A few months ago, I bought two beautiful journals from Paper Coterie. Both of them have my daughter's picture on the cover. When I bought them, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them, but I knew they'd have something to do with Caitlyn. I keep thinking one of them will be for writing down the funny and amazing things she says, but I seem to always forget to actually write them down (though I'd get several if I spent some time combing through my posts on Facebook).
A while back I read a really great memoir by a daughter whose father who made the commitment to read to her every night. It started when she was in fourth grade, and didn't stop until the day he dropped her off at college. The Reading Promise intertwines the stories they read with the events that were happening in their lives at the the time. I consider it a must-read.
One of the things that disappointed me, though, was that they didn't keep a list of the books they read together. I think that would be such a great resource to have - something she could build on someday when she has her own children. I remember several books my parents read to me when I was a child, but not all. I remember Mom cringing, and eventually refusing, every time I asked her to read Fox in Socks. I know they must have read Flip at least a hundred times, because it was the first book I remember actually "reading" on my own so I must have had it memorized.
So, I've decided that one of those journals will be used to keep a running list of all the books Caitlyn and I read together. Most nights, we only have time for one or two books, but some days we read more. We've been reading Walter the Farting Dog for 13 days straight, ever since she got it for Christmas, but I'm sure at some point she'll go back to wanting a little variety in her nightly reading selections!
Showing posts with label Toddler activities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toddler activities. Show all posts
Saturday, January 07, 2012
Monday, November 28, 2011
Preschooler Chores
The wonderful thing about toddlers and preschoolers is that they take great pleasure and pride in being helpful. At our house, we've decided to capitalize on this by giving our daughter, who will turn three next week (yikes!), several chores to do, both daily and weekly.
Daily chores:
1. Feed the cat
2. Clear her dishes from the table, putting leftover milk in the fridge, and plates/bowls in the sink.
3. Pick up toys and put books on her bookshelves (this doesn't quite happen every day, but two - three times a week at least).
Weekly chores:
1. Help me scan groceries (we have a computerized pantry inventory system and use a barcode scanner to log nonperishables in and out). This is one of her favorite activities in the whole world.
2. Put away her laundry (I hang up her shirts and dresses, but she puts away everything that goes in drawers).
Sometimes chore:
1. Sort silverware from the dishwasher into the drawer. This is a sometimes chore because my husband usually unloads the dishwasher before he goes to work. long before we get up in the morning. But, when I have occasion to unload, I let her sort silverware if she's around.
We also try to include her in other chores as we're doing them, if we can find small pieces of tasks that she can handle. She's been doing them for several months now, and it works out well.
I'm not sure how long this helpful phase will last, but hopefully by the time that happens, we'll have set up some good habits to keep her responsible and helpful as she grows older.
Daily chores:
1. Feed the cat
2. Clear her dishes from the table, putting leftover milk in the fridge, and plates/bowls in the sink.
3. Pick up toys and put books on her bookshelves (this doesn't quite happen every day, but two - three times a week at least).
Weekly chores:
1. Help me scan groceries (we have a computerized pantry inventory system and use a barcode scanner to log nonperishables in and out). This is one of her favorite activities in the whole world.
2. Put away her laundry (I hang up her shirts and dresses, but she puts away everything that goes in drawers).
Sometimes chore:
1. Sort silverware from the dishwasher into the drawer. This is a sometimes chore because my husband usually unloads the dishwasher before he goes to work. long before we get up in the morning. But, when I have occasion to unload, I let her sort silverware if she's around.
We also try to include her in other chores as we're doing them, if we can find small pieces of tasks that she can handle. She's been doing them for several months now, and it works out well.
I'm not sure how long this helpful phase will last, but hopefully by the time that happens, we'll have set up some good habits to keep her responsible and helpful as she grows older.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Toddler craft - Puffy Paint
A couple of weeks ago, I discovered Pinterest. About five minutes after that, I was completely addicted. So many ideas, so little time (and money!). I've found some great ideas for crafting with my daughter, though, and this was one I couldn't wait to try out.
