Teaching Time for Toddlers: Our Basic Pool Bag

It's swimming pool season again!  Catherine (almost three) and I love the pool.  Of course, her pool preference is the one that barely reaches my knees in the "deep end" and mine is the 50 meter pool with lap lanes and a diving board.  Like last year, we are trying to take full advantage of our membership.  I swim laps in the early morning and then return to the pool in the late morning or early afternoon with Catherine.

As any parent knows, children bring a certain amount of extra baggage with them.  Additionally, we're constantly bombarded with the message that we need This, and That, and This Other Awesome Thing, and This Thing that You Can't Live Without, because we somehow fail as parents if we don't have everything.

But what do we really need?

Well, today I am just going to talk about Pool Bag Basics (because I can't really talk about anything else--I'm generally one of those people who'd rather pack an extra suitcase than forget something).

Of course, some days I bring a lot of "extras" but most days I try to be pretty minimal about what we take with us, I'm the one that has to lug it around after all.  Keeping an eye on an active toddler is busy enough, without worrying about tons of stuff.

Our Basic Pool Bag contains the following:

• Two Towels 
• Sunscreen
• Hats
• Sunglasses
• Four dollars of "emergency money"
• Goggles
• Measuring cups
• Inflatable ring
• Travel sized bottles of shampoo and body wash
• Drinking water (or water bottles)
• Driver's licence and insurance cards

All of the above items fit very easily and neatly into my tote bag.  I can carry it with ease without ever feeling overloaded.   This bag works for us most of the time.  

"Extras" Include (but are not limited to):

• Cooler with lunch and extra drinks
• Kick-board
• Additional toys
• Umbrella for shade
• "Street clothes"
• Rashguards 
• Magazines
• Extra pair of goggles (I don't like to share my awesome pink bungee cord ones)

We wear flip flops and cover-ups and very rarely actually change into our "street clothes" at the pool.  I've found it easier to just change at home.  Of course, this does mean that I've run last minute errands sporting a "damp" look . . .

The pool has a lot of communal toys, so I'm not depriving Catherine by only allowing a few toys.  Besides, I think that she could spend hours doing various pouring activities with the measuring cups.

How about you?  Do you spend a lot of time at the pool in the summer?  Do you have a Basic Pool Bag?  What is on your list of must haves?

Link up any toddler related post that you'd like to share!  


Thank you so much for visiting!

Teaching Time for Toddlers: Chore Charts

All Amazon links are my affiliate links. 

Chore charts.

There are two type of people in the world: those who like lists and those who don't.

Even though I don't use them often enough, I do like having lists and personal chore charts.  They present a clear goal and there is something satisfying about crossing off items as I go through the day.

Now that Catherine is getting older I think she's ready for a chore chart of sorts.  But where do I start?

A quick search on Pinterest brings up lots of results for making your own and printables.

There are also lots of pre-made options.  Melissa & Doug have a decent looking Magnetic Responsibility Chart.  Although the Board Dudes Magnetic Dry Erase Rewards Chore Chart would probably have more staying power--i.e. would work for older kids as well as toddlers.  I also really love these Chore Magnets.

Of course, just figuring out what type of chart I want to use is just the beginning.  The hard part is deciding what belongs on the chart!  Does simply getting dressed count as a chore that can be checked off?  I mean, sure, there are those days where that seems like a victory, but do I really want that to be considered a daily accomplishment to be lauded?

One of the aspects of the Montessori method that I really do like is the fact that they expect children to help in the home and do age appropriate chores.  (Rebecca has a great post called Chores With Children the Montessori Way.)  Michelle at Homeschool Your Boys has an awesome list of chores that you can expect your 2 and 3 year olds to do. (Here's a link to all of the age appropriate lists that she has.)

I think for now I am going to go a little "ghetto" and use Google Docs, I mean, Drive, a sleeve protector, and a dry erase marker . . . or stickers on a piece of paper.

