I is for Interlocking Bag Books

You are your baby’s first teacher!  Dr. Jean Piaget, upon whose theories many of the foundations of Early Childhood education have been built, said “ that young children are explorers and it is the job of the adults around them to provide the experiences and materials to stimulate their development.”  Parents promote education from the beginning, using everyday life experiences to expand the child’s mind as well as the body.  Toys are stimuli in the world of learning.  When a young child plays—he learns.  Unfortunately in a world of inflation, it is difficult for us parents to provide every toy available on today’s market.

Think homemade! The use of bright colors, soft textures and tinkling sounds have made these play things appealing to the little ones.  For the parent, making these toys provide a sense of gratification and a gift of love, while keeping within your toy budget.

Interlocking Bag Books:

1. Sew together (by hand or machine) several zipper top closing plastic bags along the bottom edge.
2. Cut cardboard to fit inside each bag.
3. Glue magazine pictures or real life photos on the cardboard.  Then slip each page into the plastic sleeve.
4. Change these pictures often for variety.
5. Easy to clean with a damp sponge.
6. Sit with your baby and together turn the pages.  Talk to your baby as you look at the pictures.  It helps to develop important language skills.

Photo courtesy of Morguefile

Hope you enjoy this "I" craft for babies, please visit again to see what I have for the letter "J"
Tania

H is for Health Website

Children ask all kinds of questions about their body that caregivers and parents have a hard time answering. Things like, “Why do I have to brush my teeth?” “What is a birthmark?” “What is a belly button?” These are just a sample of the questions that Kid’s Health.org website can answer.  http://www.kidshealth.org

It evens answers some of the rare questions like “Why do I blow wind” and “What’s a wart?”  This interactive website includes articles on some of the most common and bizarre questions children come up with, as well as games, quizzes, videos and puzzles to entertain them while doing research about how the body works.

Older children should have no trouble navigating this colorful, kid-friendly site. Maybe pick a subject weekly and have the children do research. Log onto this site and click on the For Kids section.  There are a variety of tabs on the left for different health subjects.

Caregivers will need to start discussions with younger children and this is a marvelous site to obtain all the information you need to answer questions about the body.

Click on the For Parents section to find instruction sheets for First Aid and Safety. Think about printing out these pages and start your own “first aid” resource book.

Overall, this is a “super” site to visit.

Moving right along to the next letter. Tomorrow is the letter I,

Tania

Photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

G is for Game

Continuing on the Sea Life theme, let's play a movement game together.

THE "SEA SAYS"

There is a lot of ocean motion under the sea.  Play "the sea says" just like Simon Says.  Here's a list of the different sea creatures and how they move.

1.  Wiggle like an eel.

2.  Walk sideways like a crab.

3.  Jiggle like a jellyfish.

4.  Crawl with arms and legs like an octopus.

5.  Fly like a seagull.

6.  Bark like a seal.

Think of other motions as you play this game!

This post is short, but there will be more fun tomorrow with the letter H.

Tania

Crab craft photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

F for Fish Crafts

Children love sea life themes. Here are crafts to make while studying the ocean and fish.

Make mobiles to hang in your room by drawing different shaped fish on pieces of cardboard.  Cut these out and paint them in bright colors.  Add detailed patterns with black markers.  Punch a hole at the tops and thread the fish with ribbons, yarn or string onto a clothes hanger at different lengths.  Hang this from the ceiling. 

Create baggie fish to hang or decorate the walls.  Crumple a sheet of colorful tissue paper.  Use a black marker to make designs that replica scales, an eye, and so on.  Glue on sequins or faux jewels, anything that can be glued on for sparkle.  Now, stuff the paper fish into a plastic sandwich bag.  Gather the opening and secure it closed with the twist tie about three inches from the body to form a tail fin.

Design magic fish pictures with the use of a white crayon.  Draw fish shapes (or other sea creatures) using the white crayon on white paper.  The shapes will be almost invisible.  Have the kids brush a water diluted food color wash over the entire paper.  (Mix food color drops into a small bowl of water until you have a vibrant color)  Voila, magical fish!!

Enjoy! See you tomorrow with the letter G.

