Music Classes for Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers: Learn to Listen

 Listening skills do not come naturally to many toddlers and pre-schoolers. Their attention span is zero, as there are too many things around to see and explore, for them to bother remembering to listen and pay attention. Attending a music class has been a great way for my 3.5 year old son to practice how to listen and follow instructions.  This was a surprise benefit, as I thought a music class would be mostly about music and singing songs and, maybe sometimes, dancing.

Read More

Exploring Creative Tools

Little ones want to examine everything within their reach. This time of discovery leads the to the tools for expressing their creativity. Placing some paper or whiteboard on their level and some drawing/painting tools ready for use will allow your child to discover his/her ability to leave a mark. The first time my son scratched a pencil on paper he giggled with joy. It was a powerful experience for him to see that he could make something happen from what he was doing. 

I say their level for  little ones because you can sit comfortably with them while they move with their work and explore. Big chairs and tables can hinder the free flowing experience. Any option that brings the tools to their level will work. Little ones (I mean two and under ) seem to like putting their whole body into it.  As children develop an understanding of the use of cause and effect tools and refine their motor skills they will tell us stories using these tools. They can show us their joy and imagination. They can draw from their hearts and mind things they might not yet be able to fully express in words.

The prompting of this gift and supporting your child in the creative process is in my mind as valuable as teaching them to read and write. They are opening a channel of expression that allows them to share more of their heart with others.   Describing their artwork to you opens up a new world of discussion. Listening to their sweet little descriptions of their artworks is very uplifting Enjoy!

By Janine Georgiou-Zeck

Artist Educator 

www.jzartstudio.com 

Art classes age 4 and up

Sent from my iPod

Read More

Play date: Mixing Colors

Well, this is a play group blog, so I think posting a report on a play date would be a great idea!

It was my turn to host, only the 4th time in the past 2 years (the group has grown!). I already hosted a Natural Remedies and Therapeutic Massage playdate, a movie watching playdate, a scavenger hunt playdate (didn't happen due to weather), and now this one!

I stumbled upon this blog post earlier this year, and when the time came to submit my idea for the playdate, I decided to give it a try. This color mixing activity fits the age group and my ability to organize something like that (gotta be simple, in other words).

So, the play date finally took place! I had to cap the event, as I was doing it on my backyard patio, and I wasn't sure how well I could manage a group of toddlers on our unfinished backyard. Both myself and Santino were very excited and couldn't wait for the guests to come and to start mixing colors and playing.

We had 2 boys and 1 girl attending our play date. All 3 boys pretty soon moved to our big sand box of the backyard (unfinished after taking down our pool) to play with diggers, and Kate, Santino's favorite girl, was the only one actually enjoying the activity to the full.

In a few words, the color mixing playdate went well. I did take the idea from the blog post I mentioned before, but I didn't follow it step-by-step.

I set up a "board" with words to use while explaining the activities to the kids. Then I pre-mixed 3 base colors, and set them up in the plastic containers on the floor of the deck. 

I prepped the color refills in advance. I know how impatient toddlers can get, so I wasn't going to let them wait in case the needed more.

I then separated the cornstarch in the bowls and set aside for later. Cornstarch was just an additional substance, which made a pretty cool goop with all the colored water kids created.

 

To refill the water, I filled up a small pool. I also prepared the towels, in case the kids get too wet and dirty.

 

For a party feel, I brought the radio with some kiddie music. They loved it! All and all, we had fun. Moms socialized and kids got messy. And that's what's it all about, isn't it?

Photo by Christine Burton-Boyce

Photo by Christine Burton-Boyce

Read More

My chid doesn't sleep

If you think I'm joking, you are wrong. My 2,5 y.o. toddler has always had big problems falling asleep.

Back in the baby days, I solved this issue simply by co-sleeping and breastfeeding on demand. The older he got, though, the worse his sleep became. I've found a way to put him to bed every night, and by following this routine, anybody can put him to sleep by 7:30 pm. But if something deviates from the usual, forget it! No sleep, lots for crying and the night and the next few days are ruined for both toddler and parents. Sleep deprived toddler will be cranky and whiny all day, difficult to settle, not interested in anything, unable to concentrate.

My son will not sleep better if he ran around for hours all afternoon. If anything, he will sleep worse. He will not pass out on my shoulder or on the chairs at the party, he will not even fall asleep in the car on the way back from an event. The more excited he gets, the less chances for a good night sleep.

