7 Ways to Encourage Toddlers to Embrace their Natural Scientific Tendencies- Guest Post

Today is a Babywise Friendly Blog Network (BFBN) trade day!  I am over at Chronicles of a Babywise Mom today.  Twin naps.  Guys, they can be tough.  Getting one baby on a solid nap schedule is tough, two can be tougher.  I have outlined how I went about getting my girls on a solid nap schedule.  Trust me, all the efforts are worth it.

Today I have Katrina from Mama's Organized Chaos talking about one of my favorite things- kids and science!  You all know I think we need to be encouraging our little scientists.  Katrina is giving us some great tips about how to actually do that.

As always, be sure to check out all the BFBN ladies to see what they have to say!

-Kim

Why? Why? Why? Why?

This question probably sounds familiar if you have a young child! While it probably gets annoying at times to answer question after question, it is an amazing quality that children exhibit- curiosity! From birth, our babies are little scientists as they figure out how the world around them works. They may not know the word gravity yet, or what it means, but they test it's presence every day as they drop items on the floor, and even test jumping off of things themselves. Our babies don't know what adhesion, cohesion, and surface tension mean, but they certainly test the capabilities and properties of water as much as they can. They learn and they absorb so much knowledge through open play that allows them to explore their natural curiosities.

Why is the basic question of science, and our children are natural born scientists! Our children form hypotheses and test them without even knowing it! Our children are little observers, just as the best scientists are. I think it is so important to celebrate these natural tendencies, and encourage them to embrace these qualities. As parents this can be unknown territory, especially if you were not a fan of science. But, the reality, is that it is so easy to help our children embrace their natural scientific tendencies, and I bet you love science more than you realize (just maybe not that high school chemistry class) LOL!

As a scientist myself, I find it fascinating to watch as my toddler shows exceptional scientific qualities. I bet your little one exhibits these qualities, too! When I think about what it takes to be a good scientist, I come up with a handful of qualities. Does your toddler exhibit any of these?

- Notices details
- Enjoys making observations
- Is curious about the world around them and how things work
- Enjoys exploring
- Likes to be challenged
- Appreciates nature and loves being outside
- Attempts to solve problems

There are more qualities, of course, like being patient and determined and organized, but those things are for the adult scientists, and come with age.

I bet your child, if given the chance to show these qualities and behaviors, would exhibit at least 6 out of the 7 qualities mentioned, if not 7 of 7! The key, however, is allowing them to keep these natural tendencies of theirs, by encouraging the above behaviors. You don't have to love chemistry to help your child keep their scientific skills alive and thriving!

Here are 7 basic ways you can help your child embrace their natural scientific tendencies (without getting all pinteresty with science experiments):

1. Go outside and enjoy nature. Yes, you can go to the playground, but on the way there, take a walk and explore. Sit in the grass and watch the birds. Pick up rocks and sticks. Sit on the sidewalk and watch the ants crawling. Encourage free time outside that is exploration based.

2. Let your child get dirty. Allow them to interact with nature in an uninhibited way. Yes, supervise to make sure your 1.5 year old isn't eating rocks, but allow them the freedom to play in the mud and squash it between their fingers. Get your rain coats on and splash in the puddles. Children are learning so much when they have the freedom to get dirty! They might just find a worm, or a frog and start making observations! You never know what knowledge a little dirt will impart on your child!

3. Allow your child the freedom to solve their own problems. Try not to step in any time your child hits a roadblock. You can give suggestions and offer things to think about and to try, but don't just step in and solve the problem for them all the time. Let your child struggle a bit. The struggle of solving a problem can lead to amazing learning experiences, and your child will grow up knowing they are capable of figuring things out. I think this step is extra important in today's cell phone age where we have information at our hands in a moments notice. We need to start young and teach our children that they can't always look everything up. Sometimes they need to solve a problem on their own.

