Toy of the Day: LEGO Duplo

25 August 2018 (2Y3M9D): The car Baby FECS built all by herself

I started on a new job 5 months ago, and haven't had so much time to be with Baby FECS. It is always a challenge for moms, and I feel it keenly, although my fellow colleagues who are moms don't. I guess we are all different. 

The last few times we interacted with LEGO Duplo - the LEGO Duplo playground, Baby FECS wasn't quite interested in building, but in playing with it. Today, Our Little FECS was helping to clean up some LEGO and Baby FECS went to disturb his work. Then Daddy FECS noticed that Baby FECS began to build the LEGO car herself. This happened by coincidence. Our Little FECS didn't really start actively building LEGO until 3 or 4 years old. Thus, Baby FECS is an earlier developer in this aspect. In fact, Baby FECS, is an earlier developer than Our Little FECS, in all aspects, except language. It must be due to the gender and birth order difference.

It is, of course, comforting to see that Baby FECS is developing well, despite the fact that I am working full time. Work is going great, and actually relaxing compared to spending time with a toddler!!! I even master programming and succeeded in automating a report with programming a macro. I have always been wanting to learn programming since I started work in 2005, but it was only recently that I got to do it after 13 years. I wish I could work half-time, but this is not a possibility. But every other day, I swing between the thought of quitting and continue with my full time work. Baby FECS is growing up so fast. Her language development is not as advanced as Our Little FECS at this age, and I reckoned that it is because I started this new job as she turned two years old. I don't get to see her as much, and that means I don't get to speak as much Mandarin to her. Oh.. oh... I am so torn...

25 August 2018 (2Y3M9D): The structure Baby FECS built all by herself. I called it a boat.

Crayons

 16 December 2017 (1Y7M)

Montessori Activity: Ladling Pasta

Age: From 1.5 years old

Activity Duration: 5-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s): 

1. To train the child’s fine motor skills.

Materials:

1. 2 buckets, one filled with dried pasta
2. 1 ladle
3. 1 tray

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your toddler by ladling the pasta from one bucket to another.

2. Encourage and let your child try it.

Cost: 

Ladle 5 DKK (1.15 SGD) from Søstrene
Big Bucket (20 DKK) from Netto

Additional Information:

Baby FECS (1y4m22d) shown a lot of eagerness to use the spoon during meal time. She refuses to eat, if we don't give her two bowls, so she can scoop food from one bowl to another. Out of meal time, here is a structured way for her to practice her accuracy by scooping the pasta from one bowl to another.

Stack-A-Ring

https://youtu.be/UCUzlUz5SuE

Putting Stuff into Bag

https://youtu.be/WjS4S2UYkuo

Baby FECS wanted to carry her own bag. She has been carrying this sling bag across her shoulders and enjoyed putting things inside it. She must have seeing me carrying the sling diaper bag and wanted to imitate me. I didn't even notice that she is observing me. But our kids are definitely watching us, even if we do not think so. As what parenting books say, it is important that we show a good example in our daily conduct. This experience clearly showed me that. And currently she really enjoyed putting things into the bag.

Edible Homemade Playdough

Ingredients:

1. Wholemeal flour

2. Water

Directions:

Mix and knead some amount of flour and water. Adjust with more flour or water until the dough is soft, but does not stick to your fingers.

Additional Information:

I have found many play dough recipes on the internet, but they all look rather inconvenient, requiring salt and cream of tartar. I supposed salt is added in order to extend the shelf life of the play dough. But I am not sure why cream of tartar is required. Most recipes don't realy explain why. 

I wanted simply to make some dough for Baby FECS to touch and play with - sensory experience. I wanted something that would be edible, as she loves to taste everything she plays with. I don't want her to taste play dough that contains so much salt as it would be too salty and unhealthy and at the same time, I don't want her to develop a taste for salty food. I wanted to be able to make some dough for her to play without having to struggle to use time to measure and follow a recipe, as when she is awake, it is very difficult to do anything that requires me to read instructions.

I don't want a play dough that is actually tasty and would encourage her to put it into the mouth, so just plain flour and water is perfect. But if she does put it into her mouth, I want it to be edible and healthy, so I decided to choose wholemeal flour, I know that it is safe and at the same time, would actually add to her nutrition.

I don't need a playdough that has a long shelf-life, as with her span of attention and interest, at most, we would be able to recycle it twice. So I can just put the dough in the fridge and lasting for another play the following day would be good enough for me.

So I decided to just use flour and water to make a dough for her to play with. So very simple, just two ingredients and mix until it forms a dough. It works quite well.

