DIY Baby Rattle

For centuries, the humble baby rattle has been one of the first toys that babies play with. 

They benefit babies because they are a source of stimulation. 

They provide entertainment as well as helping to fine tune their senses. 

Here is a rattle that a talented friend made. 

She simply added a few decorative pieces to a clean bottle and sealed the top with glue. 

Simple! 

Good tip is to keep the rattle light and not weigh it down with heavy items. 

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Thank you to Amanda from The Surgeon's Life for allowing me to post this image. 

Musical Math

I've always loved music and played piano from a very young age. 

I'm also excited to have enrolled Possum in a Mini Maestro program for the first term of 2013. 

I can't wait to see what instruments they have the kids play. 

Here is a great activity you can do with your school aged children. 
The great thing is that it incorporates learning about musical pitch and maths!!!! 

How great do these glasses look! 

 

I simply added a few drops of food colouring to each glass. 

I was quite mathematical about it because I wanted them all to be of similar shades, however, if I was to add say 5 drops to all of the glasses I would have a considerably dark colour in the one that had the least amount of water. So this is something you could discuss with your child and problem solve the solution. For me, I added 1 drop of colouring to the glass with the least amount and increased a drop with each glass as the volume of water increased. 

I decided to use the end of a spoon to tap (carefully) each glass and test it's sound. 

Here I would pose questions - 

"What happens if I tapped it at a different part of the glass? Does it make a difference?"

"What would happen if I used plastic instead of glass?"

"What other items could I use to tap the glass? Would the material make a difference to the sound?"

Now this is an activity that will require supervision AND parents are the best judge and will know if their child is capable to softly tap each glass to hear the various sounds. 

Before I knew it I found myself starting to experiment!!!! 

What happens when I add this water to this glass of water??? 

A flood of mathematical questions began to flood my head. 

Some great questions you can ask and have your child test may be - 

"What happens when I add this colour to this colour of water?"

"Do you think this volume of water to the glass with the most water?"

"What will happen if we leave these glasses for 30 minutes, what do you think they will look like? Will they change?"

"Which glass of water do you like the sound of the most? Can you play a tune?"

Grab a large sheet of paper and have the children write their questions down, compose an outcome and test their ideas. BRILLIANT!!!! 

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I would LOVE to read any comments you have below. 

Kate

Rice Play

Using rice for sensory play is fun and educational. 

Rice play can help children develop their many senses and it 

teaches them lots about the world they live in. 

Babies especially love it and it is usually a product that is found at the back of the pantry! 

Of course you don't have to colour it for kids to enjoy the experience, however, 

if you'd like to see a guide to colouring rice then click here.  

There has been many celebrations in our family lately. 

Christmas, New Years and Possum's 1st birthday have all made for a busy time of year. 

With this in mind, I decided to create a 'celebrations' THEME around our rice play and add 

some simple decorative items. 

Possum loved it because she was able to pick up and examine each item as well as learn about it's texture and weight etc. She also loved when I hid the items in the rice so she could dig and find them. 

I later gave her some other items to play with in the rice. 

I suggest doing this one item at a time, that way it doesn't become an 

overload for your little one. 

Possum was particularly interested to see the rice move through the clear funnel. 

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I hope you enjoy this post and would love to see you make a comment. 

Kate 

Overcoming a fear of birds in children

It isn't uncommon for children or adults to display a fear of birds. 

In fact children between the ages of 3-5 years can be particularly scared as it is around this age they believe they have a heightened imagination and a understanding of what could go wrong.

Growing up I always loved going down to our family holiday house and waiting for the beautiful King Parrots to grace us with their presence. They were a highlight of our visit. I'd sit patiently at the backyard with a fist full of seed and my eyes fixed to the sky. Then after a few loud squarks they'd be quite literally eating out of my hand. 

I never had reason to fear them, however, I can see how some would. Birds can be seen as an 'enemy' almost and the flapping wings and sharp beak can all be considered good reasons to fear them. But the truth is they are not to be feared because very rarely would they intend to cause harm. 

Here is a picture of my niece. She loves birds but from afar. When the opportunity came for her to feed birds she was quick to decline. We took a few steps in building her confidence and before you knew it she was happily feeding birds. 

Here are a few things I think should be considered when you have a child who fears birds. 

