Not too long ago there were seven (7!) new Earth-sized planets discovered! They orbit around their own 'sun' but don't appear to have any moons. Of course, at a distance of approximately 40 light years away, these planets probably aren’t going to be visited by humans any time soon. Recall 1 light year is a shy 6 trillion miles. That would put these planets 6,000,000,000,000 miles! But we can use this discovery to spark an interest in our NIGHT SKY! Over the Moon About Books... There are some … [Read more...]
Supporting Their Development Through Play: Your Toddler
As your child transitions from a baby to a toddler, the number one characteristic you’ll notice is their growing need for autonomy... Independence and self-determination comes through loud and clear: “I do it!” or “MINE!” Asserting herself and expressing himself verbally is completely normal for children this age and something parents need to encourage. The more you can support their desire to make decisions and to figure things out the better! In fact, studies indicate this strategy of … [Read more...]
Make Time for Forts! Fort Building for FUN
FORT Building 101 Fort building is FUN—obviously, but also: 1. Building forts channels and develops your child’s inner engineer. I have to support that! Fort building requires problem-solving, divergent and creative thinking--all skills needed in engineering! 2. Fort building will consume your child’s interest and focus for long periods of time! Time needed for decision-making and planning—making use of rudimentary architectural skills; Time for actual construction—employing … [Read more...]
Why Puppet Play is Important
A world of imaginative, open-ended PLAY opens up when your kiddo plays with puppets. Puppet play, a sub-set of pretend play, is a type of PLAY young children are naturally drawn. Like dolls, children have been playing with puppets for a long, long time. For a toy to have that kind of staying power they must be very special. And such is the case with puppets! Puppets engage and entertain children. They have FUN all the while growing and learning in several key areas of development! Puppet … [Read more...]
Why Playing Hopscotch is Important
Hopscotch, and NO I’m not thinking about the coding curriculum, but the childhood game! Think about the movements required in a typical game of hopscotch: Players throw a marker ... stand... hop... stop... bend... pick up... straighten up... leap... jump... hop... hop…land... turn... and repeat. Not only do they do all those movements, but most of it's all on one foot! Hopscotch: Challenging AND Fun Hopscotch is a game children have played for years and years. Ever wondered why it’s … [Read more...]