Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Teach Me Tuesday: Where does the letter go?

Not to brag or anything, because honestly I wouldn't feel any different about my amazing little man if he were not as smart as he is, but my little guy is ridiculously smart. He is quite advanced for his age in terms of communication and cognition and he has a voracious appetite for learning. To encourage his love of learning I try my best to provide Aiden with as many stimulating activities as possible while keeping them fun and light-hearted. But as you can imagine, with a little guy who learns quicker than I can figure out what to teach him next, there are times where I'm at a loss of what activity to do with him, which is why I've decided to devote one day a week of The Creative Toddler to chronicling our learning activities.

For the inaugural Teach Me Tuesday lets go with an activity I call Where Does The Letter Go?

Here's what you need:
An alphabet mat or puzzle with removable letters (you can buy these at Toys r Us for $20 or you could make your own)

Here's how to do it:
Take several letters out of the puzzle and put them in a pile off of the mat. Pick up each letter in turn and ask your little person to show you where it goes. Aiden did this without my prompting and walked to the space and pointed out the missing letter. Then ask questions about the space or the letter like what colour is it? or what shapes is it? depending on where your little person is at in their learning journey. Then get your little person to put the letter back in the puzzle or help them do this if they need assistance.

This is an activity that has become somewhat of a ritual for Aiden and I. He really enjoys running around the mat showcasing his knowledge, so much so that when the pile is finished he asks for more!

And this activity is a really good one for active, hands-on little people who love letters, numbers and colours.

Happy learning,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Monday, March 26, 2012

Music Video Monday: The Black Keys, Howlin' For You

The Rundown
Yes, I know this is not an educational video nor one that you would usually think of when thinking of your little person, however my little rock star in the making (I'm not kidding when i say this...he loves, loves, loves rocking out on his guitar, which is actually a ukelele, has the perfect rock star stance and carries his pick and/or one of his three guitar ornaments with him wherever we go. His favorite store in the mall is the guitar store and given the choice of a stuffy or a guitar pick, he will choose a pick to add to his ever growing collection. He also stops at random spots when we are out and about to play an impromptu concert) adores this song. I think this past weekend we must have listened to this song and watch this video, while he made his Dad and I dance in the kitchen, at least ten times in a row. Aiden will also request this one by name when he says "Black Keys...da da da da da song".
My Little Rock Star

Ok, so what's it about, you ask. Well, simply put, it's a song by the band The Black Keys about a guy who's pining over a girl.

Like I said, not very educational but great tune nonetheless.

Why We Love It
Umm, well, The Black Keys...enough said I think!

Creative Extensions
I must admit that coming up with creative projects relating to this video is a bit tricky but I'll give it my best shot...
1. Turn up the music, grab your guitars (real, toy or air) and rock out.
2. Make some keys out of cardboard and decorate them with various craft supplies. Take your keys on an adventure and see what they will open.
3. Change the lyrics of the song to lyrics that suit everyday activities with your little person, for example:
I must admit, I must explain
That before we go play in the rain
Baby, we need to put our jackets on
Da da da da da
Da da da da da
4. Go to the library and look at books about animals that howl. When you get home make props for a shadow play about wolves howling at the moon. Rehearse your show and perform it for the other loved ones in your house.

The Video


Happy howlin'
Creatively yours,
Maya:)

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Magical Moon Sand

I saw this great recipe for sensory play on Pinterest and I couldn't wait to try it with Aiden.

Moon Sand
5 cups flour
1 cup baby oil
Glitter
1. Pour ingredients into a container
2. Let your little person stir it up with a spoon or their hands
3. Add rocks, vehicles, robots or other creatures for a moon like playing experience

The Review
This was tons of fun. The sand smells so delish and feels so soft when you squish it through your fingers. Aiden had a great time mixing the oil into the sand and squelching it through his fingers. He created a fabulous moonscape by added rocks and wood chips from the yard into his bucket. And the way a 20-month old says "Moon-sand" has got to be one of the cutest things!

Tips
This is quite a messy one if your little person is a young creative toddler who doesn't get the whole keeping it in the container thing, so I would recommend either taking this outside (like we did) or covering the floor with a wipe able mat or large garbage bags.

Happy moon-scaping,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Monday, March 19, 2012

Where the Sidewalk Ends, The Painting Begins

As per usual we are having some up and down weather days in the last few days of winter. I adore being outside and hate being cooped up in the winter so any inkling of having weather that is close to being nice for playing in the fresh air it's on with our coats and out of the door. And one of my favorite things to do outside, aside from running around and free playing, is big, messy art projects that would cause Aiden's Dad to have a miniature heart attack if he saw the mess that we made if we did it indoors.

Earlier this week we had one of those days, those glorious sun-filled, warm but not too warm, perfect for playing outside days. So after lunch, which I must admit we rushed through so we could get as much good weather as possible, we threw on our coats and shoes and headed to the backyard.

I'd recently read about an art project that I was dying to try - sidewalk chalk painting - so I gathered our supplies and setup our painting project while Aiden puttered around in the sandbox.

