iphone apps for kiddos...

only a few more days before we take off to nj!!!  i'm so excited to see our families!  and we're gearing up for a good flight...

a few days ago, i talked about some flight activities to do with toddlers...  i mentioned as one of them, using some iphone apps as a last resort.  it's a pretty sure method of entertainment, and very often, an educational one at that.  while we don't use it often (we save it for times like when we're spending the 6th hour picking out a couch at the furniture store and have completely run out of snacks...) when we do, it's a savior.  

here are some of my favorite apps to turn to:

EDUCATIONAL:

• letter tracer: this is a great app that shows nice, big pictures of letters, that leo can trace with his finger.  it will say the letter out loud if desired, allow for changes in the brush color and thickness, or just show the letters as flashcards. 

• toddler puzzle shapes: a simple puzzle app... allows leo to drag shapes from a selection into the corresponding outline of a shape.   this rotates with some simple interlocking puzzles, which have some visual guides to assist completion (the correct placement sort of glows when the corresponding piece is being moved around).

• elias match: a simple memory game, that has adorable graphics!  choose between animals, foods, numbers, or letters, and change between four different skill levels.

• preschool memory match: another memory game, but one that has a ton of different pictures and categories.  while leo doesn't always fully understand the concept of finding matches, he loves finding and flipping over new pictures!

• insects HD: i don't know if this is considered educational or not, but it's really cool.  it's pretty much just an app of very detailed pictures of various bugs.  and you can zoom in really close to see all the details... the fuzz on the bodies, the colors of the wings... it's awesome!

• ABC alphabet phonics: after the voice says the letter, touch the corresponding letter on the screen.  cute feedback too, that leo always gets a kick out of.  one weird thing... there was one time when there was both a lowercase and an uppercase "E"... the voice said "find the 'E'", which leo did (i can't remember if he pointed to the uppercase or lowercase) but it kept honking as a wrong answer.  when he touched the other "E", it finally said he was right.  strange.  and not really cool.  but i'm hoping this gets fixed.

JUST FOR FUN:

• elias tours: another app by elias smiles... the graphics are too cute to pass up!  and all transportation pictures?  leo is in love!  it's pictures of different transportation vehicles that can be touched for a quick animation and sound effect.   

• truck tunes: more trucks :)  this is an absolute FAVORITE!  10 songs about 10 different trucks.  just be warned... they get stuck in your head.  for hours.  days.  WEEKS!!!

• bloki: this is essentially virtual block play.  a drawer full of blocks that can be dragged onto the screen to build endless options.  you can even take a picture of your creation when you're finished.

• peekaboo barn: this is a sort of guessing game... the doors of the barn stay closed as an animal sound is heard.  when you touch the barn doors, the animal is revealed.  my only complaint is the sometimes odd animal sounds... they don't always sound quite right.

• gingerbread fun: this one's a little bit of an odd one to like, but leo really loves the story of the gingerbread man.  in this app, you can pretty much decorate your own gingerbread man... different faces, buttons, things like that.  without all the sugar :)

there's a few others... some flashcard apps, the bubbles app, scribble... but for the most part, these are the favorites!

any other good suggestions for iphone or ipad apps?

super easy ipad cover...

well, we got an ipad. 

it's so pretty.

and shiny.

and scratch-able...

so i made a quick cover for it.  just a little something to prevent it from getting scratched or dinged during travel.

i started with some old curtains and an old t-shirt.  i roughly measured three times the length of the ipad, and about an inch wider...

i laid the curtain fabric on top of the t-shirt, so i only had to cut once... 

cut it out... the t-shirt for the inside, and the curtain for the outside.  then used an old cargo pocket on the back for some small necessities (the charger... some headphones...), and sewed that on (only to the outer layer)...

serged the top edge of the inside flap... 

then folded up a pocket the size of the ipad, allowing for a nice long flap in the front...

and simply serged it all the way around.  i didn't bother sewing it... i like the look of the serged edge, and it saved me a step!

and voila!  i simple ipad cover. 