Do you use chore charts for your toddlers?  What is on your charts?

Feel free to share your own toddler posts!  All I ask is that it is somehow toddler related.  I'd really love if you followed this blog somehow.  Be sure to check out some of the other linked up posts.  Oh, and don't forget, all bloggers LOVE comments! 

Teaching Time for Toddlers -- Geography

This post contains affiliate links. 

I'll be the first to admit that Geography is one of my weak points.  I do not want this to be the same for my child(ren).

One of the gifts that Catherine received for Christmas is the V-Tech Spin and Learn Adventure Globe. I really like this "toy" because it is already starting to give her a basic understanding of the world.  We focus mainly on the continents and the oceans.  Not only can we play with it together, but she can play with it on her own.  There are quite a few buttons on the globe that she can push and the globe then "talks to her".

The globe works really well as a starting point for talking about different animals!  Giraffes are found in Africa.  Kangaroos are found in Australia.  Panda Bears are found in China.  You get the idea . . .

2023 Update -- Ten years and two more kids later this globe is still going strong and has been well loved by all three of my kids! I highly recommend it! Sadly, this globe is no longer available; however, here's the link to the newer V-Tech Globe.) 

I have found flashcards to be great learning tools, and I'd love to pick up these GeoCards.  

While browsing Amazon, I came across this Around the World Coloring Book by Dover.  This would be perfect in a year or two, when Catherine's coloring skills have improved a little.  For now I will stick to free printables!  Here are a couple of the coloring pages that we've used:

• World Map Coloring Pages
• Countries of the World Worksheets & Maps
• Deserts of the World
• Around the World Coloring Pages

(And yes, Catherine is two and a half.   She does not stay in the lines, or anything close to it, but I believe that just seeing the outlines and becoming familiar with the look of the countries is important.)

Do you have any great Geography teaching tools or methods that you've used?  Or just saw and thought, "Hey, that's a good idea!"  Please share!

Teaching Time for Toddlers Tuesday

With yesterday's holiday and a very busy day today, I am going to share a few of my favorite toddler themed e-cards.  Do you have a favorite?

Source 

Source

Source

This is a linky for anything toddler related.  I can't wait to see what you will share this week!  Feel free to link up multiple posts.

Teaching Time for Toddlers: TV

Whether good or bad, T.V. is very much a part of our culture today.  There are thousands of shows directed towards kids and a huge chunk of those are directed in particular to toddlers.  Personally, I don't want Catherine (and any future kiddos) watching too much T.V.; however, it is very hard to determine what is "too much" and what is worth watching.

Currently, I do allow her to watch an episode of Dora the Explorer while I am taking my morning shower and getting ready for the day.  This became a thing necessary for survival (and sanity!) after a climbing incident while I was in the bathroom a while back.  She will calmly remain on the couch for the entirety of the 22 minutes while Dora is on, if it's not on, well, who knows what my adventurous and agile climber will get herself into.  (Every Mommy out there knows how important those 22 minutes to prepare for the day can be!)  It  is the only time in the morning when the following isn't true:

SOURCE

I also sometimes allow something in the afternoon -- this way I can pay bills, clean, make dinner, etc..  In the afternoon I want it to be somewhat educational.  (I don't view Dora as educational . . . ) Currently, my favorite picks for this are available on Netflix's Play It Now: Leap Frog shows.  If you're a Netflix member just search for "Leap Frog" and the first few choices will be Play It Now.  As of right now they have a nice mix of both letter, numbers, and even some basic phonics shows.

Leap Frog: The Amazing Alphabet Amusement Park is probably to thank just about as much as all of the flashcards, coloring pages, foam letters, and wooden blocks that I work with to teach Catherine her alphabet.  She cannot say/sing it in its entirety  but when she doesn't feel pressured, she can identify every single letter!  I don't think that's half bad for a two and half year old!

