Traveling with a Toddler

Our family just went on a such a beautiful fall road trip. Living in Central Florida, we don't see much differences in the various seasons, so we love driving up north a bit for cooler weather, apple orchards and family farm fun! 

Check out our YouTube video of our trip for some ideas you can try out with your own family!

On our road trips, we travel with two elementary age children and my toddler age daughter. In this blog I'll share some ideas on how we keep them happy and busy during long stretches of driving!

Toddler Tips

• We are very fortunate to have four adults in the van, so there's always someone to keep our toddler entertained. Her car seat sits between two adults. 
• She loves sticker books (and so do I)! I usually hand her the stickers, but sometimes she tries to pull them off the page. I find really cheap sticker activity books to use. This activity lasts about 10 minutes at a time.
• On this trip, I also brought about five coloring pencils. They won't melt like crayons and won't make marks all over the place like markers. I only bring a few so I can keep track of them. At this point, my toddler isn't purposefully picking various colors, so a few are just fine. She enjoys it when I color with her.
• My sister bought all three girls some No Mess coloring sets by Crayola. These are markers, but only make color on the actual "magic" pages! 
• I brought a few toys that are all inclusive and one piece. The Dimpl Dot by Fat Brain was a huge hit this trip. The worm on a string in the apple toy kept my toddler busy for bits at a time too. Both toys help with fine motor skills and I have done other videos/posts about them both.
• We are also very fortunate to have a little TV in the van, that we use for the days we are driving 12+ hours. We pretty much only watched Bluey on this trip. Be sure to choose a calm show that is slow paced and doesn't have a lot of loud music and fast transitions. We didn't use an iPad on this trip, but the last trip we did, and we kept it at least 12 inches from her eyes.
  
• Any time we stopped for gas or food, we all walked around and made sure our toddler did too.
• We keep her water bottle filled, toddler snacks ready in the diaper bag patience in our pockets!

What other ideas help for traveling with toddlers? Comment on my posts with some more ideas! I would love to try them out.

Fun books to read with your toddler!

Looking for fun books to read with your toddler and preschooler? DK Publishing has a series of pop up peekaboo books that kids love to read! They also introduce and teach concepts such learning to count, identifying colors, baby faces and feelings, animals, holidays, bedtime, vehicles, places like farms and the ocean, and first words. These books are touch and feel, lift the flap, and pop up! Each book is so engaging! It's a great way to get your young one to love reading and ask you to read together. In this video, I'll share a few of the books and how you can make reading a fun activity to do together!

Daily Schedule Ideas for Babies/Toddlers and Kids

It is summer time! And for a planner like me, I like to schedule out the days to include as wide a variety of activities as I can. One of my friends asked for some ideas of a schedule, so I decided to make a blog post about it. I’ll share ideas and tips on what to include in your own schedule, how you can adapt it for your own kids depending on age, as well as share a bit about my own schedule. My hope is to help you be a mom (or dad) boss so your child will the smartest kid on the block!

Whether you are home all day, one day or part of a day with your baby/toddler, you can pick and choose from the following ideas to keep your young one active, engaged and learning.

Morning Routine

When my daughter wakes up, we have a little routine in such a way that she knows what to expect and what comes next. After getting myself ready (sometimes with her and sometimes before she wakes up), I put an outfit on my daughter. (I pick out the week’s outfit on Sunday evening.) Then she points to her feet to get her socks and shoes on. We usually read a book that she chooses and then head to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Finally, we will eat breakfast together. Sometimes she sits in her high chair while I prep it and sometimes she is in the kitchen with me.

Remember to take care of you, too!

As a mom, it is easy to forgot self-care and taking care of ourselves can easily fall to the bottom of the list. My goal this summer is to go on a bike ride or stroller walk after breakfast each day. My daughter loves both activities and it is a great way to get in some exercise.

The Daily Schedule

This summer, my two nieces who are eight and five, will be spending the day with us so I have a detailed schedule for each day. I purposely include play time that incorporates the five stages of child development: cognitive, social and emotional, speech and language, fine motor skills and gross motor skills. Here are just a few ideas of what you can include from each stage. Many activities fall into more than one stage.

Example Schedule:

An example of a day’s schedule at home might look like this:

8:30 Wake up, morning routine, breakfast

9:00 Bike ride or walk in stroller

10:00 Play time - cognitive activities (puzzles, sorting toys, stacking toys etc)

10:30 Arts/Crafts/Coloring/Sticker Books - fine motor skills

11:00 Music Time, listen to music, play music, play musical instruments along to music

11:30 Lunch

12:00 Gross Motor Skills, Recess: Walking, Running, Dancing - physical activity for child

12:30 Reading Time - speech and language skills

1:00 Nap Time

3:00 Snack, playtime (cognitive activities & social and emotional skills)

3:30 Exercise together (gross motor skills - playing outside, walking together etc)

4:00 Relax together, my daughter enjoys Sesame Street and Beat Bugs


You’ll discover what your child enjoys doing and where you can repeat activities. As your child grows, her ability to play independently will increase. In the meantime, relish in the time together! Do what you can and if you miss an activity one day, it’s okay! Learn more about the stages of child development and see what other ideas suit you and your family best.

