Developmental Exercises and Activities You Can Do At Home

The following is a list of developmental exercises you can do with your young child at home, helping improve their hand-eye coordination, motor development, bilateral movement, visual tracking, and size/shape/ spatial concepts:

-  wheelbarrow game (hold your child's legs and have them walk on their hands)
- puzzles
- wooden beads for stringing
- sorting shapes, colors, etc (put three cups in a row in front of your child an dhave them put buttons into one, pegs into the second, and balls into the third, or any variation thereof)
- bike and tricycle riding
- throw a balloon into the air and have them try to keep it from touching the ground
-  finger paints
- playdough
- living room bowling (roll a soft ball to knock down milk cartons or something similar)
- place a magnet on a string and hang it fromt he end of a stick-  have them fish for metal objects
- set the table
- hop on one foot
- blow bubbles
- try to pop bubbles with a chopstick
- hide and seek
- build a pattern with blocks- see if your child can complete the pattern
- cutting with safety scissors
- simple mazes
- ask, "What if you were....?  What do you think you would see?  Do?  Feel?"
-  have them pick up small objects with tweezers
- the Operation game
- match pictures to a past holiday or vacation
- legos and all building blocks
- practice jumping jacks
- practice marching, tapping one hand over the opposite knee while doing it
- memory games

Cute and Colorful Shark T Shirt

Check out this adorable, colorful shark t-shirt by gap.com!  One of the best t's I have seen so far this season.  (PS it is just as cute in person and my 5 year old was SO proud to wear it to school today!)

Symptoms of Vision Problems in School Aged Children

Did you know that one in four children has an undetected vision problem that can interfere with learning?  Here are some things to watch for that indicate a need for a complete eye exam (school screenings do not count!).

Vision problems can elicit a wide range of signs and symptoms. Some, like eyestrain or blurred vision, can usually be attributed directly to a vision dysfunction. Others, such as poor attention span at school, clumsiness in sports, or reduced productivity at work, may not immediately be recognized as possible signs of a vision problem. The following is a listing of common signs or symptoms of vision problems that indicate the need for a comprehensive vision exam by a knowledgable optometrist or eye care specialist:

Frequent headaches or eye strain

Blurring of distance or near vision, particularly after reading or other close work

Avoidance of close work or other visually demanding tasks

Turning of an eye in or out, up or down (even if only briefly)

Tendency to cover or close one eye, or favor the vision in one eye

Double vision

Difficulty following a moving target

Dizziness or motion sickness

Poor reading comprehension

Difficulty copying from one place to another

Loss of place, repetition, and/or omission of words while reading

Difficulty changing focus from distance to near and back

Excessive blinking or squinting

Can respond orally but cannot get the same information down on paper

Letter and word reversals

Difficulty judging sizes and shapes

Turns or tilts head to see

Uses finger to read

Poor hand-eye coordination,or bumps into things or drops things frequently

Boys Spring Pajamas Sales

The early warm weather this spring means that I get to put away the winter blanket pjs and start my bi-annual quest for inexpensive PJs a bit early.   Since the pajamas go through two boys at my house, I don't want ones that are going to fall apart on the first washing.  But I just can't bring myself to spend $20+ on clothes they are just going to sleep in either.  After a lot of searching last night, I did find a couple of good sales going on right now that bring the pjs down to the $10-$14 range (or less!).

Children's Place has some cute ones, including these dinosaur ones for $11.21.  They also have 25% off your order of $50 or more this weekend with coupon code Y6G2012.  If you don't want to spend quite that much, I also found a coupon code for 15% off your order- X6G2012.

Carters.com is having a good pj sale right now, with 50% off of their pajamas.  This makes the pajamas reasonable, but the real deal is you can use coupon code Spcr1 to get an additional 25% off of your purchase of $40 or more!!!  Now that makes their cute and quality pjs a GREAT deal!

Little Boys' Spring Neckties!

I spent some time looking for cute little boys' neckties tonight, and had the  best luck on www.etsy.com.  If you type in boy's tie, you will get thousands of cute results!  Below is the image of the one I ordered for Easter for my guys.  Etsy is a great website- cool resource for unique items from small businesses.   The "store" that I ordered this tie from was called The Little Gentleman's Closet.  Here is a link to their facebook page.