Here's my question to you, Dear Reader, what do you think about toddlers and T.V.?  Do you allow some, none, a lot?  Of course, every household is going to be different, but I am curious what other have to say!  Also, what are the best educational shows out there? Which shows do you think actually help teach our children, if any?

Besides the above questions, which I look forward to seeing how everyone answers, this is also your chance to link up anything toddler related!  

It is not mandatory, but would be nice, if you followed me and added my button (on the right) to your blog.  

Teaching Time For Toddlers: Musical Instruments

The classic Little Tykes Xylophone.
While I love this as a toy our model does
have one major flaw: it is NOT in tune.
This does seem to be a common complaint.
Since Catherine isn't actually playing any songs
for now this is fine.

Catherine, like many--if not most--of her peers, loves music and making noise.  Her Daddy and I wish to encourage this love of music in every way we can.  We listen to a variety of music: children's, pop, classical, etc.  We dance to music.  We also have a variety of musical toys and instruments for Catherine to play.

This cube is awesome!  Each side is a button.
Each button is one piece of the orchestra.
(Well, one plays is the "orchestra".)
The child can add and subtract the different
instruments from the symphony. 

For her first birthday we gave her a toy piano and she received a set of bells.  This past Christmas she unwrapped a xylophone.  She also received a ukulele as a souvenir from Hawaii from her grandparents.  She has received many other awesome musical gifts including: a Mozart cube, rolling toys, DVDs, and so much more!  (Her family and friends are quite generous!)

What have you and your toddler(s) been doing?  Did you do anything new this week?  I'd love to read all about it!  Share anything toddler related here; it could be an activity, a craft, a learning experience, a field trip, potty training adventures, tips for mom and dad, etc.  If it is in any way toddler related please link it up!  I'd really appreciate if you'd link back to me somehow (text link or grab my button) but I won't hold it against you if you don't.  

This linky will be open all week.

Teaching Time for Toddlers: Elephants

This is from our June zoo visit!

I have to admit, I changed today's topic last minute!  I actually have another post almost finished, but this morning just after Catherine got up she was playing with her Noah's Ark elephant and then she pointed to my crocheted elephant I decided to do an impromptu elephant day!

We always have magnets around!

The internet is such an amazing resource!  We looked online at pictures for almost an hour.  (I just did a basic image search--super simple!)  Some favorites included: a herd of elephants, another herd,  elephant reaching a tree branch, an elephant "hurrying", an elephant on a potty, a little girl with a baby elephant, and so many more!  This gave me a lot of time to talk about elephants--where they live, what they eat, what they do all day, etc.  Of course, we spent a lot of time pointing and talking about tails, tusks, and trunks! (How long can you talk about elephants on the spur of the moment?)

We colored this elephant coloring page. (More coloring pages can be found here, here, and here.)

What have you and your toddler(s) been doing?  Did you do anything new this week?  I'd love to read all about it!  Share anything toddler related here; it could be an activity, a craft, a learning experience, a field trip, potty training experience, tips for mom and dad, etc.  If it is in any way toddler related please link it up!  I've really appreciate if you'd link back to me somehow (text link or grab my button) but I won't hold it against you if you don't.  

This linky will be open all week.

Teaching Time for Toddlers

This week I would like to highlight a surprisingly great place to get learning tools and supplies for toddlers.

Your local Dollar Tree.

That's right, the place where everything's a dollar.

They have construction paper, writing paper, crayons, coloring books, flashcards, magnets, and more for, that's right, just a dollar.  The exact same stuff can cost up to four times as much at Wal-Mart and Target.  Maybe the crayons aren't Crayola or the paper isn't archival quality, but does your kid care?  Not a bit.  I was also quite pleasantly surprised by the number of pre-school and kindergarten geared workbooks at my local store.  Obviously, these workbooks are a bit too advanced for Catherine, but I loved that they had workbooks for math, reading, penmanship, and more!  I certainly see us picking them up in the future.

