Ideas for visiting a friend without toys

We are going to visit a single friend this weekend for the first time. He is a recent college graduate and has only been living in his own apartment for 2 months. He is very excited about our visit, but has shared the concern that he "has no toys."

So here are some ideas for visiting houses that do not routinely have children in them.

• Childproofing...
• Duct tape works wonders - it can cover outlets, and tape things shut
• Rubber bands (or a shoe string) will tie a media cabinet or kitchen cabinet closed
• I have no problem with asking a host or moving an item if I feal it is not safe for my children. The first items that come to mind are - scissors, keys, glass breakables and kitchen knives.
  
  
• Things to do when visiting....
  
• We went to a local thrift store and purchased a bag of toys - they are a stacking toy for toddlers kind of like Duplos, but not. Project 1, of course, was to wash and sanatize the toys. The will go with us on our visit, and be part of the housewarming gift. Then our friend will have something to do the next time we visit, and when other youngsters come over.
• Plastic containers can be great toys - they stack, dump, pour, lids need to be matched. Children can stir or pretend to bake a cake - and a quick trip through the dishwasher is all it takes to clean them up for regular food storage.
• Books - we went through our book collection to find about 6-8 books of which we have duplicate titles and topics...these to will stay at our friends house
• We are taking some Matchbox cars - these will come home with us - but they will provide hours of fun exploration
• We are taking a couple of favorite DVD's
• I have packed a shape sorter - this is from the toys the boys have not seen in a while closet.
• Hopefully the weather will permit play outside or visiting a nearby park.

I'm sure we will come up with a few more ideas on our trip - I'll let you know if there are some fun ones next week!

Where to keep the kid's art supplies

I am searching again for the best place to keep the kids art supplies...you know the pencils, scissors, glue, crayons, watercolor paint, finger paint, coloring books, plain paper...all that stuff that kids need to have access to at home. I tried having them in the dining room - but that did not work because they were to low and we had a baby in the house at the same level. I have one of those cube shelves from Target...that worked for awhile, the only problem was whatever we wanted was always at the bottom of the basket. So my latest try is a shelf in the hall closet. It is not located as close to the table as I would prefer, but I think it will work because things will be easier to access. To be exact it is the 2nd shelf in the cabinet, the 1st won't work because my 1yo likes to get things out and when the cabinet is open to say get out the vacuum he can reach the 1st shelf. We will give this a try. Maybe someday I can find a better storage piece for the corner of the dining room and then the "homework" station will return to its rightful place - near the family table.

Now the next challenge - were to put the stuff that was on the self that was vacated in the closet????

Unplugged Play

I wanted to share a cool book that I just checked out of the library. The book is called Unplugged Play by Bobbi Conner.

Why do I like this book?

• It is all about play without the focus on technology or batteries with toys.
• The book has multiage activites for ages 12 months to 10 years (Toddler Play, Preschool Play, and Grade School Play)
  
• There are all kind of activities that are no cost or low cost.
• There are party ideas, all planned out. After my 4year olds' last birthday party I SO need this section of the book!

Where was this book when I was Home Visiting - it would have been an awesome guide to give Home Visitors or Parents on the search for low or no cost activities using everyday items!

Mom, Can I help cook supper

Decided it was time to try some more blogging. One of these days I will participate in a carnival of breastfeeding or something fun like that!

My son is 4 and 1/2 - he just informed me that he will be 5 on his brithday, just like his friend, Elly. Last night I was working on supper and he asked if he can help. So what can a 4year old do to help prepare supper for the family? Tonight we had Open Face Tuna Sandwiches and Broccoli soup - both homemade. (Taste of Home, Quick Cooking 2002 Annual Recipes) He helped to put ingredients into the food processor to make the tuna salad. He helped spread butter on the buns and sprinkled cheese on the tuna before it went into the oven. He was excited to open up the Velveeta box and put the lid back on (of course the reward was a slice of Velveeta to eat!) He eagerly tried to help me open the package, as it was the first time it had been opened. Last night he successfully used the can opener for the first time! Guess I will have to be looking for other things that he can do to help prepare the evening family meal!

Bubbles

Who loves bubbles? Kids of all ages!!!!! Big kids, little kids, adults, infants - EVERYONE loves bubbles. Bubbles are all the rage at weddings these days. I still have "bubble juice" containers from our wedding, somewhere.

