Must-Have Monday: Baby Toys for 6-12 Months

Must-Have Monday...it's back!!  I admit, I got a little bogged down with the must-haves.  To be honest, nothing is really a must-have.  I mean, food, water, shelter.  Those are must-haves.  Baby toys? Not really.  But, I like making lists.  And I like sharing my favorite things.  Call me Oprah.  Without the money.  Baby girl got a TON of toys for Christmas.  More than any baby needs, if you ask me.  She'd be happy with a box and a remote.  But a real remote.  Not one of those fake Fisher Price deals.  She knows the difference.  Baby genius.  But anyways, I thought I'd share some of her favorites.  If you can even call it that.  Do I really know they are her favorite?  No.  It's not like she's talking to me, telling me, "Hey, I really like that toy over there.  You should put it on your blog so other babies who have sucker mommies will buy it for them too!"  But, she does show some preference to some toys.  And there are some toys that I just really enjoy as well.

1.  Green Toys .  My sister-in-law found them in a specialty toy store, but I found them on Amazon.  I win.  First of all, they're made in the USA. Who doesn't love that?  Second, they're green.  Not the color green. Well, some of them are.  But they're made from recycled milk jugs!  We have these stacking cups and a little toy car.  So while you're teaching baby how to stack (they also nest for easy storage), you can also teach her about the environment and recycling.  Kidding.  Kind of.  They also have numbers 1-6 printed on them and they also are "volumetrically accurate."  Who knew volumetrically was a word?  I think I like it.  Anyways, as baby gets older, you can teach math concepts with these as well.  If you pour water in the cup labeled 1 and the cup labeled 2, together they will fill up the cup labeled 3.  Pretty cool, right?  I'm excited to make a water/sand table this summer and play with these.

2. Bright Starts Having A Ball Toys, Count and Roll Buggie.  This is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.  First of all, it teaches counting and numbers.  It also teaches hand-eye coordination, because babies put the balls into the bug to make it start.  Once all three balls are placed in the bug, it starts rolling around and playing music, then eventually the wings open and dumps the balls out.  My baby is not a crawler yet, but I'm sure she will have so much fun chasing them around.  Fair warning, it doesn't roll very well on carpeted floors, but everything else works great.

3. Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Toys.  We have more Fisher Price Laugh & Learn toys than I know what to do with.  We have the medical kit, shopping tote, vanity mirror, and lamp, among others.  I actually just bought the Learning Home second hand on a local selling wall. Big time score!  Baby girl and her big brother LOVE to have tea parties though.  I dare say he enjoys it more than she does right now!  He was very disappointed when a little girl in his class had a tea party for her birthday and only invited the girls.  :(  The tea pot sings and counts.  It also teaches manners by saying, "please" and "thank you" and has sound effects as you tip the kettle to "pour" into the cup.  Of course, it's always fun to pretend to eat the yummy desserts.

4.  Cloth Crinkle Books Of course, books are always a great thing for kids of all ages.  Baby girl especially loves the touch and feel books right now, but the cloth crinkle books are also a great option.  My kid loves the sound of the paper at the doctor's office.  The crinkle books make the same sound, and she goes wild for them!

So these are just a few of our favorite toys right now.  The neat thing about these toys is that they really do grow with the child.  So if your child begins to get bored, put them away for a while and get them back out in a few months.  Just don't be like me with my first and put toys away and never get them back out again!  Anyone else have other recommendations for baby toys?  Feel free to comment to add to the list!


This post contains Amazon affiliate links, but I was not paid for the review of any items.  I, or someone else who loves to spoil my kid bought everything on this list for her.  

A New Use for Old Christmas Cards

This is a repost from my teaching blog http://gofourthwithowens.blogspot.com/

Christmas is over.  Now comes dreaded winter.  I don't mind the cold weather in December.  I do mind it January through March.  It's just no fun.  I still look forward to snow days, but after 12+ last year, even snow days got tiresome.

How many of you still receive Christmas cards?  We got a few this year.  Mostly, our friends send photo cards.  It's fun to see the pictures each year, and I usually keep them in a magnetic photo album.  So what do I do with the "old fashioned" cards?  Some of them are so pretty, I hate to just throw them away...one of my hoarding tendencies (I'm working on it, ok?).  So I don't throw them away, I repurpose them!  How many times do you have students come to you asking for a bookmark?  That's right, I cut up those old greeting cards into bookmarks for my students.  A pretty and practical use for the old Christmas cards!

