The Mom I Want to Be

 

Toddlers use play to explore and learn about the world. By encouraging your toddler to engage in active play, you’re helping him develop a natural curiosity about how things work. Two-and three-year olds thrive on unstructured play such as running, swinging, climbing, playing in a sandbox, and carefully supervised water play. By age two, your toddler should be able to jump with feet, skip, and run. By age three, your child should be able to change directions (from left to right, from forward to backward) comfortably.

 

Although there are a number of fitness programs to introduce toddlers to water activities and gymnastics or even to get them started in peewee leagues, you should carefully investigate these programs to make sure they are safe as well as appropriate for your child’s age and development.

 

Most children this age are not developmentally ready to play in organized sports or to be involved in competitive activities. If your child doesn’t want to participate in an activity for any reason, don’t force your child. Try to find out if your child has any fears or reasons to be reluctant to join in the play. If necessary, postpone the activity and try it again in a few months or years.

 

The best fitness program for your toddler is to plan a time for your family to do some sort of exercise together daily or weekly. Take a winter walk and as you exercise, discover how snow changes the outdoors. Look for bird feeders in town. In the woods look for tracks animals make in the snow.  There are other kinds of exercises that everyone can do together. Toe touches, rolling side to side, sit-ups, and waist turning can be good for all ages and abilities. Let your toddler do them the best way he can. Make exercise fun for the whole family.

  

 

1. Get a huge canvas. nicole’s was 30″ x 40″. Mine is a little smaller, but not much. Get it on sale please. Paint the canvas (you see the paint on the border and on the sides). it’s best if the canvas is wrapped all around the edges rather than the exposed wood. Just paint it sloppily – no need to be perfect, just make sure all the edges are covered.

 

2. Spend a whole lot of time at the paper store picking out paper you cannot resist. nicole felt some of her papers, although she loves them, were maybe a bit to dark or had too much contrast in them for the final writing to come out really clear. so remember: less contrast, not too dark. Got it?

 

3. Write your rules. Be careful of what you put. My kids often refer to the canvas. My favorite is…”Daddy, hug mommy”. A rule is a rule, ya know? I should have put HUSBAND- MASSAGE YOUR WIFE’S BACK DAILY.

 

 

4. Now, cut that beautiful paper into strips. I varied the widths, used “torn” scissors, scalloped scissors, and so on. Use glue, mod podge, or spray adhesive to lay it out on the canvas. i would definitely recommend mod podge the most on this.

 

5. I then went on to the computer and typed all the rules in different fonts.

 

6. I printed them and “eyed” or copied them onto my papers with black and white paint pens.

 

And here’s where all the questions come in: “the canvas is obviously wider than standard 12 x 12 paper. how did she fit this in the printer/get the words on?” she cut her paper in half – it’s not actually one long strip. you can kind of see it in the pic below where it says “forgiveness is mandatory”. Maybe she taped them together in the middle? I’ve done that a bunch, and if you are really careful it will work and you can still carefully take the tape off when you’re done. Just make sure to change the settings on your computer for your page layout before you print to allow for a larger paper size. When she says she “eyed” them, she did just that. She’d print out the rule in a font she wanted on plain paper, then look at it and copy it with a paint pen directly onto her fancy paper. Most of us can’t do that. She’s just good. But i would still print it on one long strip of paper and go over it again with a paint pen just to thicken up the font’s lines. Just a thought – i think that’s what she did.

 

 

***edited to add!!!: do a layer of mod podge on your canvas, add paper, smooth out, then let dry. then add another layer of mod podge on top to seal. let dry, then add another. it will still probably be a little bubbly.****

 

7. Cover that baby in mod podge, let dry, then hang it!

 

 

 

ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH
HAVE FUN, BE KIND, ASK FIRST, NO FUSSING, NO WHINING
BE CREATIVE AT ALL TIMES

BE RESPECTFUL
ENCOURAGE YOUR SIBLINGS…SHARE IN THEIR JOY
HUSBAND-HUG YOUR WIFE DAILY & WIFE- ALWAYS BE ON HIS SIDE
OBEY YOUR PARENTS
NEVER LEAVE ANGRY

NEVER FOLLOW AN APOLOGY WITH A BUT
SING SILLY, DANCE CRAZY, HUG OFTEN, SNUGGLE OFTEN, SAY I LOVE YOU
KEEP YOUR PROMISES
USE YOUR MANNERS- YES, PLEASE…NO, THANK YOU
ALWAYS GIVE TO OTHERS FIRST
TOO MUCH TV IS BAD…TOO MUCH READING IS GOOD
USE NICE WORDS…IGNORE DIRTY WORDS
CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF
SHARE EVERYTHING EXCEPT BAD IDEAS

