Joey from Made by Joey is with us today to share a lovely list of lullabies to soothe both children and grown-ups alike!

When our children were very young we quickly discovered that playing certain types of music softly in the background calmed them as they played, read or prepared for bed.  Here are 10 tried and true CD titles that you may wish to add to your collection…

1. Raffi – Quiet Time is a wonderful CD to snuggle up to with your toddler on a quiet afternoon or before a nap (older children enjoy listening too when they have grown up with it!).  Classic songs that children recognize, like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Rock-a-bye Baby and others.  This CD is classified as Children’s Music.

2. Planet Yoga contains two discs  The first disc has songs by Krishna Das, Deva Premal and others, and the second disc has instrumental music suitable for quiet meditation or yoga.  This CD is classified as New Age Music.

3. George Winston – Forest is a collection of gentle piano solos.  This artist has many similar CD’s so I suggest exploring his other albums.  This CD is classified as Instrumental Music.

4. Laurens van Rooyen – Reverie is my favorite Classical CD.  The music is so soothing it’s truly like floating down a river (click on the title to hear my favorite piece).  This CD is classified as Classical Music.

5. Enya – Watermark is a nice CD to wind down to.  Her soft voice and music has a distinctive European sound.  This CD has been classified as New Age Music, World Music and Celtic Music.

6. Sarah McLachlan – Afterglow is the most lively of all of these CD’s but it is still very soothing.  If you have always listened to Rock or Hard Rock music and are just starting a collection of soft tunes then this is a good one to start with.  This CD is classified as Pop or Soft Rock.

7.-10. The last 4 CD’s are all by Putumayo Kids.  We love these CD’s as there is such a variety of music suitable for setting the “theme” for many types of activities.  These CD’s are classified as World Music. To hear snippets of the songs on the CD: Instrumental Dreamland click here. African Dreamland click here. Acoustic Dreamland click here. Dreamland click here.

Good times to play these CD’s:

• When your child has come home over stimulated from an outing. I often put on one of these CD’s as soon as we return from a stimulating outing as the children choose an activity to unwind with.

• Bath time. Playing soft music during your child’s bath time will enhance the relaxing warmth of their bath.

• Bedtime. Put on one of these CD’s a half hour before bedtime to encourage your child to slow down and prepare for a restful sleep.  It’s a wonderful opportunity to cuddle and read on the couch with soothing music in the background.

• To introduce new styles of music to your child. Children benefit from experiencing all kinds of different music styles.  As adults we forget that we have already chosen our favourite styles of music and that is often the only music that our children hear.  I have included CD’s from several different styles of music to allow your child to discover and choose their favourite music.

Enjoy this chance to truly relax with your child.  Make it a daily routine and you will both start to feel the benefits of taking this special time together!

Are your children on their summer break yet? My daughters are finishing up their last days of school this week!

While it is important to give kids plenty of unstructured time, summer offers a great opportunity for children to engage in playful and meaningful learning.

It is for this reason that we created our newest eLesson, Starting a Writer’s Notebook. I strongly believe that children need to have writing lives outside of school. They need to feel the satisfaction that comes from digging deeper within themselves, looking at the world a bit more closely, and getting their ideas down on paper—without judgment or critique.

The activities in this eLesson are meant to help young authors develop their sense of voice and enthusiasm for writing. Children will learn how to see themselves as authors and to see the world through the eyes of a writer. Participants will learn a variety of strategies and techniques for generating ideas and producing meaningful writing.

The Starting a Writer’s Notebook eLesson includes:

• A video for parents and teachers that provides tips on how to support the writing lives of their children
• A video for kids, which sets the tone for understanding the power of writing, seeing the world through the eyes of a writer, and how to use a writer’s notebook as an important tool for collecting and organizing thoughts
• A kid’s video that talks about choosing a writer’s notebook and how to make it your own
• A series of seven video-based writing prompts along with the corresponding printables, which encourage children to generate ideas and write about the things that matter most to them
• Self-paced activities and unlimited access to all of the content
• 100% money back guarantee

When children realize that writing is a medium for communicating their ideas and stories, the possibilities for expression become endless!

