Christmas gift list 2018

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Now everyone’s focus tends to turn toward Christmas.  Each year I try to make a post with some ideas for Christmas gifts for the kids.  I’ll put a link to our previous year’s lists at the end of this post.  All of the except a few are from Lakeshore Learning.  I’ve also done a post specifically about a few items we love from this store (located at Johnson Drive and I35.)

I remember as a parent of young children I wanted to find toys that could be used in a variety of ways and that would hold my kids’ interest for quite a while.  We have found the following toys to be just that!  Hopefully this will give you a few ideas you hadn’t thought of before.  Happy Shopping!

TODDLERS

My First Sorting Bears

This is a fun one with easy to handle pieces.  It’s a great way to introduce color and size to young kids.  The sorting cards are heavy and sort of “laminated.”  They hold up well to young kids’ play.

All About Me Personalized Photo Book

Children LOVE books about themselves.  If you don’t have a book like this that you can personalize for your toddler I would put this one high on your list.

 

What’s inside Soft Feely Box

Young children LOVE to put things into and out of a box.  These soft toys are easy to manipulate (and clean.)  As kids age you could even use these to play the what’s missing game.  For that you line up three toys and have them close their eyes while you take one away.  They try to guess what is missing.

PRESCHOOLERS

Around Town Play Carpet

You find these kind of play mats at various places.  Some children love them.  It’s sometimes hard to predict which ones will be drawn to them.  Typically those that love to play in structured ways enjoy it.  If your child like to be more creative and design his or her own play I think this might be too confining to their play.

Float and Play Alphabet Bubbles

We don’t have these at preschool.  In fact, I have never seen these before but they are on my “to purchase list.”  At home these would be fun in the bathtub but I can also see them used often in a tub of water or even sand.

 

Size and Color Teddy Bear Sorters

These are similar to the large counters above but older kids like playing with the smaller items.  These can be used in a variety of ways.  We have even made wood block houses for them to live in.  They have other small counters as well but I do like the size variation in these.

The Ultimate Fort Builder

We don’t have this specific set but we have something very similar.  As children grow developmentally you will see them begin to make plans and enjoy playing with this more independently.

Mold and Play Sensory Sand Set

We LOVE Kinetic sand.  It is very moldable and it feels so good.  Often play with this type of material with have a natural calming effect.  Don’t worry, it sweeps up easily.  Hint: my daughter sweeps the floor well before the kids begin this play and then anything she sweeps up after play is generally clean enough to toss back into the kit.

 

Easy Clean Craft Trays

You may have noticed we use trays under all of our kids art activities.  It’s a great way to keep small pieces contained and the mess easily cleaned.

Motorized Spin Art Center

This one does need adult assistance but it’s worth it!  I got my grand kids one of these and every time we get it out even the adults want a turn to create.  I purchased a small set of washable tempera paint that we use to refill the squirters (I water it down just a tiny bit.)  Be sure to mark one of each of the different shaped papers as “template.”  I just cut other paper to the size for additional spin fun.

Learning Resources Jumbo Dinosaurs

These are from Amazon.  We have large dinosaurs on the playground and they are used a lot!  For those that love dinosaurs, the big ones are very appealing.

As I was putting all these in the post I remembered that a school or office kit were some of my kids’ favorite gifts.  I guess I know what my next blog post will be about.

Here are links to some of our previous posts with toy gift suggestions.

Christmas Gift Ideas 2016

Gift Ideas – Christmas 2015

My Christmas List – Batteries not Included

Furby, the Perfect Christmas Gift?

Board Games . . .Not Boring at all

There’s One in Kansas City

The above post is specifically about Lakeshore Learning.

Happy Shopping!

 

 

 

Thankful for every Beautiful Child

We marvel everyday at the unique qualities of every child in our care.  God truly blesses this world with children and the many different characteristics; laughter, love, questions, spirit, wiggles, sincerity, songs, discoveries, friendship, struggles and overcoming those struggles.  

We know we are blessed to play a small part in each child’s life.  We created a video that celebrates our kids.  We wrote new words to the tune “For the Beauty of the Earth.”  We hope this represents the love we have for God’s precious children.

Unfortunately we are unable to have every child’s picture in the video. Please know we treasure your child even if they are not included. 

(Click on the words below for the video.)

THANKSGIVING VIDEO

Lord, today we share our joy for the beauty of each child.

All embraced for who they are; active bold and meek and mild.

Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

A child so busy, hard at work, focused and engaged in play.

It’s our gift to watch them grow, trying something new each day.

Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

Happy greetings, hugs so warm. Daily feel their love surround.

Stories, thoughts, discoveries, laughter fun and joy abound.

Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

We actually have 7 senses – did you know?

We are all familiar with the 5 common senses: sight, listening, touch, taste and smell.  Did you know there are two others that are just as essential to everyday life?  Let’s take a look at those with a few excepts from Balanced and Barefoot by Angela J. Hanscom.

Proprioception

Proprioception comprises sensory receptors in the joints, muscles, ligaments and connective tissues that tell you where your body are without you having to look at them.  The receptors sense when muscles and other connective tissues are stretched or at rest (Biel and Peske 2009).  Our brain analyzes the information from the receptors and gives us a sense of body position and motion.  Proprioception regulates how much force you need to use when completing tasks, such as peeling a boiled egg without crushing it, holding a baby chick without squeezing too hard, and writing with a pen without ripping the paper.

Children develop proprioception through a series of pushes and pulls that happens when they interact with their environment, such as by picking up heavy sticks and putting them back down again to build a fort, raking leaves, and shoveling snow.  This push and pull creates new gravitational loads and adaptations that strengthen the bones and muscular tissue over time, offering increased awareness of the different muscles’ capabilities and positioning for better body awareness.

Children with poor proprioceptive sense are generally more susceptible to fractures, falls, dislocations, and injuries.  They tend to be clumsy and have been know to walk in a robot-like fashion.  . . . Without proper proprioceptive feedback, children may fall out of seats, fall frequently, and trip while walking up stairs.

To maintain or strengthen the proprioceptive system, encourage your child to have play experiences that offer resistance to the joints, muscles and connective tissues.  This can also be referred to as doing “heavy work,” which basically consists of activities that require pushing, pulling, and carrying heavy objects.

 

We have a previous post that talks further about “heavy work” which we sometimes call Calming Work.  You can find it HERE

Vestibular Sense

Of all the senses, the vestibular sense is often the most over-looked.  Yet it is the most pwerful and arguably one of the most essential of our senses.  It is also known as our balance sense.  There are little hairs  inside our inner ear.  When we move our body and head in all different directions, the fluid in the inner ear moves back and forth, stimulating these little hairs.   This stimulation provides us with awareness of where our body is in space and helps us effectively navigate and move around our environment with ease and control.  

The late A. Jean Ayres, PhD . . . stated “The vestibular system (network of senses) is the unifying system.  All other types of sensations are processed in reference to this basic vestibular information . . . When the vestibular system does not function in a consistent and accurate way, the interpretation of other sensations will be inconsistent and inaccurate, and the nervous system will have trouble ‘getting started'” (Ayres 2000, 37).

Due to the lack of efficient movement opportunities today, many children walk around with an underdeveloped vestibular sense.  The results; fidgeting, tears of frustration, more falls, aggression, and trouble with attention.

  

Children develop a strong vestibular sense by having frequent opportunities to move – especially activities that go against gravity.  Walking and running offer some vestibular input, but activities that encourage children out of an upright position provide rapid input to the inner ear.  In other words, children will benefit immensely by going upside down on the monkey bars, rolling down hills, and dancing until their little hearts are content.