4. Encourage them to find answers to their questions. This ties right into the above idea of allowing our children to solve their own problems. When they ask us a question, it is easy to always answer it. Sometimes it's ok to ask them what they think the answer is, though! It is even better to give them a way to find the answer to their questions on their own. Help them break down the question by asking them questions that lead to the answer. For example, when my daughter asks "What is that noise?", I start by asking her what she thinks it is. If she doesn't know and says "Help please", I start asking her questions. I ask if it is inside or outside? Sometimes, after answering, this question is enough to get her to venture a guess, and most of the time she knows the answer! If she doesn't venture a guess, I "guess" and ask her to tell me if I'm right. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? At 2 she can often answer what it is right off the bat, and if not, she eliminates items with me as we determine what it is together.

5. Make observations and ask questions. As a parent it is important to model this behavior yourself. Talk with your child as you go about your daily life. Ask questions about the world, and make lots of observations. Try to be detailed. Make note of the big green frog, and talk about it! Talk about the spots on its back, and the sound it makes. So much more comes from that, as opposed to just saying "oh a frog" and being done with your observation. Note the details!

6. Provide independent play. Nothing fuels problem solving, exploration, and observations more than independent play. When you aren't right by your child's side, they are much more likely to attempt to solve their own problem, try things in different ways, look at things in a new light. It is not uncommon for children to default to their parents when they are around. They know that mom will come solve everything, so they don't bother to attempt. Pretend you are busy, or even better, establish a routine of independent play! Your child's ability to solve problems will sky rocket!

7. Allow creativity. Scientists think outside of the box. That's how problems get solved. But we need creative solutions in order to solve the creative problems of the world. So, while you teach your child to color in the lines, also show them that they can color outside the lines and even add their own drawings. Let them do things their way. Often times, you'll learn a little something from your child, and learning from our children is one of the many gifts they'll give us as parents!

Other Posts of Interest:

Let Your Toddler Get Dirty

Independent Play- Our Progression

Reviving Independent Play "Room Time"

8 Independent Table Activities for 2 Year Olds

My Little Outdoor Helper- 2 Years Old and Helping With Family Responsibilities

Play Categories to Include for Every Toddler/Child

Strong As a Mom- A STEM Loving Mom

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Katrina has a 2 year old daughter and blogs at Mama's Organized Chaos. She's a mama that breastfed, used cloth diapers, did sleep training, and loves Babywise!

Stop Fearing Math and Science (A plea to parents to help their children embrace the STEM fields)

Recently I saw an article discussing new ways to attract young people back to science.  While I think this is awesome- we totally need to bring youth back to science- it made me think.  Why are we pushing them away in the first place?  If you will excuse me, I'm going to jump on my science and math soap box.

It all starts with the parents.  We all know we can't tell our kids we hate vegetables or that exercising is the worst and then expect them to willing partake in them.  We can't tell them reading is the worst and expect them to be eager to pick up a book.  So why do we think it is okay to talk about how much we hate or hated math and science?  It doesn't make sense.  We as parents are huge influences in our children's lives, whether we all think so or not.  So step one: Stop talking about how much you hate math and science!  Just stop.  I don't want to hear Oh, I don't want to lie to my kids. One, you don't have to lie, just keep some things to yourself.  Two, almost everyone filters the truth to be appropriate for their kids.  Do you really tell your kids everything in explicit detail all the time?  Do you tell them all about your childhood trouble making?  Do you tell them what you and your spouse did last night (wink wink, nudge nudge.)  No, you probably don't.  You make sure you are passing on information in an age appropriate way.  I'm not saying you have to tell your toddler you love chemistry when you don't.  Just don't tell them all the reasons you think it's the worst and still have nightmares about it.  You can talk to a teenager about why you didn't like science class.  Sure, that kind of open conversation is fine.  But you can't tell a four year old you hate math and never use it.  They just aren't going to get the difference.  So, no saying you hate these things.

