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Introducing Finger Foods

Once your baby can sit up and bring her hands or other objects to her mouth, you can give your baby finger foods to help her learn to feed herself. Any finger food you give your baby needs to be soft, easy to swallow, and cut into small pieces. Some examples include: 

• Small pieces of banana 
• Wafer-type cookies or crackers 
• Scrambled eggs 
• Well-cooked pasta 
• Well-cooked chicken finely chopped 
• Well-cooked and cut up yellow squash, peas, and potatoes 

At each of your baby’s daily meals, she should be eating about 4 ounces, or the amount in one small jar of strained baby food. Limit giving your baby foods that are made for adults since these foods often contain more salt and other preservatives. Offering your baby fresh food is an excellent choice, but use a blender or food processor, or just mash softer foods with a fork before serving. All fresh foods should be cooked with no added salt or seasoning. Though you can feed your baby raw bananas (mashed), most other fruits and vegetables should be cooked until they are soft. Refrigerate any food you do not use, and look for any signs of spoilage before giving it to your baby. Fresh foods will spoil more quickly than food from a can or jar. 

Introduce good eating habits from the start. It is important for your baby to get used to the process of eating—sitting up, taking food from a spoon, resting between bites, and stopping when full. These early experiences will help your child learn good eating habits throughout life. 

Encourage family meals from the first feeding. When you can, the whole family should eat together. Research suggests that having dinner together as a family on a regular basis has positive effects on the development of children. Remember to offer a good variety of healthy foods and watch your child for cues that she has had enough to eat. Young children can self-regulate and will stop eating when they are full. 

NOTE: Food that requires chewing should not be given to your child at this age. Foods to avoid include: hot dogs (including meat sticks [baby food “hot dogs”]); nuts and seeds; chunks of meat or cheese; whole grapes; popcorn; chunks of peanut butter; raw vegetables; fruit chunks, such as apple chunks; and hard, gooey, or sticky candy. 

When your baby starts eating solid foods, it is normal for her stools to become more solid and variable in color, and to have a stronger odor, too. Your baby’s digestive system is still immature and needs time before it can fully process these new foods.

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Making the Most Out of Playtime

Think of playtime as more than toy time. Playing is really any enjoyable activity that involves people, objects, or movement. Everything from blowing bubbles at each other to singing songs to splashing in the tub to chasing each other around the room qualifies.

Get down on the floor with your baby. You are the ultimate plaything, and any activity will seem more fun if your baby can share it with you. Talk to your baby while you play and you’ll help boost his language skills.

Introduce play activities when your baby is happy and rested. Playtime will be much more enjoyable for both of you if your baby is well-rested and ready for activity.

Stop when your child’s had enough. Take cues from your baby. He will let you know when he is done playing.

Give your child a chance to play alone and with others. Fifteen minutes is about the longest you can expect a 1-year-old to play alone. Solo play encourages independence, self-confidence, creativity, and language skills Learning to play with others usually develops between the ages of two and three.

Let your child choose activities and control the direction of his play.
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Even Infants Choose!

By Mildred Cawlfield (adapted)

Today, a three-week-old infant accompanied her brother to the Acorn Toy Library and selected her toys. Really!

 
At first, her mother and I thought we’d let her brother take three toys and just give her one, rather than two for each, so we showed her mobile which has animals that face the baby rather than, as so many do, face the adult. It was obvious that she like it.  Her random movements stopped as she focused intently on the slowly moving shapes and music box sound.
 
After her brother had worked for some time with two toys, she was lying on the changing table and showing us how she could turn her head clear over from one side to the other to keep a rattle I was shaking in view. I was telling her mother how to place pictures for her to look at, at her side, and brought and brought out some samples of pictures with high contract images.  She showed such obvious enjoyment looking at the pictures, staring intently, and excitedly kicking her feet, so we sent the pictures home with the family.
 
Regularly, babies will look away from toys they have had and show great interest in the new ones.   The babies do indeed make their own selections as they discover their capabilities.  They will give no more than a cursory glance at certain toys and spend considerable time systematically exploring others.
 
