Running a playgroup as well as having my own 2 year old little boy has brought about a new obsession. Toys! Especially the more expensive wooden variety. For our son's birthday we planned on getting him a scooter as he loves his plastic motorbike until we visited a shop in Constantia Village that stocks our favourite brand of wooden toys; Melissa and Doug. He sat playing with their wooden train set for 30 minutes and even though it was some what of an "investment piece" I knew my return would be very high. I have spent some time researching as well as observing the 7 children who attend my playgroup to see what toddlers really enjoy. The following list is applicable for the 2 to 3 year old age group mainly.
1. A plastic motor bike. They are on the bikes EVERY day. Our bike has attended all types of family functions as well as joined us on many road trips. The way he maneuvers himself up and down hills and around corners amazes me. He will move on to a scooter and mini bike shortly. The children also love pushing toys, our play trolley is a big hit!
2. A big round, plastic ball. As Barney says, "A ball is the favourite toy of all!" To hit, kick and throw, this is the second most popular toy at our playgroup. We do weekly Playball classes, which I can highly recommend, and the toddlers are drawn to those balls that come along as if it is some new toy they have never seen before.
3. Books. These are essential yet expensive. I get around this by visiting Reader's Warehouse often as well as going to the library.
4. Puzzles. I find that children need you to sit and do puzzles with them but it is quite time consuming which for a toddler is unheard of.
5. A toy kitchen. We love "cooking" chips, biscuits and raisins with the pots and pans.
6. Outdoor equipment. If you have the space; a sandpit, swing, slide, trampoline, climbing aparatus and see saw are all very popular with our bunch.
7. Creative supplies. Playdough, magic paint books (that have the paint printed on to the page so that you just need to apply water from Bargain Books and Reader's Warehouse), chunky crayons, rollerball paints (far less mess!) and stickers.
8. Toy cars, car garage and car mat.
9. Toy animals.
10. Baby doll, pram, blanket and play cot. These are a big hit with the boys and girls.
11. Dressing up clothes. We have collected things from our own wardrobes for the children to dress up with. They love it!
12. A small chair and table or art easel. Checkers have mini chalk boards for R50 that can be used as an easel. We often use our chair and table though.
13. Imitation adult toys. The children adore the toy vacuum, musical instruments, piano keyboard, keys, phones, etc as they remind them of mum and dad.
14. Sand and water play equipment. Essential for summers at the beach or playing outside, children love to get messy!
Anything else you can think of?
Friday, August 16, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
My Top List of iPad Apps
I received my very first apple product one year ago as a surprise from my husbud. It was love at first sight... For my toddler. He adores the iPad! We limit the time he spends on it but it has really come in handy in the early hours of the morning when we need some extra snoozing time. He has also learnt such a lot from it. I have been in two minds about technology with my toddler. On one hand I don't want him to miss out on reading a book in real life (although we read lots!) but I would be doing him a disservice by not teaching him about technology which will undoubtedly by a part of his future. We have had to find a balance. I am constantly looking for new apps for him to enjoy, I also get bored VERY easily so tend to update his game folders often.
We love anything by Toca Boca (Check out Train and Tea Party first) and Duck Duck Moose (start with Peek-a-Zoo), Pea Pod Labs also have some sweet educational things. The Alphabet app is a really good one too. There are many apps related to children's TV and book characters that we also enjoy. Noddy, Barney, Thomas as well as all the fairy tales are available. For interactive books the TT range in the Books image are great. We are really enjoying the Collins books too. Most of the apps in the Fun image I have got on promotion by following @smartapps4kids on twitter and following app producing companies directly as well as recommendations from friends. If I had to choose one from the list it would be Bizzy Farm, no Squiggles, no Pepi Bath... You will have to see for yourself.
The app I find most useful is the video downloader which allows you to save things off Youtube - hello late weekend mornings in bed while toddler catches up on new shows - Pinterest is my addiction and the games on the last row are all just for fun.
We love anything by Toca Boca (Check out Train and Tea Party first) and Duck Duck Moose (start with Peek-a-Zoo), Pea Pod Labs also have some sweet educational things. The Alphabet app is a really good one too. There are many apps related to children's TV and book characters that we also enjoy. Noddy, Barney, Thomas as well as all the fairy tales are available. For interactive books the TT range in the Books image are great. We are really enjoying the Collins books too. Most of the apps in the Fun image I have got on promotion by following @smartapps4kids on twitter and following app producing companies directly as well as recommendations from friends. If I had to choose one from the list it would be Bizzy Farm, no Squiggles, no Pepi Bath... You will have to see for yourself.
The app I find most useful is the video downloader which allows you to save things off Youtube - hello late weekend mornings in bed while toddler catches up on new shows - Pinterest is my addiction and the games on the last row are all just for fun.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Friday, August 9, 2013
Love and disgust. But mainly disgust.
And as she handed their newborn son to her husband, her gaze did not leave the baby. Her protection for her child was shown through her loving touch and watchful eye as she gave her husband a much anticipated turn to hold their most loved blessing.
