Deep Sea Adventure

February 24, 2020Leave a comment

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Today Veronika and I had an adorable play session pretending we were at sea! I love that she’s old enough now (at just shy of 16 months) to combine imaginative play with toys and games.

First, I set the stage with lots of sea-themed objects. We had plastic whales, sharks, and fish, a toy boat, and a book with a fish on the cover as scenery. Later I even remembered to add a blue blanket on the ground for “water”.

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If you don’t have any sea creature toys, just cut fish shapes from cardboard and color them in together first!

All we needed to set sail was an empty laundry basket. Veronika climbed aboard the ship, and I attached a jump rope as her ship’s line.

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We “sailed” around the room singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”, to her great delight. Another fun song goes like this:

A sailor went to sea, sea, sea

To see what she could see, see, see

and all that she could see, see, see

Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea!

I added an empty paper towel tube to be her telescope.

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We loved spotting fish. And whale watching!

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Her fast favorite was a little green fish, which she swam all over the floor. You could even encourage older toddlers to get on the floor and pretend they are swimming.

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The shark was the next big hit. After she learned to say “shark”, she had it jumping around and climbing on board the boat.

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If anybody needs a rescue at sea, reel them in with your jump rope “line”.

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In sum, don’t discount a 16 month old’s ability for imaginative play. That imagination is kicking in, right alongside the gross motor and fine motor skills.

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Story Sound Effects

February 23, 2020Leave a comment

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Here’s a fun way to add dynamics – literally! – to story time with a toddler. This activity is particularly useful for kids who might not otherwise sit still for a story.

First, I gathered together items that make noise. Instruments are an obvious pick, but also think of rattles or toys that jingle, and things that can be tapped together like wooden blocks.

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For the first version of the game, I told a story out loud instead of reading from a book.

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Picking “Jack and the Beanstalk” as our tale, I used the tinkle of a triangle for magical moments like the cornstalk growing, a castanet for the hooves of the cow at market, a horn to toot for the golden goose, and wooden blocks to tap for the Giant’s big footsteps.

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Veronika might not have understood the story, but she was enthralled by all the sounds. She loved grabbing a noisemaker or two to join in.

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For the next round, I read from a favorite book (Little Blue Truck) and similarly found items that made sounds throughout the story. A toy horn was perfect for Blue’s “beep beep beep”!

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As we got to each animal, I invited Veronika to chime in. Horse says…? “Neigh!” she responds. Here’s a clip!

Invite your child to join in on any similar animal sounds in your story, or to sing along to various words. Whether you’re shaking maracas for rain or stomping your feet for thunder, story sounds effects like this will be a fantastic way to keep your child engaged!

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Shaving Cream Color Mixing Bag

February 22, 2020Leave a comment

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Here’s a spin on a recent color mixing activity Veronika enjoyed for Valentine’s Day. This time the bags were bigger and the whole thing was a lot squishier!

For set up, squirt paint into the corners of three gallon-sized zip-top bags. Each bag should contain a pair of primary colors: red + yellow, yellow + blue, and blue + red.

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I next squirted a healthy dose of shaving cream into each bag between the two colors.

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Seal the tops with duct tape for added security, or this could get messy!

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Now it was just up to Veronika. She immediately loved squishing the bags between her palms.

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It turns out they were also a blast to throw up in the air…

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…or behind her back. Ta da!

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Once she had thoroughly kneaded the bags, the colors started to mix together. It wasn’t as clear a “lesson” on primary and secondary colors as other sensory bags we’ve tried, but the visual effect was still lots of fun and quite pretty!

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Here is the final, squished and much enjoyed result.

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Expressing Emotion

February 21, 2020February 21, 2020Leave a comment

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Anyone who has a toddler knows that those little bodies have big emotions. That’s why today I focused on putting words to feelings whenever Veronika had an emotion coursing through her. This is a helpful tactic for dealing with toddler tantrums, not just for your child (who learns to put words to feelings) but also for caregivers who might feel at a loss witnessing a full meltdown.

I’m always glad to point out a good mood, of course, so don’t forget to do so. At breakfast, I told a smiling Veronika, “You’re feeling happy!”

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Later in the day, it was her big brother who was feeling sad, and Veronika looked worried. I named the emotion for her so it was less scary: “Brother is feeling a little sad right now, but he’ll feel better soon.”

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And then of course, there’s the tantrum. “I can see that you’re angry, I understand,” I told her when she wanted me to hold her but the laundry needed folding.

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Follow this up with a big hug. Sometimes just that physical touch will be enough to circumvent tantrum mode.

