Sensory Play to Shorten the Day

The days are getting shorter but seem to be getting longer if you spend much time inside with little ones! It's time to get creative with things to do to keep everyone busy and sane. Soon after I joined Parent Talk a couple of years ago, I remember a post on the Yahoo message board from a mom seeking large boxes for her kids to paint during the long, dark days of winter. Now I understand how wise she was to prepare! If you are looking for something that will engage your kids, inspire their creativity, and boost motor planning, try one of these sensory play ideas.

These days, the word 'sensory' is used a lot when talking about children. A child may be called 'sensory defensive' if he or she wears socks inside out, refuses to wear certain fabrics or does not like certain textures. Kids who like to tap, rock, or put things in their mouth or who pay attention better when sitting on a bumpy cushion can be referred to as 'sensory seeking.' Then there are ALL kids who benefit from opportunities to engage in 'sensory play.'

All you need to achieve sensory learning at home is a shallow container and some type of material that won't make you go over the edge to clean-up. This can include rice; coffee beans; dry pasta; cooked pasta; flour; pom poms; dish soap bubbles; corn husks; cotton balls; tiny beads or elastics etc. Supply scoops, an empty container, cookie cutters, funnels and almost any tool in the kitchen your child would enjoy using and voila! You are providing a rich activity that (while messy) improves your child's spatial relationships, eye-hand coordination, and motor planning. The major rule of thumb is to never force a child to engage with a texture they do not wish to touch. By watching you fill a dump truck with rice, he may eventually get comfortable to stick a finger into the bucket.

http://www.flightsofwhimsy-ece.com/2012/04/sensory-play-with-recycled-plastic-off-cuts/

The simplest way to begin using sensory play is to see what is readily available to you. I recently bought large bags of inexpensive macaroni and filled a clear plastic shoe box with some of the dry pasta. I buried miniature animal models and had my one and half year old search for them. I got to boost his vocabulary by using talking about 'deep' and 'shallow' and giving him directions to look for the animals. He then went to find his favorite small stuffed Mickey Mouse and tried to cover it with the noodles. Interestingly, he wanted to put his feet in and actually get in the shoe box. This makes sense because our feet are actually more sensitive than our hands. I think a larger container, like my now empty water table, would work better. Hopefully I will get around to cleaning it out and setting it up in my playroom filled with one of the materials I mentioned above.

Some parents and caregivers get extremely creative with sensory play, like this mom I found on Pinterest, who cooked and dyed spaghetti to represent the colors of the rainbow. With two toddlers at home, I don't have that much time or willingness to devote to an activity like this. However, I do have extra bags of sand from my sand box and plan to try this moon sand recipe (see below) which is supposed to be 'cleaner' than using actual sand.

http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2014/02/rainbow-sensory-play-with-dyed-noodles.html

I hope that you will find some of these ideas helpful on the days that you want to pull your hair out because nothing is keeping your child engaged. A lot of these materials can be stored for several weeks to use again and again. If the mess if preventing you from trying sensory play, just try to remember, that childhood is fleeting so dig in and enjoy!

Moon Sand

4 cups sand

2 cups cornstarch
1 cup of water

Mix and Enjoy

Treating Local Senior Citizens on Halloween

Like most other families with young children, we LOVE Halloween in our house! But every year by the time October 31st rolls around, my kids have already been to nearly a dozen Halloween celebrations. Between parties at school, playgroup gatherings, town fairs where they wear their costumes to trick-or-treating around Needham at the Spooky Walk, we are on candy and costume overdrive for all of October! Every year I tell myself it is a little excessive, but then the next year I do the same thing----sign up for as many Halloween festivities as possible.

However, one event we went to this year was different from the others---the Parent Talk Halloween Party at Avery Crossings Assisted Living Center. Parent Talk members and their costumed kids spent the afternoon with the senior residents doing Halloween-themed crafts, listening (and occasionally dancing!) to Kidz Bop Halloween tunes, and showing off their adorable costumes to the admiring audience. Costumes included a few princesses, a pirate, a lobster, two monkeys, two spiders, a car, an airplane, and many more. A highlight was trick-or-treating to candy baskets held by each senior!

It was such a feel-good afternoon for both the kids and the seniors---such a nice pause to do something with my kids to brighten someone else’s day especially during this season of excess! If you didn't get to go this year, keep an eye out for the sign-up next year. Better yet, consider visiting a senior center this holiday season with your little one. Watching others get so much joy from your child is as uplifting as it gets!

About the author:

Ellie is originally from Buffalo, NY and moved to Needham in 2011 with her husband Andrew. Their two children Grant (4) and Colette (2) have enjoyed the many activities and playgroups provided by Parent Talk, and Ellie is thrilled to be joining the Board and getting more involved in the community and with Parent Talk. Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom, Ellie worked in Fundraising/Development for the American Museum of Natural History in NYC and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. She also volunteers her time for her alma mater Williams College. In her (limited!) kid-free time, Ellie enjoys golfing, running, doing needlepoint, and cooking yummy meals for her family.

