Toddler Tuesday: Brain Pop Jr.

So Brain Pop Jr is a website that literally every teacher knows about. AND right now, they are offering FREE access because of Covid. Normally it costs money, but here is the trick, even when it does, every week they have a different free video. This site covers every subject from reading to science, health, writing, social studies, math, and even arts and technology. There are several other freebies on the site. For kids who are into science and social studies or need some extra help with early math concepts like shapes, this is perfect. 

Each video has a quiz that goes with it, a jokes page, an activity, games, word play, and a comic strip. Kids love the music at the beginning and Moby the robot's jokes. This is one that kids can check into once or twice a week on the computer to learn some new facts. We use it as an add on to whatever we are reading about. 

Indoor Things to Do With Your Toddler

Well, it's here. I avoided it forever, but I guess we have to face it- we will be stuck with our kids inside until who knows when. So here's a list of things to do inside!

• Bake with them! Let them stir and crack things and layer things. 
• Have them put on a fashion show. By the time they pick their outfits, practice their walk, and pick the music this could take a full afternoon. 
• Organize those toys you've been putting off forever 
• Create tape art. Put tape down, paint, peel it up.
• Board Games
• Decorate a card and send to a family member 
• Ice chip (freeze a toy in an ice block and let them chip away to get it out)
• Thread string through pasta noodles to improve fine motor skills
• Encourage them to put on a play 
• Draw letters, shapes, numbers, in shaving cream 
• Card Games
• Make fruit popsicles
• Play grocery store with items from your pantry 
• Play in a sticker book 
• Turn off the lights and play with glow sticks
• Create a scavenger hunt around your house, giving clues to find items. 
• Play follow the leader adding in jumps, skips, hops... whatever!
• Put them inside a box with crayons, let them go crazy 
• Fold the hundred toilet paper rolls we are going to go through into shapes and turn them into stamps. 
• Balloon volleyball 
• Doddle on a doodle mat
• Make towers with paper/plastic cups 
• Play I Spy 
• Look through their baby book
• Hide and Seek 
• Label sight words around your house such as clock, refrigerator, sink, shower 
• Homemade pizza 
• Build a fort 
• Throw a dance party 
• Bubble party! No one is really too cool for bubbles. This one is on sale!
• Glow party These are 53% off! 

Technology Resources:

• Turn your artwork into 3d models with Quivervision 
• Get in a workout with Go Noodle
• Add sounds to your reading with Novel Effect
• Practice using a computer onHappy Clicks

Toddler Tuesday Tech Edition: ABCYa

ABCYA is a free (on the computer, some games free on a tablet) educational interactive website that caters from preschool age all the way to 6th grade.  Their Pre-k section is divided into letters, numbers, holiday, strategies, and skills. Some of my favorites in the ABC section are the Connect the Dots in ABC order, Trace the Letter, and Alphabet Sliders. They are perfect for RT's level as a 3 (almost four!) year old.

Under Math, the Fuzz Bugs Patterns, and Fuzz Bugs Sorting are great for him and I'm hoping to explore more of the 100 snowballs. For kids a little younger the Counting Fish, Number Match, and Birthday Candle Counting are great.

The Holiday section is mostly for fun, while the Strategy games can really work their brains. In Skills I love the Shape Patterns and Shapes Geometry ones. This site is great for any of those ages, so when you need something to do that is both fun, educational, and keep them quiet, check this out!

Need more to do?
Check out these old Toddler Tech Tuesdays: here, here, here, and here.

Toddler Tuesday Tech Edition: Quivervision

Wow, wow, wow. You'll never go back to the old school coloring book. Quivervision is a mashup of your grandma's coloring and your future grandkid's technology. In your store, find the free app Quiver and let it download while you read this. By printing out one of their many coloring sheets, kids can turn their artwork into interactive 3d creations. Airplanes fly, dragons breathe fire, players kick soccer goals, and ballerinas dance. No special pens are needed, any pencil, marker, crayon, or paint works. The app works on both Android and iphones. There is a Crayola section with little kid appropriate options. The fire truck drives, you can move the ladder, and even shoot water across your dining room table.

