Toddler Approved!

Some Announcements... and Friday Kid's Co-op

2012-06-01T01:43:00.002-07:00

Happy Friday! Can you believe it is already the weekend?

I am still recovering from our weekend of camping last weekend. My entire downstairs hallway is filled with laundry and so is my bedroom floor. Camping honestly exceeded my expectations (though they were pretty low to begin with)... but so did the disaster that came with it! :) I need a week to recover (without little people running around in my laundry piles).

Top two tips from camping with my kids are...

Bring mini spray bottles- I randomly threw them in and they played with them NON stop. They sprayed the car, the plants, each other, etc. All while I got to sit in my camping chair and read a book. It was heaven!
Bring three times more clothes than you think you need for the toddler. I am serious. My husband laughed at how much stuff I brought for her but she wore every single thing! At nighttime I made my kids wear three layers plus hats because it was so cold. Everyone slept warmly and came home healthy!

Announcements:

It is June! Yay! We have tons of fun things going on this month that I can't wait to share with you.

Our first newsletter went out today! Did you get it? I'd love to hear your feedback, so reply and send it my way. What did you like? What do you want more of? If you didn't get it, don't worry, you can sign up here and I'll get it to you asap!
We're joining with Memetales and several other bloggers and publishers for Readathon 2012! Free books, cool resources... you won't want to miss it! Stay tuned for more details.
We have an exciting giveaway coming on Monday. You can read about it in our newsletter or just wait till Monday. I can't wait!
We are starting a Summer Virtual Book Club with 15+ bloggers! I'll share more later this weekend... but starting planning ahead by choosing your favorite book by Mo Willems.

I'm sure I have loads more to share... but that's all for now. I need to start packing for our quick trip to Monterey this weekend. My husband is getting scuba certified (for our upcoming trip to Hawaii) and has a big dive... so the kids and I are tagging along to go explore the tidepools and relax. Ha! Relax toting two kids around Monterey? That probably won't happen... but I'll keep telling myself it will! :)

I would love to just sleep all weekend long! How about you? Do you have anything fun planned?

We are also participating in this week's Kid's Co-op. If you did anything exciting or creative last week, come link it up! We would love to feature you next week!

Basic Bike to Motorbike

2012-05-31T03:12:00.000-07:00

Everything stops when we hear/see a motorcycle passing by - which is why I can't believe that it's taken me this long to show my kids the fun I had "back in the day" making my bike sound like a motorbike by putting a baseball card in the spokes. Please tell me I'm not the only one old enough to remember doing this??

From previous childhood experience, I wouldn't recommend using a baseball card - you never know if the one you'll be ~~destroying~~ using is or will be of value.

Our current solution: using some of the blank cards (that come in just about every pack) of a set of playing cards that your have on hand, or a small piece of cardboard cut out of a cereal box.

Position and fold the card on the fork of the bike frame - so that one end of card will make contact with the spokes as the wheels are turning. Give the wheel a few turns to be sure you're satisfied with the position and the sound produced. Secure with tape. If you're worried about removing paint from the bike, you can use painters tape (however the card may not be as secure). I just used clear packing tape (and have since removed it with no problems).

Then, take your upgraded "motor"bike for a test ride.

Warning: Upgrading a basic bike to motorbike as demonstrated above may result in your child desiring to spend significant amounts of time outside riding it.

The Very Quiet Cricket Virtual Book Club & Blog Hop

2012-05-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

This month's Virtual Book Club for Kids is featuring activities, projects, crafts, etc. inspired by Eric Carle's wonderful book, The Very Quiet Cricket!

We actually didn't have this book already, so we were so excited to get the board book version in the mail a few weeks ago! Even though my preschooler is gentle with books, the toddler is not, so we love board books!

This month we are co-hosting Virtual Book Club with The Educator's Spin On It, so head on over to their site to check out the absolutely amazing buggy activities that they are sharing! You will probably want to pin every picture and add it to your summer "must-do" list!

I haven't been feeling very crafty lately, so we decided that this month we were going to get moving with The Very Quiet Cricket! We had a lot of fun learning some new words while we spun, scraped, buzzed, danced, etc. all around our house.

Here are the two activities we came up with...

1. Very Quiet Cricket Movement Cards

Materials Needed: markers, printouts of these simple story sequence cards from Making Learning Fun, paper strips, colored cardstock, a copy of The Very Quiet Cricket, and double sided tape.

Directions to create movement cards:

1. Tape one story sequence card scene to each piece of cardstock.

2. Read the book and match the story sequence card to the book.

3. Listen for movement words that go along with each sequence card and write them down on the paper strips.

4. Tape the paper strips onto the corresponding story sequence card.

5. Put the cardstock story sequence cards in order and label them #1-9.

Directions to play the movement card game:

1. Lay the cards all over the floor (you can tape them down or just lay them on carpet)

2. Read the story of The Quiet Cricket aloud slowly while your child tries to find each card as you read the corresponding page.

3. Encourage your child to do the movement or action on each card when he finds it. We did the movements all together and had a great time acting goofy. Our favorites were buzzing and spinning.

4. As you finish reading the story, collect the story sequence cards and place them in order. Have your child tell the story of The Very Quiet Cricket in his own words.

We loved all of the bugs that were included in this book! We could spend several weeks just studying each of them... and might, later this summer!

2. The Very Quiet Cricket Bug Olympics

With the Summer Olympics fast approaching, we thought it would be fun to create our own bug olympics! Here are the simple activities we came up with that related to each of the bugs in the book! These olympic events aren't really for competition but are a great way to have fun moving with your kids! Make sure you join in too!

Olympic Events:

Locust twirls

Spin from one end of the room to the other end of the room as fast as you can. Or, if you do this outside, spin from one side of the lawn to the other. Count while you spin and see if you can get across the room faster and faster each time.

Praying Mantis Scissor Kicks

These are scissor kicks. Do a set of 10, sit up and rest, and then do another set of 10.

Worm Crawl

The worm crawled through the apple and munched his way out. Set up a tunnel using kitchen chairs or patio chairs that your child can crawl under/over. You could even create a tunnel using blankets... or if you want to get really creative, make a worm crawl obstacle course! Make sure to remind your little worms to munch as they try and crawl through their tunnels!

Spittle Bug Swimming

Get your arms moving by swimming across the room or the lawn. Do freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke or whatever you want with your arms while you legs help you run. See if you can go 5 laps before you need to go back to slurping and relaxing in the sea of froth.

Clinging Cicada

Grab some big sticks or branches (or a broom) and do 20 broomstick twists (demonstrated here). Make sure you cling to the branches just like the cicada did!

Bumble Bee Arm Flaps

Do 20 bumble bee arms flaps with your arms straight out and palms down. You can fly across the room and race other bees or just fly around the room. Then flip your arms over and do 20 bumble bee arm flaps with your palms up!

Gliding Dragonflies

Glide (or slide) in a circle around your yard or inside your house. Make the circles bigger and smaller. Change directions and speeds. See how quietly you can move.

Mosquito Dance Contest

Put on your favorite dancing tunes and rock out to the music! The mosquitos loved to buzz, so you could also buzz or sing along to the music while you move.

Luna Moth Toss

Create a simple paper airplane and have a luna moth toss from the highest spots in your house or yard. The luna moth sailed quietly through the night, so don't let your airplanes make a peep!

Once you've gone through all of the events... take a rest and start all over again!

Are you excited for the Bug Olympics? You can download our Bug Olympics cards here if you want to print out each of the events and have them easily accessible.

If you participated in book club this month and have a Very Quiet Cricket blog post to share with us, please link it up in the linky below! Please make sure to only link up Very Quiet Cricket related posts. If you have more than one to share, you are welcome to share them, but limit your links to two. Blog posts should share about your book club experience and a learning activity, craft, or related project you did! I can't wait to see what you link up!

If your post is not Very Quiet Cricket themed or you link more than two posts, I will unfortunately have to delete your extra/irrelevant posts!

I will be adding the posts below to our Virtual Book Club Pinterest Board along with sharing them over on Toddler Approved's Facebook page. I recommend you visit other blogs participating in the link up, leave a comment, and share the fabulous posts you discover too!

If you would like to participate in the blog hop and don't already have the blog hop linky code to put at the bottom of your blog, email me at toddlerapproved (at) gmail (dot) com and I will send you the HTML.

Oreo Asteroids... an out of this world ice cream treat!

2012-05-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

One of the items that arrived in our BabbaBox last week was the book Twinkle, Star of the Week by Joan Holub.