Rainbow Birthday Cake

 

I made this Rainbow Birthday Cake for my son's 5th birthday party. He loves art and colors, so it was a huge hit!  There are various recipes for this cake out there on the internet, but I took the easy way out.  I got 2 vanilla cake mix boxes from the grocery store, and six round cake pans. You'll want to make sure they are quality pans though- I tried it with cheap ones from the dollar store and ended up redoing everything because the cake layers would not come out of the pans despite greasing and flouring because they are so thin!  I found that the layers came out much more easily from the pans that were thicker and higher quality.  So, you make the cake mix and then divide the batter between the six pans evenly.  Add several drops of GEL food coloring, turning each pan one color.  It can't be regular food coloring if you want the vibrant colors, you need to get gel ones.  These can be found at most grocery stores, or otherwise online at Amazon.com.  Then bake (but keep a close eye on them since the layers are so thin!), cool, and layer with white frosting between each layer.  Enjoy!  It is so impressive when you cut into it!

Developing Emotional Intelligence in Young Boys

I feel very strongly about teaching our young boys to identify their emotions.  If they can understand their own emotions and learn to express them with words, they will have less frustration, greater empathy, and better relationships throughout life.  Unfortunately, there are a limited number of resources that I have found to help do this effectively with young children.  I like activities that are interactive, age appropriate, and fun!  If you have more to share, please let me know.  Here are the few I have found:

A pdf file from Vanderbilt with Teaching Emotions ideas




The book Glad Monster, Sad Monster by Anne Miranda and Ed Emberley







When My Worries Get Too Big!  An Interactive Book 






The Way I Feel by Janan Cain 






The Way I Feel book series 



You can also try cutting pictures out of magazines of people's faces, and talk about how you think each one is feeling by looking at their expression.

Why Are They Always Testing Our Limits? A Parenting Article by Love and Logic

I wanted to share a parenting email I received today from Love and Logic.  It fit my evening so well, as I walked into our home after a full day of work, only to find the crockpot meal I had so carefully prepared early this morning be the subject of a major meltdown (i.e. someone forgot to take out the mushrooms before serving it to the kids!).  Sometimes we need to remember to step back to look at the big picture- this little lesson helped me remember that.  Enjoy!

Are They Always Testing the Limits?
Weekly Tip from the Love and Logic^® Experts

Dear Trisha,

 

Tammy glowed with excitement, rushing up to me minutes before the conference began.

 

"I made the greatest connection about why you teach us to neutralize our kids' arguing and begging. Even though I got good at saying, 'So what did I say?' And even though it worked well, I was still upset that I had to use it frequently. I kept thinking that if I just did it the right way, my own kids would just accept the limits I set for them. It irritated me that they would test the limits more than the kids in my classroom."

 

"So tell me about the connection," I said.

 

"I was listening to you and Charles on the new audio CD, The Love and Logic Classroom, where you both talked about limits. Something you said made it clear that testing and trying to stretch limits is a way kids check to assure themselves that the adults can, and will, provide physical and emotional safety."

 

"That’s right, but what was the connection you made?"

 

"Here it is, Jim. Now I have a different feeling each time my kids beg for things they shouldn't have, or when they try to test limits. I used to get frustrated, asking myself what I was doing wrong. I would also get mad at them. But that's all changed now."

 

"Well, what do you do now?"

 

"Here's what's so great, Jim. Now I tell myself that they are just checking to see if I still love them enough to provide limits. It's a totally different mindset. I still say, 'So what did I say?' when they test. But when I do, I feel like I'm giving them a gift. Thanks for all you do for us. I hope you and Charles keep churning out new CDs. I love listening to them when I drive."

 

Thanks for reading, and remember that the child's job is to test the limits, and your job is to enforce them.

 

Jim Fay

Stephen Joseph Rain Gear for Little Boys! Cute and Affordable.

I'm a little picky about rain jackets for my guys.  I don't want to spend a fortune on them, and I don't want them to be boring!  I think I finally found ones I like with the Stephen Joseph line, available at amazon.com.  Check out these adorable rainjackets for little boys, complete with accessories.

Amazon.com- Stephen Joseph Monkey Raincoat 







Amazon.com- Stephen Joseph Boys Rain Poncho 








Amazon.com- Stephen Joseph Robot Rain Coat 





Amazon.com- Stephen Joseph Robot Umbrella








Amazon.com- Stephen Joseph Robot Rain Boots 







Amazon.com- Stephen Joseph Pirate Rain Coat 






Amazon.com- Stephen Joseph Pirate Rain Boots 






Amazon.com- Stephen Joseph Pirate Umbrella








Amazon.com- Stephen Joseph Sports Rain Coat   

Amazon.com- Stephen Joseph Sports Rain Boots 







Amazon.com- Stephen Joseph Sports Umbrella

What Do You Do With the Clothes Your Kids Outgrow?

