Animal Themed Activities for Toddlers

My little girl loves animals so much, she's so interested about them, their names, the sounds they make (I remember how she gets stunned with cat's "meows" and dog's barks when she was around 9 months old), their habitat, and more.

So I decided to make a list of the fun activities/plays we had about learning animals so far. These were mostly an introduction on learning about animals, and didn't require a lot of time in terms of preparation. we just basically use whatever animal toys/replicas we have at that time. Of course as much as I want to recreate those bunch of wonderful homeschooling lessons that you can find on the world wide web, it's quite hard to find time. So this working Mommy's solution is to just recreate as much play as we can using whatever toys she have at the moment.

These plastic mold shape sea animals is a great tool we used in introducing her the animals that swims on the water. We had fun using them during our bath-time plays and sand play (during one of our beach trip). Aside from the fun and learning that these plays gives to her, she also acquire developmental advantages for physical, social, cognitive, sensory, and speech.

Next was this animal wooden puzzle, she loves naming each animals before fitting them in their right place. We sometimes use this on our story telling sessions if there are animals involve.

This Melissa & Doug Water Wow coloring book, also helps her in identifying different types of animals and their habitats, as this book has 4 animal-themed pages---farm animals, sea animals, pet animals and jungle animals. This book have faded pictures which shows up when the water pen rubbed over them,  she loves finding those hidden item listed on the back side of the previous page.

My little girl loves story telling so much, even more if its about animals, she always choose stories about animals every bedtime story session. And to make our story telling more exciting & fun I sometimes bought books like these. With these a simple story telling become a playful one.

She loves those big eyes of the insects.

includes a finger puppet head of the main character. 
She giggles whenever I animate the puppet while reading. 
We also have the puppy and mouse version of these books. 

"I got big eyes too, like Mr. Ant, Mommy" --she said

I was so amazed how Jashley was able to recognized all this animals in their silhouette. This was used on the animal hunting activity prepared by my cousins for the kids on our family Christmas party last December. These silhouetted animals was scattered all over the place/venue (under the tables/chairs, behind the trees/plants, etc.), We were given list of the animals we need to find. As we were hunting this cutout animals I was so surprised that she was able to identify almost all the animal we found and when I check the list it's sure does written there. Well I think the wooden animal puzzle is somehow responsible for that.

She enjoys this simple game wherein someone will show her the cutout, then she'll say the color, the name and the sound of that particular animal.

here is Papa (FIL) and her playing that game

there she was making the sound of the lion... ROAR!!!!!

and the elphants trumpet sound... EEEEEEE!!!!

This Cutout Animal Foam-sheets not only helps her in terms of expanding her vocabulary and language skills but also helps develop her cognitive skills and a great visual sensory activity.

She was recently got curious about land, water and sky animals, that she frequently checks on me whether a *insert any animal name here* walks on the land/fly in the sky/swim on the water. So to make her understand more about it I bought an animal replicas, made a land/grass sensory bin using a green colored spaghetti pasta that was break into pieces to make it look like grass and filled a basin with water and add a drop of blue food coloring to make it look like an ocean.

I asked her to sort out the animals in its respective habitats. She had fun doing this activity causing us to repeat it several times as requested by her.  

carefully bringing the animals on their respective home

"this donkey walks on the land, right Mommy?" -she asked

And this another activity that I just quickly put up when she suddenly demand for a play, I grab one of her animal book and ask her to match her animal replicas to the pictures of the animals in the book.

She's busy working with the activity when she noticed that she don't have the replicas of some of the animals in the pictures, She blurted out "Wala ako rabbit (I don't have rabbit), lets buy a rabbit Mommy, Ok?".

This may not much as compared to the overwhelming animal activity on web that I wanted to recreate for her, but knowing that my little girl enjoyed every single activity we did, it definitely made me happy and inspired to prepare more activities/plays for her.  