One of the things that I mentioned in my BabbaBox review post is that the box inspired us to investigate, explore, and create... even more!

We love new books and Twinkle, Star of the Week is a book about a little star's journey to figure out what special talent she has to share when it is her turn to be "star of the week." One of Twinkle's classmates (Blaze) makes asteroid cookies for his talent. Once we read that my son said that we should make our own asteroid cookies using the double chocolate oreos we had in our kitchen!

I LOVED that idea (mostly because I am pregnant and currently addicted to anything using double chocolate oreos). I also love it when my son makes connections while we are reading... especially when they are yummy :)

So, here's what we came up with once we got into the kitchen. If you like chocolate, I guarantee you will want to go and make these right now. Yum!

Materials needed for oreo asteroids:

muffin tin liners
chocolate ice cream
double chocolate oreos (or just plain ones... or you could try peanut butter ones?)
ice cream scooper
can or rolling pin for crushing
ziploc bag (to help contain the mess)
plate

Directions to make oreo asteroids:

1. Put some oreos in a ziploc bag, get the air out of it, and seal it.

2. Use a can to mash the oreos until they are crushed!! This is so fun!

3. Spread the crushed oreos out onto a plate.

4. Scoop ice cream and form it into small (or large) asteroid balls.

5. Roll the asteroid ice cream balls in the crushed oreos until they are covered.

6. Drop each one into a muffin tin liner and stick them in the freezer! These are perfect single treat servings to enjoy all summer long... or in our case, all day long... since they were gone quickly!

This little dude inhaled his oreo asteroid and loved making a big mess!

Asteroids are made of rock... so the crushed oreos were a perfect choice. They can also be a variety of sizes, so your kids can make small oreo asteroids and giant ones! :) Some asteroids are also made of ice, so the ice cream is also a nice touch.

If you don't like chocolate, you could also try this with vanilla ice cream and the non-chocolatey oreos or another sort of cookie.

If your kids are interested in space, below is one of our favorite all time videos about space and the planets by They Might Be Giants. Science is ten times more fun when you can sing about it.

Do you have any other space or science themed treats that you've created?

Do you have any out of this world space books you'd recommend that we read?

If you missed my BabbaBox post, make sure you head over and read it. Don't miss out on the awesome Summer Survival Kit deal that I shared. I already bought our summer pack and I can't wait for it to arrive in a few weeks!

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Are you participating?

Our May Virtual Book Club for Kids is tomorrow, Wednesday May 30th! We would love for you to participate! This month's book is The Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle. Read more about book club here and then come join us!

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Did You Know?

Starting June 1st we will be sharing a monthly Toddler Approved newsletter filled with more awesome activities for kids, parenting tips and tools, and other great resources. You can sign up on the blog's sidebar or click the link here to sign up.

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Are you interested in advertising on Toddler Approved?

We'd love to brainstorm with you to find creative ways to share your company or product with our readers! Email us at toddlerapproved (at) gmail (dot) com

BabbaBox: A cool learning tool for kids!

2012-05-29T00:59:00.000-07:00

One of the main goals of this blog is to help parents connect with their kids in fun and creative ways. We also love finding cool ways to embed learning into our day. Last week EJ shared a seriously awesome swimming pool scrabble game that I think was a genius idea! I also discovered tons of creative learning activities in last week's Kid's Co-op link up.

Today I am excited to share another cool learning tool with you!

The BabbaBox!

If you are a busy parent... or maybe one who needs some extra time connecting and creating with your kids this summer, you are going to love this!

My son was SO EXCITED when our BabbaBox arrived about a week ago. Can you see the intense concentration in the picture above? He couldn't wait to rip open the box!

So, what is a BabbaBox?

The BabbaBox is a subscription box that is delivered to your home monthly and is filled with educational and fun activities for you to use as you connect, create, explore, and learn with your kids!

Each box contains the four components listed above and is carefully designed by a group of experts to engage and excite kids ages 3-6... though many of the activities can be adapted for younger or older kids.

Here's what we loved about our BabbaBox:

1. Everything we needed was inside the box.

Everything we needed for each craft or activity was included in the BabbaBox. I didn't have to hunt for a specific type of glue or wait in line at Michaels for special paper... it was all in the box. Loved it! The binoculars that came in our Sun, Moon, and Stars kit were a hit! My son also loved the constellation sticker activity. The activities provide hours of entertainment over the course of several days.

2. The instructions were simple and easy to follow.

I purposely had my husband (the non-crafty one) spend a lot of time exploring this box with my son. While I went out for the night I had the boys create the paper mache moon night light pictured above. They had a blast.

Each craft or activity in the box comes with a little instruction booklet. It shows the materials that are needed, the steps to do the activity, AND (my favorite part) little facts and tidbits of information to go along with the activity! I also love how the activities each have a little parent icon next to them to let you know what skills are being embedded into the activities- motor skills, cognitive skills, etc.

Our box was Sun, Moon, and Stars themed... which was the PERFECT box to arrive the day after we had a solar eclipse! My son was already excited about the topic and the little informational tidbits that we shared as we did each project made him even more fascinated with the theme.

3. We got a new children's book!

We are bookaholics, so getting a new children's book was a big deal! My 4-yr-old son and 18-month-old daughter both beelined for the couch as soon as they saw the new book. They were totally engaged in checking out the pictures and listening to the new story. Our box included the book Twinkle, Star of the Week by Joan Holub and also included directions for connecting to exclusive online content where my son could learn how to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on a digital piano.

Although the book was definitely more appropriate for my son, my daughter still enjoyed it. When I read it with her we modified the text to make it simpler for her to understand and we talked about the pictures a lot. It was a great activity to help her develop some new vocabulary words!

4. We were inspired to investigate, explore, and create!

The cool binoculars we got in the kit tagged along on our camping trip to Big Sur this weekend. My husband and son headed out at nighttime to observe the moon and check out the stars that they'd learned about as we did the constellation sticker activity.

As we read the children's book in the kit we were also inspired to create a few other related activities and projects that we'll be sharing on the blog later this week.

One of my favorite things about this box is that it cultivates an environment for creating, exploring, and learning in your home... which then motivated us to keep learning and discovering new things even after we were done with all of the activities in the box.

5. It gave us time to connect with one another.

Not only did our BabbaBox give us a reason to connect with one another, it also gave us extra time to connect because I didn't have to use extra brain power to create or research new activities or ideas... they just arrived on our doorstep!

Last week was filled with deadlines and obligations that didn't involve me spending time with my kids... so the arrival of this box seriously saved the day. I am a creative person and I love coming up with my own projects and learning activities for my kids, but it was so lovely to have it all easily put together for me so that I could just be present and enjoy my kids during the few moments of down time that we did have to spend together.

Do you want to spend more time with your kids this summer... and less time coming up with fun and educational activities to do with them?

Here are two ways that BabbaCo (the company that creates the BabbaBox) can help...

Go to "Join Now" at www.babbaco.com and sign up for the Summer Survival Pack before June 1st and receive 33% off! Use coupon code TASummer33 at checkout. That's only $20 per box for the summer!
Or you can sign up for the monthly membership and receive 20% off your first box. Use coupon code TA20OFF at checkout.

To learn more about BabbaCo and BabbaBox subscriptions you can check out their website here. BabbaCo also has an awesome Facebook page where you can find loads of great ideas for more summer fun. I think giving BabbaBox subscriptions might be my new "go-to" gift for nieces and nephews. What an ingenius idea!

How else do you connect and create in simple ways with your kids during the school year and summer?

Do you create a summer bucket list or have a tool you use to plan out your summer activities?

What topics would your kids like to spend more time exploring once school lets out? Do they have any current favorites?

Disclosure: The products reviewed in this post were given to me for free by BabbaCo.com. All posts reflect my personal opinion and endorsement and are not swayed by compensation and/or free products. Please note that this post reflects my opinion and you might not share that same opinion.

{Kid's Co-op} Simple Family Fun

2012-05-26T02:00:00.000-07:00

Hooray! It's the weekend! I'd like to celebrate by sharing some simple family activities with you! We've been having fun doing pretend camping at our house in preparation for our upcoming camping trip... and we've been eating way too many indoor s'mores (Target was having a sale on marshmallows and chocolate bars :)).

Today I am featuring three awesome posts from last week's Kid's Co-op that are simple activities to do with your family. I really want to try them all out!

1. Kid Wash via Familylicious

I think my kids would be outside every chance they could get if we had one of these in our backyard!

2. Ball Bounce Painting via Mommy and Me Book Club

Painting that could be a little uncontrolled and totally spontaneous is right up our alley! The kids would have a blast with this!

