Day: November 10, 2019

Gallant Challenge: Lived It, Learned It

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Travis always loves the Goofus and Gallant page of Highlights magazine and the inspiring stories of kids with Gallant moments. We’ve even tried to replicate some. Today, it was his turn to be the Gallant kid and inspire others, because the challenge was…to share a Gallant learning moment and impart that wisdom to other kids.

Travis and I read the challenge and then I asked him to think about just such a teachable moment that he has experienced.

He decided he’d write about times at the playground where his friend is sad. Saying “I’m sorry”, he’s learned, helps make things better.

He drew a picture, including the rocks that they like to play on at the playground. I helped him use creative spelling for the word “sorry”, then wrote out the full story on the back of the page.

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For full ownership of the project, he even affixed the stamp before we mailed it off to Highlights. Travis was so proud to share!

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String of Floaters

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It’s never too early to introduce a little science at tub time! Older toddlers will love experimenting with what sinks and what floats, and perhaps understanding a little bit of why. But for my one-year-old tonight, this activity was more about delighting with the visual of flotation!

Gather items around the house that float: corks, Styrofoam, and wooden beads are all perfect. I strung these items together in one big line. Now it was ready to be a boat!

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Veronika loved towing the items along, running her fingers over each of the different materials and dragging them through the water.

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I also cut a sponge into a few different shapes, like rectangles, diamonds, and triangles, and added these pieces to the tub.

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Veronika loved grabbing the sponges and discovering she could squeeze them. Then she began scrubbing at the Styrofoam with the sponge pieces; cleaning and learning, what a double win!

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We will definitely get good mileage out of this homemade tub toy. As always, make sure water play is 100% supervised.

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Yogurt Berry Parfaits

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Yogurt Parfait

If your kids wants a novel twist on yogurt for breakfast, try these easy fruit-filled parfaits! We like them best with almond milk yogurt. Wheat germ adds an extra healthy kick.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (5-ounce) vanilla non-dairy yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon wheat germ
  • Mixed berries to taste
  1. Stir the wheat germ into the yogurt in a small glass.
  2. Spoon berries on top to taste, and serve!

Note: You can also alternate layers of yogurt and berries, for a pretty presentation.