Step two: Stop being afraid to not know something.  This is a tough one.  I think this is where a lot of hatred and fear of math and especially science can come from.  No one wants to feel like they are stupid or just plain not in the know.  I get that.  The thing is, science is all about embracing what we don't know.  It's kind of the whole point.  You look at something and think- I don't know how that works.  But I would like to.  And bam, suddenly you are doing science.  Or something close to it.  Kids are naturally so curious about the world around them.  They are questioning everything.  Tell them the truth if you don't know why the sky is blue.  Who cares if you don't know?  Your kids certainly don't.  They want to know if you can help them find out the answer.  You know the advantage you have as an adult?  You have to resources to find that answer.  We have this amazing thing called the internet.  Look it up with your child!  Go to the library and find a book.  Find a friend who might know the answer.  Heck, email me and I will help and look it up for you.  Science is about asking questions and the search for answers, not just the answer itself.  Show your child how to look for information.  It's the whole 'teach a man to fish thing.'  Show them how to find answers for themselves and they will go far.  Do not feel bad if you don't know something you think you should know.  I think it is natural to want to avoid looking foolish.  But not knowing some facts does not make you unintelligent.  I remember taking biology and learning all about the Krebs cycle.  I am pretty sure I aced that test.  Do I remember any of it now?  No.  Does that mean I am stupid?  Of course not.  It just means this is not working knowledge I need to get through my life.  Very few people remember every fact they ever learned.  There is also the chance you never learned the fact in the first place.  Again, if it is not something that you need to function from day to day, why feel bad?  It doesn't mean you are dumb because you didn't seek out an answer you didn't need.  Our children need to see us admit we don't know something, but are able to learn something new.

Along with admitting you don't know something is step three: Stop saying you don't need math or science in real life.  You do and you use them.  Every. Single. Day.  You use them.  Ever cut slices of a cake?  You are making equal pieces out of a whole.  Guess what?  Fractions!  Ever scale up or down a recipe?  Ratios.  Want to decide if a coupon for one product makes it cheaper than another?  Percentages.  The kitchen alone is huge for science.  We mix and combine and chemical processes are taking place.  Have a job and pay bills?  You are using addition and subtraction.  (Probably more subtraction than we would like.)  The point is you do need these skills every single day.  It would be very hard to get through life without them.  So maybe they aren't your favorite things, but they are necessary to survive.  You might not need quantum physics every day, but guess what, you do use gravity.  Ever use a ramp or pulley system to aid in moving something?  Simple machines-physics.  Mixing paints to do an art project?  Glue drying and holding something together?  Chemistry.  You can't escape science and math, so stop trying.  If we admit how much of our lives involve these things they will become less scary,  They are not an 'other' that needs to be placed in their own category far away from everything else.  They are everywhere.

Let's try to remember STEM can be fun.  Read Shakespeare out loud in a monotone even cadence.  Pretty boring.  See it performed- suddenly it is amazing!  A simple recitation of dates and events can get dry.  Talk to someone who lived it an hear their real story?  History is as alive as ever.  Same thing with science and math.  We don't have to make it hard for ourselves.  You don't have to give formal math lessons to your kids, just let the numbers be.  They are all around us.  Let your kids help you count out silverware as you set the table.  Talk about cutting things in half.  Let them hear you adding up numbers.  You don't need to be in a lab to do science.  Let them look at different leaves as they change colors.  Set up a ramp and roll cars down.  Take a bath and look at what sinks or floats.  Observe birds as the fly around.  Just pay attention to the world and let your kids play.

A lot of confusion and uncertainty would disappear if we all stopped being afraid of science and math.  It is just life, people.  Literally- your bodies are full of biological and chemical processes.  So parents, lets all work on this and maybe we won't turn as many kids away from the STEM fields in the first place.  To recap- stop saying you hate STEM.  You might, but you aren't helping your children by telling them this too much.  Keep your opinion to yourself.  Honestly, maybe if you rediscover these things with your kids you will like them more.  Aren't most things more interesting when we see how much our children enjoy them?  Admit you don't know things.  There aren't any tests here!  Who cares what you know or don't know?  STEM is all about not knowing and looking for answers.  The journey is as important as the finish line.  Seriously, we all want our kids to learn to be problem solvers.  See a problem, think of possible reasons why it is happening.  Think of ways to solve it.  Implement said solution to test it out.  Learn and either try again or move on.  Sounds a lot like the scientific method to me.  If your kids see you eager to learn they will be eager to learn.  If they see you question the world they will question it.  If they see you not afraid to make a mistake they won't be afraid to try.  You get to teach them how to find good sources and be their own judge of information.  (Smart in this day of alternative facts.)  Admit that STEM is everywhere.  You are not escaping it.  It is not just not part of your life.  It is your life.