I found it at Get Your Mess On, but I've since seen it at least four more places around the internet, so I have no idea where it originated.
Puffy Paint:
For each color:
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup water
squirt of tempera paint (or a splash of tempera paint powder) - as much as you need to get the color you want.
First, gather your supplies (and your adorable assistant!). Here in the Pacific Northwest, I found the squirt bottles at Bi-Mart for $2 each. JoAnn Fabric and Craft had some smaller ones in a two-pack for $2, but I wanted the option for bigger bottles so I bought these (I think they're 12 ounce).
I began by mixing the salt, flour, and water together, whisking well to get out all the lumps. Then we poured in the color,
Stirred, stirred, stirred,
Put the paint in the bottles using a funnel (during which my daughter, who has never seen the Wizard of Oz, kept shouting "it's MELTING! It's MELTING!" Where do they come up with this stuff???), and presto! Puffy paint!
We discovered about two minutes (and half a bottle of blue) into the project that it's a less-than-perfect idea to let the two-year-old control the paint bottle without supervision. Once we got that down, though, we had a great time. Makes a great fingerpaint with awesome texture!
I found it at Get Your Mess On, but I've since seen it at least four more places around the internet, so I have no idea where it originated.
Puffy Paint:
For each color:
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup water
squirt of tempera paint (or a splash of tempera paint powder) - as much as you need to get the color you want.
First, gather your supplies (and your adorable assistant!). Here in the Pacific Northwest, I found the squirt bottles at Bi-Mart for $2 each. JoAnn Fabric and Craft had some smaller ones in a two-pack for $2, but I wanted the option for bigger bottles so I bought these (I think they're 12 ounce).
I began by mixing the salt, flour, and water together, whisking well to get out all the lumps. Then we poured in the color,
Stirred, stirred, stirred,
Put the paint in the bottles using a funnel (during which my daughter, who has never seen the Wizard of Oz, kept shouting "it's MELTING! It's MELTING!" Where do they come up with this stuff???), and presto! Puffy paint!
We discovered about two minutes (and half a bottle of blue) into the project that it's a less-than-perfect idea to let the two-year-old control the paint bottle without supervision. Once we got that down, though, we had a great time. Makes a great fingerpaint with awesome texture!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The making of a "superherio" cape
My daughter is in "Superherio" mode these days. No, not a superhero, a SUPERHERIO. It cracks me up every time she says it! Anyway, last night I decided that every superherio needs a proper cape, so I broke out the play silks that I never quite got around to dying and told her that we could make her one.
I picked a big square - I think it's 24x24 (purchased from Dharma Trading Co.). I've done Kool-aid dying before, and knew that it was quick and easy, which fit the bill for this morning - we were able to squeeze it in between breakfast and a visit to the butcher shop. I followed the general directions here, but didn't follow them exactly.
First, I washed the scarf in a little Woolite-type detergent. Once it was well rinsed, I got started on the colors. Since I was just doing one scarf, I put about three cups of water in a saucepan, added a generous "glug" of white vinegar (probably 1/4 cup or so), and stirred in the Kool-aid packets. For pink, I used a packet of pink lemonade flavor and half a packet of strawberry. I heated it up on the stove until it was just steaming, then poured it into a bowl. Because she wanted two colors, I folded the scarf into a triangle, then put a rubber band in the middle, at the point. This gave the blocks of color a diagonal shape.
We dipped one end, up to the rubber band, in the dye, and I set the timer for 10 minutes while my daughter poked and stirred the scarf.
For the orange dye, I followed the same directions as the pink, but used two full packets of orange Kool-Aid. When the pink end was done, I pulled it out, running my fingers down it to squeeze out some of the excess dye. Then I put that end into a zip-top bag, so it wouldn't stain my counters or floor while we did the orange end. My kitchen may be lived in, but it's not THAT lived in, LOL!
Same procedure as the pink. If you're doing two colors, I recommend you do the darker color first, so that if the middle ends up in the second color, it won't be as noticeable.