• Acknowledge the Fear - Children need to know you understand they have a fear and what that fear is. By saying something like 'I can see your scared of these birds'... can help a child feel heard and that their feelings are understood. 
• Never ignore or shut down the fear - Children don't need to be made to feel silly for how they feel and so comments such as, ' You're being silly' are not helpful. 
• Display a confident attitude to the child - Be a good role model for that child and show them they can trust you. For example a comment such as, "I see your scared but I will not let a bird cause you any harm". 
• Take your time - Don't expect a child to go from fearing a bird to feeding it. They might simply progress towards overcoming their fear by describing the bird(s) and what they like about it.

It is with these few suggestions you can help a child overcome their fear of birds. 

If you'd like to hear about another mum's experience of her child fearing birds and what she did to help her then please visit Wildlife Fun 4 Kids. 

Wind Pipe Instrument

Children love to play instruments and there are many you can make at home. 

This is a simple wind pipe that children can make in just a few minutes. 

With the straws we had there was an opportunity to discuss patterns and order. 

Simply lay out a line of sticky take with the sticky part facing UP. 

Lay each of the straws on the sticky tape. 

Fasten the straws with the tape. 

Cut one end of the straws on a diagonal. 

This will give the straws various lengths.  

And there you have your wind pipe instrument. 

Children can clearly hear their breath change as it passes through each straw. 

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Hope you enjoy this. Feel free to comment. I love hearing from you. 

Kate

Squeezy Ball

A squeezy ball is a small object that is squeezed in the hand and manipulated by the fingers.
It can be the object to grab when you're feeling like you need a little stress relief.

Adults AND children can greatly benefit from making and owning their own squeezy ball.

Many doctors and therapists will often recommend their patients to use squeezy balls 

because they greatly assist by -

• improving muscle strength in the hand (fine motor)
• assist in concentration
• assist in labour &
• relieve stress and muscle tension

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HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN SQUEEZY BALL

I purchased balloons from 'Toys R Us'. 

They were only $1 each, which went to charity, and they were larger than what you'd normally find. 

You need to add as much flour into the balloon as you can.

Okay, so I don't own a funnel so I had to get creative and open the balloon end with a ice-cream scoop.

It actually worked and I was able to get the flour in there. Hooray! 

Once you have as much flour in the balloon as you possibly cram in, add only a teaspoon of water. 

Don't add more yet. 

Using your hand massage the balloon and try and spread that water throughout the mixture. 

It should start feeling like a dough on the inside.

Now it's up to you as to what texture you'd like your balloon to have. Obviously the more water you add the more of a slimy feel it's going to be. I personally wanted a squeezy ball that I could mold. If you're like me then don't add too much water but just enough to create that dough inside the balloon. 

Once you're happy with your newly created squeezy ball then tie off the end. 

You might like to draw a face on your squeezy ball. 

I suggest drawing a calming face to help in those stressful situations. 

You might also like to get the kids to make their own crazy characters. 

Here I am using a hot glue gun to add googly eyes. 

A large purple pompom did the trick for hair. 

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Hope you enjoyed this post. 

Please feel free to comment below. I love to read your feedback. 

Kate 

Be sure to get involved in Laughing Kids Learn other ways. 

Foot Prints

Ever since having a baby I've been all about capturing moments. 

I remember wise parents telling me, before the arrival of Possum, that time passes quickly so to enjoy every moment. I always kindly smiled and would nod my head but I don't think I really realised how right they were. Time does pass too quickly and I'm holding on to every moment for as long as I can.  

This Christmas I decided to give family members a gift that would allow them to look back and remember how small Possum was when they received the gift. 

I think little feet (or hand) prints really highlight how small they are. 

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First I purchased some flat canvases from Spotlight for a few dollars. 

Prior to any painting I wrote a heartfelt message on the back from Possum. 

I wanted to write the age of Possum too so that there was no confusion in years to come. 

It was really very easy to do, however, I did have the help of my husband to paint her feet as I placed each one on the canvas. 

It was really very simple to do and turned out to be a great sensory learning experience for Possum. 

Initially she was a little unsure about the 'goop' we were putting on her feet but then she came to love it because it started to tickle. She was also really interested to see the marks on the canvas. 

 

Once each one was dry I wrapped them up and gave them out as special gifts from Possum. 

The family LOVED them and are keen to keep them for years to come. 

