A Book About Me

I found this fun idea for a social studies activity for preschoolers here, and thought that making our own book fit nicely with our letter B theme. I didn't take the time the day we made this to pull up my computer to look up the exact page ideas used in the link, but I think I like ours better anyways. 

So let's gather our materials:

-sturdy paper (we used construction paper)

-stickers, yarn, misc. embellishments

-crayons

-glue

-small dollar store photo album (or you could just use a stapler and staple your pages together)

I started by cutting out blank pages from a variety of colors of paper, though plain white would have worked as well. I used a marker to write the words on each page (and make simple drawings on a few, you'll see what I mean), then showed him how to complete the details on each page to make them personal to him. 

I feel like we're lacking in fine-motor skills, so this activity was also meant as a way to encourage some practice in that area. I tried to make it so that for each page we used a different skill/technique to make the page itself. I wrote words with dotted-line letters for Erik to trace...

...I had him cut out shapes from different colors of paper...

 ...I let him glue items to the different pages...

...some pages he got to color with crayons or colored pencils, most he decorated with stickers.  Here are some of our pages:

Other page ideas:

A page for each member of the family

The child's birthday

The child's pet

Favorite book, food, movie, toy, etc

Where you live

Hair color

Once you've made all the pages you want, stick them in a small photo album or staple them together. Enjoy reading your creation together!

 In the end we wound up with a book all about one of his favorite subjects, that he made with his own hands. It's fun to watch him pull it out and flip through the pages. He loves trying to remember what all the words are on the pages. I love that he got a glimpse into where books come from, as well as the assurance that he's important. So important there's a whole book about nothing but him. 

A Family Home Evening lesson on Gratitude

Since we are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we participate in a weekly event called Family Home Evening (FHE) or Family Night. This is a designated time once a week (traditionally on a Monday) when the whole family gathers together to enjoy time together and learn more about Christ. Since this particular FHE lesson fits in so well with our theme, I decided to go ahead and include it in here with the rest of the things we did for Thanksgiving.
Using the FHE Resource Guide as a base, we talked about what gratitude is and how important it is. We talked about how happy it makes us feel to say "thank you", as well as when people say it to us. We love using the Mormon Messages videos as part of our Family Nights whenever we can, so we watched this video about gratitude.

After watching the video, we made a commitment as a family to try harder to live in thanksgiving daily and to cultivate an "attitude of gratitude". To help us accomplish this goal, we made a Gratitude Tree. Using brown construction paper I made a tree trunk with a few branches and taped them to the wall, high enough that Sharli wouldn't pull them down.

 We took turns thinking of things we were grateful for and wrote them on leaves cut out of different colors of construction paper. I just googled leaf clip-art and traced a few I liked onto the paper before cutting.

It was really fun to listen to the things Erik came up with that he was thankful for, he really put a lot of thought into it. Some of my favorites that he came up with were: "My right hand and my left hand", "oatmeal", "hot air balloons", and "going to Explora".

Every night for the rest of the month, before we left the dinner table (or at least that was the plan, it didn't always happen), we would each write another thing we were thankful for and hang it on our tree. It was fun to watch the tree fill up and to try to always come up with new things.

Face Time

I think it safe to assume that we all know the importance of “tummy time” for infants. It builds the muscles that baby needs to crawl and walk and sit and do so many important things.
I found this idea for making tummy time a bit more interesting for baby. All you need is a mirror.

Baby gets her exercise and a work out buddy. 

Field Trip: Rio Grande Zoo

A while back we took Erik on a trip to see the local zoo. It was really a lot of fun! We spent a couple of hours wandering around looking at and talking about some of his favorite animals, most of which he's only ever seen in pictures.

He LOVES elephants, we watched these guys for a long time!

 It was fun to expand his vocabulary as we talked about the names of the different animals, many he already knew, but some he'd never seen or heard of before. We were there in the early morning when many of the animals were just getting started on their breakfast, so we got to talk about what the different animals each eat. 

We worked on gross motor skills running and jumping and climbing our way around the zoo.

 We also bought a few handfuls of food to feed to the ducks and fish in the pond. Having to pinch up the little bits of food was good for his little fingers.

Outings like this are such a great way to work on so many valuable skills with your child, as well as build their self esteem by making them feel like they're a special part of your family. 

Reading in a Fort

Today was the first day of our Spring break, and it's sure been fun. Erik and I have enjoyed a lazy relaxed morning doing whatever we want. Hubby had to go to work, but we did get to meet up with him for lunch, so it's been nice. 