(i might... MIGHT... either do a new one or take this one apart to add some batting in between the layers for some extra protection.  but for now, this will suffice!)

the bug search is on...

every friday, we have a small group of kiddos come over for a couple of hours of learning.  a few other moms and myself have come together to create a little co-op of sorts... where the little ones play, learn, eat... and just have fun. 

last week, we had a day of bugs!  well, it was actually a day of frogs and lizards, because it was impossible to find some inexpensive toy bugs.  but the frogs and lizards worked just fine :)

we spread some frogs and lizards in the grass...

got some magnifying glasses and jars, and went collecting!

all the while practicing some counting and color identification.

on the way to finding some frogs and lizards, we searched for some real critters and came across some slugs and worms, as well...

later, we filled some bowls with rice, and hid the frogs and lizards in them.  we used some plastic tongs (a score from the 99 cent store... four to a pack!) to search for the bugs and grab them out...

this is a great activity for hand strengthening...

even if the tongs don't get used, the tactile experience is wonderful, too!

even once the kiddos left, leo was still excited to play.  he got to counting the frogs and lizards, adding one, recounting...

cleaning them all up into the jar with the tongs...

dumping them all out...

and starting all over again!

give it a try... you can get started just by using some salad tongs, an empty jar, and any small objects that can represent bugs (great pretend play exercise!  try blocks, cotton balls, puzzle pieces...).  the rest is bonus! 

patterned fruit kabobs...

how many snacks are educational?  here's one!

with just a little bit of preparation, this delicious snack is not only educational, but fun, too!

start with some cut up fruits and some popsicle sticks (we actually found some that were a little skinnier and longer than traditional popsicle sticks).  you can use skewers, as well, just be careful because they are quite sharp!  (also... if you decide to use bananas, make the pieces a bit thick so they don't fall apart.)

then, pick a pattern... something simple... ABAB (banana, grape, banana, grape...), ABCABC (banana, grape, honeydew, banana, grape, honeydew...). 

next, start putting them on the stick!  what i like to do is get the pattern started, and then let the child figure out what comes next.  so, get the first three or four pieces of fruit on there, and then present a couple of options for them to choose from.   (aside from the math aspect of patterning, this activity is also great fine motor practice!)  leo mostly wanted to just eat the fruit, so i didn't get a many fruit-putting-on pictures ;)

and there you go... patterned fruit kabobs!  when they're all done, eat 'em up!  we even added a little bit of granola and a little bit of whipped cream.  mmmmmmm!!!!






























i linked up with creative me monday over at the southern institute!

toddler clean up...

there's ALWAYS something to clean up.  whether it's the dishes, the laundry, the mail pile... the toys...

it's just a part of life.  i don't like doing it.   and i'm sure leo doesn't like doing it, either.  if i need strategies to keep our home neat, why shouldn't he?  cleaning up doesn't need to be a burden all the time.  there are ways that we try to keep it light, habitual, and just a part of our day.  so then, at the end of the day, i'm not the one putting away a ton of little cars and stepping on many along the way.

here are some of the things we do in order to keep all the toys tidy and keep leo involved in the process...

• change our perspective on "cleaning up":  instead of just declaring "alright, it's time to clean up!" we work it into our play as best we can.  when the whole basket of cars is spilled on the ground, the basket becomes the parking garage, and all the cars have to drive in to park.  when the blocks are sprawled all over the floor, we become front loaders, and have to load them up to put them back into the basket that has become a dump truck.  the pile of books on the couch?  they become the bricks to build the little pig's house in the bookshelf.  by making the clean up just another step in the play process, it doesn't even feel like cleaning up!
• let leo be the one to put the last thing away: when the amount of things that are out are just a little beyond what he's capable of cleaning up on his own, i'll give some help.  (i often want help when i'm cleaning, so why not help him, as well?).  however, by having the last few things be leo's responsibility, it allows him a sense of accomplishment, which can feel very intrinsically rewarding.  
• don't have too many toys out at once: this sounds obvious, but is so easy to let slip.  especially when i'm doing my own thing, and he's engrossed in play.  but every so often, if i look over and there are things not being used, before he takes anything else out, i'll remind him to put some of the other things away first.   

