October, 2020 - A Flourishing Rose

Month: October 2020

11Educational Toys for Your Preschooler

October 28, 2020

The holidays are coming up and you might be wondering what to get your preschooler this year. If you are tired of the electronic toys that make endless noise and are looking for fun and educational toys, I got you covered! As an early childhood educator, I’ve worked with many children and have seen lots of toys. These are 11 of the best educational toys that preschoolers love! The best part about these toys are that the kids are learning and they don’t even realize it.

1. Blocks

Blocks are some of the best educational toys out there. We have had a set of the Mega Blocks, foam bath blocks, bristle blocks, but Rosebud’s favorite have been these magnet tiles from Picasso. We’ve made houses, castles, boats and even a tree! These blocks are reasonably priced compared to other brands and they get played with a lot!

Your child can learn about spacial awareness, shapes and sizes, height and weight, building, gravity and creativity just to name a few.

2. Kinetic Sand

If you’ve never felt this sand, you’re missing out! This sand is amazing! It doesn’t dry out, is easy to pick up and the kids love it! There are a variety of colors and molds to choose from.

Your child can use this sand to practice fine motor skills such as scooping, molding, stamping etc. They can use the sand to express themselves through their creations or simply pretend they are at the beach, baking a cake or using a dump truck.

3. Play-dough

While play-dough isn’t exactly a toy, I am including it because it is educational. There is so much you can do with play-dough. Anything from creating your favorite sweet treats to making letters and numbers to building sculptures. There are endless options for play-dough. There are just as many activities as there are flavors. Play-dough is even used as a therapy tool in some cases. The best part is it’s fun for children even before they reach preschool age.

Your child can practice his or her fine motor skills such as pinching, squeezing, pushing, pulling etc. Play-dough is another creative medium allowing your children to express themselves. It’s a great sensory experience as well.

4. Water Drawing Pad

If you’re tired of getting paint or marker all over your walls, this is definitely for you. These pens are filled with water and when the kids draw on this pad it changes color and they can draw whatever they want. Some of these pads come with stamps and stencils, but this is a wonderful open ended drawing activity that leaves no mess unless water is spilled. My only recommendation to make this better is to purchase extra pens.

Drawing is a great way for kids to practice writing skills and creativity.

5. Play Food

Rosebud loves playing in her kitchen and these toys from Learning Resources are my favorite food sets. They are made of a smooth plastic material that is easy to clean. They are well made and there are a variety of food sets to choose from. Everything from soup and salad to dessert to multicultural food. They would be great to pair with a kitchen set or on their own. Your child can practice pretend measuring, learning about ingredients, healthy vs unhealthy foods, sharing with friends, creative play etc.

6. Puzzles

Puzzles have been a mixed bag throughout my career with preschoolers. Some kids love them and some kids think they are boring, but they are a great educational tool. Rosebud happens to like them, so I’m putting them ont he list. These puzzles are the best I’ve found so far. They are well made, fit together well, have a variety of themes and preschoolers can do these independently.

Puzzles are great for spacial awareness, improving matching and sorting skills, learning patience and practicing concentration.

7. Marble Run

What kid doesn’t like a marble run? These are a big hit in my preschool and pre-k classes. These are pretty self explanitory. You set up the track and the marble goes down. The track can be rearranged to make a different path. Children can learn about distance and gravity. If two children are playing, they can have races and practice taking turns as social skills are important to learn at this age. Marble runs are a great stem toy.

8. Games

There are so many places I could go here because there are so many games to choose from. I’ve listed a few of the games that we like, but the skills that games are great for are learning to follow directions, taking turns and learning about competition, but having fun at the same time.

Depending on what you want your child to practice, you can find a game for almost any skill. There are games for counting, matching, memory, strategy etc. The sky’s the limit, but this is a great age to introduce relatively simple games.

9. Cooking Set

If your child is into cooking with you, that is fantastic! Your child can learn so much from cooking. They can learn math skills such as measuring. Reading skills from reading a recipe. Science, let’s see what happens to the food when it gets hot vs when it was cold. Basically, how the properties of foods change. Cooking is a great way to make your child feel like they are doing real work. If they have pretend toys for cooking that’s great, but I’d suggest getting some real child friendly cooking tools as well for when they help you in the kitchen.

