Well obviously there are a number of benefits of reading to your children even at such a young age. It teaches them about communication, it introduces concepts such as stories and builds listening, memory, and vocabulary skills. Besides, you wouldn’t wait until your kids could understand how to speak and communicate before talking to them! That would be absurd.

What you might not realize though is that by the time your child reaches their first birthday they will have learned all the sounds needed to speak their native language. And of course it follows that for the most part the more words and sounds your child is exposed to in their first year, the better he or she should be able to talk (when they eventually do).

Anyway, that’s by the by… I wanted to share this particular story with you. It was written by our beautiful daughter (7 years old), and I think it has the makings of a classic. Hans Christian Anderson, watch this space!

The Two Birds

“Once upon a time there lived two birds called April and June. June loved the month June and April loved the month April. The two birds lived in a bird house in a valley. Every morning the two of them would sing a song.

One morning they went for a fly up in the sky, they saw lots of vehicles in the sky like jets and airplanes and hot air balloons. Down below they saw the zoo and there were birds just like them. Then they went back to their little bird house.

When they got home the time was 12.00 so they went to bed and to sleep (editors note: not sure why she thinks 12:00 is bed time, she has an 8pm curfew. Perhaps she’s just “planting the seed”!). When they woke up they went for another fly. This time they just saw birds in the sky and below they saw the zoo.

THE END.”

NB – these are the original pictures she found of the internet and attached to her story.

But wait… the kids have 6 weeks, yep SIX WEEKS, off school! How quickly the anticipation of the fun of summer is lost in the pressured rush of figuring out child care, camps, and whether or not a vacation is financially possible this year. But it’s important to think, for a moment, about what opportunities summer does bring, so let’s focus on the positive for the time being…

There are chances to play more fully.

As one child psychologist, Patty Wipfler, once said “… for children, the chance to play all day, every day is a wonderful thing”. In our household, the need for a protracted period of time with no pressure of school is abundantly clear! Our little one looks like she is in dire need of some free time, where she has nothing to perform for, except by her own choosing.

Personally I’m looking forward to those water fights in the garden, playing hide and seek, building cubbies and staying at the park or the beach until it’s dark (or too cold to stay in the water!). As far as I’m concerned, these are the things I look forward to; the kinds of play that don’t require electricity, or expensive purchases and that just need a bit of imagination and playful attitude to make a success.

There are chances to learn in unusual ways.

When you have a toddler nearly ready to use the toilet, you can allow him or her to roam the back yard naked, learning to master bodily functions in a place where there can be no “accident.” If your child is afraid of the dark, you can set up a tent in the garden and sleep outside, to see what it’s like to spend the night under the light of the moon. And what better time than these Summer holidays to address fears of the water. Summer means that fresh new things can happen, usual boundaries can flex, and parents can relax a bit more around play that one wouldn’t allow when life has to be more structured.

What happens when you run out of ideas?

OK, some summer days can lose their sparkle. There are always going to be occasions when you aren’t feeling as enthused as usual or when your child feels listless, and says they are bored. You’ll notice that there actually are things they could do, and people they could play with, but they are missing that sense of adventure that can turn a simple piece of paper and a scissors into an experiment with hat making, or airplane crafting, or cut out design. The feeling inside of them is actually the problem, not any lack of things to do.

So rather than become irritated that they don’t appreciate all the things they have, or all the time you’ve spent trying to make them happy, move in close. Lie down with them, or next to them. Don’t try to solve the problem of what to do, but instead be happy that you can just stay at home and enjoy each other’s company for a while. If you want, after just being with them for a while, you can begin suggesting things that you could do. Any idea (silly or serious) will do. You’re not trying to solve the problem of what to do. You’re trying to get a bit of laughter going, and then a bit more, and then even more. Your silly ideas, and the release of laughter, will hopefully jump-start your minds and soon you’ll stumble across an idea that sticks. And if you still can’t think of anything, have a look at our fun stuff archives… there’s lot of neat ideas in there!