After 10 minutes of soaking, I squeezed out the orange end and put it in the bag, taking care not to let the two sides touch.
I sealed all but about an inch of the bag, and popped it in the microwave on high for two minutes. That sealed in the color. I always double-check by rinsing out the scarf afterward, but I've never had any color leakage after the microwave treatment. Then I removed the rubber band, and we hung it out on the line to dry.
Then we ran to the butcher shop, and, by the time we got home 20 minutes later, it was dry and ready to go!
Superherio Caitlyn - off to save the world!
I picked a big square - I think it's 24x24 (purchased from Dharma Trading Co.). I've done Kool-aid dying before, and knew that it was quick and easy, which fit the bill for this morning - we were able to squeeze it in between breakfast and a visit to the butcher shop. I followed the general directions here, but didn't follow them exactly.
First, I washed the scarf in a little Woolite-type detergent. Once it was well rinsed, I got started on the colors. Since I was just doing one scarf, I put about three cups of water in a saucepan, added a generous "glug" of white vinegar (probably 1/4 cup or so), and stirred in the Kool-aid packets. For pink, I used a packet of pink lemonade flavor and half a packet of strawberry. I heated it up on the stove until it was just steaming, then poured it into a bowl. Because she wanted two colors, I folded the scarf into a triangle, then put a rubber band in the middle, at the point. This gave the blocks of color a diagonal shape.
We dipped one end, up to the rubber band, in the dye, and I set the timer for 10 minutes while my daughter poked and stirred the scarf.
For the orange dye, I followed the same directions as the pink, but used two full packets of orange Kool-Aid. When the pink end was done, I pulled it out, running my fingers down it to squeeze out some of the excess dye. Then I put that end into a zip-top bag, so it wouldn't stain my counters or floor while we did the orange end. My kitchen may be lived in, but it's not THAT lived in, LOL!
Same procedure as the pink. If you're doing two colors, I recommend you do the darker color first, so that if the middle ends up in the second color, it won't be as noticeable.
After 10 minutes of soaking, I squeezed out the orange end and put it in the bag, taking care not to let the two sides touch.
I sealed all but about an inch of the bag, and popped it in the microwave on high for two minutes. That sealed in the color. I always double-check by rinsing out the scarf afterward, but I've never had any color leakage after the microwave treatment. Then I removed the rubber band, and we hung it out on the line to dry.
Then we ran to the butcher shop, and, by the time we got home 20 minutes later, it was dry and ready to go!
Superherio Caitlyn - off to save the world!
Monday, February 07, 2011
Kiddie Kraft FAIL
Last week, I was perusing the latest issue of Family Fun magazine, which naturally is chock-full of Valentine's Day crafts. We're going to see half of Caitlyn's cousins on Saturday, so I thought it would be fun for her to make some valentines for them. My eye landed on these adorable yarn hearts. Three ingredients - cornstarch, water, yarn. What could be simpler?
So yesterday I picked up some yarn and heart-shaped cookie cutters at the grocery store. Today, we got the stuff out to start. We had to run a quick errand, so before we left, I mixed up the glue. We were gone for 20 minutes, and by the time we got home, the glue was a solid, gelatinous mess. So I stirred in the hot water, as they instructed. Seems to me, based on my knowledge of cornstarch, that it should have smoothed right out. Instead, we ended up with a clumpy, watery mess. But I decided to forge ahead and make the best of it.
Went to get the yarn. No yarn. Where the heck is the yarn? I know I bought it, I remember her scanning the coupon...it has to be around here somewhere! I still have no idea where it is, so I went and got some different yarn from my stash. No problem.
Sat my daughter down, put her smock on, and showed her how to dip the yarn, squishing it around to get the glue all over it, then how to scrape it off (since, remember, we have a gloppy clumpy lumpy mess instead of nice smooth glue). I helped her put the first piece in the cookie cutter and stood back to watch her do the second one.