I've found my ways and little tricks to calm him down and have him sleeping in his bed through the night. We've dropped the nap back when he turned 2. Well, he dropped that nap, and I tried to fight that for a month or so, and then gave up.

I am used to the un-approving glances from the old school people, like my mom, when they hear about our "no nap" routine. They think I didn't set the schedule! Ha ha ha! They don't know! All my days, weeks, months, and even years were designed to set a schedule. Trust me, no nap is better for him. Even if the nap goes from 11 am until 1 pm, no good night sleep is guaranteed in our house after it.

We worked hard on determining that no toys or blankies could help Santino calm down enough to fall asleep. He never took pacifiers (and I'm happy he didn't). The only sleep association he has is music. For a while, I've used white noise recordings, like ocean waves and rain sounds, but that stopped working at one point. Then we switched to the calm songs and lullabies. I compiled all my favorite tunes from the cartoons back from my childhood in one big recording. Now we switched to a CD with soft classical music and birds chirping. As long as it is something quiet, it works for us.

Dinner, bath, book, potty, bed, milk. This is our routine. He knows he has to be quiet and stay in bed to get his milk, and I usually take my time. More often, then not, by the time that I return, he is already asleep.

I am relieved to hear from time to time, that some other moms went through the same ordeal. Their kids also didn't sleep, and that often lasted until kids turned 4 years old or so.  So, I'm bracing myself, trying to stay positive, and looking forward to the other beautiful challenges my beautiful little boy is going to bring me.

On the bright side, at least I have something to share. Sleep-deprived parents, unite!

How do you get your non-sleeping toddler to sleep?

Read More

One of "Those Days"

Today will go down in history as "one of those days".  I'm sure many of my mommy friends will be able to relate.  You know one of "those days" when you just should have trusted your "gut" and not left the house?  Yup.... That was me!

I left our local community centre this morning (they were having a special kids Easter event) at 36 weeks pregnant carrying my 35lb kicking and screaming 2 year old *sigh*. This was after what i think were three very generous warnings about waiting in line (patience), staying close to mommy (obedience) and listening with your ears (attentiveness) - three character qualities that we've been working really hard at.

We are now home having a "time out day" which includes us watching his Brother Francis movie about "Forgiveness".  He requested it after a discussion we had about how he should to say sorry to mommy and Jesus for his behaviour (we are a practicing Catholic family).  I thought it was an excellent idea! In fact; I think we will spend the day learning more about this forgiveness and repentance as a result.  

In reflecting on what had happened; all I can do is chalk this up to a learning experience and a really good lesson for me as a mom.  I really need to learn to trust my "gut instinct" (or if your a Christian family, those little messages that God sends you) a little more. Obviously when your child wakes up rotten (like we all do at times); probably not a smart idea to take him out to a major event where there will be lots of temptation and chaos.  It's actually probably not fair to even expect a 2 year old to be able to handle something like that given his temperament that day.  Lesson learned! 

The great thing about days like today is all the great things we learn from it - both us as moms as well as our children.  I'm actually really looking forward to a day of teaching and reflection with my son about behaviour, forgiveness and remorse.  

Luckily I don't have many days like this  ;)

Thank You,

Connie & Jonathan Berenguer

Founders / Directors

E. connie@connieberenguer.com

W. www.goobergang.yolasite.com

 

Resources: Brother Francis series of DVDs for children. Especially "Forgiven". 

See http://www.catholicchapterhouse.com/store/dvds/children-s-dvds/brother-francis-forgiven-the-blessings-of-confession

Read More

Good 'Ol Fashioned Birthdays Parties and Potential HARMFUL Risks You May Not Have Thought About

As an event planner by profession and fellow mom, of course my head is always spinning with new event ideas and ways for the kids to have a fun time.  Recently I had to plan to party which would have many children ages 0-6 years.  I must have been stuck in some type of time warp the last few years, because what apparently the things we all grew up with at birthday parties as children (and still likely do in our homes and experience when we go to other birthday parties) are now not considered "safe".  In fact, they are FORBIDDDEN in many places.  