Staying on good terms.

If you (like me) are a parent that also holds down a job, then you have to remember that these few weeks off work are cramming in a lot of home and family time. Such intensity is unusual and takes getting used to. It’s therefore quite normal for you and the kids to become irate with each other at times. Don’t let that concern you. Your aim is to not let the pressure of the situation be reflected in your actions. Even if you are feeling hot and bothered, smile nicely and put your frustrations to the side. Remember that you can take a “time out” if you have to.

If it’s your child that’s acting up, let them. A good cry is the way many children clear their minds of emotional sludge, and regain their enthusiasm for life. Stay with them, listen to what a dumb day they are having, and don’t get offended if they tell you how stupid you are for whatever reason! To really get the awful feelings out, they need a safe person to serve as their target… and hopefully that’s you! Don’t worry, I promise that this is not their full and final evaluation of your parenting! It’s not. It’s just what they need to do to get the tears going strong, so they can come back to you and feel their love for you again when they have finished.

Vacations provide the chance to get connected.

The Summer holiday for us means vacation time. Whilst we can’t take annual leave for the full 6 weeks holiday period, we religiously try and get several weeks off when we can have prolonged contact with our daughter. Be aware though that this prolonged contact can sometimes result in a few insecurities coming to the fore. For example, when the family comes together and spends extended time with each other, a child’s limbic system, the seat of his or her emotions, gets the signal that life is better than usual. Feelings that don’t correspond to the closeness, the ease, or the sense of relaxation pop up, ready to be released. Those feelings, which can be held in storage for days or months or years, don’t necessarily match the present circumstances, so don’t be put out. If you’re not ready for your children’s emotional cleansing sessions, you’ll be irritated for sure. But just remember that your child’s upsets are the beginning of a summer growth spurt, and are a healthy sign that they love you and trust you to care.

So now that you know what to expect in terms of Summer behaviour, your task is to have a stash of fun activities that you and your kids can engage in over the vacation. If you are short of ideas, check out our suggestions of free fun things to do or our ideas of 15 activities for under a dollar.

Have fun!

If your child is anything like ours, then you probably know what I’m talking about when I say that kids seem to have boundless resources of energy… and channeling that into fun activities is just as important for your sanity as it is theirs! Well, never fear, as I’m going to share with you the things we have done or thought of doing to keep the “I’m bored” shouts from entering your household.

Here are some of the free (or nearly free) things that we had fun with:

Have a picnic at the park. This is so easy to do and the options are endless. Find somewhere picturesque (near a lake or a river is always nice), take along some outdoor toys (a football and a Frisbee are our favourites), and some food… and you’ve everything you need for a great day out.

Go to the beach. An obvious one, I guess, but a winner every time for us! Seriously, though, pack a bucket, spade, sandwiches and your swimmers and you can’t help but have fun. A ball, a kite, and a Frisbee are going for company too.

Explore local museums and art galleries. Quite often, these cost nothing to enter and there’s always something of its kind close by. You can be extra inventive and design “fact finding missions” for your kids once you are there.

Go to local fairs or car-boot sales. Do a bit of research on the internet and find out what’s going on near you and spend the morning exploring one. You can make it into a full bargain hunt by giving your child $5-$10 and seeing what they come back with! Most car boots open early in the morning, and they’re a good way for children to spend a couple of hours.

Visit the national parks. Another easy one to do that takes minimal planning and can easily fill a day (or two).

Here are some “stay-at-home” fun activities for the family:

Build a cubby. Our kid adores making a cubby house during the day (and then usually wants to sleep in it at night). It’s like camping, but indoors. You can every doing a sing song (don’t light a fire in the house though!) and toast marshmallows over your cooker.

Plant something together.  Even if you have no garden, you can have so much fun collecting recyclable pots, decorating them, filling them with potting mix and planting seeds.  My advice is to do this at the beginning of the holidays and choose something fast growing so that the kids can water them and watch them grow over the holidays.

