Stuck Under a Baby

Category: Play

  • Mamas Can Fix Trains, Too!

    I fixed the train table.  I did it.  Me.  All.  By.  Myself.  The train tracks have been both a blessing and a curse in my house.  I found a train table on the curb one day.  It wasn’t in the greatest condition, but I figured with a little love, we could fix it up and make it like new again.  Well, that hasn’t really been done yet, but it’s clean and functional.

    We bought a basic set of trains and tracks at IKEA just to get us started.  Then, we bought a few Thomas pieces and were glad to inherit many more trains and buildings from a friend whose sons had outgrown them.

    Suddenly, the basic figure eight track layout seemed so dull.  In an effort to spruce it up a bit, we started changing the design.  But then it got complicated.  Once we started adding stations, water towers, and the like, things started not fitting well.  Before I knew it, we were back at the toy store getting connector pieces and more tracks.

    It was difficult for my son to play with these broken up tracks.  Finally, my husband began designing a new layout.  However, now we were missing stanchions (you know, those things that hold up the raised track).  As a result, every time my son went to drive his train, the tracks would fall apart.  It became very frustrating for all parties involved!

    My husband finally made some wood blocks to serve as stanchions, but due to many late nights at work he didn’t have a chance to work on fixing the tracks.  For weeks, the tracks remained relatively unplayable.  I tried to come to the rescue.  I attempted to fix the awesome layout my husband had started but, well, one thing led to another and before I knew it, the whole track was changed and unsalvageable.  To make matters worse, I didn’t take a photo before reconstruction began.  I have yet to live this down.

    My in-laws came to visit and stay for a weekend.  Grandpa was tasked with trying to undo the damage I had done.  He ended up starting from scratch and made a perfectly fine track.  Then, he tried to make it fancier… and fancier… and ended up having to go back to basics with his original design as he encountered the same problems we all had.  This layout got us through.  Trains were able to move around and we were able to play, so a special thanks to Grandpa for his time and effort.  Somehow, though, it didn’t last.  My son wanted to spruce it up a bit on his own and ended up making lots of tracks to nowhere.  Sigh.

    About a year ago, friends of ours donated a brand new Thomas train table to our local library.  It was great.  Although it is still there, trains are missing, pieces are broken, and the tracks are falling apart despite them being glued to the table.  Even still, the train table is a major highlight with all of the neighborhood kids when hanging out in the children’s section.  My kids and I went to play with it as we do after every weekly story hour and I suddenly had a brilliant idea.  “Take a photo.  This layout works.  Sure, we don’t have all of the same pieces, but maybe we can sort of replicate it.  Heck, it’s worth a try.”

    We went home and gave it a go.  Of course, each time a new track was placed on the table, there was immediately a train on top of it.  This slowed things down a bit.  And little baby fingers that came out of nowhere kept grabbing pieces and pulling them back down to the ground to be slobbered on – also not helpful.  Still, I persevered.  I used the photo from the library as my guide and watched in amazement as it started so come together, piece by piece.

    There are uphills.  There are downhills.  Tracks split then come back together.  Stanchions keep the raised track from falling.  There is a suspension bridge, a station, a water tower, a coal chute, a crane, and even a pirate ship.  I swear I heard an angelic chorus singing , “Aaaaaah,” as I placed the last piece on the track, realizing that it all fit.  No more tracks to nowhere.

    Trains zoomed around the track.  A little boy giggled with excitement.  A baby girl clapped hooray.  A mama was proud.

    When Papa returned from work, my son grabbed him by the hand and pulled him upstairs to see the new train setup.  On their way, I asked my husband if afterwards he would take my son outside to run around a bit before bed.  “Wow!” I heard from below.  “Screw taking him outside!  I’m playing with trains!”

    Mama done good.

  • When a Typical Monday Becomes UN-Halloween!

    June 4, 2012, 4:00pm.  “Mama, is it Halloween?” asked my three year old son as he looked in the toy closet and discovered the green plastic pumpkin that he used to collect candy last October.  “No, honey.  Halloween is in the fall when it’s getting colder out.  It’s springtime now and getting warmer out.  We have to wait a few more months.”