If there's one thing I've learned about my daughter through our crafting, it's that she has little regard for process. Maybe that's a two-year-old thing, I don't know. But she has no interest in following steps and instead is eager to just do her own thing. Sometimes that works great. For this project, not so much! She dipped just the very tip of the yarn in the glue, and then put it in the cutter. So I showed her again. And then she asked to watch WonderPets.
Since she obviously had no interest in this particular project, I cleaned up her hands and let her go watch WonderPets. Since we had one partly done, I went ahead and finished it.
At least she'll have a Valentine decoration to hang up in her room, right? And tomorrow, we'll paint...
So yesterday I picked up some yarn and heart-shaped cookie cutters at the grocery store. Today, we got the stuff out to start. We had to run a quick errand, so before we left, I mixed up the glue. We were gone for 20 minutes, and by the time we got home, the glue was a solid, gelatinous mess. So I stirred in the hot water, as they instructed. Seems to me, based on my knowledge of cornstarch, that it should have smoothed right out. Instead, we ended up with a clumpy, watery mess. But I decided to forge ahead and make the best of it.
Went to get the yarn. No yarn. Where the heck is the yarn? I know I bought it, I remember her scanning the coupon...it has to be around here somewhere! I still have no idea where it is, so I went and got some different yarn from my stash. No problem.
Sat my daughter down, put her smock on, and showed her how to dip the yarn, squishing it around to get the glue all over it, then how to scrape it off (since, remember, we have a gloppy clumpy lumpy mess instead of nice smooth glue). I helped her put the first piece in the cookie cutter and stood back to watch her do the second one.
If there's one thing I've learned about my daughter through our crafting, it's that she has little regard for process. Maybe that's a two-year-old thing, I don't know. But she has no interest in following steps and instead is eager to just do her own thing. Sometimes that works great. For this project, not so much! She dipped just the very tip of the yarn in the glue, and then put it in the cutter. So I showed her again. And then she asked to watch WonderPets.
Since she obviously had no interest in this particular project, I cleaned up her hands and let her go watch WonderPets. Since we had one partly done, I went ahead and finished it.
At least she'll have a Valentine decoration to hang up in her room, right? And tomorrow, we'll paint...
Monday, January 31, 2011
Homemade Playdough
Here at our house, we still have our arts and crafts on. Last week, Caitlyn got to try out watercolor paints for the first time. She had a little trouble with the order - water...paint...paper...water...paint...paper...and consequently had some vibrantly colored water and some very wet, not very colored paper, but she loved it anyway. She now asks to paint almost every day. I really need to get some watercolor paper for her, because I'm still looking for my regular brushes and those teeny tiny little brushes that come with the paint sets will rip through a piece of regular paper in no time flat.
Yesterday, we made homemade playdough! That's a brand new thing for Caitlyn - she's had bread dough to play with before, but never really figured out what to do with it, other than copying whatever I was doing. But yesterday I was able to show her a few things. We used a recipe from First Art, roughly equivalent to the "Nature's Playdough" recipe found here (I used food coloring but I like their ideas for natural dye!). Caitlyn loved dumping the ingredients in the pan (helping me cook is one of her favorite activities), and then went off to play while I cooked it. We made two batches, one green, and one blue, and cooking it took roughly 20 minutes from start to kneading. It smelled pretty bad, so I kneaded in some lavender essential oil, which helped some. Then we let it cool off for half an hour or so.
They were, in a word. vibrant. I didn't measure the food coloring - I just dumped. Wowza!
I gave her just a few tools to start out with - a rolling pin (aka a leftover piece of dowel from one of her daddy's projects), my garlic press, and a little spoon/knife combination (got it free when I bought kiwis one time - it's a nifty little tool). She pretty much just stabbed it with the knife, until I showed her how to make "hair" with the garlic press. Then it was on!
She happily made blue-green hair for about 45 minutes, which is something just short of a miracle for my busy girl. The only other thing that holds her attention that long is the WonderPets...
I have a hunch this will become a regular plaything in my kitchen. And I am perfectly fine with that! Safe, fun, and easily replaced once it dries out.