But even for this very simple "recipe," I only managed to try it now, as I have been bringing the kids out on most days, since it is school holidays now in Denmark. On days when we are home, time passed just so fast that it is challenging for me even to find the time and energy to mix some flour and water to form dough. Finally, our Little FECS is away this week to a camp, leaving me with Baby FECS home alone. So I finally managed to do this activity with Baby FECS today. After a few minutes, Baby FECS found it fun to make small dough and throw them on the floor.... aaarrrggghhh...

Okay, all these are just excuses... the main reason for the delay is that I dreaded the mess playing with flour would cause. I finally pluck up sufficient courage and energy today to allow Baby FECS to play with flour and dough and true enough, it was quite messy!!! I had to clean it up, but having all the nice feeling that I had given Baby FECS the sensory experience beneficial for her development, while I slogged to clean it up. Daddy FECS came home and while helping me to clean, he decided to give the high chair she sat on while playing with the dough and good hose down... what a sweetie hubby :-)

Adjust the amount of flour and water until the dough is soft, but doesn't stick to your fingers.

26 July 2017 (1Y2M10D): Baby FECS playing with homemade playdough for the first time

Montessori Activity: Rice Sensory Box

Age: From 1 year old

Objective:
1. To stimulate your child's five senses

Materials:
1. 1 transparent box
2. Base materials made of 2 packets of rice
3. Some small toys that your child like
4. 1 bowl and 1 ladle (optional)

Directions:
1. Invite your baby to pick the box off the shelf to the floor, helping her along the way.
2. Invite your baby to dig into it.
3. After playing, invite your baby to bring the box back to the shelf.

Additional Information:
Baby FECS tried this forthe first time today 12 July 2017 (1Y1M26D). After a while, she made too much mess out of it, as she pour the rice onto the floor. I had to end the activity. But  it turned to a fun activity for our Little FECS to help clean up by the mess with a vacuum cleaner:-)

 12 July 2017 (1Y1M26D)

Montessori Activity: Inserting Coins

For lesson plan, please see here:

http://www.familyfecs.com/2012/01/montessori-activity-inserting-chinese.html

11 July 2017 (1Y1M25D)

Animal Luggage

Age: From 1 year old

Materials:

1. 1 child's luggage

2. Toy animals i.e. sheep, cow, dog, lion, horse, pig, etc.

3. 1 tray (optional)

Directions:

1. Open the luggage.

2. If you can control it, invite your child to take an animal out one at a time.

3. Say the name of the animal that your child took, make the animal's sound, compare the animal to a picture of the animal, etc.

Additional Information:

Baby FECS is still very cray over animals. This morning, the first thing she did when she woke up was to take her baby board books and pointing at the animals. She then pointed it to the door. I think she seemed to want to tell me that those animals in the book resemble the toy animals she had downstairs. She is also very interested in opening and closing things, bags etc. She is crazy over these toy luggage. So I decided to put together this toy for her.

I theme the Animal Luggage with some of her favorite books.

This is the page she opened tothis morning and pointed to the animals and then to the door to her toy animal downstairs

Montessori Activity: Fruit-Themed Jigsaw Puzzle in a Mystery Bag

Age: From 1 year old

Activity Duration: 5 - 10 minutes

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Objective(s): 

1. To provide an interesting way to present a jigsaw puzzle to an older baby/younger toddler.

Materials: 
1. 1 drawstring bag

2. 1 simple jigsaw puzzle with knob

3. 1 tray (optional)

Directions: 
1. Place all the jigsaw puzzle pieces into the bag.

2. Take out a piece of the puzzle from the bag.

3. Show your child how to examine the puzzle, tracing its shape, etc., making it a seonsorial experience

4. Show your child how place it in its slot.

5. Invite your child to try with the other pieces by taking one-by-one out from the bag.

Additional Information:
I read from many inspiring stories of how some mothers defying doctor's prognosis about their child's impaired intelligence and diligently play jigsaw puzzles with the babies/toddlers with down syndrome, and actually brought results. Reading stories about such mothers touched my heart and brought me to tears. It encouraged me to press on in the work of child development, which is my passion.

Baby FECS has normal intelligence, but I wanted to still try to start introducing jigsaw puzzle to her.

Actually introducing jigsaw puzzle to a baby/toddler is a challenge. Before I could place the puzzle in front of her and present to her how to play with it, she had already took the pieces apart, which is also fine as it is part of play. But I am just wondering how I could show her the purpose of jigsaw puzzle, how to put it together in a systematic way, before she starts taking them apart.

Next I thought of this idea. First I will take the puzzle pieces apart and put them into the mystery bag. Then I will invite her to take out a piece at a time, examine it, touching and tracing the shape before putting it together in its slot.

I am excited whether my idea will work, and looking forward to trying out this idea with Baby FECS.

