Days Twenty-eight and Twenty-nine

                On day 28, we made vampire lollipops to hand out to trick-or-treaters. We do plan to take Brendan trick-or-treating for the first time, but it’s going to be awfully cold so we don’t plan to be out for long. I got the recipe from http://crafts.slides.kaboose.com/316-halloween-crafts. To make these, I cut capes from black felt. Then I cut a piece of red cellophane into a square to wrap around the lollipop. I then secured the cape and cellophane onto the lollipops using a twist-tie. I then used white address labels to make and attach fangs to the lollipops, and used stick-on googly eyes. There wasn’t a lot Brendan could do to help, but he sure loved watching. He even stuck some of the homemade fangs onto his mouth. I know he’ll really be proud to pass these out to the kids that stop by, toddler or not. This may be a new tradition in our household.

                On day 29, we took Brendan trick-or-treating for the first time! Holidays always bring out the best of childhood magic. He was so proud to show off his Winnie the Pooh costume to his best friend Gage, who dressed as a spider. First, we took the boys trunk-or -treating together. Trunk-or-treat is where people park their cars on Main Street in Ogden; they have fully decorated trunks in a Halloween theme and pass out candy. The boys had so much fun, Brendan was only mad that he wasn’t allowed to grab anything from inside the trunks. After trunk-or-treat, we stopped at a few houses of close friends and family members, and then went home to hand out our lollipops. Brendan had the biggest grin on his face as he handed out his lollipops. This is what childhood magic is all about.

                Since I’ve started spending thirty minutes of quality time each day with Brendan, he naps thirty minutes longer during naptime and an hour longer at bed time. That leaves me with an hour and a half of extra time to get stuff done, to catch up on sleep, or spend mommy time. I’ve seen tremendous change in myself and Brendan. We’re both happier; there is less discipline, less tantrums, and more smiles and hugs.

Days Twenty-three, Twenty-four, Twenty-five and Twenty-six

               On day 23, Brendan decided to wear his Halloween costume all day. He pulled it out of his closest shortly after he woke up that morning and tried to pull it over his head. I think it’s important to involve your child in decision making skills early on. Besides that, it will be fun story to tell him one day. We had many photo shoots and Brendan had fun trying to balance himself in the big suit. It was good practice for Brendan’s first night of trick or treat. He even learned a new phrase today-“Trick or treat!”

                On day 24, we took a walk and talked about different colored leaves. I explained to him that the leaves turn different colors in the fall, and fall from the trees. We also talked about why some trees have no leaves left and why some trees still have plenty of green leaves left. Brendan kept pointing to pine trees and asking, "Leaves?" So I explained to him the difference between leaves and pine needles. We made a collection to take home and then we raked leaves together. I never thought raking leaves would be something a toddler would enjoy but he loves using the little rake I bought him at the dollar store, he would rather be out raking leaves than indoors playing with toys. We made a nice sized pile of leaves and then played in them. This was something I really loved doing as a child, and I have lasting memories of playing in the leaves with my siblings.

                On day 25, I attempted to teach Brendan to count with candy corn. Of course, he had much more fun eating them. I know I’ve posted a lot about the treats we’ve made, but I really don’t allow him many sweets. With Halloween on the way, who could help to splurge a little bit though? He did learn how to count to three, and he’s awfully proud of himself. Now when I tell him no, instead of me counting to three he shouts, “One….two…….three!” I’m thinking that maybe I shouldn’t have taught him to count so early.

On day 26, we made cups of worms and cups of fish to hand out to our family members for Halloween. For the cups of worms we used chocolate pudding, gummy worms, crushed Oreo cookies, and chocolate sprinkles to make cups that resembled worms in dirt. For the cups of fish we filled clear cups with blue jello and inserted shark fruit snacks before we stuck them in the refrigerator. It will be nice for Brendan to have some holiday traditions when he gets older and I love involving our families and friends in his childhood magic.

Days Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-one and Twenty-two

              On day 19, we bought some foam pumpkins from Michael’s and got a set of eyes, noses, mouths and ears to decorate them with. I used this as a learning opportunity for Brendan and we pointed out eyes, mouths, ears, and noses. Then I had him separate them into categories by body part. I think it’s very important to be self-confident and be knowledgeable aids in self-confidence. There’s always something magical about knowing what you’re doing. It was much easier for Brendan to assemble and take apart the foam pumpkin than the Mr. Potato heads and we had a lot of fun!

This isn't one of our foam pumpkins, but this is the same set we used to decorate our foam pumpkins!

              On day 20, we made pumpkin pie milkshakes. They’re easy to make and they taste delicious! I think it’s very important to know how to cook, and starting early is the key. I realize that pumpkin pie milkshakes don’t need any cooking, but it’s a good starting point. Cooking memories are some of the fondest memories I have of my own childhood, so I hope my son will cherish our cooking memories as some of his most magical childhood memories. The recipe calls for 2 big scoops of canned pumpkin, 3 or 4 scoops of vanilla ice cream, ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice, heavy cream and 1/4 cup of milk. We used a blender to blend all the ingredients until smooth and I put a cute Halloween bendy straw into Brendan’s.

