Storybooks on CD

In my previous life as the perfect parent (that would be before I had kids) I poo-pooed the idea of Storybooks on CD. "You should read to your kid! Not park them in front of the stereo!" Blah, blah. A few weeks ago I saw the books on CD at the library and thought "what the heck!" It turns out Kiddo loves them and now I am looking for longer and longer ones. Plus it's a good thing we only live 5 blocks from the library because in all that packaging, a stack of them can be heavy to carry!

And yes, he still wants me to read to him.

Cat Tales

Kiddo recently chose the book Three Stories You Can Read to Your Cat at the library from the Easy Reader shelf. He sat down to read it to one of our cats, and it must have been very entertaining, because as you can see the other cat came along to listen in.

Bottle Station

This idea is totally unoriginal and you have seen it on every Montessori blog there is. But I don't have much original to say these days, so here it is.I cleaned out my spice cabinet last week and had a hodgepodge of jars left over that needed their lids replaced. Being lazy, I enlisted Kiddo to do my work and called it an educational experience.

Chasing Rainbows

In case you are wondering how I keep New Kid occupied these days...

We have a glass object d'art-thingy (that would be the technical term) hanging in our window which projects hundreds of rainbows all over our living room in the afternoon. New Kid is determined to catch them.

Magnet Play (Unplugged Project: Container)

This was a really easy activity to put together for Kiddo and provided lots of independent play (always important to lazy parents like me). I filled a clear container (I used an old pickle jar) with paperclips and some metal washers, then added some red lentils for color. Using a strong magnet on the outside of the container, Kiddo could lift the paperclips and washers, move them around, hunt for them in the lentils, make chains, etc. It was a big hit.I didn't get any photos of him playing with it, because I was busy cleaning up New Kid's poo explosion, which is just more proof that this activity kept him busy for a while.

For more Unplugged Projects with a container theme visit Unplug Your Kids.

Painting with Magnets

This is a variation of an activity I saw at Chasing Cheerios. She used a magnetic rock, but since I don't even know how I would go about finding such a thing we used magnets and hardware. You can magnetize most things metal by rubbing a magnet in one direction across it.

We also taped some paper to a piece of cardboard which produced a textured effect.

I was surprised he didn't want to do this for very long. Instead he said he wanted to "paint with a brush" and he spent quite a bit of concentrated time making 10 (!) paintings. You can see them here.

Tales from the Toothbrush

I'm guessing most kids don't like to have their teeth brushed. Kiddo has gotten a lot better at it over the last few months. I've tried various tactics in the past but the one that works the best is storytellling. I tell him that the story is starting and he'd better get in the bathroom so as not to miss it. He doesn't even care if my creative juices are a little weak that evening and the story is a bit pathetic. Lately, since we have been reading chapter books, I will do a recap of the previous night's chapter. He LOVES that.

Whatever works, right?

Transportation Tuesday

There is something rather maniacal in Salty's grin as he exits the tunnel to discover this huge traffic jam.

The Sharing Ball

It would be the understatement of the century to say that Kiddo does not like sharing. I know that most kids have trouble with sharing, blah blah blah. But, seriously, his fear of other kids touching or looking at his stuff borders on pathological. If your kid always shares readily, you have a marvelous child.

My latest tactic to combat his misanthropy is "the sharing ball". I informed Kiddo that we were going to purchase 2 new balls, which of course put him over the moon. New toys! However, these two balls were only to be played with with other kids. A few words on the balls themselves will serve as a reminder. I'm sure it won't solve the problem completely, but I am hopeful that it means we can actually contribute some toys to park playdates. Up to now Kiddo has adamantly refused to bring his own toys because, Heaven forbid, another kid might touch them.
More tips on sharing appreciated.

Weekend Bonus Post for California Natives

There are many, many things I enjoy about living in New York City, but I am still a California girl at heart. Although in the wild they are long faded for the year in their native state, I have a blossoming collection of California Poppies in my community garden plot. If I keep them watered and deadheaded, they will be a cheerful and colorful reminder of The Golden State all summer long.