Archive for June 2010
As promised I will be devoting a monthly meme for you ( and me) to read all the very best posts from this week! Your posts. So link to the post you are most proud of and we will be sure to check it out!
Potty training is no fun, but it doesn’t have to be the biggest challenge in toddlerhood either. All these books are made to help kids and parents make this transition as smoothly as possible. Having taught children who were actively potty training and potty training my son last year, I can tell you this advice. Never push, never punish and never shame. So if your child isn’t open to these books, leave them hanging around and chill, they will be. No one ever goes to college in Buzz Lightyear pull ups!
It Hurts When I Poop!: A Story for Children Who Are Scared to Use the Potty
The Potty Book for Girls
A Potty for Me!: A Lift-the-Flap Instruction Manual
Have You Seen My Potty?
Even Firefighters Go to the Potty: A Potty Training Lift-the-Flap Story
by Kim
This game was a big hit with my 3 year old son. It evolved into so many things. I love activities like that. When your kids can take it in any direction they would like and they are still learning while playing, that is my kind of fun.
My neighbor sells jewelry in her spare time. She gives me the jewelry boxes after she hosts a party. Now if you do not have a neighbor that gives you jewelry boxes (which most of you don’t) you can always use different sized shoe boxes or even food storage containers from your kitchen. Anything that has a detachable lid.
Place your different size boxes out on the table. Put the lids near them, but make sure to not have them in the same positions as the boxes.
Have your child put the lids on the boxes. This is great for shape learning, deductive reasoning, and just plain out fun.
My son asked if we could put things inside the boxes. So I got items that were all different from each other. I grabbed a crayon, craft poms, a decorative marble, and a crumbled piece of paper.
I had him close his eyes while I put these items in different boxes. After he opened his eyes I asked him to figure out which item was in each box. I even drew a little sketch of the different items on a scratch piece of paper so he could remember what he trying to figure out. It worked great because he crossed through the items when he figured them out. It was fun to watch his techniques for figuring out which items were in which box. He would shake, he would tilt from side to side, and he would put one in each hand to compare the weight. I was really impressed. I told him to do whatever he needed to do to figure it out, but he couldn’t open the boxes.
After that fun, this turned into a building activity. The boxes were a city and the craft poms became tress and bushes, while the crayon was a man. I love a preschooler’s imagination!
Now don’t think this was just for preschoolers. My 21 month old got in on the action, too. She matched up the lids.
She shook the boxes to learn the difference between the sounds the different items made. I opened the boxes with her before and after she shook them. I had to be very careful about the poms and the marble. Those items required this activity to be a closely monitored one for her age.
Her learning also evolved. The boxes got stacked and made into a bed for her doll. Soon all of the boxes made there way into the backs of various dump trucks where they continued to be played with in many ways.
So start looking around your house for boxes and containers with lids. Watch and see where your kids take this activity. Then come back and let us know. I know I would love to read about it. 
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Kim is a contributing writer for No Time For Flash Cards, a mom to a toddler, a preschooler, and a foster parent, too. She juggles her day by trying out fun activities and crafts with the kids. After all, she is just a big kid herself.
Need a craft to make for Dad? Here is a illustrated list of what we have for you! I hope you find something to have fun making and fun giving to Dad this Sunday.
Home Depot Inspired Pencil Holder
Getting Started In early Spring, we had lots of fun starting seeds indoors! This helped to give Emily an appreciation for how long it takes plants to grow. She took very good care of her seedlings.
Next, we planted seeds and transfered some of the seedlings over to the garden plot. We found it helpful to have a kid-friendly garden layout, so as to avoid any little feet accidently squashing plants. Some good options include: raised beds, container gardening, or going with a square foot garden layout.
Kid-Friendly Garden Ideas
1. Raised Beds
2. Container Gardening
3. Square Foot Garden Layout
We chose to go with a square foot layout, which gave us plenty of vegetables and was a clear way for Emily to navigate her way around the garden without fear of stepping on any of the seedlings.
To be even more kid-friendly, we even gave Emily her very own space within our lot where she could grow whatever vegetables or flowers she wanted. She chose lots of broccoli, tomatoes, lettuce, and marigolds!
If possible, give your child his/her own special garden space!
Ten Gardening Chores Kids Can Do:
- Planting Seeds
- Making Seed Markers
- Watering Plants
- Weeding (with supervision)
- Harvesting Vegetables
- Loosening Soil
- Laying Down Straw
- Decorating the Garden (handmade mobiles, pinwheels, banners, etc.)
- Picking off bugs.
- Collecting Seeds for Next Year’s Garden
Garden Themed Books! Of course, we took advantage of our local public library as much as possible over the course of the Summer. Our favorite “garden” reads are The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss….
….and Seeds! Seeds! Seeds! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace.
….and decorating a photo frame with dried beans (which Emily learned are also seeds). There are many more gardening craft ideas on Frugal Family Fun Blog too!
With lots of hard work, our garden was in full bloom!
Gardening is one of the best ways for kids to learn about where their food comes from, basic plant biology, and exposes kids to nature. As an added bonus, we saved lots of money by growing our own organic vegetables! I made a fun garden goody bag for Emily to harvest her vegetables in, and it was a great hit! I love to share good things, so I thought you might like one too!
Good luck!!
Congrats Luna!! You Won. Check your email !
