My husband watched this weekend, in apparent horror, as our four year old took the HUGE bin of Hot Wheels cars and dumped them in the middle of the living room floor.  While I see this quite often at our house, my husband is usually at work or away and misses these lovely events.  I knew what his initial reaction would be, and I made sure to make quick eye contact with him and let him know that it was okay.  He just needed to watch - and learn.

Our four year-old then proceeded to sort through his collection of metal vehicles.  First, he separated the vans, motorcycles, trucks, cars and planes into different groups.  He lined them all up, then he took each group and sorted those by color: reds together, yellows, greens, making arbitrary decisions on those with several colors.  All the cars were lined up, facing my husband, grouped and sorted.  Then, my son dashed off to find his brother and play a little soccer outside.

While we need to work on the “clean up” phase of playing (obviously), what my husband and I just witnessed was a wonderful display of our son’s developmental skills.  Sorting is an essential pre-reading and pre-math skill.  Being able to classify objects into groups based on shape, size, color, or even ability (it rolls, it flies, it bounces…) leads to distinguishing between subtle characteristics of letters, such as “O” and “Q” or “b” and “d”.  Classification is an essential higher-order thinking skill and should be encouraged with young children.

Sorting and classification is not just relegated to toys; trail mix can be sorted.  Bath toys can be sorted.  Have your child sort silverware when helping to empty the dishwasher.  Sort cups according to size.  Sort canned goods in the pantry according to type and size.  Sort rocks or sticks based on whatever characteristic your child can find.

And, if you find a way to incorporate cleaning up into this, please let me know…my nine year-old is STILL working on that one…

Winter weather means it is time for one of my most favorite science activities - ALL THINGS STATIC ELECTRICITY!  What causes static electricity to be so prevalent in the winter months?  It is primarily based on two facts:  wintertime is typically drier than summer, when the air is more humid.  Electricity needs the dry air in order to hold the charge.  And, we tend to wear things (such as wool hats and scarves, jackets and socks) that increase the presence of static electricity.

Without bogging down on how static electricity is formed, it simply needs two “insulators” to rub together.  Insulators are things made of plastic, cloth, or glass.  These can hold charged atoms, called ions.  When they come into contact with a “conductor”, such as metal, the energy is transferred (and we get a shock!).  Here are some great things to try on a cold, dry day to experiment with static electricity.

• Take a piece of dry cereal, such as an “O” shaped cereal, and tie it to a thread about a foot long.  Tape the thread on the side of a table so that the cereal hangs loosely without touching anything.  Next take a clean, dry comb and rub it on a sweater or comb through dry hair.  Now, hold the comb close to the cereal.  What does the cereal do?  When the cereal is hanging loose again, recharge the comb and place it near the cereal again.  Are the results the same or different?  Why?
• Rub a dry, clean comb on a sweater or through dry hair and hold it near a running faucet (run the faucet in a slow, steady stream, not full-blast).  Watch what happens to the stream of water.
• This is my favorite, but it definitely requires an adult to do it.  Take a fluorescent light bulb into a dark room.  Rub a dry, clean comb on a sweater or through dry hair (do this a lot to build up a good charge).  Touch the comb to the light bulb and see what happens.  Try touching the light bulb in different places and see if the results change.

These experiments can be done with balloons that are blown up and tied as well.  Try it both ways and see which way works best!

As a teacher, I’ve witnessed firsthand how excited children get when they get to share something at school with their friends.  Everything from a coveted toy or stuffed animal to a shiny rock found on the sidewalk is fair game, and each item is meaningful and unique in its own way.  It is a time most, if not all, children look forward to.

In our house, we have incorporated this idea into some family time.  On nights that we don’t have sports commitments, piano lessons or church obligations, we have a designated “Show and Tell” session.  Our boys are asked to share something from either school or an activity they are in.  It can be a test paper, an art project, a special skill from baseball, or a book they are reading.  In turn, my husband and I share something with our boys that WE are interested in: my scrapbooking or photography and my husband’s interest in cars are just a few.  We practice being good listeners and positive feedback-givers.

