Search Results for: read

Harvesting Words- Mom, Tell Me about It

October 19, 2010 By Deirdre

There are times when even I the official JDaniel translator does not understand what he is trying to tell me. Sometimes due to the context of the conversation and sometimes due to where we are when we have the conversation I can figure out what he has just said. When I do not recognize the word he is trying to say, I ask him to tell me about it. Sometimes I ask him the following questions: What does it look like? What is near what you want or see? What color is it? Have we seen it before? Narrowing down the object of discussion usually helps him discern the word he is trying to say.

Lately, JDaniel has been pointing out objects we see when we are out in the car as a fire truck. After getting me to tell him that it is a fire truck, he says, “Tell me about it.” The first time he did this I wanted to break out laughing. I caught myself before the chuckle could escape from my lips. I am so glad I did. JDaniel was being serious. He was giving me an opportunity to share with him what I knew fire trucks. I do not know a lot. Most of what I know about them has come from watching videos on fire trucks with him and he already knows those facts.

I look forward to him asking for me to tell him about things again. This is a great opportunity to talk about shapes, colors, sounds along with introducing new vocabulary words to him.

What are you doing Mom?

This question comes up a lot of car rides or when I am doing the most mundane things. The answer to the question when I am driving the car is to say, “JDaniel, I am driving the car.” I have thought about it and am not sure that is what is asking. He seems content with my answer but, I do wonder if he is looking for more details just as he is when he says,” Tell me about it.” I have started putting what I am doing in sequence with details. “Well, I am driving the car on the highway, because it is the fastest way to the library. When we get there, we can look for books” I say to him.

Does he need all these details?
Yes, he must or he won’t be asking for them.

Do I think taking the time to give him the details helps his brain development?
Yes, I think it is helping him build brain connections that he will use as a foundation to build knowledge on later.

Does he just like to talk like his mom sometimes?
Yes, he most certainly does.

What questions are your children asking?

Decisions about Halloween and Pumpkins

October 13, 2010 By Deirdre

There are so many decisions families make about Halloween.

Here are a few we have talked about at my house:

Will we trick or treat?

Some families don’t trick or treat. They have legitimate reasons and have decided not to participate. My husband and I both trick or treated when we were little and decided that it would be all right for JDaniel to dress up and visit houses in our neighborhood.

Will you put out a pumpkin?

Yes. We both had pumpkins on our porches when we were little and don’t see this as a problem for us.

Will the pumpkin have a face carved into it?

Yes. We decided that we could have a happy face carved into a pumpkin. I am totally aware of the history of carved pumpkins. A parent wrote me a three-page letter on the horrors of Halloween when I first started teaching twenty years ago. He detailed as much of the ancient history and meaning of Halloween objects he felt I needed to know followed by a declaration that his child wasn’t to participate in any Halloween related activities in the classroom. I think he had a right to share his thoughts about Halloween with me. His feelings on the subject were respected and I let his daughter abstain from activities that would have been objectionable to him.

Will we decorate the outside of the house with skeletons and ghosts?

No. JDaniel recently noticed some Halloween decorations at a friend’s house and was scared of them. They weren’t going to be a part of our Halloween décor anyway. We certainly wouldn’t be doing them even if we had planned to do them with JDaniel’s fear of them.

Will we read Halloween related books?

Yes. I am reviewing one this week in Read. Explore.Learn. I am not pointing out witches or ghosts out and discussing them. If he asks about what they are, I will tell him what they are called. At two he probably won’t want an in-depth discussion anyway.

Muffin Tin Monday- A Great Pumpkin Tin?

October 11, 2010 By Deirdre

The theme for Muffin Tin Monday is pumpkins this week. I have been brainstorming for about a week to come up with ideas for this tin.

Idea One: I found this idea for the pumpkin fruit salad and knew it was right up JDaniel’s alley.
Idea Two: I could make grilled cheese sandwiches and carve a face in the bread. After the first cut I realized that this was not going to work. The cheese was cemented to the bread. The sandwiches still ended up in the tin minus the cute faces I planned to put in them.
Idea Three: There are tons of great recipes that have pumpkin in them. I could try one of them and put it in the tin. There were no cans of pumpkin on the shelves at the two stores I went to.

Idea Four: Take something and make it look like a pumpkin. I took several peach slices and put them in a pumpkin shaped array. A raisin was placed on the top of them to look like a stem.

Idea Five: Place something orange in the tin and call it a day. I found some carrots in the fridge and added them to the tin with a cup of ranch dressing to dip them in.

Superbaby by Dr. Jenn Berman- Review

October 10, 2010 By Deirdre

I have truly enjoyed reading the book Superbaby by Dr. Jenn Berman. It focuses on the first three years of a child’s life. If I shared every quote I have marked in the book with a little paper tab, this review would go on forever. My son is almost past the age Dr. Berman is writing about in the book and yet I had so many ah-ha moments I marked with little paper tabs. Some were ah-ha I am so glad I did that with JDaniel and others were ah-ha I still have time to work on this with JDaniel.

