I'm Proud: Writing his Name

Trying to get Henry focused on writing, or really anything fine-motor related, has been a struggle. He was always about movement, full of energy. Too much energy to sit still and take time to learn such a thing as writing. 

Yes, it worried me. He didn't seem to be 'up to par' in this area. But I let it go. He's 3 and I know writing isn't something they should be able to do, it was just the fine motor area in general that worried me. 

So, when Henry started preschool this fall, the teachers had poked me about his hand grip and handedness. Once again. Worry struck. One day it was that he held his pencil too loosely, and the next it was too tight of a grip. But I let it go, thinking there wasn't much I could do about it anyway. Just modeled it correctly when I got the opportunity.

Finally, in just the last couple of months, Henry's been more and more interested in doing 'the little things'. Don't get me wrong, he's still completely full of energy and moves a lot. But he now takes time to work with his hands too. 

We still haven't really worked on writing at home [although they do at school], but a couple weeks ago, we moved our chalkboard into our office area [it previously had been hung out in the garage, inaccessible]. 

Henry completely surprised me when he picked up the chalk.

He wrote his name.

Completely on his own.

Left to right.

Correct order.

I'm proud.

He did start directly in the middle of the chalkboard, with the biggest H he could make. There's a conversation on the hands on : as we grow Facebook page regarding this for suggestions on how to help when they're frustration from the child when they run out of room.

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100 Acts of Kindness: Create Something from the Heart

100 Acts of Kindness.

Toddler Approved has a series on it, with many ideas for kindness and how to instill it in our children. 

While we're trying to do our acts of kindness, teaching what kindness is to a three year old seems tough at times. By acting kind to each other, and leading my example, is the only way I can figure out how to teach this concept.

To contribute to Kristina's series, we are sharing a very special gift we made for his Grandpa, in memory of the boys' Grandma.

While this is a more 'elaborate' project than a quick kindness gesture. May I just suggest creating something from the heart for someone you love as an act of kindness.

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Counting Activity: A Maze of Numbers

I taped out a maze on our floor with masking and painter's tape.
I simple labeled it with numbers, not necessarily in order.

[By the way: that was the extent of George's participation in the maze activity. Sitting on the maze.]

I used the tape itself as the road of the maze [instead of between the tape lines].

I made sure to include numbers that Henry wasn't quite as familiar with [to fifteen].
He's got 1-10 down pat, but starts getting confused at 13 [skipping to 16, then 19].
He also has troubles recognizing any double digit number, so this was great practice!
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10 Ways to Get More From Walks with Children

Liven up your walks with some fun and learning! A post written and shared by Aimee at Raising the Cameron Clan.

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It is no secret that there is an obesity epidemic in the United States. As parents it is important that we do our part to encourage our kids to get out there and move. Going for a walk is an easy way to get everyone moving. However, sometimes it takes a little creativity to get your kids out the door.

 Here are 10 ways to have fun and learn while out on your walk.

1. Make a scavenger hunt. Write a list of things to find or for non-readers you can make a picture list of objects for them to cross off as you walk. This list can be based on colors, or certain objects or a certain numbers of objects; it just depends on where you are walking.

2. Take Pictures. My boys love to take pictures when we go on walks. You can give them an old camera, buy a disposable or help them use yours, but kids enjoy taking pictures. When you get home, you can take those pictures and make them into a simple book.

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Science Experiment : DIY Lava Lamps

Make a lava lamp with your preschooler, and your preschooler love science experiments!

I can't promise that, but Henry has.

Lava lamps are simple to make, too.

What you need to make a DIY Lava Lamp:

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Learning Activity: Cutting Snowflakes

Henry's been on a cutting kick lately.

Since its winter, I decided to take advantage of this and cut snowflakes!

I tried my best to make this as preschooler-friendly as possible.

We used coffee filters for our snowflakes.

Coffee filters are easy to cut, plus they're already round!

And they were really easy for Henry to cut. He didn't struggle cutting through them at all. 

He has a Crayola sharp pointed child scissors that work perfectly for him. 