I am not trying to offend anyone with this, even though I know it is kind of a rant.  I'm sorry if I did.  I just passionately feel that STEM is all around and a part of daily life.  It isn't just for an elite few who work on the super hard problems and cutting edge technology.  It is for everyone.  I want to do everything I can to help kids and adults embrace math and science.  So I am completely serious- if you come across a science or math question you can't answer for your kids email me at teamcartwrightblog@gmail.com.  I can't promise perfection, but I will do everything I can to at least point you in the right direction to find the answer.  And remember parents- it is about the process, not just the answer.

-Kim

Wonder Weeks Without the Stress

I remember discovering The Wonder Weeks (aff) when Ben was a baby.  I was of course googling everything I could on how to raise a baby- how to get them to sleep, how to form a schedule, what to do with them while they were awake.  Specifically I was curious how babies learn and perceive the world around them.  I, like most people with babies, found this sort of development fascinating and wanted to use this information to help my baby.  I was at first thrilled to find a reference that outlined specific leaps my baby would make and told me what they were experiencing.  I read a bit more and found graphics which visually showed me what to expect from my child. The thing is- there were a a lot of 'stormy periods' on these charts.  Like a whole lot.  Like my child's first year of life was going to be one long fuss fest. I was not excited about that.

Let's back up a moment.  What are the Wonder Weeks?  Simply stated these are times in your baby's life in which they are making huge strides in mental development.  Dr. Plooij developed the book.  He began his career studying chimpanzee mothers and babies.  After spending time cataloging behavior he found that the babies tended to follow a similar pattern of development, marked by sudden clingy behavior- regression- and then more independence- development.  Later Dr. Plooij started looking at these patterns in human mothers and babies.  He found a pattern of ten distinct times mental leaps were made.  He was able to use his data to find a timeline that many babies follow in this development, which became the wonder weeks. (reference)

Back to my experience with them.  I started following the weeks and saw when my son was supposed to be fussy.  Sure enough, if I saw that he was supposed to be cranky I saw all sorts of cranky behavior.  Then there were times when I looked at the chart and saw that he was supposed to be happy and he still had fussy times.  This was very depressing to me.  If he was crying during a 'sunny period' how bad would it get during the stormy periods?  At one point I stopped looking at the weeks as obsessively and noticed a drop in fussy behavior.  After a particularly sunny time I looked at the charts again and saw my son had supposedly just gone through a very rough period.  This was not what I observed.  I started to wonder if I was putting my own bias onto the wonder weeks- seeing behavior because I thought I was supposed to.

I found using the weeks added more stress to my life.  When I thought there would be fussy behaviors I saw fussy behaviors.  When I didn't focus on these behaviors I found them to be less noticeable and easier to handle.  So I stopped looking at the weeks.  If I was going through a particularly trying period with Ben I would glance at the leaps.  If they lined up it offered me the type of 'you're not crazy' reassurances I was needing. 