I love that she starts with communicating respectfully with your child. One of the pillars of communication is to set your child up for success. As an infant JDaniel was easily frustrated, I needed to look at the things that were frustrating him and in turn frustrating me. Trying to eliminate them or look for other ways to accomplish them made a difference for him. She also talks about avoiding power struggles. I feel like I am living in the power struggle trenches right now. I am really working on trying to give JDaniel two acceptable choices as she suggests in her book.

The book describes the Dunstan baby language. I wish I had known about it when JDaniel was little. JDaniel was I am sure trying to tell me some of these things and I just didn’t know what they meant. He was always trying to chat. (He must have inherited that from me.)

In the chapter Dr. Berman titled More Than Chitchat she shares amazing tips for encouraging language. These is one of those chapters that I thankfully could say, “Ah-ha” to and have it be because I had done modeling, self-talk, parallel talk, expansion, recasting and extension. It is worth getting the book just to find out what these words mean in the context of talking with your child.

What are some other must reads in this book?

20 Tips For Exposing Your Child To A Second Language.
The Six Immediate Benefits of Reading
Ideas For Getting The Most Out Of The Reading Experience
How Bedtime Reading Actually Changes Your Physiology
Thirty-Six Activities That Will Make Kids Of All Ages Love Lit
The Emotional Benefits of Play

As you can probably see, I really enjoyed this book. It is easy to read. It is straight forward in its presentation of ideas and concepts. I think every new parent would love it. I think all moms can glean information that will help teach their children even if your child is old than three. You will that this book is not opinion based, but based on research done by the author and her life experiences as a mom.The information contained in this book is so helpful. Read it to learn. Read it to be inspired. Read it to say, “Ah-ha” I did that well with my child.

If you would love to add this book to your parenting library, here is a SuperBaby by Dr. Jenn Berman link to Amazon.com where you can get it for $16.47.

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of Superbaby to review. All the thoughts and ideas in this post are my own.

Great Posts I Came Across This Week- October 9

October 9, 2010 By Deirdre

Child Related

In Between Laundry’s Busy Tray looks like something JDaniel would love to have one to use at home and on the road.

Mom of Two Boys has a wonderful Corn Crib post. JDaniel would love to climb in and play with his trucks in the mound of corn she shares in her post.

Recipes

a cup of Jo has recipe that is easy as pie for pumpkin pie dip. It looks wonderful.

Almost Unschoolers’ Pilgrim Pumpkin Pie in the Microwave looks easy and so delicious to make.

Just Sew Sassy has an amazing post called Monday Yummies: Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. We would be happy to sample some of it at my house.

I Needed To Read This Post

Blue Cotton Memory has a super post called Not a Grasshopper Caught in the Grip that reminded me that I have God holding me in His hands.

Ooops… There Goes My Mind has a post called Counting the Ways that helped be break out of mom brain funk earlier in the week.

“Go to Type-A in Asheville, Mom! I’m Having a Party While You’re Gone!”

September 28, 2010 By Deirdre

Last Friday afternoon after his nap, I sat JDaniel down and explained that Aunt Michelle was coming up for the weekend so; mom and dad could go to Asheville. He had only two questions for me. “Which car are you going to take?” he wanted to know. I told him we were going to take both cars. Daddy needed his car to come home early than me on Sunday. The second question was “What are you going to do there?” I told him I was going to meetings with other people that had blogs. With those questions answered, he requested we go downstairs and have a snack. There were no tears or cries of don’t go.

When my sister arrived, JDaniel pointed his finger to the door and said, “Go Mommy!” I have to admit I was relieved that weren’t tears, but I was a little crushed that there weren’t tears.

My husband and I loved staying at the Renaissance Hotel in Asheville. The hotel and our room couldn’t have been any nicer. After staying at a budget hotel when we were at the beach, we felt like we were in the lap of luxury. We found a great restaurant for dinner Saturday night. A dinner that didn’t have either of us sharing parts of your meal with our little gourmet was unique for us.

The Type-A Conference was wonderful. I learned a lot from the panel of speakers that they had at each session as well as from the other bloggers in attendance. This conference is filled with people that have a passion for blogging and for their blogs. It was very inspiring to hear people from local, regional and national blogs share their visions. I now have a greater appreciation for how hard people work on their blogs and love their readers.

I literally had never met any of the bloggers there before. While I enjoyed meeting new to me bloggers,I had visited Things I Can’t Say and A Nut in a Nutshell on their blogs and knew they would be there. It was such an honor to sit with them on Saturday for a session or two and during the keynote speakers on Sunday. They are amazing women and I learned tons from both of them. If you haven’t visited their blogs, you really need to.

