Nature/Outside Time
It cooled off quite a bit this week (yay for SPRING!) so we took a few walks down by the river and spotted lots of ducks and geese. We also enjoyed some walks around the neighborhood and have met quite a few of our neighbors this way. We encountered a mean looking dog who was adorably sweet and an adorable looking dog who was super mean and gruff. Both of their owners were enamored with the girls though! They're doing construction on a building around the corner and the other day they were loading things onto the roof with a huge crane so we stopped there and just watched for a bit. It got very loud at one point and freaked me out but didn't seem to bother the babes! Also, the dandelions in the yard are on their way out so we got to explore blowing them!
Sensory/Exploration
I am obsessed with loose parts. Don't know what that means? Boxes, ribbons, wrapping and tissue paper, food containers, straws, toilet paper rolls, wipes and tissue boxes, baby food jars, spice containers, leftover holiday items like jingle bells, plastic easter eggs, beaded necklaces, tops from milk jugs, etc. Basically anything that you would otherwise have tossed away can be a toy! CJ hates it. He thinks I'm crazy for saying NO don't recycle that I can use it to just about everything. My loose parts box exploded after I started staying home and recycling everything I could but he's finally coming around. This week we played with containers! Metal tea boxes, plastic yogurt and cheese containers, felt ring boxes, coffee cans and more. I took the top off some and left it on for others for them to drum on. They had a blast and kept them occupied for almost an hour while I changed up which ones had tops, offered them spoons to hit them with and mixed them up on their trays. So much fun!
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| Enjoying our tunes outside |
Music, Movement and Games
We've been listening to the Vitamin String Quartet playlist on Spotify this week and the local country radio stations too. They are loving banging on their metal buckets and boxes and I swear sometimes they are drumming along with the beat! Sometimes I like to play instrumentals because I tend to sing along too much and I think it takes away from their listening to the music.
For movement games we're still encouraging Viv to crawl with balls, rings and her letters. She's pushing up on all fours and rocking back and forth and getting increasingly frustrated with her lack of ability to go. We are facilitating pulling up by moving the coffee table against the TV stand and just sitting them in front of it. I never stand them up (although a lot of other people do...) just wait for them to reach up and try and support them.
Favorite Toys
Lamaze Mortimer Moose Teether - I don't know what it is about these guys but sometimes they just love to hold, shake and chew on them for days. We got them for free from Tomy when I signed up for their multiples program.
Shape Box - This thing was given to us by a friend of my mom's and I had no idea how much they would enjoy it so young! They will dump it, reach in and pull them out and because they're peek-a-boo blocks it adds an extra element of exploring what's inside the block!
V-Tech Sit to Stand Walker/Push Toy - Ever since Viv has started pulling herself up if she spots this thing across the room she's off like a rocket to it. I don't love the toy and prefer to keep it turned off (they still enjoy pulling the strings, turning the wheels and pushing the buttons even with no music or lights) but I love that it's helping her learn to stand! She doesn't even use the handle yet, just pulls herself up the front of it!
Crinkly Books - They have loved these forever but just recently they've started actually looking at them and not just chewing on them! We have several different ones, some with words others with ribbons or taggies to play with. They are starting to flip through the pages but also just shake them and lay on them and listen to the sound it makes in their ear.
Favorite Books
I am in love with these books! The girls received them when they were blessed from their great Aunt Debbie and they love them as much as I do. They're sweet, easy reads and the pictures pop and draw them in. I love the way they take classic nursery rhymes like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Star Light Star Bright and add beautiful, loving verses. We read one before each rest time this week.
Another great week in the books!
Xo,
Maigen
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