Books From English and Signing Classes

We are now a couple of weeks into the new year so the classes are returning to their normal pace. My remembering to post has not caught up yet though!

My Monday classes have moved to Tuesday and soon the Mommies English class will be replaced with a Baby Signing Time (BST) - Sing and Play class. The BST classes are really starting to get interesting and the kids become more active and start to sign.

So, here are the books we've used over the past couple of weeks. A thank you goes out to the students who were asking about them!

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Japanese translation: おやすみなさいおつきさま

Spot's Snowy Day by Eric Hill

And the new books in our Baby Signing Time class book basket:

Play Time

Meal Time

Going Out

These are part of the Sign About series by Anthony Lewis.

If Only We'd Give Them The Tools...

For the last year or so I've had tools (broom, dust cloth, towel) hanging where the Little Guy can reach them. On our last trip to Ikea he picked up this dust pan and brush. He even put it to use as we walked to the check-out.

Last week my huibiscus plant had a little accident and the Little Guy beat me to cleaning up the dirt!

It was a great reminder that kids want to be involved in all aspects of life. Often they understand and can do more than we give them credit for.

Sign of the Week

On the Signing Time blog they've started offering a Sign of the Week. The first one is "eat". Take a look!

2 of the Best Toys

For this past couple of weeks this has been a very common sight in our house.

Every evening and sometimes in the morning too the little guy asks for help setting up his train set.  It's a combination of sets from Ikea with Duplo Legos to provide tunnels with a few milk and juice carton tunnels thrown in.  Sometimes the cars come out to watch the train go by.
Running the trains on the tracks is a great fine motor skill exercise.  The magnets which connect the trains provide an introdution to the positive/negative ends of magnets.  There are also endless oppertunities for creative problem solving and role play.
With a small assortment of well chosen toys and a bit of imagination you can be entertained for hours!
~ Houdini

Train Worth Riding

Over the break we had the chance to take an overnight trip.  One of the best parts was riding on the Superview Odoriko train (スーパービュー踊り子) from Tokyo to the south.  We've taken the train before so this time we made sure to get an early reservation for one of the best seats on the train.

This is the view from Car 10, Row 1, Seats a, b.  Not only were we on the ocean side of the train we also had a front row (or back row) seat.  The Little Guy (and big guy) had a great time watching the tracks go by.  We also passed many trains, cranes, bridges and tunnels!

The other advantage of being in car 10 is that the first floor has a kids room.  There is even a private area for nursing and diaper changes.  When traveling with kids who don't sit still this room can be a life saver!
With all of the great features you'd expect this train to cost a lot but it is actually cheaper than taking the shinkansen (bullet train).
If you have time, why not enjoy the journey with a great front row seat?