Here's the recipe:
1 part cornstarch
11/2 parts water
Food colouring

Mix ingredients together in a paint tray or muffin tin. Arm your little person with a brush and have them paint to their hearts content.

This was a huge success and one that we will definitely do again. We had a blast painting the sidewalk, our hands, our clothes and some rocks that we found in the parking lot. While we painted we talked about our paintings, and sang songs about the colours we were using and the new colours we were making. I didn't keep track of time but I'd say this kept us busy for at least 30-45 minutes. Not bad for a one nap kind of day.

Happy sidewalk painting,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Music Video Monday: Sesame Street Healthy Teeth, Healthy Me

The Rundown
In this video Elmo, with the help of his many celebrity friends, sings about how to keep teeth healthy. It is a bit funny that Elmo sings about teeth as he doesn't appear to have any, but whatever the little furry red monster can do to help keep our little people healthy is A OK with me.

Why We Love It
Aiden has been teething since he was about 5 month, getting his first teeth at 6 months. I'm happy to say that we are in the home stretch now, with four left to come in. (They are the back molars so I feel for the little guy). We've been quite diligent about teeth brushing and in the beginning Aiden was happy to oblige. Unfortunately this is no longer the case and teeth brushing has become a bit of a struggle. So this video could not have come into our lives at a better time. Now we sing the hook "brushy, brush, brush, brushy brush your teeth" while brushing our teeth with Aiden's Elmo brush. And this has at least given us a minute or two of distraction time to get the job done. Thank you Sesame Street and Elmo!

Creative Extensions
1. Create and play a healthy teeth sorting game: Draw, colour and cut out things that are good for you teeth (crunchy fruits and vegetables, water, toothbrush etc) and things that are bad for your teeth (candy, sugary drinks etc). Draw, colour and cut out a happy tooth (white, sparkly and smiling) and an unhappy tooth (yellow, dull and sad). Work with your little person to match the healthy and unhealthy things with the appropriate tooth.
2. Use a toothbrush or dental floss as a paint brush.
3. Make teeth puppets using felt and miscellaneous craft supplies. Work with your little person to create a puppet show about what the teeth do during the day.
4. Make apple smiles for snack: Slice an apple into mouth shaped slices, two for each mouth. Spread peanut butter on one side of the apples. Stick four mini marshmallows on the peanut butter in between the apple slices.
5. Sing teeth related songs and rhymes:
I Know How to Brush my Teeth
I know how to brush my teeth
I brush on top and underneath
Up like a rocket
Down like a plane
Back and forth like a choo-choo train.
(Author Unknown)

The Video


Happy brushing,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Thursday, March 8, 2012

The Missing Afternoon Nap

Aiden is teetering between the two-naps-to-one-nap-a-day continuum. This is really a good thing as it's a sign that he's growing up, but the one nap days can wreck havoc on a well-tuned schedule that is based on two naps a day. Those are the days that force me to flex my creative muscles and come up with more activities for the little guy. And I have no choice but to be up for the challenge. I've found that these spontaneous moments of creative projects are usually the best ones, and give Aiden and I a chance to build some more stellar memories that I'm sure I'll cling to when he's all about sports and girls and hanging with his buddies!

Earlier this week we had one of those afternoons. When I realized that my attempts at getting Aiden down for his afternoon nap were going absolutely and positively nowhere I had to come up with some activities on the fly.

The first activity we did was a very scientific science experiment figuring out what sinks and what floats in Aiden's water table. For this, we filled up the water table, grabbed some random toys - a plastic bunny, a lemon squeeze bottle, a mini water gun, a couple of boats, and some ice cubes, and dropped them in the water. We watched to see which one sank and which ones floated. And then we raced boats around the table seeing how we could make them move across the water. Yes, I told you, very scientific!

The other activity we choose to do was some face/body painting. As we were already dressed in shorts and t-shirts I decided to quickly whip up some homemade face paints (recipe below), move us into the bathroom, grab some q-tips as brushes and paint each other red, yellow and blue. This was a huge hit and kept us entertained for the better part of an hour. The cleanup was also quite quick as I kept us in the bathroom. I wouldn't recommend these types of paints if you have pictures or need to look smart in the near future as the paints didn't come off right away.

Here's the recipe I used:
1 tsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. water
1/2 tsp. cold cream
Food coloring

Mix together in small containers (I used an ice cube tray) as many as you want colours.

Now however, Aiden is taking a second nap, so I will bid you adieu so I can snooze too.

Happy napping or non-napping as the case may be,
Creatively yours,
Maya:)

Monday, March 5, 2012

Music Video Monday: The Days of The Week

The Rundown
In this Kids CBC video, the all-girl group, Done with Dolls, pay a visit to Mamma Yamma to pick up a casserole that she was supposed to make them. The Dolls find Mamma in a tizzy about how to get everything done so they teach her how to use a calendar and sing about the days of the week.

Why We Love It
Guitars, cute girls, rocking tune and something to learn - what more could a little guy want?!