As always, I hope this blog post gave you some ideas for engaging in learning and playing with your child.

Making Your Child's Birthday a Special Day!

Birthdays are a huge deal in our family. And by huge deal, I mean HUGE. Growing up, my parents made birthdays a big celebration for me and my siblings. We had family and friends over, fun food, games, activities, cake and lots of presents. As adults, my sister and I have continued that tradition with our own kids. We remember feeling so special on those days and we wanted to carry on this birthday tradition.

Since my nieces recently celebrated their birthdays, I wanted to share some tips to make your child's birthday a special one! No matter how big or small you celebrate, you can make your child feel special, important and celebrated. You'll not only be a mom (or dad) boss, but you'll help create a confident and well-rounded child with a healthy self-esteem.

Here are some ideas to make your child feel special on her birthday.

Picking a Theme

My nieces love to choose their birthday theme each year. One chose Snow White and the other chose Lego. We create games, treats, goody bags and activities centered about this theme. Allowing your child to pick a theme fosters their creativity! Usually, they will help create food label titles, goody bag decor and treats, table treats and games. 

Think of Surprises

Incorporate surprises! Creating surprises requires thoughtfulness and preparation. When you show your child you thought in advance about her, this makes her feel special. Think about your own life and when someone surprised you with your favorite meal, coffee, flower, outfit or anything! A surprise can be a game you're going to play, the cake you make or buy, the present you give- anything! In fact, my niece didn't want to plan some of her birthday details because she asked to be surprised! 

Getting to See Their Social Interactions

Pre-pandemic, they invited all of their friends and one day we will get back to that. But no matter the guest list, it is fun to watch your child interact in a social way. You get to observe how they interact with others, the manners they use, and the excitement they share - things that usually might only happen at school around their peers. During the pandemic, we had family only and still were able to observe these behaviors. 

Presents - Bought, Homemade or Experiences!

Whether you have a big or small budget, presents add more attention to the birthday child. And guess what? The best presents are the experiential ones - the kind that require time spent together. We got free passes to a local amusement park and gave them as a birthday present to our nieces. It was such a fun time that didn't even require any money. We've made presents in the form of scavenger hunts. Sometimes, when the girls would give a present, they would re-wrap something around the house - no cost! As they say, it's the thought that counts!

Birthday Kid Chooses the Food

My nieces get to choose the meals of the day - breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes it's a place to order from and sometime's it is a home-cooked meal. What makes it fun is that they are choosing! Giving your child the ability to make choices develops their leadership skills and decision making. Who would have thought such a small gesture could do this. Think to your own life. How many times have you or someone you're eating with had a hard time deciding on where to eat?! 

Play Games and Laugh Together

In an earlier bullet I mentioned games. Our family makes up the silliest games and we love playing them! When you can laugh together it shows your child you enjoy their company and want to have fun with them. No matter your budget, you can buy pre-made games or create them yourselves. My niece recently learned about a game and figured out how to create a version of it herself! No cost involved whatsoever. For our Lego party, my sister froze lego figures into ice cube trays and we had to melt it the fastest. On the other hand, my sister and her husband are very creative and built a gem mining station for my niece's Snow White party. So, it depends on your resources. The important thing is to have fun together.

These are some of they ways we celebrate birthdays. Of course there are tons of other ways to make your child feel special. You do what you can and your child will appreciate it! That's what it is all about: showing your child the magic you felt the day she was born, the miracle of her birth or reliving the first birthday you spent together - remembering those beautiful memories and creating new ones each year.

Fine Motor Skills Toddler Toys: Dimpl Digits by Fat Brain

 Have you heard of the Fat Brain Toys brand? I have several of their toys and each one has a valuable play while learning concept to it. In this blog post, I'll focus on the Dimpl Digits toy. There are a few ideas I will share that can help you help your toddler be the smartest toddler on the block!

1. This toy requires some finger strength from your toddler. This will help with fine motor and gross motor skills, while strengthening your toddler's fingers. I love this because I will eventually teach my daughter how to play the piano and she will have strong fingers to rock out like Billy Joel!
2. As you pop one circle, you have to flip over the toy to pop it back. It is a never-ending cycle. This introduces the idea of cause and effect. Cause: you pop the circle; effect: the circle caves in.
3. As your toddler becomes more familiar with the toy, she will learn to flip the circle over and start again. This helps with critical thinking skills. "How can I pop the circles again?" Even though it is so simple for us to realize this, simply tasks like these are critical to develop your child's thinking skills. Let her explore the toy and its features. Model how to play the toy, but be sure not to flip it over for her each time. 
4. This toys makes for a great travel toy! No batteries, no little parts and no mess.
5. I've mentioned in previous posts how much I love multi-level developmental toys and this is one of them! This particular toy is numbered 1-10, in English and Spanish. Sometimes I will sit with my toddler to pop together and I'll count the numbers out loud in both languages. It also has raised dots representing each number. Once my daughter is ready to learn counting, I will have her trace her finger over the dots and count with her. On the "one" spot, there is one dot and so on until ten. So not only is she popping circles, but there's a math element to it.
6. Lastly, you can help your toddler identify colors. At first, you can pop one and say, "I'm pressing on the yellow circle." Eventually, you can ask your toddler to pop a certain color, "Where is the orange circle? Press the orange circle." As your toddler starts to talk, you can point to a color and ask what color that is.