Recent research reveals infants’ capabilities to learn has involved observing choices they make. If given the choice, they will look at bright colors, rather than dull ones; intricate patterns, rather than plain colors; and they definitely show a preference for the human face over other pictures.
 
Rather than looking at infants as passive recipients of care, we should regard them as intelligent thinkers capable of making some decisions of their own.
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Games and Activities for Toddlers (12-18 months)

Your child will like any toy or game that allows her to throw her whole self into it — balls, swings, and tiny climbing sets. Small hands are becoming more coordinated, too, and your toddler can probably now use toy sorters more efficiently, build even greater block towers, and scribble a drawing. Play involves lots of experimentation, like “What happens if I drop this ball?” or “What happens if I pull this lever?”

At this age, most children are very interested in the consequences of their actions, and because their memory isn’t well developed, they don’t tire of repetition. Toddlers also like to try out what they see adults doing, so look for toys that imitate daily life.

  • Large building bricks
  • Snap blocks
  • Push and Pull toys
  • Sorting and nesting toys
  • Climbing gym
  • Balls – underinflated beach balls, soft balls that your child can catch, kick, roll. Stay away from foam balls at this stage.
  • Washable crayons and paper – have just a few crayons available at a time and tape the paper to the floor or table
  • Ride-on vehicles
  • Picture books – your child will want to begin picking out his/her own books
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How Young Children Learn

By Dorothy Halverson

Children learn at amazing rates, and parents are their children’s prime educators during their first three years.  Infants are actively learning from the time they arrive – and even before!  They learn by what they see, feel, and hear.  During their first year, infants spend most of their wakening time learning about their environment visually.  They seem to see best, objects that are eight to twelve inches from their eyes.  They enjoy bright colors, intricate patterns, and they love to look at faces.  Knowing this, your baby’s favorite activity, when not eating or sleeping, will be looking at you and hearing you talk to him. 

Your baby may also enjoy looking at or listening to a musical mobile hanging above his head.  Choose mobiles that face down for your baby to see.  Younger babies usually prefer black and white patterns.  Some mobiles are black and white on one side and then can be flipped to offer a more colorful side. Your baby may also enjoy a baby mirror or bumper pictures for his crib.
 
If you have given your baby objects that he can bat, he will start grasping at them.  When your baby is able to grasp objects, he begins to learn concepts about size, shape, color, and texture.  Floor gyms with dangling toys will be interesting to touch, grasp, and manipulate.  As your baby touches, smells, tastes, and listens to everything he can reach, he learns that his actions can make other things happen.  For example, kicking his feet on the crib mattress makes a mobile wiggle; crying makes mommy or daddy come; and dropping something makes a sound.  Your baby will make hundreds of exciting discoveries!
 
During the second year, children usually learn that when something disappears, it is not necessarily gone forever.  This developing concept makes “peek-a-boo” an exciting and important game to play with your baby.  Playing “peek-a-boo” helps babies to develop object permanence which is a fundamental part of early life learning. Object permanence means that the baby begins to understand that objects continue to exist, even when they cannot directly be seen, heard, or touched. The majority of babies develop this concept between 6 months and a year old.
 
Provide your baby with many objects (a few at a time, though) to play with and explore.  Household items are ideal.  When your baby has had ample time to look at and explore the many objects, he begins to put things together and take them apart.  Babies love to put things in a container, fit one container inside another, and stack things.  You’ll find that your child learns by exploring all the possibilities of an item.
 
Usually around two years of age, your child will begin to use toys in different ways.  He is becoming more inventive, imitative, and imaginative.  Give your child tasks that are simple enough to master, yet helping him to expand his abilities.  For example, offer simple puzzles at first; then later you can give him more complex ones to do.  Simple shape sorters can also be introduced.  Give your child one shape at a time and turn the appropriate hole toward him.
 