It is an excellent opportunity for our 9 year old to share something he’s exceptionally proud of (even though he’s probably told us about it a dozen times - he doesn’t mind sharing once more!).  It is also great practice for our four year old in speaking in front of others.  And, it gives us a special time to share together as well!

Here’s a delightful experiment to try with kids to identify different tastes.  Even my picky-eater-9-year-old loved this one, and he is the quintessential picky eater!

Is your tongue “mapped”?  Test your taste buds with a bit of sugar water.  Use droppers with sugar water and place it on different parts of the tongue, such as the sides, front, back, and middle.  While not everyone’s taste buds are exactly the same, many people can taste salty and sour on the sides, sweet on the front, and bitter in the back.  See if your tongue matches these areas - some do, some don’t!  Try it with pickle juice and lemon juice as well.

Try the same experiment as with our post on smell.  Have your child hold his or her nose and taste foods to see how different it is - part of tasting is smelling! Try it with condiments, such as barbeque sauce, ketchup, mustard, relish, and mayonnaise.

Young children can learn so much from tactile experiences.  The sense of touch is a great tool to discovering the world and the fascinating things it holds!

Hidden objects can be great sensory experiences.  Place objects in a paper sack or a box for children to experience through touch.  Objects from nature, such as pine cones, leaves, rocks, flowers and sand, are excellent items.  Also try things such as cooked spaghetti (in a plastic container instead of a paper bag, though!), ice cubes, cotton balls and sandpaper!

Make your own touch and feel page.  Create a simple drawing add tactile objects (felt, salt, sandpaper, aluminum foil, cotton, etc).  Or, cut a picture from a magazine, catalog or old greeting card and turn it into a touch and feel picture with a few sensory items.  Kids will love creating these for each other as well!

Try a temperature experiment!  Take two bowls and fill one with cool water, the other with warm water.  Place one hand in each for a minute, then put both hands in lukewarm water.  The “cool water hand” will seem warmer, even though both hands are in the same temperature of water!  Have child try to figure out why hands feel as if they are in different-temperature water when in fact in same bowl.

Play with playdough or clay.  The act of squeezing and kneading dough is a great way to strengthen hand muscles.  Use pre-made dough or make your own.  Try to make your own silly putty also.  Kids will love stretching the putty and kneading it together as well!  To make silly putty, combine 1 cup of elmers glue and 1 cup of laundry starch.  Knead until thoroughly mixed.  Keep it in an airtight container.  This can also be tinted with food coloring or watercolor!

I just finished an article from the November 2008 Parenting magazine about children and boxes (page 144).  The scenario they gave is so very true.  I used to sell specialty toys for a home-party company, but my son’s favorite part of the whole experience were the large boxes of packing peanuts I would discard as I inventoried products.  He could have cared less about the brightly-colored toys and balls, the noises and lights, the glitz and glitter.  He was happy sitting in a box, kicking packing peanuts into the air and burying himself in the sea of white foam.

For my son, it was a matter of space.  In a box, he was secure and comfortable.  It was a small space, just like him, and he seemed to feel protected.  I have witnessed this same phenomena in our church nursery.  We will have small children come in and be totally overwhelmed by the room, the toys the stimuli, but if you place that same child in a high chair with one or two small toys, they are happy and will stay there until they are more familiar with the environment.

Boxes are also great for creating and imagination.  We used to place several large boxes in a row to make a train, a rocket, and, at one point, a school bus.  Children are not confined to the way a box looks; a box is generic.  It can become a castle, a cave, a restaurant, and even Grandma’s house.  Older kids can use paints or paper to visually create what their imagination “sees”.

Small boxes are awesome tools for storing toys and objects.  Small children love to fill boxes and other containers with cars, balls, animals - whatever toys are at their disposal.  The act of putting a toy in a box and pulling it out is a wonderful lesson in object permanence with younger children.  Even though the object isn’t visible, the child realizes it is still there, just inside the box.

So, as the holiday season approaches, keep those boxes handy for all sorts of creative and imaginative play.  And, when your child is more interested in the packaging rather than the product, realize that it is okay.  Boxes are actually a good thing!