And they cut really good.

[Seriously, we've tried many others that don't work worth a hoot.]

I folded the coffee filters into eighths [in half three times].

-- You could add in another degree of learning by talking about fractions with your kid.

So Henry would know where and how to cut the snowflake, I drew marks in a simple pattern on the folded coffee filters.

We did several snowflakes, and I learned how to best draw the lines. [For example, don't draw marks to cut right across from each other, they very may well cut a little to far and cut through the coffee filter.]

We had a mishap with one snowflake being almost completely bare. 

I had almost crumpled up the coffee filter and threw it out.

But, Dad had stopped me, and told me to open it up to show Henry.

[Ah.... see, there's a consequence for an action....]

We decided to keep the mishap snowflake and hang it up with the rest.

Dad even made his own coffee filter snowflake! 

[Can you believe, he had never done this before? Seriously! Even as a child!]

-- Sorry, I don't have any pictures of Henry actually cutting because I had to hold the folded coffee filter as he cut out the snowflake.

Henry is 3 years. George is 1 year.

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10 Simple Ways to Slow Down & Make Your Child's Day

Today's post is written and shared by Joyce at Dinosaurs & Octopuses.  10 wonderful ways to slow down and savor the moments with your kids this holiday season! We all need to take time to do these!

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Life can be hectic and busy. 

Parenting can sometimes seem to compound that problem. 

And then there's the holidays.

It's very easy to get caught up in your to-do list. Or at least, it is for me. We are always having to run here or there, finish this, clean that. Sometimes I find myself saying "no" when I should be saying "yes!" 

Today, I wanted to share a few ideas on making time to slow down and have fun.

I try to allow time to have fun, but sometimes we really don't have the time to jump over every crack. 

When we've had an especially hurried few days I like to plan one day to be a preschoolers paradise. We still do what needs to be done, but I take extra care in the planning and make it my mission to say yes. I try to view the entire day through the eyes of my preschooler. 

Five things we do while running errands:

1. We jump over the cracks! Both of us, it's more fun that way.
2. He pushes all the buttons! Elevators, debit card machines, coke machines.
3. We stop at the grocery store with the carousel even if we don't have shopping to do. It's sacrificing five minutes time for some smiles and giggles. Well worth it.
4. We take the time to stop and watch that trail of ants, find the perfect rock, or read every sign we see. This is something we try to do everyday, but it can often get pushed to the side when we are in a hurry.
5. We have coin races in the Children's Miracle Network donation bins. I bring a bag of change for this purpose. We watch the coins spin round and round. We declare victors.

Five ideas for the time spent at home:

1. Let them help make dinner. Let them pick dinner! Yes, it might be more work for you, but they'll be thrilled to help. And you might get the added bonus of them eating better than usual.
2. Play that board game before you make the phone call. Most games don't take that long to play and making your child a priority will make them feel extra special.
3. Read them one more book. Or three!
4. Is it going to make a mess? Help them make a mess! Let them help you clean it up. That can be almost as much fun as making the mess. No, really.
5. Plan an extra special bath. Instead of getting them out, add more warm water once the original water turns cold. My son looks forward to bath time, but by that time, I'm often looking forward to bed time. This is always a favorite!

All of these things combined makes for a very happy child. I usually get a lot of sweet comments at the end of one of these days. The truth is, I'm happier too. But you don't have to do all of these things in one day like we do. Have you been feeling rushed? Set out to try a few things from this list, or come up with a few of your own. You'll all be glad you did. 

What can you do to slow down 

and make your child extra happy?

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I'm Joyce, a stay at home mom of one four year old boy. I write about our adventures in play and my adventures in parenting over at Dinosaurs And Octopuses. I enjoy finding new ways to play and learn, and I love to pass along our favorites. I share a hodgepodge of activities, crafts, and recipes.

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Christmas Craft: Fingerprint Homemade Cards

Guest Post by    Today, a Christmas craft is shared by Bernadette at Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas.  Leave your fingerprint these holidays with some fingerprint Christmas Cards!  These crafty cards are adorable and very kid-friendly!

