Take your child to the library

I loved libraries since I was a child myself. It's a kingdom of books, and they are all available to you... for free! We buy a lot of books for Anna, but I would not be able to afford several new books and one DVD a week. Reading together is still our favorite activities, and I hope that Anna will keep this love of books and libraries forever.

Our library also has a lot of great free programs for children. There are several story times every week, an art activity (unfortunately, it falls during Anna's nap), programs for adults as well. The picture in the post is a real picture of a story telling area in our library. Now, when we have Wednesday nights free, I am taking Anna to a family story time for kids of all ages. It's amazing to see how well she can listen and interact with the librarian and participate in the songs and dances, even though they are not designed specifically for toddlers. The librarian who leads the program is really great with selection of books and action songs. There is also one felt board story every time - something that Anna particularly enjoys. I feel really lucky to be living in an area where libraries are well funded, and I hope that despite the budget crunch we will not let our children down and continue to invest in their future through free books and programs available to all regardless of their income level.

Board Games for Toddlers - Hi Ho Cherry-O

Anna has several board games now. For Christmas I optimistically bought her Chutes and Ladders, but that game proved to be completely beyond her grasp. She is OK with taking turns, but cannot navigate a snaky board and doesn't get the concept of going up and down the ladder if you end up on the square that requires you to do so. Then there is a Memory Game. This one is more successful, and Anna gets the concept, but she loses interest pretty quickly, and can only do 4x3 sets on a good day.

We got a Hi Ho Cherry-O as a present from my colleague and her son who is now almost 4. She said it was one of her son's favorite games. I could easily see why. It has objects (little fruit and buckets) that toddlers can manipulate, and the rules are pretty simple. What is also important - the game is short, which works well with a limited attention span of a toddler crowd. What does it teach? Colors (well, we are so beyond that by now), taking turns, playing by the rules, sets of object, counting to 10, subtraction and addition to 10. I hope we will manage to keep all the pieces and enjoy this game for a year or two before it loses its appeal.

Useful Online Education Links - General Education

I have no time to blog today - a major deadline at work, preparing for a business trip. So I will some links that I "swiped" from a WonderBaby article that I stumbled upon using a StumbleUpon.com:

• General Education

1. ABC Teach:
   This is one of the best educational sites on the internet. Flashcards, coloring pages, book report forms, and other fun tools to keep your kids interested in learning.

School Express:
Fun activity worksheets you can download and print for free. PLus online jigsaw puzzles, flash cards, awards, and math help.

Dosity.com:
A collection of downloadable worksheets and fun educational games that you can play directly on the site. Our favorite is the Antonyms Memory Game where you have to match words with opposite meanings to reveal a fun picture under the cards.

Ed By Design:
Fun educational games. Learn to write your own story (and publish it online!), play problem solving puzzles, try the Harry Potter trivia, or play number puzzles. (Also known as math problems, but don't tell your kids that!)

Learning Planet:
Play trivia, wordseach, or other educational games or search their activity database by grade level or subject.

Primary Games:
Great for unit studies. Pick a topic (like holidays, seasons, or planets) and you'll find tons of games and activities to keep your kids entertained while they learn!

I only tried the first two so far (without my daughter). There is variety of material for each age, but I found School Express extremely unorganized. When I have time, I'll try to look at them again, pick a couple activities that age appropriate for my daughter and hopefully review them here. Stay tuned :)

Should we teach our toddlers "stranger awareness"?

On the parenting forum that I visit someone has asked for an advice about teaching her son (4 year old) to be wary of strangers. I don't think this topic is very pressing for us yet. After all, Anna is only 30 months, and I am not going to let her go somewhere by herself anytime soon. It breaks my heart that I am expected to teach my pure, trusting and fairly friendly girl to be suspicious of someone who talks to her in the street. Is it really necessary? Do all these stranger-awareness tactics even work? Or is it another checkmark on the parenting "to do" list that alleviates our ever-present worry about our children? What if our "don't talk to strangers" talks instill social fear in our chidren, kill their natural curiousity and cause them to second-guess their own instincts about people? From watching my daughter interact with random people on the street, I think that she has a pretty good sense of who she wants to talk to. Do I really need to paint the world black and threatening for her?

I am not saying that I am not going to teach her basic common sense rules. For example, not getting into cars with strangers should be a no-brainer. She also has to know how to act in case of emergency - for example, if she gets lost or if a stranger tries to grab her. But I don't think that I am going to go all out on "Don't talk to strangers" road. However, for those who are interested, I stumbled upon this primer for raising a stranger awareness - Please Don't Talk to Strangers.