Creative Extensions
1. Make days of the week puppets out of paper bags, popsicle sticks, socks and other miscellaneous craft supplies. Make up stories and put on a puppet show about what each day of the week likes doing.
2. Make a poster board sized calendar and have your little person decorate it with various craft supplies. Fill in the calendar with your little person and talk about the activities they do each day of the week.
3. Sing other days of the week songs like the Happy Days theme song:
Sunday Monday Happy Days,
Tuesday Wednesday Happy Days,
Thursday Friday Happy Days,
Saturday 7 days, Groovin all week with you!

or The Days of the Week sung to the Addams Family theme:
Seven days of the week (snap, snap)
Seven days of the week (snap, snap)
There's Monday and Tuesday
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Saturday and Sunday
There's seven days of the week (snap, snap)

The Video

Happy days,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto

Drum roll please...I present to you the newest member of Aiden's ever growing stuffy collection...Robot:


Want to make a robot for your little person? It's really quite simple. All you need is some felt, embroidery thread, needles, scissors, cotton wool for stuffing and a pattern.

For Robot I extrapolated from a pattern for a mechanical felt panda that I found in The Cute Book by Aranzi Aronzo. I photocopied and enlarged the pattern, selected fabrics and thread, cut out my pieces, added a few pieces for the face and front panel and then sew sew sewed until Robot was complete. It was a fairly quick project; I made Robot over the course of five evening hour-long tv watching sessions. And the result - a happy little boy with a new robot friend!

Happy robot-making,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Monday, February 27, 2012

Music Video Monday: Joel Plaskett "Fashionable People"

The Rundown
I realize I've been a bit Sesame Street heavy with the music video selections (it's just that Sesame Street has so many excellent videos that we can't seem to get enough of them) so to switch it up I'm going throw some Canadian content, a la CBC Kids, your way.

Up to bat this week is Joel Plaskett's "Fashionable People." In this super fun video Joel helps Mamma Yamma loosen up for a photo shoot. Joel and Mamma try on a whole bunch of crazy hats and costumes while striking poses for the cover of the formidable Yam Fancy magazine.

Why We Love It
If you happened to be walking past our house last Friday, when this video was on TV, and peered in through our front window, you would have seen Aiden and I wearing a cow print cowboy hat and a bright yellow trapper hat still in our PJ's, having a whale if a time dancing around our living room. I'm pretty sure that upon realizing how much fun we were having you would have run up to our door, rang the doorbell and begged to join in. Being the fun-loving people that we are, we probably would have given you a hat and let you dance with us. So why do we love this video? We love it because of its infectious ability to induce silly, crazy dancing while wearing equally silly, crazy clothes.

Creative Extensions
1. Find some fun clothes to dress up in, pump up the volume on some upbeat music and dance around while pretending to be on your own photo shoot.
2. Make a mini magazine with you little person based on something they are really into (or perhaps a magazine all about your little person - great for family presents). Take photos or draw pictures for your magazine. Help your little person write articles and stories for their magazine. Make copies to give to your loved ones.
The Video

Happy dressing up,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Friday, February 24, 2012

Impromptu Colour Mixing

Earlier this week, while we were eating lunch, Aiden spied out of the corner of his big brown eyes a rogue marker lying on the counter top. As soon as my little observer spotted the incredibly-awesome-potential-mess-making vehicle he couldn't resist and said "Marker hold". I weighed my options and decided that although we were still eating our lunch taking a short interlude to make some impromptu art was worth the disruption, so I gave Aiden the marker and a few others that were lying around on the counter too. We didn't have any paper in the near vicinity, but Aiden, being the resourceful little guy that he is, grabbed a piece of paper towel that was on the table and started to dab the markers on the towel.

As you can imagine, the paper towel soaked up the ink from the markers and as Aiden used different colours, the ink mixed and created new colours. This was an excellent exercise in colour mixing, and even better as we were watching "Three Primary Colours" by OK Go. When Aiden finished his creations we put them up on the fridge for everyone to see. They really are quite stunning or as Aiden says when he walks by the fridge "Pretty". Here's the step-by-step if you want to try it yourself:

Paper Towel Pictures
Supplies
Paper towels
Washable markers
Directions
1. Provide your little person with a sheet of paper towel and some markers.
2. Show your little person how to colour on the paper towel if they are new to markers.
3. As your little person makes marks on the paper towel, the ink will spread causing the colours to mix. Talk to your little person about the colours and how new ones are created when the ink mixes.
4. Hang up your little person's creation and marvel at it every time you walk by it.

Happy colour mixing,
Creatively yours,
Maya:)

Monday, February 20, 2012

For The Birds

From the word go Aiden's Dad and I have always said that Aiden can be whatever he wants to be when he grows up. We just have two requirements - whatever he ends up doing he should do something that he loves and has a passion for, and that overall he is a kind, caring and good person. He's already got the second requirement down and I'm pretty confident he'll have the first one taken care of when he gets to the stage of figuring out his life path.

