Key Wind Chimes

Someone gave my mom a whole bunch of keys, and she passed them on to me. We recently got them out to paint and create some fantastic wind chimes.

acrylic paint

They took their time painting their keys just the way they wanted them. Some just the tops, some painted the entire key.

Then we went on a stick hunt and tied our keys on.

We decorated our sticks too!

Gems were added to the sides of the keys that were not painted.

They turned out very pretty! They make a very nice, soft sound in the wind:)

Baby Play (Lu 0-5 mos old)

I've been meaning to do a post on baby play as I know I have some readers with infants. It can be challenging to find activities for your little ones, and I hope to be able to help. 

 L is 5 months old, and we began these activities when she was just born (as you'll see later in the post).

Water play. Of course, L is always, always supervised while near water. As well as the rest of my family - no matter the age of the child. 

I got these sponges at the dollar store ... they must taste yummy! 

Feeling the water - excellent sensory experience. "You're touching the water. It's warm, isn't it?" 

"Splash! You seem to really like splashing." 

"You  have the pink sponge. You put it in your mouth!" 

"Now you have the yellow sponge - it's full of water. You squeezed it and now you're all wet!" 

:) 

Soaking wet lol. I was going to do this activity outside. S wanted to make some necklaces, so we stayed in while she worked close by. 

Here we played with animals. We explained to her what the animals' names were, what they looked like, etc. Yes, the horse was a strange addition by my son, but she didn't mind! 

She loved looking at the animals and playing with them (aka biting them). However, I know she was absorbing our words and communication.

Exploring colors during tummy time. 

She was just about ready to start reaching for things during tummy time here. 

Exploring blocks with mirrors during tummy time. 

At this stage, she loved knocking things down. 

Mirrors just added a new element to the play for her. (It's an acrylic mirror.) 

More knocking down towers!! 

Great fun for a 3 month old and a 2 yr old at the same time! 

From day one of tummy time we've incorporated mirrors. 

She's only about 3 weeks old here. 

She has great family rooting her on during tummy time. 

Mirrors while reading books. Such nice cousins to read to her. 

And she plays doctor - she makes an excellent patient. 

She just lays there, and listens and laughs as the girls talk to her about her temperature, her broken bones, etc. She's soaking in every bit of communication. Since language development is so crucial from 0-3 yrs old, we'll just tell Lu everything we did together that day if we have nothing else to talk about. 

Bubbles! "Look at those round bubbles. When you touch them they pop!"

"You're reaching out to touch the bubbles. Pop, pop!" I loved this. It was just Lu and I while D took a nap. She really enjoyed it!

Bubble machines are so fun outside and inside. They're fun when you're playing, or taking a bath. The best thing is, if you're child has older siblings, it's fun for them too!

A few more that I do with my babies:

A big ball, and helping baby roll (safely/gently) up, and then back down to feet.

Water beads in a bucket under exersaucer - a sensory experience for her feet.

Yogurt play on high chair tray. Smear it around and eat with hands!

Lotion massage. I try to do this every night with both of my children (after bath or before bed). It's great for language development too. Put it on their elbow and tell them that! Put it on their knees and tell them, "I'm putting lotion on your knees. Are your knees ticklish? Yes!"

 

♥

 

Tanagrams

D has always been in love with puzzles. He has also acquired quite an interest in shapes. He makes shapes all over the place. For example, tonight while getting him ready for bed, he had a baby wipe in his hand. He folded it and said, "Look, I make a triangle." Then, he unfolded it and I asked what shape it returned to. He examined it and replied, "A square!"

Thus, the reason I spent my Kohl's cash on the following item (along with the math number set in the previous post), instead of spending it on myself.

Tanagrams - a fun way to introduce new shapes. I will tell him each shape before he sets it down (if he doesn't know it already). 

"You're setting down the blue diamond, now, you're looking for the yellow hexagon." For a any new shape, we'd count each side or talk about what it looks like and the shape's name. 

Ahh, they have a choo choo. Nice!

An excellent activity to entertain both a 2 yr old and 5 yr old at the same time.

 

Don't be afraid to teach your child something that you may think they don't understand. Don't bypass a hexagon or a dodecagon, just because it may be too advanced. If they are holding something, feeling and touching something that they are unsure of, they need to hear it.

 

Teach it!

Introducing Math

These activities are great for a child that's showing interest in math.

 

We created our own flash cards for this activity so they would fit in the tray.  

Using beads to count.

 

Here we're using our flash cards, a block of Styrofoam and some fancy toothpicks. 

 

Below, I printed the flashcards on transparency paper for the light table. We're using translucent gems for counting. 

 

Wooden numbers and wooden beads:

 

Number punch is another fun way to learn, and so quick to create.

The kids loved it because they could use a hole puncher!

 

Here we're using pasta beads that were out for making necklaces.

 

 

Easter is right around the corner ....

 

Match the number of dots to the correct number in the carton.

Write math problems on the eggs and the answers in the carton. Have your child check their own answers, or match their egg's math problem to the correct answer.

 Introduce number recognition by writing numbers on the egg and have your child match the egg to the correct spot in the carton.

 

We'll be using corkboard and thumb tacks on our next math board.

 

What are your kids interested in right now? What objects will you use? 

Self Portraits

Today we did self portraits for the first time.

They were pretty excited.

First they picked out the colors they would need. 

And then they got to work.  

I-Bell started with her hair. 

S added her pink streak to match her hair! 

After D took the idea of 'self portrait' to be color your face with purple marker, he then wanted to make a choo choo. He followed my direction. For example, first draw a circle. Now, you need a rectangle, here. Next, draw wheels, here, here, here and here. I never had to help hold his marker or move it. All of this he did on his own. It's pretty neat to watch.

I did write his name in highlighter and then he traced it. 

The next part is my favorite. 

S wanted to draw another picture. She drew herself with a full bucket over the top of her head. 

Earlier that morning we read the book How Full is Your Bucket? for kids. The rest of the day, the girls were recognizing when some one's "bucket" was being emptied, or wasn't very full. Then, they would think of ways to fill that person's bucket back up. Throughout the day, I'd hear them arguing while playing. Then, one of them would speak up and say, "Hey ... you just emptied his/her bucket." Then, I'd hear a voice change and get softer. It was usually followed with an apology, a hug, an "I love you," etc. 

Wonderful book, and a wonderful day, with wonderful children.

We have plans for the kid's self portraits.

More to come.