3. Catapult Project via Creekside Learning

I have seen this project pinned again and again on Pinterest and every time I see it again I am reminded that we need to do it! Maybe this weekend it will happen? Love it!

If you are looking for more awesome ideas, check out EJ's Swimming Pool Scrabble game, or look below at all the amazing posts that have been linked up this week.

Yesterday I shared some ways to slow down and keep it simple and several of those ideas included spending time with your family doing fun things. I hope you'll take a lot of time this weekend to be present with your family members and do simple fun things together.

I love this quote. It is totally true.

Source: b-o-h-o-d-r-e-a-m-s.tumblr.com via Kristina on Pinterest

If you have a sec, come share your favorite activity to do with your family, or link up an activity, craft, or project to this week's Kid's Co-op Linky. I'd to see what you've been up to!

Have a great long weekend! I'll see you back on Tuesday!

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Are you participating?

Our May Virtual Book Club for Kids is next Wednesday, May 30th! We would love for you to participate! This month's book is The Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle. Read more about book club here and then come join us!

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Did You Know?

Slow Down and Keep it Simple

2012-05-25T01:45:00.002-07:00

Last night I went to dinner with a few friends. We talked about camping plans for over the long weekend, upcoming baby showers, preschool events, and sports classes. We also talked about this article my friend had read recently.

My friend reminded us that when things get crazy in life, we need to slow down and refocus. When we focus on the important things (and neglect the trivial), our priorities get put back into view and we spend time on what really counts.

I have felt like a crazy person this week. My house is a disaster, my brain is completely unorganized, and I feel like I need a week of alone time in my house just so that I can catch up on laundry, sleep, and a gazillion things on my to-do list... in addition to packing for our upcoming camping trip!

I have not felt like being ultra creative with my kids and would've loved to have locked myself in my bedroom for a nap on several occasions this week.

Instead of throwing my own pity party, I actually focused on the simple things that are most important to me (my kids, my husband, and my friends) and felt much better! This video by Alissa at Creative with Kids reminded me that Toddlers (and Preschoolers) won't wait for you to have the perfect time to connect... so we need to connect now!

So, how do you connect with your kids when you don't feel like it? When you're tired, grumpy, busy, overwhelmed, etc.?

This is what I do:

1. Clear away the mess- I don't know about you, but I can't create or connect in a mess... so either we go somewhere that's not a mess or we figure out a fun way to clean up together! This was a fun cleaning game we created the other week that helped us have a good time while de-cluttering a bit.

2. Get outside- We bought a water table this week. I can't believe I didn't have one already. On our most exhausting days this week we just went outside and splashed around. The laughing and giggling that ensued was contagious and my grumpy/tired attitude couldn't last long!

3. Read a new book (or two or three)... or an old favorite- Our friends at BabbaCo sent us a kit to review. We'll be sharing all about it next week. In the kit was a fabulous new book! We read it again and again together. We also read My Mouth is a Volcano by Julia Cook at least 2-3 times per day... and my daughter's favorite Dora book too. Cuddling together and enjoying a new (or old) book is probably one of my favorite activities ever!

4. Take a moment and connect with a friend or family member (with your kids)- Yesterday afternoon my dad called me and we chatted for over an hour. My son loves his Grandpa, so he hovered around and participated in the conversation. There is something super special about telling your parents all about how awesome your child is... while they are listening.

5. Do a favorite activity that you always do... again... and again- My kids will spend all day racing their baby strollers around the house. If I sit and watch them and laugh while they do goofy things like crash into one another or fall over and do somersaults, they'll play happily for even longer. My kids also love to be totally messy... especially at dinner. I try to get mad, but I can't help but laugh. Putting ketchup on her nose never gets boring.

6. Do something nice for someone else... together- Don't you agree that when you look outward, it is easier to feel less selfish and me-focused? We celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week this week at my son's preschool. We made special treats for his teacher, put together a dinner basket for her, made cards, and brought her flowers. Our cards weren't anything special (just markers on cardstock), but I loved the few minutes in the early morning the other day just watching my son write his name so that it would look perfect for his teacher's card. I didn't come up with a fancy project to make an awesome artistic (mom created) card... like I do sometimes and instead we just kept it simple.

It is definitely fun to be extra creative sometimes... but often it is nice to just keep it simple.

What are your tips for connecting with your kids when you don't feel like it?

What activities help you slow down and refocus on your priorities?

Are there ways that you could simplify life and slow down... even amid the craziness?

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Are you participating?

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Did You Know?

Swimming Pool Scrabble

2012-05-24T04:03:00.000-07:00

A few hours each week I take off my "mom hat" to teach water aerobics. One of my goals when teaching this group of adults is to try to incorporate a little fun (while still working hard) into each class. Today I'm sharing one of my class favorites, (Swimming Pool Scrabble), and showing how to make it age appropriate for your children.

Supplies Needed: sponges, scissors, permanent marker

Cut sponges in half. Write letters on each sponge (we only put letters on one side, but you can easily make these "tiles" double sided to give you more spelling options).

Throw the "scrabble sponges" in the pool, then swim to collect all of the pieces. Both of my children are still learning to swim - so instead of making it a competition, we worked together to collect all of the pieces, or would take turns swimming out to grab a letter.

Once collected - play an age appropriate game of scrabble. With my 3 year old, we worked on putting the letters in alphabetical order, and finding the letters that made up his name - with my 5 year old, we'd see how many simple words we could form using the letters she had collected.

Throw them back in and start over again.

In addition to being a fun and active way to play with letters, this game provides an excellent way to improve stroke technique/efficiency (by having to reach for the letters) without seeming like "swimming instruction".

What are your favorite pool toys/games?

Counting and Crushing Cars

2012-05-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

Hope you're not getting tired of our "car themed" activities . . . my son certainly isn't. So far we've used them to learn about colors and patterns, as well as the sequence of the alphabet. Today we're sharing how we've incorporated counting and number recognition into our daily car "play".

We're currently working on counting (and recognizing the numbers up) to 20. We collected as many cars as we could find, and put them in a pile. I also printed and cut out numerical flash cards (although you could also use playing cards or dice to determine numbers).

We would take turns drawing a number, identifying the number on the card, then selecting the appropriate amount of cars to add to the "line up". After we had lined up all of the cars, we would double check and count again. Then, for the fun part . . .

. . . driving "The Monster Truck" over our line up and CRUSHING all of the cars!

We'd put all of the cars back in our stock pile, draw another number and start again. This was a great activity to not only identify numbers, but to practice one to one correspondence using toys we love.

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Source: allfortheboys.com via Christine on Pinterest

Found this genius idea by All for The Boys molding cars out of foil to make the smashing/crushing more realistic. We're going to incorporate this idea the next time we play this game.

Some fun car/truck counting themed books to go along with this activity:

Ten Little Race Cars by Brighter Child, One Checkered Flag by Michael Dahl and NASCAR 123's by Paul DuBois Jacobs

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Did You Know?

My Mouth is a Volcano... and Other Tips and Tools to Teach Kids Who Interrupt

2012-05-22T00:41:00.000-07:00

As a special education teacher of kids with communication disabilities, I have spent years in classrooms working with kids who struggle to acquire language or engage socially. Now as a mom of a very verbal four year old I have the opposite problem. My son is very social and has a lot to say... ALL.THE.TIME.

I love having someone to talk with during the day, so I don't totally realize how much he talks until I'm around other adults and they can barely get a word in edgewise. When kids are younger, adults tend to ignore the interruptions and either acknowledge the child quickly and move on, or just talk over the child. If interrupt-itis isn't addressed, it can get out of control as kids get older and become a bad habit.

Once children are in school they are taught cues and signals to get the teacher's attention like raising their hand... but typically in your home you're not going to make your kids raise their hand until you're ready to call on them... right? So, what do you do? How do you teach your child to wait patiently for their turn in a conversation and interrupt appropriately?

I have been loving Julia Cook's book called My Mouth is a Volcano.

It is a children's life skills book that takes an entertaining approach to teaching kids about interrupting and explains a simple technique to help them curb their verbal explosions. My son has been in love with volcanoes for awhile, so this was the perfect book to use as we began to address the topic of interrupting with him.

After reading this book again (and again), we have spent a lot of time role playing and modeling how to interrupt appropriately in our house. This method is one that is working for us right now, but I'm sure we'll tweak it as my son gets older.

