More Board Books!

YES, yes, yes!!! Now here is a site that is raising the profile of board books for toddlers!!! This article is raising awareness about the need for more quality and diverse board books which are usually a young child's first encounter to reading and literature. I can attest to that; I work with one year olds and the books we leave on the shelf for them to touch and "read" are board books. Their reading experience also becomes a sensory experience. Children learn and develop by using all of their senses. Board books last longer as young children learn to respect and take care of books but at the same time instill a love for reading and learning.

Read more at http://readertotz.blogspot.com/2010/06/open-letter-to-childrens-publishing.html

Summer is here!!!

Yes, the sun came out and it is hot!! Two afternoons in a row, we had to cool off the kids and our playground with a hose!! While summer can be lots of fun, it can be dangerous for little ones if safety precautions are not taken. Some tips to having a safe and fun summer at our center are as follow:

Plenty of sunscreen

Appropriate clothing for sun protection (hats, sunglasses, cotton clothing)

Plenty of water play

Plenty of drinking water available

Play in shaded areas as often as possible (limited direct sun exposure)

Watching for dehydration

Watching for heat exhaustion

Keep toys in a shaded area

Cool off toys/play area with water (if necessary)

Here's to having a great summer!

A book is a gift you can open again and again.

~ Garrison Keillor ~

Bubble Frenzy!

Ah, the simplicity of life in the eyes of a toddler. Today was a ho-hum. We were late getting the children outside due to changes in float schedules and a late art project. So I figured, the only way to get them to expend their energy in a short amount of time would be to make them run, and run hard. Ha, making a toddler run and run hard is like trying to herd cats, or so I thought. I pulled out some bubbles to play with them after all my chasing games fizzled out. WOW! talk about a toddler frenzy!!!!! They loved the bubbles. They screamed as they chased the bubbles around the playground trying to catch them. They bumped into each and giggled as they fell to the ground only to jump up again and run after more bubbles trying to grab them. "More....more bubbles," they'd ask as I took a break from blowing. It is really easy to get light-headed after blowing for a while. But each time I got my breath back, they'd go into their bubble frenzy. It was such a delight to see something as simple as bubbles, brighten up their day, give them so much happiness and joy AND use up all that energy toddlers tend to have just before nap! :D