10. Dolls

Dolls are great because children can practice their nurturing skills. They observe what their parents do and tend to act out these situations with stuffed animals or dolls. This is great for their development as it helps them understand their world. The other great thing about dolls is the ability to practice dressing and undressing. This is a perfect way for children to get the hang of snaps, buttons, velcro, laces etc. Rosebud loves to put different outfits on her dolls and I’ve noticed that she has gotten much better at dressing them independently. In turn, she is able to dress and undress herself as well.

I know some people don’t like boys playing with dolls. I see nothing wrong with it, but there are dress up boards that you can use to practice the same skills.

11. Child Sink

Rosebud loves this toy. She saw it at a friend’s birthday party and had to have it. It runs like a real sink and comes with a set of dishes and everything you need to wash them. This is great for working on practical washing skills and kids love to be doing the same things that they see their parents doing. They can also work on scooping and pouring and even imaginative play. I love activities that help kids practice real life skills. Mini cleaning sets are also wonderful for this.

There, you have my top picks for educational gifts for 2020. What educational gifts are you getting your kids this year? Tell me in the comments.

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Activities For Kids, Motherhood

40 Family Quality Time Activities that Won’t Break the Bank

October 21, 2020

Recently, it has become clear that Rosebud has way too many toys. We often argue about cleaning up the toys, it takes so much time to keep them organized and she is starting to get bored with most of her toys. She has reluctantly agreed to give some of her toys away before Christmas, but we’ll see what she is willing to part with.

I have realized that maybe I should focus more on experiences and quality time instead of buying toys. I’m a gift giver at heart. It’s my love language, so when I see something she’d like, I get it. The other part is my mindset. Somewhere along the way, I’ve gotten the message that providing lots of material things for your child equals good parent. In my head, I know that it’s not necessarily true. Some parents buy lots of things to make up for not spending enough time with their children. Others do it simply because they can afford it. I know I have to get out of that mindset because lately it’s not serving us and it is the inspiration for this post.

I know I can’t be alone! It’s easy to get sucked into this mindset with our culture of consumption. This is especially important with the holiday season fast approaching. To help you mamas out, I’ve created this list of 40 family quality time activities that won’t break the bank.

The great thing about many of these is that you will be making memories with your children and not spending a dime!

Family Time Activities

Have family game night,
Watch a family favorite movie together and have popcorn,
Camp out for a night in your living room,
Play shadow games with flashlights,
Go camping in the wilderness,
Bake cookies or a cake,
Have kids help with meal planning and create a menu,
Make a grocery list and go grocery shopping,
Play I-Spy, (This works no matter where you are)
Have a family photo shoot,
Watch old family videos,
Take a walk together,
Go on a nature scavenger hunt,
Make a collage with what you found,
Look at the clouds and talk about what you see,
Take a walk on the beach, build sand castles or go for a swim if it’s warm weather,
Jump in a pile of leaves,
Play in the snow, (Snowball fight, make snowmen, sledding etc)
Make homemade play-dough or slime,
Create or look through photo albums,
Have a dance party,
Do yoga or some other form of exercise,
Draw a big picture together as a family,
Read stories or make up stories of your own,
Clean rooms in the house and make it a game, (Who can pick up more items the fastest etc)
Drive to a place in town where you’ve never been,
Have a picnic in the back yard or park,
Go to the nearest playground,
Create a family mission statement,
Create a family vision board,
Make greeting cards for friends and family,
Make a homemade game or toy,
Make forts out of pillows and sheets,
Decorate the house for the holidays,
Paint or draw on pumpkins,
Make homemade Christmas ornaments,
Decorate gingerbread houses,
Create a family playlist of songs you love,
Make paper airplanes or kites,
Create a gratitude or kindness jar.

How are you spending quality time with your kids this year? Do you struggle with the amount of toys in the house? Tell me in the comments!

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Personal Development, Self Care

4 Lessons I’ve Learned on my Fitness Journey

October 15, 2020

In January of 2020, one of my new years resolutions was to get in the best shape of my life in the next decade. It’s not very specific, but I decided I was going to exercise every day. I didn’t have a set amount of weight I wanted to lose, but I wanted to get healthier, have more energy and of course, look good. It has been 10 months since I started this journey and here are four unexpected lessons I’ve learned from working out.

Celebrate your success

When I started out, I was out of shape and I could definitely feel the burn. Sometimes for several days after trying a new workout. I’d get discouraged if I couldn’t do as many reps as suggested or I didn’t feel like I could stretch very far, but I kept going and it paid off! I started noticing my progress. I could reach further during my stretch routines, I felt less tired on the elliptical and I’ve increased the weight during my strength workouts. I’ve also noticed that my clothes fit better or no longer fit in some cases because they are too big.