Allowing your child to dress himself is another way he learns.  He first learns to help by pushing out his arms and legs.  Then he helps pull off a sock.  He might help pull on a sock that you have started for him.  He can pull pants up and down long before he can master a shirt.
 

As children gain satisfaction in mastering each skill, they become eager to try progressively more difficult tasks.  This is when children need the freedom to make mistakes.  Mrs. Morgan states, “A true educator is not afraid to let his pupils make mistakes, if he can, through those mistakes, lead thought on to higher ground.” (Education at the Principia, p.43).  Sometimes it is difficult to let your child find out something for himself.  We often do children’s thinking for them.  But when a child makes his own discoveries, learning is more meaningful.  Our aim should be to help children learn how to think. As you observe and listen to your child, watching him develop these concepts, you will be able to give him just the right help at the right time, and you will enjoy him completely!

Principia School Acorn Program

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Mandarin Orange Mousse

Ingredients

1 large box orange sugar free Jell-O (8 servings)
1 8-oz container Cool Whip
6-ounce can mandarin oranges in juice, drained, juice reserved
Water and ice

Instructions
Place reserved mandarin orange juice in a 2-cup measuring cup. Add water to fill to the 2-cup line. Heat water/juice to boiling. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin powder, stirring until dissolved. Move mixture to a large measuring cup or bowl. Add one cup of ice to a 2-cup measuring cup. Add water to the ice to bring the level to the 2-cup mark. Pour ice/water into the gelatin mixture and stir until ice has melted. Place gelatin in the refrigerator until the mixture is partially gelled. It should be firm enough that it won’t spill out of the container, but will not hold its shape well when lifted with a spoon. Use an electric mixer to break up the gelatin mixture until mixture is very loose and no longer holding its shape. Add HALF of the Cool Whip and most of the mandarin oranges (reserve about 8 nice ones for garnish) and beat just enough to blend everything together. Pour into eight dessert dishes and chill until firm. (We poured the mixture into paper-lined muffin tins.) Garnish with a dollop of Cool Whip and a mandarin orange.

It’s a yummy dessert that reminds you of creamsicles!

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Pink Puffy Slime

pink puffy slime

Ingredients

1 cup white Elmer’s School Glue
1/2 can shaving cream (non-sensitive skin type works best)
Saline solution (contact lens solution)
Food coloring (optional)
Mixing bowl
Rubber spatula

Directions

Pour 1 cup of Elmer’s School Glue into a mixing bowl.  Add a 3–4 drops of food coloring and stir into glue.  Stir in 1/2 can of shaving cream. Add about 6 tablespoons of contact lens saline solution and stir again. The solution will start to “gel” together and will become very sticky. Add more saline solution 1–2 tablespoons at a time. Continue to mix well. Once it forms a ball, you can begin to manipulate it with your hands. Continue adding saline solution and manipulating with hands until you can play with it without it sticking to your fingers. While playing with it, if it becomes sticky, you can add a little more saline solution.

Store in airtight container for up to four weeks. Add a little saline solution before taking it out of the container each time before playing with it.

This has great texture and you can even use metal cookie cutters with it.  Have fun!

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Cloud Dough

Cloud Dough

Materials

Bin or container
5 cups of flour 
1 cup of baby oil (or cooking oil for taste safe)
Play tools (i.e. play dough and kitchen tools, bowls and cups)

Directions

Measure, pour and mix!! Invite your child to help add all ingredients to your sensory bin and mix by hand. You should be able to grab a chunk and mold it and have it hold. If not, you may need more oil. Too oily, add more flour! Set it out with your tools and enjoy exploring the cloud dough with your child! It has such a soft, smooth feel as you rub it between your fingers.

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Sharpening Our Parenting Skills

The desire to have a well-behaved child is a universal one, but sometimes there are important lessons that need to be learned by both the parent and the child. When we’re having challenges with our child, it can be tempting to think, “I wish my child would act like him” as we observe a child behaving well for his parent. Those are opportunities for us to reflect on our parenting skills.