I am sharing this information with all you fellow parents and "party planners" out there in case you, like me, had no idea.  And please don't feel bad about it!  Because I totally beat myself up (and likely still am, hence this blog rant post) because I felt like "I should have known better" or that I was a "bad mother" or "bad event planner" because of it.  The fact of the matter is that information changes all the time and sometimes we don't even realize such things until we become a parent and experience it hands on to learn about it.  Of course we all want the best for our children and when caring for other children we especially want to ensure their safety as well.  So although you (like me) may find some of these things a little "extreme"; after thinking about it some more you may see that they do in fact make sense.  Just be aware of these recommendations and decide what to do in your own home for your own parties and with your own children - and don't be surprised like I was if a 3rd party place you chose to host a party at will absolutely just not allow certain things in their facility.

Allow me to elaborate on just some the dangers: 

1.     Balloons.  Apparently now HUGELY forbidden. I had some that I was going to blow up for decoration at a party but apparently they are a huge choking hazard for children (both un-inflated and inflated).  I must have been naive to think that birthday parties generally have balloons?   The last dozen of parties I've been to with my son recently have had balloons?  I never thought twice about it.   But yes, it's true (see links below to Canadian Red Cross).   Balloons are totally a thing of parties past. 

2.     Most Candy & Chocolate.  It's not challenging enough (but at least it's very common knowledge now) that we need to be extremely careful when it comes to Nut Free treats.  This is generally an accepted principal across the board now and "common knowledge".  However in going through my Piñata recently almost 100% of what was in there proposed some type of danger per the resource links provided.  Whether it be a dangerous due to a "stick" (i.e. lolly pops), too hard of candy, too chewy of candy, the shape, the size, etc. -- the fact is that most candy you can get today is just NOT RECOMMENDED.  So scrap the piñata all together I suppose?

3.     Popcorn.  Yup!  They serve it as part of the kids meals at movie theatre and will sell it to you at any children's show (I just bought some for my son at Disney On Ice), but also extremely not advisable. With its sharp edges and kernel flakes, popcorn is one of those foods that can even get caught in an adult's throat, causing gagging and choking.

Thankfully we could sing happy birthday and have a candle for me to blow for the event I had planned.  (I suppose it wasn't unreasonable for me to ask if cutting a cake with a knife or having an "open flame" was an issue after my other new findings?   (--> insert sarcasm here ;) ........ Good thing this was allowed *phew* cause my birthday party plans would have turned into just another day of chaos but with 30 unoccupied kids to entertain and equally frazzled moms.

Thank You,

Connie Berenguer

Founder / Director

Newmarket Goober Gang Play Group

E. connie@connieberenguer.com

W. www.goobergang.yolasite.com

See the following resources for further information:

Canadian Red Cross http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=6884&tid=021

Ontario Public Health: http://news.ontario.ca/mcscs/en/2011/08/public-safety-reminder-from-the-chief-coroner-for-ontario.html

Read More

Anticipation and Fascination: Creative Tools

Article 3



Anticipation and fascination: These are two tools that can inspire creative thought. When children experience some anticipation they get curious and excited, this stimulates the mind and directs it into thoughts and feelings that help develop problem solving skills. Here you see my son and daughter 10 years ago allowing a caterpillar to crawl on them. They are fascinated and they are anticipating the creatures next move while taking in the beauty and feeling of it. They still remember the experience today. Creative and alternative teaching methods seem to reap the greatest rewards. Who doesn’t remember a field trip in elementary school or an excursion with family where they discovered something new and fascinating. When something happens that fascinates a child they express joy or surprise and observe closely. They are taking in this new revelation, this new experience and expanding their thinking and their feelings. These memories tend to become permanent faster than a more mundane experience. Doing anything in a creative way enriches the whole experience.

 We can ignite anticipation by suggesting something exciting like building a leaf fort, or making letters out of cookie dough. We can engage in the anticipation while reading stories and pausing to ask “what do you think will happen next?” The response is a wide eyed stare and then suggestions from the mouths of babes.

 

The fun continues as they engage in the activity and enjoy the creative journey. Fascination arrives as they complete a task and observe your reaction and when they see their cookie letters come out of the oven and they enjoy eating them piece by piece. Some letters will change as they eat them, like a Capital E might become a capital L after two bites. Stories always fascinate especially if we use fun voices and encourage the children to join in here and there.

My sister in England once put a foam letter into coloured goop (corn starch, water and colouring) with foam shapes of objects that started with her chosen letter. Her sons enjoyed pulling the objects out of the goop and sounding them out. This is a creative way to build connections with letters, make memories that last, ignite anticipation and revel in their fascination.

Janine Georgiou-Zeck
Janine’s school of Fine Arts.
Newmarket, On
905-952-0806
www.jzartstudio.com

Read More

Creative Hands Creative Hearts!