My next acquisition will be a few yards of PUL to use as a drop cloth/table cover for messier projects, and I'm also on the hunt for a local source of powdered tempera paint. I have a couple of art supply stores to call today.
Yesterday, we made homemade playdough! That's a brand new thing for Caitlyn - she's had bread dough to play with before, but never really figured out what to do with it, other than copying whatever I was doing. But yesterday I was able to show her a few things. We used a recipe from First Art, roughly equivalent to the "Nature's Playdough" recipe found here (I used food coloring but I like their ideas for natural dye!). Caitlyn loved dumping the ingredients in the pan (helping me cook is one of her favorite activities), and then went off to play while I cooked it. We made two batches, one green, and one blue, and cooking it took roughly 20 minutes from start to kneading. It smelled pretty bad, so I kneaded in some lavender essential oil, which helped some. Then we let it cool off for half an hour or so.
They were, in a word. vibrant. I didn't measure the food coloring - I just dumped. Wowza!
I gave her just a few tools to start out with - a rolling pin (aka a leftover piece of dowel from one of her daddy's projects), my garlic press, and a little spoon/knife combination (got it free when I bought kiwis one time - it's a nifty little tool). She pretty much just stabbed it with the knife, until I showed her how to make "hair" with the garlic press. Then it was on!
She happily made blue-green hair for about 45 minutes, which is something just short of a miracle for my busy girl. The only other thing that holds her attention that long is the WonderPets...
I have a hunch this will become a regular plaything in my kitchen. And I am perfectly fine with that! Safe, fun, and easily replaced once it dries out.
My next acquisition will be a few yards of PUL to use as a drop cloth/table cover for messier projects, and I'm also on the hunt for a local source of powdered tempera paint. I have a couple of art supply stores to call today.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Experimental Alphabet
Caitlyn is really starting to explore letters and numbers, so I decided it was time to get a magnetic alphabet set. Unfortunately, I haven't found anything that meets my requirements yet (no batteries required, and good reviews on Amazon). So, while I keep looking, I came up with a temporary solution. And hey, if it's successful, it may just be a permanent solution!
Armed with my usual plethora of coupons, I headed to the fabric/craft store to see what I could find that might work. In the art foam aisle, I found a huge box of letters and numbers of all different colors. Then, I found a roll of self-adhesive magnet material, and I was good to go.
I simply picked out the letters and numbers I wanted, cut the magnet strip to fit on the back, stuck it all together, and it was done! Easy as pie.
The whole thing cost me less than $10, and I have enough material to make several more sets as letters get lost.
Note: This is not a good project if your little one likes to put things in their mouths. The magnet pieces are very small and, while they have a good sticky back, they could still be peeled off. We're fortunate that Caitlyn is very good about that.
Armed with my usual plethora of coupons, I headed to the fabric/craft store to see what I could find that might work. In the art foam aisle, I found a huge box of letters and numbers of all different colors. Then, I found a roll of self-adhesive magnet material, and I was good to go.
I simply picked out the letters and numbers I wanted, cut the magnet strip to fit on the back, stuck it all together, and it was done! Easy as pie.
 |
| Pardon my dirty door! |
The whole thing cost me less than $10, and I have enough material to make several more sets as letters get lost.
Note: This is not a good project if your little one likes to put things in their mouths. The magnet pieces are very small and, while they have a good sticky back, they could still be peeled off. We're fortunate that Caitlyn is very good about that.
Friday, January 07, 2011
Kiddee Krafts #1
Ok, ok, I'm not really going to title this series "Kiddee Krafts". Sheesh. How cheesy is that???