We did pick up a few things over the weekend--some new flashcards, magnetic numbers, and a Bible themed coloring book.

I would love to say thank you to all the people who linked up in the past!  I love everything that you've shared!


Now for this week's party!  What have you and your toddler(s) done lately?  Have you made anything?  Cooked something?  Do you have a tip or a story to share?  If it is toddler related, this is the place to link up!  I can't wait to see what you have.  I'd love if you'd grab the button from my sidebar and put it somewhere on your blog--but you don't have to.  

Teaching Time for Toddlers

(Sorry this is a wee bit late!)

Today I am not going to share a toddler project or activity.  I want to share something that has made my life a little easier.  It is a very simple product.  It saves my little family both time and money.

What is it?

The Snack Trapper.  

I purchased a two pack of these about a year ago--shortly after Catherine really started eating Cheerios--on sale at Target. (Amazon has them too!)  My girl has always been a roamer, and I'll admit we didn't really enforce a high chair eating rule.  She also has always been difficult when it comes to food--seriously, from day one--so anytime she was interested in eating I wanted her to be able to grab something.  So for the longest (ok, not really that long) time I would put Cheerios in a plastic bowl or leftover container.  However, inevitably there would be as many on the floor by the end of the day as she consumed.  This meant that not only did I (or the hubby!) have to clean it up every day and night but that we were spending money on cereal just to throw away.  (Even if I try to only buy cereal when it's on sale and with a coupon and aim to never spend more than a buck a box it was still quite wasteful!)

I love the Snack Trappers.  While they don't completely stop accidental spills they do amazingly well.  Most spillage comes when she puts her hand in and pulls out too much.  The handles make it super easy to hold.  It is fairly easy to clean (certainly easier than a sippy cup!), although if I had a dishwasher I wouldn't put this in there--I am not sure how well the soft plastic lid would hold up.  Catherine uses her two trappers daily and they have held up quite well with hand-washing.  Having these around means less sweeping and less waste, now that's something I can live with!

Do you have anything Toddler related?  Did you do any cool activities?  Make something special?  Do you have any words of wisdom to share?  If it is anyway toddler related I'd love to see what you have!  Feel free to link up multiple posts--and they don't have to be written recently.  My button is on the left, feel free to grab it.  (Not necessary, but nice!)

  

Teaching Time for Toddlers: Magnets

These guys have been gracing the front of the fridge,
and the inside of my small crock-pot, since Easter.
Anyone know what species the orange fish is?
Or the one under/just to the left of the shark?

Magnets are so much fun!  Even as an adult I enjoy fiddling with them, don't you?  There is a plethora of toddler targeted magnetic toys and learning aids out there.

I've told you previously about Catherine's magnetic fish.  (Sadly, I still haven't been able to identify all the varieties.)  She still loves them and plays with them quite frequently.

Right out of bed and
she's "fishing"!

For her birthday she received the Melissa & Doug Animal Magnets.  (Her cousins have this set and she has always been fascinated by it!)

She also was given the Melissa & Doug Deluxe 10-Piece Magnetic Fishing Game.  (This one is Daddy and Mommy's favorite!)  This is a great toy/activity for little ones!  Using the "fishing rod" to "catch" the fish requires a little bit of skill and patience--two great things to teach youngsters while playing.  

I love all of these magnets because they are helping to stimulate Catherine's fine motor skills, she is learning to identify the different animals, plus she is having fun experimenting with which materials the magnets "stick" to--a great introduction into the world of science!  

What have you and your toddler(s) been up to recently?  Or not so recently?  
I'd love to read all about it!
Please, link up below!  I'd love if you'd grab my button (on the left) but it's not required to share.

Teaching Time for Toddlers Tuesdays -- Zoo

Tuesday Catherine and I had the opportunity to meet up with family and friends at the zoo!  Our little adventure provided many teaching moments, plus she had a blast.  (More pictures here!)

