Homebound Activities: Buttons

When I was little my Grandmother used to have a tin filled with buttons. Every time a shirt would come with an extra button, someone lost a button off a blouse or coat she would put them in this old shortbread cookie tin. I loved the feeling for putting my little hands in the tin and burying them in smooth, cool buttons. The buttons themselves looked like treasures hidden in a special nook in the house much like the rocks and shells I would collect when in nature.

I started my own button tin of my own at my house remembering how I felt about the tin at my Grandmothers. When I used to go to auctions with my father-in-law or got thrift shopping I'd snag a mason jar or bag filled with various buttons thinking of how I loved sorting through them when I was little.

Now, I get them out and let my daughter sort the buttons. We have conversations about colors, size, shapes and textures whiles sorting them. Once they are sorted we practice counting each. Sometimes we use buttons for projects or crafts -- this year my daughter used some on her Valentines for her friends. They are great for decorating play dough and clay creations.

 Occasionally I find having these buttons useful -- when a favorite top is missing a button or my husbands favorite sweater is missing a button. I use this as an opprtunity to engage my children in the searching process which also provides sensory, organization and fine motor skills. Including my children in the tasks gives the children an idea of the time that goes into
 A.) Finding a match for a button set
B.) How long it takes to line up and apply the button once located.

Some of you have very young children and I suggest large buttons the babies cannot swallow. But, we have two bins at our house now -- "big buttons" and "small buttons". The small buttons only come out when the baby is sleeping or if I need to repair clothes. Others have kids you think are too old for this answer is -- you are wrong. My niece was into sewing and repairing clothes up to last year ( age 15). She had her own sewing machine and special pins with buttons, threads and needle pins to make her own clothes until last year.

Buttons open doors for conversations about life skills and repurposing materials at any age. I highly suggest the introduction to buttons in your home.

Helping in Our Communities: Donating

We have a rule in our household about the kids picking out new toys/ clothes. In order to bring something new into our house, one has to donate/ give to others the same amount in return. At first my 4 year old was reluctant( to say the least). However, as soon as she noticed we were sticking to the rule, she started seeing friends enjoying her old toys and got behind the idea. Now, she actually tells me when clothes are too small for her  and to give them to her friends. I always enjoy getting rid of the clutter knowing that others will take joy/ make good use of what we no longer fit in and/or no longer have use for. Also, a lot of second hand/ thrift stores have their funding go toward good causes.

As a have really be working on have a "memories are more valuable than things" mentality at our house. Anyone who has been over to visit will contest to the fact we need to continue to work on this.  With this said -- less consumption is better for the environment and brings peace of mind.

Our favorite place to donate is the Orono Thrift Store, all proceeds go to the Orono Health Association to aid elderly / ill folks in the community with the healthy equipment they need ( walkers, wheel chairs, oxygen tanks, etc.). The entire store is run by volunteers only who spend hours putting it all together. They do not charge an arm and a leg for what they sell, yet take in consideration how much supplies cost for others.  

Homebound Activities: Busy Bags

While this is not something to do in the house itself per se with your child this is something I do for the kids when we are out doing errands. What are busy bags? I have two totes … I ordered two reusable bags off Shutterfly with each kids pictures on them then filled them with things that are easy for on-the-go. I pack things in themes and I try to hit on the following:

• Building options
• 3-4 sensory options
• Drawing ( a notebook with markers/ colored pencils/ crayons)
• A snuggy
• 2 learning options
• 2-4 books
• A puppet
• An extra pair of socks
• Non-parishable  Snacks

An example right now:

• Legos in a disposable food storage container
• A clown Fish water wiggler
• A sensory Bottle ( homemade)
• A Glitterball with a mermaid floating in it
• A wooden twist and grab crab
• A  Mermaid to-go notepad with crayons attached
• A Sea Turtle TY Pillow Pal
• A piece of cardstock with her name in it laminated with a chalk marker
• A notecard with her name on it and corresponding clothespins with each letter
• Letter Flashcards
• Floatsam by David Weisner
• Commotion in the Ocean ( Thrift store find)
• Ocean by Smithsonian Institute ( Board book birthday gift)
• On the beach :Lift the flap by Alistair Smith ( Christmas Gift)
• Rainbow Fish ( Boardbook
• An Octopus puppet
• An extra pair of socks

You are probably asking yourself why so much? Where did you get all this stuff? This sounds like a lot of money, time and effort. Why the socks and does this really work?

