A Smorgasbord of Fun

So, I haven't posted much lately because, frankly, I don't have many ideas, hence the reason for creating this blog- to force me to be more creative and fun with my kids. I have done a few things lately that were fun. They're pretty simple, but maybe they'll be fun for you too. Sorry, this post is going to be long.

I went to Utah Idaho Supply (something I should have done a long time ago- what a cool store!) and bought a couple activity books for N. One was more geared for things like tracing, matching, recognition, numbers, etc. We've only worked out of it once, but N seemed to like it. The other is a Halloween activity book with puzzles, coloring pages, crafts, etc. The other day we made a spider bracelet. N had fun because he likes to cut and glue things. He didn't wear it long. It went straight to the refrigerator. Here are the instructions:

Fold a sheet of black construction paper in half.

Place four fingers along the fold and trace them with a white crayon.

Cut out and unfold. This is a spider with a eight legs.

Roll the legs around a pencil to make them curl down, and glue on googly eyes.

Staple a 1" wide strip of black paper around your wrist, big enough so it can be slipped on and off

Accordion fold a small strip of paper and glue one end to the top of the bracelet.

Glue the spider to the other end of the folded paper.

Make the spider creep and crawl with a back and forth rocking motion of the wrist.

After we made the spider bracelet N wanted to make a cat out of pink construction paper. I did most of the cutting, but he did all the gluing. He used so much glue that when we put it on the fridge, well, see for yourself.

• N loves Hide and Seek. He watch The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (like 10 million times) and that got him hooked. I know this is a classic game that's been played for hundred of years I'm sure, but sometimes I forget about the simple games. Once it was introduced to N He loved it! Something they do at Kindermusik, which I'll talk more about later, is they pretend to be missing roosters. The person looking walks around crowing like a rooster. Your child is supposed to echo the rooster sound. Deliberately take a long time to find the lost rooster, and when you do, delight in making rooster sounds together. It's a fun addition to the game that N really likes.


• Here's a game we played once that N really liked. I cut up strips of paper and on each one I put something to imitate- an animal, a flower growing, etc. I put the papers in a cup and each paper N would draw out we would imitate the animal or thing on it. He had a lot of fun, and I was really impressed with his flower impression. I think I might have gotten the idea for that game from the book The Toddler's Busy Book by Trish Kuffner.


• You can also use the above idea and apply it to singing time. I put the names of songs on pieces of paper and each song we draw from the cup we sing.


• Kindermusik! It's great! N loves it! C will start it soon, and I'm sure she'll love it too. If you don't know what it is, it's kind of like a music preschool. You can find out more about it on their website. In N's class they're teaching musical concepts through the weather. Right now they're talking about the rain. Last week the kids made rainmakers. You can make one using an interesting container and fill it with small items, like paper clips, beans, rice, marbles, etc. You can tell stories using your rainmakers- "I woke up to the sound of thunder...boom! boom! (stomp your feet). I felt the wind on my face, and it started to rain (when you say "rain" have them use their rainmaker)" You can make up whatever story you want. You can talk about temp by saying it rained fast and have them shake their instrument or say it rained slow.


• More music stuff: C likes music too. Yesterday we had some fun. The three of us all had a musical instrument: N had the classic wooden spoon and pan drum set, C had a rainmaker, and I had a small hand shaker I bought at the music store and some jingle bells. We sat down on the living room floor making music together. I talked about tempo, making fast or slow music, and we talked about dynamics, making quiet music growing into loud music. It was really fun, and all three of us had fun. C was so dang cute, I'm not going to lie!


• Again, more music stuff (have you guessed that I'm a music nerd yet?): This is similar to the rainmaker, but we made a kind of tambourine. I remembered doing this in elementary school, you might too. N and I each had two paper plates, and we colored each one on the backside. Then we turned one right side up and put dried corn (you could use beans, or rice or whatever) inside. Then we glued (you could probably also use staples) the two sides together. We ended up with our very own tambourines. We used them in singing time for a while.