And there you have it! A simple toy by Fat Brain that helps develop your own toddler's brain! As always with my posts and suggestions, try one idea out and see what works for you. Your toddler will love playing together with you.

Build A Bear Workshop - Teaching real world budgeting

Our family recently discovered Build-A-Bear Workshop and we love it! We have been there long ago and have seen it many times walking through the mall, but to go with young ones is a whole new adventure. 

In this blog, I'll share how we turned our second trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop into a budgeting lesson for our young ones. I want to help you be a mom (or dad) boss so you can help your child be the smartest kid on the block with plenty of real world applicable learning.

We first went to Build-A-Bear a few months ago and found out about the "pay your age" special. This means that your child can choose a birthday bear and pay $1 for each year old she is. For example, we got one for my daughter and it was only $1 because she turned one! This is something we will do every year!

Now that my daughter and two nieces had their birthday bears, we planned a second trip and I gave them each $10 to spend. (My nieces got some more money from their parents.) But knowing the amount before going to the store help them be in a mindset of picking and choosing what they would want. My eight-year-old niece did really well with this concept!

If you're going to Build-A-Bear Workshop, here are some tips to make it an enjoyable experience! Check out our videos and watch our experiences from our first trip and from our second trip!

Before

• Watch our video on YouTube to have an idea of what to expect in the store! Here's a video of our second trip there.
• Check out their website. If you're budget conscientious, you can go at a time with certain promotions and during your child's birthday month.
• Set a budget and help your child understand how many items it might buy. If they are too familiar with monetary concepts yet, let them know how many items they get to choose (for example, one outfit and one other item).

During

• Take a tour of the store and show your child all that there is available to buy. There are several stations in the store and LOTS of up-sell options. You can add outfits, accessories, voice boxes and scents just to name a few.
• Have a piece of paper with the total budget on it and subtract the items as your child picks them out. If you have a child in at least first grade, they will have a better idea of this concept and might grasp it easier. For preschoolers, you may have to say they get to pick one outfit and one toy for the bear.
• The first time we went, my eight-year-old niece got a voice box and this second trip, my five-year-old niece wanted the voice box with her budget. This company is great for allowing stuff to be added to the bear after the fact, like new stuffing, voice boxes and of course the clothes and accessories. Having already bought our bears last trip helped us save money this second trip.
• Be present and help your child make choices. It can be such a fun experience to enjoy together.

After

• Play pretend together with the new Bear your child has picked out.
• I love watching my one year old pretend to feed dolls. After this last trip, she was pretending to feed with a baby spoon, blew on the teacup to cool it down and actually folded her hands to pray like we do when we sit down to eat! My one year old learns a lot from her two cousins. Your baby will benefit from pretend play with you too!
• Letting your child have a Bear or any dolly for that matter is teaching your child responsibility and taking care of something. This is also teaching life skills, how to care for others, being aware of others and using her imagination.

What you thought would be a simple shopping experience to Build-A-Bear can actually be quite a fun learning experience with lots of real world lessons!

What other ideas do you have? Be sure to comment on my Instagram @Michelle_Holly_Recommends.

Learning colors, sorting and counting with your toddler and preschoolers

Learning to add 1-10 with Preschoolers

This past year I have been teaching my four-year-old niece the alphabet and numbers. She just turned five and we are learning how to add the numbers 1-10. I found this Math Addition Machine by Learning Resources and it is a hit! My niece thinks of it as a game, which is great because she is learning addition at the same time!

In this blog I'll share nine simple steps for using this math manipulative when helping your young one with adding. I want to help you be a mom (or dad) boss so you can help your child be the smartest kid on the block!

Check out my video explanation of this math tool and see my two nieces use it!

When preschoolers are learning numbers, it is a great idea to show them the numbers. Rather than just having them say numbers out loud or read the numbers on paper,  let them hold objects or point to pictures to count objects. This makes the learning become much more meaningful and concrete. This is especially true if your child is a kinesthetic learner, which means your child learns best by doing hands-on activities. This probably sounds like most preschoolers and it makes sense because they need the concrete objects understand ideas at this point in their development. 

Insert tutorial videos

So, to use this math tool, follow these simple steps.