Teaching Kids to Interrupt Appropriately (or wait their turn):

1. Tell your child to tap the adult on the arm (or just gently hold their arm) when they have something to say and the adult is already talking to someone else. Teach them not to say, "mom mom mom" over and over again or tap incessantly.

2. Tell your child that you will acknowledge them with a look or a touch (I will touch my son's hand or give him a look that says, "I see you."). I also put up my hand up kind of like a stop sign to remind my son to stop and wait. He needs that cue... it would annoy some kids.

3. Have your child practice recognizing the eye contact or nonverbal message that means "I see you, I'll give you a turn soon" and practice having them go and find something else to do nearby until it is their turn. Some kids can wait patiently... but my son just gets more anxious, so he needs a task to do until I am done with my conversation.

Older kids can learn how to wait for breaks in a conversation and jump in. That is a pretty complex skill so I wouldn't expect most preschoolers to be able to recognize conversation breaks/pauses. You can help train them though by making them aware of breaks in conversation.

4. When you are practicing with your child, assure them that you will make time in the conversation for them... and then make sure you follow through with that. After your child has waited for their turn to talk for a few minutes, make sure to bring them into the conversation and allow them to share their thoughts/ideas.

5. Teach kids that there are exceptions to the "no interrupting/wait patiently" rule if there is an emergency. Talk about what constitutes an emergency.

Role play these scenarios again and again! My son loves practicing with me and my husband. We take turns being the ones in a conversation and being the interrupter so that everyone gets a chance to practice.

You can also have your child role play with friends or siblings, since some kids tend to interrupt their friends a lot. This can then cause them to become the kid that no one likes because they are not respectful of their friend's conversations (as detailed in Julia Cook's book mentioned above).

Things to think about:

If you actively include your child in your conversations and take time to ask for their opinions, they will feel less starved for attention and will probably interrupt less.
Toddlers and preschoolers can't wait for that long. If you are trying to have a long conversation and your child keeps interrupting and can't wait any longer... maybe you should be having your conversation when they are napping, in bed, or at another time.
Be an advocate for your child when you are spending time with your friends. If they keep talking over your child and never attempt to include your child in a conversation, maybe you should find a time to chat with them when your child isn't around.
If you have friends coming over that are notoriously bad at including your child and your child tends to interrupt a lot or try and compete for your attention, take breaks to spend special 1:1 time with your child throughout their visit. These don't need to be lengthy breaks, but enough that your child feels like they aren't ignored. You can also find special jobs for them to do to help you or have special activities/projects that they can do sitting right next to you that keep them engaged while you can carry on a conversation.
Patience and waiting takes practice. Set up "practice" time where you work on these sort of skills when your child isn't in a situation where it is required. The more you practice, the better your child will get at doing it when it is an actual situation and they need to be patient and wait.

There are many adults that believe that children should be seen and not heard... or quiet when adults are speaking... but then I also see adults interrupting kids (or others) all the time... and having no consequences... so it is hard for kids to understand why they can't interrupt too. Make sure that you are being fair with your kids and you are equally respectful of their conversations so that you are setting a good example.

As a former teacher of kids in kindergarten through third grade I definitely think that teaching these skills need to start sooner rather than later. Your child's kindergarten teacher will thank you. I feel bad that I am just starting to work on this with my son and he's already four. Up until now it has been easy to quickly respond to him and then get back to my conversation... but now I think interrupting has become a bad habit for him.

I have collected several great articles about interrupting that you can check out. I don't have the answer to solving "interrupt-itis," but I think a combination of all of these great ideas can help you formulate your own way to handle this challenge with your kids. Children are different, so something that works for one might not work for another. My main recommendation would be to pick your approach, be consistent with it for awhile, assess how it is going, and if it isn't working, try something else.

I would love to hear how you handle interrupting in your home or classroom. If you don't have a strategy yet, I would love to hear your thoughts on these articles below and which ideas you might decide to try.

How to Stop your Preschooler from Interrupting via Disney Family.com

Interrupting: 6 Ways to Get Your Child to Stop via iVillage

"Stop Interrupting!" via Child Perspective

Teach Your Kids to Stop Interrupting via MSN Lifestyle

3 Ways to Cure Your Child's Case of Interrupt-itis via Circle of Moms

Parenting Advice When Kid's Interrupt via The Seeds Network

When Kid's Interrupt via Love and Logic Institute

Stop Interrupting Me! via The Parenting Coach

How to Manage Interruptions in Your Montessori Classroom or Homeschool via Living Montessori Now

Do you have any other great resources, tips, or tools on this topic to share with us?

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Did You Know?

Two Simple Ball Activities for Toddlers

2012-05-21T00:31:00.001-07:00

These ideas aren't revolutionary, but my daughter has been looking for more things to do lately while my son is at preschool. We did two very very simple toddler ball activities last week that were big hits. I love activities that need very few materials and use what we already have around the house.

1. Big and little balls down the ramp

Materials Needed: balls of various sizes, ramp (we used a foam board), tape, and a large bowl.

We grabbed some balls that were different sizes and textures from my apothecary jars that are in the family room and put them in a big bowl. Then we used painters tape to secure the foam board to our small stairs. You could also do this off the couch or a small chair. Instead of foam board you could use the side of a cardboard box or a cookie sheet.

Take the balls out of the bowl and roll them down the ramp! Collect them and repeat again and again!

My son wanted to try out the activity when he got home from preschool and my kids played for a long time! We talked about the different sizes, colors, and textures of the balls. We also talked about how fast/slow they went, the directions they moved, and how many we picked up! My son liked counting how many he could pick up all at the same time and how long it took him to collect all the balls.

2. Big and little balls in the bucket

Materials Needed: big and little balls and a bucket or bowl

This game reminded me of my son's favorite activity when he was two- shooting two. My daughter is about 18 months now and loves to drop things into buckets or dump them out of buckets. This game let her do both.

We used the big and little decorative balls from around my house (I just had to remind my daughter once or twice not to squish them... since they are more delicate that some of my other balls).

For this activity all we did was drop the balls into our large bowl and then dump them out and do it again. To me it sounds like a boring activity... but to an 18 month old it wasn't! Toddlers love repetition so we did this again and again and again.

We also used some plastic cups to scoop up the balls from the bowl and dump them back in. We talked about the sizes of the balls when she scooped them up with the cup. Some balls fit and some didn't... so it provided a good opportunity to talk about why that happened and problem solve together.

Do you have any other favorite ball activities to do with toddlers?

What is your toddler's favorite activity to do with you?

Creating Miro Inspired Art... Using Painter's Tape

2012-05-18T00:29:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be participating in Red Ted Art's new series called Kids Get Arty: Exploring the Great Artists. The goal is to explore different artists with your kids and create together! This month we decided to learn about Joan Miro.

When I was in college I did a study abroad and spent several months in Spain. I loved seeing the variety of art across the country and visited tons of museums. We spent hours at different art museums each week. Although I can't remember which museums had Miro exhibits, I know I saw several of his works.

Joan Miro's art always makes me happy because of the vibrant colors. I didn't spend that much time talking with my son about Joan Miro's life, but we did look at some of his paintings and we talked about the lines and shapes that you can find in them.

We adapted this great Miro art lesson for 1st graders from Deep Space Sparkle (a favorite art instruction website of mine) and tweaked the materials and had a great time exploring!

Do you want to make Miro inspired art using painter's tape too?

Here's how you can do it with your preschooler or toddler....

Materials Needed: painter's tape, paint, markers, large drawing paper

Directions:

1. Talk about the difference between lines and shapes. We talked about lots of different types of lines- squiggly, curvy, zig zag, diagonal, etc.

2. Use your painters tape to create lines.

3. Talk about shapes and how lines connect together to make shapes.

4. Use your painters tape to create shapes.

5. Once your shape and line pictures are done, use paint to fill in the shapes.

6. Optional- we also used markers to draw some extra shapes and lines that we couldn't make with painter's tape- like circles (to make eyeballs) and curvy lines.

Another great part about art is that it sometimes tells a story. One of my favorite parts about studying different art pieces is learning all about the story behind the piece or what story the artist was trying to tell. I told my son about how art sometimes tells stories... so once he was done creating, he wanted to write a story about his art piece. He started off by writing his name, moved into writing about how the object he created was a giraffe, and then transitioned into writing a whole story about a tornado and a volcano! His artwork is very busy and full of ideas! It was fun to see his little mind working.