For now my job is to provide him with as many unique and interesting activities as possible so he can discover what he's passionate about and to encourage his natural goodness. Part of that is caring for others - both human and non-human others. So earlier in the week we decided to show our feathered friends some love and made them some bird treats. Here's how we made them:

Bread Bird Feeders
Supplies
Day old bread
Cookie cutters
Peanut butter
Bird seed
Yarn
Spoon
Plate

Instructions
1. Cut the bread into shapes using cookie cutters. You might need to help your little person with this if the bread is hard.
2. Make a small hole in the top of each bread shape.
3. Thread the yarn through the hole and tie a knot.
4. Spread peanut butter on one side of the bread shapes. If you don't mind the mess, your little person can spread it on with a spoon or their fingers.
5. Pour some bird seed onto a plate. Have your little person dip the bread shape into the seed.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 on the other side of the bread.
7. Hang your bird treats in a tree in a sheltered spot for your bird friends to enjoy.

Happy bird watching,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Music Video Monday: Musica

The Rundown
This Sesame Street video features Rosita (for those of you who aren't avid Sesame Streeters, she's the blue Latina monster) and a host of various animals, including a sheep, a collie dog and some chickens, playing percussion instruments while singing an incredibly catchy song (it has been running through my head on repeat since we watched it this morning before our breakfast picnic) about musica.

Why We Love It
I'm happy to report that Aiden's Grandpa has just finished building a house in Costa Rica. In the upcoming months, when we manage to squeeze in a trip to our new holiday home, we will need to know a few Spanish words, and what better word to start with for a little musician than musica? And what better way to learn the word for music than through a song about music? Also, who doesn't love a music video that has a collie playing maracas? Enough said I think!

Creative Extensions
1. Create your own instruments from cardboard tubes, paper plates, metal pie plates, jars, beans, pasta and rice. Decorate the instruments with various craft supplies. Make a sound word for your new instruments and add additional verses to the song.
2. Play some more Latin or other world music. Listen for specific instruments. Make up a song about the instruments that you hear.
3. Teach your little person about volume and tempo by playing your instruments quietly and loudly or fast and slow. Encourage your little person to move to the music using quiet and loud steps or fast and slow steps. Be sure to get in there and dnce alongside them.

The Video



Happy musica making,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Music Video Monday: Letter J Robot

The Rundown
This is yet another uber cute video from Sesame Street. It features one of the cutest robots I've seen (believe it ot not, he's even cuter than Wal-E), who sings about all kinds of things that begin with the letter J (yep, the letter J not the letter R as he's the Letter J Robot!)

Why We Love It
Like many little guys his age, Aiden has entered the Robot phase and he adores robots, so of course this one was a huge favorite when it came up on the Sesame Street channel uploads list. The only problem with this video is that the robot is so adorable that every time he comes on screen Aiden yells "Hold" as in "I want to hold/hug the robot". I think I'm going to have to try my hand at making a plushy robot.

Oh, and of course the educational factor of this video - it teaches little ones J words in a fun and memorable way.

Creative Extensions
1. Make a plushy robot (see above)! Have your little person draw a robot or draw it with them if they are little toddlers. Photocopy the drawing and enlarge if necessary. Cut the picture out to form a pattern. Cut two pieces of fabric in from the pattern. Sew fabric together and add embellishments like buttons for eyes and pompoms for buttons etc. Stuff the shell and voila you have a plushy robot designed by you and your little person.
2. Make robot masks: Provide your little one with paper plates, foil, buttons, electrical tape and any other miscellaneous craft supplies. Find some robot pictures for inspiration or look through robot books at the library, and then create a mask based on the robots you found. Dress up in your masks and play robots with you little person. Make up names and characteristics for yourselves as you go on your robot adventures.
3. Make edible robots http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/edible_robots.htm

The Video


Happy beep, boop, beeping,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Saturday, February 11, 2012

The Drawing on the Coffee Table

There are several things that are pre-requisites for being a little person. Some of these things include not wanting to put on coats, jackets, shoes, toques or mitts before going outside (they just get in the way anyways), wanting to touch and/or put things in electrical sockets and a desire to draw/paint on any surface but a piece of paper.

In my effort to have a peaceful, happy household with an equally peaceful and happy toddler, I decided to encourage my little Picasso's love of creating his masterpieces on alternate canvases. Yes, this may backfire on day, but for now, when we have washable art materials, I say let the wild rumpus begin!

And how, you ask, did we do this? Window writers and bathtub crayons. I have to say, we have had an amazing time creating all kinds of artwork on our mirrors, glass top coffee table and bathtub. And seeing the look of sheer joy and excitement on Aiden's face as he colours these alternate surfaces is worth the few extra minutes it takes to windex the table, mirrors and tub.

Happy colouring,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Mom Evaluation

I love being a full-time stay-at-home-mom. I feel very privileged and lucky to be able to be with my little guy everyday and see him learn, grow and take on all kinds of new challenges. I find immense joy in spending my days going on adventures and playing with Aiden. I really am living the dream.