1. Find an addition sheet or simply write one up. Use combinations of numbers that add up to ten. (Up to ten balls fit in the holder.)  
2. The top number can be represented by the green balls and the bottom number can be presented by blue. If you have 3+5=, first you will model by putting 3 green balls and then 5 blue balls in the funnel. Let the balls roll to line up to the magnetic strip where it says 8. 
3. You can count out loud from 1-3 and say those are three green balls. Then count from 1-5 and say those are five blue balls. Count all of the balls together from 1-8. Finally say, "three plus five equals eight." Have your child repeat the math sentence.  Ask your child to write the number 8 on the paper in the answer spot.
4. Do a few more together and then allow your child to try on on her own.  Saying the math sentence is important for developing math fluency, which is when your child can recall numbers easily.
5. Have your child point to each ball as she counts. This is helping to make counting concrete. If you help make counting concrete now, later on, your child will have more ease with memorizing math facts.
6. Once you can tell your child has mastered adding 1-10, ask her to create some math problems herself. Let her write out the math problem, use the balls to add, then have her write her answer. 
7. You can also ask her to write a few problems for you to solve and make math learning fun together.
8. To take this to the next level, create word problems for your child to solve. For example, you could say, "For lunch we are going to eat 6 grapes and 4 apple slices. If I wanted to know how many pieces of fruit I am eating all together, how could I find out?" This is, of course, 6+4=10. Have your child identify the numbers in the word problem. Ask, how do you know we are adding? (Answer: because we want to know how many fruit pieces all together.) Then have her use the math manipulative to add up the two numbers, use paper to write out the problem with answer, then say the math sentence out loud. One of the toughest skills in math is when it comes to word problems. You'll definitely be giving your child a head start with this step.
9. And bonus step! Ask your child to create a word problem herself! You can solve it to add in some fun together! Ask her to check your work, which is a way of her watching the process, while making sure it is being done correctly. She is becoming the teacher, which helps her master this skill.

And there you have it - making addition a fun game together! If you think of other ideas, let me know in the comments! 

Sorting Toys - Learning Resource's Farmer's Market

 Our family recently visited some U-Pick Farms in Central Florida. Whenever we go somewhere or do something, I like to bring in some type of educational aspect to it.  After our visits, I found this awesome sorting toy by Learning Resources. 

In this blog, I'll share a few ideas on how you can engage with your child during playtime and make learning happen simultaneously. My goal is for you learn an idea or two in order to help your child be the smartest kid on the block! 

📹 Check out this video demonstrating multiple ways to play with the Farmer's Market Sorting Toy by Learning Resources! 📹

Learning Resources' Farmer's Market is a multi-functional toy that can be used with an 18+month old all the way up to a preschooler.  I absolutely love finding toys that will last for a few developmental stages. The company includes a few ideas to try out within the box as well.  Here are a few others:

1. For the 18 month old, allowing her to put the fruit in and out of the basket may seem too simple for learning, but learning actually is going on! She is using her fingers to grab the toy food and coordinating her fingers to release into the buckets. As you play together, you can model and say out loud "inside" and "outside" the bucket.
2. Use one color bucket and say the color of each object. Take out all five objects, and put one back inside at a time and say the same color and food type all five times. For example, using the orange bucket, pick up the pumpkin and say "Orange Pumpkin". Then say, "orange orange" etc with all five. Start with just one color for a little bit until you can get tell your baby is ready for two colors.
3. Using two colors, have all ten objects on the floor and then model how to sort the two color buckets. For example, pick up a purple fruit and put it in the purple bucket and say, "Purple plum." Then using the orange bucket, pick up the pumpkin and say "Orange pumpkin." Give your toddler one of the purple objects and say, "purple" and guide your toddler's hand to drop it in the purple bucket. Repeat this with all ten objects. Don't stress if you're only able to get through a few objects before your toddler loses interest. Try this each day and her focus will increase. Soon you'll be at ten before you know it! 
4. Eventually you'll incorporate all five colors and allow your toddler to sort all five buckets. Try have her saying the colors, the food names and counting. Each time you do this, you need to model it first. "One yellow, two yellow etc".  
5. At some point you can mix some of the objects and ask your toddler to put all the same colors together. 
6. You can teach your preschooler to count from 1-25 and then count by 5s.  
7.  You can teach a single vs multiple. "There is one single banana. Look at the blueberries. There are multiple blueberries, which means more than one."
8. You can create a meal you're going to prepare by allowing your child to pick a couple of options to make the menu. This helps match the object to what the food actually is and what it tastes like.
9. My seven-year-old niece turned these buckets into a tossing game! They earned points for making the fruit/veggie into the correct color bucket.
10. And for my last idea, this would be a great opportunity for sparking their imagination. Make up a story about the food. It can be a fictional one where the fruit/veggie have personalities. Or a factual encounter of finding the food at the farm, store or your own garden. Asking your child to verbalize sentences is a great way for them to process what they are learning. Plus, it allows you to hear what they are thinking too!

U-Pick Farms in Central Florida

 Are you looking for a fun outdoor activity that you get to walk away with fresh food to take home? U-Pick Farms is the answer for you! There are many to choose from in Central Florida and in this blog I write about the four we have visited. I'll share ideas on how to incorporate learning together before, during and after your visit with educational insights that are quick and to the point so multitasking moms like me can be a mom-boss (or dad-boss) while making sure your kid is the most well-rounded and smartest on the block! 