Needham Winter Marketplace

Who could use a fun mom's night out?  How would you like to have your holiday shopping done before you sit down to eat Thanksgiving dinner?  Mark your calendars for Friday November 21st for our Needham Winter Marketplace!  This seasons' marketplace will take place at the Village Club (83 Morton Street) on 11/21 from 7-10pm.  We have some amazing vendors lined up, including Rodan and Fields, Stella and Dot, MADLEY, and many others (see complete list below). 

Join us for a night of holiday shopping and socializing, complete with music, cash bar and desserts!

Tickets are $10 in advance, and $15 at the door, and your admission gets you a drink ticket (good for beer, wine or soda) and a fun swag bag to hold all of your purchases!  In addition, 10% of all ticket sales will be donated to Riverside Community Care, which provides goods and services to children and families in need. 

To reserve your spot, please visit http://bit.ly/WinterMarketplace. Looking forward to seeing you there!

2014 Needham Winter Marketplace Vendor List:

Stella & Dot

MADLEY

Rodan&Fields

Arbonne

Tupperware

Usborne Books

Zinnia Designs

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Possums Blossoms by Cherry Picked

Mybibzy

Scout Bag

The Purple Carrot

Ribbon Candy

Hamilton Grace

Rustic Marlin

Ruby Ribbon

Caitlin Dunphy Photography

Yogadude Clothing

Ginger Lane 

Cara Soulia Photography

Do you often ponder 'The Way of Boys?'

Whether you have a daughter or son, chances are likely that if you are a parent, you have been engaged in a conversation about the differences between raising girls versus raising boys. Maybe you have a son who does not fall into the classic characterization of being more physically active and perhaps your daughter does not like to sit and color. Still, there are notable differences and many of us who are raising boys worry about how we can best channel their 'energy' and how they will be perceived in school. As a former teacher, I found that little boys performed better and sustained attention longer when they were physically engaged through kinesthetic learning. Alternately, I noticed that certain, more 'traditional' classrooms did not serve boys as well. Now that I am a mother to a son and daughter whose personalities fall into stereotypical gender categories, I am grasping for ways to nurture my son's potential when the things that came naturally to me and were effective for my daughter are not working! Thankfully, Parent Talk is offering an expert speaker, Dr. Anthony Rao, who will address a sold-out audience on 'The Way of Boys.' 

Dr. Rao (pronounced RAY-OH) is a psychologist who worked in the Department of Psychiatry at Children's Hospital in Boston (see below for his full bio.) He has held numerous interviews and has been published by many prominent publications for articles addressing the challenges of educating boys. Dr. Rao had this to say about his upcoming lecture:

What are the important trends facing boys in today's fast-paced, highly-competitive world? Many boys are struggling and we've turned mostly to medications for help. What if we're missing something basic. When we understand how boys develop - how boys think and navigate in the world - we start to see their hidden talents and gifts. Join me for a candid and upbeat discussion on raising and educating boys successfully. Let's help boys feel more confident and find their power in positive ways.

If you are not one of the many people who registered for this lecture, you can also order Dr. Rao's book, "The Way of Boys." I think this would be a great selection for a book club discussion. If you are interested in reading and discussing the book, please write in the comments after this blog! If you choose to order Dr. Rao's book, please click here and enter Parent Talk as your charity of choice.

Bio for Dr. Anthony Rao (note: pronounced Ray-Oh)_

For over 20 years, Dr. Rao worked in the Department of Psychiatry at Children’s Hospital Boston where he served as Instructor at Harvard Medical School. He’s been a featured expert in documentaries for the A&E series Investigative Reports and MTV’s True Life. He regularly appears on news segments pertaining to childhood issues and most recently was featured on Chronicle to discuss challenges educating boys. He’s been interviewed for articles in many publications including The NewYorker, Parent's Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and The Washington Times.

Who wrote this blog?

Liza d'Hemecourt is the Blog Coordinator for Parent Talk. She lives in Needham with her husband and her daughter and son, who are nearly three and nearly two years old respectively. Liza went to Boston College for theater and education. She performed in community theater and taught Kindergarten and first grade before having children. 

Treat your Tricky Toddlers with these Halloween Activities

Boo-tiful Bananas, Creepy Crackers and Goopy Ghosts! These spooky snacks and this freakishly fun craft are sure to make your little monsters smile.

Depending on the age of your child, this healthy treat also provides a great fine motor activity. The banana and clementine peeling, and celery stalk slicing are the most labor intensive step of the first picture. Then, just help your child insert mini and regular chocolate chips for the banana ghost's eyes, and poke the celery piece into the clementine as the stem---voila!

www.myeasyrecipes.net

I like these salty spiders because you can tailor them to your kids' tastebuds! For a healthier spin, try whole wheat Ritz crackers. Spread whatever your child likes to eat between the two crackers: peanut butter, nutella, cream cheese, fluff, hummus, jelly---you name it! Before putting the top cracker over the spread, have your helper, put the four pretzel stick legs on each side. Then add a dolop more of your spread for each 'eye' and the kids can add raisins, craisins, blueberries or chocolate chips for the eye balls! 