Quiver Masks is their newest app which takes Quiver's augmented reality coloring pages and adds the technology of face tracking so that users can design their own masks. Both apps are free. Check it out!

Toddler Tuesday Tech Edition: Novel Effect

I found out about this program from school, and immediately downloaded it because I was so excited because I knew I wanted to use it at home. Literally that night I went home to try it out and was hooked. This.is.so.cool! So the app takes traditional read alouds to another level by adding layers of media. It works with books that you already have, and it is free to download. (This is not a sponsored post. I am really this excited!) Search for your book and read it like normal. The voice recognition will pick up on where you are in the story and add music, sound effect, and character voices. You can bookmark your favorites, and request the books that you want added. Check it out, we are super into it!

Teach Your Monster How To Read

It's getting cold, and today is particularly gross, so here's some technology in case you need it to pass the time. Teach Your Monster To Read is the most out of this world reading program- heh, heh, heh. It's space monsters y'all. This program can be played on the computer for free or on an ipad or a tablet or phone for $4.99. The program was funded by the Usborne Foundation which tries to expose as many children to literature as possible. The game is for children at the first stages of learning, but can be used for older children who need reading practice too. It starts at letters and letter sounds to blends, segmenting words, all the way to sentences and then it even moves to small books.

The first level is for pre-k students. Assuming a child plays for 20 minutes per night, the first section will last about seven weeks and will focus on letters and sounds. Step two in this phase lasts fourteen weeks and starts to put together some words with consonant vowel consonant patterns. If you've got a preschooler at home, check it out. Early literacy is so important for our babies! If you're looking for something for them to do, check out the program!

Toddler Tuesday Tech Edition V. 2

Once kids understand using the mouse and the keyboard, they learn everything else on a computer super fast. Happyclicks is a website that teaches kids to use these. Basically kids can start out by playing little games that just require them to click or touch the mouse. Each game will react with a motion or sound. The next step of games is for kids to play swipe games before moving on to a section of drag and drop. You'd think that clicking and moving at the same would be simple, but for kids who are still learning how to use their fingers- it's hard! Kids can advance from there to mazes and memory games to puzzles and coloring games.

Let me be clear. This site is not a pretty, state of the art, song and dance type site. It is bare bones. But I like it because of that. Not many sites are directly specifically to young toddlers, but this one is. RT still struggles with the difference between a computer and an iPad, so he sometimes tries to use the monitor as a touch screen. They do have an app called Maui Mini, but I like that RT is learning some computer skills by playing on the computer. It's nice to have a supply of mom tools in your toolbox for times when we need a distraction, have a rainy day, or just need some down time.

Toddler Tuesday Tech Edition v.1

It's March. It's cold. It's rainy. It's hard sometimes to get outside. So this month, every Tuesday I'll be sharing a website or app for Tech Tuesday that you can use with your toddler. I'm really excited for today's  post. This is a website that I use regularly in my classroom and it's awesome for home use too. It is totally FREE and awesome! So while this one isn't a fully educational website, it does have counting and songs to promote literacy. They also have science and social studies, health, and even a Spanish section. There are videos on enhancing focus, managing stress, and even building compassion. Most of the site though, just encourages to get up and MOVE. 

Kids or parents can pick either by the type of movement- balance, locomotor skills, coordination, fine motor, gross motor, cross lateral, and so on, or by the type of video. The videos include guided dance, yoga, stretches, workouts, brainercise and more. There is also a section called "indoor recess" that is a mega mix of it all! 

If you head over to the channels section, you'll see Zumba Kids, KooKoo Kangaroo, Kids Bop, and MooseTube which are the favorites for us. In the video above the guys dancing singing Popsico is KooKoo Kangaroo, and this song will forever be a reminder of three (former) third grade boys who I love. I can see them doing the dance in my head whenever I hear it! This is great for little guys, even if they are at home in their living room and not in a classroom. Get ready, to get sweaty! 