What do you do with the clothes your kids outgrow?  Leave them piled up in the basement?  Donate them?  Ebay them?  Have garage sales?  Or do you bring them to a children's resale store?  While I know that some of these strategies yield higher returns than others, to me, time is also important.  I have tried all of these methods at one point or another.  And yes, ebaying did bring in more money per item, but it was also very time consuming.  And there were lots of items that did not go.  I did garage sales- probably the most time consuming for me (although I'm sure some of you moms have this down to a science!).  But, very few people showed up the days I had my sales (two years in a row!), and I felt again that the time was not worth the money.

So, after trial and error, I have a system in place to move the clothes my boys have outgrown out of the basement in a timely manner that allows me to recoup at least some of their value. Here's how I do it.  First, I separate out the stuff that is really worn out- that gets donated off the bat.  Second, I pack up the stuff that is name brand or still has lots of life left to it (including shoes!), and I bring it to the resale store Once Upon a Child.  They go through it and pick what they want to "buy".  They offer either cash for your items, or will give you 10% more in-store credit.  I usually go the in-store credit route, as the store closest to us often has some nice things.  I pick up gently used clothes and toys.  I've gotten matching snowboards for my kids, a really big John Deer tractor, lego sets, Imaginext castles, new PJs, jeans, extra snowpants, and more!   In my mind, the money I've spent on the clothes is already gone and has served its purpose... anything I get in return is a great bonus!  It's fun to shop with "free" money.

The items that Once Upon a Child does not want (and there is usually a good pile left), I give to one our neighbors who has a boy younger than ours.  That way nothing is wasted, I haven't spent hours and hours on the process, I get what I can for the value that is left in the clothes, and then I get to help out a friend too.  It works for me.  What works for you?

Children's Supplements and Vitamins

I give my kids a multi-vitamin everyday.  Some parents claim that all you are doing is creating "expensive pee" with vitamins, but I have found my boys being less prone to serious illnesses, and even better behaved when they take their vitamins daily.  Other parents claim that you can get all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs by healthy eating.  My boys do eat very well (in fact, if you ask my 5 year old what his favorite food is, he'd tell you salad!), but the sad truth is that even healthy fruits and vegetables do not provide the high level of nutrients that they did several decades ago.  The overuse of our soil has depleted many of the nutrients that were once abundant.

When I look for vitamins, I look for ones that are of high quality.  The vitamin should dissolve purely- not break down into various "tar" products.  I also don't want added sugar in my vitamins.  I primarily use Shaklee vitamins for my kids.  I like their multi-vitamin/ mineral, but I also like their kids' DHA omega product.  It is a chewable square- wrapped individually so the kids feel like they are opening a treat!  The other brand that I have tried and would also recommend is the Animal Parade line.  The nice thing about their line is that they have a variety of "extra" supplements to choose from, so if you feel your child is deficient in one area, you can give them extra of just that type.   Below are links to both product lines.


Shaklee Incredivites 












Shaklee Mighty Smart- DHA Chews












Shaklee Baby Multi Vitamin and Mineral Powder
(dissolves and can be used for infants and toddlers who are not ready for a tablet)










Nature's Plus Animal Parade Multi Vit

Nature's Plus Animal Parade D3  

Nature's Plus Animal Parade Vitamin C  

Nature's Plus Animal Parade Calcium Supplement  

Nature's Plus Animal Parade Baby Plex Multi Vitamin  

Ride On Fun!

It's a good thing we have hard wood floors in our house... we constantly have ride on toys zipping around!  Little  boys are in constant motion, and indoor and outdoor ride on toys help them get out all of their energy!  Below are some fun ones to consider (although some of them may need to be limited to the outdoors!)



Plasma Cars









Okiedog Fropper (great for toddlers- ages 2-3)












Power Wheels Fisher Price Arctic Cat













Radio Flyer Big Flyer









Zipfy Winter Fun!

Kettler CAT Kid Tractor











Kettler Cat Front Loader and Backhoe

Chemical Free Kids' Products

Last year it was my resolution to reduce or eliminate many of the chemicals we used in our home.  I was specifically concerned about sodium laurel sulfate (the chemical found in many soaps that make them foam up).  It took a lot of research and trial, but below are links to the products I use for my children's skin, teeth, body and health care.  Some I buy online (and I have included links for all), but others I can find at our local Target, Walgreens, or Health Food Store.