We've been reading Let's Go to the Zoo quite a bit recently.  She loves to open all of the flaps on each page--and I am very happy that they all seem to be holding up!

Catherine has also been playing with her Noah's Ark animals.  

Plus, we've been working on her animal flashcards.  I did try to do a matching game with the animals from the ark and the flashcards, but she wasn't interested, so I am saving that idea for another day.

Catherine is watching the giant turtles.

What have you and your little ones been up to so far this summer?  I'd love to hear about it!  Please add your links (no reason to just add one!) bellow.  

Teaching Time for Toddlers Tuesdays--Swimming

Swimming is an important skill that most (if not all) kids should be taught.  Even if you aren't the pool or beach type you never know when a kid will encounter water.  Rivers, lakes, creeks, fish ponds, neighbor's pools, wading pools, fountains, even tubs are everywhere and can be potential hazards.

As a teenager I spent a lot of time at the pool--swimming competitively, teaching swim lessons, coaching, and guarding.  Post graduation I've had a much more limited access to the water, but I still love it and hope that my child(ren) will too!

Here are a couple of tips:

• Bring your little ones to the pool early in their life! Many parent and child classes start as early as six months.  While your child obviously isn't going to learn to swim at these classes they can be a great way to introduce him to the water.  Most pools have swim lessons available, take advantage of them!  (Studies are mixed, but some indicate that children aged one through four have an 88% reduction in the risk of drowning with formal lessons.)
• If they accidentally go under water do not freak out, they will pick up on this and think that it is something to fear.  
• Teach them early to blow bubbles in the water--"blow out the candle".  
• At first most kids hate getting their ears wet, help them get comfortable doing this--"listen to the fish".
• Once they are a little comfortable in the water teach them to float on their backs.  Tell them to float when they get too tired to swim or when they can't touch the bottom.  When I was guarding I remember one little girl who got pushed into deep water.  She could not swim, but before the closest guard got to her she was floating easily on her back with a giant smile on her face.  
• Do not rely on water wings--I can't tell you how often they slip off of kids arms.  As a lifeguard I hated those things!  Parents always seemed to have such confidence in them and would allow their non-swimming children in over their head and sure enough one wing would come off and the poor kid would be drowning.  This goes for all other flotation devices as well.  If you are looking for straight up safety find a Coast Guard approved life jacket. 
• Do not depend on the lifeguards to watch your child.  Every pool is different--the main pool where I guarded we aimed for a 30-1 patron to guard ratio but many other places can be as high (or higher) as 75-1.  Have you ever tried to keep an eye on 75 people at once?  Do everyone a favor--watch your kid(s).
• Be vigilant, a young child can drown in as little as an inch of water and in less than two minutes.  

What are you doing with your toddlers this week?  What did you do last week?  I'd love to see!  

Teaching Time for Toddlers--Play-doh

Play-doh is a fantastic "toy".  It helps with fine motor skills, creativity, provides a new sensory experience, helps to develop small muscles in the hands that later help with writing, and can help with colors.  I must admit, I hadn't really thought about letting Catherine play with my Play-doh (yes, MINE) until recently when I began surfing the net for toddler activities.  I had thought that it was an older kid's activity, but I guess not!

Catherine was a little hesitant to even touch the Play-doh at first.  I showed her how to squish it and pinch it.  Eventually she became a little more curious and enjoyed putting it in and taking it out of the classic yellow container.  This is certainly an activity that we will be coming back to again.


The lovely folks over at Familylicious have compiled a list of thirty homemade playdough recipes that you should check out!


What are you doing with your toddler(s) this week?  Or what did you do last week?  Or even last year?  I'd love to see it!  Link up any toddler related post and check out what everyone else is up to.  (It would also be really cool if you'd put my button on your blog somewhere--it's over on the left!)




