Toddlers Archives – Page 4 of 4 – The Pinterested Parent

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Toddlers

Sun
05 ^th

Mini Pumpkin Crafts

Posted by Pinparent — 6 Comments

Last weekend was a big fun fall weekend for us. We did our hayride, went apple picking, went to the fair & picked pumpkins too.

This weekend, in the aftermath of a bad tummy virus, we put a hold on our plans to go to the corn maze & leaf peeping. All is well now, but I wanted Mai to continue to rest at home rather than running around. Last weekend we picked up a lot of pumpkins. I bought two full sized ones for carving, but Mai really wanted the little pumpkins because they were so cute.

The mini pumpkins were great because they were just the right size for my little pumpkin. She may still be too small to be wielding carving tools, but that doesn’t mean that she can’t have some fun. Pumpkins are not just for Jack-O-Lanterns anymore, after all.

Painting Pumpkins

We painted pumpkins mid-week. She is getting to be such a great little painter. She painted one pumpkin red with a green stem. “Look mama, it looks like an apple.” It really does.

Yesterday she asked to paint more pumpkins, so we did. Then we broke out the glue & the glitter for some extra fun. Seriously nothing lights my daughter’s face up faster than the prospect of pouring glue & glitter on something. This is a super easy, moderately messy, but very cute craft. Simply let your artist pour or paint on the glue & then shake on the glitters of your choice. Let dry & then shake off the excess glitter. Use paper or drop cloths to work on & to catch the glitter. When you are done, if you are stingy like me, you can pour the excess glitter back into its container for next time.

Glitter Pumpkins

Mai had so much fun making these. She even made one as a present for her Auntie Linda. “I make this one for Auntie Linda. She is so proud of me.” I bet Auntie is going to love it.

Mai's are in front & mommy's are in the back. — Mai’s are in front & mommy’s are in the back.

Our little pumpkin family.

As I have told you before, our daughter has a very strong sense of family. It is extremely cute how she refers to everything in terms of mama, dada & baby. When we were picking the pumpkins, she would tell me, “This is mama pumpkin, daddy pumpkin & the baby pumpkin.” And so they shall be.

Draw out you pumpkin family's faces & then carefully carve out. — Draw out you pumpkin family’s faces & then carefully carve out.

For daddy pumpkin, I fashioned him a Patriots hat out of foam.

For mommy pumpkin, I just hot glued some yarn to the top of the pumpkin. I did the same for the baby & then braid the hair into pigtails — For mommy pumpkin, I just hot glued some yarn to the top of the pumpkin. I did the same for the baby & then braided the hair into pigtails

I hot glued all 3 pumkins together, putting the daddy on the bottom, mommy in the middle & baby on top. I used a pipe cleaner as a scarf for the mama. — I hot glued all 3 pumpkins together, putting the daddy on the bottom, mommy in the middle & baby on top. I used a pipe cleaner as a scarf for the mama.

It looks just like us doesn’t it? These were all so much fun, I think we will have to pick up more pumpkins next weekend.

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Fri
14 ^th

The Power Of Music – Influencing Your Child With Song

Posted by Pinparent — 18 Comments

Music is a powerful thing. Certain songs that you hear on the radio, can take you back to a certain time, or place in your life. It can bring forth emotions & feelings that you had forgotten were there. It can make you cry or smile, soothe you or get you pumped. It has an amazing effect on all of us big & small.

It’s calming. When my daughter was a newborn, she cried all the time. Rocking or dancing with her was my most popular method for calming my little girl & it was usually always accompanied by song. My favorite song to sing her was ‘Once upon a dream’. I still sing it to her now, only now she joins in.

It is said that introduction to music at a young age aids in physical and mental development. We enrolled our daughter in music classes when she was 18 months old. She loved everything about it. She was fascinated by the instruments and the lyrics. She was learning to talk during this time. It was fun hearing her try to mimic the song lyrics. Each session began with a song introducing each classmate. What a wonderful tool to help remember your classmates names, I thought. It is a great memorization tool. How do you think kids have learned their ABC’s for years?

It gets them moving. If your child is anything like mine, she loves to dance. Whether it is an up tempo song or a more soothing ballad type, she will move to the beat of the music.

It is incredible the influence music can have in influencing our lives…

Our daughter is like a tornado through our home. I call her “Destructor” because she leaves a path of destruction in her wake where ever she goes.

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Mai has not been the best at picking up her toys. She is great & taking them out, but does not like putting them back. Mai is at an age now of understanding. She may not always listen, but she hears me & comprehends what I am saying. I have tried several different methods for getting her to put her things away. She often liked to challenge mommy & would take out some toys, pour them out & then say “Mommy pick up”. No, no, no, this was not going to happen.

