Blocks And 3d Puzzles

Even though your preschool children have many types of toddler learning toys and children’s wooden toys  in their arsenal parents have no control about the toy phases their kids will be going through.  What is their favorite toy one day may be set aside the next day and for several weeks.

For a period of time your child may be into their dinosaur wooden toys, the next day toys with wheels and the next week all they want to do is build structures with their toy blocks.  It is beneficial to have all sorts of toddler toys available for your kids.  Here two recommended toys I have just read about as well as a reminder that Eco-Friendly toys are the way to go!

The LeapStart Learning Table from LeapFrog is an activity table filled with lots and lots of fun activities for your toddler!  This is a great educational toy which your child will enjoy.  There are 2 modes, a music mode and a learning mode both of which cause the numerous buttons and gadgets on the table to produce a different output.  There is a book which teaches the alphabet, a music keyboard which teaches the colors, the trademark frog and much more!

The Neurosmith Music Blocks set is the perfect toy to inspire a love for music in your child. The Neurosmith Music Blocks set, as the name suggests, features musical blocks along with a unit and changeable catridges. When a block is inserted into the unit, a musical piece can be heard. Toddlers will have a great time trying out the various combinations that are possible by turning the blocks around get variations of the music playing.

Eco-friendly toys which are made from natural, safe materials and do not harm our environment, are  highly recommended.  Eco-friendly, or green toys, as they are known, are easy to find if you know where to look!  There are certain speciality manufacturers who take great pride in their eco-friendly products.  Some of these manufacturers include the German company Haba, ImagiPlay and others.  Do your planet a big favor and pick up these eco-friendly toys today!

We sell safe and eco-friendly toddler toys on our website, All I Can Imagine, which are also recommended by educators and parents.  We will have more BLOG articles, such as this one, in the upcoming weeks to help you select toys for your children as well as gifts for this Christmas.

A Hero

A charity song for children who lost
a firefighter/police parent in the 911 attack.

The morning froze in silence
as the terror filled our hearts
we stared in disbelief at what we saw.
Through the dust we felt so helpless,
wishing that we could have known.
We hold our families close, as we watched them fall.

Some people didn’t waiver, they had a job to do.
There was nothing that could keep them away…

Oh, it’s a special kind of hero
who would sacrifice themselves – so I could spend another day with you.
And for all the fallen heroes who saved a life that day
your courage unites a nation, and we’ll remember you.

So many people crying, walking in a daze
holding pictures of their loved ones
through an empty haze.
Our Heroes didnt falter, they held out a helping hand
remembering their own children, as they rushed inside again.

They didnt waiver, they had a job to do
and some never made it home that day.

Oooh well remember you. We honor you, salute,
respect and cherish you.
Not many people can do the duty that
you knew on that cold September day.

Lyrics by Amy Matthew ASCAP 2008, music by Karen Mack from KAR Records – Here the song here: 

http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=6876965&q=hi&newref=1.

Counting numbers and objects isn’t a simple skill for a child to learn.  Counting involves enumerating units so that they arrive at a total number units.  It also involves giving stable, consistent meaning to each conventional counting word.

Insight into a preschoolers’ logical thinking has been a topic of research. Children’s cognitive tasks your child will encounter in his play involve counting and adding simple sums.

When counting several objects sitting on the floor a child may skip one of the objects; this is normal. The teacher or parent can help by touching the items as the child is counting to make sure he includes every object.

Sometimes a child will fail to match their numerical recitation to the objects they are counting such as when playing board games. They will begin moving their playing piece down the board at a different rate then they are counting.

Another common mistake a child will make when learning to count is using his words in a non-standard order such as “one, two, three, six, eight, ten”.  When they use one non-standard sequence one time and a completely different one the next time, they are not really counting.

To help child learn that numbers are in a certain order and adding a sum of objects must be counted in the correct order, wooden puzzles for kids are useful for teaching this skill.  Number puzzles that must be assembled in numeric order will show them how to acquire this skill.

For  instance, look at this 3d wooden puzzle.  It is a number puzzle that can only be assembled in order of 1-10. Each bunny has its own number and can be played with as a separate toy. But to assemble the puzzle it must be done in numeric order.

Educational toys such as wooden puzzles will help impress on a child that numbers have an order that must be followed in order to count correctly and can help them learn to include each and every piece.

Most 2 year olds start to count a group of objects and will miss some of the objects right away. By four years of age most children will be able to count about five objects accurately before they begin making errors.  Twenty objects will be counted correctly by the age of 5 only if the objects are not in disarray.

Therefore it is important to have several puzzles of varying difficulty levels as they are learning to recognize their numbers and counting objects.  Until a child grasps the idea that 1 is included in 2, 2 included in 3 and so on they will not be likely to be careful about counting each separate object only one time.

The bunny counting puzzle shown above measures 14″ x 4″ – large size that kids can easily handle. It is one inch thick and stands up by itself.  Give this toy to a child 3 years and up. See our other counting and alphabet puzzles on our website by clicking on the link in this article.

Children will use and develop fine motor skills and have fun with this Binocular craft and game. Explore nature and find exciting things in the park, zoo or your back yard.

Spending time in nature is a wonderful idea to help your kids develop their senses. Here is a craft idea you may like to try. I found this at: http://www.twigglemagazine.com/March-activities/binoculars-craft.html

Materials

• 2 toilet paper rolls
• Craft paper
• Crayons, markers, stickers
• Glue
• Scissors
• Yarn
• Directions:
• Cut a 2½ inch wide strip from craft paper lengthwise. Let children decorate the strip with crayons and stickers. Punch one hole at the end of each paper roll. Let children paint strip around the other end of the paper roll and let dry. Add glue to the middle of the paper rolls. Place strip colored side face down on the table. Place paper rolls one inch apart on the strip (see pic 1). Let dry. When dry, add glue to the strip (see pic 2) and wrap around the paper rolls. Place a book on the top to hold in place while drying. Thread a length of yarn through the holes to make a necklace for children to wear the binoculars.

 Tell children that they will be using their binoculars to look at specific objects inside the room or outside in nature. Encourage children to describe in detail what they see. Note: Instruct children not to walk while looking through the binoculars.

When it is time to come in and have quiet play-time offer your children one of our wooden kids toys featuring animals of the Rainforest, Sea or Dinosaurs.  Unique puzzle playsets are wonderful toddler learning toys for ages 3 up.

 Your kids will love the animal figures from the puzzles; each individual puzzle piece is an animal toy and will stand up by themselves.  Your children can play with the animal figures or fit them together as a puzzle while they sit at a table or on the floor.

 These are great educational children’s toys to open up exciting learning opportunities and can be a useful prop during their lessons.