On a personal note, I am really excited about having my children take the Starting a Writer’s Notebook eLesson with a group of their friends. It will be a fun way for them to stay connected and keep writing over the summer months. We hope to see you there!

Ages: 6 to 11

To register, click here.

Take a peek into the eLesson below…

For more summer learning experiences try our other eLessons…

Becky from a Sweet Hot Mess is with us today to share some great tips about cooking with children as well as helping them to develop important life skills…

I was raised with the old fashioned notion that children were to learn at their elder’s elbow – ie: I learned to make biscuits and jams and eggs and stuffed peppers – all at my grandmother’s elbow, pressed up against her as I watched her deft hands and quick movements and took in all the lessons I could learn.  Years later I would learn the fine art of cooking healthy and for many in my mother’s catering kitchen.  And when she moved abroad, I took over her clients to put myself through the last few years of high school and the first few years of college.

My modern interpretation of this inherited family value is quite simple – I invite, I teach, I let go, I step back.

Inviting:

From their toddlerhood I have involved my children in cooking by repeatedly inviting them into the kitchen with me.  I would sit them on the counter and give them a spoon and let them mix the cookie dough or spread frosting on their hand poured cupcakes.  I played up how exciting it was it was to watch muffins rise, sitting on our little chairs and singing songs and telling stories as our little oven window gave us a view onto this whole new world.

As the kids have grown, as well as their interest, I have found that I know longer have to extend an invitation.  My children are grabbing their aprons and pulling up their stools as soon as they hear the first mixing bowl touch down on the counter.  If anything, this is a time when I have to make myself stop and take a deep breath and resist shooing them out of the kitchen as I struggle to finish a meal or don’t want them underfoot as I put up this year’s salsa.  I have to remind myself that my children may not always want to stand next to me cutting strawberries or washing dishes with gleeful, soapy abandon…these early years are the ones where curiosity is sated, knowledge acquired and like skills learned.  Not only do I need to invite my children to join me in the kitchen more often, I must also allow them to join me when they invite themselves.

Teaching:

This is tricky and could be a bit controversial to some.  At this point in our culinary endeavors, I let my children cook their own eggs, cut their own apples and make their own popcorn.  And so far there has been no blood and only one minor burn (which didn’t even require ice).  Here is how we reached this point – early on, I developed a set of rules that would allow my children to learn basic techniques, but with safe boundaries.

When I can, I set up scenarios where if mistakes are made, they are correctable.  We crack eggs into a test bowl first and retrieve any extra shells before we add them to the dough in process.  We have repeatedly dumped flour back in the canister and started over after a certain little one kept forgetting how many cups she had measured.  Sometimes I give the kids soft, overripe fruit, a cutting board and a dull paring knife and let them practice their knife skills.  We started with my hand over theirs and over the past few years, they have needed my constant supervision less and less.  I find that I barely have to create teaching opportunities anymore, as the kids frequently come to me with a request to learn a new dish or create a new recipe that they have been thinking about.

Letting Go:

It pains my perfectionistic heart to watch muffin batter get dribbled all over the pan, each muffin a different size.  I find that 90% of my parenting lately is simply biting my tongue as my kids struggle to figure out how to do things correctly.

I’ve come to realize they want to do things as well as I do them and that if I give them enough examples, opportunities and support – they will eventually catch up as their coordination, concentration and capacity evolves with each passing month.  So, as with many things in life, set a good example and let your kids figure out how to replicate it.  It will take a while, years even, but it will be worth it the first time your six year old makes perfectly scrambled eggs and serves them to you with nary an eggshell in sight.

Stepping Back:

In our kitchen, I like to introduce new recipes and techniques every week or so.  We’ve sifted flour, separated yolks, made meringue, stir caramel constantly, roasted vegetables perfectly…And yet, the everyday repetition of life in the kitchen is where my kids really hone their skills.  I love watching my two kids mirroring back all these life lessons I’ve taught them, as they get up in the morning and set the table, whisking and cooking their eggs as they set up the toaster and push the lever down.  These mornings are possible because after teaching my children the basic skills, hovering for the appropriate amount of time, correcting where it is needed – I stepped back.  Stepping back is the fine art of assessing our kid’s abilities and knowing where calculated distance can be made.  For my kids, at this point in time, I step back for nearly half of our breakfasts and lunches.  Dinners are my time to teach the kids new techniques and talk about the food and get them to taste new things.

