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Blog Article Archive |
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Stepping Up Like a Big Kid
Somewhere between the baby and "big kid" phase, your toddler will want to start doing things for himself. Although he may not be potty trained yet and he may not be able to do a lot of things for himself, small children are very eager to help. If you're picking up toys, don't look at it as a chore you have to do by yourself. If your child is able to understand simple requests such as "Help Mommy pick up the toys and put them in the basket" then you will have a very happy helper for many things you do around the house. It is also good for little ones to learn early to put up toys before they get new ones out. Good habits for putting up items can be instilled early on in this fashion. Another great way to let your toddler feel more independent is to let him or her do certain tasks on his/her own. When it comes time wash his/her hands before dinner. Get him or her a step stool and show them how to put water on their hands and then soap and wash their hands. Explain why we wash our hands before meals and show how to rinse off all the soap. Stand by as he/she does it and expect a little mess at first but soon they will have the hang of it. If you're in the kitchen, let your child stand by as you rinse dishes and either put them in the dishwasher or even better wash and dry the dinner dishes and give your child a plastic cup to dry. Children also can use their step stools to sit on when reading and for a myriad of fun pretend play games. The only limit is their imaginations!
posted by SensoryEdge
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Monday, August 28, 2006
Toys That Tickle the Imagination
There's nothing more challenging than traveling with young children. Before getting asked "Are we there yet?" for the millionth time and you aren't even out of town yet, you might consider taking along some toys that will keep the kiddos busy as well as keeping their minds active and learning. The Magnetic Pattern Block Kit from Melissa and Doug is an excellent toy to take along on a trip, either in a vehicle or airplane. The kit comes complete with everything your kids need to stay occupied while also learning shapes and logical ways to arrange things. This kit has a magnetic board with a wooden frame and 120 magnetic wooden shapes. There are durable, coated pattern cards that the child simply puts into the wooden frame above the magnet board and then chooses the shapes to fill in the picture. The magnetic pieces will stick to the board right through the pattern card. Once your children have mastered the pattern cards, you can design your own using typing paper or invite your kids to design their own free form shapes directly on the magnetic board. This toy is great for ages three and up and you can talk to little ones about how many sides triangles, squares and rectangles have. The differences in shapes and even point out road signs along the way that match certain blocks. The entire kit comes in a durable carrying case with an easy access zipper pocket so small hands will have no problem getting into their kit and creating hours of fun on the road and off.
posted by SensoryEdge
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Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Active Children Throughout the Year
If you aren't lucky enough to live in a place where the weather is great so your kids can go outside and play all year round, you can let them keep getting exercise even when the weather is bad. A Folding Trampoline for Children is an ideal way for little ones to work off their seemingly boundless energy and participate in an activity that is fun. The Kid's Folding Trampoline for Children is just under 34 inches square and can hold children up to 77LBS. This trampoline is fabulous for letting kids bounce and jump while holding onto an easy grip handle that raises and lowers with each jump. This is a great way to help children keep fit and stay healthy. This trampoline can be used indoors when weather isn't suitable to play outside and can easily be used outdoors when it's good play weather. The trampoline has a durable weatherproof mat and the frame is made out of tubular steel for added strength. A great added safety feature is the padded cover that surrounds the outside of the trampoline. No small feet will slip through the bungee cord. When it comes time to store the trampoline, the handle unscrews and the legs fold down flat so it can be slipped under a bed or in a closet until the need for jumping action fun arises again! This trampoline is a great way for children to keep fit and is suitable for children ages 2 and up, with adult supervision of course. Keep your little ones entertained and physically active, think ahead to the cold months of winter and have a trampoline ready so when your kids say "There's nothing to do" you can reply, "Oh yes there is!".
posted by SensoryEdge
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Monday, August 21, 2006
Hurdling Reading Difficulties
Helping your child become a better reader is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child. Once you start working with your child to become a better reader, don't stop. Set aside time every single day to read with your child. Choose an old favorite book the child knows and loves as it will make learning the words even easier. All children can learn by repetition. Point out words on billboards, signs, bumper stickers and other places when you're out with your child. If you just read a book about bicycles and you see a sign for a bicycle shop, point it out and talk a little about the story. This will entice your child to begin pointing out words. You can make up games when you're out such as finding words that start with "t" or "c"; or count how many times you see the word "stop". This will help your child both with counting and reading. You can further jump start your children with reading by using products from Alphagram. This set of tools helps any child learn to read with multisensory phonics based teaching aids. Through play, your children will learn to identify letter sounds and sound out words. Match letter sounds to pictures of words containing the same letters, alphabetical order and also the very necessary skills of building words and practicing letter writing.
posted by SensoryEdge
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Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Getting A Leg Up
First your child begins to toddle, and then before you know it, your little guy or girl is going to be reaching up to the counters all of the time. Perhaps they will want to learn how to get their own cup from the counter so that they can get a drink of water. It also will not take long before they begin to ask you to get involved when it comes to preparing meals or even helping out with the dishes. Because it can be a bit dangerous for your child to be pushing chairs around the kitchen to stand on, the best idea is to get them an easy stool for them to use. A step stool for your child is a fabulous idea because it can give them a sense of independence that can work wonders for their development. In addition to that, you will know that they have a nice and sturdy step underneath them so that they can safely reach the items that they need to use. Besides the kitchen, such a step stool can be perfect for washing up or brushing teeth in the bathroom! You would be amazed at how confident your little one actually can be once they have their own way to reach sinks and counter tops. There are three different designs of kids step stools that you can choose from for your son or daughter. There is the fun yellow school bus, the blue police car and the red fire truck. These stools are all made of solid wood, so that you know that they are built to hold the weight of any toddler. Your child will be very happy once they can get a leg up and reach things safely on their own!
