Play and Learn Every Day

Valentine's Day Placemat

09:00

Today I have the complete honour of being featured on Red Ted Art. I wrote a guest post about a Valentine’s Day placemat that Ethan made, please have a look here:

Red Ted Art - Contact Paper Placemat

We had so much fun making this placemat, it's the perfect combination of a fun process with sticky materials and a cute placemat that we can actually use at the end!

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2 years old

Today while Daddy and Grandad were busy putting Ethan’s new climbing frame together, we found something fun to do inside! The climbing frame came in a huge box, and it was on the floor when Ethan decided it would be fun to ride his scooter over. So as he’s very interested in driving at the moment, I thought it would be fun to draw some roads and traffic lights on it for him to drive along. It’s a great way to use a massive box, and great for Ethan’s Knowledge and Understanding of the World to create his own little world and follow the rules of the road with his scooter.

After drawing the roads Ethan started making requests of what else he wanted to see on his road map. Luckily Grandma was there to step in (it’s not easy to crawl around drawing at 39 weeks pregnant) and she drew all sorts of cars, a park, a postbox, some shops, etc. Ethan had a lot of things that he wanted to see on his roads! Then of course everyone else had to have a go at adding to the drawing, including guests that came later. It’s looking like these cardboard roads may be a permanent addition to our house, Ethan absolutely loves them!

2 years old

Music Class

21:00

A lot of our classes and playgroups didn’t run over Christmas, and so today was the first chance that we had to go to Ethan’s music class since their Christmas party. It was so nice to be back there, Ethan absolutely loves it and gets so much out of it. It’s great for his Creative Development as he gets to sing, dance and play instruments.

He also gets to see his friends during the class, and when we go out for coffee afterwards. This is fantastic as he gets to run around a bit and socialise with his friends. He did something strange today though, completely out of character for him, he hurt one of his closest friends. We think he was possibly trying to get the other little boys biscuit, but as we saw them he had his arms wrapped tightly around the other boy and wasn’t letting go (even as the other boy cried). I was absolutely shocked, it’s just so unlike Ethan to behave that way. I really hope that it was a one off or a short phase, I really don’t want to have a child that hurts other children.

2 years old

Tour of the New House

22:00

Today Grandma and Grandad arrived for a visit, and Ethan was very excited to show them around our new house. He was so cute, taking them from room to room and announcing what it was. Of course the highlight of each room was which toys of his it contained! And then he excitedly showed them which toys they would be playing with and where they should sit to play with them. Absolutely adorable, but when did my little boy get so bossy?

2 years old

Another Lovely Play Date

22:06

It really is getting close to baby’s arrival, so we spent another lovely afternoon at a friends’ house for a play date. I know that things are going to change a lot after baby arrives, so we’re taking every opportunity to socialise and keep things as normal as possible for Ethan as part of his Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

He played really nicely today, so I think that he is getting used to playing with friends again. He was sharing and not bossing anyone around. He just absolutely loves playing with his friends’ toys, this little girl has a fantastic kitchen set that he just couldn't get enough of. The true test of course will be when we have our first play date here, hopefully he’ll be as good at sharing his own toys. If baby holds out, maybe we’ll try that next week.

2 years old

Exploring the Local Park

22:05

Today we decided to start exploring our local area. We are very lucky to have a park just down the road. It was a great opportunity to explore our new surroundings and to run around as part of his Physical Development.

It’s funny because Ethan had learned to recognise everywhere we were going from our old house, and I think it’s really thrown him off not knowing where we’re going. He kept asking me again and again where we were going, but then happily started to run towards the playground as soon as we got to the park. He was so happy to try out all of the different equipment, especially all of the things in the area for older children, a very rickety rope bridge was his favourite!

2 years old

Buying Furniture for the New House

22:04

We are very excited to be in our new place, as it means we have more space and can finally buy some things for Ethan that we’ve really wanted to get him. So today we went to Ikea to buy him his very own little table and chairs. Of course there was temptation to buy him a lot more than that (we literally had to drag him away from the kitchen set kicking and screaming!) but we have to be reasonable about how much space we have. He’s going to love the table and chairs though…now if we can just find the time to put them together!

2 years old

Play Group with Friends

22:02

We really are trying to see as many friends as possible this week, just in case baby decides to arrive early. So today we went to a play group to meet up with a few other friends, and to give Ethan another good opportunity to run around and socialise as part of his Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

He plays so nicely with the one little boy that we met up with today, they are hilarious together. It’s like they have the exact same style of playing. Today they chased each other around, got dizzy spinning around a pole and climbed all over some soft blocks together. Their funniest game involved this strange toy with sausages on a rope, that they both had in their mouths and ran around together. I thought it was something to do with being dogs, but later Ethan said it was a fire truck game…little boys, lol.