These discrepancies got me thinking.  Why do some babies follow the Wonder Weeks perfectly and others seem not to?  Why do some mothers notice it aligns better with the baby's birth date, not due date as the book suggests?  Does this mean the wonder weeks aren't legit?  Not necessarily.  I looked in to how this data was gathered.  Dr. Plooij used, at least at the start, self reported results from a group of mothers with young babies.  This is fine, but there are some inherit biases in self reported data.  People can over exaggerate what they see, or they can minimize effects.  This makes sense- we as humans report events tinged with what we feel about them.  So not every baby will got through the same experiences to the same degree.  As with any research of this sort, it is taking observations from a relatively small group, the ones Dr. Plooij observed, and applying it to a relatively large group, babies everywhere.  That means you are more likely to find outliers.  You can think about it this way.  If you were to observe a group of people you might find that they wake up and eat breakfast right away.  It can be safe to assume most people behave that way.  But as the group observed gets bigger, you might see people who work out before breakfast, or people who eat breakfast at work, or even people who skip breakfast all together.  Your original prediction for an unknown person that they will wake up and eat breakfast isn't wrong.  But as you look at more and more people, you will find more variations in the behavior.  Translated to the Wonder Weeks, this means it is a reasonable assumption that most babies will follow this pattern of behaviors, but it does not mean every baby will act the same way.  Some babies will hit leaps hard and display the typical behavior the book outlines.  Others will skate on through without you even knowing something changed.  Neither is a wrong way to grow or develop.  We have to remember that babies aren't robots.  They are all different.  Even identical twins might not exhibit the same reactions to their growing awareness of the world.

I think a big part of how children learn and grow is also how we as parents handle the behaviors displayed.  I know some mothers swear by the weeks.  They line up perfectly and their babies react in a textbook manner to them.  The weeks give them a sense of understanding and control enabling them to show patience and grace when dealing with their children.  That is great.  If these weeks work for you, I think that is wonderful.  But if you are like me and find them to add more stress to your life, I think you can safely put the information aside. Don't get me wrong, knowing the why behind how our children act can be so important.   Anything that helps us get through the tough early years of motherhood is beneficial.  But if you are like me and it created a sense of dread, then it isn't helpful.  I don't like that implication that I get from reading some websites that ignoring these weeks will somehow harm your child's development.  This book first came out in 1992.  Babies have been making mental developments long before then and before this book became mainstream.  You aren't going to limit your child's mental growth if you do not do specific exercises with them at just the right times.  You also aren't being a bad mom if you either aren't aware of the weeks or opt to not follow them closely.

The key takeaway I got is that these developments can understandably rock our children's worlds.  It makes sense that babies might get clingy, confused, or upset as they learn new things.  I find being told my baby will be fussy and clingy for long periods of time unhelpful.  But, as I said, if I am at a loss I will double check to see if a leap is going on.  This lets me know it isn't anything I am doing wrong as a parent, it is the developments my children are making.  Babies will make the leaps regardless of whether we know about them or not.  We should aim to be understanding and patient with our babies needs regardless of whether they are making a leap or not.  If this information is helpful for you- use it.  If, like me, it causes you more stress- ignore it.  You aren't hurting your kids by not stressing the leaps yourself.

You can check out the Wonder Weeks site for yourself to best decide if and how you want to use this information.

I have also put together a little no-stress cheat sheet.  It has the approximate timing of the leaps and the general development that is taking place.  What it doesn't have is if your child should be fussy or for how long cranky behaviors might last.  This is just meant as a quick guide to tuck into your notes to pull out when your child is acting out of sorts and you have gone through all your other reasoning for the behavior.  You can pull it out, see if it is a wonder week, and know that everything is developing as normal.  Or you can just keep an eye on what your child is experiencing without the details on potential fussy times.





-Kim

"Mommy, you need to smile." Empathy Developments

"You need to smile.  Mommy, you need to smile.  Smile at me."

This is something I have been hearing more and more of around the house.  I know it can be annoying as a woman to be told you need to smile more, but these statements from my three year old son are really telling to me.

I am fascinated by how much my son is noticing how other people feel!  He has been recognizing his feelings for some time now.  We explored feeling sad heavily back when we were in the process of moving.  It was hard for Ben to be away from his daddy for so long.  Plus I was super  busy with getting everything ready to move and taking care of his sisters, who were only six months old.  He wasn't having a ton of focused attention, and frankly not a lot of fun times.  He felt the stress of the situation and was able to verbally tell me he was sad.  We spent a lot of time talking about feeling sad, and how sometimes that happens.  Then we would think of ways to feel better.