What We're Reading Wednesday-The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

 

Although I bought this book when it was first released, it is a recent favorite in our home.  Even my husband loves it and my son couldn't wait to take it to school to share with his classmates.

Duncan's crayons have all turned against him.  Some are tired because they're used too much.  Some want to be used more.  Yellow and orange aren't speaking to each other because they both think they are the true color of the sun.  Peach lost his wrapper so now he's naked (my son's favorite part!), and poor pink doesn't want to be known as only a 'girl color'.  They decide to write Duncan a series of letters to voice their complaints.  Duncan listens to his crayons and at the end he colors a beautiful, creative picture using all of his crayons the way they want to be used.

The Day the Crayons Quit has a unique storyline to which all kids can relate.  Each crayon has it's own distinct voice and wishes to be heard.  The message of creativity in this book is truly special, particularly in a day when the arts seem to get left behind.

Everyone in our family highly recommends The Day the Crayons Quit!

What We're Reading Wednesday-Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

 

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson is one of our favorite Halloween books and we keep it special because we only get it out in October.  Does anyone else do that?  My son has so many books that we put some away and only get them out at certain times of the year.

Room on the Broom

  Room on the Broom features one of the nicest witches since Hermione Granger.  While traveling on her broom with her cat one night, her hat blows away.  While directing her broom down to the ground, a dog brings the witch her hat and the witch invites the dog to join them on the broom.  The book follows this pattern until the witch invites so many creatures to join her on the broom that the broom snaps in two!  While on the ground, a dragon chases the witch and decides he wants to eat her.  She is saved by a giant monster, who scares the dragon away.  The monster is, in fact, all of the witch's new friends who are covered in mud.  The witch is so happy to be safe from the dragon, that she uses a spell to create a brand new broom with enough seats for her and all of her friends.  

On the surface, this book is merely a rhyming picture book to read to young children at Halloween-time.  In actuality, this book has an excellent message for young and older readers alike:  helping others will bring rewards.  The golden rule comes to mind.  Because the witch was kind to the creatures and invited them on her broom, they helped her when she was in need.  Room on the Broom also features excellent vocabulary and we are able to use context clues to determine the meaning of the interesting words.  Just tonight my son was able to deduce the meaning of the word 'clambered'.  This is a word we study in fourth grade while reading James and the Giant Peach!  I was quite impressed!  

If you're looking for a book to gift this Halloween (because books are always better than candy!), I highly recommend Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson.  

What We're Reading Wednesday: Moo, Baa, La La La!

 

Ok, I'm going to admit it, my What We're Reading Wednesday is kinda lame.  We haven't been to the library the last few weeks, and my son's current (if you count the last 3 years as current) obsession is superheroes, so we've been reading a lot of superhero books lately.  The other day I mentioned that we went to the bookstore.  As much as I encouraged him to get the newest Otis book, we ended up with Guardians of the Galaxy .  There wasn't much argument from me because 1.) he's choosing his own books, that is a great skill to build as he gets older; and 2.) The hardback Otis was like $14.99 and Guardians was $5.99.  We're big-time budgeting, remember?  Actually, I just looked on Amazon and Otis and the Scarecrow is only $10.86.  Halloween present, perhaps?!

Sooo...like I said, we ended up with Guardians.  But, now that we have two children, one couldn't get a book and not the other.  I know, she's only five months and doesn't know any different, but that's beside the point.  Momma loves buying books.  What did baby girl end up with?

 

Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton

Yes, this book is as old as me, but it is so cute!  Just look at those animals!  I'm fairly certain this is not the first time that title has entered our household, but I haven't seen it lately, so we now have another copy.  Baby girl is at the age where she L-O-V-E-S funny noises.  She especially loves when her big brother makes those funny noises, so this is the perfect book for him to practice his reading while entertaining little sis.  

So that's what we're reading Wednesday.  I warned you, it's not as fun as Dragons Love Tacos.  And it's probably a title you've either A.) have read once or a thousand times or B.) you could care less about a board book written for a baby.  But, that's my life these days, and I wouldn't change it for the world.  I promise, though, next week's What We're Reading Wednesday is going to be absolutely awesome.  Awesome.