My children have learned at my elbow, they have shown creativity and innovation, they have made mistakes and huge messes, I have yelled at them and cuddled them, I have learned patience and how to let go and laugh in the moments of chaos – all in our kitchen.  Cooking together is a foundation practice, a life step that should not be missed.  Who are children will be as adults will be greatly defined by how they were taught as children and I cannot think of a better place for our children to learn so many different aspects of maturity and responsibility then in the kitchen – especially since we have to eat to survive.

Eating well, cooking well, learning well – that is how we thrive.

Here are a few of our favorite recipes and an important reminder:

Randi from Swoon is with us today to share a fun and creative Father’s Day project…

Did you know that you can create all sorts of art with your fingertips? We recently picked up a new book titled Let’s Make Some Great Fingerprint Art by Marion Deuchars. The book is full of great ideas for making animals, monsters, letters, and anything else you can imagine using your fingers and a bit of ink. I love it! Check out this fun video about the book to learn more.

My favorite usage of fingerprints in the book was the suggestion to make a paper stencil and then use fingerprints to fill it in. With Father’s Day coming next week, we thought we would make a funny little print for Dad’s office. I think this concept could be used in so many ways, depending on what your kids like to make and what Dad is into! You could make a handmade card featuring fun fingerprint animals or even decorate the paper you wrap Dad’s gift in. All you need is a surface to decorate, ink, and little hands!

If you’re interested in going the stencil route, you can find the steps we took below. You can make a stencil out of any shape you can imagine, and it looks really neat when filled in with fingerprints. The texture adds an interesting dimension to your design. You’ll need to gather: one piece of heavier weight paper for the stencil, another piece of paper for your final design (can be any weight), an Exacto knife or scissors, removable tape, an ink pad, and your fingers.

Step One: Design your stencil. You can draw a shape, or use your computer to design one like I did. We decided to make a stylized picture of Dad himself, but you can make anything you want! If the Dad in your life happens to look anything like ours, you’re welcome to download our design below! You can also download a blank page with the “Dear Dad, you’re tops” icon on it below if you would like that on your final print.

Step Two: Cut out your design. Use your knife or scissors to cut out your shape. Knives work better for intricate designs, but make sure to use a cutting mat underneath it so you don’t damage your work surface!

Step Three: Tape your stencil page over your final design page. I also taped the whole thing to our work surface. If you’d like to add any printed words (or our design found below), make sure you print those on the final page before you stencil on it.

Step Four: Fingerprint it! Use your fingers to fill in the stenciled portion of the page. Play around with different fingers and fill it up! My kids liked this so much they printed their fingers across the whole page. I think they will be asking to print with their hands everyday for a while.

Step Five: Let your paper sit for about five minutes, or until it looks dry. Pull off the tape to reveal your final print below!

Now that the kids have a little experience with the ink, I think we will pull out their sketch books, grab an ink pad and a few pens (for adding details) and go crazy!

Templates:

Dad Silhouette Stencil

Blank print with sentiment “Dear Dad You’re Tops”

Print with sentiment and sunglasses (Use if making print shown above)

Rebecca from Thirteen Red Shoes is with us today to share Part II of her book recommendations that cover the ever-important topic of friendship.

Previously I shared with you nine of my favorite friendship books (find them here). Today I am going to share more that are just perfect for helping littles develop the skills necessary to be a special friend.

1. Half a World Away | Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood This is one of the very first books I bought for Little R when he was first born. A close girlfriend had also given birth to a little boy called Louis and I thought this would be perfect.  That was almost six years ago and I didn’t realize that it would be on our favorites list. This book teaches children that even when friends move away from each other, the beautiful bond they share is not necessarily broken.

2. Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley | Aaron Blabey Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley are the best of friends, but they are different in almost every way.  How can you be such good friends with someone that is so very different? A delightful tale by Aaron Blabey about friendship and self belief.  See a lovely handwritten interview with Aaron here.

