Day 4

Fun Fact for the Day: Yesterday, in my post, I quoted the book "Inside The Brain" by Ronald Kotulak. If you ever want to learn more than you will EVER want to know about how the brain works...read that book. One thing that I thought was interesting and wanted to share today is that around the age of four, the brain goes through a type of restructuring. It is deciding which connections to keep and which to reroute and use for some other purpose. So, from the ages of birth to 3 years old we can pretty much teach our children anything and the brain will hold on to it and store it somewhere. If we can activate and use every area of the brain by the age of 4, think of the possibilities! This is why a baby/toddler is so curious about everything in their environment. The brain is constantly making connections between what it is seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and feeling. If you really want to teach your baby/toddler something new, allow them to experience it using more than one sense. This brings us to the "Tip of the Day"

Tip of the Day: Let your baby/toddler experience something using more than one sense. When I was a PPCD (preschool program for children with disabilities) teacher, I loved making things that the kids could really experience. So, here are some recipes for edible finger paints. Roll out butcher paper, news paper or if it is a pretty day then go outside and paint the concrete. They can taste it, smell it, see it as well as work on their gross motor skills all at the same time. You will want to be sure and have them wear an old baggy shirt or an apron to be sure that it does not get on their clothes. There are many websites that you can find all kinds of fun recipes like these. ( I off set them so that you could see the individual recipes better)

Pudding Paint

What you need:

• Instant Vanilla Pudding

• Food Coloring

What to do:

Mix pudding according to directions.

Add food coloring for desired color.

Finger paint on paper plates.

Completely Edible!

Kool-Aid Finger Paint

What you need:
• 2 cups flour
• 2 packs unsweetened Kool-Aid
• 1/2 cup salt
3 cups boiling water
• 3T. oil
What to do:
Mix wet into dry.

Jello Finger Paint

What you need:

• Any kind of flavored jello

• Boiling water

What to do:

Mix jello into boiling water until it is a goo consistency for fingerpaint. Use normal fingerpainting material or glossy paper. Kids love the smell and feel of it.

Sign of the Day: "Please"
To make this sign place your flat right hand over the center of your chest. Move your hand in a clockwise motion (from the observer's point of view, use a circular motion towards your left, down, right, and back up) a few times.

This is a good sign to teach when your child starts requesting things, using gestures, signs, words or pointing. Require your child to imitate the sign for "please" before giving them what they want. Simple manners.
P.S.Excuse the video today. Abby had just taken her bath and was ready for bed. :)