Adapting this activity for toddlers:

Older toddlers/young preschoolers could probably stick the tape on all by themselves, but for younger toddlers, adults can stick tape shapes and lines onto the paper and just have them paint in the shapes and draw their own lines/shapes with markers. Don't expect toddlers to color in the lines or even stay within the shape. As they draw you can talk with them about what they are drawing and seeing and you can also model next to them on your own paper how to draw a straight line or a curvy one. Mostly though, just let them explore, talk together, and have fun!

What would your child create with painter's tape? Do you or your child ever like to write stories about your art? Who is your favorite artist?

If you want to discover many many more posts inspired by other great artists, head over to Red Ted Art and check out almost 50 art inspired blog posts.

I am already trying to decide which artist we will study next for July's "Kid's Get Arty" post. Are you participating in "Kid's Get Arty? What artist would you pick to study?

Cooking With Mom: Omelets in a Muffin Tin

2012-05-17T05:37:00.000-07:00

Do your children enjoy helping you cook? Today I'm sharing a recipe that the whole family can make together (and customize to their liking) :

Omelets In A Muffin Tin

Ingredients:

Eggs (beaten and seasoned)

Mix Ins (of your choice): chopped/shredded veggies, shredded cheese, cooked meat

We used what we had on hand: bacon, shredded carrots, sauteed onions, zucchini, sweet potatoes (previously cooked), tomatoes, green onions, Mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease bottoms and sides of muffin tins.

We've found it works best to fill the muffin tins with your mix ins first

Then fill (almost to the top . . . the will puff up slightly) with beaten eggs and stir. Bake for 15 - 25 minutes (time will vary based on the amount of mix ins) until eggs are cooked through. I usually put them under the broiler for the last 1-2 minutes to brown the tops slightly.

Place pan on cooling rack for a few minutes before removing. Eat warm or cold, at home or on the go. The kids like eating these because they don't have to use a fork. I like when they eat them because it's a simple way to sneak in a little more veggies and protein into our morning meal.

What do you add to your eggs? How do your kids like to eat them?

Driving (and Riding) Through The Alphabet

2012-05-16T05:05:00.000-07:00

This week we are focusing on identifying upper and lower cased letters, as well as the order they fall in the alphabet. Thought we'd keep "rolling" with the car theme (after the fun we had with cars and colors last week).

Source: mrprintables.com via Eejaye on Pinterest

I printed and cut out 2 copies of this lowercase alphabet sheet from Mr Printables.com. Next I spread out one set of the letters (in alphabetical order) across our living room floor. I used a few letters from the second set to create alternate paths branching off the original alphabet "road". The idea was to start at "a" and drive to "z".

Every time we would approach a "y" in the road - we'd have to determine what letter came next in the alphabet and then follow the path of the next letter in the sequence. I made the alternate paths short, so that we could easily recognize when we had made a mistake and turn around to get back on the correct path.

Later in the day, we decided to "ride through the alphabet" on our bikes. We drew a winding path of uppercase letters, and would shout out the letter we were "riding through" as we rode over it. The kids spent the rest of the afternoon riding forward and backwards through the alphabet.

What are some fun ways that you have incorporated your child's favorite toy into daily learning activities?

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Car Alphabet Image from
No Time For Flashcards

We're planning on trying the above pictured "Car Alphabet" activity from No Time For Flashcards next
and checking out some of the fun car themed, alphabet books below:

Alphabeep by Debora Pearson, ABCDrive! by Naomi Howland, and The Racecar Alphabet by Brain Floca

Eating a Rainbow: Two Fun Activities for Kids

2012-05-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

I go running several mornings a week with three phenomenal ladies. One of them, my friend Cindy, is a super healthy mom who blogs about creative ways that she makes healthy food taste incredible and gets her kids to eat it. I haven't been motivated enough to actually try any of her recipes yet, but I have thoroughly enjoyed having her make several of them for me.

Inspired by all of our morning running conversations about eating healthier... I've tried to set a few goals for our family and find creative ways to include more veggies and fruit in our day.

My 4 year old son is a picky eater, so I got him involved to help me accomplish our goals.

First, we read Lili's Strawberry House by Sahar Bergis. Sahar is a registered dietitian and mom of two adorable girls (ages 3 and 5). Her book is about a little girl name Lili who lives in a strawberry house. Throughout the book readers are taught about vegetables and how they help them. My son loved the book and the darling illustrations and it inspired us to create two simple activities to help us eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables each day.

1. A Rainbow Grocery Store Hunt

This activity is a new weekly tradition for us. It doesn't need much explanation. Each week we head to the grocery store and hunt for fruits and vegetables. The goal is to bring home at least one fruit or veggies (or both) in every color of the rainbow. We have favorites that we must get each week (raspberries and blackberries) and then we try and get a few new (to my kids) ones to try. This requires me to be more creative and actually look for new recipes. So far the kids haven't gotten too crazy with their choices, but my son is definitely more willing to try a fruit or veggie that he picked out than one that I choose!

2. Build a Rainbow

This was another super simple, yet fun and very visual activity. After we went on our rainbow grocery store hunt, I drew pictures of all of the fruits and veggies we bought (while my son listed them off) and then we colored them in and cut them out. Meanwhile my daughter spent her time sampling our purchases.

Next we cut out six circles from rainbow cardstock colored paper and taped them on our kitchen wall (see top of this post). Somehow I originally had pink in our rainbow, but my husband reminded me that it isn't actually one of the real colors, so it didn't make the cut :(

I also taped all the fruits and veggies onto the wall (with painters tape). If you want your materials to be more durable, laminate them. I need to do that asap... but I am always so slow to do it!

Once our rainbow and our colorful fruit and veggies were on our wall then we used them to try and keep track of whether or not we were eating a rainbow every day! Each day we took them off and started over with our goal and tried to be better!

Most days we haven't eaten something from every color, but we have definitely increased the amount of fruits and veggies we've been eating... so we'll keep working on it! We keep changing the fruits/veggies each week.

If you're looking for another rainbow eating resource, I love this 5-A-Day the Easy Way printable from The Train to Crazy. It is a simple way to teach kids about serving size and encourages them to eat 5+ servings of colorful fruits and veggies each day.

Do you have any fun ways that you get your kids to eat healthier?

What is your child's favorite fruit or vegetable?

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Did You Know?

Four in a Row: A Family Cleaning Game

2012-05-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

My house has been in desperate need of hard core cleaning for awhile. I feel like I am always cleaning... but there is no system and some things get neglected while others happen constantly (like sweeping the wood floors- I do it at least 5 times a day- ugh!!).

I needed some motivation a few weeks ago when things had really gone down hill... so I decided to create a cleaning game for our family. I thought that if we made our chores into a game, the kids (and I) would be more motivated to actually do them.

So, I'll start off by explaining how we made our game board and then I'll explain how we play.

Materials Needed: squares of cardstock (ours were 2x2 I think), large foam board, tape, envelopes, markers, stickers.

Directions:
1. Cut your cardstock squares to fit your foam board. Lay them out to check and make sure they will work.

2. Write down different chores/cleaning tasks on each card and brainstorm a list of simple and fun activities you could do once you are done and get four in a row! You could also brainstorm a list of adventures to go on that are extra special once all the bigger tasks are done (in our case that would be when the spring cleaning tasks are done).

3. Categorize the activities by importance using stickers. (For example, rainbow stickers could mean the task could happen later in the day, frog stickers could mean that they need to happen now!)

4. Put the task cards in labeled envelopes and hang your game board somewhere you can see it.

5. Choose several task cards and hang them up with tape.

5. Celebrate once you've completed four tasks in any direction! We didn't celebrate by doing anything super special, but the kids got to choose a simple, fun activity that they wanted to do and we had a blast playing when we got four in a row!

6. Start the game again with new tasks once you've gotten four in a row and celebrated!

If you laminate your cards they can be used again and again and again... which is good because many of the tasks we have on our "to do" list always seem to need to be done :)

Here are five simple and fun activities you could do as you celebrate with your kids after they help you accomplish four tasks in a row:

Build with paper strips
Color mixing with ice
Homemade elevator activity
Build with spices
Sidewalk Simon

I love this post by Joshua over at Life Your Way- 5 Simple Chores for Kids to Complete Everyday.

Do your kids have chores that they have to do each day? What are they?

Do you have any fun ways that you involve your kids with cleaning and chores around your house? Pass along any ideas or advice!

What are your child's favorite cleaning tasks/chores to help with?

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Book Spotlight: Do you ever wish your kids liked vegetables a bit more?

Children's author Sahar Bergis has written an adorable book called Lili's Strawberry House that teaches kids about vegetables. We have been using it to get my son excited about eating his veggies! Later this week we'll be sharing a few book related activities with you! If you haven't seen the book before, you can check out more information here.

