2013-02-22T11:27:00.001-08:00

This Week's Focus: Language and Emotional Intelligence

Interactions with Materials

Q-ball has continued to love music class. She is inspired to find drums and drumsticks everywhere. At the park, she uses sticks to bang on different materials and listen to the different noises that surface makes. I'm proud to have such an explorer!
Perhaps it's largely my lack of artistic ability that affects my presentation of the activities, but Q-ball has yet to express too much interest in art. But, she has really started to like playing with stickers. Daddy's Valentine consisted almost entirely of smiley face stickers. And, she has taken it a set beyond and started to like temporary tattoos (I love the way she says the word!) Mama currently is sporting a temporary dog tattoo- she lead me to believe that we would get matching tattoos, but she later backed out. :(
Her great-grandparents gave her a rocking chair for and early birthday gift. She has been very excited about using it! She went with me to pick it out, and she also excited to re-tell the story of "buy rock-rock."

Interactions with Others

The few separations that Q-ball has endured recently have led to some increased attachment. She is not at all interested in leaving Mama and Daddy again to go to the nursery. Any separation from Mama leads to tears and stress, even though all of these separations have been with Daddy. But, after the stress passes, she has really started to love her Daddy dates! (But, this does seem to mean that parental dreams of a date have been put on the back burner.)

Critical Thinking

As has been the case over the past few weeks and will no doubt continue to be the case, she learns new words every day. I think what interests me is that she is excited to try new words she hears (light bulb was yesterday's), but doesn't try to use words that she uses every day for which she still uses signs or other sounds. For example, she hasn't tried to say any animal names and, instead, sticks to using the sounds they make. Another common phrase around the house, "clean up", continues to be "di da!"

Interactions with Life

Potty-learning finally hit it's "got it" day about two weeks ago, and we rarely have any accidents at home. She won't go and sit on the potty herself, but she might ask me to read her a book, or she'll start holding herself or cross her legs. So, we just move to the potty and success! Poop and nighttime are still to be mastered, so we'll see how those go!

We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings! Check out what the other kiddos are up to!

Watch Her Grow...

2013-02-14T11:44:00.002-08:00

So, a child that has decided to regularly forgo or shorten naps has hampered blog updates, but we did want to send an update today to say, "Happy Valentine's Day!" and share a current photo as it has been awhile.

We coordinated a toddler Valentine exchange, which was excitingly successful. As you can see, however, Q-ball wore herself out...not enough to continue her nap at home, but enough to need ten 10 minutes of rest in the car...

The Importance of Routines for Toddlers

2013-02-08T12:34:00.001-08:00

I haven't seen or visited a parents' group, book, show, or website that did not stress the importance establishing routines with children. These sources seem to list endless benefits of routines:

Encouraging self-control in toddlers
Preventing power struggles with parents and children
Easing transitions for children
Learning social skills and cultural norms
Developing language skills

However, I haven't really seen many studies that back up the benefits of routines. This is not to say that I question their importance or ability to help toddlers (and parents) survive everyday life. As I have stated previously on this blog, often parents are more knowledgeable than researchers, and lab findings often just support what parents already know (with the exception of the connection between fevers and teething as explained in this post. I've always questioned these results as Q-ball has had a fever every time she was teething...)
Still, for this Science Friday, I wanted to explore any findings that further validate the role of routines. Surprisingly, I wasn't able to find very many hard numbers. But, most of the studies seem to focus on the importance of bedtime routines. This makes sense considering that one of the studies stated that sleep problems are one of the most common concerns of parents- 20 to 30 percent of infants and toddlers have sleep difficulties.

I can't even get a picture of this busy toddler without it blurring- how is she not sleepy?!?

   In a 2009 study published by Sleep, 405 mothers who identified having an infant or toddler with a sleep problem participated in 3-week study that measured the success of groups who established bedtime routines to control groups who established no routines. Mothers who followed new routines were instructed to give their child a bath, a massage, and then conduct quiet activities like cuddling and singing. These mothers also ensured lights were turned off or dimmed 30 minutes prior to bedtime.
   The results very significantly showed improvements in the amount of time it took to put the child to sleep and in the number of nightly wakings. As a bonus, the study also showed that maternal mood and child sleep problems are intimately linked. As sleep improved, so did the mothers' quality of life- she was less tense and, of course, less tired.
   As a parent with a 22-month old who still regularly wakes 4-7 times each night and regularly takes 40 minutes to fall asleep, I find any studies on sleep interesting. Although, I must give Q-ball credit, we have had some nights in the past month were she has slept for over 4 hours at a time! And, I can certainly relate to the connection between mothers' quality of life and sleep (just ask my husband!) Here at Q-ball's household, we have a very established bedtime routine- brush teeth; potty; bathe; put on PJs; read book with Daddy; kick Daddy out of room; nurse; crawl onto (or next to) mattress; and direct Mama to rub back. All of this makes me wonder- what would my nights be like without a routine?!?!