But what I absurdly find challenging is not the moments where Aiden is having a rough time or the lack of adult conversation, it is the lack of formal measuring and evaluation tools. We spend our entire lives being evaluated - in school we take tests, in the work world we have performance appraisals and reviews, and call me crazy but I actually like having these in place. Evaluations give me a sense of security, knowing where I'm at and what I need to do to improve and grow. But in my career as a Mom, there is nothing like this in place.

What I have come to realize is that at the end of the day it is not so much a grade or a score that matters. It is all about whether you have a happy, secure and healthy little person - it's more a case of the proof is in the pudding or rather in the little person.

But just for fun I thought I'd share with you my criteria for measuring my daily success at being the best Mom I can be.

Criteria For A Great Day
Did your day include the following?
1. Free play
2. Reading/story time
3. Imaginative play
4. Creative project
5. Music and movement time
6. Active play
7. Outdoor play (weather permitting)
8. An outing to somewhere with people other than just the two of us
9. Singing/finger songs
10. Discovery activity
11. Learning activity
12. Quiet time

Did you provide the following?
1. Healthy, nutritious food for meals and snacks
2. Hugs, kisses, tickles and cuddles
3. Full-undivided attention during the day
4. Opportunities to nap and sleep in a comfortable environment
5. Words of praise and encouragement
6. Opportunities to try something new
7. Chances to practice already learned skills
8. A safe, happy environment
9. Fun activities
10. Conversational topics to encourage communication

Is your little person the following?
1. Happy most of the time
2. Secure
3. Hitting milestones
4. Healthy
5. Engaged with the world
6. Sweet, gorgeous, adorable and lovely

If you answered yes to most of these, well done, you are doing a marvelous job!

Happy evaluation,
Creatively yours,
Maya:)


Monday, February 6, 2012

Music Video Monday: Three Primary Colours

The Rundown
In this video OK Go (you know the treadmill guys) show us the three primary colours and what you get by mixing the colors with each other..

Why We Love It
Now that Aiden has his letters and most of his numbered mastered, he's working on his colours, and what better way to start with a video featuring OK Go. The video does a great job of showing little people exactly what happens when the primary colours are mixed and what colours you get. And true to OK Go form, it is a very unique and creative way to teach primary colours. I only wish this had been around when I was an art teacher!

Creative Extensions
1. Go on a colour scavenger hunt. Go for a walk and find as many things as you can that are in a certain colour. Take a picture of your finds and frame it for some cool artwork for your little person's room.
2. Have a colour based meal: Choose a colour and make a meal using things that are only in that colour.
3. Experiment with colour mixing by making tie-dyed paper towel or coffee filters: Wet the paper towel or coffee filter. Give your little person some washable markers. When the markers touch the paper towel or coffee filter the colours will run into one another, mixing to create new colours. Take this one step further by asking your little person to create names for the new colours you made.

The Video

Happy colouring,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Little Chef

For the past few months one of Aiden's favorite activities has been imaginary cooking. He is a little chef, measuring, mixing, stirring and seasoning his creations. Lately his preference has been making soup or something spicy and hot.

To encourage his budding chef skills we toyed with the idea of getting him a play kitchen for Christmas. We decided against it as we don't have enough space for another big item and I think, if I'm absolutely 100% honest, Aiden's Dad and I were concerned with the gender stereotyping associated with kitchen play-sets. Don't get me wrong here, I am in no way, shape or form suggesting that cooking is a girls thing or that boys should only play with so-called boys toys and vice versa. I think we were both worried about what his buddies would say later in life if he told them that he had a play kitchen when he was little. Silly in this day and age to worry about things like that, I know, but it was a worry nonetheless. And if you have a play kitchen for your little guy or a train set for you little girl, all the power to you, you go for it!

So in lieu of a play kitchen I decided to make a chef station for him in our kitchen. Here's what I did:
Homemade Little Chef Station
1. Clear the bottom shelf of your pantry or a low cupboard that has a shelf at your little person's height.
2. Fill the shelf with old spoons, measuring cups, plastic bowls, empty cereal boxes, pastry brushes and various containers.
3. Fill old spice jars with rice or pasta or Cheerios or cereals that your little person can use to make their concoctions. Put these on the shelf.
4. Make imaginary food out of construction paper. I just tore up pieces and placed them on the shelf in a container for Aiden to imagine whatever he wanted them to be.
5. Show your little person their new chef station and ask them to make you a snack...you'll be amazed at what they create.

This activity not only encourages your little person to use their imagination and teaches them about measuring and food preparation, it is also a great way to keep them entertained while you prepare breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Happy chef-ing,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Monday, January 30, 2012

Music Video Monday: Letter M Day

The Rundown
We stumbled on this video several weeks ago and it quickly went to the top of Aiden's favorite videos list being requested almost every time we have a video session. The video features a boy who raps about his day with his new friend, the letter M.

