As I write this post I have two sleeping kids – in their BEDS.  We dismantled the cot today, and my not-so-baby-boy is fast asleep in his big boy bed.  So far so good.  The only sound I’ve heard is snoring!

We talked a lot about the transition, so he was very well prepared for the move and very excited about it all.  He loves his new jungle quilt and striped sheets, he loves climbing up and down himself, and he just loved introducing his much loved bear to their new abode!  The first thing they did was lie down on the big new pillow together and pretend to sleep, then shout “Wake up!” and do it all over again.  Too cute.

To help with a smooth transition we also kept routine as normal as possible.  The bathtime-teethtime-storytime-prayertime-cuddletime-sleeptime routine is well established for both kids.  So tonight, everything was the same as normal, except that we had stories together on his new bed.

I was hoping we might be able to ditch the dummy with the cot.  I did give it a try but conceded defeat, as in all honesty it’s another familiarity which will aid the transition.  I guess he’ll give the dummy up when he’s ready.  Right??

I must admit I had a little sentimental moment today.  As we packed the cot away I realised that we are probably through the “baby phase” and are onto a new stage as a family.  I’m not sad really.  I love seeing my kids grow and change and embrace new things.  It’s just that they grow so fast.

I think I’ll go and check him one more time before I turn in myself.  It’s funny how he seems such a big boy in his bed, yet at the same time still so very little with all those covers around him!

It’s a pond, silly!

Here, I’ll help you:

Frog, rocks,

lily pads, fish,

dragonfly, reeds.

See?

A whole ecosystem!

(With night time stars reflected in the water…)

When I stop looking with grownup eyes and start looking with toddler eyes this beautiful creation comes to life.  It ceases to be a box full of junk mail and becomes the play world my daughter dreamed it to be.  Isn’t play a beautiful thing?

Come play at the Childhood 101 We Play link up…

There are very few things in our home which are solely mine, and my laptop is one of them.  It got a special mention in my 100th post, and in my blogaversary post.  It was even the star of one of my earliest posts about maintaining a sense of self!  But my gorgeous, purple, blossom patterned Dell Inspiron does NOT usually look like this:

Do you have any idea, any at all, how relieved I was when I discovered my son had only used the WHITEBOARD marker from my blogging wall calendar?!!  Exhale.  The pen marks rubbed straight off.  No big deal.

And I was reminded again that stuff is just stuff.

Yesterday the show opened with regular presenter Matt updating his blog on his laptop before sending a quick text to his co-presenter Karen, grabbing his digital camera and heading to the park!  Of course, the computer, phone and camera were all box constructions lovingly handmade out of recyclables.  I shared what I was seeing on fb and twitter.

and received lots of comments and positive tweets:

My readers were largely supportive of Play School’s hi-tech segment, but elsewhere online reactions ranged from bewilderment to outrage!  I for one fully support Play School’s inclusion of current technology in appropriate ways for the purpose of teaching our children about effective communication. It wasn’t an episode about playing computer games.  It was an episode about ways of sharing information, and helping our kids to understand the similarities and differences between online, offline, written, spoken and non verbal types of communication.  Like it or not, mobile devices are going to play an enormous role in our children’s lives, and our kids will need to be effective communicators in the digital world.

Here’s my daughter on her own box-construction laptop at 18mths of age:

And here’s her progression of laptop use from age 2-3:

Laptops, iphones, and other devices are a completely normal part of our world at home, and so they are completely normal for our kids.  Our three year old daughter already understands more about laptop usage than I did at thirteen (hang on, were laptops even around then…?).  I’ve posted about this before here.  As she grows it will be important for her to learn not only about the practical side of using technology, but also about the nuances between different communication platforms.  What we post on a blog is different from the information we would put in a txt and slightly different again from an update on facebook playbook (hehehe…. that was clever PS writers).  I applaud Play School for incorporating this understanding into their Communication theme this week.

What about you?

He could post anything, anywhere.

He posted things in the bin

and the toilet

and the dishwasher

and the laundry basket

and the sink.

He posted through the verandah slats

and out of windows.

The boy’s mother made him a postbox so that he could post sensibly,

but the boy was not interested in sensible.

He was interested in interesting.

It’s interesting to post necklaces in toilets.

It’s interesting to post toys in the bin.

It’s interesting to see Mummy’s reaction.

*  *  *

Anyone else been through this interesting phase and have any suggestions to share?  It’s driving me crazy!

A friend gave my daughter this sweet wooden game which is just perfect for such occasions.