Do you have any tricks to curb a toddler meltdown? Please share in the comments!

Your Child’s Voice

February 20, 2020Leave a comment

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I haven’t recorded Veronika since she was still in the babbling phase. Now, she’s using words, phrases, and even full sentences, and I wanted to make sure to capture the moment. You’ll probably have to try several times before you capture the sounds you want in a game like this, but set aside some time today for audio recording, no matter what age your child is!

In the good old days this task would have required a cassette player and tape and lots of patience. Today, I just tapped the voice record app on my smart phone and sat down by Veronika. I gave a brief intro, including her age and the date.

Next I coaxed her with a few cues, like singing the first line of favorite songs. Luckily she played along and chimed right in. Old Macdonald Had a Farm is a favorite, for example and I caught her on tape calling it “e-i-e-i”.

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She asks for lots of songs like this, including, “uppa” for Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (as in: “up above the world so high”).

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Once we’d recorded a few songs, I tried tricking her into saying current favorite phrases. Her first full sentence is “All done with…” whenever we finish something, i.e. “All done with diaper,” “All done with water,” etc. I got the recorder ready as these moments approached over the course of the day, and captured her little voice saying the words. “All done with dinner!”

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This is definitely an activity you can return to again and again. Pretty soon you’ll have a whole library of adorable audio clips!

Textured Touch

February 19, 2020Leave a comment

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This advanced texture game will delight toddlers because it also contains an element of surprise!

Cut two holes in the top of a flat box (such as a tie or scarf box).

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Next, gather together a variety of fabrics and materials. We had burlap, felt, cotton, silk, wrapping paper, and sandpaper, for lots of nice contrast.

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One at a time, I placed a piece of material under the lid and showed her how to poke a finger through to explore.

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She looked so intrigued by the mystery of it!

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I put my finger in the second hole so I could describe the texture to her. Burlap, for example, was bumpy and rough. Then we lifted the lid to see what we’d been feeling!

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Wrapping paper was next, smooth and slippery. Soon, Veronika loved being the one to remove the lid and discover what was inside.

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The lid definitely adds a fun element to the game, since toddlers will adore putting it on and off between each new material.

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We played a second version of the game in a paper bag. Again, she loved the surprise of reaching in…

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…and lifting out a new fabric with delight each time.

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Talk about all the different textures as you play this version of the game, too. The more descriptive your words, the better!

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Chances are, your little one will be busy putting the fabric in and out of the bag for a while. Boxes plus bags plus fabric, oh my! This game was a winner.

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Listen with Me Panda Crate

February 18, 2020March 11, 2020Leave a comment

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Veronika’s latest from Panda Crate was all about listening. Panda used music as a guiding theme to highlight the developmental milestones around this topic, in a crate that would suit babies 6 months and up. At 15 months, Veronika quite enjoyed the toys and activities in this bundle!

One: Loud and Soft Shakers

These streamlined shakers conceal what’s inside, but give a shake shake and your toddler will trot right over. One is billed as “soft” and one as “loud”, though as a small complaint I would have made the difference between them more pronounced. Still, shake them close to your toddler’s ear and talk about the dynamics.

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Hand them over to your little one and see how he or she plays. Veronika liked to shake them of course, but then also discovered she could roll them on the floor.

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Or bang them on the floor and keep a beat!

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Of course then we needed to put on some music and shake along to the rhythm. These will be a great addition to her bin of musical toys.

Two: Panda Squeakers

Squeak squeak, these two adorable panda heads that squeak when squeezed were a big hit.

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Veronika wasn’t able to make the sound herself yet, but loved trying!

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For babies who are still learning about object permanence, the provided bamboo “tree” will help teach the notion. Slip a panda inside, give it a squeak, and see if baby can find panda.

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For Veronika, the trunk was more fun for putting the pandas in and out of their abode. Note: The side hole is smaller, so is a bit tricky and gives a toddler some problem-solving practice!

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Three: Pull-Back Car

A definite favorite, this little wooden car has a wobbly panda who sits inside. Veronika was only disappointed she couldn’t pull it free!

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Show your baby how to pull the car back then release, at which point it zooms forwards. This perplexed Veronika the first few times she had to trot after it, but soon she was loving it!

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For the auditory purposes of this crate, make sure to lift up the car and let the wheels whir right up by your little one’s ears. We also had fun seeing if it moved differently on different surfaces, like her alphabet mat.

Four: See-Through Roller

The visual aspect of the beads made this rattler Veronika’s preference over the loud/soft shakers. She could shake it…

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…or turn it into a drum by tapping with a baby spoon.