Why We Love It
Not only does this video teach little people about the letter M, it also teaches about story telling, rhyming and rhythm, which are all excellent skills for a little creative toddler. the animation uses drawings that look like doodles that kids (both little and big) would draw in the margins of their notebooks. It's simple, not too flashy and definitely harkens back to the old-school Sesame Street videos that I used to watch when I was young.

Creative Extensions
1. Letter M Puppet.
Make a letter M puppet with your little person: Draw a big letter M on construction paper, cut it out and have your little person decorate it with various art supplies. Stick the finished M collage onto a Popsicle stick.
2. My Day With The Letter M.
Go on an adventure with your new M friend. Take the M puppet with you during the day and take photos throughout the day. Print out the photos and stick them to construction paper. Write a caption underneath each picture. Punch holes at the edge of each page and tie them together with yarn or ribbon to make a book out of your day with the letter M. Make sure your little person creates a cover for the book. Read the book with your little person. This is also an excellent way to talk to your little person about daily routines.
3. Making friends.
In the video the boy makes friends with the letter M. Talk to your little person about how to make friends and play with other kids. Practice the friend making skills with their stuffed animals. The next time that you are on your way to a class or playgroup or playdate remind your little person of the friend making skills and ask them to practice those skills at the event.

The Video

Happy letter M day,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Covert Veggie Ops

I mentioned in my post about breakfast picnics that Aiden is not a huge fan of food, or anything that requires him to sit for long periods of time for that matter. And in my never ending search to up the nutritional content of his and his Dad's meals, I came across a fabulous resource for all you Mom's and Dad's who are on the same quest: The Sneaky Chef.

The Sneaky Chef, a.k.a Missy Chase Lapine, is a chef and a Mom, who has come up with some ingenious and delicious ways to sneak fruits, veggies, whole grains and fibre into some kid and family favorites.

I started incorporating her system into our meals last weekend and I am now hooked. So far this week we've had Chicken Parm pops, Sneaky Kraft Dinner, Tropical Twist Ice Cream, and Bonus Burgers, and each one has been a huge hit. I'm looking forward to trying the other recipes in her books and seeing just how many veggies I can sneak in before I am busted!

It really does feel fantastic knowing that I am providing my loved ones with good, nutritious and delicious food. And because of this I am addicted. I have even made my own sneaky creations, like Elmo Fruit-Wiches:
1. Toast a piece of bread
2. Using a cookie cutter, cut a circle out of the toast
3. Spread Nutella or Peanut Butter or Jam on the bread
4. Use two blueberries for eyes, half a grape for a nose and a nectarine slice for a mouth.

So for all of you who are in a similar boat, with a little or a big person who doesn't like or doesn't want to eat their veggies, check out The Sneaky Chef series: http://www.thesneakychef.com

Happy sneaking,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Music Video Monday: Jack Johnson Upside Down

The Rundown
This sweet video pairs an animated Curious George with Jack Johnson, who sings the song from Curious George the Movie. Jack slips on a banana peel while walking down a beach, falls into the water and joins George for an adventure underwater and in the jungle. It's such a cute, mellow video that is sure to calm the most active of active little people.

Why We Love It
1. Curious George, 2. Jack Johnson 3. Underwater adventures (Aiden is a little fish who loves the water) and 4. Guitars (Aiden's favorite instrument)...need I say more?

Creative Extensions
1. Go on your own, imaginary underwater adventure: Ask your little person what they might see if they were underwater. Draw pictures of these and stick them up on the walls. Then get dressed in swim or scuba gear and go on an imaginary sea safari. You could also follow this up with a trip to the swimming pool.
2. Play Opposite Tag: Talk to your little person about opposites, like up and down, top and bottom, in and out and big and little. Then play a game of tag where "it" yells out a word and the person who is tagged yells out the opposite word or they become "it".

The Video


Happy under water adventuring,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Tune-y Tuesday: One Fine Face

For this week only Music Video Monday has been replaced by Tune-y Tuesday due to a sick little guy and a Mom who needed to catch up on some sleep while said sick little guy napped.

One Fine Face
The Rundown
In this oldish school Sesame Street video, Ernie teaches a rather scruffy but still cute Elmo the words for the parts of his fine face.

Why We Love This Video
This video is the video that started responsible Aiden on the road to being able to identify and tell us almost every part of his body (which now includes shoulders and knuckles...pretty amazing for an eighteen month old!). It is catchy, fun, interactive, getting kids to join in by singing along and touching their faces during the song, and has a great (non-annoying) melody.

Creative Extension Activities
1. Make paper plate faces: Take a paper plate, some yarn, some construction paper, some macaroni, some buttons and any other miscellaneous craft supplies. Glue the materials to make faces on the paper plates. Be sure to name each part of the face as you glue it to the plate.
2. Make silly faces in the mirror with you little person. Ask you little person if they can show you their teeth, stick out their tongue, puff up their cheeks etc.
3. Play Mom Says or Little Person Says with parts of the face, e.g. Mom says touch your nose, Mom says close you eyes etc.