3. Henry and Amy | Stephen Michael King Henry and Amy are so very different.  He is messy and always seems to be doing the opposite of everyone else.  Henry bumps into Amy one morning and thinks she is simply perfect.  She can write her own name, knows left from right and can tie her own shoe laces. Meanwhile, Amy wishes everything she did wasn’t so perfect and wishes that she was creative and exciting, like Henry.  These two are a perfect match for each other.

4. A Bear and a Tree | Stephen Michael King This is the perfect story to share in Autumn (although that has now long passed, in the Northern hemisphere at least).  It is a story about the passage of time, the change in seasons and in friendship. What more could you ask for in a picture book?  This book is thought provoking and open to so many different challenges based on questions.  A fantastic book to use as a morning provocation. Unfortunately, it is not available in the US at this time.

5. The Little Prince | Antoine de Saint-Exupery A timeless classic, and the perfect friendship book to read as an early chapter book.  I have not shared this with my eldest son yet (aged 5), however it is on the list.  There are many beautiful versions available, including a pop up book that I would love to own.

6. A Ilha / The Island. The Island, tells the story of people on an island working together to create a bridge.  It is all about friendship and striving to achieve a common goal.  Simply a delightful book and I hope that an International publishing house picks up the rights and releases the story in English. The team from Planeta Tangerina actually constructed a bridge at a book fair in Lisbon.  How amazing is this creation? The perfect provocation for developing friendships and community!

7. Stellaluna | Janell Cannon A delightful tale of a little bat who becomes friends with three baby birds.  “How can we be so alike and yet so different and how can we feel so alike and yet be so different?” This story is read aloud here on Storyline by Pamela Reed, a member of the screen actor’s guild.

And lastly, a few websites to visit about friendship:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Joey from Made by Joey is with us today to share an engaging math game for the whole family…

I love ladybugs, so I created our own version of the British party game – “Beetle“.  A game that my mother-in-law played as a child and taught to our family.

Perfect to play in the backyard, at the beach or in a restaurant.  It’s an excellent way to start little ones counting or a fun game to add to your curriculum if you are studying bugs!  Ages: 4 to 104!

Object of the game:

To complete 6 ladybug drawings before the other players.

**note:  younger children may prefer to play until 1 ladybug is complete to shorten the game.

Game pieces:

1 six-sided die

paper

pencil

printer (or you can draw out the sheets yourself)

Prior to playing, you can decorate your playing sheet with stamps and ink or your own ladybug drawings!

How to play:

- Download and print a playing sheet for each player.

- Download and print the ladybug rules sheet.

- The youngest player goes first.

- The first player rolls the die, counts the number on the die and, if they are able to do so, draws the body part that matches the number on the rules sheet.

- You must roll the numbers in order starting with 1 for the body, 2 for the stripe, etc.  (for example:  if you roll a 5 you cannot draw the legs until your ladybug has a body, stripe, head and antennae)

- If you roll another 1 before completing your previous ladybug then you can start drawing another ladybug and adding the body parts in order as you roll them.  You can, therefore, have several ladybugs at different stages of completion.

- Continue to follow the rules sheet diagram to eventually draw all of the body parts on each ladybug.

- Complete all 6 ladybugs to win the game!

Now you can make your own games!

Does your family have another idea for an object that could be made into a new version of this game?

Enjoy using our printables or have fun designing your own object to draw.  Any object that can be drawn in 6 steps will work!

Here are some titles of ladybug counting books to add to the fun!  Enjoy!

1. Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth

2. Lots of Ladybugs by Michael Dahl

3. Counting Ladybugs 1-2-3 by Brian Enslow

4. Five Little Ladybugs by Karyn Henley

Monique is here today with another inspiring addition to her Yoga for Kids series. This month we move our minds and our bodies to empowering visualizations of spring in all of its glory…

Hasn’t it been lovely to see the trees fully leaf out, colorful flowers in bloom, and little critters busy doing their thing?  My family and I really enjoy watching the changes that take place in nature during this time of year and that is precisely what has inspired the Yoga sequence for this month.