If your child is rolling around on the floor, what might you do? Words would be your first recourse. You might say, “This is not a place to roll on the floor.” Then pick your child up, if necessary. If your child is overtired, and we know the responsibility is ours, perhaps it’s time to go home for a nap. If the child is out of control and needing guidance, we need to take the time to help him develop the skills necessary for coping with disappointment.

If your child is crying because she is disappointed that she can’t get a toy when shopping, what might you do? Again, start with words. You might say, “I can tell you’re disappointed that you can’t get the toy today. We are just buying the things on our list. Can you help me find the shampoo that you like to use?” Giving your child a responsibility can help her move past her disappointment at not getting a toy.

If your child is disappearing around the corner, what might you do? Speak firmly, using your child’s name, “____, stop!” It is best not to chase your child unless it is absolutely necessary. When you’re reunited with your child, get down on his level, look him in the eyes, and say, “You may not run away from me at the store. I’ll need you to hold my hand now.” Then you’ll need to decide if an additional consequence is necessary. Children can learn to stay close when they are taught the rules and we, as parents, consistently follow through with them.

Some children learn best from logical consequences. One day while shopping, a child of an Acorn mom ran away from her to the car. The mom was very upset and concerned for the child’s safety. This was during a period when the child was testing rules frequently. The child, who loved to go shopping, was told that he would not be able to come along next time. A short time later, when her husband was home, the mom announced, “I’m going to the grocery store.” Then, she calmly reminded her son that he would not be coming along this time since he ran to the car earlier in the day. She said, “I need for you to be safe and not run ahead to the car.” Her son was very upset and started crying and pleading to be able to go along, saying he’d be good. But the mom stood her ground. “When we are out, I need to be able to trust you to obey the rules. Next time you can show me that you remember.” The child continued to be upset as the mother left him behind. But the lesson paid off. In the future, the child was able to follow the rules and be trusted.

Because each child is unique and each parent is unique, there are many possible ways to respond to a situation. If you have more than one child in your family, you will soon discern that what works well with one child will not necessarily be the answer for the next. So discipline techniques and responses need to be tailored to the individual child. One child may need to regain control in a quiet setting. Another child may conform quickly when a firm voice is used, rarely needing time alone. A firm voice, without anger is an important tool for every parent.

Here are some examples of how to use a positive, assertive tone when talking to your child:
“It’s time to get dressed. Here is the outfit that you chose last night.”
“Food is for eating, not for playing. Your toys are waiting for your play when you eat these last two bites.”
“It’s cold outside today. You will need to wear your winter coat.”
“Use gentle hands with baby. See how she smiles at you?”
“You may choose two books to read before rest time.”
“Blocks are not for throwing. Balls are for throwing.”

Parents want what’s best for their children, but sometimes it’s difficult to know where to begin. Mrs. Morgan, in Education at The Principia, helps us recognize our starting point: “The greatest good we can give our children is the training in right thinking, the establishment of thought in Principle”  (p. 59).  Our training can give children the words and means to understand how to obey Principle and how to do right thinking. You may have observed parents who say to their children, “You’re a good girl, playing so nicely”—then conversely, “Don’t hit your brother.  Bad girl!” Will this help the child see her continuing good nature? Will it help the child to love her brother?

Here are some examples of words that work:

  • Thank you for waiting patiently.
  • Use your words.
  • I like your quiet voice (your happy face).
  • Use your gentle hands.
  • Doors close quietly.
  • Tummies to the table.
  • Food stays at the table.
  • People are not for biting. We bite food.
  • We always hold hands in the parking lot and when crossing the street.
  • Ask before you touch.
  • God was there first.

Useful words and ideas can help smooth out rough spots in parenting, but as we tune in to God and listen for His direction, we will go forward with confidence and assurance in our parenting skills. Our training will give children the words and means to understand how to obey Principle and how to do right thinking.

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Puddle Jumping!

Materials

Rain puddles
Rain Coats
Rain Boots

Allow your child the joy of jumping in rain puddles! Such a delight on a warm spring or summer day – even on a chilly spring morning.  The children loved it!