My daughter and I did our first project today. It didn't exactly turn out the way I planned. See, I thought we were going to have pretty much the whole morning at our leisure, and we could hang out and make cotton ball collages. Instead, we had to make a quick trip to the grocery store because we were out of milk. Then, I realized it was almost 10:00, and that it was Friday, and that Preschool Storytime at the library (three blocks away) was about to start. Normally, that's no big deal, because we usually go to Baby Storytime (Caitlyn is seriously not ready to actually sit through a book with the preschoolers), but Baby Storytime has been canceled since Thanksgiving, and won't start up again till February, and we hadn't been in the library since mid-November. So I gave Caitlyn the choice - library or art project - and she enthusiastically picked the library. Mainly because she loves the library and has made friends with all the staff (I swear she thinks she owns the place), and because she had NO idea what an art project is!
So I figured, no problem, we'd just do the project tomorrow. After all, it's a whole weekend with no plans, so we'll have lots of time. But as soon as we got home, Caitlyn started asking about the project. "Project Mommy, Project! Do project!" I looked at my watch. 11:00. Hour till lunch time. No problem. Except...I still had to make dinner (I make dinner in the mornings and my husband puts it in the oven while I'm at work). So, here we go again, together time that isn't "together". Ah, well, best laid plans, right?
I set her up next to me at the kitchen counter, with a paper bowl of glue, some cotton balls, and some paper. I showed her how to dip the cotton in the glue and she took it from there - a natural.
(Note to the concerned - don't freak out - she can't reach those knives. I'm not sure what I'll do when she can, but we're all safe for the time being!)
I was making tuna casserole for dinner, so I had to open the cupboard in front of her to get the noodles out. I have lots of jars of noodles up there, all different shapes and colors. She started reaching for the macaroni, so I got it down and let her have some of that, too. Voila - mixed media!
She ended up just basically laying the macaroni out without any glue, so I glued it all down for her when she was done. I wasn't sure how much she enjoyed it, but when I got home from work, she grabbed the cotton balls and begged me to do another one with her. We had a little time before dinner, so I obliged. She wanted me to do this one, though, so I dipped everything in the glue and let her show me where to put it. Finally, the "together" time I intended!
When we were done, we took this morning's creation into her room, and I let her pick out a place of honor on her wall. She wanted to put it right under her bookshelves, where she can see it from wherever she is in the room. I think it's the perfect place.
My daughter and I did our first project today. It didn't exactly turn out the way I planned. See, I thought we were going to have pretty much the whole morning at our leisure, and we could hang out and make cotton ball collages. Instead, we had to make a quick trip to the grocery store because we were out of milk. Then, I realized it was almost 10:00, and that it was Friday, and that Preschool Storytime at the library (three blocks away) was about to start. Normally, that's no big deal, because we usually go to Baby Storytime (Caitlyn is seriously not ready to actually sit through a book with the preschoolers), but Baby Storytime has been canceled since Thanksgiving, and won't start up again till February, and we hadn't been in the library since mid-November. So I gave Caitlyn the choice - library or art project - and she enthusiastically picked the library. Mainly because she loves the library and has made friends with all the staff (I swear she thinks she owns the place), and because she had NO idea what an art project is!
So I figured, no problem, we'd just do the project tomorrow. After all, it's a whole weekend with no plans, so we'll have lots of time. But as soon as we got home, Caitlyn started asking about the project. "Project Mommy, Project! Do project!" I looked at my watch. 11:00. Hour till lunch time. No problem. Except...I still had to make dinner (I make dinner in the mornings and my husband puts it in the oven while I'm at work). So, here we go again, together time that isn't "together". Ah, well, best laid plans, right?
I set her up next to me at the kitchen counter, with a paper bowl of glue, some cotton balls, and some paper. I showed her how to dip the cotton in the glue and she took it from there - a natural.
(Note to the concerned - don't freak out - she can't reach those knives. I'm not sure what I'll do when she can, but we're all safe for the time being!)
I was making tuna casserole for dinner, so I had to open the cupboard in front of her to get the noodles out. I have lots of jars of noodles up there, all different shapes and colors. She started reaching for the macaroni, so I got it down and let her have some of that, too. Voila - mixed media!
She ended up just basically laying the macaroni out without any glue, so I glued it all down for her when she was done. I wasn't sure how much she enjoyed it, but when I got home from work, she grabbed the cotton balls and begged me to do another one with her. We had a little time before dinner, so I obliged. She wanted me to do this one, though, so I dipped everything in the glue and let her show me where to put it. Finally, the "together" time I intended!
