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October 31st, 2008
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“Babies brains, it seems, are working overtime, processing information and building neural connections that will serve as foundations to their emotional, social, and intellectual development throughout life.” Baby Minds: Brain-Building Games Your Baby Will Love
Linda Acredolo, Ph.D., and Susan Goodwyn, Ph.D
Experiences… with a newborn you forget that lots of things are just…well….new to them. Sensations, sounds, colour. They have that wide eyed expression of wonder. As they getting older we notice that they notice more. But they are taking in so much all the time.
Wet wipes shuffle…
My two month old was treated to the wet wipes shuffle courtesy of his brother.
The empty wet wipes carton was slipped under his dancing feet. A new sensation a new noise and a little control.
  
He kicked and squealed . We let him play for a few moments then changed him. Let him play again then took him down from the changing table.
    
If his brother hadn’t rescued the wipes carton what an opportunity we would have missed for some early sensory play.
Why do it?
To make him super smart………No!
…because it’s fun and I imagine like squashing bubble wrap between your fingers so it pops. It just plum feels good! You can’t help but do it again.
Take time and find the small moments to play..
What infant play activities do you encourage?
Popularity: 27% [?]
Technorati Tags: Babies, brains, Linda Acredolo, Susan Goodwyn, newborn, wet wipes, play, sensory
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October 28th, 2008
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Welcome to the 18th edition of Carnival of Parenting Podcasts
It’s a place to share and find some new parenting podcasts from the podcaster and recommendations from those who listen to podcasts.
..Not sure about Podcasts? Try this ecourse.
Top 10
Send in your favourite podcasts of the fortnight.
- Foster Parenting podcast: Episode 12 – Parenting with Love and Logic We use Love and Logic, a parenting approach that – you guessed it – emphasizes two things: love and logic
- Mumcentric Show 20 Â Parenting coach and author Sue Atkins.
Her book ‘Raising Happy Children’ is the latest in the popular ‘For Dummies’ series to hit the shelves.
- Storynory: The Seal Catcher  This old story from Scotland is about a man who makes his living by killing seals and selling their skins. He does not really think about whether or not the animals he hunts have feelings, until one day he has a chance to get to know one.
- Moms Everywhere Show 014: BuzZen with Jody England Jody England is the author of Attraction Actions: New “Beeâ€haviors for Creating the Life You Deserve.†This is all about us moms achieving the lives we want and deserve. She and Kim Yardley are also the co-founders of an amazing business called BuzZen where they team up to help you know who you are.
- Mighty Mommy: It’s Toddler Time  Mighty Mommy with some quick and dirty tips for practical parenting. Do toddlers actually have a concept of time?
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Send in your recommendations to be included in the top 10 favourite podcasts of the week fortnight.
Technorati tags: carnival of parenting podcasts, blog carnival.
What’s playing on Play activities radio
8 Ways to Raise a Truly Happy Child
Rae Pica and Dr. Aaron Cooper
See right sidebar
Popularity: 18% [?]
Technorati Tags: Carnival of Parenting Podcasts, podcasts
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October 24th, 2008
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Convergent or divergent toys? Which do you regularly choose for your tot?
And what are all those expensive educational toys like on the market today? Most are convergent in nature; they usually look for a single, correct answer to a problem because they are busy teaching skills. Yet the research…suggests that [one] group was not only more creative in their problem solving but showed more perseverance and enthusiasm. These are the the behaviours and attitudes toward problem solving we want to cultivate in our children, not a a penchant for looking for the one right answer. They’ll get enough of that at school. We want our children to know how to find the right answer when there is one, but we also want them to be able to think outside the box. Where does creativity come from? From play- good old unmonitored, unstructured free and open play.
Source: Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn–and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less
Kathy Hirsh Pasek Ph.d & Roberta Michnick Golinkoff Ph.d pg. 224
You’ll need to read Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn–and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less to find out more about the differences and compelling research evidence about convergent and divergent toys.
Let me know what you think…
What type of play do you encourage?
Popularity: 12% [?]
Technorati Tags: play, Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn–and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less
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October 21st, 2008
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In our neighbourhood, while we were out someone came around and heaped the leaves into big piles on our lawn. Seeing all those little hills looked like we’d had an evasion of giant moles. Something drew us to the pile. The kids were soon jumping, throwing and rolling in them. Looking down the street, kids were emerging and doing the same. We love Autumn leaves and thank you to the mystery someone who made a pile for us. We loved playing in it.
There’s something about the crunch and feel. The colours and the sunlight at this time of year. Now’s the time to go on that Autumnal walk and try a few outdoor play activities.
Don’t forget the other Autumnal sensory play ideas for your little ones. Also if you want a little Autumn in your home, try a natural display.
Our toddler has been collecting leaves wherever we go. The car and stroller are full of the leaves, some in good condition, whilst others all in little pieces. What to do with his love of leaves..?
Coincidentally, I received a baby newsletter in my INBOX.
Here’s what we did….
Our home is filling up with Fall placemats now they have the idea. I think they’ll only stop once the contact paper runs out.
The BG and MG loved arranging and choosing what to display. All I had to do was peel the contact paper and apply it.
Even though we made them for the MG, so he could have a placemat on his tray. He’s spends his time admiring it instead of eating now. I think he’s rather proud of his art and doesn’t want to use it as a placemat.
….. I can see pumpkin placemats in my future.
For a bumper amount of outdoor activities try 365 Outdoor Activities You Can Do With Your Child (365)
or 365 Unplugged Family Fun Activities: A Year’s Worth Of Ideas For Tv-Free, Video-Free, And Computer Game-Free Entertainment
********How are you playing in the fall?***********
Popularity: 18% [?]
Technorati Tags: Autumn leaves, play activities, sensory play ideas, toddler, baby, Fall placemats
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