When I worked in child care the end of the day was one of the most challenging times. There were tings to clean up, children that needed attention and who were tired at the end of a long day. One of my favorite answers - bubbles. There is NO mess with bubbles. They can be put away quickly after the last child leaves, because at most centers you do not receive pay after your shift is over for clean up time. Bubbles don't hurt the carpet and kids love them.

Bubbles are fun for infants who enjoy watching them.
Bubbles are fun for toddlers who enjoy chasing after and catching them.
Bubbles are fun for preschoolers who run and jump to get them.
Bubbles are fun for schoolages who want to blow them!
Bubbles are fun for adults because they make everyone else happy!

I keep a container of bubble solution in my car all the time. It is a wonderful diversion when stuck in traffic. One wintery evening my son and I went to the store, while we were there a strange weather system moved through coating ALL of the roads with ice. Our trip home normally takes less than 10 minutes, on this day it took almost an hour! Bubbles were the last trick in my bag! The helped us when we were sitting in traffic to have something else to think about other than the fact we were not moving.

What are your favorite bubble time activities?

Morning Chores

Tuesday I took the boys to the Splash Pad. It was fun playing in the water and on the playground equipment. DS decided that he wanted grilled cheese for lunch - so that was the plan. Walking back to the car I noticed a few familiar faces, turned out I knew the whole group of moms and children and we ended up eating PB&J with them.

One of the conversations got me thinking. The mom mentioned that her children had "Morning Chores" another mom commented that her children have them, too. So I decided today was the day to start Morning Chores. I made a list of 5 things that my 4 year old can do independently. I wrote them and drew pictures of the 5 things that he needs to do in the mornings.

Morning Chores
1. Eat breakfast with 1 spoon [bowl and 1 spoon]
2. Get dressed [shirt and shorts]
3. Make your bed [bed]
4. Take out the recycling [drawings of several recycling items]
5. Brush your teeth (independently) [toothbrush]

He did everyone of them this morning without any nagging! I was most impressed with his cheerful attitude. I did not have a chance to look at his bed until nap time - it was made (wasn't perfect but that is okay.) He did it ALL by himself with NO whining and NO nagging! I was impressed! Thanks for the suggestion Moms!

Lids!

Some of my children's favorite "toys" are not from the toy section of the department store. We all know how much fun a big box can be (more on that in another post). I have been collecting lids off and on for years. They are inexpensive, come in a HUGE variety of colors, and are generally safe for children of all ages. At the moment we have an oatmeal tub that is about half full of yogurt lids. They have so many bright colors to explore.

What can be done with lids?
-sort by type
-sort by colors
-sort by size
-stack up the lids to build a tower
-us the lids for patterning

What kinds of lids can be saved?
All kinds!
Milk caps (for preschoolers and older - great for counting games)
Yogurt lids
Lids that screw on (such as peanut butter or jelly jar lids)
Shave gel has lids that are deep

One child care center that I worked had a basket full of lids in the Infant room. When we needed something new to explore out came the basket full of lids for exploration.

ABC Ideas - part 2

I found my list of ideas and it had 3 more ideas for fun ABC activities to do with children. These activities are fun for preschoolers and school agers!

- Sign language. I began using the ASL signs for the alphabet when my son was 2. When we would sing the song we also signed the letters. Signing the letters helped to make the song an active event. My 4 year old knows his alphabet song. Now he is learning to spell words. We often use finger spelling (the ASL signs) to help spell words.

- A fun game for older children is to draw on their back (or reverse the game for a fun backrub). The drawings can be simple items such as alphabet letters or more complex drawings. This is also a fun way to include touch in a child who needs extra touch or has be come "to old" for hugs and kisses.

- Another fun substance to draw in is shaving cream. Many early childhood centers are going away from using shaving cream because it is not formulated for children's skin. The concept is still fun with other safer substances! Be creative.

Fun Summertime ABC Ideas

Some fun Ideas to help your preschooler remember their letters this summer

*Use ABC magnets to spell out important words such as the child's name, mom, dad or other important words in their life. Magnets are fun on refrigerators, metal doors and even old sheet pans!

*Write letters in the sand

*Foam letters work great in the bathtub - they stick to the wall when wet

*Letters and names can be written in finger paint, or for a yummy solution chocolate pudding!