Whether you are interested in the Montessori method or not there are some great educational activities for toddlers available on some of the Montessori web sites like these:
E-How Preschool Montessori Activities Video
Montessori Primary Guide
Montessori Mom
Montessori for Everyone
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Fee: Horsing Around
Avalon Equestrian Centre: Western Riding lessons are available for ages 3 and up. See the web site for details.
Equine Meadows: This stable has a tiny tots program, offers birthday parties and pony rides. See web site for full details but here is the tiny tots program description from the web site: Tiny Trots Program (ages 3-6)
The Tiny Trots program is broken into 3 stages. Each stage of the program consists of 4 private lessons. Each lesson includes 1/2 hour unmounted topic and 1/2 hour mounted topic. On completion of each stage, riders will be given a Tiny Trot Program Certificate.
»Program A - Tiny Trots
»Program B - Colts and Fillies
»Program C - Green as Grass
»Examples of unmounted topics include:
-approaching a horse
-feeding a treat
-leading a horse
-grooming a horse
-tacking a horse
»Please inquire for cost
Equine Meadows: This stable has a tiny tots program, offers birthday parties and pony rides. See web site for full details but here is the tiny tots program description from the web site: Tiny Trots Program (ages 3-6)
The Tiny Trots program is broken into 3 stages. Each stage of the program consists of 4 private lessons. Each lesson includes 1/2 hour unmounted topic and 1/2 hour mounted topic. On completion of each stage, riders will be given a Tiny Trot Program Certificate.
»Program A - Tiny Trots
»Program B - Colts and Fillies
»Program C - Green as Grass
»Examples of unmounted topics include:
-approaching a horse
-feeding a treat
-leading a horse
-grooming a horse
-tacking a horse
»Please inquire for cost
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Product: Stonz Boots
I should have added these to my Favourite Things list - available at Stonz web site and locally at Coo Chi Coo. Warm, easy to get on and off and durable.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Food: Real Toddlers Do Eat Quiche!
Another trick for getting veggies in my kid: I made a quiche and filled it with onion, mushrooms, broccoli and even some corn and peas for good measure. He liked it better when I put it between two slices of bread and cut it into mini quiche sandwiches, but he did eat it. Another example of doing things I said I would never do when I became a parent: hiding veggies in other foods to sneak them into his belly. Sigh. Next thing you know I’ll be using cookies as a bribe! The quiche recipe is simple:
• 5 eggs
• 1/3 cup mayo
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup cheddar
• whatever veggies you want to add, but onions should be part of the mix and chop everything small enough for your toddler
• 1 9 inch pie crust (I used frozen)
Fry veggies in a non stick pan with a little olive oil until softened. Whisk eggs, mayo and milk together. Add the veggies and cheese and stir. Pour into pie crust and bake for 45 minutes at 375 F.
For more toddler-friendly recipes check here.
• 5 eggs
• 1/3 cup mayo
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup cheddar
• whatever veggies you want to add, but onions should be part of the mix and chop everything small enough for your toddler
• 1 9 inch pie crust (I used frozen)
Fry veggies in a non stick pan with a little olive oil until softened. Whisk eggs, mayo and milk together. Add the veggies and cheese and stir. Pour into pie crust and bake for 45 minutes at 375 F.
For more toddler-friendly recipes check here.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Web: Another "cool activities to do with your kid" blog
What Do We Do All Day?
Mom and Kiddo Fill the Days.... Some interesting ideas here and a nice casual approach to mommy blogging.
Mom and Kiddo Fill the Days.... Some interesting ideas here and a nice casual approach to mommy blogging.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Food: Zucchini Coins
Here's the first entry in the Hungry monkey contest... Thanks Michelle!
Zucchini Coins
What you'll need:
2 large zucchini
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c fine dry bread crumbs canola or other vegetable oil
How to make it:
1. Wash zucchini and dry thoroughly. Slice crosswise into rounds about 1/4 -inch thick. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Beat eggs in a shallow bowl. Spread bread crumbs on a plate. Dip each zucchini round first in egg, then in bread crumbs, shaking off any excess. Place each round on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with oil.
3. Cook in oven for about 10 minutes until golden brown. (This can be done with chicken simultaneously to save time.) Sprinkle zucchini with coarse (kosher) salt to taste and serve immediately with lemon wedges. Serves 6.