• Last but not least, is there anything better than taking your kids to the park? N LOVES it, as I'm sure all kids do, and C is old enough now that she likes it too. She loves going down the slide, and she loves it when I help her climb things- it makes her feel so big. Today she sat in a swing and had so much fun. All three of us were swinging together, and I had a blast. I love doing things with my kids that are fun for ALL of us. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy doing fun things, like all the things I've talked about in this post, but sometimes those things stress me out. You know what I mean? Some activities require a lot of effort from Mom to make them fun and entertaining to a 4 year old, and that can be mentally exhausting. That's why I love doing things where I can sit back and just enjoy the moment. So, don't let this post, or this blog for that matter, fool you into thinking that I'm a mother who spends every waking moment of my day entertaining and teaching my children. If I were I would go insane. I feel pretty good about life if at the end of the day I have succeeded in not losing my patience with N, there was a somewhat smooth routine followed, I laughed with my kids, I sat down and played with them a few times, they were fed, were read some stories, and go to bed happy. Trust me, that's not an every day occurrence, but each day that is the goal. I just have to learn to not beat myself up for when my day doesn't turn out the way I hoped. Just make the best of things, I guess. Anyway...I digressed a little. Uh, parks...they're fun aren't they. Yay for parks...and children.

Thank You Dr. Laura

"Laaaaaaaaaaaa!" (sung high and exultantly) I was a little hasty in my last posting. After I'd vented and finished my post on what to do with a 4 year old stuck on "no!" I thought I'd check out Dr. Laura's website. I know she can be mean sometimes, but I love Dr. Laura. She's one of the few in the media that speaks up for the family and conservative values. Anyway, on her site she had a link on the left hand side that said "stay-at-home," so I clicked on it, and there was my answer: how to get through to your preschooler. "Laaaaaaaaaaa!" I clicked on it and found this. It talked about the very thing I am currently frustrated with- a 4 year old stuck on "no" and the frustrated parents that don't know what to do. Check it out here. I'm sure it will be helpful to all those going through what I'm experienceing. If you have anything of your own to add please do! Heaven knows there can never be too much help in this department!

The Wonderful Behaviors of 4 Year Olds

Our latest teaching endeavors in our house have been challenging. N really is a sweet boy, but lately he's really become an expert in the field of whining and screaming. There have been many moments where I wanted to scream too (and did), but I do think we're making progress. I tried the ignoring thing, but for N, that just made him whine and scream louder. So, now when he whines at me, I tell him "I can't hear you when you talk like that," and I think it's working! He's catching on, and sometimes he'll talk nicely before I even say anything! Yay!

Our other thing we're working on is obeying. I'm starting to think that 4 year olds are incapable of understanding that word. N can be very helpful and obedient, but only when he wants to be. The last couple of days it has gotten particularly bad. Every time I ask him to do something, he just says, "No!" I try to always ask him to do things in a kind way, but all I get is a nasty "No!" So, today he's spent more time than usual in time out. By the end of the day, I had had it! I felt like I was going to have a nervous break down, and every time he asked for something, I just wanted (and did) to say "No!" so he could get a taste of his own medicine. Spiteful, I know, but it was either that or go insane or beat him black and blue.

I really don't know what to do. Please, all you experience mothers, tell me what to do! How do you teach your children to be obedient without nagging them or punishing them all the time for when they're not obedient. When it comes to punishing, I don't know what to do because he's such a drama king. Every time he goes to time out he screams and cries and scream some more, and it takes him so long to calm down that both of us have forgotten why he was in trouble in the first place. I try to always show my gratitude for when he is obedient, but I guess it's not enough. I'm kind of wondering if part of it is an attention thing. I'm noticing that he might be getting a little jealous of the attention that C gets. I think I'm going to try really hard to give him more positive attention and more one on one time. I'm hoping that will help his overall behavior.

I didn't want this blog to me my place for venting parenting frustrations, but I really needed to do it tonight! I promise not to do this very often. Just PLEASE help me!! I need your advice! And I'm sure your advice will benefit everyone because I better not be the only one with a stubborn, strong willed child!

Kid's Yoga

I love finding new ways to implement "yoga" into the kid's day. These activites can be wonderful to get attention or help them refocus. A little silliness can go a long way. :)

Kids yoga is a wonderful way to teach your kids about their bodies and show them how to have fun with exercise and breath. This also helps with social skills when you have a group- there are some wonderful "games" you can implement into your kids yoga if there are groups. Always help child know the pose itself isn't important- but how it makes them feel. Their own stretch is important and they might do things differently from others in the class but that is ok. In any pose help them focus on their body not what everyone else can do. Don't do it if it hurts! In yoga, and in most exercise, you should listen to your body. Pain=stop.