The four farms we have visited so far are:

• Bekemeyer Family Farm in Winter Garden, FL.  Click to watch the video of our visit there!
• Pappy's Patch in Oviedo, FL. Click to watch the video of our visit there!
• Southern Hill Farms in Clermont, FL Click to watch the video of our visit there!
• Beck Brothers blueberries in Windermere, FL Click to watch the video of our visit there!

Before

• Each has their own social media outlets where they post the most up-to-date information for daily picking options. (Most have Facebook and Instagram). Be sure to check these often so that you know the operating hours on the day you plan to go, as well as what is being offered.
• Depending on your familiarity with farming, you may have lots of knowledge to share with your child! I am no green thumb by any means, so books and videos help my family. You can prepare the day by learning anything from planting and growing plants, fruits, and trees to farm life to taking care of the land. Bekemeyer Family Farm uses hydroponics so that could be fun research.
• We didn't see too many farm animals on our visits, but this could be another fun way to introduce farm animals to your child through items you might already have: puzzles, toys, books, stuffed animals and videos.
• While in school, your child starts learning some concepts of photosynthesis early on, so reading a book about it together can connect the learning from school to home. As a teacher, I loved the Magic School Bus offerings of various subjects, so you might be able to find the book or video for photosynthesis.

During

• Some places charge by quantity, some charge by pound. This is a great way to learn and reinforce counting and weighing skills. Have your child estimate how much/how many before paying for the exact amount. Watch this video to see how we counted our blueberries when we got home!
• Connect what you may have talked about and learned before your visit by asking questions at the farm. What do you notice about the strawberries that are red and the ones that are green? Why do you think some blueberries are not blue yet? Why do the orange trees have hoses/plastic pipes through the rows? What do you think the tractors are for? Why is farming so important? How did this family figure out how to grow plants one above the other? -This last question is specifically for the Bekemeyer Family Farm. These types of questions would take some thinking for your child to answer, the kind that teachers aim to ask students to develop critical thinking skills. If you have a toddler, you might ask, "What color are the strawberries?" This is an identifying type of question because toddler is identifying colors and there is a usually a one word answer. See how complex you can make your own questions!
• Talk with the farm owners or available personnel about when fruit or vegetables are ripe for picking, how to know when they are okay for picking and how to pick. Not only are you finding out information that your child is listening to, but you are modeling how to ask questions and listen to another person's expertise. Your child is always watching and learning from you!

After

• Going home with all of goodies is the best part! There are so many possibilities that await!
• While at the farm, you may have guessed how many/how much you picked. When you get home, have your children predict, estimate and count a container full. Watch this video to see how we did it!
• Look up a recipe and try cooking something new together.
• Show your child how to wash and prep the food, when age appropriate.
• Try planting a fruit or vegetable in your garden/home/etc.
• My one year old just got this Learning Resources' Farmer's Market Sorting Set and I am so excited to start working on colors soon! For now, she is enjoying the textures and putting the items in the baskets. My four-year-old-niece definitely had fun sorting by colors. My seven-year-old niece enjoyed making up a story to go with the toy. I love toys that can reach multiple ages! Check out this video to see us using the toy in action!
• If you were able to read a book or watch a video before your visit, now would be a good time to revisit the same book/video to reinforce the learning. Before the visit you were helping build background knowledge for your child, and watching it again after the visit allows your child to make connections from the real world to what she learned in the book/video. It helps make the learning stick around longer too!

I hope one of these suggestions is good for your family to try out for your next trip to a U-Pick Farm! Learning is everywhere!!

Brevard County Zoo

Do you live in a big city with lots of options for a day’s outing? I heard about Brevard County Zoo, but had never been. I have to say, I otter recommend the place!

Click here to watch our adventures from the day!

Brevard County Zoo is in Melbourne, Florida, about a ninety minute drive from Orlando. Before going, we read that people enjoyed being up close to the animals, and this was so true! In this blog, I share some ideas to do before, during and after a visit to Brevard County Zoo, or any other zoo for that matter. I hope you will find at least one idea that can apply to your family. I'll also share some educational insights that are quick and to the point so multitasking moms like me can be a mom-boss (or dad-boss) while making sure your kid is the most well-rounded and smartest on the block!

Before

Here are some ideas to consider before going to the zoo. It can helpful to prepare your child for what to expect while there and you will help expand their knowledge for learning. In the education world, this is called building background knowledge. If your child learns some ideas about what they are going to see at the zoo, it will make the learning more concrete while there. For example, if your child has never seen a giraffe in person, look at pictures, watch a video of it walking or eating, and read some facts. Then, while at the zoo when you see a real giraffe, your child will store more knowledge in the brain bank, especially if you see one up close to feed it!