Submit a toddler friendly recipe to stjohnstoddler@hotmail.com before February first 2010 and I'll enter your name for a chance to win the book Hungry Monkey A Food-Loving Father’s Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater by Matthew Amster-Burton
Zucchini Coins
What you'll need:
2 large zucchini
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c fine dry bread crumbs canola or other vegetable oil
How to make it:
1. Wash zucchini and dry thoroughly. Slice crosswise into rounds about 1/4 -inch thick. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Beat eggs in a shallow bowl. Spread bread crumbs on a plate. Dip each zucchini round first in egg, then in bread crumbs, shaking off any excess. Place each round on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with oil.
3. Cook in oven for about 10 minutes until golden brown. (This can be done with chicken simultaneously to save time.) Sprinkle zucchini with coarse (kosher) salt to taste and serve immediately with lemon wedges. Serves 6.
Submit a toddler friendly recipe to stjohnstoddler@hotmail.com before February first 2010 and I'll enter your name for a chance to win the book Hungry Monkey A Food-Loving Father’s Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater by Matthew Amster-Burton
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Event: Mummers Parade
Date: Sunday, December 20, 2009 - 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Starting at MacPherson Elementary School40 Newtown Road (behind Sobey’s on Merrymeeting Road).
Time: 1:30 PM
From the Mummers Festival Website:
"According to some accounts, St. John’s used to have a mummers parade in the 1800s, and groups of mummers still parade from house to house throughout the province. But you won’t see too many mummers parading the streets of St. John’s these days. We’d like to change that. So shake out those long johns and borrow your Aunt’s size 42 bra. We’re calling all mummers to the Mummers Parade.
The parade will start at MacPherson Elementary, pass through the Georgestown neighbourhood, and end on the grounds of The Rooms for a Christmas concert and Mummers Jam with music, dancing, and spaces for impromptu performances.This is an afternoon, family/community event and everyone is welcome.
Please come with a non-perishable food item to help assist the Community Food Sharing Association."
See the web site for more information and if you'd like to be a part of the parade not just a spectator they are looking for mummers to join in. All that information is on the festival web site too.
Starting at MacPherson Elementary School40 Newtown Road (behind Sobey’s on Merrymeeting Road).
Time: 1:30 PM
From the Mummers Festival Website:
"According to some accounts, St. John’s used to have a mummers parade in the 1800s, and groups of mummers still parade from house to house throughout the province. But you won’t see too many mummers parading the streets of St. John’s these days. We’d like to change that. So shake out those long johns and borrow your Aunt’s size 42 bra. We’re calling all mummers to the Mummers Parade.
The parade will start at MacPherson Elementary, pass through the Georgestown neighbourhood, and end on the grounds of The Rooms for a Christmas concert and Mummers Jam with music, dancing, and spaces for impromptu performances.This is an afternoon, family/community event and everyone is welcome.
Please come with a non-perishable food item to help assist the Community Food Sharing Association."
See the web site for more information and if you'd like to be a part of the parade not just a spectator they are looking for mummers to join in. All that information is on the festival web site too.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Food: Vegetable Latkes
Success! I won another battle in the war to get my kid eating more vegetables. I made these vegetable latkes replacing the potato with zucchini. I served them with apple sauce and used plain yogurt instead of sour cream. I cut them into toddler-sized bites and my son loved dipping them in the sauces. The result was a messy kid with a belly full of zucchini, carrots and parsnip.
For more kid friendly recipes check this previous post.
For more kid friendly recipes check this previous post.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Idea: Holiday Traditions
I thought I would share some ideas I had about how to celebrate the season with a toddler from decorating to starting family traditions.
Deck the halls
When I decorate for Christmas I try to keep in mind what was special about Christmas for me as a child. I loved that ordinary homes became magical places with a real tree in the living room! I love colourful lights inside and out, and sparkly ornaments all around. I try to keep things whimsical with some quirky decorations such as the Krinkles which I started collecting several years ago. (The Weavery on Water Street usually carries them.)
This year with our toddler running wild around the house I am doing things a little differently. I am foregoing all the glass balls on the Christmas tree and sticking with unbreakable ornaments. I have some soft wool ornaments to hang on the lowest branches and these can be taken off and played with if our child shows interest in them and then can be replaced after play time. It may help make the tree less tempting if he is allowed to touch something and play with it. I don't know about you, but it seems that the more you say 'no' to something, the more enticing that something becomes.