The Natural Dentist toothpastes- they come in several flavors, with or without fluoride.  My kids have never once complained about the taste!












California Baby Calendula Shampoo













California Baby Calendula Conditioner












Burts Bees Baby Bee Shampoo & Wash











Burts Bees Insect Repellant












Shaklee Baby Lotion 










Shaklee Baby Diaper Cream











Alba Natural Sunblock (this product worked really well on our fair-skinned boys last summer, even during long days on the water!)










Similasan Cold and Mucus Relief













Similasan for Cough Relief











Trillium Organics Breathe Free Tea Tree Aroma Rub (works great for congestion and coughs- rub on chest and on feet!)

A Parenting Preschoolers Resource- Love and Logic

Parenting preschoolers can be exhausting!  When I am looking for advice or help, I often turn to the philosophy of Love and Logic.  Below is some information about this wonderful parenting resource, along with links to their website and products.

What is Love and Logic^® for Parents?

"I don't understand it. The techniques my parents used so effectively just don't seem to work with kids today." Does this statement sound familiar to you? A lot of parents today are wondering what to do with their kids and are frustrated because the old techniques just don't seem to get the job done.

Parents want to enjoy their kids, have fun with them, and enjoy a less stressful family life. But even if their kids are trouble-free right now, they fear what the coming teenage years will bring.

At no time in history have parents been more unsure of their parental role. Even the best are not all that sure about whether they are using the best techniques. They say that their kids don't appear to be much like the ones they knew in years past.

A lot of conflicting philosophies have been presented over the last 30 years. Many of these sound good, but don't seem to do the job of helping children become respectful, responsible, and a joy to be around.

Many ideas, offered with the best of intentions, center around making sure that kids are comfortable and feeling good about themselves in order to have a good self- concept. However, we have discovered that self-confidence is achieved through struggle and achievement, not through someone telling you that you are number one. Self-confidence is not developed when kids are robbed of the opportunity to discover that they can indeed solve their own problems with caring adult guidance.

There is, however, an approach to raising kids that provides loving support from parents while at the same time expecting kids to be respectful and responsible.

This program is known as Parenting with Love and Logic, a philosophy founded by Jim Fay and Foster W. Cline, M.D., and based on the experience of a combined total of over 75 years working with and raising kids.

Many parents want their kids to be well prepared for life, and they know this means kids will make mistakes and must be held accountable for those mistakes. But these parents often fail to hold the kids accountable for poor decisions because they are afraid the kids will see their parents as being mean. The result is they often excuse bad behavior, finding it easier to hold others, including themselves, accountable for their children's irresponsibility.

Jim Fay teaches us that we should "lock in our empathy, love, and understanding" prior to telling kids what the consequences of their actions will be. The parenting course Becoming a Love and Logic Parent teaches parents how to hold their kids accountable in this special way. This Love and Logic method causes the child to see their parent as the "good guy" and the child's poor decision as the "bad guy." When done on a regular basis, kids develop an internal voice that says, "I wonder how much pain I'm going to cause for myself with my next decision?" Kids who develop this internal voice become more capable of standing up to peer pressure.

What more could a parent want? Isn't that a great gift to give your child? Parent child relationships are enhanced, family life becomes less strained, and we have time to enjoy our kids instead of either feeling used by them or being transformed from parent to policeman.

The Love and Logic technique in action sounds like this:

Dad: "Oh, no. You left your bike unlocked and it was stolen. What a bummer. I bet you feel awful. Well, I understand how easy it is to make a mistake like that." (Notice that the parent is not leading with anger, intimidation, or threats.)

Dad then adds, "And you'll have another bike as soon as you can earn enough money to pay for it. I paid for the first one. You can pay for the additional ones."

Love and Logic parents know that no child is going to accept this without an argument, but Love and Logic parents can handle arguments. Jim Fay advises "just go brain dead." This means that parents don't try to argue or match wits with the child. They simply repeat, as many times as necessary, "I love you too much to argue." No matter what argument the child uses, the parent responds "I love you too much to argue." Parents who learn how to use these techniques completely change, for the better, their relationships with kids and take control of the home in loving ways.

Some of my favorite products from their website include:

Painless Parenting for the Preschool Years

Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood

Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers- Love and Logic Parenting for Early Childhood: 6 months to 5 years

Parenting Doesn't Have to be Rocket Science