Sources:
n.a. (2012). Love, learning, and routines. Zero to three. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/social-emotional-development/love-learning-and-routines.html
ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/05/090501090916.htm

Sussman, F. (2011). The power of using everyday routines to promote young children's language and social skills. Retrieved from http://www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Articles/Power-of-Using-Everyday-Routines.aspx

Practical Life Activities at 21 Months

2013-01-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

As I explained in this post, I feel that Q-ball now possesses the maturity, mental capacity, and most importantly, interest to start more formal Montessori activities. She has always been very interested in what is going on in the kitchen, so I wanted to start with some basic kitchen practical life exercises.

Here's what we've been up to!

Chopping- While the idea of chopping with a 21-month-old may seem frightening to some, with this knife, we've had no issues. Q-ball feels very involved in making dinner! We've had the most luck with celery- they don't roll, make a nice "snap" upon cutting, and do not require too much pressure.

Pouring- Using a small Pyrex measuring pitcher, Q-ball has been pouring water into bowls.

"Spicing" and stirring- Q-ball loves adding extra flavor to the water that she stirs while Mama is cooking. Because spices can be a bit pricy, we've taken the less healthy route and gone through an entire box of table salt.

Water transfer with sponges- Q-ball has really been focused on "squeezing" recently, so transferring water from one bowl to another using a sponge has been a perfect activity to practice this skill.

Watch Her Grow...

2013-01-24T11:56:00.000-08:00

This Week's Focus: Language

Interactions with Materials

Q-ball and I are currently participating in a small music class, and she is loving it! She talks about it all week before we get to go. She has loved playing with the rhythm sticks, drums, and- most awesome of all- the parachute game.

Interactions with Others

Last week held some major changes in Q-ball's dealings with others and with overcoming separation anxiety. She told us that she wanted to go to the nursery during church, and then she just did it! She really enjoyed playing with the other children and especially the toys. When we picked her up, she was obviously happy for the reunion and needed some time to decompress and think about everything, but overall it was a good experience!
And, Q-ball stayed with her first non-family caretaker for about 30 minutes the other night. Mama and Daddy have a no-kids-allowed meeting coming up, and we are working to prepare Q-ball for the event. Again, she was ready for the reunion, but seemed to handle everything as well as can be expected.

Interactions with Life

Q-ball has started her own her fashion trend- she can't seem to decide if she prefers her mouse socks or train socks, so, while the days start with her wearing a single pair of socks, the day ends with her wearing one of each.

We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings! Check out what the other kiddos are up to!

Watch Her Grow...

2013-01-17T12:01:00.001-08:00

This Week's Focus: Language

She's loved pushing her shape sorting shapes around with a front loader.

Interactions with Materials

In this section, I typically fail to mention materials that we work with outside- which is a rather gaping hole as I try to ensure we get some time outdoors everyday. At the park, Q-ball loves the swings- she have me push her on the swing forever while she stares at all of the other children. At her age, staring is not yet rude, just educational, so I figured she's getting lots of learning in. She also loves swinging from and climbing monkey bars and riding the horses that rock.
Also outside, she loves pushing around an umbrella stroller that we have for her. While I can't stand the lack of mobility that thing has, she loves taking it over curbs and saying, "bump...bump....bump.."
Back inside, we've continued reading lots of books, playing with bubbles, and stacking blocks (not to mention throwing and knocking them down...)

Interactions with Others

Q-ball is clearly becoming increasingly cognizant of emotions. At home, we work to explaining the emotions she is likely feeling to her, and I always try to tell her how I'm feeling. While she is staring at others at the park, she's clearly registering their feelings, and when we are driving home, she'll tell me, "baby happy...baby happy..." or say, "baby" and then start crying or yelling to indicate sad or mad.
She seems to respond to the power of persuasion. While I've mentioned here on several occasions that she is often very timid around other children and adults, I've noticed that if I tell her we are going to meet "friends" she is excited about the trip and seeks out her "friends" with which to play once we arrive. Today she spent a playgroup playing with a "friend" she'd only met a few times before- even accepting his hugs!

