Activities for Kids – In A Child's Path

Let’s Dance

Cindy Wiederhold — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 03:35:00 +0000

Toddlers and Dancing

Toddlers love moving to music. By using their bodies, they can express emotion and explore various ways their bodies move. Below are some ideas to help you explore dance with your toddler.
Play music for your toddler

It doesn’t take much at all to get your toddler dancing. Just put on a catchy tune with a peppy rhythm and your wee one will start moving like crazy. They may not even realize that her legs are bouncing to the beat in her car seat as you drive along with the music going in the car. Even very young toddlers are aware of different rhythms and the feelings they elicit. You can see this in action if you put on some slow, classical music and ask your toddler to dance (she might slowly sway or spin) versus rocking out to something with a fast beat. A good place to start, then, is to make sure your child has access to many different types of music throughout the day. She will probably do a fair amount of dancing on her own.

For Parents With Two Left Feet

If you are an adult that enjoys music and dancing, it’s probably not too much of a stretch when it comes to planning and implementing dance activities with your toddler. But many adults may feel clumsy or uncomfortable with dancing and find it hard to get in touch with that part of themselves. If that’s you, then try not to focus on any formal type of dance but concentrate rather on the silly aspect of just moving to music. Try to remember what it was like when you were a child. Do you remember all the silly songs and movements that went with them?

Start out with common nursery rhymes that have simple dance-like movements with them. Don’t worry about doing it perfectly, of course. (That’s one of the many great things about toddlers. They never know just how bad a singer or dancer you really are.)

Here are some of our favorite songs to dance to:
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Old McDonald had a Farm
The Wheels on the Bus
If You’re Happy and You Know it
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Have fun everyone!

Bev Bos

Cindy Wiederhold — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 21:40:30 +0000

Bev Bos is Cindy’s greatest mentor, and her philosophy of educating children has been largely influential to how and what we teach your little ones at In a Child’s Path. Our staff attends Bev’s annual Good Stuff for Kids Conference every year. This conference has been an incredible resource and huge learning opportunity for all of us.

Overall Bev’s philosophy is simple and is characterized by these developmental education principles: children learn through play, interaction, problem solving, exploration and discovery. Cooperation is more conducive to learning than competition. Children learn best when they can make choices and set their own goals. Each child is unique. Education is an on-going process, which is enhanced when the child, teacher and family work together.

In addition to being amongst one of the more respected teachers in the childcare industry, Bev also plays the harp and sings beautifully. We sing her songs Down on the Farm, Let the Wild Wind Blow and Plant a Rose for Me at In a Child’s Path and the kids really love singing along. Here is a video of her song called The Swing. It’s a sweet, playful song that your kiddos will adore.

Bev Bos’s books and music are all available on the website Turn the Page. http://www.turnthepage.com/servlet/the-Books/Categories

Spring Fling – A Day at the Farm

Cindy Wiederhold — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:24:52 +0000

On Saturday, In a Child’s Path kids and their families joined In a Child’s Path staff at Cindy’s family farm in Boring, Oregon. We started off the afternoon with a fun game of “walking farm bingo” where children actively searched for items around the farm and marked off what they discovered on a bingo card. During the game, children also had an opportunity to feed the chickens, goats and Indy (the cutest miniature horse in the world). After that, we all gathered in the barn and sang songs including “I am singing in the rain,” and “Baby shark”. Song time was followed by some delicious snacks that everyone brought. Once our tummies were full, we formed two groups and went on a Woodland Pond Walk where there were 6 stations set up for an incredible learning adventure.

Each station began with an introduction, something to see or do and then the children got to take away an object. There was a wildflower station where kids got to see and hear about many kinds of flowers including foxgloves, tiger lilies and trilliums. They got touch foxglove petals and leave with a packet of seeds to plant at home. There was also a tree ring station where we talked about the colors and spacing of the rings on the inside of trees. We then counted rings to see how old the trees were and wrote our own names on wood cookie necklaces. There was a pond station where we talked about ferns and newts. There were real live newts to measure and the take away was a miniature sticky newt. There was a bird nest station where we stood inside a preschooler-made nest and closely examined 3 birds’ nests. The children got to take away shells. At the log station, we learned that fallen, decomposing trees provide animals with homes, with water to drink and also a place for plants to grow. Each kiddo got a sticker of an animal- such as a deer or squirrel. The last station was about trees and oxygen. We talked about what living trees do for us and for the animals and specifically about Sitka Spruce trees. The children got to take away a Sitka Spruce seedling to plant somewhere special.