    This statement caused his bottom lip to protrude into one of the saddest pouty faces I ever saw.  Then, as if in a cartoon, I swear I saw a lightbulb appear over his head.  “I have an idea!” he exclaimed.  “Let’s celebrate UN-Halloween today!”  I raised an eyebrow.  “Let’s go UN-Trick or Treating!”

    “What do you propose?” I asked, feeling that slight twinge of excitement in my belly and anticipating his response.  “Well, let’s get some lollipops, ring peoples’ doorbells, and give THEM candy!”  His eyes were bright and twinkling.

    “Do we have to dress up in costume?” I asked, wanting to make sure I celebrated this holiday correctly.  “No, Mama, because it’s UN-Halloween!”  He looked at me and shook his head.

    So, we took his green pumpkin, filled it with Dum Dum lollipops, put on our shoes, tucked the baby in her wrap, and set out on our adventure.  We started with our friends and neighbors, figuring that at least they would be receptive to the idea.  After we chatted with and amused them a bit, we went up to many other houses, rang the bell and waited, just as if it was the real Halloween.

    “Can I help you?” was a typical response from the confused person standing at the door.  “Happy UN-Halloween!” we’d shout… well, mostly I had to shout as my son suddenly became shy.  To this, the perplexed person would just look at me, then at my son, then at me again, not quite sure what to do with that information.  I, of course, would then have to follow up with, “We are UN-Trick or Treating today, so we are here to give YOU candy!”

    My son would then reach into his green pumpkin, pull out a Dum Dum, hand it to the person, then run on to the next house.  Many of the people still stood there, lollipop in hand, and uttered an unsure “Thanks?”  As confused as most people were, almost all of them ended up with a big smile on their faces.

    My son was delighted.  This made him feel so good inside and he can’t wait to do it again (I guess we’ll have to take a different route).  It was wonderful to see him having such a blast with something that was entirely his idea.  Not only did we spread a little cheer on what happened to be a nasty fall-like day in June, we ended up meeting some nice folks in our neighborhood, and created a brand new holiday.

    Not bad for a Monday!

  • Activity: Playing with Clothespins

    Here is a recent activity my toddler son and I did together – great for a rainy day when you’re stuck inside doing laundry!

    Grab a pack of clothespins from the dollar store, rig up a clothesline, and clip away!  We used socks, but there are many other items you could try such as napkins or paper plates.  With the socks, we were able to sort them by color, size, or owner.

    It was also fun to use the clothespins to play tricks on each other and sneak a clip on when the other person wasn’t looking!

    For a more detailed account of this fun activity, check out my post on Kids Activity Blog here: Things to do with a Toddler: Clothespin Play

    Happy clipping!

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    Some of our other play at home activities include:

    Activity: “Eggcellent” Adventures

    Activity: Playing and Creating with Macaroni

    Activity: Tissue Paper Art

    Activity: Sink or Float – An Experiment with Seltzer Water

     

  • Activity: Playing and Creating with Macaroni

     

    I recently had two posts published on QuirkyMomma.com about all of the various activities your child can do with pasta!

    Macaroni Art:  In this post is a recipe for dyeing pasta and some ideas on creating artwork with the colored noodles.  Also, consider making “glitter” out of pastina and stellini – the clean up is so much easier!

    More macaroni play ideas: Here you will find information on using your colored pasta as a sensory bin, for sorting activities, and creating jewelry!

    What other ways do your kids play with their pasta?

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    For more of my play at home activities, please check out the following:

    Activity: “Eggcellent Adventures”

    Activity: Tissue Paper Art

    Activity: Sink or Float – An Experiment with Seltzer Water

     

     

     

  • The Rice Storm: When a Mess Comes Pouring In

    I should have taken a photo of the scene of the crime.  But, I didn’t take a photo.  I was too busy trying to keep my cool.