2 years old

Play Date with Friends

22:00

Another lovely day spent with friends, getting back into the swing of things. We even went to the park first (as there was a tiny break in the rain!) Ethan was so happy to be able to run around and play with his friends. It’s great for his Personal, Social and Emotional Development at this age as they really seem to be playing more with each other (not just alongside each other).

Ethan loved playing in the park, but I realised when we got to his friends’ house that he’s become a bit bossy. He kept telling the other little boy what to play with and how to play whatever game he wanted to play. It is interesting how they seem to reach these next developmental stages so quickly, but a bit sad to see that my little boy is the bossy one! Hopefully it is just a phase and he’ll be able to play more collaboratively soon. I assume that the only way to help with this is to have more play dates, luckily we have room at our new place so once we’re more settled we’ll be having friends over a lot!

2 years old

Lunch with a Friend

21:58

We’ve been spending a lot of time focused on moving, so today it was time to get back to our regular routine, and to get out of the house! We made plans to meet up with a friend for lunch, in a place that Ethan was familiar with. It was great to see friends and to have a break from unpacking, but it did make me realise that Ethan has been cooped up a lot lately! He ran around the café like crazy, it was frustrating for me but I had to understand that it’s not his fault. At least now we have a garden at home and it’s easier to get out and about, so even being very pregnant I will be able to take him out more, because he certainly needs it!

2 years old

Decorating Ethan's New Room

21:58

Although we set up most of Ethan’s room yesterday, we didn’t get a chance to do the decorating, so we did that today. In his old room he had some lovely jungle wall stickers that we were able to easily remove, so we put them all up in his new room today. It’s really nice because he could help put them up and they are something that he recognises from his old room. They are excellent in helping with the transition to a new house as part of his Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

2 years old

Moving Day

21:55

Today is the day that we moved out of the only house that Ethan has ever known, and into our new home. It was a very hectic day, but thanks to everyone’s comments and tips on my post the other day about Preparing to Move, we were able to make things as easy as possible for Ethan.

Here’s what worked for us…

Tips for moving with a toddler:

· I kept Ethan in a separate room away from the movers as much as possible
· I gave him tasks to keep him busy (helping me to pack up the suitcases with clothes and other last minute things)
· I had easy meals and snacks on hand that could be eaten anywhere
· I kept a few of his favourite toys out
· The iPad…some people may not agree, but it was such a great distraction when things got too much and I just needed him to sit down calmly for a little while
· Once at the new house, we set up Ethan’s room first
· We spent most of the day in Ethan’s room playing and reading and getting him used to his new environment
· Once the movers were gone we let him explore everywhere and play with boxes (one of his favourite things!)
· We went back to the old house at the end of the day to pick up the last few things and tidy up, and so that he could properly say goodbye to his first home

Overall I have to say that Ethan was really well behaved, it was a long and busy day, but he took it all very well and only had a meltdown at the very end of the day. I do think that others’ tips about having a babysitter may have been wise, but then I think it did help him to understand it all by seeing it all happen. Either way, we’re in now and getting settled and Ethan seems happy to have more space in his new home :)

2 years old

Parragon Little Learners Book Review - Everybody Loves Butterflies

18:02

Today we had the pleasure of reading a new book that we were sent to review from Parragon, called Everybody Loves Butterflies by Tanis Taylor. The book can be purchased from Amazon for £5.87. Ethan absolutely loves reading, and it's great for developing his Communication, Language and Literacy skills.

This is a really lovely book with gorgeous illustrations. It's about a caterpillar who loves being a caterpillar and doesn't want to change into a butterfly. He meets all sorts of other creatures who tell him how great it will be to be a butterfly, and of course he eventually changes and is very happy. It's a lovely story, and yet another way to try to explain to Ethan that baby caterpillars turn into adult butterflies (he seems to find the concept quite tricky). We sat for ages today just cuddling and reading stories, he asked to have this one a few times :)

* This is a review post, I was sent this book from Parragon to read with Ethan and write an honest review. For more information about my review policy please click here *

2 years old

Lunch with Friends

17:51

Today was our first day seeing friends since before Christmas. Ethan was so excited to be meeting them for lunch! It's so lovely that he's formed such a strong bond with his friends, he always talks about them and even loves to see their baby siblings. It's great for his Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

Unfortunately, he was a bit over excited today! He wouldn't stop running around the place, I couldn't get him to sit down to eat his lunch or anything. The other two were so well behaved, and mine was the one who was hyper and wouldn't listen to a word I said. I guess that we have been staying in quite a lot as I've been so tired with this pregnancy, and he was overexcited to be seeing his friends, but I do feel bad when my child is the one causing trouble and influencing others to join in. Hopefully this is just another phase!