Toddler Lunch Time Solution

c/o Mira

Toddler lunches are hard. There are a million things to consider. They have to be able to eat it on their own. They usually can't microwave it. They have to store it until lunch. Some schools (like R's) don't allow nuts. There are more "can't eat's" than "eats" in this world. So when R started school this year I knew I wanted to up his lunch game. I reached out to Mira to partner with high hopes.

I did my research before I ordered, and I picked them because they are BPA free and the perfect toddler lunch size. I ordered the 13 ounce size for R's lunch, but honestly I have used it for mine too. The walls are double vacuum insulated and they have a condensation blocker. They are leak proof and stainless steel.  I also love that they support the Community Water Center which provides clean drinking water to those in need. I love buying things from companies that give back.

So here's the run down. With most thermoses, you preheat them by pouring in boiling water, microwaving whatever you want inside, and then putting them together. But I don't want R's food steaming hot, so I am able to skip the first step. I simply microwave whatever food I plan on sending, put it in the thermos in the morning, and pack it in his lunch. Easy. I've checked with his teacher, who says that it's hot and ready for him when he has lunch. The claim on them is that they keep items cold for 10 hours and hot for 5 hours, but the reviews online say that the food stays hot/cold even longer. Food doesn't usually last that long in our house- so we haven't tried that test out yet!

My ONLY thing I don't love about it is that you can't put it in the dishwasher. Which, is because it's a quality stainless steel product and I get it. It's worth the trade off, and it's pretty easy to clean.

Here's some awesome toddler things to put in it:

Hot:

• pastas (R's mac and cheese for tomorrow is cooking while I write this!) 
• quesadilla slices 
• pizza slices (just cut it smaller and lay it sideways) 
• quiche 
• scrambled eggs
• baked/refried beans 
• chili 
• oatmeal 
• nuggets
• fried rice
• pizza rolls
• meatballs (in our case veggie ones- they work too!) 
• asian noodles- any kind 
• enchiladas, burritos, soft tacos 

Pretty much anything cold works too, but I love these in there. 

• milk, and then pack cereal 
• smoothies 

Order it here, it comes in a few different colors: 

And R's lunchbox, which he LOVES can be found here. It looks like they are out of the dump truck now, but check out the taco truck! I love it.

Toddler Tuesday: Questioning Edition

I work with first grade students, so the question stems that I ask my kids every day are very different than the ones I ask my toddler. One of the questions that parents always have for me is how can they help their child become a better reader. I usually tell them that the questions they ask help shape their critical thinking, communication, and comprehension skills.

For little guys, it's obviously very different, but there are still question stems that you can craft to specifically build these skills.

For working on language:

• What do you see? 
• What sound does he make? (pointing to an animal) 
• What's that called? 
• Can you find the letter A? 
• What's something that starts with SHH on the page? 

For working on spatial understanding:

• What shape is that?
• Where are the circles?
• How many squares are there? 

For working on critical thinking:

• Where do you think he will go? 
• What do you think will happen next?
• Do you think he will do that again?

For working on empathy: 

• How do you think she is feeling? 
• How would you feel? 
• Did he make a good choice? 
• Is he being kind? 

For working on comprehension:

• Where are they? 
• What happened at the beginning? end? 
• What was your favorite part? 

Studies have found that reading 14.2 minutes per day can drastically change a child's life. This starts right now! Even if they can't understand the book, they are learning vocabulary, how print works, and learning so many concepts! This is one of the most powerful graphics that I always show my parents. Fall is the perfect time to dig in with a good book too! Happy reading! 

Toddler Tuesday: ROCKabye Baby Shower

One of the things I've been asked about posting is my baby shower, and having attended one for a friend recently, I've been thinking back to my own. I'm not going to lie; my family probably went a little bit overboard. We had over 70 people there, and it was "rockin" from start to finish. The theme was "Rockabye baby," which fits our family asthetic perfectly. We were lucky to have friends who were members of the Chesapeake Athletic Club, and they allowed us to host the party there at no cost to us. (We did make a donation, however.)

For decorations we had diaper cakes, a string of rock n' roll onesies, cut outs of stars and guitars, and a series of vinyl.  Because my friend Chelsea is awesome at photobooths, she set up a rock star inspired one.