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links**

Best Books for a Baby Shower

Whether you've been invited to a book shower, you've been asked to bring books to a baby shower, or you just want to give the gift of reading to the new bundle of joy, this list is for you!  I am a reading teacher, so I love books.  Just yesterday, my friend (another teacher) and I took our kids to the movies.  The movie ended up being a tad scary (whoops!) so we left after about five minutes.  Because the kids, who have been best friends since they were under a year old, haven't seen each other a lot lately (darn Kindergarten!), we didn't want to just go home.  We asked the kids, "Do you want to walk down to Barnes & Noble?" and were answered with screams of "YES!!!"  That's when you know you're a teacher's kid...you get excited leaving a movie to go to Barnes & Noble.  If only all kids were like that...

Without further ado, here is my semi-educated, but mostly because I love these books, list of best books to gift at a baby shower.

1.  On The Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier.  This book explains how everything in the natural world aligned, ready to greet a new baby on the day you were born.  I was given this book at my first baby shower, and we read it every year on his birthday.

2.  Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.  "Goodnight room...goodnight moon. " The best bedtime book, hands down.  This is a classic book that many of you might remember from your childhood, and it should continue to be read by generations to come.

3.  Tickle Monster by Josie Bissett.  This is such a fun book!  What kid doesn't love to be tickled?  Kids love the anticipation of the tickle monster coming to attack!  You can also purchase tickle monster gloves to accompany the book.

4.  Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.  "I'll love you forever.  I'll like you for always.  As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."  Another classic book that I love.  I cannot read it without crying, but it's still a book that every mother should read to their child.

5.  Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems.  Every kid has their favorite lovey.  For Trixie, it's her Knuffle Bunny.  But when Knuffle Bunny gets left behind, Trixie's world turns upside down.  The pictures in this book, drawings on real black and white photographs, are absolutely amazing.

What We're Reading Wednesday-Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

We have Taco Tuesday every week at our house.  Tacos are one of the few things T loves and it makes menu planning easier.  But they have to be beef tacos.  I tried to change it up once using chicken in the crockpot and shredding it up...not so much.  Whenever I remind him that it's Taco Tuesday, he always makes sure we're having beef, not chicken.  Oh well, I tried.  So What We're Reading Wednesday is Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin.

Amazon affiliate link

Did you know that dragons love tacos?  They do, and they also love parties.  But they especially love TACO PARTIES!!  But they do not like spicy salsa, so if you ever have a dragon over for tacos, make sure that you do not give them spicy salsa.  The book explains why.  You can probably imagine the effects spicy salsa might have on dragons.  

Dragons Love Tacos is such a fun book to read with your kids!  It's very original.  Who knew that dragons love tacos?  I sure didn't, but after reading this book, you want to throw your own taco party and invite dragons!  The author's voice really comes through in the text and you feel as though they are truly talking to you, explaining to you just how much dragons love tacos and warning you about the spicy salsa.  The illustrations are also very amusing. You can probably tell just from the cover alone.  Who says you can't judge a book by it's cover?  This is a great book for your kids to practice "reading the pictures" because they do tell the story so well.  

If you love tacos, or dragons, or even spicy salsa, you need to check this book out today!  

What We're Reading Wednesday-Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young

 

Reading is very important to me and my family.  I am a reading teacher, and it's pretty hard to escape from reading if you live in my house.  Thanks to Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, even my husband has become a reader.  I don't have reading "rules" in my house.  As long as you're reading, I don't care if it's a magazine, comic book, on an electronic device, or just a good old-fashioned book.  I feel the same about my students' reading habits as well.

That being said, I try to direct my son's reading choices away from superheroes every once in a while.  That is how we found Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young.  I had never seen this Caldecott award winner before, but it was on display at the library and I decided to pick it up.  (Anyone else hear Melissa Gorga's song..."on display, on display, on display..." No? Yes, I admit I'm a RHONJ fan).  Anyways, I chose the book only for the Caldecott sticker on the cover.  Who says you can't judge a book by it's cover?  For those of you who don't know, the Caldecott Medal is awarded to books for outstanding illustrations.  I absolutely love picture books; they're not just for little kids, you know!

click to find book on Amazon

Seven Blind Mice follows seven mice who find a Something by their pond.  The mice (all different colors-great for children learning colors), each go to explore the Something to determine what it is.  Six mice each explore a different part of the Something, leading them to believe it is all different things (a snake, a cliff, a rope, etc.)  The seventh mouse explores the whole of the Something and finally determines what it actually is.  Young children will love this book because they quickly realize what the Something is and they want the mice to figure it out too.  Older children and adults (like me!) will love this book because of the lesson it teaches.  That being said, my little smarty-pants five-year-old figured out the moral of the story when asked.

I highly recommend Seven Blind Mice for children and adults alike!

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