Kids Bedroom Make-over. Every kids room needs a sort out once in a while and a new ‘look’. School holidays are the perfect opportunity. Search the op shops and internet for cheap ways to update their room.  www.designdazzle.com is a great starting point for gorgeous ideas and links to other sites but even just moving things around is great fun to do with kids.

Have a house party. Invite some of the friends over and get them to bring one plate/dish of food (unless you don’t mind doing all the catering!). If you are sat at home, at a lose end, wondering what to do… the chances are some of your friends are doing exactly the same! So give them a call and you can all sit around wondering what to do together (whilst the kids trash the house in the background) J

Put on a fashion show. Our little one loves dressing up. And dressing up in mum’s clothes is a dream come true for her! So get them to put on a fashion show for you (and join in if you are game). Remember to take a healthy dose of humour with you.

Build paper mache pieces. Honestly, this is one of the most versatile crafts around! It’s so easy (and cheap to make the paste) and you can create almost anything. The best part is you probably have everything you need to create your paper mache masterpieces laying around your home right now. The kids will love this one. www.papiermache.co.uk

Cook and bake at home. The holiday season may also be the perfect time for you to unleash your inner chef. Plan some recipes that you have always wanted to try and cap it off by daring yourself to bake even just a simple yet yummy chocolate cake.

So there you go, plenty of easy things to plan and do, which aren’t going to cost much (if anything) and that are bound to be fun for everyone. The trick is to keep an open mind and be creative.

A lot of these things can be thought of and done on the day, but sometimes a bit of preparation can always help. For example, I like to get the family involved in the decision making, but it helps if I come to the table with a list of 4 or 5 ideas that everyone can then “buy into”.

I hope you too can find as much fun engaging in these activities as we do.

Happy parenting!

Why go green?

let me give you a couple of facts that may surprise you and even spurn you to action.

Did you know:

That Americans alone purchase 5 billion batteries a year
Those batteries will cause 146,000 Tons of waste each year

Many of these batteries come from toys so “how can we – as individual parents – make small decisions that have a positive impact on the environment?” Well, one such decision is about the toys or games you buy your children. It’s a little cliché but true nonetheless, your children and your children’s children will inherit the world that we create today. You know you’re going to give them a toy every now and then anyways, so why not buy your children environmentally friendly toys? Besides, green toys are so “in” this year that they come in all shapes and sizes, without chemicals or additives.

Eco-friendly toys are made from natural, safe materials which do not harm kids or the environment. So other than just benefiting the environment, if your child is at the age when they want to chew on anything and everything, you’ll want to be sure your child’s playthings are green and healthy!

How to go green?

You’re probably thinking that a) you’re not sure where to buy eco-friendly toys, and b) that these toys are going to be expensive. Here’s the good news: going green can actually save you lots of money… and it’s really easy to do when you know how.

Before you ask, here’s a little tick list to help you on the way:

1. The first thing to consider is whether you really need to buy something new

There are many unloved and unused toys and games in homes across Sydney. Rather than collecting dust, these might be donated to charity shops, sold at garage sales or Freecycled. When you next want to treat a child, you might consider collecting a toy from one of these sources.

Freecycling

I’ve only just been introduced to “Freecycling” and I think it’s a brilliant idea… and it’s FREE! Basically, you join an on-line community initiative that allows people to give away items that are no longer being used. Where I live (Sydney) there are many local Freecycle communities, but you don’t have to be in Sydney. You can find the community closest to you at www.freecycle.org. Join up (it’s all free) and then watch the messages arrive in your in-box. People give away everything on these lists, from Harry Potter dolls to bicycles to doll’s houses. If you are interested in an item, email a reply and wait for an answer. The owner looks at all responses and then chooses a recipient. In turn Freecycle offers you a chance to create some more space in your own home and reduce the impact on the environment caused by excessive manufacturing and waste processing.

