Showing posts with label Nataliya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nataliya. Show all posts
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Music Classes for Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers: Learn to Listen
Monday, December 23, 2013
After the Ice Storm in GTA
As we suffered from the terrible ice storm, with frozen streets, cars and power lines which left many areas without power for several days, I think there is a positive side to this ordeal as well. I just wanted to share a couple of photos I tried to make today. Frozen trees look magical, as if made of crystal and gold.
These photos were made in Newmarket today. Please note, I am by no means a professional photographer, neither do I have a professional camera.
Here is my son "riding" a snow dinosaur, which we made a few days ago. Covered with a thick layer of ice, it became very stiff and very much ride-able!
The snowman also is covered with ice. Beautiful, and a rather sad view.
These photos were made in Newmarket today. Please note, I am by no means a professional photographer, neither do I have a professional camera.
Here is my son "riding" a snow dinosaur, which we made a few days ago. Covered with a thick layer of ice, it became very stiff and very much ride-able!
The snowman also is covered with ice. Beautiful, and a rather sad view.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
"Countdown to Christmas" Activities. Day 1.
As I've been told multiple times by multiple people, it is normal for the little boys not to be interested in art, creative activities, painting, gluing. I still encourage Santino to do something creative every day. Even if it is just a few strokes on the blackboard. Something!
Making wreaths or any other kind of Christmas crafts is a challenge here. Well, not the "making" per se, but the interest in such activity. Santino only wants to play with dinosaurs (anything related to dinosaurs) and silly wreaths had nothing to do with them. Now they do!
Read full article here
Making wreaths or any other kind of Christmas crafts is a challenge here. Well, not the "making" per se, but the interest in such activity. Santino only wants to play with dinosaurs (anything related to dinosaurs) and silly wreaths had nothing to do with them. Now they do!
Sunday, June 30, 2013
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?
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?
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| Photo by Christine Burton-Boyce |
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| Photo by Christine Burton-Boyce |
Sunday, May 19, 2013
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?
Monday, April 1, 2013
Instead of a "Bucket List" - April Activities for Kids
Back in December I suggested to come up with a list of fun activities for winter, a so called "bucket list", and we did! For spring, I am posting a suggested activities calendar for kids. Its fun! (Source: http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/calendar) Grab your ideas for the play dates, moms!
Monday, March 4, 2013
A post on LWAB blog. Local Resources: Ontario Early Years Center, York North (Newmarket)
This is the first Nataliya's post on LWAB blog as a part of a series about local places of fun for children.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
High fiber breakfast: Crispy French Toast
I would like to share this yummy breakfast recipe we've been enjoying these days! Not only it tastes great, but it is also as healthy as it gets, full high fiber and protein. And if you add a fruit salad on a side, then it is even better!
The inspiration for this breakfast came from here. Only I gave it more fiber by changing the bread to a multi-grain toast, and using bran cereal instead of cornflakes.
I usually make 2 toasts, for myself and Santino (my husband is not a fan of French toasts, he is more eggs and bacon kind of guy).
I warm up the oven to 400 F. I rub a baking dish with butter, so that it is covered, but not clumping too much.
I toast the bread slices. I usually set the toaster on 4, so that the would come out crispy, not just warm. Meanwhile, I beat up an egg with milk. I then beat in the flour and a few drops of vanilla and just a tiny bit of salt. I don't put any sugar.
I crush the bran flakes with my fingers and place them in a bowl. Take out the toast slices, cut in 4 pieces, soak a little bit in the egg mixture (not too long, so that they don't fall apart). Then dip the slices in the flakes and arrange in the baking dish.
Set the kitchen timer to 10 minutes, and bake on the middle rack. Then flip over and bake for 5 more minutes.
Serve with a few drops of maple syrup or honey with a fruit salad on a side.
The inspiration for this breakfast came from here. Only I gave it more fiber by changing the bread to a multi-grain toast, and using bran cereal instead of cornflakes.
I usually make 2 toasts, for myself and Santino (my husband is not a fan of French toasts, he is more eggs and bacon kind of guy).