A Brief History of Play-doh

Picture Source

Play-doh (official site) was originally created in Cincinnati (my birthplace!) as a wallpaper cleaner.  Its secret non-toxic formula and no mess composition made it a perfect grade school modeling clay.  In 1956 it was sold in Washington, DC, at Woodward & Lothrop Department Store's toy section.  At that time it only came in one and a half pound jars, that often had rusty bottoms, of off-white.  By 1964 new colors had been introduced and it was in international markets.  In 1986 the iconic plastic containers replaced the cardboard and metal cans.  To date, more than 700 million pounds of Play-doh have been made.

National Play-doh Day is September 18th.

For more information check here or here.

Teaching Time for Toddlers--Montessori Based Activities

I have been introducing Catherine to various activities that (at the very least) stem from the Montessori method.  Most recently we've been practicing pouring and scooping both water and beans (not at the same time, of course!).

She very diligently used the ice cream scoop to get all of the water from the green bowl to the metal bowl.  I was prepared for quite a mess (there is a cookie tray underneath the towel) but she spilled very little--even the first few times!  As much as she enjoys the scooping, right now her absolute favorite activity is the toothpick and "salt shaker" work.  Instead of a salt shaker we just use the toothpick jar, which is very similar to these:

Source: Amazon

There is one small hole in the lid for her to slip the toothpick through.  I thought it was amazing how quickly she improved while doing this.  At first she was very shaky and it took a couple of tries to get the toothpick in the jar, but eventually she became quite adept.  (Another great version of this work can be found at My Child-Centered Life!)

(Disclaimer: I will be the first to say that I don't know a whole lot about the Montessori method.  

It is something that interests and intrigues me and certainly deserves a place in our home.  

These are just things that I've done.)

Last week we had twenty-one fantastic links!  I can't wait to see what everyone has this week(or this year).  I'd love if you'd add my button (to the left in the sidebar) but you don't have to.  Please feel free to link up as many posts as you would like--as long as it is somewhat relevant.

Teaching Time for Toddlers Tuesday--Flashcards

I had written about some of the learning time activities that I do with Catherine before.  I try to take at least a few minutes everyday to teach her something.

These are the bug cards we have.
Don't let the butterfly fool you--
there are cockroaches and earwigs
and other scary looking bugs in this set.

Flashcards are still a big item right now.  I have a couple of sets that I picked up at the dollar store and a few sets from a consignment sale.  She is getting pretty good at recognizing the different pictures.  Generally we start by going through a stack and I say the name.  Then I give her three cards and ask for a specific one and we work through the deck.  If she is still interested I bring the cards to the table and lay out a bunch and then ask her to find specific ones.  She does especially well with the animal and bug cards.


While I am thrilled that she seems to be grasping the names of things it is frustrating me that she doesn't seem very interested in saying too many of the names.  (With the exception of the bee, she loves to say BEE!)

We also have all of these.  Some of these cards are
kind of . . . wonky.  For example, the "house" has a
observatory complete with a telescope attached to it.

This week I am going to use the same method that we've been using with flashcards while introducing foam letters.  We, well, mostly I, sing the Alphabet Song regularly and I try to spell out names of things for her frequently so I believe it is about time to (begin to attempt) to make some connections.


I am going to try to make "Teaching Time for Toddlers" a regular Tuesday event here on my blog.  I will share what we've been up to and I'd love to see all the wonderful things that you do with your toddlers.  This could be a wonderful opportunity for us Moms to see what others are doing.  So, I am going to give hosting a link party a shot!

PS: This is my first time hosting a link party, so I'd love if you'd help get the word out!
During nap-time I managed to put together a button (it's on my sidebar) but I haven't 
figured out how to do a scroll box to make it easy to grab. UPDATE:
Thanks to an extremely helpful comment, this has been remedied!
Also, feel free to link up a brand new post or one that you wrote a year ago 
or both--as long as its somewhat relevant I am interested in seeing it!