• My seven-year-old niece did an A-Z Animal Google Slides presentation in her second grade class. In it, she had to pick an animal that started with each letter of the alphabet and research certain facts about each one. She loved doing this project, so much so, that she really wanted to go to the zoo! You too can do this with your child using Google Slides (or Power Point) and not only will you learn together, but this will help connect the technology tool your child is learning in school to home. This project was so informative for my niece that she was reciting facts with me while at the zoo. Here’s a sample template I created to help you with this project.
• Read some books  and watch some videos to help prepare your child for what she might see. There are so many to choose from. I read this one to my one year old and have been since we went because she loves "lift the flap" books - Zoo: Peek-a-Flap Book by Cottage Door Press.
• Take a look at the Brevard County Zoo site and see what they have to offer. Plus, you need to purchase tickets in advance and pick a entry time window.
• We also asked each child, “What animal do you hope to see?” If it was one that wouldn’t be at this zoo, we helped them think of one that would in order to make sure we saw at least one animal they were hoping to see.

During

• There is such power in just being in the moment and interacting with your child. 
• While at the zoo, my seven-year-old niece was sharing some facts she learned from her school presentation. As she spoke, I would follow up with “Where did you learn that?” and “What else do you know?” You can also allow your child to take some pictures of the animals and add them to the presentation created before you went! 
• When we saw the hogs, I asked, “Why do you think they are in the mud?” Each time I could think of why an animal might be in a certain area, I asked my nieces why they thought it might be. I’m definitely no animal expert, and those reading this most likely know much more than I do, so be sure to share that knowledge with your kids! If anything, ask questions to get them thinking and it might create some fun opportunities for research after the visit!

After

Complete fun activities together as a family. When you can extend what you have done during a visit like this, you keep the learning alive and growing. There are lots of ways to make connections to any place you visit with your children. Not only do these connections help further their learning, but it’s a great way for you to continue engaging in what you do together as a family.

• My niece’s second grade class has a class pet “caterpillar”! What great timing for our trip after the zoo and an activity you can do too with your kids at home. Eric Carle’s book, The Hungry Caterpillar comes to mind as a simple book to introduce your toddler to the caterpillar/butterfly life cycle. National Geographic has a plethora of non-fiction animals books. 
• Be sure to add in those pictures and new facts your learned while at the zoo into the presentation you started before you went.
• The classic "See 'n Say" toys by Fisher Price are great for reinforcing animal sounds and pictures.
• Melissa and Doug has a puzzle that's helpful if your child is working on fine motor skills.
• My one year old loves this activity cube by B.Toys.
• Here's an idea for family game night. I bought a variation of Skillmatics Guess in 10 for my seven-year-old niece.

Thanks for reading!  Be sure to follow me on Instagram and @ Michelle_Holly_Recommends and like my Facebook page. 

Bok Tower Gardens

Have you visited a place and thought, “Wow, this is such a different experience through the eyes of my child!” That happened recently for me. My family went to Bok Tower Gardens and had such a great time, all day long. We planned on going for just a few hours, but stayed until closing and upgraded our day ticket costs to annual passes!

Click here to watch our adventures from the day!

Bok Tower Gardens is in Central Florida, about an hour drive from Orlando. There is a lot of interesting history, daily carillon concerts at the Singing Tower, plenty of gardens, a kids area, and lots of shade!

I’ll share some ideas to do before, during and after your visit, as well as three educational insights that are quick and to the point so multitasking moms like me can be a mom-boss (or dad-boss) while making sure your kid is the smartest on the block! 

Before

Read some books about the place you are going. I read the BabyLit version of Secret Garden to my daughter the night before we went. You can ask your child questions, such as what are they hoping to see and do. You can do some research about where you are going. Do an online search or use these photos of a carillon tower, blue heron, cabbage/brussel sprouts and gopher turtle. When you get to Bok Tower Gardens, have a little scavenger hunt with your family using these items and more you’d like to add. 

During 

Ask your child questions about what they are seeing and doing. Talk about how the environment is working with the animals and plants. Ask, “Why do you think the gopher turtle has a sign to not touch it?

Throughout the day at Bok Tower Gardens, we followed my five and seven-year-old nieces as they explored the whole place. While it may seem simple to let our children lead the way, we are actually developing their decision skills, imagination and leadership confidence. 

• Many times, we just lead the way without thinking about it too much. At one point, my niece asked me, “Which way should we go?” I did my best to quote Robert Frost and sound literary and explained the road less traveled. We engaged in a short conversation about what that meant and she chose the path less traveled and said how we might find a place no one else has! All throughout the day we let the girls make decisions on where to go. Even at the end of the day, when we had about fifteen minutes left, we let them decide how to spend the last few minutes. This is a good way to tie in time management - bonus skill!
• Both my nieces loved exploring the kids area and the whole place in general. They kept making up stories for where we were going and we would ask questions to hear about the world they were creating. They were finding paths that led to little sitting areas, and they thought they were the first to discover them. The kids’ garden had climbing logs, a spider web climbing rope, mallet instruments, a fairy garden, an art station, a water pump and a giant snake sand pit. We visited the kids area twice during the day and the girls loved it! My one year old was able to walk around and enjoy much of it too! When we went to the fairy garden area, we engaged in conversations about who might live there and loved hearing the girls’ imagination wander. This outdoor area was a great place to foster imagination!
• Because we let the girls lead the way, they were able to be leaders of our day’s adventure. Developing leadership skills in young children is so helpful for their future years. When our nieces wanted to lead us, we followed. As parents we can be confined by a schedule, so it’s easy to say, “no, we need to go this way”. We had the mindset at the beginning of the day that this was all new for them and we had no set agenda. We want to lead by example and sometimes that means letting our kids lead the way and we end up modeling how to be a good team player. This will not only build confidence in their leadership skills because we listened to their ideas, but it will show that we trust in their choices and can enjoy what they want to do. You can ask a question like, "Which way are we going next?"