I adore the holidays - lots of family, friends, food, good times, getting together and, of course, fun activities galore! The Lil Divas and I have been busy little elves: crafting, creating and learning.

I like to have them make homemade gifts, ornaments and cards for loved ones. One of the things I am particularly obsessed with fond of are hand & fingerprint crafts. It is personal, a piece of the Lil Divas frozen in time - a heartfelt keepsake.

Today, I am going to share some fun & easy ideas for

Fingerprint Christmas Cards

Supplies Needed:

• card stock
• green, white & red paint [acrylic would be best but you can use tempra - we did!]
• sequins & glue [optional]

Fingerprint Christmas Tree Card

What To Do:

1. Using thumbprint dipped in green paint make a tree by applying 6 thumbprints for the bottom, then 5,4,3,2 and finally 1 for the tip of the tree.
   
   
   
2. Paint a trunk using brown paint or use 2 thumbprints.
   
   
   
3. Apply sequin decorations if desired.
   
   
   
4. Allow to dry and write message inside to complete card.
   

  

Fingerprint Wreath Card

What To Do:

1. Using thumbprint dipped in green paint make a circle of fingerprints to form a wreath.
   
2. Using pinkie dipped in red paint add a few berries scattered throughout the wreath.
   
3. Draw a bow or add some ribbon if desired.
   
   
   
4. Allow to dry and write message inside to complete card.

I hope you enjoyed our little tutorial & are inspired to make some homemade crafts with your little ones.

We have lots of other holiday and finger/hand/foot print crafts on our blog.  

We'd love to have you stop by and see what else we've been up to.

Bern

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Hi! I'm Bern, mom to 2 lil divas [almost 6 and 4.5 yrs. old] and an early elementary teacher turned stay-at-home mom/Substitute Teacher [when schedules allow]. I write about our adventures in learning, crafting, playing, growing and family on  Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas. I love sharing what we do! It keeps the teacher in me active and my lil divas happy, engaged and learning at home. 

Current sponsors :  Fudoo Boards  :  A Mom with a Lesson Plan  :  CraftProjectIdeas.com

Christmas Crafts: Child-Made Cards

Guest Post by    Two fun Christmas Card Crafts for the kids to make!  Its shared by Cathy at NurtureStore.  [I love her point that they don't have to be perfect. That's kind of the best part!]

Simple child-made Christmas cards

With two crafty kids in the house we love to make and send some simple child-made Christmas cards to our friends and family. I love adding homemade touches to our celebration and I think sending a special card to someone they love is a fun way to involve children in the spirit of the holiday.

Here are two simple design ideas that are easy to make and look super cute.


Simple Christmas tree card:
 

This design is so easy to make and invites the children to add their own embellishments. The tree is made from a triangle shaped piece of paper, which you simply stick to the front your card. Then it's over to the children to add all the decorations. You can glue on shapes, use stickers and, in our house at least, add lots and lots of glitter.


Easy snowman card :


The snowman is made from two circles of cotton wool, glued in place on the front of the card. Even very young children can add faces, buttons and arms with a pencil or marker pen. We like to add a few falling snowflakes, made by sticking on some sequins. I love how each of the snowmen my kids made looks different, with it's own little personality.

Child-made Christmas cards don't have to be perfect.
The very fact that they have been hand-made makes them special, and using bold shapes with your child's own embellishments is a great-looking combination.


More Christmas craft ideas :
If your kids love lots of Christmas making they might like to try our paper plate angels or our model Christmas village.

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Cathy James writes the blog NurtureStore which is packed full of play ideas, kids crafts and fun activities. Visit NurtureStore and sign up for your copy of the Weekly Play Planner for lots more fun ideas.

Current sponsors :  Fudoo Boards  :  A Mom with a Lesson Plan  :  CraftProjectIdeas.com

It's Playtime! : Christmas Countdown

It's the beginning of the Christmas countdown.

There's 24 Days before Christmas!
Add to that a collection of 24 Kid Bloggers.
And that means there's a Creative Christmas Countdown!