The best part of our morning was when we decided to build a fort. I decided to go the cheater/super easy route and instead of using a bunch of chairs and the couch to hold up our sheet, I just tossed it over the kitchen table. Tada! Instant fort! Or so I thought. Erik wasn't so keen on hanging out in some semi-dark place where he couldn't see anything else around him. So, we pushed the table into the corner to form two walls, and then left the two remaining sides mostly open. 

I actually moved the sheet out of the way so I could get a better pic of the interior, so just imagine it with the sheet NOT wrapped around the table leg. It still didn't completely cover either side, but it was much more cozy. 

Erik wasn't super excited about hanging out in the fort until I brought over the pile of blankets and pillows. And a pile of books. At that point Erik was sold. He lounged around on pillows and read books for a really long time. It was super cute!

He was not a fan of the flash on the camera and WAS NOT going to smile for it.  Daddy came to get us for lunch and got to hang out in the fort for a few minutes too. 

 Anything I can do to encourage my kid to love to read is a big deal, so we loved this! It was also nice to just spend some time cuddled up with Erik enjoying all our old books in a new way.

Nature Collage

For Family Home Evening (more info here) this week we decided to take advantage of the nice(ish) weather and get outside. We wandered along through the neighborhood and enjoyed the beauty of the world around us. Spring is just getting going around here, and it's great. The daffodils are blooming, the trees are budding out, and it's just so nice to feel that springy feeling in the air.

As we walked along, we made sure to notice the little details in the world around us. Erik loves rocks, so we ended up with a good pile of the ones he thought were pretty. We picked up leaves and pine needles, blew the seeds off the dandelions, threw rocks in a pond and watched the splashes and ripples.  It was really fun!

When we came home we wanted a way to help Erik remember our little outing, so we used this idea I found on Pinterest, and made a fun collage to hang in our window. I won't post instructions since they're on the original post, but it's super easy, give it a try!

We finished off the evening watching a short video on creating things, since we had been admiring the creations of our Heavenly Father and creating something of our own. 

Crawling Obstacle Course

Paisley is getting so good at getting around independently so  I decided it was time to make things a little more challenging. I want her to develop her gross motor abilities and gain a sense of accomplishment for having completed a hard task. Taking my inspiration from here, I created a small obstacle course for her to work her way through. 

I started with Mountain Climbing again, since that was already familiar. 

 This time though, I added a tunnel!. Paisley took a little time warming up to the idea. She'd sit and look through it at me (who was offering toys and anything else I could think of as encouragement) and you could tell she wanted to get to the other side, she just didn't want to go through it.

 A couple of times she started and then decided that it wasn't for her. Too dark and scary...

 Finally though, she got up enough courage and went for it. She was so excited and proud of herself! It was really cute.

Next time we'll add some stacks of blocks she has to either push over or negotiate her way around. She's going to be an expert at obstacle courses!

Mastering Mundane Monday Morning Mommy Madness

Wow, say that three times fast. Or even once.
I love the weekends. It's so nice to have hubby home during the day and to get to do things together. Even if you don't do anything special, it's just nice to have a break from the doldrums of day to day life. We had a very nice weekend, starting with the groundbreaking for a new building for our church Saturday morning. Then we hit the hardware store and picked up supplies to do a fun project while Erik took his nap. Sunday was church and a going away party for some of our dear friends who are moving tomorrow. We came home and finished off the evening by enjoying our current favorite TV show (any Downton Abbey fans out there?).
And then I woke up this morning. And life was back to normal. Changing poopy bums, wiping boogery noses, trying to stuff spoonfuls of messy food into uninterested mouths. I was sitting and watching Erik and Paisley playing and just feeling kinda bored. If I try to read a book Erik either rips it out of my hands, rips the pages, or just climbs into my lap with a book of his own. If I try to cook I have a baby hanging on each leg. Crafty things like crochet or embroidery are out of the question. Housework, with two babies tagging along, are you nuts? I knew I needed to do something before the cabin fever took over completely.
Then Erik came up with the perfect solution. He came over and asked for some music. He LOVES music and so we keep a CD of fun music in our DVD player all the time so that when Erik asks we can just hit play and it's ready to go. We switch out the CD every couple of days so we (meaning the grown-ups, I don't think Erik cares) don't lose our minds. I got up and hit the button and the music started. Pretty soon Erik was dancing away (he's pretty funny, if you're interested in seeing him dance, you can check it out here). That made me giggle, which started to shake off the bored haze in my brain. Then he came over and wanted me to dance. Why not? I scooped him up and we twirled around the floor. A few minutes later it was Paisley's turn and she and I dodged Erik as we two-stepped across the room.

Don't judge me because of my son's outfit. He picked out his clothes today, not me. 