Tania

Jellyfish craft photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

E is for Eat This, Not That

If you need help deciphering which nutritional choices are best for your children, check out the handy guide Eat This, Not That! For Kids!, the kid’s version of the best selling adult book. It points out the healthier options found in fast-food and family restaurants, grocery store aisles, even your child’s cafeteria. The book offers helpful meal suggestions, label-and menu-reading strategies and a listing of the 20 worst kids’ foods in the country. In addition to that, most spreads in the book open up to two food options, one on the left page and one on the right, and it tells you point blank to “Eat This, Not That.” The choices often are surprising.  For example, if you go to Dunkin’ Donuts, encourage your child to order the ham, egg and cheese English muffin sandwich instead of the seemingly healthier banana walnut muffin.  You’ll save almost 200 calories and 11 grams of fat!

This book is authored by David Zinczenko & Matt Goulding (Rodale Books) and can be found in local bookstores and on Amazon.com.  This may be a good book to use when planning menus for your group and a wonderful resource book for parents to browse through.

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

See you same time tomorrow,
Tania

D is for Drums

Drums are a favorite of children when playing musical instruments. I wrote an entire book for teachers and parents on making musical instruments, so I'm including one of my favorites -- the snare drum made with a cookie tin. I'm sure you have most of the materials you need at home. Try this craft with your kids -- it's a great art project and a way to practice making sounds and rhythm.

SNARE DRUM:

You will need:

*Metal cookie/candy tin

*Metal paper clips (about 20)

*Cardboard circle (cut slightly larger than the diameter of the tin)

*Thick packaging tape

*Adhesive stickers, including musical notes

*Drum sticks (unsharpened pencils or chopsticks)

Remove the lid from an empty cookie tin.  Decorate the outside with colorful adhesive stickers (or paint a solid color with acrylic paints).  Paint the cardboard circle, too, if you wish.  Have the kids turn the cookie tin upside down and spread paper clips evenly on the recessed bottom of the tin.  Place the cardboard circle over the bottom (the cardboard should not touch the paper clips).  Secure this circle to the bottom with thick tape, bringing the tape up the sides.  The children can use drumsticks to tap this snare drum.

Encourage the kids to think of other materials to use inside this drum besides paper clips to see what other sounds may be produced.

Sing this song as you play your drum---(tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

Play it loud,

Play it soft,

Rhythm everywhere.

Play it slow,

Play it fast,

Music is in the air!

If you would like to purchase a book on making homemade instruments, check out my website http://www.taniacowling.com to view "Shake, Tap, and Play a Merry Tune" available through my website for $8.00.

Until tomorrow,
Tania

B -- Birthday Party Theme Ideas

Picking a party theme is the trick to a successful event, as the theme provides the uniqueness and personality of the party. The best way to pick a theme is to go to the expert—your child. Use the child’s interests and passions as the motif of your celebration. Once you have decided on the theme, this stimulates the ideas for invitations, decorations, food, games, and party favors. There are several types of parties where your theme idea may fit in. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

The movie party is designed around a child’s favorite film. It could be an animated cartoon, a silly comedy, or a child-rated action movie. How about some of the new favorites like, Toy Story, Alice in Wonderland, and, Marmaduke or classics like The Little Mermaid, The Jungle Book, and The Lion King? You can gather the children and take them to the movies or show the classic DVDs at home. It’s easy to find accessories to use at this type event at your local party store.

An activity party focuses on a fun interest your child likes to do. Think about an arts and crafts party, swim party, cooking party, sports, action heroes, dancing, or magic (anything Harry Potter these days) as the theme.

Create a fantasy party where you turn your home or party place into a jungle, pirate’s den, under the sea, farm, outer space, or a princess’ castle. All you need is a handful of materials and a great imagination to make these magical scenes come alive.

What about having a special guest as your theme focus? Invite a clown, magician, puppeteer or storyteller, balloon twisters, face painters, or even a beautician to do little girl makeovers at your event. Think about asking a friend to dress up like a character of your theme. The special guest can entertain the children while you focus on the food and favors.

An outing party is when you take the party guests to a special place like the zoo or aquarium. Think about theater productions, the circus, a children’s museum, amusement park or even a fun restaurant.

The event party can be fun as you creatively feature a homemade event such as a carnival, home camping party, at home water park, bike and trike party, go green and plant a garden, Olympics obstacle course, or even a roller skating party on your patio or sidewalk.

Hope this post gives you some ideas for your child's party this year!

See you tomorrow with the letter C.....

Tania

A is for Alphabet

As we being our 2014 A to Z challenge, I'm sticking to the traditional alphabet as my first post. As a teacher and mother, I loved to use alphabet letters as themes for art, music, games, and even treats. Today, I'm going to share two alphabet art ideas with you. Try them with your kids -- hope you enjoy the projects as much as my family did.

