Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Signing Time Sale

There's going to be a HUGE sale on Signing Time things this Friday - everything is 50% off! You can use my URL to get to the store and do a bit of Christmas shopping! http://signingtimeacademy.com/heidi

Turkey with Daddy

The little guy decided today to teach Daddy how to put together the turkey. He did a pretty good job of explaining it too!

Felt Turkey

I finally got this put together!!!
This activity has been in the back of my mind since I saw it here on the ChasingCheerios blog last year. I think I did a pretty good job of recreating it!

The backdrop is felt glued onto a piece of cardboard. To limit the number of small pieces the turkey is glued together but removeable from the board. The feathers are cut from 4 different colors of felt.

To start the activity I put the turkey on the big board and the feathers on the small one. The little guy has the picture as a guide. I moved one feather from the small board to the turkey. Obviously he had the idea because he quickly said it was his turn and pushed my hand away!

After decorating the turkey twice he told me it was time to clean up.

This activity is really easy to make and will lend itself well to many variations over the next couple of years!

I am so tempted to use the "Felt Food" lable for this post!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

In my classes (both signing and English) we've been using the Sign and Singalong book "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear!".

Yesterday I heard the little guy trying his best to sing it to his teddy bear. It was so cute! Of course once the camera came out his shy side came out. We had a grand old time singing and making up new verses for Teddy Bear to follow!

Ok, I have to add one more video...

H1N1 Vaccination 新型インフルエンザワクチン

The little guy received his first H1N1 (swine flu) vaccination today. 　今日、息子が新型インフルエンザワクチンを受けました。We've all been on the waiting list for over a month but with the shortage of vaccine and priority list for who gets vaccinated we've had to wait our turn.

On the good side though, our local clinic accepts the Suginami-ku Child Rearing Coupons to help cover the cost of both the new and the regular flu shots.　杉並区子育て応援券で払った。Parents will have to pay the regular price in cash though.

What's in Your Diaper Bag? ママバッグ

For the Mommies English class this week we talked about what is in your diaper bag. With a bit of show and tell we discovered more about each person's personality. We also talked about how the contents (and in some cases the size) have changed as the baby grows.

It was also fun to think back to the first time we packed the bag to go out. We packed for every possible situation! Now, 1 or 2 years later, we are more likely to err on the side of not being prepared!!!

Here are some of our favorite things to keep in the diaper bag:

Knot-a-Bag ノット・ア・バッグ by Smart Start - By far the most used item in the diaper bag besides the diapers! There appears to be a new eco version out too.

Chair Belt チェアベルト- It can turn most any chair into a high chair. (Of course the baby needs to be able to sit on his/her own first)

Teether/Feeder トレーニングマンマ- Great for babies from 5 months to a year old. It can help them to work on chewing and enjoy new foods without worrying about choking. It's good to buy a few extra nets right away. The only caution I have is that bananas will turn the nets brown.

MagMag Cup Set マグマグ- The tops can be changed to grow with your baby. We've been using the same set since the start. A carrying case and replacement straw parts also come in handy!

Pampers Bibsters　ビブスター - Disposable bids are great for when you're out and about or the little one will indulge in something that stains like berries!

Snack Trap スナックカップ - A great way to keep little treats from spilling all over!

Paper Carton Holder パックホルダー - Another way to help save on stains. Holding a juice or milk pack without squeezing the drink all over yourself is really a fine art. I never leave home without it!

Pocket Sling ベビーホルダー - Folds up small so it's easy to take when you aren't sure if you'll need it or not. Comes in handy when baby no longer wants to ride in the stoller or toddler is tired of walking.

Gift Ideas for a 2 Year Old from Ikea イケアで2歳のためのギフトアイデア

For his last birthday we got the little guy some of the things I’ve had my eye on for a while at Ikea.

MULA crane with blocks

TITTA FOLK finger puppets

LILLABO train set

As you've probably guessed byy now I love Ikea. Their products are simple, classic and the toys lend themselves well to imaginary play.

On top of all that the price is great (especially compared to similar products in Japan) and I know the things I buy there will last a while!

Except for the food which disappears rather quickly around here...

Preparing for Thanksgiving

In a couple of weeks we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving. Here are a few of the things we're doing to prepare:

The matching cards are printed from Montessori For Everyone. I laminated the cards so we can use them for years to come. You can find them here.

The big book is "Don't Know Much About the Pilgrims" by Kenneth C Davis. This book is more for my own information at this point but I think in a year or two it will come in helpful when the little guy starts asking more questions.

"The First Thanksgiving" by Dana Stewart is a cute and easy book that tells a simplified version of the Thanksgiving story. It is easy enough to use in English classes too so this book gets loaned out a lot!

The animal book is one from when I was a kid. It matches the color scheme of the other books so I thought this might be a good time to introduce it.

I also feel that Thanksgiving is a good time to talk about the Native Americans. "Hawiwatha" by Longfellow is a classic in every sense of the word. I love to expand on the book with pictures of places we've been that Hawiwatha could have visited. Reading it can easily make you long for the shinning big sea waters of Gitche Gumee (Lake Superior).

For a treat we'll also watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving スヌーピーの感謝祭 特別版.

Our first Autumn/Thanksgiving art project is an oldie but a goodie!

We traced the little guy's hand onto a piece of paper to serve as the tree trunk, cut it out and then glued on some leaves.

Next time I'll make the leaves a bit bigger so they are easier to handle. Also, a few less leaves probably would have worked better.

Monday Classes

Last week in the baby signing class we learned "Here I Go" from "Baby Signing Time". It is one of our favorite songs!


In the Mommies class we've been talking about daily routines. I found a great site where you can print picture cards depicting the parts of a daily routine. The pictures are so clear and simple. http://do2learn.com/picturecards/printcards/index.htm

There are also cards for objects, emotions and hoidays.

I plan to make some basic routine posters to help us stick to our bedtime and other routines.

Love

Little arms so full of Love