Toy libraries

Something you may not have even considered, but does your child need to own a toy in order to enjoy it? Probably not. In fact, if I think of the number of “fad” toys that have come and gone I wish I’d thought about borrowing toys first from a toy library (exactly like borrowing books from normal library). Hey, if it turns out your child absolutely loves a particular toy, you can always see if someone is giving one away at your local freecycle community or – failing that – you could even purchase it!

Toy libraries are located in loads of places, google “toy library” in your area and you’re bound to get back a bunch of results.

2. The next thing you should remember is to buy good quality that will last

Hand in hand with the re-use mantra, is a commitment to buying good quality toys and games. A good quality toy will last for generations and can be re-used much more readily than a toy that will break or crack. Use the internet to read parent reviews or manufacturers’ product information. A toy that can be used in a variety of ways – an open ended toy, with no set answer or outcome – will foster imagination and invite more play. An age-appropriate game that requires higher level thinking or the use of strategic skills will engage young people for much longer than a game that is too easy or one dimensional.

3. Consider eco manufacturers

If the time has come to buy something new, there are some toy manufacturers that are seriously considering the environment in all aspects of their business. Look for items that are:
 
•    made with (at least some) recycled material content
•    made with wood that is FSC certified – comes from sustainably managed forests
•    made from materials in abundant supply, like bamboo and post-latex producing rubber wood
•    certified safe for children
•    certifiably organic
•    biodegradable
•    presented with minimal or recycled packaging
•    manufactured by a company with 14001ISO endorsement
•    Fair Trade certified
•    operated without the need for batteries
•    PVC, BPA, lead, Phthalate and petroleum free (including paint and glue used in packaging)
•    good quality – increasing the opportunity for re-use

The internet provides a world of information about eco-friendly toys, and there are several retailers in Australia that offer a range of toys that fulfil this criteria – including second hand and on-line toy shops. Think carefully when you next buy a toy and take a close look at the small print!

Seriously though, it’s all too easy to allow our parenting duties to consume us as parents. So to help make sure we are “keeping it real”, I’ve compiled a list of the funny parenting quotes and advice that has kept me chuckling over the years.

Please note that these are “just for fun” and I am in no way endorsing any of comments below!

Funny Parenting Quotes:

“No matter how calmly you try to referee, parenting will eventually produce bizarre behavior, and I’m not talking about the kids.”

“Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope.”

“The truth is that parents are not really interested in justice. They just want quiet.”

“Sex education may be a good idea in the schools, but I don’t believe the kids should be given homework.”

“Human beings are the only creatures on earth that allow their children to come back home”

“I’m trying very hard to understand this generation. They have adjusted the timetable for childbearing so that menopause and teaching a sixteen-year-old how to drive a car will occur in the same week.”

“One thing they never tell you about child raising is that for the rest of your life, at the drop of a hat, you are expected to know your child’s name and how old he or she is.”

“I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford. Then I want to move in with them.”

“Most children threaten at times to run away from home. This is the only thing that keeps some parents going.”

“We spend the first twelve months of our children’s lives teaching them to walk and talk and the next twelve telling them to sit down and shut up.”

“If your kids are giving you a headache, follow the directions on the aspirin bottle, especially the part that says, ‘keep away from children.’”
“The beauty of spacing children many years apart lies in the fact that parents have time to learn the mistakes that were made with the older ones – which permits them to make exactly the opposite mistakes with the younger ones.”
“I love to play hide and seek with my kid, but some days my goal is to find a hiding place where he can’t find me until after high school.”

 
“Smack your child every day. If you don’t know why – he does.”
“The worst feature of a new baby is its mother’s singing.”
“The thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents obey their children.”
“Telling a teenager the facts of life is like giving a fish a bath.”
“The young always have the same problem – how to rebel and conform at the same time. They have now solved this by defying their parents and copying one another.”
“Children aren’t happy without something to ignore, And that’s what parents were created for.”