    Last night, my son requested to play with his rice sensory bin.  I was happy to oblige.  We spread out the white plastic tablecloth we use as a play mat and took out his bucket of tools (utensils, cardboard tubes, different shaped containers), construction trucks, and coffee stirrers (he pretends they are candles on an all rice birthday cake).  I reminded him the ONE rule for play… he can make as much mess as he wants ON THE MAT.  He can pour out every last grain of rice onto the floor as long as it stays ON THE MAT.  He can mix it, dump it, sprinkle it, and even put his feet in it as long as it stays ON THE MAT.  One rule.  That’s it.

    He was playing so nicely with his rice.  I even heard him making up dialogue for his trucks as they worked together on the construction site.  Since everything seemed under control, I stepped out of the room to clean up from dinner.  Then I heard little bursts of a sprinkling sound.  It’s fine, I thought.  He’s still playing on the mat.  He’s probably just dropping handfuls of rice back into the bowl.  Then, I heard a ting sound that wasn’t as familiar.  I didn’t recognize the noise of what the rice had bounced off of and I started to get concerned.  I checked in with him from the kitchen.  He assured me that he was just playing and everything was fine.  Since I wasn’t in a position to look into the room (soapy hands), I took his word for the moment.  But then I heard the sound again and I knew something was up.  As I quickly washed my hands so I could go investigate, in walks my son.  “Come,” he says, and takes me by the hand to his toy room.  “Look!”

    And there… all over the toy room floor… were hundreds of grains of rice.  Rice on the carpet.  Rice on the hardwood floors.  Rice on the couches.  Rice in my shoes.  Rice in my baby’s swing.  Rice on my laptop.  And the ting?  Rice on the television.

    It was everywhere.  I took a deep breath and how I managed to stay calm, I’ll never know.  Inside I wanted to scream or cry or run away and join the circus.  I quietly said, “What happened in here?”  His response was, “It was raining.”

    As a mother of a toddler, you have to be prepared for anything.  Toddlers are still learning self-control, and many of them have a hard time with this skill.  In this case, the desire to create a thunderstorm was so overwhelming that it could no longer be contained.  Of course, I knew this could happen, but still didn’t expect this level of destruction.  I asked him if he remembered what my one rule was for playing with the rice.  He remembered and was matter of factly able to repeat it back to me.  It seemed, however, that this storm came surging through the toy room without much warning – like a flash flood or a tornado.  And, as with most bad storms, cleaning up the devastation is tiresome, disheartening, and really hard work.  Everyone pitched in to help put the room back in order.  Still, somehow, I managed to never raise my voice.  My son, knowing he had made a boo boo, apologized to my husband and me and said he would try harder to remember next time.  Then, he picked up his broom and began sweeping.

     

     

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    You may also like:

    Independently My Way

    Other (non-disastrous) play adventures:

    “Eggcellent Adventures”

    Tissue Paper Art

    Sink or Float: An Experiment with Seltzer Water

     

  • Activity: Sink or Float – An Experiment with Seltzer Water

    My latest contribution to the world of children’s play has been published on the Kids Activity Blog.  We experimented with seltzer water to see what items would float, sink, or “dance.”  We used sprinkles (aka jimmies), coins, and popcorn kernels.

    This is an easy and fun science experiment you can do in your own kitchen.  Check it out and let me know what items you try!

    Sink or Float: An Experiment with Seltzer Water

     

    For more of our play and learn at home activities, check out:

    Activity: “Eggcellent” Adventures

    Activity: Tissue Paper Art

     

  • Activity: Tissue Paper Art

    I am pleased to announce that I have teamed up with The Quirky Mommas and will be a weekly contributor to their Kids Activities Blog.  My posts will be published on Tuesdays at 5:00pm (eastern).

    My first post was published yesterday.  Yay!  It wasn’t a glamorous activity, but it was something that my son and I were able to do with little preparation, little clean up, and materials we already had in the house.  We made Valentine’s Day hearts for both grandmothers out of construction paper and balled up tissue paper.

    To see my little guy at work and find out exactly what we did, please check out this link: http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/tissue-paper-craft/

     

    For more QuirkyMomma ideas, check out:

    http://www.quirkymomma.com

    http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QuirkyMomma

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/QuirkyMommaSite or @QuirkyMommaSite

     

    Check back next Tuesday for my latest activity post!