We had enough food to feed an army (and we kinda did) and quite a few different drinks. I always wonder if it is taboo to serve alcohol at a baby shower, but it's fun for the guests too.

Because we had so many people there, we just did the game with the "water breaking" and had a scrapbook for people to sign, but other than that we didn't play a lot of games. We did have a diaper raffle which I just used the last diaper from this week, and they lasted for two years.

I love any reason to get my friends and family together. We had also previously done a smaller gender reveal brunch for immediate family where our "only here for the sex" cake showed us that R was a boy. I was SURE he was a girl, and wasn't ready, but now I can't imagine anything else. I'm certainly lucky to have so many people who wanted to celebrate, and lucky to have had so many of them there. I remember feeling so happy, full of love, and grateful to have so many people there. We are still using so many of the gifts that we were given, but more importantly I know how many of our village loves R and cares about him. They showed that even before he was born and they continue to show up over and over again to just watch him grow.

 

Toddler Tuesday: Quote Edition

A few quotes to get us through this Tuesday. 

• "Silence is golden- unless you have a toddler. In that case, silence is very, very suspicious."- unknown 
• "Having children is like living in a frat house. Nobody sleeps, everything is broken, and there's a lot of throwing up."- Ray Romano 
• You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance" Frankin P. Adams
• "Kids: They dance before they learn there is anything that isn't music."- William Strafford 
• "Having a two-year-old is like having a blender without the lid."- Jerry Seinfeld 

And now some quotes for the mamas: 

• "When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself, and once for her child."- Sophia Loren 
• “We have a secret in our culture, and it’s not that birth is painful. It’s that women are strong.” – Laura Stavoe Harm

Toddler Tuesday: Rainy Day Box

We have posted lots of indoor places to visit, but sometimes on a rainy day (or a cold day, or a snowy day, or a way too hot day; recently we have had all of those in one week!) you just want to stay home. We have what I call our rainy day box. I have seen people do this, but often they suggest going out and buying lots of things. I'm not about that, and you've got stuff in your house you can use! Sometimes we have been out and about and have picked up things that we just didn't have time to do. A good example of this was MallOween on the BOOulevard(Number 9). There were a few cute arts and craft stations, but there were so many other things going on. Pony rides, bounce houses, games-the point being we didn't have time for the craft. The same could be said for some of the library events that we go to. It's hard to compete with shelves full of toys. I always ask to take the craft home where I throw it into the box.

1. Letter puzzle - this was a hand me down.
2. This is a cool pinball art thing. We got it as a hand me down, and it says it is too old for him, but we did it and it's cool. I'm pretty sure it was from Five Below. You load the paint in and pull the handle and bam - art. 
3. Beach Ball, because they fold up small, take time to blow up, and are easy to hit around. 
4. Allllllllll the coloring paper. 
5. This is a mini chalkboard set that we got from the Hampton Carousel when we went around the holidays. 
6. Melissa and Doug water color painting. I'm linking these here because they are really cool. I think these would make a cool gift for someone too. 
7. Mini play dough from a birthday party goodie bag. Perfect size. 
8. Sticker books. Stock up on sticker books. Here is a giant one. 
9. Malloween craft
10. Hungry Caterpillar stickers. 
11. We have a few of these wooden puzzles. 
12. This is a leftover craft from a Home Depot event! 

Hanukkah coloring sheets leftover from school? Rainy day box. Sensory bag making kit? Rainy day box. Sometimes places like Highlights will send some sample stickers. I toss them in. It's really a free for all. They say that toddlers can only pay attention to something for 3-13 minutes. Sometimes on these days you can do great things to work on fine motor skills, math, letters, or science. Other days you just need something to occupy some time. A healthy mix of both is great.

Some other ideas:

01. Color hunt- If your little one knows their colors, head on a color hunt in your house. The same can be done with a number hunt.
02. Going along with the color theme, have your toddler sort items by colors. I'd keep a sheet of each color in the box and rotate the things you use. Hot wheels cars, buttons (if they won't eat them!), post it notes, anything can be sorted.
03. Have an indoor picnic. Have your toddler help lay out the blanket, carry the food, and pass everything out.
04. We store all of the goodie bags from birthday parties in our box. Often this has the mini playdough, bouncy balls, or mini slinky. We all know that usually these things are small and either break or get lost quickly. This is totally the time to use it.