DO THE RIGHT THING

BE HAPPY

BE THANKFUL

WORK HARD
HELP OTHERSS
HONOR AND OBEY
SNUGGLE

NO RUNNING, SCREAMING, or THROWING INSIDE

 

 

 

One, Two, Three, Four, Five: Knock Knock: Wiggles:

One, two, three, four, five (Count on fingers.)
Once I caught a fish alive. (Wiggle hand like a fish.)
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten. (Count fingers on second hand.)
Then I let him go again. (Pretend to throw fish back.)
Why did I let that fishy go?
Because he bit my finger so! (Shake hand as though in pain.)
Which finger did he bite?
This little finger on the right! (Hold up little finger on right hand.)

 

Knock, knock. (Knock on baby’s forehead.)
Peek in. (Open eyes wider.)
Open the latch. (Push up the tip of the nose.)
And walk right in. (Walk fingers into mouth.)
How do you do, Ms. Chin-chin-chin? (Wiggle chin.)

 

I wiggle my fingers,
I wiggle my toes.
I wiggle my shoulders,
I wiggle my nose.
Now the wiggles are out of me.
See how still I can be.

 

Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes:

 

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, Knees and Toes

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, Knees and Toes

And Eyes and Ears and Mouth and Nose

 Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Thumbkin, Pointer

 

Thumbkin, pointer, middleman big.

(point to each of baby’s fingers.)

Silly man, wee man, rig-a-jig-jig.

(Roll baby’s hands around each other.) 

 

 

1 to 3 Years Old

 

Between their first and second birthdays, children

 

§  Are energetic, busy and curious;

§  Are self-centered;

§  Like to imitate the sounds and actions of others (for example, by repeating words that parents and others say and by pretending to do housework or yard work with adults);

§  Want to be independent and to do things for themselves;

§  Have short attention spans if they are not involved in an activity that interests them;

§  Add variations to their physical skills (for example, by walking backwards);

§  Begin to see how they are like and unlike other children;

§  Play alone or alongside other toddlers;

§  Increase their spoken vocabularies from about 2 or 3 words to about 250 words and understand more of what people say to them;

§  Ask parents and others to read aloud to them, often requesting favorite books or stories; and

§  Pretend to read and write the way they see parents and others do.

 

Between their second and third birthdays, children

 

§  Become more aware of others;

§  Become more aware of their own feelings and thoughts; 

§  Are often stubborn and may have temper tantrums; 

§  Able to walk, run, jump, hop, roll and climb; 

§  Expand their spoken vocabularies from about 250 to 1,000 words during the year;

§  Put together 2-, 3- and 4-word spoken sentences;

§  Begin to choose favorite stories and books to hear read aloud;

§  Begin to count;

§  Begin to pay attention to print, such as the letters in their names;

§  Begin to distinguish between drawing and writing; and

§  Begin to scribble, making some marks that are like letters.

 

What Toddlers Need

 

1-to 2-year-old children require

 

§  Opportunities to make their own choices: “Do you want the red cup or the blue one?”;

§  Clear and reasonable limits;

§  Opportunities to use large muscles in the arms and legs;

§  Opportunities to use small muscles to manipulate small objects, such as puzzles and stackable toys;

§  Activities that allow them to touch, taste, smell, hear and see new things;

§  Chances to learn about “cause and effect”—that things they do cause other things to happen (for example, stacking blocks too high will cause the blocks to fall);

§  Opportunities to develop and practice their language skills;

§  Opportunities to play with and learn about alphabet letters and numbers; and

§  Opportunities to learn about books and print.

 

2- to 3-year-old children require opportunities to 

 

§  Develop hand coordination (for example, by holding crayons and pencils, putting together puzzles or stringing large beads); 

§  Do more things for themselves, such as dressing themselves; 

§  Talk, sing and develop their language skills; 

§  Play with other children and develop their social skills; 

§  Try out different ways to move their bodies;

§  Learn more about printed language and books and how they work;

§  Do things to build vocabulary and knowledge and to learn more about the world, such as taking walks and visiting libraries, museums, restaurants, parks and zoos.

 

Birth to 1 Year Old

 

Babies grow and change dramatically during their first year. They begin to

 

§  Develop some control over their bodies. They learn to hold up their heads, roll over, sit up, crawl, stand up and, in some cases, walk.

