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Say-n-Play the Summer Away with Weekly Challenges
I am one for a big adventures. I love booking trips to far off destinations and then dreaming about the trip for months in anticipation. Sometimes, however, big trips just aren’t possible when juggling the multiple responsibilities of parenthood, especially when a newborn baby is in play (like it is for us this summer). Fortunately, there is so much to see and do right in your own hometown. So, to encourage families to find new places and new experiences, I am putting together 10 weeks of local adventure challenges. Check-in each week this summer for specific ideas for local adventures and ways to encourage language development while completing them. My hope is…
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7 Tips to Encourage Speech and Language in a Toddler
Recently, I have received quite a few messages with questions pertaining to toddler’s language abilities. While language development is different in every child and should be addressed in a case-by-case scenario, I thought it might be helpful to put together a list of a strategies to support overall language development in a toddler. Be a Model Be a good language model by modeling the language you want your child to be using. For example, when your child puts his arms up to you, it generally means he wants to be picked up, right? In this situation think about a word – up – you could model that you would want…
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Plastic Egg Play
Full disclosure – we have plastic eggs out around our house year round. They are perfect for learning the concepts of colors, open/close, on/off, in/out, and so much more, and can be utilized in so many different ways. The following are ways you can learn and play with plastic eggs starting with baby up through preschool age. As always, please be sure to supervise if your child is still mouthing items. Half of one of these plastic eggs is the perfect size to fit into a little mouth and can become a choking hazard. Shaky Eggs: Fill eggs with different material: rice, beans, pennies, pasta, etc, and give the eggs…
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40 Winter Outings in Columbus – With a Toddler in Tow
The first 3 months of the year are generally the longest for me, as I’m sure they are for everyone else. Below, I have listed 40 great ways to beat the winter blues in Columbus. These outings are perfect for children of all ages, but especially geared for those toddlers in your life to play, explore, and learn. You will find us out and about somewhere on this list, blowing off some of that extra energy! Music/Theater Activities: PBJ & Jazz Concert Series: PBJ & Jazz concerts are “1-hour long interactive concerts designed to introduce jazz and American music to young children and their families.” Concerts are held in the ballroom…
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How We Color Pasta
When it comes to sensory bins, I generally just dump different materials into the container and call it a day. With the holidays approaching, I decided to get a little more festive by coloring dry pasta red and green. It did take a few combinations in order to get the set up just right, so I thought I would share the combination that worked the best for us. Step One: Gather supplies: Pasta (different shapes and sizes), rubbing alcohol, gallon size plastic bags, and food coloring. Step Two: Combine 16 oz dry pasta and 1 tsp rubbing alcohol into a ziplock bag. Shake it up to spread the rubbing alcohol…
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Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt Pt. 2
The holiday season has begun and Christmas lights are everywhere. I have updated our Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt from a few years ago to make it more user friendly for those pre-readers. If you are interested in the written list click here. To take part in the holiday fun, simply print out the list shown below and load up your bundled kiddos in the car to drive around to check out neighborhood lights or to head to one of the many light displays around town. See how many of the items you can cross of the list. Click here for the printable Christmas light scavenger hunt. Before you set off…
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A November Filled With Kindness – Toddler Edition
Children learn by observing adults, even when those adults aren’t intentionally trying to teach them anything. Have you seen your child pretend to talk on the phone, pretend to do their makeup, or pretend to wash dishes in the play kitchen? I have many times and I am always shocked by my daughter coming up with these ideas when I haven’t explicitly taught them to her. Recently, I feel there has been so much negativity in the world. From the news to the Facebook community discussion board. This negativity is affecting me and in turn my daughter. With that, I have decided to combat the negativity by making a conscious…
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A Nature Walk through Inniswoods
Inniswood Metro Gardens is located within a scenic nature preserve in Westerville, Ohio. There are trails and paths that lead you through woods and several theme gardens, past streams and ever changing flowers. We love making the trip to Inniswoods periodically throughout the seasons to see how the scenery is changing. My daughter recently began to notice the changes that take place in the fall – she has especially been interested in picking up the leaves and acorns that have been falling from the trees. With her increased interest in the changing seasons, I thought it would be the perfect time to print off this toddler scavenger hunt for fall…
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Take a Taste Tuesday with From This Point Forward
Hi! My name is Mariah and I’m very excited to be sharing with you for Take a Taste Tuesday! My blog, From This Point. Forward., isn’t primarily about food or even motherhood, but focuses on how my life changed after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at the age of 25. That being said, perhaps the most difficult part of my RA journey has been figuring out how to navigate motherhood while living with a chronic autoimmune disease. (If my story sounds familiar to you, please keep an eye on my new site – Mamas Facing Forward – which will soon offer resources and support for the unique challenges faced…
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Apple Picking at Legend Hills Orchard
We visited Legend Hills Orchard for the first time last fall and immediately fell in love. We made the journey to Legend Hills again this fall for apple picking and determined Legend Hills is now part of our fall traditions. This family owned and operated farm is located in Utica, Ohio, approximately a 50 minute drive from Columbus. The rolling terrain makes for beautiful scenery while apple picking, and the farm market offers an abundance of fresh produce and other goodies that you didn’t know you needed. Upon arrival we check into the farm market to pick up our apple bag (small – $10/large – $15), map of the orchard with the best…