I hear the excitement in my children’s voices when they spot a butterfly for the first time in the season…

Listen as they give the latest inchworm count…

And marvel with them at the unique beauty of each flower.

I hope your children will enjoy acting out these favorite spring-time sightings as much as my children do.  Perhaps they can come up with their own spring-inspired sequence.  What do you and your children appreciate about this time of year?  Can they create some of their own poses or movements to represent those things?  Perhaps they’ll grab some silk scarves and whirl around like dandelion fuzzies or hop around like a toad.  I’d love to hear about it…

Springing to Life Yoga sequence download:
page 1
page 2

Kate from An Everyday Story is here to share the next post in her series about introducing authentic art materials to toddlers. Today she is exploring paint…

Time to get arty with your toddler again. So far we have played around with clay and charcoal, today I thought we might get our hands messy with paint.

Paint can be a wonderfully sensory experience; the color, the texture, the sensation of running it through your fingers, over your hands and up to your elbows. So often though, I see paint offered to children in plastic lidded pots and always the same four colors; red, blue, green and yellow which inevitably blend together to give that murky greeny-brown. Yuck.

But what if we chose just two colors. Two colors that complimented each other. Two colors that when mixed together, transform into other pleasing shades and colors. And what then if we offered white? A true exploration of color.

So let’s paint. Or should I say, let’s explore colors. Let’s create colors.

Setting up your creative space:

When you are setting up your creative space try to create as big a space as you can. I often cover our entire table in a sheet of butcher’s paper. My daughter likes to move around when she paints. While she often paints in complete silence, she rarely sits still in a chair. A large sheet of paper allows her to explore without me redirecting her back to her seat.

Sometimes we forgo the paper completely and she paints directly onto the table or onto a large laminated sheet of plastic. She mixes paints, spoons out blobs, creates lines with her fingers and erases them again with her palm.

A child-sized table (like an old coffee table) allows your little one to really interact with the paint. They can lean over onto the table, move around the table, use large sweeping movements with their arms across the table; really have freedom of movement of their whole body.

When offering paint you might like to consider:

• choosing two colors. Two colors which compliment each other
• think beyond the primary colors of blue, red and yellow
• think about colors found naturally in nature; bright oranges, subtle tones of green, light blue
• include white. White paint creates different hues. Your little one can run their fingers and palms of their hands through the paint and as they do the colors will create new colors; pleasing colors
• choose containers which allow your child to see the colors: clear containers or old glass jars draw attention to the paint

If your toddler is anything like my daughter, they will dive straight into the paint. But if your toddler is a little more apprehensive, like a little friend of ours, there are a few things you could do to encourage them to explore:

• Start by adding a little paint to the paper and just dotting their fingertips across the paper
• With a spoon, scoop a little paint onto their fingers for them to dab onto the paper
• Using just one finger at a time, spread the paint across the paper
• Using the second color, mix the colors together
• Watch the colors change
• Show them how to make lines in the paint with their fingers

And since this kind of painting, this exploration of color, gets all kinds of deliciously messy, think about the clean up. Find a place where you are completely comfortable with your toddler exploring paint in whichever way they enjoy, freely, openly, without interruption or redirection. Paint outside, paint in old clothes, have a bucket of water and old towels nearby and ready for washing. Have it all ready to go before you invite your toddler over.

Enjoy and happy painting.

Next month will be the last in our Authentic Art Materials for Toddlers series. I’ll see you all then.

Becky from a Sweet Hot Mess is with us today to share all of her favorite resources for exploring art and artists with children…

My children love to draw and construct, paint and sculpt.  Art is by far their favorite pastime.  I’m sure it’s your children’s favorite pastime as well.  In that vein, many of us keep art supplies on hand, from watercolors to cotton balls, popsicle sticks to crayons – we provide a veritable bounty of hands on goodness for our kids.

To further this passion, I have committed to building a library of art reference books as well.  I keep them at hand (and typically near our largest art center) and am ready to drop everything when they seek me out to teach me a new technique or ask me a question regarding art history.