This only lasted maybe five minutes tops, but it was enough. The spell was broken and I remembered why I love doing what I do. My life hasn't changed. The remainder of the morning involved plenty more poop and boogers and messes made, but it was okay. Are you stuck in the day-to-day doldrums, or suffering from Mundane Monday Morning Mommy Madness? If so, maybe you should try taking a page out of our book and kick up your heels. Maybe it will help to put a smile on your face, and maybe even build some fun memories. Don't like to dance? What do you do to shake the blues?

A Mile in Mom's Shoes

One thing that I really love about all the activities off of Productive Parenting is that for the most part you don't need any special materials to make them work. No last minute run to the store for supplies, you just get to have fun. Take today's activity for example:
All I did was give Erik a pile of shoes, and let him go to town. It was really fun to watch him pick through them all and decide which ones to try on first, and it was even more fun to watch him try to get some of them on.

Which ones to wear first?!

He's actually trying to put my shoe on MY foot. He thought at first that we were getting ready to go outside to play, and he knew I wouldn't go out that door until we both had shoes on. 

He finally caught on to what we were doing though. 

Erik loves trying to walk in our shoes. He loves trying to lift the weight of the heavy shoes, and trying to figure out how to balance while walking in them. This is such a great way to build up those leg muscles!

How's a kid supposed to get his toes in these things, they're so darn tall! 

I did it!

One of the biggest things a child is working on with this activity is balance. Make sure you're there to catch them if they topple over. 

 It was cute to see how proud Erik was of himself when he managed to take some steps in a big pair of shoes. Such a great confidence booster!

Edible Finger Paints

This week Erik and I have been loving having lots of one on one time while Paisley is home for Christmas break and Daddy is at his office writing like a mad man to get his Master's thesis ready for editing before school starts next week. I decided to pull out an activity that Erik and I did months ago and give it another try. It was a hit (again), and it made me wonder why we don't do it more often. 

Have you ever wanted to let your little one finger paint, but you weren't sure you wanted to fight to keep it out of their mouth? I felt the same way. I came across this idea on Pinterest to make baby safe paint. All you do is take flour and water and mix it together until you have the consistency you want. Then you add in a few drops of food coloring and you're ready to go. On the original blog the poster had her children using this paint on paper like any other paint, but I knew we'd get way too messy for that. So here was my solution...

Bathtub Painting! Baby has all the fun he wants, and then I get to wash all the mess right down the drain!

Erik had so much fun with this activity! The little stinker was even smart enough to find a way to destroy my dreams of the mess just washing away with a quick swish of water. He decided that painting the outside of the tub was more fun. Oh well. 

 Finger painting is a great way to build a child's imagination and self worth through creative expression. It helps a child practice hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills while allowing sensory exploration.
Feel free to check out our other finger painting adventure here.

Christmas Tree!

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As we were debated about what to do about a Christmas tree this year, we were really stumped. Where would we put it in our tiny apartment? How on earth would we ever keep Erik from destroying it? We could decorate a mini one and just keep it up on our kitchen table, but could we stand to listen to the 24/7 whining that would go on because Erik would be able to see it but not reach it? We finally decided that we weren't going to do a tree this year, there was just no way humanly possible to make it work. And then, as I was digging around in my box of Christmas stuff, I came across the Perfect solution! Not only would it enable us to have a tree of sorts, but it would make a great activity for Erik. So, what is this little bit of Christmas magic I'm talking about? STICKERS!

Okay, so right before we got started Erik dumped a big cup of VERY cold water all over his shirt, which meant he got to go topless for the tree decorating. Oh well. 

 The main body of the tree was four stickers that had to be lined up perfectly to look right, so the grown-ups did that part, but Erik got to help put on all the individual decorations. He loves stickers and is getting pretty good with them. Now if we could just convince him that the ornaments go on the tree, not the wall...

 We love our little tree. It's perfect. It gives us that Christmastime feel we were looking for with none of the mess and it doesn't take up any of our limited floor space. And...

 ...Erik can even drive his tractors on it without me having to worry about a thing. It's perfect!

As you may remember (or already know) stickers are a great way for a child to have a little creative license while practicing their fine motor skills. Decorating a Christmas tree as a family (even a less traditional tree) gives your child a chance to interact socially with the members of his family, while helping to build his self esteem by making him feel like a valued member of the group. What a great way to learn build some memories!

*Diedre Mower is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. 

All the World is a Sensory Bin

During Thanksgiving break, Erik loved having Mom and Dad to himself all day long for a whole week. We spent lots of time just enjoying being together, but one of our favorite things to do was play outside. Thanksgiving morning we went for a walk to enjoy the BEAUTIFUL fall weather. It was just too pretty to pass up. 