I also read that giving your toddler their own little tree can help dissuade them from pulling apart the big tree. We may give this a try if required. One article online suggested putting your tree up inside a gate or play yard to keep little people away from it, but that seemed over the top to me. It is up to us to teach our child some self restraint... isn't it?
Family Traditions
A couple of years ago I bought red and white flannel sheets and a bright red duvet cover for our bed and I don’t take them out until December 1st. When the red and white bedding comes out it is a sign that Christmas is coming! When our toddler graduates from his crib we’ll do the same for him.
I have an advent calendar in the form of a wooden train with drawers for each of the days and though our child is too little to understand it now, I hope to introduce him to it next year. Trying to fill all those little drawers might be a challenge, so my husband and I thought that maybe we could fill them with notes that are hints about one gift to be opened on Christmas Eve or maybe put a loonie or a quarter in each day to go towards the purchase of a book or a toy.
One thing I did as a child with my family every Christmas was take an evening drive, preferably with hot chocolate in hand and Christmas music in the stereo to look at the Christmas lights around the city. My husband and I carried on this tradition together and every year the lights seem to get more and more plentiful. There are some streets we go to every year because they have the craziest or most beautiful displays of lights. This year we intend to take our son, but we'll have to go at dusk so we don't interfere with bedtime... or maybe if we put him in his pajamas first we can slip him into bed if he drifts off in the car.
Here is a web site with some great ideas for celebrating the holidays with kids.
Do you have any toddler friendly holiday decorating ideas? Submit them via the comments section below.
Deck the halls
When I decorate for Christmas I try to keep in mind what was special about Christmas for me as a child. I loved that ordinary homes became magical places with a real tree in the living room! I love colourful lights inside and out, and sparkly ornaments all around. I try to keep things whimsical with some quirky decorations such as the Krinkles which I started collecting several years ago. (The Weavery on Water Street usually carries them.)
This year with our toddler running wild around the house I am doing things a little differently. I am foregoing all the glass balls on the Christmas tree and sticking with unbreakable ornaments. I have some soft wool ornaments to hang on the lowest branches and these can be taken off and played with if our child shows interest in them and then can be replaced after play time. It may help make the tree less tempting if he is allowed to touch something and play with it. I don't know about you, but it seems that the more you say 'no' to something, the more enticing that something becomes.
I also read that giving your toddler their own little tree can help dissuade them from pulling apart the big tree. We may give this a try if required. One article online suggested putting your tree up inside a gate or play yard to keep little people away from it, but that seemed over the top to me. It is up to us to teach our child some self restraint... isn't it?
Family Traditions
A couple of years ago I bought red and white flannel sheets and a bright red duvet cover for our bed and I don’t take them out until December 1st. When the red and white bedding comes out it is a sign that Christmas is coming! When our toddler graduates from his crib we’ll do the same for him.
I have an advent calendar in the form of a wooden train with drawers for each of the days and though our child is too little to understand it now, I hope to introduce him to it next year. Trying to fill all those little drawers might be a challenge, so my husband and I thought that maybe we could fill them with notes that are hints about one gift to be opened on Christmas Eve or maybe put a loonie or a quarter in each day to go towards the purchase of a book or a toy.
One thing I did as a child with my family every Christmas was take an evening drive, preferably with hot chocolate in hand and Christmas music in the stereo to look at the Christmas lights around the city. My husband and I carried on this tradition together and every year the lights seem to get more and more plentiful. There are some streets we go to every year because they have the craziest or most beautiful displays of lights. This year we intend to take our son, but we'll have to go at dusk so we don't interfere with bedtime... or maybe if we put him in his pajamas first we can slip him into bed if he drifts off in the car.
Here is a web site with some great ideas for celebrating the holidays with kids.
Do you have any toddler friendly holiday decorating ideas? Submit them via the comments section below.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Birthday: Magicians
Has anybody tried a magic show birthday from Abracadabra or Matt Sharpe Magic? Were they fun?
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Food and Parenting: Feeding your kids
In my quest to find healthy and creative food for my child I came across these web sites and blogs and thought I would share them:
A great blog post on feeding and cooking for toddlers and kids.