Funny Family Home Tips:

“Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.”

“Housework is a treadmill from futility to oblivion with stop-offs at tedium and counter-productivity.”

 “My theory on housework is, if the item doesn’t multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you?”

“No one ever died from sleeping in an unmade bed. I have known mothers who remake the bed after their children do it because there is wrinkle in the spread or the blanket is on crooked. This is sick.”

 “Never lend your car to anyone to whom you have given birth.”

“My second favourite household chore is ironing. My first one being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.”

“When my kids become wild and unruly, I use a nice, safe playpen. When they’re finished, I climb out.”

“Be nice to your children, for they will choose your rest home.”

Sure-fire Ways To Embarrass Your Children:

Drop them off directly in front of their school. Make them give you a kiss. Wave good-bye vigorously and blow kisses.

Hang a naked baby picture of your children in a prominent location in your living room. Be sure to point it out to company.

Make them dress up in a shirt and tie for school picture day. Style their hair yourself. Use enough gel to allow their hair to withstand hurricane force winds.

During long road trips suggest a family sing along. Insist that all of the songs be ones that are extremely popular with three-year olds.

Beat your child to the punch by getting a navel piercing or a tattoo before they do. Show your new body art to all of your children’s friends.

Remember, having kids doesn’t mean that we lose sense of ourselves. Parenting is something to be celebrated and enjoyed. If there’s nothing else to laugh at, it’s OK to laugh at ourselves!

Don’t be concerned about paying hundreds of dollars for toys your kids don’t play with. These classic fun activities can be created with stuff you probably already have lying around your house, plus they will entertain your kids for hours and when they are done, you can dump them in the knowledge that you haven’t had to spend your hard earned wages!

These are a few of the best ways we entertain our kids (and ourselves) for under $1:

Large cardboard boxes

Perfect for making houses and small castles. These can entertain an imaginative mind for hours. Make sure you are nearby to take pictures and get involved as you build a rocket to the moon or drive to your next holiday destination! Many of the larger department stores will have plenty of big boxes that they will happily let you take away for free. With some paints or colouring pens you can make almost anything.

Rubber band and pencil

This is a simple toy that I remember building in primary school. Take two (unsharpened pencils) and wrap a rubber band around the centre. Twist the pencils lengthwise against each other (as you would wind a propeller on a toy plane). Set down flat on a table and let the jumping begin.

Origami – paper planes, poppers, and all sorts

Get a comprehensive origami book and, honestly, this can keep you and your child occupied for weeks. My brother made some amazing features, including an Aladdin his lamp (which even had a genie coming out of it) and you never know when these “paper-construction skills” may come in handy. I remember folding boxes in the kitchen to use as mini garbage bins when guests came over or making pretty decorations for kids’ birthday parties.

Do you remember how to make the “Paper Popper”?

· Fold a sheet of paper lengthwise down the middle – open the sheet back up and lay flat.

· Fold all four corners of the paper inward toward the centre crease.

· Fold the sheet of paper in half the other way keeping all four corners folded inward – you will end up what looks vaguely like a stealth aircraft.

· With the point facing away from you, grab the right side and fold it upward so the bottom is parallel with the crease.

· Do the same with the left side.

· Unfold so you are back to the stealth fighter.

· Using the crease as a reference, tuck the upper right hand corner into the popper.

· Repeat with the other side. It will look like a diamond.

· Lastly, Fold it one more time so it looks like a triangle.

· Hold from the bottom and as if you were throwing a ball, flip the popper rapidly through the air.

· The inward folded corner will “POP” out making a fun and satisfying sound.

Plant something, grow something

First and foremost, playing with dirt is usually a sure-fire winner with children! And you can use this fun activity as a simple way to teach young children how to take care of a living organism. Using some old container (plastic cups will do nicely) you can do pot-planting if you don’t want to or can’t plant something outdoors. Imagine the thrill, also, when the little baby plant pops his head up from the soil. It’s a really great feeling! If you want something with quick results, plant green beans or sunflowers (beans will come up in few days).