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It’s also great for rolling back and forth to each other on the floor.

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Five: Chunky Board Book

Finally, we read this month’s book, Panda’s Friendship Band. As we read the rhyming words, I tapped Veronika’s hand on the pages to the beat.

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The story features tons of fun onomatopoeia, and she was copying along with silly lines like “oompah oompah” and “roo roo roo”.

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I always love a book that gets her to sit still and read!

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Wonder magazine focused on listening milestones, which were a reminder of games we’ve played like special songs to go with different parts of the day, or walking around the house to name everyday sounds. Then we played a game of tempo dance, dancing along to a favorite song but mixing up the rhythm so it was slower or faster than she expected.

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We also loved singing along to Panda Bear, Panda Bear, (to the tune of Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Turn Around) with Veronika mimicking the gestures!

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One of the Beyond the Crate suggestions happened to be a recent hit (pun intended!) around here: a Jam Session on pots and pans. If you haven’t done this recently, try it out, whether on pots or on oatmeal canisters. You can also drum a rhythm and see if your baby will copy.

For some reading fun, we read the following three recommendations:

Quiet, Loud by Leslie Patricelli
Toot, Toot, Boom! Listen to the Band by Surya Sajnani
We Are Music by Brandon Stosuy

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Watercolor for Toddlers

February 18, 2020Leave a comment

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It may seem like a recipe for disaster, but don’t be afraid to use a washable watercolor with even the youngest toddlers (just save the liquid watercolors for bigger kids!). Today it was Veronika’s turn to experiment with this medium.

In all honesty, she was an imp about the whole craft. Much more so than pressing the brush to paper, she liked to squeeze the brush…

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…paint on her hands…

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…dip in her fingers…

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…and even lift the bristles to her mouth with a cackle one time.

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To excite her about setting the brush to page, I drew a simple picture with crayon and then showed her how to paint over it. Kids will love the way the color runs off the wax instead of adhering, leaving pretty pockets of color.

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For extra fun, we moved the art to a bigger canvas. First, I laid Veronika down on a large sheet of craft paper and traced her. This got giggles!

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The idea is to let your little one fill in “self-portrait” features with the watercolor. Obviously at 15 months old, Veronika had only a rudimentary understanding of what we were doing, but I showed her how to paint on pants and a shirt, and a few cartoonish facial features.

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Really she just loved exploring the medium, dipping the brush in the water, watching how it could swirl the colors from dry to wet, and testing it with her fingers.

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In conclusion, Veronika was a bit too young for this first foray into watercolor, but I did enjoy introducing it; you have to start somewhere! I would definitely repeat this activity when she’s older, especially the self-portrait part, which older toddlers can tackle with greater care.

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Dish Soap Tub Bubbles

February 17, 2020Leave a comment

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Blowing bubbles in dish soap is always fun, whether your kids are old enough to blow into the mixture themselves, or young enough that you do it for them. Tonight, I took dish soap bubbles to Veronika’s bath for some great soapy play!

To start, I tinted the tub blue with a little food coloring.

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(Side note: This was purely for extra entertainment, and not necessary at all. We always love a colored bath around here whether red, yellow, green, or something in between.

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Just squirt in a few drops of all-natural food coloring and let your toddler swish the colors around!).

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Once the water this blue, I filled a Tupperware container with a few squirts of dish soap and added a little water.

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Blow into the mixture with a straw and honeycomb bubbles will begin to rise to the surface. Definitely only let your child use the straw if you are confident he or she can blow out, not in.

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Veronika loved it the moment the bubbles spilled over the top of the container! After watching a few times, she was brave enough to put her hands in. These dish soap bubbles won’t pop, making for endless fun dipping hands in and out of what feels like endless bubbles.

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We hid a few fish toys in the big bubbles and she loved feeling around for them!

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After holding the container for a while, I set it down to float in the tub and she continued to enjoy putting eager hands into the bubbles.

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This made them spill over into the water, so then she loved stirring at them with one of the straws I’d used!

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I think she wanted to stay in this bath forever.

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Go to a Boat Show

February 15, 2020Leave a comment

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It’s been quite a while since we did a “field trip” with Veronika, but today we had the opportunity to take her to her first boat show!

Don’t shy away from crowded places like these with a toddler in tow. My best advice: bring a small stroller, not the bulkier kind that goes with a travel system. This allows for storage of diaper bags and lunch bags and coats without making it tough to navigate the crowds. Then hit the show! Just the vantage point from above was exciting.

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