Critical Thinking

Q-ball's love of music has been mentioned previously, but this week we were shocked when all of a sudden she started doing the hand motions for some of her favorite songs from storytime! While she loves storytime, she rarely jumps up with the other kids to dance or do hand motions- I didn't even know she was watching them. But, I guess she was actually picking up everything!

Interactions with Life

Q-ball has clearly passed the 50 word limit that I discussed in this post. She is picking up new words and phrases everyday- I certainly have to work to keep up as she hasn't perfected her pronunciation yet. When Daddy comes home from work, she'll often use her new words with him, and I'll have to serve as the translator.

Finally, I haven't posted a Science Friday is quite some time. One reason is that I'm short on topics! I didn't think it was possible, but when I do think of a question and I try to research, it seems to go nowhere. So, if you, dear reader, have any questions that you've always wanted researched or wonder about something you see in your child, let me know, and I can try to do the work for you! We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings! Check out what the other kiddos are up to!

Watch Her Grow...

2013-01-10T11:03:00.003-08:00

This Week's Focus: Language and Practical Life
After what seems like over 2 months of super exciting, but crazy schedules and events, things are settling back down. It's hard to believe it's a new year!

An addition to our bedtime routine- she likes to wear her hood and run around her room.

Interactions with Materials

Q-ball mastered puzzles overnight. When we left for Christmas travels, she was close to figuring out a "circle-square-triangle" puzzle. Then Grandma and Grandpa gave her a puzzle with zoo animals, and she figured it out within minutes. Now, back at home, she is continuing to master all puzzles in the house.
She is really focused on sorting right now- we've introduced a shape sorter, and she has really enjoyed working with it (also standing on it...), although she is still hesitant to attempt the rectangle and triangle shapes at this point.
She is really embracing pretend play. She likes hugging stuffed animals, brushing her doll's hair, and, most of all, pretending that she is a "little, tiny baby" while being carried around the house.

Interactions with Others

It was amazing for us to see Q-ball so easily interact with her extended family over the holidays, despite the fact that time spent with them has been limited. She even stayed with Grandma and her Aunt all by herself! This is a very big step for my growing toddler.
However, she still certainly has moments of shyness and times that she does not want to smile or play with strangers. She makes these moments pretty well known.

Critical Thinking

I love the way that humans so naturally relate what they see in books or stories they hear to their own emotions and experiences. Q-ball clearly does this and will talk us through parts of books that have emotional impacts on her, like Daddy leaving to go to work, going potty, and people getting angry.

Interactions with Life

I think she is starting to say new words everyday! One of her favorite phrases is now, "read book, read book, read book..." A close second is a reminder to mama to always have her favorite food on hand, "buy Ei, buy Ei, buy Ei..." (This is the only sign that Q-ball has been exposed to a second language- she prefers the German word "Ei" to our egg.

We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings! Check out what the other kiddos are up to!

Here Comes Q-ball!

2012-12-20T13:10:00.004-08:00

With the holidays quickly approaching, we will be headed to visit family soon. Of course, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles- everyone- is excited to see Q-ball. To prepare everyone for our visit, I wanted give everyone a Q-ball primer. Her are her current favorite things and habits right now...

Q-ball is coming to town! You'd better watch out!

Q-ball loves talking. Once she starts telling you a story, you can expect to listen to it for quite awhile. Start practicing your charade skills now.
Q-ball loves to eat. (when we are not fighting yet another stomach virus.) She can do an especially impressive job of eating ham, eggs, bananas, blueberries, etc, etc.
Q-ball likes you to sing to her on demand. She will say "de-da-de-da" and expect you to immediately sing the song in her head. I suggest trying them in this order: "I Can Sing a Rainbow," "Wheels on the Bus," and, seasonally, "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer."
Q-ball will probably follow you to the bathroom. If not, she'll at least talk about the fact that you went to the bathroom for the rest of the day.
Q-ball is potentially a future track star. If she takes off running to check out a really cool thing, a quick walk will likely not close the gap. Get your running shoes ready.

We look forward to seeing family soon!

Check out what other kiddos are doing as the holidays approach at Vibrant Wanderings!

Our Three Period Montessori Christmas Lesson

2012-12-19T10:37:00.000-08:00

Given that Q-ball (nearly 21 months) is clearly starting to pick up new vocabulary words and has the ability to now focus on a task that interests her for several minutes, I seized this holiday season as a time to do our first more formal lesson. I used the Montessori three period lesson format to teach Q-ball new Christmas words. And, we even finished with a craft! She learned incredibly quickly, and we had a great time! I was shocked to see I was able to entertain a young toddler with this activity for almost 30 minutes!