§  Become aware of themselves as separate from others. They learn to look at their hands and toes and play with them. They learn to cry when their parents leave and to recognize their own names.

§  Play games. Babies first play with their own hands. Later they show an interest in toys, enjoy “putting in and taking out” games and eventually carry around or hug dolls or stuffed toys.

§  Relate to others. Babies first respond to adults more than they do to other babies. Later they notice other babies, but they tend to treat these babies as objects instead of people. Then they pay attention when other babies make sounds.

§  Communicate and develop language skills. Babies first cry and make throaty noises. Later they babble and say “mama” and “dada.” Then they make lots of sounds and begin to name a few familiar people and objects. They begin to enjoy hearing rhyming and silly language.

 

What Babies Need

 

§  Loving parents or caregivers who respond to their cries and gurgles and who keep them safe and comfortable;

§  Opportunities to move about and to practice new physical skills;

§  Safe objects to look at, bat, grab, bang, pat, roll and examine;

§  Safe play areas; and

§  Many opportunities to hear language, to make sounds and to have someone respond to those sounds.

 

 

Developing Trust

 

Feeling your touch, hearing your voice and enjoying the comfort of physical closeness all help your baby to develop trust.

 

Music

 

§  Gently move your newborn’s arms and legs. Or tickle her lightly under the chin or on the tummy. When she starts to control her head, lie on the floor and put her head on your chest. Let her reach for your nose or grab your hair. Talk to her and name each thing that she touches.

§  Place your baby on your belly. Some research has shown that such contact releases chemicals called endorphins that help your child feel comforted. In addition, such contact builds stomach and back muscle strength that is essential as your child learns to crawl.

§  Sing and cuddle with your baby. Hold him snuggled in your arms or lying face up on your lap with his head on your knees. Make sure the head of a newborn is well-supported. Sing a favorite lullaby.

§  Include happy rituals in your baby’s schedule. For example, at bedtime, sing the same songs every night, rock her or rub her tummy.

§  Pick up your crying baby promptly. Try to find out what’s wrong. Is he hungry? Wet? Bored? Too hot? Crying is your baby’s way of communicating. By comforting him, you send the message that language has a purpose and that someone wants to understand him.

§  To entertain your baby, sing an action song. For example:

 

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands!

 If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands!

 If you’re happy and you know it and you want the world to know it,

 If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands!

If you don’t know lullabies or rhymes, make up your own!

 

§  Dance with your baby. To soothe her when she’s upset, put our baby’s head on your shoulder and hum softly or listen to recorded music as you glide around the room. To amuse her when she’s cheerful, try a bouncy tune.

 

Babies need to become attached to at least one person who provides them with security and love. This first and most basic emotional attachment is the start for all human relationships.

 

Touch and See!

 

Whenever they are awake, babies are hard at work, trying to learn all about the world. To help them learn, they need many different things to play with and inspect. Objects you have around your home offer many possibilities.

 

A wooden spoon with a face drawn on the bowl

Different textured fabrics, such as velvet, cotton, corduroy, terry cloth, satin, burlap and fake fur

An empty toilet-paper or paper-towel roll

Pots, pans and lids

An old purse or basket with things to put in and take out

Measuring cups and spoons

Boxes and plastic containers

Large spools

Noisemakers (rattles, keys, a can filled with beans)

 

§  Let your baby look at, touch and listen to a variety of objects. Objects that are brightly colored, have interesting textures and make noises are particularly good.

§  Put one or two of the objects in a play area where your baby can reach them—more than two may confuse him. (Many of the objects will interest toddlers and older preschoolers. For example, babies love to inspect a paper towel roll. But a 4-year-old might use it as a megaphone for talking or singing, a telescope or a tunnel for a toy car.)

 

Babies begin to understand how the world works when they see, touch, hold and shake things. Inspecting things also helps them to coordinate and strengthen their hand muscles.

 

Baby Talk

 

Babies love hearing the voices of the people in their lives.

 

§  Talk to your baby often. Answer her coos and gurgles. Repeat the “ga, ga’s” she makes and smile back. Sometimes, you can supply the language for her. For example, when your baby stretches her arm toward her bottle and says, “ga-ga-ga,” say, “Oh, you’re ready for some more milk? Here’s your milk. Isn’t it good!”

§  Say or read to your child nursery rhymes or other verses that have strong rhythms and repeated patterns of sound. Vary your tone of voice, make funny faces and sing lullabies. Play games such as “peek-a-boo” and “pat-a-cake” with him.