In most yoga classes you start with breath connection and the sun salutations, then you work through a series of poses ending in shavasana or dead man's pose where you relax for 10 minutes or so. With kids that sitting still can be trouble. SO be patient and consistent. Ask them to try things, but if it isn't working leave it be and try again another day. Let this experience be about bonding with their bodies, bonding with you or other kids, and FUN!

Here are just a few to start off with. I am going to have to do a second post. :) Remember you don't have to be technical or picky about how they do each pose- especially in the beginning. You can also use one or two poses and inhale/exhale through them connecting steady breath with the pose.

Counting breath- Sitting or standing have the child take in breaths for different counts. 1-out. 1-2-out. 1-2-3 out. You can do MANY different varieties of this. The child will learn to understand his lung power and can extend his breath or just relax. Set goals for next time- or just do it for fun. I even use this to help Corban calm down "anywhere, anytime"- I will just ask him to take some deep breaths.

Belly Waves Breath Exercise - Have the child lie on his back. Take one of your child's small toys and place it on his belly. Have him take deep slow breaths while trying to make the toy swim (rise and fall)- you can do slow long breaths or let the child experiment with fast, medium, and slow breaths. You can ask them how each breath made them feel.

Sunrise/Sunset- like a sun salutation you can use the sun as your imagery or pick something else (basic- reach for the ceiling-reach for the floor or toes) You can make this slow or fast. Have them reach up like they are going to catch the sun and then tell them the sun is going down and they can follow it to the floor.

Cobra or snake pose- The kids lie on their belly like a snake and raise their bodies up curving like a snake (hips stay on the floor, chest comes up)- Hands are on the floor and push down to help support their chest.

Puppy- Down Dog. Ok. We call this puppy because we use the term puppy for Corban sometimes. He loves to pretend he is a puppy. I use snake and puppy together (like in regular yoga you do up dog into down dog. Down dog is hands and feet on the floor (push up pose distance apart) with the hips in the air straight at the ceiling. So they look like a triangle on the floor.

I try to combine (now that Corb knows most of the poses) to create his own sun salutation. Here is a link to an animated sun salutation. This is similar to the one I use in my own practice. There are MANY different ways to use/do yoga. Everyone seems to think their way is the chosen way. :) I say, find what works for you.

Hissing Cat or roaring lion- Get on hands and knees and they are going to breath in and out while they curve or arch their spine. It is usually inhale round the spine up to the sky, exhale (this is where you hiss or roar) arch your back and your belly moves toward the floor. Kids love this one!

Gorilla/Monkey- Stand hunched over, arms long toward the ground. The kids love the movement in this exercise. you have them grunt like a gorilla while raising the hands in (imagine trying to pick something up) to the chest/armpits. They bend their knees and bound sideways across the room and back. In a group let them take turns being the leader. They have to pay attention- long pauses, or quick directions changes.

Rocking Horse- Child lies on their belly, bends knees, and grasps ankles one at a time. In yoga we are trying to open the chest a lot. This one can take some time for the kid to be flexible enough to grab ankles. Then push the legs up and this opens the chest you can rock many directions.

Peddle laughing- lie on your back and have your child follow your lead then let them have a turn. Peddle like riding a bike- peddle, laugh, peddle, laugh, peddle- etc This is so funny.

Eyes Around the Clock- Take an analog clock place it at eye level for your child. Basically you will have them look up, down, left, right, etc. If they know their numbers you can ask them to look for that number. Stretches eye muscles. You can integrate time telling.

Flamingo- Balance and focus. Mimic a flamingo stance leg back or up sort of like the traditional tree pose. It helps if they have a focal point- something that will not move (spot on the wall or floor) then they can spread their arms like wings.

Sleeping man- (Shavasana/dead man's pose)- you can use a shortened relaxation exercise and then they lie on their backs and use the belly breath trying to hold still as if they are asleep. This is usually the final pose. See how long they will hold still and then try again and again. Don't get frustrated, let them learn. They will be able to hold still longer over time.

Group Activities- These are great if you have a ton of neighbor kids over being crazy and you need something to grab their attention. I am sure you will think of more- please share.