How I discover Montessori Education

When I noticed that Jashley started to get curious on things around her, when she can already identify things, when she was able to follow a simple instruction, and can speak a few words, I take that as a cue that she's now ready for some simple activities that we can enjoy together. Back then all I want is for her to enjoy, to be entertained and of course to learn, simple as that. I strongly believe in the power of learning through play, that children learn more when they are playing and develop a lot of skills through playing. Thus explains the teaching strategy I do with Jashley, I want her to associate learning as a fun thing to do not a tiring one. Little did I know that somehow I was already applying Montessori Principles on our activities and plays.

Here are some of the example activities she have done, which I just recently realized was also using in Montessori Teaching:

This Fabric Fishing Toy that I made for her. My only reason in making these back then, was because I know she will have fun playing this and because she love fishes so much. I didn't know that it's a great activity in developing physical skills such as hand and eye coordination, gross motor and fine motor skills.

Another one is this Cutting Fruit and Vegetables Set that I got from a toy store. Again when I bought these I just thought that she'll have fun cutting these foods. But beside using it to teach her about fruits and vegetables, I realized that this is also a practical life lesson on teaching her how to use knife and it helps develop fine motor skills too.

When I allow her to play sand the only purpose I have in mind was to let her to experience the sand. I didn't realize that it is actually benefiting her tactile sensory. By digging, pouring or filling the sand into bucket also helps her develop her fine motor skills, it also encourages creativity and imagination, writing letter/words in the sand offers a chance to develop language skills as well.

Even some of the stuffs I have featured on this post were not only helped her learn alphabets, shapes and colors but also develop some essential life skills.

Like the Shape Sorter that develops fine motor skills and helps improved problem solving skills.

As well as Puzzles that develops cognitive skills, helps enhance child's memory, also builds self steem and gives sense of achievement and pride within themselves after completing the Puzzle.

While the Movable Magnetic Letters, Alphabet Charts and Books helps in developing language skills.

Magnetic Sketchboard doesn't only help her practice her three-finger grip in preparation for writing but also helps in honing her creative skills, even encourage hand and eye coordination.

And when I let her engaged in some of the household chores or let her involved in kitchen activities all I know is, it will be fun for her as she gets to play with water, or she'll be able to experience preparing her own snack. What I didn't realize is she was practicing more skills in doing those. It helps refine her movement, provide sense of accomplishment, and most of all its gains independence and confidence.

I didn't realize how much of a skills my little have been acquiring on those activities until I learn about Montessori. Before Whenever I hear that word Montessori the only thing that registers on my mind is a school, because I always thought that "Montessori" is just a name of a school. And then one day while I was looking for activity ideas for toddlers on the internet, the "Montessori" word kept on appearing on my result searches. Thus makes me curious about Montessori education. From then on I fell in love with its principle. And that's how my love affair with Montessori started.

Quick and Easy Snacks for Kids: Animal Shaped Garlic Bread

Every time we're craving for a garlic bread we can easily make at home using just 2 ingredients a loaf bread and a garlic margarine spread. And with just 3 basic steps, slice loaf bread, spread garlic margarine spread & toast it for around 3 mins.

Our homemade garlic bread sticks

I prepared a batch for Hubby last Sunday. I wanted to prepare some for Jashley as well but I know that she's not fond of eating breads, she prefers biscuits or cookies rather than bread. I have tried offering her breads with different spread but usually she will only take a bite or two.

I remember I purchased a cookie cutter one grocery trip. So I took them out and made these cuties and see if this will do the trick in making her eat bread.

I prepared one of each animal shape only so as to not waste a lot of food if ever she doesn't like it.

But lo and behold, she finished them all and still requested for more.

But this time I offer to her the plain bread using the transportation shaped cutter. She was able to finished them too.

The next day (which was yesterday) when we arrived home from work my MIL told me that my Little Girl kept on asking for the "Animal Bread" the whole day. So I promised to make a batch for her the next day (which is today).

It's so easy that I manage to make them before I left for work. Took me 15 mins to prepare them.

Cut the bread using your preferred cookie cutter

Spread garlic margarine on them

Toast them 

And enjoy them

Update: Happy to report that she was able to finished them all again.

Human Heart Nature Products Haul & Review

Last December these Human Heart Nature Products were the ones I got as an exchanged gift on our company Christmas party.