Comment and tell us, what's a must have in your rainy day box?

Toddler Tuesday: Toy Edition

Toys... they are on the floor, under the couch, in the cabinets, and hidden in the back of the closet. Almost every night I put them away and every morning he pulls them back out. Sometimes I don't know why I even bother. We spend so much time out of the house that I try not accumulate too many toys, but we do have a few staples that we love. We tend to not give toys as gifts. Instead Neil and I will put money toward college funds or plan a trip somewhere.

This guitar y'all. My friend Nancy got it for us second hand for R's ROCK-a-bye baby shower. It came with batteries. Those batteries still work. So it's been two years. It plays actual songs. It's been dropped, thrown, dragged across the floor.. you name it. These drums are obviously needed to go with the guitar. They work on letters, numbers, animal sounds, repeating patterns, and growing patterns.

Trucks, trucks, trucks, trucks, all the trucks. Neil's Aunt Debbie gave R a dump truck when he was tiny and it has been all trucks since then. All the fire engines. The school busses. Did I mention the trucks? We have little trucks. We have big trucks. We have all of the trucks in between.

 

This activity table was also a hand me down, but both R and all his friends love it. We used to keep it in our bathroom for him to play with while Neil and I got ready in the morning. It's been so popular that it now has an official place in our front room.

Neil's parents gave R this ride on in the fire truck version when he was very little. We knew he would grow into it, but we didn't expect the level of zooming around the house that was to come. It was pretty cheap, and honestly it looks pretty cheap, but he loves it. The seat pops up and he stores his little trucks inside while he scoots around the house.

That's our toy round up! I'm sure this will change as he gets older, but for now these are our top picks! They have proved themselves to stand up against drops, throws, dog slobber, and everything in between.

Toddler Tuesday: TV Edition

Okay, let's be real here for a minute. We all know we have to limit screen time. We all probably should cut back some. But sometimes, the T.V. is what works. Sick kid? Rainy day? Cooking dinner and need a distraction? Sometimes the answer is the T.V. Our pediatrician has said one hour a day. You know how my kid is with his trucks. I know- everyone says don't gender your kid, offer both dolls and tools... but this kid only wants the trucks. When I planned his first birthday party, I thought that next year I'd have another theme to look forward to, but nope- looks like it might be trucks again. Good thing I saved most of the decorations!

This is easily the most watched show in our house. It comes on the CW Network, but we watch it on Netflix. There are a few different trucks, including a dump truck, tow truck, backhoe loader.. and more. There is music in this show, which R likes. I'll admit, maybe because I've seen it so much but Chuck annoys me slightly. He is kinda a brat but learns his lessons, so yeah- it's teaching how to be a good person.

Super Why was the first show we really stumbled upon that caught R's attention. It's a PBS show that takes place in Storybook Village. The characters are common fairy tale characters that look in books to solve their problems. I like it because every episode introduces a new vocabulary word, has a spelling segment, sings the ABC's, and works with rhyming words. In the newer seasons, woofster the dog introduces a new vocabulary word using his dictionary.  If you look at the Virginia SOLs, this pretty much goes along with several of them. It makes text to text and text to self connections. It addresses spelling patterns and rhyming words. It even uses reference resources to define words. When trying to rewrite the story, they use context clues to find meaning. So- the teacher in me loves this show. It has music and bright colors which R love too. And, I'm not kidding, when they sound out the letters, R has copied them sometimes so that's really great.

The last big show for R is Chuggington. This show is "train"ees who are learning how to become real adult trains with full responsibilities. There is some color recognition work, animals are frequent, and the trains learn everyday lessons. Things like following directions, checking what you're doing, and being a true friend.

We do sometimes watch Sesame Street too, which of course is great, but everyone already knows about! If you haven't tried these shows, try them out and let me know how you like them. If you've got more shows that you think we would like, please let me know!