This could easily describe the exchange between Kate and William as they introduced their baby son, the future king of England, to the world a few weeks ago. Instead it describes something I witnessed at our church this past weekend. A couple were standing in front of me with their young newborn baby who they recently adopted. To watch them was to know their lives would never be the same.
To see this two weeks after our church experienced an armed robbery was just what I needed. I questioned going back. I fear something happening again. I have nightmares of not being able to protect my child in similar circumstances. I have had to have a serious conversation with my husbud about our security and our future in our country. I relive the running away, the fear, the screams from that morning so I desperately needed this vision of life moving on. Of love. I needed to hear the voices of our church singing in unison giving me goosebumps when we sing of God's love for us. I needed to live in the mundane. Unfortunately this is not normal for everyone. And that is what breaks my heart.
When I hear of a baby and her young brother being raped in our country it shocks me to my core. It makes me question life and how I live mine. It has made me question love. Love is not something automatically learnt but something we are taught. We are taught it by our parents who wake up patiently with us to comfort us at night, who feed us our favourite foods to warm our tummies, who read us our bed time stories for the umpteenth time and convince us we are important. That we are special. That we are loved. When I think of not being needed by my son one day during the middle of the night or to provide him with a meal I want to cry. I have to use this time I have been given by God to influence his life's decisions. I have to make sure that everything I do for him is from a place of deep love so that he can do the same. So that he can carry the baton of love to the next generation. I want him to think of me aware of my faults but able to say "That woman loved me every moment of my life" - in fact I loved him before he was knitted together in my womb.
We learn where to place our value from our parents . They provide, defend and protect us, asking us to do the same for our children, to their grandchildren, in return. We learn that our mother's have instincts stronger than any animal, that have been known to produce super human strength to protect their young. I know this feeling. I know it because my mother showed it to me and her mother showed her. I am teaching my son who I hope above most other things, goes on to show his children. You are loved.
This could easily describe the exchange between Kate and William as they introduced their baby son, the future king of England, to the world a few weeks ago. Instead it describes something I witnessed at our church this past weekend. A couple were standing in front of me with their young newborn baby who they recently adopted. To watch them was to know their lives would never be the same.
To see this two weeks after our church experienced an armed robbery was just what I needed. I questioned going back. I fear something happening again. I have nightmares of not being able to protect my child in similar circumstances. I have had to have a serious conversation with my husbud about our security and our future in our country. I relive the running away, the fear, the screams from that morning so I desperately needed this vision of life moving on. Of love. I needed to hear the voices of our church singing in unison giving me goosebumps when we sing of God's love for us. I needed to live in the mundane. Unfortunately this is not normal for everyone. And that is what breaks my heart.
When I hear of a baby and her young brother being raped in our country it shocks me to my core. It makes me question life and how I live mine. It has made me question love. Love is not something automatically learnt but something we are taught. We are taught it by our parents who wake up patiently with us to comfort us at night, who feed us our favourite foods to warm our tummies, who read us our bed time stories for the umpteenth time and convince us we are important. That we are special. That we are loved. When I think of not being needed by my son one day during the middle of the night or to provide him with a meal I want to cry. I have to use this time I have been given by God to influence his life's decisions. I have to make sure that everything I do for him is from a place of deep love so that he can do the same. So that he can carry the baton of love to the next generation. I want him to think of me aware of my faults but able to say "That woman loved me every moment of my life" - in fact I loved him before he was knitted together in my womb.
We learn where to place our value from our parents . They provide, defend and protect us, asking us to do the same for our children, to their grandchildren, in return. We learn that our mother's have instincts stronger than any animal, that have been known to produce super human strength to protect their young. I know this feeling. I know it because my mother showed it to me and her mother showed her. I am teaching my son who I hope above most other things, goes on to show his children. You are loved.
“In society, women are referred to as the fairer sex. But in the wild, the female species can be far more ferocious than their male counterparts. Defending the nest is both our oldest and strongest instinct. And sometimes it can also be the most gratifying.”
Emily Thorne - Revenge
To these people that behave like animals, I am sorry. I am sorry that you didn't have someone to show you these things. I am sorry that you weren't taught love. Everyone deserves to experience love, to be protected and defended. To rob someone of their childhood and to destroy their experience of love is inexcusable. Your parents failed you and their parents failed them. You have failed us. I will live the rest of my life ensuring that the children God entrusts to me, grow up knowing that in the mundane, there is always love.
The end.
Emily Thorne - Revenge
To these people that behave like animals, I am sorry. I am sorry that you didn't have someone to show you these things. I am sorry that you weren't taught love. Everyone deserves to experience love, to be protected and defended. To rob someone of their childhood and to destroy their experience of love is inexcusable. Your parents failed you and their parents failed them. You have failed us. I will live the rest of my life ensuring that the children God entrusts to me, grow up knowing that in the mundane, there is always love.
The end.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)