                On day 21, Brendan and I went to the Halloween Bootique and tried on costumes. Brendan paraded around in front of the mirror in each one, it was really cute. I think self-identity is an important part of childhood, and trying on Halloween costumes really helped Brendan’s little personality shine through. He ended up choosing Winnie the Pooh and it looks really cute on him.

                On day 22, we made our own homemade Halloween candy bag. I bought a plain canvas bag, tempera paint in Halloween colors, googly eyes, fabric glue and fabric markers. Then I let Brendan dip his hands into different Halloween colors and make upside down hand prints all over the bag. Then we stuck googly eyes onto the palm of the hands with fabric glue to make cute Halloween ghosts. Then we used the fabric markers to write “Trick or treat!”, “Boo!”, and Brendan 2010 on the front. It turned out really cute.

Days Sixteen, Seventeen, and Eighteen

            Tuesday, Brendan and I made shadow puppets on the wall. We talked about the differences between dark and light. I even pointed out our silhouettes on the wall and pointed out that Brendan was little and mommy was big. We had an hour of fun; turning our heads, dancing, waving and twirling all while watching our shadows. I think discovering your shadow is such a fun part of childhood. It also helps develop an image of self.

                Wednesday, I made a Halloween “I Spy” bottle. I used some small Halloween erasers, some orange and black beads, small googly eyes, spider rings, small black beans and some white beans that I painted black eyes on (they resembled ghosts!). I combined all of the items in a plastic bottle. We shook the bottle and found the pumpkin over and over. I’m not exaggerating when I say we searched for the little pumpkin about fifteen times in twenty minutes. He kept pointing at all of the pumpkins throughout the house all day, so needless to say we found the pumpkin in the bottle many more times.

                Thursday, we made Mickey Mouse Halloween cookies. My son absolutely idolizes Mickey Mouse, so as soon as he saw the Mickey Mouse shaped cookies the biggest smile immediately spread across his cute little face. “Mouse, Mouse!” He kept yelling. I allowed him to smear orange and black frosting all over the cookies anyway he chose. We then took turns pointing out Mickey Mouse’s ears. I loved making these cookies with Brendan, they brought back wonderful childhood memories of my own.

Days Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, and Fifteen

               I realize I’m getting pretty far behind, but I’m going to do my best to get caught back up. Moving has been exhausting for all of us, including Brendan. I’ve been trying to spend a lot of time over at our new place getting Brendan acquainted. I made a few special changes to our new home, just for Brendan. Of course, also for the sake of childhood magic.

                Friday, I attached a full-length mirror horizontally to his bedroom wall. It’s right at his height so he can look into and play. We have spent countless hours in front of it, pointing out eyes, noses, ears, and mouths. He also really likes to mirror my actions in his mirror, so that he can see. He also spends a lot time watching himself raise his arms, eat crackers, and smile. I think there is plenty magic a toddler can find in a mirror.

                Saturday, I made Brendan a corn pit. I bought him a clearance priced sand pit and filled it up with corn off the husk. Of course, he must be supervised while playing in it. He has had fun using a funnel and also transferring corn from one bucket to another. I love that it’s not messy and easy to clean from his clothing. The corn pit incorporates the fall theme a bit, and a corn pit is something I would have loved to have for myself, as a child.

                Sunday, we spent the day painting his room. I allowed him to freestyle paint his room, with supervision of course. I’m not sure that I’ve mentioned how I believe painting and art fits in with childhood magic, but I think that everyone can find magic in art. It’s being able to freely create. There’s no words to describe the magic in that act. I think there’s also a sort of magic in being able to show off your work, in having a room that he was able to paint himself, he’ll be able to show off his work to every person that enters the house.

                Monday, I put a basket with a Mr. Potato Head and accessories in Brendan’s room. He thinks it’s pretty cool. He still needs a little bit of help putting the pieces in and also, getting them out. This activity allows for practicing his fine motor skills, it works his little finger muscles, but most of the time he resorts to using his mouth. Playing with Mr. Potato Head is a great way to learn colors, body parts and some shapes, but most of all its fun!

Interview

Shannon Groves

Professor Lauren Rice

October 18, 2010

A Quest For Creativity

                Teach me to do it myself, that is the Montessori way. Montessori is a learning approach that uses self-learning techniques. The environment is adapted to inspire your child’s interests and promotes his understanding and learning capabilities with little or no interference from adults. Montessori is based on the natural development of children and their desire to learn from the world surrounding them, through exploring and discovering.