It was a fun-filled nature day. We all had a blast. Pictures from the event above.

Why Wooden Toys are Better

Cindy Wiederhold — Thu, 09 May 2013 00:56:50 +0000

Parents may wonder what the benefits of choosing wood over plastic toys are. Plastic toys have loads of bells and whistles. They are shiny, make noise and seem like they provide hours of playtime for your wee ones. Despite all of the bling that comes with plastic toys, there are many reasons to choose wood toys instead.

They involve your child. Your child can physically interact with the toy by manually pushing, pulling, turning, or connecting its pieces and parts. This leads to a more active mind. There is much less chemical toxicity. Wooden toys do not contain plastics or other toxins usually found in toys. They are made of natural materials and are consequently safer for your child. Wood has a fun and interesting texture. Your wee one will be able to explore the lovely bumps and grains of wooden toys. Though most wooden toys are sanded down and some may even be slightly painted, the texture is still different than a completely smooth piece of plastic. There is less impactful on the environment. Wooden toys require wood, possibly glue or screws and occasionally some paint. This is less impactful on the environment than plastics and batteries containing chemicals like zinc chloride, alkaline, lithium, NiMH and lead acid. Plastics take hundreds of years to degrade. The manufacture of plastic also requires vast amounts of resources. Wood has less resource cost especially if it comes from sustainable plantations. Wood isn’t as dangerous. Swallowing a battery can be harmful or fatal. Swallowing small pieces of plastic is also a health hazard. Though caution should be used with smaller wooden toys that can be swallowed, wooden toys do not contain toxic materials can can harm your child. Wooden toys can be used for generations. Let’s face it wooden toys have been around for a thousand years. They last a long time. Plastic toys, even with their long and unsustainable lifespan, tend to break too easily. Children use their imagination more. When your child presses a button and a toy sings them a song or says “I love you”, it leaves little room for imagination. Learning to control and move things manually will teach them that they can create a world of their own. A song is much more fun for a child when sung by a parent or friend and the words “I love you” are more meaningful when coming from a real person.

Above are some of our favorite wooden toys. Below are the links to where you can find each of them:

Fun Portland Activities for Babies and Toddlers

Cindy Wiederhold — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:01:13 +0000

We love your wee ones and we work hard to make sure they are getting all the right stimulation they need to grow and learn each day they are with us at In a Child’s Path. We sing songs, read books, dance, play games, paint, play outside, and much, much more. So when the weekend rolls around you may wonder as parents what it is you can do to make the most of your free time with the family and also keep your baby/toddler stimulated and happy.

Not to worry. There are so many kid-friendly places in Portland and the city itself is one of the best cities in America to raise children. Hands down. There are loads of parks, easy access to nature and events and businesses galore that can be fun for the whole family. Here are a few of our favorite places to bring babes in P-town:

MUSIC

Portland’s “kindie” music scene is one of the best in the country. Most performers have weekly or bi-weekly shows. Catch one of the regular performances by The Alpabeticians, Mo Phillips, Mr. Ben, Tyleena Fairy Funkmother, and Johnny Keener. Most of the shows have a suggested donation of 3-5 dollars. Lots of these musical events are on the PDX Kid’s Calendar HERE.

ART

Baby Hour at the Portland Art Museum. The first Tuesday of every month at 10 AM, the Portland Art Museum welcomes caregivers with children under the age of 1 to take a slow guided walk around the museum. Registration is required for this, and the cost is $5 for members, $15 for non-members. Details here.

Messy Fun Art – For slightly older babies – usually starting at around age 1 – there are plenty of options to get creative. Many of Portland’s community centers have weekly “Messy Arts” or “Art Parks,” encouraging little ones to put pen to paper (or hands to playdough, or glue to feathers…). There’s one at theMontavilla Community Center on Thursdays at 10 for ages 5 and under ($2), and at the Peninsula Park Community Center on Mondays and Thursdays at 10:30 for ages 1-5 ($1.50). The 100th Monkey Studio also hosts a weekly Messy Art on Fridays from 10-12 for ages 1-5 for $8.

Physical Activities

Most of the community centers also host regular indoor gym times. The center usually brings out balls, push cars, hula hoops, and other fun and active toys they have on hand. These are generally for ages 5 and under, although some community centers have special Baby Gyms (Montavilla Community CenterandPeninsula Park Community Center are two) that are geared towards babies under 18 months. (Check out our full indoor pool and gym guide here.)