     

    You may also like:

    Activity: “Eggcellent” Adventurest

    Activity: Sink or Float – An Experiment with Seltzer Water

  • Activity: “Eggcellent” Adventures

    My son and I recently decided to have an “eggcellent” adventure!  He loves to help me cook and, although I encourage him to get messy whenever possible, certain rules have to apply when we’re in the kitchen.  What kid doesn’t love to crack eggs?  But, as much as I’d love to trust him with this task, having him help me with adding eggs to a recipe often ends up with most of the whites on the countertop or too many shells to have to extract.

    Now to some, this may seem gross, but to my two-year old, this was a real treat.  I had a carton of eggs that had reached its expiration date.  Instead of throwing them out, I decided to let him go to town!  I placed him in the bathtub in only a diaper with a glass bowl, a whisk, some measuring cups, and about a half-dozen eggs.

    First, we counted the eggs.  Then we discussed the differences between raw and hard-boiled eggs.  We shook them, spun them, and rolled them around.  He couldn’t wait to get “crackin’!”  He tapped the egg on the side of the bowl ever so gently.  Then, he realized that he needed some more oomph and was so excited when the shell finally broke.  He tried to catch the egg as it dripped into the bowl and felt the different textures of the white and the yolk as they slipped through his fingers.  He had lots of fun trying to pick up the yolk so he could squish it.  He mixed, he scooped, and he dumped – first into the big bowl and then into all twelve slots in the empty carton.  He explored the differences between the eggs when first cracked versus when they were scrambled and was curious as to why the eggs couldn’t be put back to their original form.

    We also had a great time examining the shells.  We noticed the different colors and textures on the inside and outside, but the most fun was had crushing the shells into a million tiny pieces.  They were pretty much pulverized when he was done with them!

    Before it was time to clean up, the eggs were used to paint the shower walls.  He also decided to paint his arms and legs.  He was fascinated when the egg on his skin began to dry.  At this point, he decided he was done being messy and that it was time to wash it off.  We picked up the bowl of eggs, our tools, and as many of the shells as possible.  The shower went on and the walls, the bath mat, and my son were all hosed down.  Although this might be considered a weird activity, he learned a lot, the eggs didn’t go to waste, and it satisfied his curiosity.

    On another note, we have started making a lot more hard-boiled eggs (and then egg salad) in our house.  It’s a cooking activity we can do together, my son loves to crack, peel, slice, and chop the eggs and, hey, we get a few lunches out of it!

     

    You may also like:

    Activity: Tissue Paper Art

    Activity: Sink or Float – An Experiment with Seltzer Water

    Activity: Playing and Creating with Macaroni

    Activity: Playing with Clothespins

     

     

  • Please, Son, Can We Go to the Playground?

    It was 63 degrees in New Jersey today.  It’s February.  It shouldn’t be 63 degrees.  Following my son’s Kindermusik class, we drove 40 minutes back to our house.  Luckily, both kids napped in the car.  I didn’t want to go home.  It was gorgeous out.  We’ve been cooped up in the house all winter, mainly because my baby daughter absolutely hates the cold.  How awesome would it be, I thought, for my son to wake up and realize that we were at the playground?  We went for a little bit yesterday, but today we had the whole afternoon to spend there.  No time restrictions, no commitments – just time for fresh air, sunshine, and play!  Yay!

    My daughter woke up, nursed, and we played together in the car until finally my son woke up.  He looked around and I watched as he tried to process where we were.  I told him how excited I was that we could spend the next few hours on the swings and slides and whatnot.  I even had snacks!  “Let’s go home,” was his response.

    I was flabbergasted!  “Home?  Really?  But I want to go to the playground!  It’s so nice out.  Pleeeeeeease!!!”  I begged him, but he was insistent.  There was no reasoning with him.  He just wanted to go home, plain and simple.

    So, I put my daughter back in her car seat and tried to persuade my son one last time.  No luck.  We went home and I sulked for a bit.  I never get to have any fun, I thought.  But, realizing that I sounded like my two year old when he doesn’t get his way, I decided that I had to shake it off and get over my disappointment (but, I still don’t think it was fair…).