When I got home on Sunday night, JDaniel informed me he had partied all weekend. He partied at the zoo and then McDonald’s. There were parties in cousin made forts and all over the house. The house was well organized and clean when I got home. They must have partied neatly or my sister did a lot of cleaning up.

This is Blue Violet of A Nut in a Nutshell taking a picture of Mama Dweeb and My Sentiments Exactly.

Great Posts I Came Across This Week- September 25th

September 25, 2010 By Deirdre

Child Related

Childhood 101 has a great post on creating Our Toddler-Friendly Sewing Basket. I have the shelf liner they use in their sewing basket. I may have to take it out on a shelf and try this activity with JDaniel.

I Needed to Read This

Gold in the Clouds has a wonderful post called Higher. It really reminded me about where my focus needs to be.

Recipes

Oh my! Sugar High has a recipe for Addictive Vanilla Caramel Corn that sounds great. I really need to try it soon.

Fun Posts

Kind of Matter has a free download for her Printable Thanksgiving Fortune Cookies. I think they could be used for lots of fall parties and events.

Away to Asheville-Alphabe Thursday: The Letter A

September 22, 2010 By Deirdre

This weekend I am going to be spending my first night away from JDaniel since he was born to attend the Type A Conference in Asheville. I am really excited about getting away with my husband and meeting other bloggers. Yes, my husband is coming too. He won’t be attending the conference. He will be enjoying so downtime along with so couple time with me.

My sister Michelle and her two sons are coming from Atlanta to be JDaniel. He knows that they are coming. He is so excited about spending time with them. What they will do while they are here has been planned by him already. The children’s museum and McDonald’s are things his cousins will like according to him. He will love time with them no matter what they do. (My sister really wants to go to the zoo. He will love the zoo too.)

JDaniel doesn’t know that Mommy and Daddy are not going to be home for the visit. I have been avoiding telling him. By the time this post is up I will probably have mentioned it to him. When I talk about going away, I don’t think he understands what I am talking about. Mommy doesn’t go away. Daddy has had to visit with Nana several times this year overnight due to his father’s poor health and subsequent passing. Mommy hasn’t done it. Once I month when I go to a sorority meeting my husband puts JDaniel to bed. Bedtime rituals have been totally my job. I love doing the bedtime routine.

There are some of you that may go away for a weekend a few times a year to bond as a couple, attend a retreat, or deal with family things. I think that is wonderful. My sister Michelle has always done that. It is good to get some downtime. I just have never done it before.

I am sure JDaniel will have a great time with Aunt Michelle and his cousins. He may only make a scene when I leave for my benefit. He will be happy to see me come home so that he can tell me what he has done. I know will be true.

How I will fair is a different story. I have really looked forward to learning tons at the conference. My husband and I haven’t really had extended periods of time alone together unless JDaniel was asleep in two and half years. That will be wonderful.

It will be fine. Right?

A Isn’t B! I C!- Letter Knowledge

September 21, 2010 By Deirdre

This is the last post in the literacy series I have been posting on Tuesdays. It will look at letter knowledge and helping your child see that each letter has a name and specific sound.

Birth to 2-Years Old

Help your baby or toddler see and feel different shapes as you play. Say, “The ball is round.”
Point out letters on toys, food boxes, books, and other objects around the house.

2 to 3-years old

Practice making letters from clay, finger paint, shaving cream, pudding, etc…
Write your child’s name in the creative ways, like in the air, in dirt or sand, or traced on their backs.
Keep magnetic letters on your refrigerator or foam letters in the tub.

4 to 5-years

Start every letter in a sentence with the sound of a particular letter.
Cut out pictures from magazines or catalogs that start with the letter you are learning.
Help your child write words that interest her using crayons, markers, or pencil on paper

How we work on letter knowledge at our house:

We look for letters all over.
I asked JDaniel to look for letters by using the letter sound. “Where is the letter that says ay?”
We have foam bathtub letters that can be used on the fridge when wet or in the tub.
Wooden letter puzzles are part of our puzzle collection.
We read lots of alphabet books
JDaniel has a laptop that works on letter recognition. (I got it at a consignment store for $6.)
I write letters all over the driveway and ask JDaniel to dump water from his watering can on the correct letter.

Places to find activities:

There are tons of alphabet activities located at We Teach in the We Teach the Alphabet Forum.
Counting Coconuts
Teach Mama
The Activity Mom recommends Itsy Bitsy Books (Free and Printable)

Muffin Tin Monday- Shapes in a Sandwich

September 20, 2010 By Deirdre

JDaniel has enjoyed constructing his own sandwiches lately. I thought he would love to do it with the ingredients in this tin. He was even given a tin with heart-shaped muffin cups. I even made him some sandwich samples. He ate each piece individually. Why? I think it was because he can and he is two.