• keep his play area simple: we have some nice little cubby-like shelves from ikea, and only keep one toy (or toy set) in each cubby.  it makes it easier to clean up, and is easy on the eyes, as well.  considering leo's play area is also part of our dining area, it's important to me that it doesn't look too chaotic.  i always appreciate how well this works when he has friends over, and without me even explaining, they can put things away where they belong.

• having just a few books: this goes right along with the last point made.  it's so easy for the books to pile up!  we keep just a few out, and have a separate basket for any library books we've borrowed.  every few weeks, i'll rotate the books from what we have stored in the garage... i usually keep them theme related (by season, holiday, etc.) except for a few favorites here and there.   this not only keeps the area neat, but keeps leo interested in what books are out at the time.  (check out the tutorial on the cool pallet bookshelf here!)

• being open and honest: just because we have strategies to keep things clean, doesn't mean that things always stay clean.  it also doesn't mean that leo is perfectly compliant with clean up.  so i remind him, if toys are on the ground, they can get broken.  someone can get hurt.  we might not be able to find them the next time we want to play.  and even, if we can't clean things up, then we probably shouldn't play with so many toys.  sometimes we do put toys away in the garage when it starts to get too overwhelming, and i think he understands why.

• respect his play time and space: if he is in the middle of doing something, i have to respect that.  it might just seem like play to us, but for him, it's a very valuable part of his day... and development!  if he tells me "not yet" or "one more time", i can respect that.  often, i think parents assume they are being manipulated... but if we can just look at it as respecting our child's words, it becomes so much understandable.  if i respect leo's words, in turn, he can learn to respect mine, as well.

• give a warning: if we don't have the time to make the clean up process into play, i at least give him a heads up.  a concrete heads up.  by using timed warnings like "one more minute", he really doesn't know what that means.  but if i say, "draw two more circles," or "drive the car around the track one more time," then he understands what i'm saying. 

i think it's only fair that i am realistic about leo's abilities in the clean up process... and i do need to remember that he's only 2!  however, by having some simple ways to help things along, he is learning that cleaning up is just as important as playing :)

any other creative ways to get your children to help in the clean up process?

more than just a new bike...

we got new bikes!  we're back in action, just in time for the summer.  it's so nice to be able to ride around, especially when so many things are within our neighborhood.  and leo just loves sitting up front!  which we have to get as much in as possible, considering a) soon he'll grow out of the seat and b) soon this mama's belly will be too big to ride bikes!

so with a new bike...

brought a trip to the farmer's market...

which brought some blueberry preserves...

that brought an amazingly cute berry face...

along with that bike also came a pretty big box...

which also led to a really great playhouse...

where even more snack could be eaten!

so much more than just a new bike :)

custom undies...

a few months ago, the little guy moved out of diapers.  we've had our fair share of accidents since then, and i do my best to take them in stride.

we didn't "potty train".  we simply put the potty out since he was quite young, and offered it when he was willing.  there were plenty of times he wasn't willing, but there were also times when he was.  and then, it was in january, i suggested to him we get some undies.  cool, truck undies.  which i thought would be pretty convincing.

well, he was convinced of the undies part, but not quite the truck part.  his response?

"no, mommy.  dark blue ones.  with white polka dots."

hmm.  okay.  that's not going to be hard to find at all.

looks like if i wanted to be done washing diapers, this mama was going to have to make some polka dot undies.  is that crazy of me?  or does it just make me a dedicated mom ;)

regardless... i started with some plain white gerber trainers...

i used liquid rit dye to dye them navy blue.  and then, with a circle sponge painter and some white fabric paint, added some polka dots. 

and presto!  dark blue undies with white polka dots.  i made them several months ago, so they've since faded a little (they were dried on the clothesline one day... bad move, apparently.)

since then, i've made several more pairs, and there are more on the list of things to do.  at the end of a cute little potty book we have, there are several pictures of undies...

which has become leo's wish list of fancy pants :)  

this was the latest pair...

nothing wrong with having fancy pants :)

i linked up today with jenny's creative me monday!

and...