October: Dinosaur Month

October is Dinosaur month....who knew!

Ideas to celebrate Dinosaur Month:

Dinosaur coloring pages here and here

Visit the Saint Louis Science Center and see a life-sized animated Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops in the Ecology and Environment Galleries

Go to your local libary and check out books about dinosaurs. My favorite: Danny and the Dinosaur.

http://www.kidsdinos.com/

http://www.kidsites.com/sites-edu/dinosaurs.htm

I'd love to hear any other ideas you have, post them under the comments section.

toddler art project

We were lucky enough to have a large piece of corrugated cardboard in a box we have. it is maybe 1 yard square. well it it the perfect surface for coloring. I just lay it on the floor and give my son some crayons. he sits on it or lays and colors. The crayons make a cool sound running over the ridges in the cardboard and it seems to hold his attention a little more the regular coloring does. It's so large that he's been able to color on it several times and we're not done yet. This has definitely been the most coloring I've been able to get out of my kid. Maybe yours would think this is fun too.

Do you have a little helper?

If your toddler is like mine he loves to help. My son is great about putting his dirty clothes in the hamper. I'll often hand him items like bibs out of the washer to throw into the dryer. Now I've found a way to include him in other aspects of laundry. I put his folded clothes into a small clean shopping bag (one I had from old navy) for him to carry to his room. Much easier for him to navigate than a basket. And it really does help me out as my hands are free to carry my own clothes. And he looks pretty cute with his bag slung over his shoulder like mommy. He's very proud to be mommy's helper and when he is involved it is so much easier to get what I need to get done done.

Trail Mix Day August 31

Coming Soon...Another Fun Day to Celebrate....Trail Mix Day!! (hey, why not?)
And this one comes with a free outing for St. Louis Mamas. Just bring you little ones to Whole Foods Galleria between 1:00 and 4:00 to make their own trail mix....FREE!! Sounds like a fun outing. If you're not in STL, look for it in a Whole Foods near you. That not a option? Celebrate the day anyway by picking up seeds, nuts, dried fruit, etc, etc, and creating your own at home. For very young kids you may want to just use cereals (puffed rice, oat o's, puffed wheat, etc.) that are easy to chew and not a hazard. A great hands on activity for kids. You could even step it up for older kids by talking about the nutritional value of the various ingredients. Again I choose not to give my toddler nuts until he's three, this is a choice you make between you and your pediatrician. Please also be cautious with little ones and the ingredients may pose choking hazards.