After

Complete fun activities together as a family. When you can extend what you have done during a visit like this, you keep the learning alive and growing.

There are lots of ways to make connections to any place you visit with your children. Not only do these connections help further their learning, but it’s a great way for you to continue engaging in what you do together as a family.

Here are some books and toys to connect learning to exploring the outdoors!

• Talk about the day’s adventure! We will ask some questions like: What 2-3 things did you enjoy the most? What are some things you'd like to do again? What is something you learned?
• Grow a fairy garden together! Continue cultivating responsibility with gardening.
• Paint rocks together and put them around your home/yard area.
• Read Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg by Gail Carson Levine. I loved this story about Tinkerbell and her friends. It's a trilogy and I linked in the less costly kindle version.
• In the kids' area, there were stacking pieces of logs. Jenga would be a great way to play a game together that requires stacking and balance. How fun would it be to play this game and have a conversation about the day you all had together at Bok Tower Gardens?
• Are you a crafting family? How about making a stepping stone to remember the day?
• Did your kids love the carillon chimes? Try letting them explore bells at home! My daughter has this set and we love ringing them for fun: Set of 8 hand bells.

I hope you get to explore Bok Tower Gardens or any outdoor garden place too!

Critical Thinking that's an A for Apple! (Fine Motor Skills)

When I look for toys, I try to make sure each one addresses at least one of the developmental stages that children go through. My daughter is at the stage where she plays a little more independently and enjoys exploring toys that stimulate her critical thinking skills and exercise her fine motor skills.

As a mom and certified educator, I’ll share a few tips about the worm and apple lacing toy.  I'll also share some educational insights that are quick and to the point so multitasking moms like me can be a mom-boss (or dad-boss) while making sure your baby is the smartest baby on the block! 

There are many different lacing toys out there. But, did you know there are many different reasons to let your child explore and play with them? Think of all the skills we do as adults that require lacing - tying shoes, tying knots, sewing, pie making. What else can you brainstorm? So it makes sense that babies and children need to learn how to use their hands in these ways as well. 

I recently got the apple and worm toy for my daughter and was surprised to see how quickly she naturally tried to the put the worm in the holes. This involves critical thinking because she realizes the holes are there for a reason and to put the worm through the holes is how the worm gets to one to the other. Seems super simple for us, but for babies and young children this concept has to be taught and practiced. My daughter is also working on her hand-eye-coordination when lacing.

You can model the way the worm laces back and forth, which is a great way to engage in learning with your child. Try to see if your child can pull the string to back the worm out of the holes it was laced in to. This also requires critical thinking.  Each of these movements require fine motor skills.

This is a great toy that is quiet, doesn't require batteries and can be used when traveling. Just be aware of the string and any hazards that could come with that.

By helping your child learn to play with lacing toys, you are setting her up for future success with these skills!

Motor Skills - Porcupine Toy!

Recently, I’ve been sharing my recommendations for toys that allow my one year old daughter to practice her fine motor skills because when I look for toys, I try to make sure each one addresses at least one of the developmental stages that children go through. My daughter is at the stage where she plays a little more independently and enjoys exploring. It is such a fun stage to engage in play with my daughter. And when she plays on her own, I can take a few moments to rest and just enjoy watching her curiosity.

As a mom and certified educator, I’ll share a few tips about Learning Resources’ porcupine toy. I'll also share some educational insights that are quick and to the point so multitasking moms like me can be a mom-boss (or dad-boss) while making sure your baby is the smartest baby on the block!

Learning Resources has a lot of fun, learning toys for children. I found this porcupine toy on Amazon and thought it was so cute! I didn’t realize it was as small as it is, so just a heads up on that. And if your child is still chewing on toys, the spikes are easy to bend, as you might be able to tell in my picture. Other than that, here are fun ways to engage in learning with your child.

1. Take turns placing the spikes in the porcupine. When you model how something should be done, your child is able to copy that action. You’re probably noticing that your child is copying a lot of what you do. This is one way she is learning!
2. Likewise, take turns taking the spikes out of the porcupine. When I first was playing this with my daughter, I had to hold her hand a bit to help her with these actions. Just a couple months later, she is able to do it on her own.
3. If you want to set yourself up for a challenge, you can practice putting the spikes in the porcupine’s storage compartment! This is a nice feature of the toy, otherwise spikes are all over the place!
4. As we play, sometimes I will call out the numbers and count a few at a time. I’ll pick up one, say “one”, pick up another and say “two” and so forth. I don’t go too high at this point. Eventually I’ll count up to twelve and point to the numbers on the porcupine. I’ll also say the color names more often too.
5. Then, in the months to come, I’ll ask my daughter to pick up the color spike I call out. I’ll also have her to point to number one, then two and so forth. Then, when she’s ready I’ll ask her to repeat the number names and color names with me.
6. If you and your child come to love the porcupine character, there are other toys with him!