The answers to all of this are just like ourselves kids have moods. I may ask my four year old ... Do you want to read a book? And get in response “ NO! I don’t want to read a book!” then hand her a water wiggler and she’ll be occupied for 25 minutes in the back seat of the car. With that said the same child from Orono to Old Orchard this summer read five books on her way to Waterville ( our break point) and was asking for MORE reading materials.

The stuff we have in the bags  were all found on our bookshelves/ bins, playroom, stuffy net and toy boxes. A lot of which was what I consider “forgotten toys”. When isolated and put into a bag that is only used for outings makes the chosen toys “new” and “interesting” again.
I bring these bags to doctors offices, dentist appointments, Grammy and Grampy’s house, restaurants and for car rides. Since I am a working Mom who works days, frequently we go to restaurants on weeknights for playdates to avoid the clean-up at either house and easy meals for both. These bags are playdates to-go and it keeps everyone entertained and happy.

My inspiration for these were bags that we made in my undergraduate degree to send home with kiddos with themes and educational goals for each bag. That idea mixed with working within the “zones of regulation” prompting me to include sensory choices for each child. I have made developmental goals for each kiddo and work those into my busy bags. For instance, my 17 month old for of his goals is to make a block tower stacking three or more blocks. So I fill a ziplock to go with 8 blocks and send put it in his bag. For my daughter we are working on her name and letter identification which is really peaking her interest at the moment.

The real trick to these bags are to keep them novel if they have access to them daily or are able to pillage them in the house they are rendered useless when the time comes to use them. I am going to throw Billy under the bus on this, frequently bring the bags in the house and I will find the kids busy bags raided spread across my living room. I made the mistake of attempting to teach my husband a “lesson” by  just returning them to the bag and putting them in the car only once. Lets just say this resulted in children in the backseat of a car kicking and scream on the way to Camden. Completely insatiable for an hour and a half on the road and me proving my point. This is a lesson my husband had to learn the hard way.

There is also an art to rotating them on a monthly basis.I find we go on long trips every other weekend and have appointments, visit grandparents , have playdates and go out to eat at least 15 out of 30 days. As an adult I would tire of the same things day-in and day-out, therefore I change it up. With this said, I am the type of person who enjoys putting these things together.
However, for those of you who only want to make a few bag combos -- keep assembled and set aside for a few months down the road.In the summer sometimes we carry an extra bathing suite and swim toys.

As for the socks there is a funny story behind the socks; Billy likes to bring the kids to the playplace and playland adventure, his pet peeve is parents who let their kids jump without socks on. So he makes a point to always have an extra pair of socks …  just incase.

Family Friendly Restaurants: Oriental Jade

Here are our guidelines and how we will be rating:

1. High chairs and booster  seats
2. Have food the kiddos will eat 
3. Entertainment for said child  ( coloring books, toys, puzzles, etc.)
4. Changing tables in both restroom areas for both parents  
5. Atmosphere that is child friendly 
6. Affordability
7. Child friendly staff
8. Kids Cups
9. Breastfeeding friendly
10. Out of the way extras for kids

So I will slowly be adding places to this rating list based on these parameters and expectations. We do not count promptness of service for a number of reasons. Mostly because if they're busy-- they're busy. One that is working cannot control the traffic in and out of a restaurant. Both my husband and myself have worked in food services and know a number of variables that are in the card.

     

The Oriental Jade has been a family favorite for a number of years, yet many have been reluctant to visit given there has been a change in "ownership" and the buffet is no longer an option. I brought my kids in and this is what we experienced. The staff were friendly, inviting and relatable. They were mindful of the children in their section and attempted to keep them happy. They had plenty of high chairs and boosters and we were offered them prior to sitting. Very clean and sensory built into design for those who need such to do well.

     

Once seated, we were put in room with a wall that had water trickling down. The water on the wall and the sounds kept my 18 month old occupied for a solid 10 minutes. Once he took his eyes off the wall I was able to point to the ceiling to point out assorted hanging lamps and air plants. Both children got a kid's menu with crayons that also folded into a booklet featuring all of the chinese zodiac animals ( minus the cat). I do know they have other neat features in other sections such as hibachi ( a show in itself), a wall filled with water and bubbles moving up and beautiful murals. The seating also varied between booths and chairs making it wheelchair/ walker friendly. 