www.roommomspot.com

Those snacks were pretty clean and simple but now things are going to get messy! I LOOOVE this Goopy Ghost project because it qualifies as a craft and a sensory activity; it is process and product! Plus, chances are you have shaving cream and white glue at home, maybe even googly eyes?? Spread out some newspaper and let your kids dig in...

notimeforflashcards.com

Here is what you need: 

• paper bag/heavy construction paper/flattened cardboard box
• 3/4 cup of shaving cream with 1/4 cup of white glue
• googly eyes
• black paper
• scissors
• large Pyrex mixing bowl or Rubbermaid basin

Step 1: Make an outline of a ghost on the heavy paper and set it aside (do not cut it out yet)

Step 2: Mix shaving cream and glue and put it on top of the paper

Step 3: Let your child explore the goopy mixture 

Step 4: During exploration, ask your artist what kind of expression his ghost should be making: happy, sad, surprised etc.) then cut out that corresponding shape from the black paper

Step 5: Add the googly eyes and mouth right on top!

Step 6: Allow to dry (this may take a while) and finally cut out the ghost shape

Have fun and Happy Halloween!

About the author:

Liza d'Hemecourt lives in Needham with her husband and her two toddlers. She went to Boston College for theater and elementary education. Before starting a family, Liza taught kindergarten and first grade. 

Charities Reap the Benefits from Sale Donations

For many families in the Greater Boston area, the annual Parent Talk Used Clothing, Toy and Equipment Sale is a prudent way to meet the ever changing needs of young children. It is a way for residents in and around Needham to participate in a great exchange of goods, as they can volunteer to work the sale, donate and consign items they no longer need, while picking up what they do. The sale builds community, but also has a much farther reach, providing ample donations to charities in the Boston area and as far away as the Dominican Republic.

Volunteers from Parent Talk begin the multistep process of organizing the sale by setting up a POD weeks in advance where people can begin dropping off things they wish to donate. By Saturday morning, October 18th, thousands of items will have undergone a rigorous inspection and pricing system before they are finally hung up and neatly categorized for the lines of shoppers to peruse beginning at 8:30am. At noon, the extreme bargains can be had during the one hour bag sale at which time volunteers distribute grocery bags to be filled for a total of ten dollars. Surprisingly, at 1:00, there is still plenty of product remaining and this is when representatives from participating charities are invited to walk through the two and half floors, choosing items that will fulfill needs of the communities they serve. 

The charities who receive goods from the Parent Talk sale include Arm 2 Arm, Baby Bundles, Bagong Kulturang Pinoy, Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, Circle of Hope, and Room to Grow. The feedback from their representatives is a testament to the far reaching impact of this one volunteer organized event:

We are so grateful that Circle of Hope is one of the charities that is able to select unsold items at the end of your sales.  Our volunteers bring back beautiful, high quality items that we are proud to deliver to our clients.  Parent Talk makes a real difference in the lives of many homeless people!

Terri Larrabee from Arm2Arm had this to say after being invited to return to the sale again this year:

We get such great clothes from your sale for the Haitian people in the bateys in the Dominican Republic.  We just got back from our trip a week ago and brought suitcases filled with clothes, shoes and medicine.  Thank you so much for including us.

Attached are a couple pictures of the children on our recent trip.  Milton, the boy with cerebral palsy whom one of your members donated a running stroller, is doing well and his mother is still using his stroller to get around the dirt paths.  It has improved their lives greatly and when we saw him last week, his mother was anxious to show us how well he was doing.

Fun at Drumlin Farm and Future Events

With the million things that need to be done swarming around in my head, it can be hard to research and execute a fun outing with my children. Thankfully, there are two people on the Parent Talk board who do that for us! Over forty people attended the recent mid-week trip to Drumlin Farm with Parent Talk event coordinators, Ellie Beasley and Kate Swenson. Registering for the event was just the motivation I needed to check one more thing off my 'Fun Fall To Do' list! 

It would have been easy to do our usual playground routine since it was one of the final few warm sunny days of fall, but I was so glad to have joined the crew of moms pushing our strollers along the dirt path while our toddlers bawked at chickens and pointed at pigs. Getting my one and half and two and half year olds out of the house to be on time for something is always an adventure but I found solidarity on the hayride as I looked around at moms wearing infants in Bjorns and holding their toddlers' hands. I was sure that I had not been the only one who struggled to get out the door or who was grateful to be out of the house! We even got to relax a little on the hayride after the driver announced, "I spy a rooster way up high;" of course, we had to point out the weather vane as we slowly passed the big red barn.

If you were not able to get out the door or were not aware of this event, maybe you can come to something soon! Click here for more information on these upcoming events: 

• Bilingual Sing Along on 10/22
• Halloween Party 10/30
• Custom Ceramic Impressions with Zinnia Designs 11/8
• Reptiles Rock! 11/15

Have any ideas for an event that you would love to see Parent Talk coordinate? Write it in the comments option after this blog. We would love to hear from you!

About the Author:

Liza d'Hemecourt lives in Needham with her family. She studied theater and elementary education at Boston College, then taught kindergarten and first grade prior to starting a family.