When you say the words for your child, you are modeling. When you ask her to repeat them, you are working together. When you ask her to identify them, she is applying what she is learning to show you on her own! And that in itself, is an educational technique.

Wood Puzzles: Fine Motor Skills and Critical Thinking

The fascination with puzzles can be quite puzzling, don’t you think? Just kidding, couldn’t help myself. Puzzles are in fact a great way for your child to work on fine motor skills, while including an educational aspect in a fun activity. As a mom and certified educator, I’ll share a few ways you can have your one year old play with puzzles and still use that same puzzle for a couple more years! I'll also share some educational insights that are quick and to the point so multitasking moms like me can be a mom-boss (or dad-boss) while making sure your baby is the smartest baby on the block!

I love the Melissa and Doug puzzles. They are made of wood, have a base to fit all the pieces and are made for little kids’ hands. There are tons of puzzles out there, of course. You just have to figure out what you want your child to use it for and make sure it’s safe for your child’s age. I like the wood ones for my one year old daughter because she tends to put things in her mouth. The wood holds up against her chewing on the pieces and is sturdy for her little fingers.

Here’s how you can use these puzzles in different developmental stages.

Take a look at the fish puzzles. Right now, my daughter is using them to practice her fine motor skills. She has to pinch the little handle to lift the pieces. She isn’t quite putting the pieces back on the board, but that’s the next step. Sometimes she is playing independently and I just let her practice her pinching skills. Other times I’m right there with her, adding in an educational aspect. For instance, as she lifts a piece I’ll say, “That fish is pink!” Eventually, I’ll ask her to repeat the colors, pick up the color I call out, count the fish, and then learn to read the color names. This puzzle will last a few years!

The other puzzle I enjoy is one with shapes. This puzzle requires my daughter to use more of her hand in a hand grab. Her fingers have to work together and it is helping her pick up heavier items. Sometimes I’ll call out the color or the shape or both! Eventually, I’ll ask her to identify the color, shape, how many sides each shape has, and the words on the board. This puzzle will last a few years too!

The last puzzle I have pictured is the animal puzzle. These types of puzzles require a different grasp for your baby’s hand. And the educational aspect is centered around animals. You can talk about the different colors of the animals, where the animals can be found and what sounds each animal makes.

See how there’s so much more than just letting your baby play with a puzzle? It’s a great opportunity to engage in your baby’s learning! And that, my friend, is not puzzling at all!

Helping your baby's fine motor skills

I love toys that have multiple uses or stages to them. The kind that my daughter can play with simply at first, then progress with the toy’s features as she progresses in her development. As a mom and certified educator, I want to share a few toys that can help with your baby's development. I'll also share some educational insights that are quick and to the point so multi-tasking moms like me can be a mom-boss (or dad-boss) while making sure your baby is the smartest baby on the block! 

When I look for toys, I try to make sure each one addresses at least one of the developmental stages that children go through. The stages are sometimes titled differently, but basically the stages are language development, movement skills, cognitive skills, and social and emotional development. 

This blog is about three toys that address movement skills - to be specific, fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are when babies learn to use their fingers and hands.

When my daughter first started playing with the wooden ball drop toy by Melissa and Doug, she was learning to place the balls in the holes. I pushed the balls for her and they went down the ramp. She would pick them up again and place them in the holes. This took a lot of coordination for her to accomplish. Eventually, she was able to push the balls down the hole herself. Now, at fifteen months, she uses the hammer to punch the balls down the holes. This toy’s features progressed as my daughter progressed! When she’s ready, I’ll introduce colors and ask my daughter to get the yellow ball and so forth.

The plastic ball drop by B. toys is a similar toy but has more of a visual to the ball drop. It is higher vertically, so my daughter played with this when she was sitting up independently. She is at the stage where she can use the hammer to pounce balls and enjoys watching them go down each level. This toys is also introducing the concept of cause and effect. The cause is pouncing with the hammer, the effect is seeing the ball go down each level. Using the hammer to pounce the toys requires hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

The third toy I wanted to talk about is the nail and hammer bench. I remember playing with a version of this when I was a kid! This is the Melissa and Doug version and it has been well played with by my nieces and my daughter. My daughter recently showed interest in playing with this toy herself. She enjoys pushing each “nail” down, which is a great exercise for her fingers. Occasionally she will use the hammer. Both ways also introduce the idea of cause and effect.

One of the other developmental stages is called cognitive skills. These toys also address this stage in the area of problem solving. When a baby has to figure out where something belongs and how to fit it there, the baby is developing her problem solving skills.

Now don’t stress and think each time your baby plays with these toys she has to be working on a skill! I just hope it helps you be more aware and when you can engage in playing with your baby, you can remember some of these ideas to help with your baby’s development.

**If you purchase the toys linked within this blog, I may make a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thanks for reading!