When I’d notice these things I was proud of my self. When your clothes fit better, celebrate! Reward yourself. It’s an excuse for a new wardrobe. Well, a new pair of jeans or a cute sweater at least. Be sure to share your good news with someone who supports your fitness goals.

Success comes from capability, not appearances

This is a big one. We get way too caught up in what our bodies look like. We spend so much time focused on our appearance that we forget to focus on what our bodies are capable of. Success comes from within. It’s all about your mindset and not your outward appearance.

To track this, measure your progress. Where were you when you started? How many reps could you do? How many minutes could you run? What is the distance? How are you feeling afterwards? Are you feeling strong or tired?

Over time, you will notice that some workouts will get easier because you will get stronger and your body will get used to moving in certain ways. Maybe some workouts won’t get easier, but you will notice that you are able to do more and feel less tired. Maybe you can lift more or exercise longer. It’s amazing to measure your progress from where you started. You will be saying, wow, I can’t believe I can do that now.

Full disclosure, this is me with jumping jacks, holding squats, stretching gets easier etc. You will end up celebrating your body. It’s fantastic. Your body is amazing and it should be celebrated regardless of the number on the scale!

It’s not about losing weight

Well, in a way it is, but it’s so much more than that. Exercise is a mood booster that also helps your body physically function better. The discipline you need to stick to your workout schedule helps build character. After a while, you will feel healthier and view exercise as a form of self-care. It started out as a goal to get in the best shape of my life. I know, it’s not specific enough, but I promised myself to exercise each day. At first, it was all about losing weight and looking good, but now it’s about feeling better and I have made my fitness a priority.

Sample Fitness Goals

I will run 1 mile each day.
I will do a 30 minute strength based workout 3 times per week.
I will lose 10lbs in the next 60 days.
I will drink 8 glasses of water each day.
I will do one yoga class per week.

Pay attention to your body

This is the most important lesson I have learned from my fitness journey.

When you are exercising, you’ll notice all the sensations. Mostly when you start to get tired or maybe you feel like you can’t take one more step. It’s important to step out of your comfort zone when exercising because the burn means it’s working, but you have to know the difference between building strength or endurance and pushing yourself too hard. You will feel it if you pay close attention. If your body needs water, rest or needs a harder workout, it’s all okay. It’s your fitness journey and your body knows what it needs.

If you have to stop, it’s okay, but get back into it when you are ready. Too often we push ourselves too far and that’s when we can get injured.

Last week, I was sick and wasn’t feeling up to working out. I felt guilty about this and wanted to get back to exercise as soon as possible, so this week, I hopped back on the elliptical. Suddenly, the bolt popped off and my machine was broken. I will have to buy a replacement part, but in the mean time, I’ve had to switch up my workout routine. I tried a workout that was totally new to me. Cardio mixed with strength based exercises. Towards the end of the workout, I had drank my entire bottle of water and was feeling so exhausted. I kept pushing myself, but finally in the last couple minutes of the workout, I just had to stop. I had to listen to my body at that point. While I was disappointed and felt out of shape, I had to remind myself that it was a new workout and I did the best I could.

Some days your energy level is higher and your body may react differently. That is also okay. Our bodies are unique to each of us and we should be celebrating what they are capable of regardless of our body shape. Even though I started this journey to lose weight because I didn’t like the way my body looked, I have come to appreciate my body a lot more.

Are you on a fitness journey? If so, what have you learned? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

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Babies

20 of the Cutest Baby Halloween Costumes for 2020

October 8, 2020

Even though Halloween may look and feel different this year, you can still have some fun.
Halloween will be here before you know it and if you procrastinate like me, you haven’t gotten your baby’s costume yet. You’re in luck! I’ve rounded up some of the cutest costumes for infants or toddlers. One of these Halloween costumes would be perfect for your baby’s first Halloween.

Food

How adorable are these food themed costumes?

Animals

Check out these cute animal costumes.

Classic

These costumes are a great choice if you want something traditional.

Just plain cute!

Occupations

What will your child be for Halloween this year? My Rosebud has decided she wants to be a witch, so I found her a witch costume that lights up and we found a broom and cauldron to match. We are thinking of skipping trick-or-treating this year in favor of a small pizza party with a hunt for toys and candy. What are your Halloween plans? Tell me in the comments!

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