The Video




Happy face discovering,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

A Box of Miscellaneous Stuff

It never ceases to amaze me how the simplest, non-toy-factory-made things can keep a little person entertained for hours (ok, hours is an exaggeration but you get my drift).

Take the other day for instance, Aiden and I were in Mom and Dad's room and he found an old box of mine that I was meaning to sort through. He figured out how open it and suddenly I heard "Wow" followed by "Coin" and then "Ball". In amongst old necklaces and earrings, Aiden had discovered some coins, a little yellow bouncy ball and some small erasers. He was in little-treasure-hunter heaven. As he dove further an further into his newly claimed treasure chest he found paper clips, bobby pins, various figurines, photos and an old watch. With every new trinket he found, he'd take it out of the box, examine it as if he were deciding on its value on the open market and either put it back into the box or put it in his pile of loot. It was amazing watching him sort through all of the items and make a conscious choice of which ones he liked and which ones he didn't like. Once he had his pile of goodies, we spent some time going through the items, naming them and talking about their colours, shapes and textures. It was a wonderful, impromptu, unplanned activity which kept us occupied for a good forty-five minutes (which I'd say is the equivalent of hours in big people time).

I encourage you all to put out an old box of miscellaneous stuff for your little person to discover so you too can marvel at your little person's capacity for decision making and curiosity.

Happy treasure finding,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

A Monstrous Afternoon

While Aiden was napping earlier this week I came across an interesting article on how to calm little people's fears about monsters. So far Aiden loves monsters (Elmo being his favorite) so I don't think I will need to put the strategies listed in the article into action. But the article did give me an idea to have a monster themed afternoon.

Here's a list of the things I came up with for our monstrous afternoon:

Monster Activities
1. Play five little monsters jumping on the bed with Elmo, Cookie Monster, Snuffy, Aiden Monster and Mommy Monster.
2. Catch an Aiden Monster with a monster catching sheet: Make an open space in your playroom. Using a colourful bed sheet, place one side of the sheet underneath you and put the rest of the sheet over your shoulders. Have your little monster run towards you while you throw the sheet over top of both of you like a parachute.
3. Play monster tag, Mommy monster versus Aiden Monster.
4. Dress up like monster hunters. Aiden was the blue monster hunter and Mom was the red monster hunter.
5. Go on a hunt for the monsters that were hiding in the basement.
6. Have a Monster Moves Danceathon: Play some music and dance like monsters.
7. Go on a monster parade: Grab some instruments and play them while marching through the house.
8. Create a monster identification poster: Draw the monsters that we encountered.

Happy Monstering,
Creatively yours,
Maya

Monday, January 9, 2012

Music Video Monday: Find The Letter A

The Rundown
Alright, so I'm taking a bit of poetic license here with the term "music video" as this one is not so much a music video but is more of a general sesame street video with a music track. But it is a good one so I wanted to include it in our selections.

In this short video a letter A is hidden somewhere in the yard, but it's not your typical written or cut out A. The kids (through voice over) try to see if they can spot the letter A.

Why We Love It
We love this video because it teaches little people and reminds big people that letters can be found anywhere, not just on the printed or digital page. The video points out the fact that things are not always as they seem and if we are observant enough we will find wondrous examples of letters, shapes and numbers in our everyday world.

Creative Extension Activities
1. Go on a letter or number hunt while you are out for the day with your little person. Challenge yourselves to find the most creative example of your chosen letter or number. Aiden has managed to find a Y in the crease of a seat cushion at Grandma and Grandpa's house.
2. Create letter or number shapes out of unusual items in your house.
3. Make letters or numbers out of food items that are on your little person's plate at breakfast, lunch or dinner, e.g. make a letter A out of rice grains or a letter Y out of pretzels. This is especially good if you have a picky or antsy eater in your house - this can keep them entertained long enough for them to actually get a few bites in before they want to leave the table.

The Video

Happy watching and observing,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Friday, January 6, 2012

Alphabet Detectives and The Case of the Missing Letter M

It was a dark and quiet Friday morning...too quiet if you ask me. A little boy and his Mom were in the living room eating breakfast and colouring.

Meanwhile, upstairs an evil villain was up to no good. He was rearranging all the letters on the boy's alphabet mat and hiding some of the letters around the house all in an attempt to divert attention away from his real dastardly crime...stealing the letter M.

The evil villain thought he had committed the perfect crime. You see he stole the letter M while it was fast asleep so it couldn't cry out for help, or so the evil villain thought. In truth the letter M was just pretending to be asleep. While the evil villain was not looking the letter M scribbled a note for the boy and his Mom:
"Help, I have been letter-napped by an evil villain. I don't know where he is taking Me but I will leave clues for you. I heard the evil villain say something about needing a snack. Please find Me."

The letter M didn't have time to sign the note but he was pretty sure that the boy and his Mom would figure it out. He left the note on the boy's dresser, knowing that the boy would find it when he got dressed for the day.

Sure enough the boy found the note. He enlisted the help of the Amazing Alphabet Detectives: Detective A and Detective M.