Garden- This is my FAVORITE! We do this almost everytime and you can do this with just one kid or with 20. Tell the kids you are going to plant a garden/ do yard work. Have them get into Rock pose and tell them they are a seed. Ask each kid what kind of seed he or she is. You can have a theme (flowers, fruits, veggies, etc) if you like. After each child names their seed you decide where to plant them. You take them from their mat, while they try to stay in rock pose, and place them randomly about the room. Then you have to cover them with dirt (just pat their back), and then need rain (gently tap your fingers all over them), and they need the sun to help them grow (rub their backs- warm like the sun). Then you get to stand back and watch them grow. They gradually stand and reach for the sky. This one is so fun. The kids want to do it over and over.

Rollercoaster- sit in a line with legs apart, holding the waist of the one in front of them. Lean as you speed downhill, right, left, etc. They follow the leader, raising arms and leaning. Take turns who is in front. Helps kids learn patience (follow leader and wait turn) and they get to be creative.

Any questions?

Any ideas? Would you like more? Let me know.

I know this post is WAY too long.

New Sunbeam/Nursery Manual

This post is a postscript to my last post. I mentioned how the Sunbeam Manual is too mature for three year olds and how it doesn't even include a lesson on reverence. Well, I was on the church website today and found that they've come out with a new manual, so I decided to check it out. I skimmed through the list of lessons, and, low and behold, there was a lesson on reverence. I clicked on it and up popped the whole lesson. It was simple, short, and to the point. Yeah!! I've been wanting them to improve that manual since before I had kids. We were nursery leaders when we were very first married, so we learned that lessons for little kids should only last a few minutes and be very engaging. I'm very excited about this new manual. I think it will be a great teaching help for church and home. Go check it out! http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,8184-1-4470-1,00.html

FHE Lesson Plans

I'm back from my long absence. My stupid internet has been on the fritz, and it has been very frustrating. It's still not completely fixed, but I can at least get on the internet occasionally instead of never.

For this post I would like to introduce to you all my biggest reason for starting this blog. It seems to me there aren't many ideas out there for FHE lessons geared toward young children- sunbeam age and younger. Sure, there's the Sunbeam lesson manual, but am I the only who's noticed that it's way too mature for three year olds? I still use the lessons, I just condense them like crazy. I want to know what other things you all have done with your families. I would love for this blog to become a great source for FHE lesson plans.

So, the plan: I'll post a topic, and I'd love for all of you to leave a lesson in the comments that you've done with your families. Even though I myself am looking for lessons for younger children, if your lesson isn't geared to little ones I still want you to share it! We all have kids at different stages. Obviously, my children will grow up, and I'll need to adapt my FHE lessons as they grow. So, share share share!

The topic I will pose first is: REVERENCE (I was very surprised to find that is not a lesson topic in the Sunbeam manual).

Don't feel like you have share something grand. Simplicity is almost always best anyway. The more ideas that are shared, the more fun it will be.

Thanks!

Singing Helps

I discovered this book a few months ago at Deseret Book. It's called "Super Little Singers" by Mary H. Ross. I was wanting some fun visual aids for teaching my kids primary songs and other fun songs. This is perfect. It is filled with full-color, ready-to-use visuals and activities for a wide array of songs, from "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" to "The Wheels On the Bus." What you do is cut out the pictures, glue them on to card stock or poster paper and then laminate them. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. If you do one song at a time, pretty soon you'll have a pile of visuals that your kids will love (having Kinkos laminate everything for you will get expensive very fast, so it's more economical to do it yourself). One of the visuals I've done so far is so much fun. It's a tree with lots of little birds (those took a while to cut out) that are separate from the tree. I put a song on the back of each bird, tape the birds all around the living room, and have N go find them all. We sing the song written on each bird and then he puts the bird back home in its tree. He loves it.

The book also includes suggested actions for songs. I'm not always very good at coming up with actions, so that's very helpful. It also has singing motivators, like the birds and the tree I already mentioned. It's a really helpful book.N likes to sing, but he doesn't always like to learn new songs. It helps him when he has something to look at. The only drawback is it takes some time to cut everything out and stuff. I've cut my songs out when my kids are in bed, and I can just watch a movie and cut.

Anybody else have a resource they love for teaching songs? Any great ideas for teaching kids new songs? I'm all ears!