Most recently, my children heard a reference to “expressionism” on one of their shows and sought me out for further enlightenment.  I immediately do what I do best – ran to my library of reference materials and dug out a few that would work in a pinch.  Here are a few of my favorite art books we have laying around.

Last year, our Librarian asked me to recycle a bunch of encyclopedias and a large collection of Artists throughout history was included in the trunk full of musty old books.  I immediately brought them home and they have been a favorite ever since (check with your local library to make sure you’re notified if/when they are rotating materials off the shelf – you might get lucky!).  In that my kids had asked me about Expressionism, I grabbed Picasso and Matisse and on a whim I grabbed Manet as well.

I also have collected a few art compendiums, some children’s art books and even have started collecting artist’s autobiographies geared towards younger ages.

If you are limited on space or had to pick – pick a really good compendium of art.  Here are a few on my wish list.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The subject matter to study with your children does not matter – go where their curiosity leads you.  My children specifically led me to impressionism and expressionism.  The following art project can be done with any period of art and highlight how we can put our art libraries to use.

So to begin our art lesson on a whim – pull out your supplies.  In this case, I had just found a 5 pack of bingo dabbers at the dollar store (which are essentially dot sponges filled with watered down paint).  We’ve been dying to use these and this proved to be the perfect opportunity.

I highly recommend keeping the art tools to a minimum, so that the focus remains on the reference material and your art lesson doesn’t become an art free-for-all (my children have plenty of these).  So, pick one medium such as crayons, watercolors, chalks or paint and set up your art area.  What has worked best for us is to keep a roll of paper around as our safety net.  I tape this down and then tape down their paper to their temporary art station.

Since my children asked about Expressionism and I deemed it essential to backtrack a bit and introduce them to Impressionism to allow for historical context – I needed to have two sketch papers to each of their stations.

After a quick lecture on the two art periods, I had the kids write down reference words to help remind them which period represented what.  As with most of my kid’s learning – I introduce them to a lot of information, don’t dumb it down and yet make sure there are two or three key concepts I want them to walk away with no matter what.  I am always surprised with how quickly they learn these concepts and how much extra information they glean along the way.

At this point, we sat on the floor and dug through our books.  I had the kids pick an painting that inspired them from both periods in art history.

After setting up our books, readied our tools and I was able to show them how the Bingo dabbers worked.

I will typically work ahead of the kids or even with them on my own art so that they have an additional reference point as to what is expected – plus it’s fun.  Make sure your kids are started before you show them a peek of your art, so as to minimize copying.

This is the point where I sit back and let them create.  It’s fun to watch them interact with each other, check out each other’s work and talk their way through their creations.  The dabbers proved to be a fun new tool, though with a limited palate which frustrated the kids at times – I had to keep reminding them to think outside of the box.  Limitations help us innovate.

The kids quickly learned all the various ways to use the dabbers, so as to make their two pieces stand out next to each other.

I’m glad they picked up on the Impressionistic quick strokes (or dabs) of the paint, whereas they leaned towards thick bold lines with their Expressionistic pieces.

This approach worked very well for my two children in that there are both inclined towards art in very different ways.  So, while my daughter was very concerned with a deft hand, color and line – my son was able to connect to his piece through his newfound knowledge of these two art periods (ie: her finished product was very important to her while his was not, but the art lesson was)

I call this art on a whim, because I have to be prepared to drop everything and take advantage of this curiosity when it strikes.  My children are very independent artists and want very little input, so when they approach me with a question or for help with a new technique – I try to be as available as possible.

Plus I have a theory that curiosity is a finite resource – that if we do not mine it, foster it and take advantage of it…it will fade.  Or at the very least, my children will stop coming to me to answer to their curious moments in life.

And if your children need a little nudge, pick an art period or artist and introduce it yourself and see what questions arise.  What art period or artist would you pick and why?  I’m curious.

I have always been drawn to beautiful and educational art prints. We take in the art that surrounds us so deeply and on so many levels.

Over the years I have been bookmarked the special pieces that I have come across for just the right moment when I might need just the right print.

I thought that it would be fun to share them with you…

Do you have any favorites that you have been saving? Please do share!

Clockwise from the top: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6