Creative with Kids has organized an activity a day from 24 creative kid bloggers to countdown to Christmas! I'm very excited for this, and I'm taking part! I'm day 12! Yay!

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30 Days to Hands on Play : Keep Playing

DAY 30 CHALLENGE:

KEEP ON PLAYING!

Today is the final day of the 30 Days to Hands on Play Challenge.
While this month has been exhausting with keeping up with all the challenges and all the participants, I'm very sad to see its over already!

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Parenting is Child's Play : Independence

Allowing your child to independent.

That sounds obvious, and maybe even easy.
But it is something I believe every parent may struggle with at some point in those early independent, yet dependent, years.

How to keep some control of the chaos, yet allow your child to have a say, takes some balance. Jillian, author of the inspiring learning blog A Mom with a Lesson Plan, helps us achieve that balance. Or, at least, lets us know how she's learned to balance it out.

I have always believed that kids should have a space that allows them to practice independence.

Three tips to remember that Jill shared with me are:

1. Change the Rules. 
2. The tools must be available.
3. Everything has a place.

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30 Days to Hands on Play : Paint

DAY 20 CHALLENGE:

PAINT!

DAY 20 CHALLENGE:
Paint! In anyway you like! Get creative [and maybe a little messy], and spend 15 minutes of uninterrupted time, with the kids today!

Challenge yourself to use a new tool to paint with. Or even better, paint on something out of the ordinary! Or maybe use a new method of painting!

Get some inspiration by these 40 Big Art ideas. They're bound to get your wheels turning!

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30 Days to Hands on Play : In the Kitchen

DAY 18 CHALLENGE:

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN

DAY 18 CHALLENGE:
Get in the kitchen and spend some uninterrupted* time with the kids making something together!

Try to find a kid-friendly recipe that your kids can lead the way on.

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30 Days to Hands on Play : A Hunt

DAY 16 CHALLENGE:

GO ON A HUNT

DAY 16 CHALLENGE:Spend [at least] 15 minutes of uninterrupted* time going on a hunt! Plan one out with drawings, pictures or words. Or shout out an item to look for! Get creative with it!

[*uninterrupted : being present with the child. No technology, phones, television, computer, etc. No errands, chores, making dinner, etc.]

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I love this challenge because it can be done in so many ways.

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30 Days to Hands on Play : Field Trip

DAY 12 CHALLENGE:

FIELD TRIP!

I don't know how many times I see events going on that I want to do with the boys, but they come and go without us ever attending them.

Today we are!
We're choosing a field trip that's local and we're going to enjoy it for today!
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30 Days to Hands on Play : Concoctions

DAY 10 CHALLENGE:

MIXING CONCOCTIONS

Mixing together a few ingredients, creating a concoction that does wonders.

Your kids will love this challenge!
And learn a little about science in the process.

Vinegar and Baking Soda.
Oh the magic.
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A Big, Big Art Collection

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If you've been around for awhile, you already know I'm a fan of Big Art.

For those of you that are new to this term that I've made up.

Big Art is art that makes you be involved in the process.

[Because I believe the early years its all about the process, and not the product.]

Its big.

It gets you moving.

Generally, using those gross motor skills that are ever so important in the early years.

How to create Big Art: 

• Make art bigger
• Create it with movement
• Use big objects

Here are 40 examples of what I claim to be Big Art!

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30 Days to Hands on Play : Water Play

DAY 8 CHALLENGE:

WATER PLAY

This is bound to be a little messy, so prep your area a little bit if you mind.

Playing with water is an all-time favorite in this house.

Henry and George both could stand on a stool for hours [literally] at the kitchen sink, splashing, scooping, cleaning, or anything else they can come across.

This time, I set up a couple separate tubs of water and dropped in a red and blue food coloring into each. I then set out a third bowl that can be poured into.

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30 Days to Hands on Play : Family Time

DAY 6 CHALLENGE:

 FAMILY TOGETHER TIME

Puzzles, Game Night, Coloring.

Perfect for a Sunday afternoon or evening!

Some together time as a family before the work week hits us again.

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