Two Good Toddler Games/Activity Books

New find from the library. . . Brilliant Brain Games for Kids to Enjoy by Hamlyn. It's one of those great books that describes the game, gives photos, and suggests appropriate ages for games. Numbers, sorting, rhyming, music, etc. Really nice book. Go check it out.

Also, The Complete Resource Book for Toddlers and Twos by Pam Schiller. This one is set up like lesson plans. It's nice because it lists activities by "concept." Example, High and Low, Round, Short, Rainy. The book also has a really cool section in the back with puppet templates, flannel board cut-outs, etc. Now I just have to make a flannel board.

Both are excellent books. Reserve them at your local library if you can.

Noodle art

Stevie made noodle art today with some pasta I had in the pantry. He seemed to enjoy the dumping of the noodles more than the actual painting.

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Crayon Melts from Cool Website

I found this cool activity today. It's a perfect way to put those crayon pieces to good use. Yay for 100 degree weather! During your kid's naptime (God help you if there is no naptime), take some time to browse through this site. It is awesome.

Go to the site No Time for Flash Cards

Zucchini Cakes

Stevie and I made Zucchini Cakes (really, my aunt Karen's zucchini bread) and had a blast. I do recommend that you do all the prep work ahead of time, so that you and your toddler can enjoy mixing all the ingredients. I decided to do this recipe and was not prepared for how long it takes to grate the zucchini. My toddler had no patience for that business. All in all, great fun.

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Jackpot! Early learning activities galore!

Just found this today. It's nice to have all of this info in one place. It comes from the Center for Early Literacy Learning and it's great. This site gives examples of activities for parents of infants and toddlers. Yay!

Color sorting

While we were playing today, I asked Stevie to go and get something that could fit in his plastic egg and I would guess what it was. Well, he wasn't interested in that, but instead he did something we had done several different times (but . . . together). He found the red apple pillow and decided he would collect other toys that were also red. It was cute. We usually do stuff like that together. It's nice to see him have fun with that all on his own.

Sweetest mommy and kid book

I've been reading this book with Stevie and it is so cute. He asks me to read it every day (too bad it's a library book). It's one of those cute mommy and child books that reminds you and your child how special the mommy/kid bond really is. The book is called Your Kind of Mommy, by Marjorie Blain Parker. The illustrations are soft and dreamy. The characters are mommy and daughter. Just beautiful and full of rhyme.