- 2 multi-grain toast slices
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup of milk
- 1 tbs flour
- vanilla
- 1 cup of bran flakes
I warm up the oven to 400 F. I rub a baking dish with butter, so that it is covered, but not clumping too much.
I toast the bread slices. I usually set the toaster on 4, so that the would come out crispy, not just warm. Meanwhile, I beat up an egg with milk. I then beat in the flour and a few drops of vanilla and just a tiny bit of salt. I don't put any sugar.
I crush the bran flakes with my fingers and place them in a bowl. Take out the toast slices, cut in 4 pieces, soak a little bit in the egg mixture (not too long, so that they don't fall apart). Then dip the slices in the flakes and arrange in the baking dish.
Set the kitchen timer to 10 minutes, and bake on the middle rack. Then flip over and bake for 5 more minutes.
Serve with a few drops of maple syrup or honey with a fruit salad on a side.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
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.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
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!
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!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Good Bye 2012 and Happy New Year!
Let me take this opportunity to write a short results post.
2012 was a year when we started this venture - Goober Gang Mag. This is a place for the Goober Gang moms to write whatever they are experiencing when bringing up their children, share ideas and thoughts.
One great thing is that Goober Gang Mag found its place in our lives and on the internet. To date, we have 68 published posts (including this one) and over 6000 visits to our blog. 4 Goober Gang moms and several guest bloggers, including Nanny Robina, submitted articles to our little magazine.
On a down side, most moms are busy, and for a while we had no articles published. We could use more input from other members in the next year, as all our moms are amazing individuals, come from various backgrounds and can share so much for all of us to learn!
As for me personally, I had an exhausting year, and most of my time was filled by figuring out just another way for Santino to go to sleep. I also had several personal and family issues, but that is nothing new, everybody has that.
I learned how to feel more confident in expressing my thoughts in writing, so I am planning on writing more in the coming year. I got inspired to search online for various homeschooling activities for toddlers and started incorporating them in Santino's daily routine. We went through a rejection period, when Santino didn't want to do anything I offered, was not interested in anything I said, and would only respond to treats (Santino, where is A? Silence... You know A, can you show it to mommy, please? Silence. Santino, look, can you find an A? Silence. Show mommy an A, and I will give you a cookie. Here it is!)
So, here are a few of my New Year resolutions:
- Organize Goober Gang Mag tags better. I've been thinking about this for a long time now.
- Find, try and share more toddler activities, on a more organized basis.
- Find at least one guest blogger per month.
C'mon Goober Moms! Join in!
Happy New Year and may all your plans come to successful implementation!
2012 was a year when we started this venture - Goober Gang Mag. This is a place for the Goober Gang moms to write whatever they are experiencing when bringing up their children, share ideas and thoughts.
One great thing is that Goober Gang Mag found its place in our lives and on the internet. To date, we have 68 published posts (including this one) and over 6000 visits to our blog. 4 Goober Gang moms and several guest bloggers, including Nanny Robina, submitted articles to our little magazine.
On a down side, most moms are busy, and for a while we had no articles published. We could use more input from other members in the next year, as all our moms are amazing individuals, come from various backgrounds and can share so much for all of us to learn!
As for me personally, I had an exhausting year, and most of my time was filled by figuring out just another way for Santino to go to sleep. I also had several personal and family issues, but that is nothing new, everybody has that.
I learned how to feel more confident in expressing my thoughts in writing, so I am planning on writing more in the coming year. I got inspired to search online for various homeschooling activities for toddlers and started incorporating them in Santino's daily routine. We went through a rejection period, when Santino didn't want to do anything I offered, was not interested in anything I said, and would only respond to treats (Santino, where is A? Silence... You know A, can you show it to mommy, please? Silence. Santino, look, can you find an A? Silence. Show mommy an A, and I will give you a cookie. Here it is!)
So, here are a few of my New Year resolutions:
- Organize Goober Gang Mag tags better. I've been thinking about this for a long time now.
- Find, try and share more toddler activities, on a more organized basis.
- Find at least one guest blogger per month.
C'mon Goober Moms! Join in!
Happy New Year and may all your plans come to successful implementation!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
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
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.
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
