Toddler Art Class

We've been hitting up this toddler art class from time to time.  Though creating art on paper isn't something Lily is able to really grasp at a year, the whole activity is very engaging.  There is a central activity, such chalk dipped in tempura paint or dipping cars into paint and driving them on paper (I know, cool, right?).  Additionally, the kids can use crayons, markers, or colored pencils at another station.  At a third area, there are toys and books to play with, as well as comfy chairs for parents to sit in.  And, there is coffee to boot.  It is definitely an activity with forethought. 

The first time Lily interacted with a medium on paper to make art!

Storytime at the Library

 We made our first visit to a library story time last week.  I was really nervous to take Lily, because she's not a sit-in-one-spot-and-read-to-me kinda gal.  She's a balls-to-the-wall-pirate kinda gal.  You can thank her mom for that.  However, I'm on vacation and terrified of staying in the house all day with the baby who gets bored and cranky.  There must be adventure.  It's adventure or death.  See, I told you that she's a pirate.

She happened to wake up from her nap in time for me to throw everything in the car and go.  I love how we all can just roll into these kid things whenever we want.  This because the person who creates the schedule is not capable of reading a clock (analog or digital).  It includes a car ride, which Lily has a love-hate relationship with.  She loves going places, but she hates the car trip there because of the car seat.  Lately, she's been so excited when I pick her up out of the car seat.  She gives me big kisses and hugs.  It's hilarious.  Poor beanie baby.

The librarian running the program read stories to us, read stories with us, acted out nursery rhymes, and blew bubbles.  I mean, any program that includes bubbles is a winner in our book.  And, this is a free program to boot.  There were lots of toddlers, a few crawlers, and a couple of babies around Lily's age.  She really liked being handed her own copy of one of the books to read.  And, she really liked the bubbles.  She also liked seeing all sorts of different people. 

Mommy win.

Port Discovery Children's Museum

Lily and I made the trek up to Port Discovery Children's Museum yesterday.  Lily had an amazing time.  There are two areas for babies.  One is a matted area they can roll around with a couple of toys.  The other is a story time area.  Lily is not a story time baby yet, so I was worried that there might not be enough for us to do there to have made the trip worth it.  It wound up being a 40 minute drive from where we are located, cost $10 to park (though we could have scored a street spot if we were capable of walking a little ways), and the tickets were $14.85 for each adult after tax.

On some days, they have scheduled activities.  One of our daddy friends (who has a very active one year old) mentioned to us that they make the trip worth it by going on a day there are several activities in the Tots Trails toddler/baby room.  Click her and scroll to Tots Trails for schedule. There is a lot of value there if you have a toddler/preschooler and you also have a baby.  If you think you're going to go more than once or twice a year, I think Port Discovery is really worth it to get the membership, because multiple adults can go in for free multiple times.  I also think that there is a lot of value for toddlers, preschoolers and especially for those 5 to 12.  There is a whole multi-level adventure area where kids over 5 can climb and explore. That looked really cool.

Despite my initial skepticism, this trip was completely worth it.  We were there for well over an hour, which for this baby, is incredible. Lily really liked that it was new.  That is one of our issues, getting her enough new stuff.  She'll be toddling around soon, so we'll be sure to make another trip up there when she can more around more.

She played with this toddler ant game above, though she couldn't do much with it.  She was really interested in banging it to get the ball to move.  She loved playing with the stackable waves below.  The wood was textured.

During Jingle Jangle Music Time, Lily tore it up.  She loved the tambourine:

She was able to hit the sticks together, though she liked beating the turtle with them, too:

OMG, she loves maracas:

Then, we found some toys to play with and she rolled around on the floor for a half hour.  She is rarely this happy on the floor for this long.  I just let her do her thing:

First Dance

Mini Bop was advertised as a lo-fi, family-oriented dancy party/disco up.  The intended audience was 6 months to 10 years.  It was located at the Old Parish House in College Park, which looked to be a great venue for parties or small events.  I still have trouble seeing a great event space and not thinking about the events I could be producing there.  Hmmm.  Must. Stop. Event. Planning.

We got Lily all dressed up to cut loose.  This girl loves to dance!  Okay, maybe she was a little sleepy...

dancing with a friend's toddler

taking a break with daddy

Peek a Boo!

Lily hit the 6th "wonder week" a bit early, and we're already seeing major changes.  This is the leap of categories, where she learns that a spotted dog is not a cow, etc.  She's getting even closer to crawling.  And, she started to play peek-a-boo by herself.  That has been one of the most amazing changes so far.  To watch this baby grab a piece of clothing, put it over her face (as if to hide), and then pull it off and show us her excited face.  Sometimes, she leaves the cloth over her eyes for a few more seconds.  She giggles as we're saying, "Where's the baby?"  "Where is Lily?"  "Have you seen Lily?" "I can't find Lily!"

Where's the baby?

There she is!!

DIY Sensory Board

My recent reinterest in Pintrest has paid off already.  I came across a DIY sensory board.  Just grab a piece of wood, some hooks, some pieces of fabric in different textures, and some embroidery hoops.  BAM -- sensory board.  I found the hoops at Michael's for $3 each (half of what the original crafter spent), but I am sure you can find some wooden ones online in a pack for cheaper.  The fabric was expensive.  I spent $19 total, and I had to really think about it.  I picked up mostly remnants, which are 50% off at Joann Fabrics, but that meant that I was limited in the colors/textures.  Beyond that, I only bought 1/4 yard of whatever else I wanted.  We actually had some really good hooks that minimize her ability to eat the rings.

I think that I did this on the cheap, and I wound up spending $43.  Yikes!  I was chatting with the gal at Joann Fabrics about how it's never cheaper to make something yourself.  But, it was super fun.  I have so much leftover fabric that I think I'm going to make some of these as gifts.

Oh, and it was a hit at home, as you can see. 

Gymboree Classes

In search of activities to do with Lily, another playdate mommy suggested a Gymboree class.  I thought it was just a kids clothing store, but apparently they have activity centers around town.  We signed up for a free class, and we had a blast.  Well, Lily had a blast, and we had the best time watching her.  My dad was in town to visit, and he really enjoyed getting to do this with her.  There were at least 10 other babies from 5 months to 9 months in class with her.  Ball play was the theme of the class.  The instructor ran us through several activity options, including rolling around on a big ball, balancing on a platform ball, throwing balls in a bucket, and throwing balls down a slide.  We came back together and played soccer, using the baby as a fuze ball piece to show them how to kick.  There were also bubbles and a parachute.

We really liked the Gymboree class, because it moved along before baby girl got bored.  It had group play as well as allowed us time to play on our own.  Transitional songs were built into the class, and I know those will help kids as they get older.  There were lots of bright colors in the room.  There are activities that we cannot do or would not think to do at home.  And, it's a make-shift play date.  It included a parent discussion at the beginning, and at the end, we had time to sit and chat with other parents. 

Rise and Rhyme

In search of activities to do during the week before work, some of the local moms recommended Rise and Rhyme.  Over breakfast, a local performer does something for kids under 5 years of age.  Today's performer looked to be a new mom herself, sporting her infant in a carrier.  We read some Dr. Seuss books together and did some dancing.  One of the moms with a preschooler commented that her son had probably "aged out" of today's program.   Lily had a blast.  She loves to meet new people and see new things.  She loved the sound of the performer's voice.  She got to chew on Sophie, grab at the bacon, and look out a big window.

It was a great kids environment and the event was packed.  You could come and go without disturbing the activity/performance.  After awhile, it became a free-for-all, so I could excuse us to change her diaper when needed.  Any fussing she did went unnoticed.