§  Play simple talking and touching games with your baby. Ask, “Where’s your nose?” Then touch her nose and say playfully, “There’s your nose!” Do this several times, then switch to an ear or knee or her tummy. Stop when she or you grows tired of the game.

§  Change the game by touching the nose or ear and repeating the word for it several times. Do this with objects, too. When she hears you name something over and over again, your child begins to connect the sound with what it means.

§  Point to and name familiar objects. By hearing an object named over and over, your baby learns to associate the spoken word with its meaning. For example, “Here’s your blanket. Your very favorite blanket. What a nice, soft blanket!”

 

From the very beginning, babies try to imitate the sounds that they hear us make. They “read” the looks on our faces and our movements. Talking, singing, smiling and gesturing to your child helps her to love —and learn to use—language.

A fun, eco-friendly activity to reinforce what children have learned about snakes and to build team-work.

 

Reinforce study about snakes.

Learn to identify patterns.

Use recycled materials to create a creative piece of artwork.

Develop a sense of team work in building something together.

Use fine motor skills to practice tying knots or twist pipe cleaners.

 

Have children collect used newspapers.

You will also need recycled craft paper rolls, glue, paint, scissors, wiggly eyes, and string or pipe cleaners.

 

 

Review unit on snakes. Point out key facts about snakes such as how they eat, how they move, and especially what kind of skin they have, etc. Let children look through books or pictures of different kinds of snakes and point out differences and similarities between the scale patterns and colors. Cut the craft paper rolls into 2” pieces. Cut the collected newspaper into 2” wide strips and long enough to wrap around the tube. Have the children wrap the newspaper strips around the tubes and glue into place. Have the children paint over the strips in different colors, allowing some of the newsprint to show through the paint, giving it the illusion of “scales.” These are the snake “sections.” Hole-punch holes in each side of the tube, two holes at each end, across from each other. Have the children tie the painted sections together by using string laced through the punched holes (or twist pipe cleaners if the children are not able to make knots). The snake can be as long or as short as the children want. Let them decide if they want to alternate certain colors, or make any other patterns with the colored sections. When the snakes are complete, have the children decide which end is the head and stick a pair of wiggly eyes (or draw the eyes with marker) on the head. Slightly flatten the tail end so it comes to a point.

 

Let the children move the snake in different ways that snakes move – slithering, inching, gliding, jumping, etc. The snake is great for hanging around the classroom as decoration or for using as a measurement tool.

Toddlers love to copy the big people in their lives, especially when they get to use “grown-up” tools. So now is a good time to find or buy writing tools that are just their size.

 

Easy-to-hold pencils.

Washable markers in bright colors. (These make good gifts for special occasions. Spread the word to your family and friends!) Try finding markers with both wide and thin tips for variety.

Colorful paper — you can buy it, but the backs of old letters and notes will work just as well.

 

Encourage your child to “write” a grocery list or a letter to a special person. It’s okay if it just looks like scribbles to you. You are starting to help your child know that putting marks on paper can send a message. “Read” the note together and praise your child for his efforts.

Read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. (Author), John Archambault (Author), Lois Ehlert (Illustrator).  In this bright and lively rhyme, the letters of the alphabet race each other to the top of the coconut tree. When X, Y, and Z finally scramble up the trunk, however, the weight is too much, and down they all tumble in a colorful chaotic heap: “Chicka Chicka . . . BOOM! BOOM!” All the family members race to help, as one by one the letters recover in amusingly battered fashion. Poor stubbed toe E has a swollen appendage, while F sports a jaunty Band-Aid, and P is indeed black-eyed. As the tropic sun goes down and a radiant full moon appears, indomitable A leaps out of bed, double-daring his colleagues to another treetop race. This nonsense verse delights with its deceptively simple narrative and with the repetition of such catchy phrases as “skit skat skoodle doot.” Ehlert’s bold color scheme, complete with hot pink and orange borders, matches the crazy mood perfectly. Children will revel in seeing the familiar alphabet transported into this madcap adventure.

 

Questions to promote discussion:

 

 

Art: First, I painted the trunk of the tree. Next, the fun begins when you start painting little toes. Warning: giggling will occur, this is normal:) Stamp your child’s foot on the paper to create the top of the tree. After you clean off your child’s foot, make a few coconuts with their thumbprint. Last, glue on a few letters and you have a “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” coconut tree.

 

 

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Printables

 

In the Kitchen:  Make coconut trees from celery stalks (with leaves), peanut butter and Alpha-Bits Cereal.  Or bake coconut tree cookies with a palm tree cookie cutter.  Frost and add halved malted milk balls for coconuts and alpha-bits.