One of our main goals for this walk was to find some fun fall textures for Erik to enjoy, in particular we wanted to find a good pile of leaves for him to play in. We went over to a subdivision a short distance from our apartment that has lots of big trees and there we hit the jack-pot! 

We sat on the side of the road and just turned Erik loose. There was no traffic, and nobody else in sight, so we felt pretty safe letting Erik wander around as long as he didn't get too far. I think the taste of independence was good for him. He got to explore whatever he wanted without any interference and just have a blast!

He loved the leaves. The sound of them crunching underfoot, the nice autumny smell, the feeling of scooping up armfuls, and the sight of them flying through the air when he threw them were all such awesome sensory stimulation.

Like I said, we let Erik be pretty independent. If he wanted to check out a fire hydrant or a mail box we let him, as long as he wasn't hurting anything.

Whenever Erik was ready to move on to a new location, we followed suit.

He loved being just like his Daddy and pushing the stroller around. What a great way to build self confidence and gross motor skills at the same time!

Exploring the texture of a picket fence...

He stumbled upon this tree stump that had a pile of little chunks of wood of various shapes and sizes. He climbed right up there and started exploring the blocks of wood, seeing if they would stack, what they tasted like, etc...

And then, being a boy, he started throwing them...

This was a really fun little family outing and was packed chock full of great learning and growing experiences. Getting outside with your kids is so good for everyone involved, give it a try!

Halloween Cookies

We recently decorated cookies at our play group that we go to every week and Erik had so much fun that we decided to make this a family activity for Family Home Evening. Erik and I made cookies, and then when Daddy got home we stripped Erik down to his diaper and got things going. 

He was sorta interested in spreading the frosting, but there was something else he wanted to do more. 

He started off with just a delicate little finger-full of frosting for a taste...

But then he just went for it. It was close to bedtime, so we didn't let him eat the whole cookie, but he did get a bite or two. 

This was a really fun little family activity, and it also helps Erik work on his fine motor skills and builds a sense of family belonging as we all do this together.

Imitation, revisited...

I was playing with Paisley yesterday, trying to do an activity for a blog post (which you now have to wait until next week to see) and she was a little distracted. So I started clicking my tongue on the roof of my mouth to get her attention. Next thing I know, she's clicking away too. Needless to say, all other play stopped, and we just sat and copied each other for several minutes.

Babies come pre-programmed to want to do everything that other humans are doing. They have a special instinct to seek human faces to look at and prefer a human face over everything else (at least while they're little, I'm pretty sure Erik's outgrown this phase!) Imitation is a great way for a baby to learn new skills and to feel like she's part of the group. This particular skill (tongue clicking) will help to strengthen the muscles that she will need to talk someday. And more than anything else, it's just super cute!

Little Helping Hands

Toddlers are just dying to do whatever the big people are doing. Everything I do, I have a little shadow right behind me. While I have to admit this can be frustrating, I try really hard to keep it positive. As long as he WANTS to be mopping the floor, cooking, vacuuming, sweeping, doing dishes, etc I might as well encourage him to do it. It would be silly to wait until he's big enough to be helpful, and maybe less interested, to start teaching him how to do these daily housekeeping chores. You've already seen him getting involved in cooking dinner, but here a few more ways he likes to help out around the house. One that I don't have pictures of is him scrubbing the floor. I think that's his favorite.

If you want to help your kiddo get involved in things like scrubbing the bathroom (or any other job usually associated with harsh cleaners), it's a good idea to look into gentle cleaners that are safe on a baby's soft skin. I make home made cleaners (using mainly vinegar and baking soda) that work great, and I didn't have to worry for a second when Erik decided to get involved in scrubbing the oven. 

Obviously, you get a little free labor out of this one (although remember, you get what you pay for) but there are some other benefits as well. Depending on the job you two are doing, your toddler may be learning/practicing hand-eye coordination, building both large and small muscles, learning new words to add to his vocabulary, building his self worth as he becomes a more integral part of the family and helps with important jobs, and experiences the sensory wonderland of sights, smells, and sounds that come along with every day tasks.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

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This is something that Erik really loved to do when he was little. I don't remember where I originally found the idea, but if it came from somewhere it was probably my What to Expect; The First Year book. I recently was reminded of this activity on Productive Parenting. 

I got Paisley all set up in the Bumbo seat and propped a mirror against the wall. It took her a second to figure out why I had her pointed towards the corner, but once she did she loved it! 

What are you looking at?

Playing with a mirror like this is really good for a baby. It gives them someone else to talk to and socialize with. It helps them become self aware, and as they do become self aware, it helps them learn the results of their motions. Here's a little blurb about the "magic" in a mirror.

Paisley really loved talking to herself in the mirror. It was super cute!

*Diedre Mower is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.