We were actually allowed to list down our wishlist so who ever got our name have an idea what we wanted to receive. Because of that, one of my office mate approach me and told me that his sister is a dealer of HHN products. Thank goodness it is now easier for me to purchase HHN products. I Immediately purchase some of HHN products that I wanted to try.

Look what I found on top of my desk when I arrived at the office 2 days after I place my order.

Here's my loot. These are mostly in sample sizes, so I won't waste too much products if ever it won't work for me.

 
I love Human Heart Nature because according to them their products are all Philippine made, 100% natural/organic and cruelty-free.

One of their products that I love most is the Sunflower Beauty Oil, this product helps my pimple marks and some of my scars lighten you just have to patiently apply it religiously to see the effect. I sometimes use it also as a face & body moisturizer, I actually want this to include on my nightly skincare stuffs but it has this musty scent that lingers too long on the skin after applying and also leaves a musty odor on my sheets as well, but it sure does moisturizes my face and hydrates dry patches on my face. It is also great as a make up remover. I have also tried it to lighten Jashley's insect bite marks. The only thing that I don't like is again the smell of it after around 2 months from opening. It supposed to be unscented and it is sure doesn't smell anything upon opening but it went rancid after couple of months even if I store it away from sunlight.

Next is their Kids Natural Shampoo and Body Wash for girls, I got this in biggest size (500ml) this time. You can read my review about this product in this post if you wanna know why.

Another product that I love is their Bug Shield DEET-Free Oil, I bought this because my little girl's skin is sensitive and prone to mosquito bites and just recently there were alarming incidences of dengue in our town. I regularly applied it on her arms and legs especially when were out and it definitely keeps bugs away. I also mixed around 10 pumps of this oil to a 100ml of alcohol, put it in a spray container and regularly spray it inside the house especially on her play area so mosquitoes won't linger there.

Another amazing product is the HHN Rescue Balm, it soothe and heal nicks, bumps, and small skin irritations. I love its pleasant scent and it works wonders on removing the itchiness and redness of insect bite, even my Mom who is also prone to mosquito bites fell in-love with this product and ask me to buy a pot of this for her.

I also love their Calming Massage Oil, it helps calm my senses after a tiring day at work. I love its scent and how it absorbs into the skin easily, no sticky feeling at all. And just recently I made a homemade coffee ground scrub using just 2 ingredients, coffee grounds and this Natural Calming Massage Oil. I just mixed an equal part of each ingredients. Will try to make a separate post for this.

Next is the HHN Day Moisturizer that I got as gift, I love that it feels light, very absorbent, and it doesn't feel greasy on the skin. Which led me in purchasing its counterpart-the HHN Night Moisturizer. The scent is almost like the Day Moisturizer. But in contrast to the day moisturizer the Night Moisturizer is more fluid in consistency, it is easily spreads and sinks on to my skin making it hydrated from night till morning. Overall I love that they are both effective in rejuvenating my skin's moisture. Plus I've never had a single case of breakouts while using both products.

Human Heart Nature Purifying Facial Scrub with Strawberry Seeds, is another amazing finds
for me. I have been using this for a month now, thrice a week and I never experienced any drying on my skin and also never had any breakouts. I love the fact that it exfoliate my skin the natural way because it made with real strawberry seeds and fine bamboo granules that soften skin while gently removing dirt and toxins. Will definitely purchase another one.

Because I have an oily skin I give this HHN Balancing Facial Wash and HHN Balancing Face Toner a try. I'm glad that the facial wash definitely does its job on cleaning my face minus the tight feeling after washing. It leaves a shine-free face every after washing and I noticed that my face is now less oilier. I also love that the beads/scrubs are very minimal and is not harsh on the skin as this facial wash is intended for everyday use. I always got sold to anything that promise gentle exfoliation. And it feels safe having known that those scrubs (bamboo scrubs and loofah) and micro beads (sugar beets and aloe vera) were all natural. On the other hand the balancing facial toner works great too on my face. I seldom use toner because most of the toner products I have tried usually irritate my skin and eyes maybe because they were alcohol-based toner. But this one does not contain alcohol, yes it stings a little but tolerable, it doesn't irritate my skin nor made me breakout, it has this instant glowing effect on my skin, it smells really good, and makes my skin visibly clear and radiant. I can say that there's an improvement on my skin in terms of oil control by using using this Balancing Facial Wash and Face Toner.

