A Little Bugs Life

In correlation to the insect life cycle unit, I picked up a little "bug house" for Freida to collect and observe the little buggers. She was, to say the least, ecstatic! I guess it was about me giving in to her bug-loving nature, and actually aiding in her insect-collecting activities...

She now totes the little mesh bug house like this seasons "it" bag!

To my shock (and disgust!) she veered toward collecting the slimy variety, namely: slugs, snails, and worms! Nasty lil' things!

Thankfully, she found it just as exciting to feed them (leaves, flowers etc.) as to catch them...

You can get a bug house like this one, here.

Retro Room for Boys

Thought I'd share some more rad and retro accessories for the boys room - or for the cyber-geek husbands out there! Here's to you Moms living with an overdose of testosterone in the house! :)

From the über-talented tech-obsessed folk @ Meninos

Also, how quirky would this be sprawled across an office doorway??

First Lesson in Life Cycles

The arrival of Spring heralded a new era in Freida's little education. I decided to start doing some actual teaching, through proper "units". This will be the first in a series of (hopefully) many, in attempt to be the first to teach my little lady about the facts of life - on a 2 year old's level, of course! :) Freida has been obsessed with butterflies since she was about 6 months old (she was watching her cousin's Wiggles DVD and upon seeing "The Butterfly Flit" her breathe grew rapid and her little toys didn't cease twirling!), and I figured Spring would be the perfect time to introduce the concept of Life Cycles - via the classic childrens illustrations of Eric Carle.

I broke out the over-sized board book that I had bought a few months earlier, and popped in the included audio CD of the author reading the story of this iconic and beloved little green critter...

Naturally, she gravitated toward "Saturday" - the day he ransacked a picnic...

She always loved that Press 'n Go caterpillar toy (I think it's actually meant to be an inchworm), and she was really interested in learning about how he was born and what he eats etc.

Once we bonded enough with the story itself, I let her play with some story-theme stick-ons (I had found for $2 in Marshalls) which ensued into a full-on foods matching game.

I think the life cycle aspect is really well brought out and easily graspable in this book...

Also, I decided to go with this book as a start to learning in "units" because aside from the life cycle concept, this book can be an awesome art reference (collage style, tissue paper art, an introduction to abstract etc.), a start to the calendar (as it goes through the days of the week), an early and easy-enough math lesson (counting the fruits),  a lesson in cause and effect (poor little guy ate so much he wound up fat and with a stomachache!), etc.

I'll post here and there about this unit as we make our way through this sort of learning exploration for the first time.

For now I'll leave you with a little video, celebrating The Very Hungry Caterpillar's 40th Birthday:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYG1tLt5GCQ]

Also, check out this totally wicked project - felted food to accompany the book!!

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

Although Freida generally loves to break out in a round of Family Guy's "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" song when the lunch bells chime, there are always those random instances where I've simply let her buzz for too long and missed her ideal nap-time window, at which point she's likely too tired to even think about settling into her seat for a meal. On such occasions I find the best solution is being creative with the grub. These peanut butter jelly rolls totally did the trick (I think she fantasized she was lunching on sushi like her Mama...).

It's just a crustless slice of whole wheat bread, spread with PB&J, rolled up, and sliced! Sometimes just changing the form of food really shakes things up for them, making easy lunch ingestion that much more fun!

Bunch o' Brushes

Pesach around the corner means lots of house-guests for a lot of people, and these colorful little packs of toothbrushes seem to be a great staple for a family bathroom. The packaging looks more like a box of markers than a stash of oral-hygiene gear, and each little brush comes with it's own itty-bitty tube of paste. Great for your purse, a forgetful guest, or even as a distraction during a bathtime/bedtime meltdown...! Colorfulnights, $16