Article 2

 

As parents we think of so many things we would like our children to accomplish and dream of them doing great things. When my teens were little and I would drop them off at school I would say “Do Great Things”.

They knew that I felt that the little, kind and thoughtful things they did each day were “Great Things” to me. We are the teachers of great things. We know  when we are presented with a teachable moment. We have the gift of a wonderful connection with our own children. They hang on our words and actions. They hold moments close to their hearts and pull them out of a hat when they need them. When they are toddlers they are retaining memories that are tactile and more of the visual. It’s a time to feed the visual memory by supporting it with tactile connections.  It’s a time to share with them how their little hands can be creative and hearts thoughtful at the same time..

Valentines is a time to show your little ones visual ways of expressing what is in their hearts.

The heart itself is a great first shape to teach. Using their own hands they can form a rough shape of a heart. They can stamp their hand in finger paint or have you paint the bottom of their hands with a washable paint. You might want to have a bowl of soapy water and a towel ready. Once the heart is stamped as many times and in as many colours as they like, they can fill in the shape.

 

You could offer them some decorative sticky foam or other embellishments that are easy to apply to decorate the artwork or card. You can cut shapes out that they can stick on. Ask them what they would like to say in words on their gift, and who they would like to give it to. You can use dots for letters they can trace over or write the words for them.  This will help them to reinforce connections with others through a creative channel, while learning about a special shape and their abilities.

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!

Janine G-Z . 
Janine’s school of Fine Arts. 
Newmarket, On 
905-952-0806 
 www.jzartstudio.com 

    

Read More

Guest post: Our Little Creative Thinkers

By Janine Georgiou-Z 
Article 1

In the 21^st Century our children need to be creative and critical thinkers. We are continuously moving forward into times of new challenges. Creative thinkers will pave the way as problem solvers and engineers of the future. 

When your child says “ I love to draw” what they are saying is that that they love to use the creative side of their mind. This is an expression of one of their many gifts and talents. This gift if nurtured will enrich their lives in many ways. One way will be to infuse all areas of their education.  Creative thought processes  will help them explore other subjects with curiosity and search for creative solutions to problems that arise. Joy in one area inspires contentment and enriches abilities in another. 

The very beginning of this creative process is the wonderful stories children are told that inspire their imagination and the mucky stuff we let them touch and explore, like paint and textured creative materials. These are a feast for the hungry mind of child. As you know if you feed them well they will flourish as will the creative spirit that dances with the arts. All one needs to get stared is their little ones and a few simple materials. 

   

When my teens were toddlers I threw a huge sheet of paper on the kitchen floor, and had 6 colours of paint at hand, as well as a bucket of soapy water and some towels. We had a blast. The paper became a beautiful mural of hands and feet and I think a nose or two.lol. I know it’s not an everyday event especially with a busy household, but trust me it is one of those events that are never forgotten, for the pure creative fun of it. Take photos and stick the poster on the ceiling so they can look up at it while lying on the floor. Even if it’s just for little while. Of course you want to wait until it dries. 

These moments will inspire future creative moments in both you and your children. Get messy and have fun!


Janine G-Z . 
Janine’s school of Fine Arts. 
Newmarket, On 
905-952-0806 
 www.jzartstudio.com 

Read More

Sensory fun at home! Easy, fun, great activity for a toddler.

 So I decided to ease up on posting every day in our mag. I wouldn't want this to become all about my life with my kid, but I still feel that there is a lot to share. That's why I decided to post a summary of our sensory activities, selected ones that I've documented so far.

Santino's sensorial activities have been mostly tactile these days, with a few occasional auditory, visual, and thermic. I haven't been documenting much of these other experiments, but he has learned to discriminate by size, length, weight, loudness, color, even edibility. With the tactile activities he uses his small muscles, just the hands, and sometimes the tips of the fingers, and that allows him concentrate his attention on sorting, touching and feeling. He has his preferences and often starts off not wanting to touch another funny messy substance mommy pulled out for him. After some time he accepts the new tactile sensation, and this helps him learn his likes and dislikes, helps him classify his experiences and learn about the world around him.

The ideas, inspiration and terminology came from Montessori school. While it is the most popular type of schooling nowadays for the preschoolers and elementary students, the sensorial activities are applicable for children of all ages. Though use your judgement on what is safe for your child (I'm not suggesting giving some playdough to your newborn, and a bunch of tiny beads your 1 year old). And always, always exercise caution and supervise closely!