I am trying to start to play jigsaw puzzle with Baby FECS.

 1. Place all the jigsaw puzzle pieces into the bag.

 2. Take out a piece of the puzzle from the bag.

3. Show your child how to examine the puzzle, tracing its shape, etc.,making it a seonsorial experience

4. Show your child how place it in its slot.

5. Invite your child to try with the other pieces by taking one-by-one out from the bag.

Montessori Activity: Food-Themed Mystery Bag

Age: From 1 year old

Activity Duration: 5 - 10 minutes

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Objective(s): 
1. To gives your child a fun way to practise in identifying and naming objects only through the sense of touch.

2. A fun way to learn about the name of animals

Materials: 
1. 1 drawstring bag

2. Some different food toys as shown in the picture

Directions: 
1. Put all the things into the bag, and ask your child to touch one item at a time, and guess what it is, then take the item out.

2. Then say the name of the item to your child, if he could not say its name.

3. For younger toddlers, put one item at a time in the bag, and ask your child to put his hand into the bag, touch the item and guess what it is, then take the item out.

Additional Information:
C (1Y1M24D) tried this for the first time today (10 July 2017), and she enjoyed the game :-)

References:
- Montessori Play and Learn by Lesley Britton
- http://www.suite101.com/content/the-montessori-mystery-bag-a182138

 10 July 2017 (1Y1M24D)

Montessori Activity: Pouring

Age: From 1 years old

Activity Duration: 5-10 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s): To train the child’s hand-eye coordination skill

Materials:

1. 2 mini jugs (preferably identical)
2. Water (half filled in one of the jug)
3. 1 small towel (to wipe dry the tray)
4. 1 tray (optional)

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your toddler by pouring the water from one jug into the other slowly and repeat.

2. Encourage and let your child try it.

3. Then demonstrate to your child by wiping the tray dry using the towel.

4. Encourage your child to try wiping.

Video Demonstration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enlFg35MKLU&feature=related

Additional Information:

Baby FECS was playing with her bowl, cup and spoon at meal time a lot. She tried to scoop, pour and transfer, making a big mess with lots of work for clean up after meal time. I decided to let her try this Montessori pouring activity to allow her to pour to her heart content. Hopefully, that will reduce her desire to pour during actual meal time. 

Alas, it wasn't quite a good time, as she was quite thirsty. So instead of pouring, she drank most of the water instead!!! Earlier, she even drank water off the tray, but I wasn't able to capture on video.

This is not exactly following Montessori concept wholesale. I didn't use real glass jugs as advocated by Montessori that I did with J's toddler's years. I think she is too young for it, and thus I am sticking to plastic for now.

https://youtu.be/XUSwZUarBPo

10 July 2017 (1Y1M24D): We tried again today. She still enjoyed this activity very much, and there is some progress with pouring :-)

Montessori Activity: Peeling Banana

Age: From 1 year old.

Activity Duration: 5-10 minutes

Preparation Time: 1 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To teach life skills.
2. To train fine motor skills.
3. To give a feel of the concept of sorting

Materials:

1. 2 plates
2. 1 banana

Directions:

1. Place one or a few banana slices with skin intact on a plate.

2. Demonstrate to your child how to peel the banana and place the banana skin on the other plate.

3. Invite your child to try.

Additional Information:

I saw this activity on "how we montessori" blog. and is surprised that young toddlers could do it. But I decided to try it with Baby FECS. Baby FECS tried this for the first time today (9 July 2017 - 1Y1M23D). Like the baby on the blog I got the idea from, at first she tried to eat the banana with the skin on. But after I showed her how to remove the skin, she actually followed suit and could do so. She really enjoyed this activity, and as a result, she ate one whole banana without realizing it. Normally it would take longer for her to eat one whole banana, and only after much coaxing, but this wasn't needed today :-) Hopefully, the novelty would not be gone so soon.

References:

http://www.howwemontessori.com/how-we-montessori/2012/04/preparing-his-own-snack.html

9 July 2017 (Y1M23D)

Montessori Activity: Letter Rice Tray

Age: From 2 years old.

Activity Duration: 5-10 minutes

Preparation Time: 1 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To develop the child’s five senses.
2. To develop the child's language skill.

Materials:

1. 1 deep baking tray or dish
2. 500g of rice (1/2 packet)

Directions:

1. Write a letter, for example “a” and pronounce its sound.

2. Encourage and let your child try and repeat the sound after you.

Total Cost: Rice: 8 DKK (1.50 SGD) for 1 packet at the supermarket

Additional Information:

You can also use sand for this. For younger toddlers, just allow them to play free “writing” on the rice.

I bought the cheapest pack of rice from Netto supermarket