posted by SensoryEdge
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Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Letting Their Creative Side Shine
There is really nothing more wonderful than watching your child exploring with their creative side. Well, that is if they are not coloring on your walls or your appliances in the kitchen, right? This is why it is so important to embrace their creative side and let the little artist within them shine through by giving them a great place to create and play. The best way that you may find to do this is with the incredible 4 in 1 Floor Easel. The Guidecraft 4 in 1 Floor Easel is made with your child and his or her creative needs in mind. Because children just love to make different drawings and paintings over and over again, this piece is just the perfect thing for them to use. The easel itself flips over very easily so that they can either use the dry erase side, which is also magnetic, or the chalkboard side. This 4 in 1 Floor Easel also comes with one big roll of paper so that they can create different pictures and paintings to hang on the refrigerator or give to other friends or relatives. After they create they can also even take a couple of magnets and hang up their own work on the easel! By getting your child this wonderful easel, you will be able to both save your walls and give them a great place to become inspired. You may even be quite amazed at how much talent your little one has! Extra rolls of paper are always available so that they can keep the beautiful drawings and other works of art coming.
posted by SensoryEdge
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Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Sweet Slumber Fun!
You must remember those times from your childhood when you were either invited to the house of a friend for a slumber party. Perhaps you even liked to set up camp in your living room from time to time. Stuff like that is where all kinds of really fabulous memories come from. Now that you are grown and you have children of your own, you can share your fun slumber party memories with them when you get them their very own sleeping bag. You can pretty much find any type of sleeping bag that will also go just right with your child's personality. It really doesn't matter if your child likes bugs, farm animals, fairy tales or even frogs, there is a great sleeping bag that will be great for him or her. The Lil' Ladybug Kids Sleeping bag is a fabulous choice for any little one who has a fascination with these cute little creatures. This is a super cozy sleeping bag that actually has a soft 100% cotton outer shell. You have bright colors with fun ladybugs printed all over the place on this great find. Perhaps your child has wanted to go to camp or a sleepover, yet they have been worried about being away from home overnight. Having such a fun sleeping bag that is all their own can be a wonderful way to make them feel safe and comfortable while they are away. The next time your little one is getting ready to sleep out, a kids sleeping bag may be just what the doctor ordered.
posted by SensoryEdge
1 comments
Monday, August 07, 2006
ABC's For Learning Fun
Getting kids involved in learning is much more fun and easy than you would think. Whether you are looking for a fabulous learning tool for your own children or if you have a day care or a class to teach, the Alphabet Toss n' Play Activity Set may be just the thing. You may be wondering just how much something like this can help with learning. The answer is easy and you are sure to find it from the very minute that the kids get a chance to use it! The Alphabet Toss n' Play Activity Set is a great way for kids to get involved with others and have a fabulous time as well. This incredible set it put together so well and with so much thought that it has even won awards in the past. You get a really great activity booklet along with this kit that will give you some cool ideas on how to use it. Included in this learning kit, you get four fun bean bags made with durable canvas, the booklet, a convenient carrying box and of course the mat itself. To make this mat even cooler, it is even double sided, with the alphabet on the front of it and the old time favorite game of hopscotch on the back. Gather up all of the children, friends and all, and take part in one of the great activities that can come about from this kit. With all of the bright colors and endless possibilities, you are in for hours of fun and happy faces.
posted by SensoryEdge
0 comments
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Sudoku - Number Fun!
Sudoku is actually an adaptation of an old Medieval game that landed in Japan in 1984 where it was revamped by Nobuhiko Kanamoto, who was the editor of Nikoli, a Japanese puzzle publisher. Nobuhiko called it Suuji Wa Dokushin Ni Kagiru meaning "The Numbers Must be Single". When it began catching on outside of Japan, the name was shortened to "Sudoku" meaning "single number". Now, Sudoku is still all the rage in Japan and is featured in 140 American papers and it is even offered as a cell phone game through certain wireless carriers. This is simple game of numbers your children will enjoy playing for hours on end. Sudoku is a logical puzzle game that is great for a single player or fine for group play. This game of Sudoku includes 81 double sided two color counters, 81 mini counters for making multiple choices, a handy Sudoku book with 100 different puzzles inside. 4 self adhesive buffers and a velvet bag to hold the counters when not in play. The basic goal of Sudoku is a 9 by 9 grid. There are 3 main sections. So you have 3 rows and three columns with 9 grids in each. The goal is to fill the grid with the numbers 1 though 9. Each number is used only once and the interaction of the numbers between each row and column easily tell you where the other numbers need to go. This game encourages number play among children and since it only goes to 9 on any grid, even the younger set won't have a problem keeping up with the fun game of Sudoku!
posted by SensoryEdge
2 comments
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