When we were done, we took this morning's creation into her room, and I let her pick out a place of honor on her wall. She wanted to put it right under her bookshelves, where she can see it from wherever she is in the room. I think it's the perfect place.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Activities for the toddler set
Now that my daughter is two, she's definitely showing signs that she's ready to start taking on some new activities. In the house, she's frequently coloring, or "cooking dinner" (which is cheese crackers, 99% of the time) in her play kitchen. Outside, she's constantly playing in our gravel pathway, picking out specific rocks and excitedly bringing them to me to show me how beautiful they are.
At the same time that she's making new discoveries, I'm feeling like the time we spend together isn't "together" enough. So often she's playing while I'm making dinner, checking email, folding laundry, and doing countless other tasks that keep the household running. It's really starting to bug me, so I've decided that, starting this week, I'm going to do something about it.
I recently bought a couple of great books full of ideas for activities - The Toddler Busy Book has a TON of great ideas for all different kinds of activities - crafts, songs, things to do in the car, it's a real gem. First Art: Art Experiences for Toddlers and Twos has a wonderful array of art projects, most of which use simple items easily found at home or in grocery or craft stores. I've been spending my evenings reading through them, picking out some things that I think we'll enjoy doing together.
So, starting tomorrow, my daughter and I are going to take time out at least twice a week and do some kind of activity together. If it's on a weekend, I'll do everything in my power to get my husband to join in (not always easy - he's not really a joiner). It may be an art project. We may cook something together. Maybe we'll discover a new song. If it's not raining, we can go on a walk in our neighborhood. If I can figure out how to adjust her tricycle to fit her, she can go on a ride. Simple stuff. We'll just do it together.
Tomorrow, we're going to make cotton ball collages. I picked up some scrapbook paper at the craft store today - I'm planning to hang it on her wall when we're done, so I wanted something a little more decorative than the traditional construction paper. I think she'll really enjoy playing with the glue - especially when she discovers you can peel it off your hands once it dries!
I already told her we'd make cheese crackers from scratch this weekend. She's been talking about it all day!
I'll be posting here about our activities from time to time, so I have a record for my memory, which certainly isn't what it used to be. I'm looking forward to fun and adventures!
At the same time that she's making new discoveries, I'm feeling like the time we spend together isn't "together" enough. So often she's playing while I'm making dinner, checking email, folding laundry, and doing countless other tasks that keep the household running. It's really starting to bug me, so I've decided that, starting this week, I'm going to do something about it.
I recently bought a couple of great books full of ideas for activities - The Toddler Busy Book has a TON of great ideas for all different kinds of activities - crafts, songs, things to do in the car, it's a real gem. First Art: Art Experiences for Toddlers and Twos has a wonderful array of art projects, most of which use simple items easily found at home or in grocery or craft stores. I've been spending my evenings reading through them, picking out some things that I think we'll enjoy doing together.
So, starting tomorrow, my daughter and I are going to take time out at least twice a week and do some kind of activity together. If it's on a weekend, I'll do everything in my power to get my husband to join in (not always easy - he's not really a joiner). It may be an art project. We may cook something together. Maybe we'll discover a new song. If it's not raining, we can go on a walk in our neighborhood. If I can figure out how to adjust her tricycle to fit her, she can go on a ride. Simple stuff. We'll just do it together.
Tomorrow, we're going to make cotton ball collages. I picked up some scrapbook paper at the craft store today - I'm planning to hang it on her wall when we're done, so I wanted something a little more decorative than the traditional construction paper. I think she'll really enjoy playing with the glue - especially when she discovers you can peel it off your hands once it dries!
I already told her we'd make cheese crackers from scratch this weekend. She's been talking about it all day!
I'll be posting here about our activities from time to time, so I have a record for my memory, which certainly isn't what it used to be. I'm looking forward to fun and adventures!
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