Father's Day Activities

A big thanks to Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, for the idea of Father's Day first introduced it in 1909. Through the years it became more and more popular until finally in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3^rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.
Each of us have our ideas of how Father's Day should be celebrated and in our society the cards and gifts will continue to help build those memories. But Dad deserves more than just one more striped tie-he needs the gift of time and/or something homemade. Let's appreciate all the things he brings to our lives by sharing these experiences and bonding with Dad on his special day.

SWEET CHILD OF MINE: (Baby and Toddler)
Early in a child's life, it's important that fathers get involved with daily care activities-feeding, dressing and changing diapers. Bonding is an important lifetime experience between a father and child.

Play this game anytime you dress your little one. Massage, kiss, cuddle and blow air on the child's body. Tell your youngster you love him/her. Daddy can recite the following poem as he dresses his bundle of joy on Father's Day.

DADDY LOVES YOU SO, SWEET CHILD OF MINE.
YOU ARE SO SOFT AND WARM TO HOLD.
I'LL WIGGLE YOUR NOSE AND TICKLE YOUR TOES,
THEN GO ROUND AND ROUND ON YOUR NICE LITTLE TUMMY.
NOW FOR A KISS, SWEET CHILD OF MINE.
YOU ARE A JOY TO LOVE AND CUDDLE.

PUT YOUR HAND IN MINE: (Preschool)
As you child gets a little older, comparing handprints is a lifelong lesson. Have your child place his/her hand on a sheet of paper and trace around it. Place your hand over the tracing of your child's hand and help your child trace around it. Ask your youngster to compare the sizes of the two sets of hands. Tell your child a story about something you liked to do when your hands were small. Let your child tell you what he/she would like to do when his or her hands are the size of yours. As an extended activity, take a walk together holding hands.

THINGS DAD AND THE KIDS CAN DO TOGETHER: (School Age)
Go to the local nursery together to buy a few plants. At home, spend fun time in the yard planting your new foliage. Continue gardening together as much as possible.

Go for an afternoon drive. See how many muscle (sports) cars you can identify together.
Set up the sprinkler in the yard and have fun splish-splashing through the water. Brings back Dad's childhood.

Have a "mini family reunion." Invite relatives over for an afternoon of food and games. Help Dad with the all time favorite BBQ.

Snuggle away a few hours together on the couch talking about your child's dreams, hobbies, etc. Today, read a story to Dad.

Most of all, tell Dad you love him. That will really make him smile!!!

I hope all the dads and father figures enjoy their special day on June 16th.
Until next time,
Tania


Photos courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

V is for Valentine Any Day

Playing with hearts is synonymous with Valentine's Day, but truthfully using hearts in a lesson or creative play could be any day. Here are a few "valentine" related activities that can be used any time of the year.

MOVING THE VALENTINE:

Teach your child about spatial directions as they participate in this fun activity.  Set a decorated valentine box on the table.  Invite your child to move a valentine card in relationship to the box according to directions you give.  Examples are "move the card" under, behind, in front of, to the left side, to the right side of the box. Continue to play as long as your child desires.

CREATIVE MOVEMENT:

Dramatize the following verse together:

Let's be friends on this Valentine's Day.
We'll show love in so many ways.
I'll blow you a kiss.  Catch it in your hand.
Throw it back.  Watch it land.
Now, be my partner and let's dance to the music.
It's so nice to have a friend like you,
Not just for today, but the whole year through!


SORTING GAME:

Place several shoe boxes on a table.  Fill them with construction paper hearts that you cut in different sizes and colors.  Have your child sort the hearts according to size, color or both. This game helps your little one learn pre-math skills.

MEMORY HEARTS GAME:
You will need 20 index cards
Colored hearts--two of each color
Glue

Glue a different colored heart on 10 index cards and then make a matching set. This game is played like the traditional "concentration" game. Place all the cards heart side down.  The children take turns turning over two cards to find matches.  If they don't get a match, they return the cards, and the next player goes.