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Did You Know?

A Mother's Day Gift... to you

2012-05-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Happy almost Mother's Day to those of you that are mothers, grandmothers, soon to be mothers, or mothers at heart! I think you are spectacular!

As my Mother's Day gift to you, I wanted to pass along a few of my favorite inspirational posts that I've discovered lately or that I think I deserve a good re-read.

The first link, Don't Carpe Diem, is among one of my favorite blog posts I've read in awhile. The others are great posts about things that I need to work on... or needed reminders about. This Mother's Day I challenge you to keep being the awesome mom that you already are and set a goal to be an even better one by this time next year. Hopefully these posts below and many others that I share this next year will help you with that challenge.

My goal for the next year is to be more present and intentional as a parent. There's a lot for me to do all wrapped up in my simple goal.

What is your goal?
What do you want to be better at or do more of as a parent this year?

If you don't have any ideas yet, these posts below might inspire you. Enjoy!

Don't Carpe Diem via Momastery

Setting Limits with Toddlers via Janet Lansbury

How to Miss a Childhood via Hands Free Mama

Overnight Success: How to Be a More Patient Mom via Life Your Way

Have a wonderful weekend and a Happy Mother's Day! I am excited to be spending the weekend visiting with both my mom and mother-in-law. Today I'm running a 5K with my mom and my siblings and doing lots of shopping. Happy Mother's Day to me, right? :) I have a feeling we'll be eating a lot of treats too. Should be a fabulous day.

I'll see you back on Monday!

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Posts we contributed in other places this week:

Kid Made Tile Coasters for Mother's Day via Life Your Way
Games for Kids: Party Blower Spelling Game via Quirky Momma

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Book Spotlight: Do you ever wish your kids liked vegetables a bit more?

Children's author Sahar Bergis has written an adorable book called Lili's Strawberry House that teaches kids about vegetables. We have been using it to get my son excited about eating his veggies! Next week we'll be sharing a few book related activities with you! If you haven't seen the book before, you can check out more information here.

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Did You Know?

Friday Kid's Co-op Link Up and Last Minute Mother's Day Idea!

2012-05-11T14:51:00.001-07:00

We have had a busy week and I am exhausted! I am so glad it is Friday! I've been enjoying my favorite treats ever for Mother's Day weekend- cakebites and cupshakes from The Sweet Tooth Fairy while I spend time with my family and both my mom and mother-in-law. Hooray!

photo credit

Do you have any fun plans this weekend?

If you're looking for a last minute Mother's Day gift idea for a grandparent or special mom that you know, check out my Kid Made Tile Coaster post over at Life Your Way. These were totally addicting to make!

photo credit

There are also tons of other fun activities and creations for Mother's Day and just regular day fun in this week's Kid's Co-op Link up! If you've created something awesome this week, come and link it up! We'd love to feature you next week on our Facebook page or the blog! Just add your link to the linky below.

Have an awesome weekend! If you are a mother or grandmother or soon to be mother, then I hope you have a phenomenal Mother's Day on Sunday!

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Book Spotlight: Do you ever wish your kids liked vegetables a bit more?

Children's author Sahar Bergis has written an adorable book called Lili's Strawberry House that teaches kids about vegetables. We have been using it to get my son excited about eating his veggies! Next week we'll be sharing a few book related activities with you! If you haven't seen the book before, you can check out more information here.

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Did You Know?

Library Book Storage Solutions

2012-05-10T03:30:00.000-07:00

Source: etsy.com via Eejaye on Pinterest

We rarely leave the library without a sizable stack of books. Hard as I try, once the due date rolls around, there is always one stray book that I am scrambling to find as we're running out the door (luckily, our library only fines overdue movies).

I'm looking for library book storage solutions (and suggestions from you readers) to make our library book due dates a ~~lot~~ little less stressful.

Below are a few of my favorite possibilities:

Source: seersew.blogspot.com via Eejaye on Pinterest

On my "to do" list is this idea from See Rebecca Sew who transformed a thrifted magazine rack into the above finished product - with a fresh coat of paint, and a painted on chalkboard label (my favorite touch) where you can conveniently see and change the due date.

You could easily paint a chalkboard label on any type of box/tub/rack to turn it into your library book storage bin - better yet, did you know that you can buy chalkboard contact paper and chalkboard labels?

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Eejaye on Pinterest

I LOVE this library style bookshelf as seen on Apartment Therapy. Can you believe it was made from an old drawer? Simply repainted it, and added legs. I love this "method" or storing books, much easier for little hands to put away than "bookshelf" style.

Of course, designating a specific bag for library books can be a simple way to keep them in one place (and also eliminates the balancing act when you're carrying a stack to the car). I remember my mom sewing library bags for all 6 kids in my family one summer . . . I wish I still had mine.

Source: chezbeeperbebe.blogspot.com via Eejaye on Pinterest

Holly from Chez Beeper Bebe created this over sized bag (and also provided step by step instructions on how to make it here). My favorite touch on this bag is the pocket to hold your library card!

Source: lulustiles.blogspot.com via Eejaye on Pinterest

Lulu's Tiles shows how to personalize a pre-made canvas bag, and also includes instructions on how to attach a clear vinyl pocket (which will hold your library receipt/due date slip). I've used this tutorial to make library bags as birthday gifts.

Source: sewddelicious.blogspot.com via Eejaye on Pinterest

And this one . . . I think it would make my day to see someone carrying it around, or at least bring a smile to my face . . . might just have to make it for myself.

How do you keep your library books in order? Do you have a specific spot for them? What is your system for getting them back on time?

"Car"d Game

2012-05-09T03:26:00.000-07:00

If I had to choose only 1 type of toy for my son to play, it would, without question, be matchbox cars. He spends hours each day playing with them - and much of that play includes "lining them up". I decided it would be fun to create a game based on his current passion, and of course - share it with you.

First, print out "car"d template (1 sheet will yield 10 cards). I purposefully left the boxes in the template blank - so that you could fill them in based on the colors of cars that you have in your household (or create more cards). Next, have your child help you color, then cut the "car"ds (we mounted ours on construction paper to make them a little more durable - laminating or printing on card stock will also help them last a little longer).

To play the game: Gather all of your cars and sort according to color. Place a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper on the floor in front of the "car"ds. Take turns choosing a "car"d, then position the cars on the sheet of paper according to the pattern/colors on the "car"d. After each turn, the player must place their cars back in the "parking lot".

This game provided us with an easy opportunity to talk about colors, practice counting. It was also a good way to test his understanding of directional words (to the left of, on top of, under, etc..).

Is there someone residing in your house who would love to play this game as well? Download "Car"d Game template here.

If you like this idea, you'll also like the "Parking Spot Matching" Car Game that Kristina featured last year:

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Book Spotlight: Do you ever wish your kids liked vegetables a bit more?

Children's author Sahar Bergis has written an adorable book called Lili's Strawberry House that teaches kids about vegetables. We have been using it to get my son excited about eating his veggies! Next week we'll be sharing a few book related activities with you! If you haven't seen the book before, you can check out more information here.

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Did You Know?

May Virtual Book Club for Kids

2012-05-09T00:33:00.000-07:00

We are so excited for May's Virtual Book Club for Kids! This month we are teaming up with The Educator's Spin On It to share a new book with you!.

We are inviting all of you to participate in a virtual book club with us again this month!

In order to participate you just have to do three things:

1. Read the book for May with your child (listed below).

2. Create a craft, activity, project, cooking experience, song, etc. (anything creative) that relates to the book and do it with your child.

3. Share it with us on May 30th via your blog, posting pictures on our Facebook page, or just commenting and telling us about what you did.

This month's book is The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle.

We love insects at our house and thought this would be a fun book to inspire us in our creating! I highly recommend purchasing this book to add to your Spring collection if you don't have it already. I think every house needs to be full of Eric Carle books. There are so many amazing ones! What are your favorites?

If you don't want to buy the book (and don't have it already), you can check it out at your local library, or read it online for free here with your child.

So, are you interested in joining our May Virtual Book Club for Kids?

If so, leave a comment below to let us know that you are joining us and then get started reading and planning your fun creative experiences!

On May 30th we will share our ideas with you and also post a linky so that if you're a blogger, you can link up your book club post and share it with us too.

I am so excited to see all of the different things that we can create and learn as we read this book together! I hope you will join us!

If you're interested in reading more of our other Mommy and Me Book Club posts, you can click on the links below:
April- The Carrot Seed (teamed up with Mommy and Me Book Club)
March- There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick and The Easter Egg

February- (skipped because we had a Valentine's Day party instead)

January- What Will the Weather Be Like Today?