Yuck to Yum "I will show you how to add a sense of fun to dinner to make it appealing for the kids and relaxed for mum and dad by offering practical and easy to implement tips and advice from real life experiences to help you avoid the dinner battle."
Toddler Cafe is a fabulous kids food blog - check out the gross but funny Kitty Litter Cake.
The Great Big Vegetable Challenge This is super fun and super smart ... a great idea to inspire a kid to try vegetables and learn to like them.
Life with a Dairy Free Toddler - for those with food allergies
Foodie Tots - Kind of self explanatory title.
Doof - Making Food Fun! - Food Literacy program. This looks like it is just getting underway but has lots of potential. No recipes yet and that's a bummer.
Kids Cuisine - The navigation is tricky - you have to scroll waaayyy to the bottom to find the categories, but there looks to be lots of interesting kid recipes and food related articles here.
Words to Eat By - I found some interesting posts here about food, feeding your kids, and some good recipes too.
A great blog post on feeding and cooking for toddlers and kids.
Yuck to Yum "I will show you how to add a sense of fun to dinner to make it appealing for the kids and relaxed for mum and dad by offering practical and easy to implement tips and advice from real life experiences to help you avoid the dinner battle."
Toddler Cafe is a fabulous kids food blog - check out the gross but funny Kitty Litter Cake.
The Great Big Vegetable Challenge This is super fun and super smart ... a great idea to inspire a kid to try vegetables and learn to like them.
Life with a Dairy Free Toddler - for those with food allergies
Foodie Tots - Kind of self explanatory title.
Doof - Making Food Fun! - Food Literacy program. This looks like it is just getting underway but has lots of potential. No recipes yet and that's a bummer.
Kids Cuisine - The navigation is tricky - you have to scroll waaayyy to the bottom to find the categories, but there looks to be lots of interesting kid recipes and food related articles here.
Words to Eat By - I found some interesting posts here about food, feeding your kids, and some good recipes too.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Product: Sleds
Early snow in St. John’s has meant we have been able to take our child sledding every day for the past week. We go up and down the sidewalk by the house or around the nearby park. We bought our blue plastic sled at Canadian Tire last year for about $15. It is listed as a “baby sled” and is pretty good. It is not the kind of sled you could drag for any distance or over rough terrain like say down an icy or snowy sidewalk, but is very stable and doesn’t tip over and has a belt to strap your child in. It is perfect for a scoot around the park on fairly flat, fresh snow. If your child weighs more that 25 pounds I would consider something bigger though because this sled does tip back when the weight in the seat is too heavy. Similarly if you want to use your sled as a form of winter transportation around St. John's sidewalks something more sophisticated is in order!
We also looked at the old fashioned Wooden Baby Sleighs, and they are lovely looking but boy were the materials cheap and they were put together with staples! When we looked last year they were also about $75. So we skipped that for now. If we can find one of a better quality we might reconsider. I checked the wooden sleigh price at Canadian Tire Online this year and they are now only about $40 – maybe they decided to match the price to the quality! You can also see on the web site in the reviews that other people found the same problem with the quality.
We also looked at the old fashioned Wooden Baby Sleighs, and they are lovely looking but boy were the materials cheap and they were put together with staples! When we looked last year they were also about $75. So we skipped that for now. If we can find one of a better quality we might reconsider. I checked the wooden sleigh price at Canadian Tire Online this year and they are now only about $40 – maybe they decided to match the price to the quality! You can also see on the web site in the reviews that other people found the same problem with the quality.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Food: Mix it up
Well, Nana suggested it and I was doubtful, but it worked. We mixed apple sauce and sweet potato puree and my toddler ate it with gusto. It is the first sweet potato he has eaten for months! We tried it in all its forms, mashed, cubed, and roasted to no avail, but it seems that combining it with apple sauce and his keen interest in feeding himself with a spoon put sweet potato back on the menu. I am not a fan of the hidden food approach that made Jessica Seinfeld famous, but in this case I guess Nana's know best!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Books: Favourite Books of 2009
Here are some of our favourite books from the past year. If you haven’t finished your holiday shopping then maybe this list will inspire you.
1. Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
2. In the town all year round by Rotraut Susanne Berner
3. Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard
4. Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry
5. Little Engine That Could Mini Edition by Watty Piper
6. The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman
7. Everywhere babies by Susan Meyers
8. Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
9. The Great Pie Robbery and Other Mysteries by Richard Scarry
10. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
But you don’t have to take my word for it, here are some links to some other favourite books lists:
1. Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
2. In the town all year round by Rotraut Susanne Berner
3. Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard
4. Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry
5. Little Engine That Could Mini Edition by Watty Piper
6. The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman
7. Everywhere babies by Susan Meyers
8. Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
9. The Great Pie Robbery and Other Mysteries by Richard Scarry
10. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
But you don’t have to take my word for it, here are some links to some other favourite books lists:
- Parenting Magazine
- Family Education – Toddler's list and Children’s list
- Parent Books Canada: For Toddlers and Preschoolers
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Fee: Skating at Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales Skate Club offers a preskate program for kids . The registration date for 2009 is past (October 5th) however it looks like something that is offered each year so I will post in advance for next year and I will try to remember to post in advance of the registration date for Winter 2010.
From the web site:
PreSkate is the introductory level of CanSkate, the Skate Canada flagship learn-to-skate program. It is designed for skaters in the three to five year old range just beginning skating. Parents accompany the children on the ice for the first few sessions to help, but we hope that by the end of each semester, they’ll be confident enough to skate by themselves. Instruction is on a group basis, with professional coaches on the ice, and experienced programme assistants. The sessions mix fun and play, and are 30 minutes long. Helmets are mandatory.
From the web site:
PreSkate is the introductory level of CanSkate, the Skate Canada flagship learn-to-skate program. It is designed for skaters in the three to five year old range just beginning skating. Parents accompany the children on the ice for the first few sessions to help, but we hope that by the end of each semester, they’ll be confident enough to skate by themselves. Instruction is on a group basis, with professional coaches on the ice, and experienced programme assistants. The sessions mix fun and play, and are 30 minutes long. Helmets are mandatory.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Web: Other sites for NL parents
There's a new kid in town - or should I say kidsnl... Someone else has started a web site to gather kid related info and links - they seem to have a broader age range than I do here so it might be a good place to go for information for activities for school age kids. It looks like a relatively new site, there isn't a lot of content yet, but hopefully as it grows it will be another great resource. Anything that makes it easier to find stuff to do with your kids is good in my book!
I also found a site called NL Moms which is a sort of bulletein Board / forum type of site. Some of the threads are more active and up to date than others but it looks like there is a sense of community there where people chat back and forth about issues and questions. To participate fully you need to register, but you can visit as a guest too.
Know about a kid related link? Submit it to stjohnstoddler@hotmail.com
I also found a site called NL Moms which is a sort of bulletein Board / forum type of site. Some of the threads are more active and up to date than others but it looks like there is a sense of community there where people chat back and forth about issues and questions. To participate fully you need to register, but you can visit as a guest too.
Know about a kid related link? Submit it to stjohnstoddler@hotmail.com
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Food: Egg in a nest
I started making this for my toddler to get some protein into him. I take a slice of bread and pinch a piece out of the middle to make a hole. Then I put some butter in a non stick frying pan, place the slice in the pan and crack an egg into it, making sure the yoke goes in the centre of the slice. Then I fry until it is cooked enough to flip over. When it is cooked to over-medium I serve to my toddler with little pieces of untoasted bread that he can dip in the centre. He was so occupied with the dipping that he ate the whole thing. Now, if I can just get some vegetables in him!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Book: A Literary Advent Calendar
I bought this book, A Simply Wonderful Christmas, at Home on Water Street, but it is also available online. It is a book written to function as an advent calendar with Christmas themed stories for all the nights leading to the arrival of you know who. I thought it would make a nice tradition and be a great way to anticipate Christmas. The stories seem humourous and each one is just a few pages. Perfect for bedtime.
I think this year they will be too old for our son, but in the coming years I hope we'll all look forward to the annual literary advent calendar stories. I'll let you know if the stories are good after we get through them.
I think this year they will be too old for our son, but in the coming years I hope we'll all look forward to the annual literary advent calendar stories. I'll let you know if the stories are good after we get through them.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Contest: And the Winner is....
Robin!
I took all the entries, assigned them a number and then plugged the numbers into this random number generator and Robin came out the winner. Watch for other contests in the New Year.
I took all the entries, assigned them a number and then plugged the numbers into this random number generator and Robin came out the winner. Watch for other contests in the New Year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)