We're coming along with the A to Z Challenge. Let's see what W will bring tomorrow,
Tania

Photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

Educational Toys for Preschoolers: 3 Products from MoMA and Chronicle Books

Who are MoMA and Chronicle Books?

Chronicle Books (a major book publisher) and MoMA have designed the concepts for three new educational toys. Together they have developed a line of toys and playthings that inspire children to develop their creativity. MoMA stands for the Museum of Modern Art that is located in Manhattan, New York. The museum has numerous galleries, exhibitions, and educational programs that attract many visitors. MoMA gives the public access to the world’s finest collections of modern and contemporary art, holding a numerous amount of works including paintings, sculpture, drawings, photography, film, media, and design objects. For more information about MoMA visit their website.

String-Along Books

Young children, some as early as toddlers, are beginning to master the skill of stringing and lacing. One of the first activities is bead stringing, where children thread a bead, pulls the lace through and releases the lace so the bead slides down. The child’s finger movements will become more precise and must master a three-step sequence with this activity. Eye/hand coordination is also developed.
String-along Books is a toy by MoMA that contains 10 little books and a lace. This is a multi-functional toy where you read the tiny books together and then string them on a cord. The idea is based on classic wooden stringing beads; these little books introduce colors, shapes, and patterns and will keep your preschooler (or toddler) engaged for a lengthy period of time. Recommended for ages 3 and up.
Photo by Tania Cowling

Lacing Shapes

Another toy in this collection is Lacing Shapes. Here you connect the dots and lace the cards together to make your very own book. The sturdy cards are full of colors, shapes, and patterns. They can be strung together to create a wall hanging or bind them into a book. The set includes 10 different lacing cards and 11 laces. The concept of this toy was developed by Chronicle Books for MoMA and copyrighted in 2010.
Preschool children love to thread the lace in-and-out along the outline and reverse the operation to unthread the lace. Before playing, identify and talk about the pictures on the card. Encourage your child to trace the outline with his index finger and to feel the holes.
To guide lacing practice, begin by tying a knot in one end of the lace and bring it through one of the holes so that the knot is tied on the wrong side of the card. Give your child the lace in whichever hand is his dominant and the card in the other hand. Guide his stringing until he understands that he should lace through the holes in order along the line and that he must come through the holes alternately from the front and back of the card. At first you may need to indicate the next hole, but in time the child will be able to choose the holes alone. When finished, praise the child for his mastery. Next it’s time to teach the reversal to unlace the cards. This toy is recommended for ages 3 and up.

Photo by Tania Cowling

Create Your Own Museum

Nothing is more important to a preschooler than the art he creates. MoMA has a toy Create Your Own Museum which is an art activity kit that encourages young artists to make and display their own modern masterpieces. The kit comes with 20 4-color frame decals, 5 decorate-your-own frame decals, 8 activity sheets, and 3 colorful museum reproduction sheets. The children can display their art for the entire family to see.
These are only three of the many educational toys for preschoolers that are available through Chronicle Books in conjunction with MoMA. Check out other selections and ordering information on their website.
Photo credit: Chronicle Books
A review made by Tania Cowling

Getting Ready for Summer Without the Boredom

Whether you are experiencing bad weather or the kids are out of school, it never fails that you'll hear the infamous, "I'm bored, and there's nothing to do!" One thing I didn't want my kids to do is plop down in front of the television or gaming device and spend hours there. I wanted them to participate in outlets of creativity, whether they engaged in homemade games or presented me with artistic crafts. I want to see my kids smile and hear the shrills of excitement. Read more...

Another company that helps me with summer boredom (or ideas any time of the year) is Crayola. They have so many fun kits for creative expression out in the market. Read on for some great ideas and new products this year.

You can find many Crayola products on this page and on their official website.

Photos courtesy of Amazon.com

Stock up on products or create your own homemade fun and enjoy the season!