Next on the list is the HHN Tinted Lip Balms. The flame tree (red) variant was the one I was able to try, I like it's minty feel on the lips, it is moisturizing enough, prevent my lips from chapping, no irritation felt, and most of all it is affordable. I use it also to prep my lips before using my favorite lipstick. I re-purchase another flame tree (red) variant along with the other variants which are Pink Orchid (pink), and Island Kiss (coral), but since I gifted them to my sister and friends I cannot make any review regarding the other 2 variants.

I bought the HHN Gentle Cleansing Oil because I am currently running out of make up remover, so given that this one is affordable compare to other make up removers and I wanted to try an oil-based remover, why not give it a try. I love that it can melts away thick foundation and it also feels gentle when massaging on the skin but because of its thick consistency its hard to completely wipe it off and always leaves residue. And even after washing with cleanser I can still feel a thin sticky film on my face. It also cannot completely remove eyeliners on my eyes, and tends to creep inside my eyes giving me blurred vision while using it in removing eye makeup. I don't think I will re-purchase this again and will probably go back to my old make-up remover.

The last product that I will be reviewing for now is the HHN Premium Deodorant Roll-on. I purchased this because I wanted to replaced my regular deo with something organic/natural.  As much as I wanted this product to work on me unfortunately, this isn’t doing a good job on me. It didn’t give me the protection I need especially when I am out and about. I actually love the light scent of it upon application but it becomes unpleasant when mixed with perspiration. In that case I will definitely not re-purchase this again.

I also bought the Nourishing Facial Wash and Nourishing Face Toner but I gifted them to my sister so I cannot make a review of them as well.

That's it for now. How about you guys have you tried some of their products too?

DIY Math Manipulative: Geoboard

I recently discovered Geoboard while I was searching for an activities I can prepare for Jashley, I'd never saw or even heard of a Geoboard before. I got curious and started googling about it.

What is Geoboard?

A geoboard is a manipulative tool used to explore basic concepts in geometry such as area, perimeter, triangles and other polygons. It is great in developing early mathematical skills of children that will help them with problem solving, critical thinking, and learning spatial awareness.

As a child I grew up hating Math because I find it difficult to understand, well aside from the basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. I don't want Jashley to be like that, I want her to love Mathematics, that's why as early as now I am finding ways on how can I help her develop a positive mindset towards Math.

So when I discover about this Math Manipulative, I knew I had to get one, or rather make one. I asked my FIL (father-in-law) and Hubby for their help in preparing the wooden board and pushing the pins into the board, but when they found out that I was going to use push pins for the Geoboards grid, they didn't approved it thinking that it will not be safe for our toddler if the push pin accidentally detached from the wood. So I looked for an alternative for the push pins. I remember I saw a wooden pegs on a bookstore near my work. Then I draw the grids on Auto-cad with approximately 1" apart and printed it on A3 size paper.

I attached the grid print-out on the wooden board and I asked Hubby to drill the wooden board that FIL prepared.

He then cut the wooden pegs into two (because it is too long) and grind a portion of its on one end so he could easily insert it on the holes of the wooden board.

After putting up all the pegs our Geoboard is now ready for play. I took out the colorful elastic band I intentionally bought for this projects.

Here are a few of the things we did with our DIY Geoboard:

We made different shapes.

We create some letters too.

She liked stretching the elastic bands like this.

Look at Daddy's hand there, I bet he had fun creating some patterns too.

I saw a lot of printable Geoboard patterns over the net and thinking about making some Geoboard pattern cards that Jashley can recreate on the Geoboard. But I think that can wait until she's a little older, for now I let her experience the Geoboard first and allow her to create whatever shapes she wanted to make.

That's it, I hope you like our DIY Geoboard and somehow inspires you in making your own too.