Who knows, they may receive another one in a few years time. 

I hope you enjoy this. Please feel free to comment below. 

Kate 

Fruity Ice Cubes

These fruity ice cubes are a brilliant idea, 

especially when you're experiencing warm weather like we are here in Australia. 

I simply cut small pieces of fruit and placed them into an ice cube tray and filled them with water. 

I found that some of the fruit floated to the top but that turned out to be a bonus when they were set. 

It highlighted what delicious fruity treat was inside each cube. Yum! 

These are so simple and kids would love to make them themselves. 

I actually loved that as the ice melted around the fruit 

it gave the water a light fruity taste that was delicious!!! 

People would LOVE to receive these cool (and delicious) ice cubes at a PARTY! 

Thanks for viewing. 

I hope you find some time to comment. 

Kate 

:) 

Food Colouring Art

Where I live it has been really hot. It's always hard to keep kids entertained when they can't go outside because of the heat. I find it's always a good idea to have a few good activities that children can do indoors or outdoors. They need to be engaging, educational and allows them to be creative. 

What better than this fun activity for them?

I simply used household items that you'd mostly find in your cupboard. 

• food colouring (preferably with droppers)
• absorbing paper towel
• baking paper or tin foil  

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Simply have the children paint or drop droplets of food colouring onto the absorbing paper.

I placed some tin foil underneath just because I didn't want the food colouring to stain my bench. 

These looks so beautiful and I found I could be so creative.

Kids will have a great time with this idea. 

You can make it educational too. Here I had a go at creating a number '4' page. 

Children could make numbers or letters. 

You can also discuss how colours change when they mix together. 

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I hope you enjoy this one. 

Please feel free to provide me with some feedback. I love to hear from you. 

Kate 

Goal Setting

The clock strikes 12 and we all shout out a big cheery 'Happy New Year'. Well, actually, if you were a fly on the wall at my house I was sound asleep with a snoring husband beside me. That is what our New Year celebrations are like now that we have Possum. Quietly though, we wouldn't change it for the world. 

A new year also sparks a new start and everyone starts making new years resolutions. 

It got me thinking about goal setting, which I would constantly do with children in the classroom. Having a goal to work towards gives great direction and focus. It's amazing how much more you 

(or your child) can achieve when a realistic goal is put into place. 

Let's talk about setting goals with children. 

I believe goal setting can be done for children of all ages, provided that you follow a few rules. 

1. Goals need to be realistic to the individual child. There is no point creating goals if they are beyond the capability of your child so keep them realistic and don't use other children as a guide to what your child should be doing. 
2. Children need to be able to experience success in achieving their set goal. I'd recommend that for toddlers you give them a timeframe of 2 days to achieve their goal. For preschoolers you might start at 2 days and build to a week. No more or the goal is at risk of loosing it's momentum.  
3. Involve your child in goal setting if their age allows. In my experience as a teacher I find a child would be much more likely to achieve their goal if they helped to create it. I think that goes with human nature really. 
4. Be a good role model. Children are so impressionable and they watch you even when you don't think they are. If they see you setting and working towards personal goals they are likely to do the same. Your goal might be as simple as remembering to put the bins out. 

Now about rewards. It is SO IMPORTANT not to suggest or agree to any reward that is outrageously generous. Keep it simple and realistic. Discuss what a good reward would be with your child. You'll probably find they come up with some good suggestions. 

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I have drawn a very basic framework for keeping kids motivated and striving for their goals. 

You could do this on the computer but I don't think kids are that fussy myself. 

The above picture is for a child who has a goal to use the potty. 

Simply draw a picture of an ice-cream and each time they use the potty they colour a section of the 

ice-cream. It's simple and achievable and will have them feeling success (hopefully) quickly. 

Now my 1 year old clearly is not able to write her name, however, this is an example of how you can encourage your child to write their name. They simply colour in a balloon each time they do it correctly. I suggest they have a go each day rather than consecutively. 

Of course this strategy can also be used for 'I can count to 10' etc

I would always have parents of school aged children complaining they don't eat their dinner. 

I would suggest this and have them draw a picture of their nightly meal or place a sticker next to the day they completed their meal. 

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Well I hope I have helped you consider goal setting and how positive it can be for children. 

Any questions please feel free to email me, otherwise I'd love to read your comments below. 

Kate