December Book Club- Frosty's New Friends
November Book Club- Thanksgiving at Our House
October Book Club- Five Little Pumpkins

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Book Spotlight: Do you ever wish your kids liked vegetables a bit more?

Children's author Sahar Bergis has written an adorable book called Lili's Strawberry House that teaches kids about vegetables. We have been using it to get my son excited about eating his veggies! Next week we'll be sharing a few book related activities with you! If you haven't seen the book before, you can check out more information here.

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Did You Know?

Paper Bag Books: A Simple Way to Teach Story Elements

2012-05-08T00:03:00.000-07:00

Have you ever made a paper bag book? I hadn't, but I'd seen them floating around pinterest and finally decided we had to try!

One of our current favorite activities is creating books. I like to staple a few pieces of paper together and have my son draw pictures on the pages and then we talk about the pictures and I write down what he says or have him write down his own stories. He can spend hours on this.

There is no real plot yet in his stories... and if there is, it is really confusing and hard to follow. Most of his books revolve around volcanoes, so I was hoping to try something new this weekend (based on his current pirate interest) and create a pirate themed book.

My goals as we created the book were to...

have fun
be creative together
make a paper bag book (since I really wanted to try this)
teach the basic story elements of conflict and resolution (in a simple way)

These concepts seemed easy to introduce since I feel like we spend a lot of time each day talking about problems and how they could be resolved!

Materials Needed for Paper Bag book:

several paper bags (I think we used 3-4?)
stapler
paper cutter or scissors
cardstock
alphabet stickers
markers/crayons/pencils (other writing tools)
double stick tape
ribbon or yarn

How to Make a Paper Bag Story Conflict/Resolution book:

Fold the paper bags in half and then staple them together like a book (staple on the folded part). I put them together so that that about every other page had a little pocket.
Cut a piece of cardstock to fit the front of your book (ours was about 4.5x4.5 I think?) and decorate the cover with your book's title. We used stickers. You could also draw a picture.
Stick to the front cover with double stick tape.
Cut pieces of cardstock or thin paper for the inside of the book to make however many pages you want. I had about 5-6 pages.
Have child draw a picture of a problem on one page (ours was a pirate problem).
Write down what the problem was about on the bottom of their picture.
Stick pages into the book with double stick tape.
Cut pieces of cardstock to fit inside the pockets.
Have child draw a picture of how the problem would get solved.
Write down the resolution they tell you on the bottom of their picture.
Add little ribbon tabs onto the resolution cards using a stapler so that the child can pull the resolutions out of the pockets. Stick the resolution cards in the pockets after each problem.

Tips to think about when writing stories with kids:

Help them keep it simple so that they can remember the story.
Break writing down into short illustrated chunks so that they have the pictures as clues..
Don't create it for them. You can give suggestions, but ultimately let them decide what they want to say.
Help them create stories about things they like or are interested in.
Write together one time with them dictating to you and then have them try writing the text the next time all by themselves. You can write yourself a note if you need a reminder of what they said, but getting early writers engaged in doing their own writing is really important!
Don't worry about it being perfect. I tend to think that they pictures need to be really well done or thought out or colored if the artwork is going into a book. My son was just as happy with pencil colored simple pictures... so I just let it go.

Here's an example of my son's writing in his book.

Conflict: Sneaky pirates stole the chocolate chips.
Resolution: Pirate Andrew used kind words to get the chocolate chips back.

Each page and pull out card shared a different conflict that Pirate Andrew had with the "sneaky pirates" and a simple resolution.

This was a really fun activity for us to do together. I see many more afternoons of bookmaking in our future.

You can use these to focus on any story element that you think your child might be interested in!

Before you make your own pirate book, you could also learn some more things about pirates by reading How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long. If you haven't read this book yet, it would be a great one to read this week as part of Children's Book Week.

Do you have any other favorite pirate themed books or activities?

Here are a few pirate posts we've discovered recently:

Mommy & Me Book Club Post: Do Pirates Take Baths?
Pirate Books and a Game via Imagination Soup
DIY Pirate Treasure Map and Games via The Imagination Tree
Pirate Telescope via Multiple Mummy
Pirate Tube People via Red Ted Art
Egg Carton Treasure Box via NurtureStore
Pirate Straw Toppers via Word Play House
Pirate Box Castle via Mummy...Mummy...MUM!
Pirate Playdate via East Coast Mommy
Easy Peasy Pirate Ship via Learn with Play @ Home

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Book Spotlight: Do you ever wish your kids liked vegetables a bit more?

Children's author Sahar Bergis has written an adorable book called Lili's Strawberry House that teaches kids about vegetables. We have been using it to get my son excited about eating his veggies! Next week we'll be sharing a few book related activities with you! If you haven't seen the book before, you can check out more information here.

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Did You Know?

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Did you catch my announcement last Monday? I'm expecting a new baby!! This will be number three for our family and we are thrilled!

We are partnering with WhattoExpect.com to celebrate with an awesome giveaway! Stop by and check out the giveaway post to learn about what you can win and how to enter. The giveaway runs from Monday, April 30th to Tuesday, May 8th at 11:59 PST.

Good luck!

Beginning Sounds Treasure Hunt {and Children's Book Week Link Up}

2012-05-07T01:14:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, my son recently had a pirate treasure hunt at preschool. This weekend we had about an hour without interruptions for the two of us to have what he calls "learning time." He really wanted our day to be pirate themed (because of last week's party)... so I came up with a few easy pirate projects that I'll share today and tomorrow.

Our first activity used treasure boxes and gold coins and helped us practice beginning sounds (sounds at the beginning of words).

Before we could get started though, my son had to get some of his pirate gear on.

Materials Needed to make Beginning Sounds Treasure Hunt Game:

gold coins (we used chocolate gold coins that I found in my party stash)
treasure boxes (we had about 15 in my party stash... you could find these for cheap online or just use a few little kid shoeboxes (spray painted if you are really ambitious)?
Sharpie
alphabet stickers

Prep Ahead together:

Decide which alphabet sounds/letters you want to focus on (more than six was too overwhelming for my son). We worked on m, p, v, t, s, and b.
Stick the different alphabet stickers on each treasure box.
Brainstorms words that start with each letter and write them on the gold coins with a Sharpie. If my son had a hard time coming up with a word I would give him a hint or we would walk around the house and look for objects that started with the different sounds to help us.
Hide the treasure coins around the house (or just one room... depending on how much time you have)
Get started hunting!

How to play the game:

Hunt for the gold coins.
Read the word on each coin (or just read the name of the beginning letter) and figure out the sound that the word starts with. My son knew several of his favorite words by sight and then for other words he didn't remember, I would read them to him.
Put the coin in the correct box that matches the beginning sound. For example, ten starts with the /t/ sound, so it went in the T box.
Continue until all of the coins are in their correct box.
Hide the treasure boxes (filled with coins) all around your house and then hunt for them!
Once the boxes are found, take the coins out, read the words on each coin, and then play again!

In my son's case (since we had chocolate coins), once he found the treasure boxes he got to tell me the beginning letters and sounds (and the word if he knew it) and then he got to eat some chocolate coins!

He has been hoarding his beginning sounds treasure all weekend and loves hiding the boxes all over his bedroom!

Learning about beginning sounds is an important part of getting ready to read! Engaging with letters in fun and interesting ways is a wonderful way to help children make connections and learn quickly. As we did this activity I reminded my son to look at the beginning of the word and I demonstrated what that meant by pointing to the first letter on the left. We have done a lot of beginning sounds activities, so he didn't need very many reminders. I had him point to the beginning letter a few times while he said the letter and sound. These simple skills are actually really important for beginning readers.

Another fun activity to go along with this treasure hunt is to go on a beginning sounds hunt as you read How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long. If you haven't read this book yet, it would be a great one to read this week as part of Children's Book Week.

Read the book together and occasionally stop and point to words that your child has heard or seen before. Ask them to tell you what sound the word starts with! If your child already knows beginning sounds well, you could even ask them to identify the middle or ending sounds in the word.

Do you have any other favorite pirate themed learning activities you've tried?

Have you done any Children's Book related crafts or activities lately? We've love you to come link them up to the Children's Book Week Linky below if you are interested in sharing! I would love to add your ideas to my Children's Book Related Crafts and Activities Pinterest board too!

Here are several of the awesome blogs co-hosting this link up:

Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas

Reading Confetti

Smiling Like Sunshine

Carrots Are Orange

Teach Preschool

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Did You Know? 