I am not going to lie, my four year old LOVES Chinese, Japanese and Thai food ( all of which are featured on the menu) so when I I think "kid friendly" I judge based off of my picky niece and nephews preferences. This summer while on vacation we had just left a restaurant while staying in a hotel and my husband asked what we could get as a snack for the room at corner store. My daughter said " Um, I think some chinese food". They have "American" foods such as Mac & Cheese and Chicken Tenders. My daughter and son split a chicken lo mein that came with rice on the side -- the portions were large enough for my 18 month old and 4 year old to split and have left overs to split again for lunch two days later. They did not have plastic kids cups, instead they used  large pepsi cups with a cover on them ( hard for little kids to drink on own without support).

   

All of the prices were similar to other places for adults ( $10 was the average with large portions). I will tell you I am still breast feeding ( my mother jokes I could eat a side of a barn when eating together). I had a bunch of food left over to bring home feeling stuffed leaving. The kids meals offered were all $5 each and on Thursdays kids eat for free with an adult meal ordered ( with 1:1 ratio adult to kid).


        

   
As for the restrooms -- both have changing tables and there is a little extra in the women's room. In the handicap accessible bathroom they have a picture of a mother and child -- in this stall they have toilets side by side mother and child size. My daughter loved it so much she attempted to go back in after a second time. They have a stool in the bathroom to aid in washing hands and everything was touch free to aid in the fight against germs. I left wanting to go back -- I am giving the "OJ" a rating a 9.9 out of 10 for kid friendly. The only room for improvement would be kids cups which they make up for in other bonus areas.

       

Book of the week: Farmyard Beat

Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig has been a favorite of both of my children since they could sign for "more" and/or "again". This book has a great pattern base with rhythmic flow that has toddlers singing to it and babies clapping that beat. This is one book my Mother-in-law refuses to read to my daughter because she doesn't sing this book and my daughter argues that she is not reading the book the right way. Singing this book makes it so magical, but it still has educational value and merit if you choose not to.

I found a video on youtube of first graders singing this book:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHiNU2_JGsU&ab_channel=AcademyAtTheLakes


An example of not sining the book:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyjWp2Pu4ZU&ab_channel=kentankersley1

Helping Our Communities: Visiting Senior Centers

I grew up living next door to my 85 year old Grandmother who would go to "the center" to play bridge with her friends once a week. Every Sunday after church she would bring me with her and the ladies at the senior center would teach me how to play bridge, gin rummy, scrabble, checkers and chess. One of the things that made me fall in love with my husband was knowing he used to play chess and cribbage at a senior center with different people weekly when he was young. To me I felt we had some shared values few people my own age shared that I would want to pass to my own children.

I have always thought there was an uncalled for division between seniors and young children. I realized this being the only child what would visit regularly. I used to think, don't these people have grand children who want to see them? Now that I am older I understand better why the visits are not as easy to commit to. Sunday's worked for my family because my parents would divide the kids in our family up so they each could get 1:1 time with at least one adult once a week( I thought was great idea).

When my Great Uncle was in the VA home as a resident we would bring our daughter to see him. He seemed to enjoy showing her the fish, telling her stories about my Grandfather that she never got to meet and rolling her around in his wheel chair in his lap. We believed the more they visited the better he'd feel. I could see the energy rise with every visit and we tried to stick with a routine to help. The same held true for my husband's Grandfather, my Nana and Grammy when they were in nursing homes. I also want to add it was not just for the person your are visitings benefit. The people around them adored having children visit and get extra attention.The children are learning and accepting age, differences, culture and values from different generations. Oral histories that could easily be forgotten that are not put in books or well known.

I had noticed there are place in the U.S. that have pre-schools attached to senior centers and I think that is such a brilliant idea. But, until we can get one of those in Penobscot county I will suggest finding a senior center/ nursing home to plan visits with. You don't have to know a person to begin with to make a difference in their life.

Homebound Activities : Quest!

At the last school I worked at the director used to have a directions game to see 

how many step directions the children could follow in row. I would ask kids to put elephants 

under chairs then jump over a line and put a matchbox car on chalkboard. However, this was not 

nearly as fun at home without friends to giggle with you at the silly directions. Instead, I made up a game 

to find something in the end. When I described what I was doing with Audrey to my mother-in-law she 

called the game “quest”. She used to play the same game with her kids when they were little and gave 

the game a name. So here is how we play:

I hide a desirable prize at the end of the quest -- the lost crown to Princess Lilith ( her cousin’s name) or 

King Billy’s lost treasure. Something to raise her attention, then you give fun directions to get to wear you 

need to go.For instance, crawl under the table, over a chair, around the couch, squeeze between the 

bean bags to complete your quest. This way your kiddos is following 4 to 5 step directives using 

prepositions to play a game.