Supplies:

Christmas book with clear pictures of the vocabulary words you want to present (I used 10 Trim-the-Tree'ers as it had very clear pictures throughout.)
Large piece of paper
Cookie cutters (some need to match the vocabulary words you've chosen)
Washable paint

The Lesson:

Of course, everything ends up in her mouth...

Step 1: Using the book, I pointed out new vocabulary words to Q-ball. For example, I pointed to the snowman saying, "This is a snowman." (We used stocking, snowman, Christmas tree, candy cane, bell, and star.)
Step 2: After reviewing each word several times, I asked Q-ball to find the words in the book. She was able to do this quickly. (If you child is not able to do this with 100% accuracy, go back to step 1. The goal is for your child to succeed, so you do not want to move forward until you have 100% success. Doing this over several days is more than acceptable!)
Step 3: I then asked Q-ball to transfer her knowledge to other similar objects. We walked around our house, and I asked her to find the "Christmas tree," "stockings," and "star." Finally, I placed all of the cookie cutters on the table. I repeated each vocabulary word, and Q-ball picked out the appropriate cutter.
Step 4: And now the fun part! Using paint, we created stamps with the the cookie cutters.

Sources:
Montessori Mom. (2009). The three period lesson. Retrieved from http://www.montessorimom.com/three-period-lesson/
Montessori Print Shop Blog. (2012). How to give a Montessori 3 period lesson. Retrieved from http://www.montessoriprintshop.com/Give_a_3_Period_Lesson.html

A Toddler's Nutrient Needs

2012-12-14T20:09:00.000-08:00

Interested in nutrition for your growing infant or toddler? Check out my other nutrition posts here!

The other day my husband commented, "You've gone dip crazy!" And, it's true. I make us 1-3 different kinds of dips each week. But, we love eating them, and they are healthy. At least, I have been assuming they were healthy. I realized I hadn't done much research into toddler nutrition in quite awhile. So, for this Science Friday, I will explore what the nutrient needs of a toddler are, especially working to find out what drives each of these nutrient needs. I did quite a bit of Internet research and discovered that there is not too much information on toddler nutrition, especially for nursing toddlers. In fact, most sources that focus on feeding children ages 1-5 do not mention nursing, despite the fact that the World Health Organization recommends that children continue breastfeeding until at least 2 years old.

It is true that the USDA has a MyPlate Food Guide for children, and it's also true this guide does not mention breastfeeding. Additionally, this guide places a pretty high emphasis on a diet rich in grains and dairy products derived from cows' milk. While no one in our family suffers from any wheat or dairy intolerance, we have seen and felt rather dramatic changes by limiting these products. So, I'm a little hesitant to use this as my only guide. The guide I found most helpful in determining a healthful diet for a toddler is published by the World Health Organization and is available here.

Here's a rundown of the five most important nutrient needs of a breastfeeding toddler (of course, there are many more nutrients a growing child needs, but these seem to be most important for growth AND are those in which a toddler is most likely deficient):

Protein, about 16g/day: This is more protein per pound of body weight than an adult requires! In addition to aiding with all of the growth a toddler is doing, protein helps a toddler maintain muscular strength, maintain health of ligaments, joints, and tendons, and helps maintain immunity by carrying oxygen throughout the blood stream. Additionally, protein helps maintain brain cells to help with all of the learning that a toddler is doing! Found in animal products like meat, eggs, and legumes.
Fat, 30-45% of calories should be from fat: Most adults run from fat, but it's very important for growing toddlers! Fats surround nerve cells in the brain, helping to protect it. Fats also aid in the development of the brain and central nervous system. Additionally, fats add in the absorption of other essential nutrients. Found in breastmilk, dairy products, oils.
Iron, 7mg/day: Toddlers are almost entirely reliant on foods other than milk and breastmilk for their iron needs as milk is not a source of iron. As such, a study in 2007 found that 2.7 million children are iron deficient. Iron is used to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body. Toddlers with iron deficiencies are at risk for developmental delays, including retarded growth and learning difficulties. Found in meat (especially liver), legumes.
Vitamin A: Aids in bone growth and vision development. Protects against illness. Found in colorful fruits and veggies- carrots, sweet potatoes, red peppers, spinach, etc.
Vitamin D: While most people believe that they get enough vitamin D from the sun, new studies are questioning this assumption. Children especially need vitamin D to help absorb calcium to help build strong bones and teeth. Found in fish, eggs, and fortified foods. (Given that we eat very few fortified foods, this is the nutrient that I find is most difficult to ensure Q-ball gets enough of. As such, vitamin D is the one supplement that I give Q-ball.)