One day after she had made a particularly big mess. I started singing while picking up her toys. I asked Mai to help me.

We’re going to pick up our toys…

We’re going to make some noise… (making noise)

We’re going to pick up our toys, right now…

(Clap hands) Good girl!

I have only sung this song probably about 3 times. A couple of days ago, my daughter in a “destructor” moment, pulled out a box of her flash cards & threw them all over the floor. Mommy very calmly, said “Mai Mai, please pick up your cards.” All of a sudden she broke out singing. “Pick up tooooooyyyys, make noooooisse…pick up toys, right now. Gggggood girl.” She proceeded to pick up all of her flash cards & continued singing. I was floored. Floored not only that she remembered this little song, but that it actually worked. I could not believe it. She has done this everyday since. Never underestimate the power of song.

Thu
20 ^th

Paper Bowl Animal Crafts

Posted by Pinparent — 17 Comments

Tue
18 ^th

Cheese Filled Turkey Meatballs

Posted by Pinparent — 4 Comments

Tonight was a dinner-time victory for mommy. Every evening it is a roll of the dice as to whether we will actually get our picky little monster to eat dinner with the family. The biggest cause of stress currently in my life is my daughter’s diet. She hates to eat. I have spoken to the doctor, talked to fellow mommies & Googled advice on how to get Mai to eat. Nothing works. She eats on her terms.

Mai likes bite sized foods & anything in ball form. Meatballs are hit or miss with out finicky eater, but tonight it was a rare win. I am a very happy mama tonight. Maybe these meatballs will be a hit with your picky munchkins as well.

Cheese Filled Turkey Meatballs.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb of ground turkey

2 egg whites

1/2 cup skim milk

1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

3 sticks of mozzarella string cheese

1/2 cup wheat bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. In a medium sized bowl combine turkey, bread crumbs & spices. Add egg whites, Worcestershire sauce, milk & mix well. Add parmesan cheese & mix until all ingredients are well blended. Slice string cheese into 3/4 inch pieces & set aside. Grab a spoonful of mixture, place a piece of cheese in the middle & roll a 2 inch ball around it. Place on a cookie sheet. Continue until you used all of your mixture. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

Toddlers & Technology – How Much is Too Much?

Posted by Pinparent — 21 Comments

*This post contains affiliate links*

Recently, a fellow blogger wrote in to one of the mom forums posing the question, “Should she get her child an IPad or a Tablet?” She was concerned because there is much debate on introducing technology to our young ones too soon. I have heard arguments for this coming from both sides & wanted to weigh in with my thoughts & maybe hear some of yours as well. There are a number of reasons that doctors and child psychologists list for not introducing television & computers at a young age.

1. Not enough social interaction

2. Not enough physical activity

3. Shortens attention span

4. Over stimulation

5. Not enough hands on learning time

Most argue that none of these should be introduced before 2 and that even “educational programming & applications” may bear not any real learning merit. My daughter just turned 2. A common day with our daughter begins anywhere between 6:30am-8am and lasts until about 8-9 at night. During the course of my toddler’s day she eats, reads, colors, builds, pretends, cooks with mommy, chases the dog, jumps, crafts and yes, watches TV & plays on the computer. Shocking, I know!

I first introduced her to the television with Baby Einstein videos. Her favorites were ‘My First Signs’ & ‘World Animals‘. Many may not agree with it, but it was a great learning tool for her. Mai was using sign language early on and many of her first words were animals that she had seen repeatedly from watching them on TV & seeing them in books. You may shake your head at me and say “Tsk tsk.” but sometimes, I have been even been known to throw in a video while I am trying to make supper.

I am not an expert. I am just a mommy. Here are my thoughts…
Technology is advancing every day. Computers are everywhere. To be successful in the world these days, you need a working knowledge of how they are run. Teaching our children at an early age how to use this technology gives them a great jump start to something they will need in their future. Do not let your child become a slave to technology. Make sure that they are active and that the majority of their days are still filled with several different activities. As I said before, my daughter’s days are packed with various things. She has taken swim classes, music , & is about to start tumbling too.

She has a Nabi Tablet & she is registered with ABC Mouse’s Early Learning Academy. I love both of these and so does she. She does not use either of these without mommy, daddy or Nanna doing them with her. We still engage her during the lessons, by letting her point out the pictures & asking her questions. She is very proud to show us what she is learning.
If my little girl is the little sponge that everyone says that she is, why can’t she absorb her learning from every resource that she can.
I would love to hear your feedback on this.

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