STORY TIME

Book Babies at your local library. Little babies and toddlers can chime in on sing alongs, rhymes, books and play at libraries throughout Portland. Schedule to these happenings are available HERE.

Green Bean Books and A Children’s Place bookstores also have storytime events. These are usually for kiddos that are a bit older (3-7), but everyone is welcome. Green Bean Books has storytime on Tuesdays at 11am and A Children’s Place storytime takes place on Thursdays at 10:30am.

Here are some other resources for Portland activities you may want to check out:

50 things to do with kids before they grow up

So whether you choose to stay home and cuddle, play in the garden, or head to one of the many fine places mentioned above, have fun, it’s the most important stimulus in the world.

Teaching your little one a foreign language

Cindy Wiederhold — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 23:22:25 +0000

Babies are never too young to learn a foreign language. At the Little House, we like to incorporate the Spanish language into our daily activities. We offer your little ones an environment where they are listening to music, naming body parts and engaging in play -all in Spanish. This way toddlers are learning a second language by “living it,” rather than using flash cards and memorization techniques which are not as fun or stimulating for them.

It’s easy to integrate language play into your home routine as well. Just as you might point to your nose and say “nose” in English, you can also point and say “nariz,” which is nose in Spanish. You can do the same with food and general activities. If you already speak a second (or third!) language, share that language with your child from the beginning – don’t wait! If you are not well-versed in a second language, it’s never too late for you to learn alongside your little one.

There are loads resources for the Spanish/English learning experience. Here are some we highly recommend:

Spanglishbaby.com is a phenomenal website dedicated to helping parents raise bilingual kids.

And some of our favorite books include:

Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes/Cabeza, Hombros, Piernas, Pies

Bilingual Bright BabyColors

The Moon is La Luna

Bilingual Bright Baby Animals

How do I feel/ Como me siento

1. La Oruga Muy Hambrienta, 2. Huevos Verdes Con Jamon and 3. Buenos Noches Luna are three classic kid’s books that are available via amazon, but if you want to support a Portland local business (we do!) Green Bean Books on Alberta St. in Portland also carries a good selection of foreign language books.

Feliz hablando everyone!

Garden Activities for Toddlers

Cindy Wiederhold — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:29:37 +0000

It’s getting to be that time of year again. The days are getting longer, trees are beginning to bud and daffodils are opening their lovely yellow flowers for us to see. It’s a magical, transformative time for everyone. And it’s also a good time to show your toddler what it takes to make a garden grow. Planting seeds is the most natural (and fun) way to teach your child where food comes from.

Hands are the perfect tool for softening the ground, which works well with kids who love getting their hands into dirt. You can also teach your little ones how to dig and smooth soil with a kid’s shovel and/or trowel.

Planting seeds is a great way to build the fine motors skills because the action of planting involves a lot of pinching and sprinkling. It’s also a good way to teach your little one how to measure. By using a stick as a guide, you can teach your child how far apart each seed should be.

Using a small watering can, your kiddo can watch as the water they carefully feed the plants absorbs each drop.

To continue the fun with your little one in the garden, check out these links below:

Themed garden

Mud pictures

Make a pooter and observe small bugs

Happy gardening!

Experimenting with Salt, Water, and Watercolors

Cindy Wiederhold — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:47:35 +0000

We had a ton of fun experimenting with salt, water, and watercolors.

Ooblek

Cindy Wiederhold — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:55:17 +0000

We had fun making ooblek!

Baby Sign Language

Cindy Wiederhold — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 19:12:24 +0000

Babies absorb a TON of information on a daily basis. All this stimulus can be both exciting and overwhelming for babies, which is why it’s a good idea to teach your little one how to sign. Since hand-eye coordination develops before the acquisition of verbal skills, infants can learn simple signs for common words such as “eat”, “sleep”, “more”, “hug”, “play”, “cookie”, and even “teddy bear” before they are able to produce understandable speech. Early communication sets the foundation for accelerated learning, reduces frustration and can create a closer bond between parent and child.

Here are some great resources for getting to know the basics of baby sign language:

A handy (and free) chart you can download and print with some useful basics:

baby sign language chart

My Baby Can Talk’s YouTube channel has all sorts of visual tutorials on baby sign language. Check it out HERE.

My First Signs

My First Signs is a playful and educational book that will surely get your little one signing up a storm. Available on Amazon.

For families interested in learning more about signing, this fall, we’ll be hosting a class with the Portland Early Learning Project. Check out their website HERE.