With my new knowledge of toddler nutritional needs, I still believe that my dips are a healthy choice for Q-ball! Here are some of our favorites recipes with a bonus explanation of their nutritional value from yours truly! (I guess that's the least I could do as I'm clearly borrowing all of these recipes from others.)

Black bean spinach dip: This is a yummy way to get a toddler to eat spinach, a good source of iron. It's bean-based, so it provides a decent amount of protein and fiber (which, while not mentioned previously, is typically very important for toddlers.) Another added bonus is the salsa- sources of vitamin C, like tomatoes, aid in the absorption of iron. And, for those of you who are afraid of spinach, I promise you won't notice it!
Chocolate-chip cookie dough: Yes, you read that correctly! And, yes, it's amazing! High in protein, and with minimal sugar (I typically use 2-3 T of brown sugar for the whole recipe, but I've used less and added stevia drops instead.) Also, a great source of fiber. And, if you use dark chocolate chips, you'll get the antioxidants in chocolate.
Sweet Potato Hummus: This combines two amazing foods. Chickpeas again provide iron, protein, and fiber. Sweet potatoes add lots of vitamin A and even more fiber.
Avocado-White Bean Dip: Again bean-based, so good for protein and fiber. The avocado provides extra healthy fats for your growing toddler.
Carrot-Cashew Miso Spread: I found this recipe in the cookbook Clean Start. The carrots are a great source of vitamin A, while the cashews provide fats. The miso provides the benefits that come with all fermented foods- high levels of vitamin B and naturally-occurring probiotics. Miso is also high in fiber and antioxidants. This is also a great way to introduce what might be the acquired taste of fermented foods to newbies.

Sources:
10 nutrients that every child needs. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.babycenter.com/0_10-nutrients-that-every-child-needs_1201019.bc
Coleman, E.(n.d.) Very important nutrients during the toddler stage. Retrieved from http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/very-important-nutrients-during-toddler-stage-6328.html.
World Health Organization. (2009). Infant and young child feeding. Retrieved from http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241597494_eng.pdf

Watch Her Grow...

2012-12-13T12:11:00.001-08:00

This Week's Focus: Language and Holiday Cheer

Interactions with Materials

We are, of course, still very interested in Christmas everything. Books, music, decorations...
Her great grandmother gave her a nativity scene, and she has loved manipulating all of the people and pieces. She seems especially interested in making connections between her books and the physical pieces.
Yesterday we went skating for the first time. She loved it! Music, lights, and skates! We used the over-the-shoe type, and they worked better than I could have imagined.

Interactions with Others

Yesterday was one of our first public tantrum(s). We met some new friends at a play area with a super, super cool car to sit in. (The thing didn't even have a steering wheel, for goodness sake!) Q-ball did not like when other people sat in the car. It made her very, very mad. But, after this happened for the third time, and we again talked about feeling angry and alternative activities, she calmed down and seemed to understand (for that moment) that the pain would eventually pass.
One person that Q-ball does seem open to meeting is Santa. Yesterday we attended an event where she was able to talk to Santa multiple times, and she happily walked up to him shake his hand.

Critical Thinking

Her sense of humor creeps out throughout the day, which I certainly consider a sign of deeper thought. She is especially interested in mimicking other people. A few nights ago she demonstrated to Daddy how Mama takes very deep breaths throughout the day.

Interactions with Life

We are having potty success every day this week- typically in the mornings and nights, as we are out and about during the day. She is very excited that she is finally able to use toilet paper and flush!
The time has come. This week, Q-ball started saying "no." Specifically, "no, no, no," typically accompanied by head shaking.

We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings! Check out what the other kiddos are up to!

The Pictures!

2012-12-07T12:04:00.002-08:00

So, here are some pictures that I know that my faithful "readers" have been missing...

She moved these snowmen between two different flat surfaces for about 20 minutes- she just couldn't decide which looked best.

Other kids made gingerbread houses. Q-ball ate.

Watch Her Grow...

2012-12-06T12:19:00.002-08:00

This Week's Focus: Language and Holiday Cheer

Blah! I'm having issues with uploading images right now! I hope to send some out tomorrow!