Melted Alphabet Letters

With this alphabet letter art craft, cut large block letters from sandpaper. Have the children color very heavily with crayons directly on top of the rough side of the sandpaper. Place the letters on a cookie sheet and into a 300-degree oven for 4-5 minutes or until the crayon melts. The alphabet letters will emerge in vivid colors.

Create Letter Characters

Give each child a block letter and colored markers. Invite them to 'dress up' the letter by drawing in facial features, hair, and designs. You can even give the children scraps of fabric for them to dress up the alphabet letter with clothes. Challenge the children to give their letter a name, such as "Billy B" or "Tara" T.

These two alphabet art ideas will make learning the letters fun for preschoolers. These craft ideas are perfect for preschool classes, home-based day care, and for parents. Make everyday a learning day with creative art activities.

See you all tomorrow with the letter B!

Tania

Photo courtesy of Tania Cowling

A to Z Blogging Challenge

Hi Friends,

Well tomorrow is April 1, yes I know April Fools Day, but more important is the first day of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I really don't have a specific theme for the entire month, but please visit to see a plethora of things to do with your kids. There will be crafts, games, songs, some lesson plan ideas, and so much more.

Remember, Creative Preschool Time, is for parents, teachers, daycare providers, and homeschoolers. I hope you like the daily posts and join this site, or provide your email for daily posts delivered to your email box -- how convenient!

So, I'm taking a rest for the evening, but the fun begins on my site at 9am EST each day, excluding Sundays.

See you then,
Tania

Hot Toys for Kids for the 2013 Holiday Season

For toys to be awesome hits for kids and parents alike, they must be fun to play with right out of the box, but also having staying power to last as well. It's also important for toys to educate, entertain, and hold a child's attention for a good length of time. Most of this year's toys will also appeal to adults, so join in on the fun and enrich your child's playtime. Here are a few to consider.

VTech has launched the InnoTab 3S, which is a Wi-Fi enabled children's learning tablet. Just like the parents' electronics, this communication device allows kids ages three to nine to be connected with their parents and friends through both tablet to mobile and tablet to tablet communication with the Kid Connect app. Just think, your child can make you a special drawing or note and you can download it on your smart phone at work and you can reply back to them. This package, at around $100, comes as a kid-safe web browser along with a rechargeable battery pack and AC adapter. VTech's Learning Lodge app store has a plethora of age appropriate content and curriculum to download plus 20 free apps with this package. It's never too early to start children on computers as technology is the key to future learning.

Understanding the importance of imaginary play, Playmobil has launched its new toy PopStars Stage. Pretend to be rock stars and belt out your favorite tunes in concert to a crowded audience. This toy is MP3 compatible so you can create your concert where your songs are accompanied with drums, guitar solos and flashing lights. Four figures are included (as your band) along with accessories such as drum sets, guitars, microphones, speakers and two preloaded tunes to get you started. This toy is a must for musically inclined kids ages four to ten who yearn to be singing sensations. It's retailing this holiday season at $39.99. Later you can add to this theme with the PopStars Tour Bus and PopStars Keyboarder.

And for the younger set, why not let your youngster play with miles of learning with VTech's Go! Go! Smart Wheels Airport Play Set? The airport helps young children strengthen their fine motor skills and builds their imagination through play. The little airplane teaches letters and sounds and there's a control tower that turns its antenna to fly the plane. Children may also be interested in this company's other sets including the Go! Go! Smart Wheels Train Station and Go! Go! Smart Wheels Construction Play Set. These stations range from $25 to $35 in retail stores. You can pack a few Go! Go! Smart Wheels vehicles in a child's holiday stocking for $7.99 with an assortment of 12 different vehicles to choose from. With a push of a button, they light up, talk and play music.

Is your child a foodie? VTech has the 2-in-1 Shop and Cook Play Set, which transforms from a shopping cart to a kitchen in a matter of minutes. The cart responds with cute sounds and phrases and then when the child is ready to cook, there is a pretend cutting board, stovetop, oven, and sink. For children ages two through five, this play set encourages learning about food, colors, numbers, following directions and much more. This toy retails at just under $50.
What a fun year for the toy industry and for the entertainment of your children. Take time to enjoy your children's company and play with them. You'll be directing their development and absorb the thrill and amusement in their playtime activities.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION:
The Contributor was given a gift or sample to inform this content.

This content was originally posted on Yahoo Voices