It’s basically a balancing game, and I love that it can be single or multiplayer.  You roll the coloured die and place the corresponding piece onto the wobbly base.  If you knock the tower down you lose!

There are only six or seven pieces in the game, and as they are all made of soft wood they don’t make too much noise on a coffee table when they crash down (yes, we’ve tried it in a few cafes…)  I’d love to find where to buy this game as it would make a great little gift.

I’m curious.  How do you keep your little ones quiet but still busy when you’re out in public?  What’s in your bag of tricks??

1.  Invite the hairdresser to your house

2.  Let big sis go first so you can see it’s totally safe

3.  Pick the coolest cape

4.  Have your best buddy on hand for moral support

5.  Soak up the attention when Mummy says you’re handsome!

]]> http://squigglemum.com/kids/toddlers/the-perfect-first-cut/feed/ 11 http://squigglemum.com/activities/activities-indoor/three-easy-wreaths/ http://squigglemum.com/activities/activities-indoor/three-easy-wreaths/#comments Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:39:20 +0000 SquiggleMum http://squigglemum.com/?p=2036 Nothing acknowledges that you are embracing Christmas quite like a wreath on the front door.  It says, “We’re happy it’s Christmas and we’re happy you’re here too!”  Have you got one on your door yet?  If not, here are three super easy wreaths you can make with your toddler, all using paper plates as an inexpensive base.

For each of the wreaths, start with a plain paper plate.  Cut into the centre of the plate and remove the inner circle.  How much of each wreath your child will be able to do independently will vary.  As a rough guide though:

• One year olds+ can stick paper onto blobs of glue.
• Two year olds+ can spread glue and stick on precut paper.
• Three year olds+ can do some cutting, glue independently and have their own ideas on how to approach tasks.

You might like to have a go at one of these easy wreaths…

1.  Hand wreath.  Trace around your child’s hand onto Christmas wrapping paper, or coloured paper.  Fold the paper over so that you can cut out several at the same time.  Paste the hands onto the wreath overlapping slightly.  Attach hanging ribbon.  Alternatively you could paint little hands and do lovely handprints, then cut out when dry – if you don’t mind mess!  (These three hand wreaths were made by toddlers aged 14mths, 18mths and 3 – with varying degrees of adult support.)

2.  Leaf wreath.  Inspired by Caro’s leaf hunt we searched the backyard for interesting leaves and collected a fantastic array of green, yellow, red and purple leaves.  Using PVA glue we attached these to our paper plate ring.  To add some Christmas sparkle we also glued on sequins and attached some jingly bells.  This wreath turned out so well and is currently on our front door!

3.  Ribbon wrapped wreath.  This was one probably the most challenging for us.  It was definitely a team effort as I helped my three year old to wind the ribbons round and around, through the centre of the ring, without getting tangled up!  She got frustrated at times, but we persisted and she got the hang of it.  We used ribbon scraps from our giftwrapping box, and secured them at the back of the paper plate ring with sticky tape.

Do you have any other suggestions for wreaths toddlers can make?  Leave a comment below, or blog your ideas and I’ll link you up here!

Amanda has another paper plate idea.

It’s so tempting to overspend on our kids at Christmas, so here are my budget conscious picks from The Toy Bug.  And don’t forget you get to take an extra 10% off.  Happy Shopping!!

Under $10

Animal Tape Measure $3

Fish Jigsaw $6

Dino Stilts $9

$10-$20

Garden 3pce Tool Set $12

Wooden Xylophone $12

4 Layer Frog Puzzle $12.95

Transport Bath Squirts $15.95

Cutting Fruit $18

Elephant Pull Along $18

Fashion In The Tub $18.95

Charlie & Lola Umbrella $20

$20-$30

Joey the Monkey $22

Caterpillar Balance $24.95

Circus Playset $28

String & Beep $29.95

$30-$50

Shape Sorter $34.20

Janod Jungle Puzzle $34.95

Very Hungry Caterpillar $39.95

Tin Tea Set $44.95

Wooden Dress Up Mice $45

To claim your discount, make sure you use the code SM10 at the checkout.

All items and prices listed are current at 1/12/09.  Be quick as I know popular items can sometimes sell out!!

I’m playing Toddler Translation again with Childhood 101 and this week’s word is trust.

trust [truhst] –noun

reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.

– dictionary.com

Families are built on trust.

My son trusts Daddy to hold him tight.

I trust my husband too.

There is no fear in this photo.

There is freedom in trust.

As a family

we trust each other

and we trust

in God.