Out of the sensory activities that I've published on my blog so far, here is my top 5.

1. Homemade finger painting.

I loved this activity because not only it was a great sensorial fun for Santino and Kate, but also an artistic experiment, giving the kids an opportunity to play with colors the way they wanted, even if it meant painting on their own hands and tummy instead of the paper. Check out here the full report.

2. Christmas sensory bin.

This one was a fun one, as Santino got to play with some Christmas decorations, let him practice his fine motor skills and introduced him to a regular sensorial play. From that point on I've been trying to create and encourage at least one sensorial play a day. See the post here.

3. Flour and water.

This is an awesome simple activity that in its simplicity was great, allowing Santino concentrate on something for a long time. Read here.

4. Cloud dough.

Another activity with flour. Also, very simple to arrange, and so captivating for a toddler! Here's my report.

5. Homemade playdough.

This was an equally guided and child-led activity. I was sitting next to Santino, explaining how the prints work, how the playdough texture allows to mold it into shapes. He would take what I said and immediately put it to use, only the way he thought it would be fun, not my way. Check this post here.

I would so recommend these activities at home! They are very easy to organize, easy to explain, give something to do to your toddler and make you (mom) feel great about yourself, because you let your child play and learn and it will give his/her brain such a boost!

This is a review of only 5 activities, but the rest of our sensory play was as much fun! See all posts under "sensory" tag here.

Read More

Practicing fine motor skills. Playing with tongs.

Santino's favorite utensil actually has a much greater purpose, other then just distracting him when I'm washing dishes or cooking. Tongs help children to work on the grip of their hands and fingers, preparing them for writing.

I found this great article here (click), giving a few great suggestions to promote development of the fine motor skills. Santino always loved playing with tongs, snapping them like crocodiles, but now I was able to actually put this utensil to a good use.

I started giving Pipidinko small and light large objects to pick up with the tongs. Yesterday we picked up and sorted chickpeas and beads. I reminded him that these are "chickpeas and beads" both in English and in Russian.

 

He picked up plastic containers, after he practiced opening them.

 

Today he enjoyed playing with the wooden blocks. I suggested building a tower with the tongs. He loved this idea! And once he was finished, he wanted to do it again and again!

 

 

I gave him an empty eggs container (actually, only a half, as it was a leftover from another project) and 5 small onions to pick up with the tongs and put in the egg slots. He also learned "onion" and "slots", again in both languages.

Once he was done, he wanted to take them out, again, with the tongs.
 

I noticed he often switches hands, and doesn't always stick to the right hand, not only when playing with tongs, but also when drawing and painting. Often he would take 2 paint brushes and will paint with both at the same time.

To summarize, I loved these activities! I can see Pipidinko doing this every day, picking up more fun stuff, practicing, concentrating and just simply enjoying himself!

Read More

Easy homemade play dough. Dinosaur tracks

I actually made playdough before, like half a year ago. Pipidinko wasn't interested much in it. I made some playdough pictures for him, and he admired those, but that was it. Then I bought a playdough set a few months later, and he enjoyed stuffing it in different tubes and kept asking me to open a new jar until all the playdough was dried out. I find commercial playdough very tough, not really suitable for a toddler.

Today I gave it another try. I made a new batch: 1 cup of flower, 1/3 cups of salt, 2 tsp cream of tartar, 1 tbs olive oil, 1 cup water, cinnamon. Mixed all in a saucer on the medium heat, divided into 3 parts and added different food coloring to every batch. Kneaded the dough for a few minutes, until very smooth.

I was inspired by this article here. I thought it would be an  awesome idea to explore different shapes and textures, and see how they make different imprints. Only either Santino is still too young to be interested, or he just wasn't in the mood today, but out of the items I placed in front of him, he only wanted to explore the fire truck, the dinosaur and the hippo.

 

I did manage to sneak in a Christmas tree ornament, a fork and a pencil, but that was it. Then back to the dinosaur.

 

He loved making dinosaur tracks, skin and tail imprints.

He also loved having hippo stuck in the playdough.

The hippo and the dinosaur had a few fights.

Between making prints, I encouraged Pipidinko to take the play dough and squish it in both of his hands. He actually liked it, but didn't want to do it for long, just a few squishes. I consider it still a good start. All and all, this was a fun time. We spent good 40 minutes playing with this playdough. I put it away in a zip lock container and in the fridge until next time.

This is a copy of this article

Read More