Interactions with Materials

Q-ball is totally ready for this holiday season. I was quick on the uptake for this holiday after failures with Halloween and Thanksgiving and got our Christmas books from the library in the last week of November. After seeing Christmas trees, Santa Claus, baby Jesus, donkeys, and snowmen in all of her books, Q-ball's favorite materials right now are definitely seasonal. She's really excited that she now recognizes everything that we see out and about.
Another seasonal fav- Christmas lights. We recently went to our local Christmas tree lighting. She was very excited. As I've said here before, it's really amazing to see everything through a child's eyes. On the drive home, we were able to go by more lights (we are rarely out after dark, so we had to make the best of it!) Now, she sits in her carseat when we are driving and makes the "more" sign, asking to see more lights. (Sadly, it's during the day...)
And, I'll include music as a material here. We've certainly been able to make the most of musical appreciation this holiday season. Q-ball now recognizes several Christmas songs. By far, The Little Drummer Boy is her favorite, and she is constantly asking to hear "MMMMMMM!" Family might remember that I really dislike this song, so I've really been demonstrating unconditional love by listening to it several times and hour. Q-ball can also do a pretty sweet version of Mariah Carey's high notes in All I Want for Christmas Is You!

Interactions with Others

This week we continued shaking hands with people that were new to us, but she is starting to seek more interaction, especially with those her own size. At recent trips to the zoo and park, she was eager to point out sights to other visiting kids. It's fun to see what social cues she uses to get others' attention and then to re-direct it.

Critical Thinking

I think we are in another language explosion here. (Perhaps this explains her (my?) difficulty going to sleep.)
I know also have to remember that Q-ball remembers everything I say. Sometimes when she really starts talking (and she really, really can talk a lot!), I'll say, "Let's remember to try to tell Daddy when he gets home," to have one second of quiet. She'll say "doh!" (her version of yes), and when Daddy comes home hours later, she immediately runs to him and tells him the story.

Interactions with Life

I'm working on involving her in more practical life activities. This week she started feeding dinner to the cats. She's very excited about it and now expects to do it every night.

Question for the day: I know that I need more guidance as far as introducing new materials and activities following Dr. Montessori's philosophy. I know lots of you out there can help! How much do you demonstrate? How much do you assist? Is a child asking for assistance indicative that the material is above her current abilities?

We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings! Check out what the other kiddos are up to!

Watch Her Grow...

2012-11-29T10:33:00.001-08:00

This Week's Focus: Practical Life and Language
Wow! It's been a long time since I've done this. Moving, holidays, and a lack of Internet connection make blogging tough! And, I decided to take a little break. But, a lot of growing has taken place in the meantime!

Interactions with Materials

Still loving her baby doll. She likes to make sure that her baby washes her hands before meals, goes potty, takes naps, and even take her vitamin D drops.
She has a small metal lunchbox and a little bag that she likes to carry around the house. In addition to a loading and unloading them, she really like practicing using the latch on the lunchbox.
Last week she mastered her shape puzzle. She typically can identify the shapes when we say them and place in them puzzle.
Balls! Since she got to watch a few minutes of football on Thanksgiving, she has been replaying the events over and over. She acts out kicking and throwing the ball. Daddy bought her a football, and she loves it!

Interactions with Others

We are still a little nervous about meeting new people. If a child approaches too quickly at the park, she often screams. But, we've been able to hamper these fears by acknowledging that it's scary to meet new people, but that a polite thing to do is shake people's hands. (She loves shaking hands right now.)
She is still baby crazy. Whenever we are out and about she yells, "Baby!" when we see anyone under the age of about 18.

Critical Thinking

It's amazing to see how much she understands now. Before we leave to run errands, I'll tell her what we are going to do, and as we complete items from our list, she'll tell me what we are doing next using signs or her words. Yesterday, for example, she explained over and over that we had to buy "meow yum" (catfood) before we could go to the park.
She's very interested in emotions. I suspect this is largely because she is hearing more emotion words as we are handling small tantrums or expressions of anger/frustration. Last night she enjoyed reading a book and pointing out who was "happy" (the first time she used this word) and who was "AHHHHH!" (mad).

Interactions with Life

We are certainly starting to see her enjoyment of established routines. During playtime, she'll practice our bedtime routine. And throughout the day, she works on describing what we do. And, she's always very excited to tell Daddy about our day when he comes home.
We are getting over a little stomach bug. Thanksgiving food was too much fun, I suppose!

We are linking up with Vibrant Wanderings! Check out what the other kiddos are up to!