The garden hose

Wouldn’t it be great if you could do two chores at once… well, now you can water your garden, while bathing the kids! OK, I’m stretching the sales pitch a little here! But seriously, on a hot summer day, your grass needs plenty of water and this is a great time to have fun with the kids.

Blowing bubbles

This is one of my favourites. Mix up your own bubble water by pouring a teaspoon or so of liquid soap (preferably the stuff you use to do your dishes) into a cup and adding approximately 3 teaspoons of water. Stir and then test. You can make a free bubble wand by unbending a large paperclip and folding it back into a triangle with a small handle. You may need to add a little more soap or water to get the perfect bubble. If you pour the bubble solution into a small plate, it’s much easier to get the bubble film onto your bubble wand.

Once you get the bubble bug, you’ll find you start seeing great items that can be used as a bubble wand or blower. For example, the other weekend we found some old curtain rods which we bent into a (kind of) triangle. We then attached some string and had a competition to see who could make the biggest bubbles. My kid even had the great idea of using a hair dryer as a fan to blow bubbles with!

The first telephone

· Tin cans or two Styrofoam cups will do for this.

· Using a tack or the end of a pin, punch a hole into the centre of the bottom of each cup.

· Cut a piece of light string 25 feet or longer.

· Feed one end of the string through the hole of one of the cups.

· Tie a large knot on the string so it doesn’t fall back through the hole.

· Feed the other end of the string through the other cup and tie a knot like you did for the first cup.

· Now give the cup to your child and walk away from each other until the string is tight.

· Now you can whisper back and forth into your child’s new telephone.

This is not only a lot of fun, but it also educates your child about vibration, harmonics, sound waves and energy. Try the phone under doors and around corners of your house. If you keep the string taut it will still work.

Go to the library

I love going to the library; the sense of history, the quiet, the calm… and all those books. You can get imaginative and send your child on an adventure by giving him tasks to figure out. Send him or her on a Da Vinci code quest, with a small treasure if they get to the end (if they are young, just finding a particular book by an author will do the trick, as they get older, the information they must seek out can get more and more challenging!).

Enjoy the outdoors

Go on a bike ride together. Kids and adults need and enjoy exercise. If you don’t have bikes, you can go for a walk instead. We spend hours at the park close to our house and the kids love it. Take some snacks and picnic food for a special treat.

Write a story

Corroborate on a story by each writing one paragraph at a time. It will teach cooperation and writing skills, even if it doesn’t make the bestsellers list.

Make some crazy pictures

Pens, paper, and crayons are always fun, but if you want a variation on a theme, try cutting out pictures from a magazine or catalogue then glue or tape them together in funny ways. For example, cut out pictures of a person’s body, a face, an extravagant hat, and a lawn tractor then glue them together. You could put together a scene of multiple silly characters. They’re also a lot of fun to look back on in a scrapbook.

Engraving

Use a pencil or ballpoint pen on a folded piece of tinfoil. If you draw deep lines in the foil, you can then make groovy prints by rolling a little paint on the foil, then laying paper on top of it. Press lightly for a few seconds, peel off, and hang to dry.

Painting your garden

Yes, you heard me right! Our little girl takes great delight in getting some big paint brushes, filling up a bucket with water and painting the concrete. Be sure to wash it off when you’ve finished or you may find (as I did) that the kids (and pets) end up walking tiny painted footsteps around the house.

Life size models

Buy some cheep roles of paper (I mean large roles here) and have the kids lay down so you can trace around them. Then cut out the outlines and let them decorate their counterparts.

Treasure hunts

This does take a little more thought, but scavenger hunts are great fun! I once hid some gold coin candies and a glowing glow stick in a cabinet, then gave my brother clues to find it. Once he found it, he re-hid it and we spent the whole day finding and re-hiding our treasure.