Starting June 1st we will be sharing a monthly Toddler Approved newsletter filled with more awesome activities for kids, parenting tips and tools, and other great resources. You can sign up on the blog's sidebar or click the link here to sign up.

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Did you catch my announcement last Monday? I'm expecting a new baby!! This will be number three for our family and we are thrilled! 

We are partnering with WhattoExpect.com to celebrate with an awesome giveaway! Stop by and check out the giveaway post to learn about what you can win and how to enter. The giveaway runs from Monday, April 30th to Tuesday, May 8th at 11:59 PST.

Good luck!

Building with Paper Strips

2012-05-06T00:06:00.000-07:00

I think I've said this many times before, but the simplest activities are always the favorites at our house. We have been building with scrap paper strips for several days now and my son and daughter are loving it!

I made these pirate telescopes for a Preschool Pirate Treasure Hunt on Friday. The paper I was given was an inch or two too big, so I had to cut it down. The leftover scraps hung out on our family room floor for a bit and when my son was looking for an evening project I suggested we try "building" with them.

He created all of the letters we've been studying lately and then moved on to creating other things like houses, random zig zag designs, and of course, fires and volcanoes (his favorites).

When my husband got home my son got him involved right away. I loved hearing him explain the rules of this project to his dad- "You just build with the paper strips. You can build whatever you want. There are no rules. It is really fun, you should play with me."

While preschoolers are more into building and creating actual objects, my toddler was more into crushing, scrunching, and ripping the strips and enjoying the process of exploring the strips. She also loved it when we would throw the strips in the air and let them flutter down on our faces.

So, if you have a toddler, the destruction or scrunching route might be the way to go with these scraps. You could also cover the paper with glue or use contact paper and your toddler could just attach the strips once and not worry about moving them around again and again.

I loved how open-ended and inviting this activity was. We talked about colors, shapes, counted the strips, created designs, and even practiced our abcs while we did this "building" project. What a perfect calm down activity right before bed too... or a quiet time activity for your child?

What are some other ways you use scrap paper to create?

What would your toddler or preschooler create if they had a huge pile of these paper strips to explore?

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Did You Know?
Starting June 1st we will be sharing a monthly Toddler Approved newsletter filled with more awesome activities for kids, parenting tips and tools, and other great resources. You can sign up on the blog's sidebar or click the link here to sign up.

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Did you catch my announcement last Monday? I'm expecting a new baby!! This will be number three for our family and we are thrilled!

Establishing Quiet Time... When Your Child Stops Napping

2012-05-05T00:04:00.000-07:00

When my son was about two and a half we moved him from a crib to a big kid bed. After that transition, he never really napped again (not that he was a super duper napper before then). I struggled with him for a few weeks to try and encourage him to nap... but then realized he didn't need a nap, but I needed nap time.

At that point I was eight months pregnant with my daughter and I used "nap time" each day to relax, catch up on chores, and often would take my own nap. Since I am a strong believer in kids knowing how to play and create independently, I decided to introduce my son to the concept of "quiet time" so that we could both get the rest/break/creative time that we needed. As a special education teacher I spent a lot of time training my students to work and play independently, so I attempted to implement some of the same strategies as I taught my son how to play independently for his quiet time.

Six Tips for Establishing Quiet Time:

1. Establish a regular time each day for quiet time and try and be consistent.

My son currently has quiet time in his room while my daughter has her afternoon nap. She typically goes down between 12:30-1:00pm. Both kids go into their rooms around the same time and I encourage my son to play quietly until he hears his sister wake up from her nap. If she sleeps for longer than two hours then he will often come down and see me before then, but sometimes I have to go and interrupt him to tell him he's done. Before my daughter was born I was less consistent about quiet time because we would sometimes go and play with friends instead or go off on adventures. Now that my daughter actually needs a nap, I am more consistent with my son... which has made his quiet time much more successful. As he practices playing independently each day, he gets better and better at it and can sustain it for longer.

2. Keep it short and make it positive.

We started quiet time off by having it happen in shorter increments. He would play for 10-15 minutes and I would check in on him to tell him what a great job he was doing being quiet, being creative, and playing independently. Often during our check-ins I would ask what he'd already played and make suggestions of other things he could try or possible extensions on what he was already doing.

3. Give suggestions or choices of activities.

We aren't home that much and my son doesn't play that much in his room, so quiet time is extra special for him. He loves exploring the toys that are kept in the cupboards, building with his Legos, or dressing up. Many people don't keep toys in their kid's bedrooms, but we do. We may have to re-evaluate when my daughter gets older if she is different, but my son is very rules based, so he doesn't ever try to play with toys after bedtime, so we haven't had a problem keeping them in his room. If your child doesn't have toys in their room, you could have quiet time in another part of the house where there are toys, or you could have specific activities set up in your child's room for quiet time and then remove them afterwards. Jenae at I Can Teach My Child shares her quiet time boxes here. Some kids just read books and do learning activities/puzzles during quiet time and don't play with toys. Do whatever works for you and your child.

We created a simple quiet time poster to put on the back of my son's door (above). It helps remind him of the activities and play "tools" that he has available to him during quiet time. He told me the activities to put on the list and when we first started doing quiet time he would give me a play by play every day of what he did (pointing at each item on the poster in order)... once he was done with his free time. I loved hearing about how he spent his time... and I thought it was a great conversation activity for strengthening his memory and working on sequencing too!

4. Practice quiet time activities during other parts of the day.

After we created our quiet time poster, we spent time during the day using the play "tools" on the poster and came up with a variety of fun ways to use them. We created train tracks using all sorts of materials, made train stations, read lots of books together, dressed up in costumes based on the books we read, practiced cooking new foods in the play kitchen, created towns for the cars to drive around and race car ramps, and built all sorts of structures with the Legos. When we practiced, I would play with my son for a little bit and then let him continue the play independently to help him get used to creating on his own. When we practiced I also tried to use less language and not interact as much socially so that we were creating side by side and he wasn't dependent on me narrating our play or chatting with him.

5. Set expectations ahead of time.

Decide what your quiet time expectations are ahead of time and make sure your child is aware of them. You could post them in their room in a visual way if that is easier for them. Our main expectations are that my son has to 1) stay in his room, 2) come downstairs if he needs something (instead of yelling), and 3) play mostly quietly- he has no ability to be silent (no banging loud instruments or singing really loud). He usually has lunch right before quiet time, so he isn't usually hungry. Sometimes I will give him a baggie of fishy crackers to have with him though if he is still hungry. We also have him take care of bathroom business and drinks ahead of time, but are pretty flexible with that as long as he is quiet. After all, I get to get a snack and go to the bathroom during my quiet time... right?

6. Be realistic and flexible.

Some days will be better than others... especially as you are starting out with quiet time. Each child is different, so this will work better for some than for others. A child who already likes to spend time alone might be willing to play independently all day while a more social child really can't handle the quiet for more than an hour...if even thirty minutes. Figure out what works for you. I like to have time alone without any kids in the same room with me. Some parents don't mind having their kids have quiet time sitting next to them or creating at the kitchen table while they wash the dishes. I do believe that kids need to cultivate the skill of creating and playing independently, without constant adult interaction, and I think this is an important developmental skill to help them in school and later in life. With the way that we use technology to entertain ourselves these days, many teenagers and adults physically can't sustain an independent activity without checking their phones every few minutes. I think that kids who have free time alone to use their imaginations each day will ultimately be more creative and happier. I am AMAZED at some of the crazy things my son comes up with when he is off having quiet time.

7. Spice it up a bit.

Don't have your child play with the same boring toys or read the same books each day. Rotate toys around, make new (or older ones) accessible, and create other fun and interesting activities for your child to do... especially if they have a hard time knowing how to spend their quiet time.

My son is typically fine trying on costumes and creating super hero scripts for his entire quiet time without any suggestions from me, but sometimes I will still put some new activities into his room to have him try them out. Below are a few activities that could easily be introduced to your child and then be turned into quiet time activities.

Pom Pom Toss

Color Wheel Hunt

Angry Board Felt Board Faces

Shape Town

Truck Shape Pattern Puzzles

Sponge Tower Building

Alright, now I want to hear from you...

If you have a regular successful quiet time at your house, what are your tips?
When did your kids stop napping?
What are your kid's favorite quiet time activities?
Do your kids need a more structured quiet time or do they prefer free play quiet time?

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Did you catch my announcement on Monday? I'm expecting a new baby!! This will be number three for our family and we are thrilled!