                One thing that I hope to accomplish in my quest is to help my child use his creativity and imagination to find the everyday magic life has in store for us. He is still growing, still learning and I’d love to nurture his growing curiosity while encouraging these characteristics. I chose to interview Melissa Cooper, a Montessori home school teacher. By interviewing a Montessori home school teacher, I would gain knowledge on how they effectively inspire children to use their own curiosity and learning capabilities to learn. I think there are a lot of activities that are Montessori inspired that I can use to create a little bit of everyday magic for my son.

                “In this country, we are not interested in cookie-cutter, we celebrate the individual.” Melissa said when I asked her what made Montessori style learning unique, “We bring out each individual child’s unique abilities by providing a suitable environment and curriculum. We let the cards land where they must when it comes to the structure and standards.” She explained that the child should be free to choose from a limitless supply of activities to discover new possibilities; you need only to make the specific purpose of each activity and material clear by laying out step-by-step instructions.

                We went on to discuss the types of environments and activities provided for children that are taught using the Montessori technique.  “By using a modest environment of carefully chosen materials, the child will be drawn to concentration, work and satisfaction. An over-crowded environment can cause a child stress.” Melissa told me. She explained that the normal curriculum for a toddler would consist of pouring activities, peg activities, sorting activities by touch, color matching games, using alphabet tiles to make words, and making finger puppets. “These activities allow the child to freely use their imagination and creativity, with little guidance. From these activities, they are able to learn at their own pace. Thus improving their self-esteem, while allowing them to use their brain power by combining the senses and their bodies to provide learning, and to be in an environment that respects their unique capabilities.” Melissa explained.

                A few changes came to mind after interviewing Melissa. As of now, for instance, we are living in cramped quarters. We are, however moving into a larger house just within the span of about a week. This is very important to me since after all, Melissa stressed the importance of more modest, less crowded learning environment. Another, important change that my interview with Melissa brought to light is the concept of self-learning. There’s a lot to be gained from self-learning, as I’ve learned. Self-confidence, expanding awareness of activities the child is currently interested in, and also a spark of interest in learning.

                I’m excited to try out some of the techniques I discussed with her. Using Montessori techniques will allow me to develop my son’s excitement and curiosity by offering him a variety of activities to stimulate and intrigue him. Parents are a child’s first teacher, and I believe that Montessori style learning techniques are a very gentle way to begin. I think this will be a process that we will both be able to draw some magical experiences from. It really seems as though, this fits right in with what I’m attempting to do with my son, and will also allow for a little bit of learning as we go along.

Days nine, ten, and eleven: Starting A-New

               Forgive me, once again for being behind. We’re in the process of moving from our trailer, to a modular home. Nicely enough, the change to our new home and the changes I have been making with my son, are helping us to start a-new. First of all, we’ve needed a bigger place for months. Ever since Brendan started crawling, we haven’t had near enough room. He was constantly getting into things that we had nowhere else to put them. So no, is a frequently used word in our household.

                In finding everyday magic, however it begins to kind of blend the no’s and the yes’s into kind of a happy medium. The yes’s begin to outweigh the no’s and he has a little bit more freedom to do that in which he chooses, just in a much safer way. Instead of telling him no, he cannot play with the fan, for instance, we made our own paper fans on Tuesday, and he was free to play with this one. There’s no denying the smile that spreads across his face when he realizes that he does have the freedom to explore and learn. Even more, that I’m willing to nurture his natural instinct to do so.

                First, he tried fanning himself, and everyone else around him, as mirroring my actions. Soon enough, he started spreading it out, breaking it down. It’s as though it weren’t enough to watch me, and to help me make them. He needed to see each part, feel each part with his own hands. Then, of course, enviabitably, it made it into his mouth. We talked about what the fan does, why it’s a luxury, and how a fan works. After the paper fan was reduced to mush, we then talked about the differences between our homemade fan, the table fan and the ceiling fan. You’d never guess what his favorite new word is!

                Wednesday, I set up a bin full of fall colored construction paper for Brendan to pull, tear and crumple. Not only did this enable his natural destroy and conquer instinct, but it is also a great activity for developing fine motor control. He was quite alarmed at first, unsure at the thought of never being allowed near the important papers in our household, he kind of shied away. It wasn’t until after I added some fall colored tissue paper to the bin that he finally decided to dig in. We had fun ripping the paper to shreds, crinkling it, and even stomping on it. I guess he associated the colors and texture to leaves, because soon after I introduced the bin to him, he declared, “Leaf, leaf!”

                Thursday, the weather was nice, so we tied an old white bed sheet to our clothes line. We then filled a squirt bottle full of non-toxic paint. It only took a few minutes of guiding Brendan’s hands to teach him to squirt the paint all over the bed sheet before he set his own pace. Soon enough, he was giggling and running around, continuing to squirt the paint to his heart’s content. Needless to say, by the end of this activity, there was not a clean area of skin, clothing, ground or blanket left. This activity nurtured his need to explore, developed fine motor control, and allowed him to self-learn.