2 years old

Preparing Ethan to Move to a New House!

23:00

On top of everything else going on in our lives, we are moving to a new house in a week! Everything has been completely chaotic, but today we really started doing some serious packing and taking things down from the walls. It's time to prepare Ethan for the first big change that he's going to encounter, moving away from the only house he's ever known. It's a big step, and I hope that we do it well, it is all a part of his Personal, Social and Emotional Development, and I'm hoping that by keeping him a part of the process he will be ready for the change.

Today we packed boxes, and put things away and talked a lot about the new house. I also took a bit of time out to sit down at the computer with Ethan and look at some photos of the new house. I pointed out the room that will be his room, and listed all of his things from here that we would put in it. I also pointed out the kitchen, garden, bathroom, etc. The room that he was most interested in was the bathroom, he kept asking to see that picture again. I think because he could see the bathtub in there, and I said that he would have his baths in that tub it seemed more real (rather than looking at unfurnished rooms). He kept saying 'where Ethan have bath?' and then when I showed him the photo again, he really sweetly said 'Ethan have bath with ducks, there' pointing at the picture.

I would love any tips on moving with a toddler, any other ways to prepare him or things that we should do on the day to keep busy, stay out of the way, etc. Please share your experiences :)

2 years old

Preparing Ethan to be a Big Brother - 36 week Appointment

20:00

Today Ethan came with me for yet another midwife appointment. We got to see the baby on the 'tv screen' (for an ultrasound) and meet with the midwife to chat about the big day. Ethan was really sweet and cuddly today, he kept climbing in my lap and if I had to leave the room for something he kept asking for me. I think that maybe it's starting to sink in, maybe he's starting to realise that something's happening. We're going to keep talking about it all and hopefully he'll become used to the idea in time for baby's arrival!

2 years old

Parragon Little Learners Book Review - Thank You for Being my Friend

14:24

Today we reviewed a new book from Parragon called Thank You for Being my Friend. It came with a little toy horse for Ethan to cuddle while we read the story. It's a story about a horse who sees shadows in the dark and gets frightened. I love reading with Ethan and it's great for his Communication, Language and Literacy development.

Now, I have to be honest, I'm not a big fan of books about fears. At this point we are very lucky and Ethan is not scared of anything, and I don't want to even introduce him to the idea of being scared of the dark. So I read this book to him changing some of the words as we went along. The book is well written, the little toy horse is lovely and in the end the horse makes a friend and finds out that there was nothing to be afraid of as the shadows were just regular things in the house. For this reason I think that it would be the perfect book to read to a child who does have irrational fears and is afraid of the dark, but for Ethan I think that I will put it aside for now (and let him keep playing with the toy horse).

* This has been a review post, Parragon sent us Thank you for being my Friend to read and write and honest review about. To read more about our review policy, please click here *

2 years old

Ethan's Year in Review

13:30

Today we're looking back at 2013 and all that Ethan has learned and experienced this year. It's not easy for such a little guy to look back on a whole year, but we talked about lots of different things that we did to remind him while we filled in our 'Year in Review' sheet. It's great for his Personal, Social and Emotional Development to look back and all the things he's done and to look forward to the future.

Firstly, Ethan loved being able to use a real pen to draw on the sheet. His drawings are a bit abstract, but I made the sheet so that we could use it for several years and hopefully next year his drawings will be a bit more recognisable. We talked about his favourite things and all of the things that we've done this year. I stuck to the big events like trips places, as mostly what he was remembering were things that we'd recently done. Looking back at all the things that Ethan has learned this year is hilarious, as there are a lot of milestones between 1 and 2 years old. He's learned to walk and talk and feed himself and sing songs and give big kisses, the list goes on and on! It encouraged me to really take a step back and look at how much my little baby has grown up this year, it's truly incredible being able to watch him learn and grow. I can't wait to see how much he accomplishes in 2014!

If you would like to download a copy of our Year in Review sheet, please click here.

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Valentine's Day Placemat

Cardboard Roads

Music Class

Tour of the New House

Another Lovely Play Date

Exploring the Local Park

Buying Furniture for the New House

Play Group with Friends

Play Date with Friends

Lunch with a Friend

Decorating Ethan's New Room

Moving Day

Parragon Little Learners Book Review - Everybody Loves Butterflies

Lunch with Friends

Preparing Ethan to Move to a New House!

Preparing Ethan to be a Big Brother - 36 week Appointment

Parragon Little Learners Book Review - Thank You for Being my Friend

Ethan's Year in Review

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