We’ve been hit with a huge change in our house this past week: my laptop, my beloved sidekick, essentially died a horrible death.  Or, it is at least out of commission for the time being.  Not even the Blue Screen of Doom could find its way to my laptop last week.  Just a hint: if you think your motherboard is going out - BACK UP EVERYTHING.  Thankfully, my machine was under warranty and was shipped off to Fix-My-Computerland for a makeover.  Or the dumpster.  We’ll find out one way or another in a few days.

In the meantime, I’m essentially computerless.   My husband does have a laptop through his office, but that is what it is for - his OFFICE.  Not my office or the kids’ games.  I’ve had to learn how to strategically check email and pare down to the bare minimum of computer-related tasks to complete while my baby is being reconfigured.

One thing I have noticed, though, is the changes that have occurred in my house this week.  Okay, maybe not huge changes, but differences between life with my computer and life without it.

First of all, my younger son naps a long time!  Wow!  I had no idea he slept that long.  It always seems much shorter when I’m racing around to get computer-related stuff done during naptime, like Spider Solitaire and Bejeweled (you know, the important stuff).  I got half of my house cleaned during naptime yesterday.  That would be the same house that takes me all week to clean otherwise.  Who knew?

Also, did you know that we actually have time to ride bikes and play board games after dinner?  I had no idea!  Usually, time after dinner is spent playing online (adults and/or children - we have Webkinz to feed, you know), but with the lack of computer this week, we’ve headed outdoors to visit neighbors, take a few spins around the block, and whip out Candyland.  I had forgotten we even had Candyland.

Speaking of games, instead of hearing the bickering over who’s turn it is on Lego.com or who gets to spin the Wheel of Wow in Webkinzland, I see my boys, giggling over their latest “cootie”.  I see my older son, teaching my younger one how to play Yahtzee or Memory.  And, their latest game has been to build a “town” in the backyard (heaven help my flower beds this week!).  Out of what?  Imaginary bricks.  Yep.  And a lot of imagination.

Technology is not a bad thing, don’t get me wrong.  My children have benefitted greatly from online resources and educational sites.  I would never deny them the opportunity to explore things we typically don’t get to see in Texas.  The computer, and the Internet, open innumerable doors for our children.  It is a great tool to use in educating and schooling our children.

But, time together is equally important and beneficial.  The key is to find the balance of the two.  Where does technology fit in with your family?  Is there balance?

This week, I was asked why I had my almost 4 year-old enrolled in our local gymnastics program.  After all, he also attends preschool for three mornings each week where I teach.  Socialization isn’t an issue for him.  And, it isn’t like I have oodles of time in my day that I am just looking for things to do.  However, I do see a huge benefit to programs such as preschool gymnastics, as long as they are conducted in an age-appropriate manner.

Our program is slightly pricey, but it is within a mile of my house.  This is our second year to be enrolled in this gymnastics program.  We go once a week for an hour, and my son is now at a level where he is on the “floor” with his teacher and classmates and not in a Mommy-and-me class.  I have the option to stay (which I do) and watch from a second-floor balcony level or to run an errand or two.

The reason I keep with this program is that I can see a huge difference between my first child’s motor skill development and my second child’s motor skill development.  While children certainly cannot be compared “apples to apples”, there are things that my second child does that are definitely more skilled than my first child’s.  The most important lesson my younger son has learned is how to fall and fall gracefully.

My first child did not understand the concept of falling for a long time.  Being a first (and for a while, only) child, I was constantly with him, there to catch him when he stumbled or hold him up if he teetered.  By the time my older son was of preschool age, he wasn’t necessarily clumsy, but he did have a few tumbles that were pretty rotten.  And, I feel that it is mostly because he simply didn’t understand how to fall without hurting himself.  He didn’t know how to catch himself or roll into a fall like my second child has learned.

Now, as a “wiser” parent the second time around, I have definitely learned that letting go means gaining some independence, so my parenting style has been altered, which also contributes to his skill development.  However, the safety of the gym, with its heavily padded equipment and floors, has made for a fun place for him to learn balance, agility, stamina, strength, and yes, falling.

I could do many of the same things his “coach” at the gym does with my son on our own time, but he gets such a kick out of using the equipment, being with a new little group of pals, and spreading his wings a bit more.  And besides, my home and yard aren’t nearly as much fun to fall gracefully upon.