Detectives A and M got straight to work. They devised a fool-proof, find the missing letter plan:

1. Dress up in our detective gear.
2. Make detective badges.
3. Secure the crime scene with a cloud of evil villain fighting bubbles.
4. Make a poster of all the letters in the alphabet and review them to make sure we know all the letters.
5. Take an inventory of all the letters present and accounted for in the room.
6. Go on a preliminary search for the rest of the letters. Check the letter off the list when they have been found.
7. Determine which letter is missing.
8. Use our senses to figure out any clues from the note.
9. Follow the clues to find the missing letter and catch the villain.

Detectives A and M, being the brilliant minds that they are, followed the clues.

First they went to the kitchen to see if the evil villain had left any evidence from his snack. All they could find was a banana peel and a few banana chips on a plate. Detective A looked closer at the banana chips. The banana chips were left in the shape of the letter M. They had discovered that the letter M was missing or was the letter M another clue?

Then Detective M discovered some round footprints on the ground. The footprints went all the way to the basement door. They went to the door and noticed that the door handle was sticky and smelled like bananas. Hmm, the evil villain must really love eating bananas.

As they opened the door and looked down the stairs Detective A found some brown fur.

"Hmm" said Detective M "What do brown fur, bananas, the letter M and round footprints have in common?"
"Monkey" yelled out Detective A.
"Yes. And where would a monkey be?" asked Detective M.
"Treehouse" yelled Detective A.

They quickly ran down to the treehouse in the basement. Sure enough they found Thelonius T Monkey in the treehouse with the letter M.

"Rats, I've been foiled again" said Thelonius T Monkey.

Detectives A and M took Theolnius T Monkey into custody and returned the letter M to the alphabet mat with his other letter friends.

And that was our alphabet detective adventure!

Happy sleuthing,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

J E L L O

Now that the holidays are over (sigh) it's time to get back to doing some fun art projects (yay!). Here's an easy prep activity that will keep your little person entertained in gooey, sticky heaven for at least 30 minutes or more.

Jello Paint
Ingredients:
Jello powder - several flavours (as many as you want colours)
Warm water

1. For each colour put 1/4 cup of warm water into a small bowl.
2. Add jello powder, 1 tsp at a time and stir. Keep adding until you have a consistency that is good to paint with.
3. Put out the paints and some paper (we used newsprint but I'd recommend something sturdier as the paint seeped through and made holes in the paper. Let your little Picasso explore the paint with their fingers and/or paint brushes and/or sponges.

Tips
Although this is an easy-prep project it is a more time consuming clean-up project. Be sure to cover your art centre floors with a wipeable mat and have a bucket of warm soapy water handy so your little person can wash off when they are done before they get jello paint everywhere.

Also, you might not want to demonstrate the edible quality of this paint to your little person if you want to avoid your artist trying to eat all of your future paint recipes, some of which will likely be inedible.

The Review
I loved the quick-prep aspect of this project. The recipe produces vibrant, bright and shinny paint that smells good and has a fun, gooey texture that is immediately appealing to a little person. Aiden really enjoyed this one as he kept creating artwork for the better part of an hour. This is a keeper.

Happy jello painting,
Creatively yours,
Maya

Monday, January 2, 2012

Music Video Monday: Why I Love The Letter Y

Welcome to Music Video Monday's. What I intend to do every Monday is showcase a music video that you can share with your little person. These will be videos chosen by Aiden (he really does request certain videos when we are sitting by the computer). I'll give you a quick rundown of the video, tell you why we love it, give you ideas for creative uses of the video and then I'll provide you with a link to the video so you can check it out yourself.

For the inaugural Music Video Monday I'll go with one of Aiden's current favorites:
Sesame Street Why I Love The Letter Y
The Rundown
In this delightfully animated music video a very likable and friendly letter Y sings about why he loves being the letter Y. His reasons for liking himself range from doing yoga with a yo-yo all year in his yard to eating yoghurt on a yam knitting yarn with a yawning yak - all fantastic reasons if you ask me.

Why We Love It
The animation is über cute yet highly stylized and makes me instantly happy when I watch it. The letter Y is extremely likable and someone that I would be happy to have Aiden hang out with. The song is very catchy (watch out, it will get stuck in your head) and the lyrics use a multitude of y words for your little person to learn. And the overall message of the video is wonderful: y loves being himself which is something we should all aspire to.

Creative Uses of The Video
1. Go on a Y scavenger hunt with your little one: take your little person for a walk and find as many things as possible that begin with the letter y. Take photos of the items, print out the photos and review them with your little person later.
2. Make a list with your little person of all the reasons why they love being themselves. Choose one or two items on the list and make collages together illustrating these things. Hang the posters up in their room as a constant reminder of how great they are.
3. Choose another letter and make up a song about why that letter loves being itself. Sing the song and use any instruments (homemade or otherwise) that you have lying around to accompany your singing. When your other loved ones come home hold a concert for them featuring your song.

The Video


Happy viewing,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)