Since then Ben has been making a lot of strides in explaining how he feels.  He is great at identifying when he feels happy, sad, frustrated, angry, and scared.  We talk about how he feels, why he feels that way, and I try to focus on sitting with those feelings.  Of course sitting in general is tough when you are a three year old boy.  We take a moment to explore how he is feeling.  We also talk about what are okay ways to express those feelings.  We can use words to explain how we feel.  We can ask for a hug if we are sad.  We can hit a pillow if we are angry.  That sort of thing.  Generally our conversations end with Ben saying he feels better, which works for right now.

But lately, Ben has been taking his focus outward.  When Ali or Sammy cry Ben will tell me that they are unhappy.  It is so cute to hear him say, "Uh oh, a sister is sad."  I don't want him to think that making his sisters happy is his job, but I am impressed that he is noticing their feelings!  Even more so, he is noticing my feelings.  Like all moms I don't want to take my negative feelings out on my kids.  I do think it is good for them to see me having real emotions though.  I don't overreact in front of them (at least I try not to), but I do express my feelings.  Ben has started to see when I am unhappy or frustrated.  He will run up to me and tell me to 'take a step back and ask for help' when I am frustrated.  (Thank you Daniel Tiger.)  He has also started to see when I am unhappy about something, and reminds me to smile.

Over time, like really over time as in many years, I hope he learns that it is okay to feel however you feel.  I don't want him to feel pressured to be happy all the time.  I think that is unrealistic and frankly a lot of pressure.  It is okay to not be happy.  But I love that when he sees someone unhappy he wants to make them feel better.  It is a big step to recognize feelings in others, and to try to do something in response to it.  This is how empathy is grown.  And we can all use a little empathy in life.

-Kim

This article from Scholastic has an easy to understand break down of where kids are in terms of developing empathy by age.  

Activities your preschooler and baby can enjoy together

You know how it goes.  Your preschooler wants to play with you, but your baby is sitting up, crawling, maybe even walking, and wanting to be a part of the action.  If you have more than one child (and not through having multiples) you have gone through the phase when you need an activity for your older child, but your younger child isn't as content to just sit and watch anymore.  This can be made more challenging when your baby is in the get-into-everything phase, and still putting everything in her mouth.  It is one thing to set them up with two different things to do, but sometimes you only want to deal with one set of toys, one activity, one focus.  Plus it would be nice to foster a little sibling play.  Here are 10 activities you can do with no or minimal set up that foster development and fun for toddlers, preschoolers, and older babies.

Take a walk.  Little kids and babies all love to be outside.  Wear your baby or put her in the stroller.  Grab your older child and off you go.  Talk about what you see, what you feel, what you smell.  Use all the senses you can.  The movement will keep your baby happy, your older child can run around a bit, and you get some exercise too.

Read a book.  Any time I read to my older child my younger ones come crawling over to hear the story.  All kids benefit from hearing stories read out loud.  The baby might need some toys to play with while they listen, but they can do that while you read.  If your older child is interested, have them 'read' to the baby.  They will like feeling like the teacher to the younger child, and the younger child will love that big sibling is paying attention to them.  Bonus to this it could carry on as the kids get older, creating a great sibling bonding tradition.

Have a dance party.  My kids have had some sweet moves since they were very young, and none of them can resist a good beat.  Big kids love to dance and run to the music, little ones like to wiggle and hear it too.  Music boosts brain development.  Make a play list of preschool songs with motions in them to practice some gross motor skills, or just groove to your favorite songs.

Make a blanket jump.  Take some blankets, pillows, or towels and toss them around the floor.  Have the older child jump from blanket to blanket a la the floor is lava.  This gets lots of energy out and works gross motor skills.  Mobile babies will enjoy crawling from blanket to blanket to mimic their sibling, also getting some energy out.  The different textures work as sensory play.  You can can customize the theme of this to match your child's interests.  Jump from meteor to meteor in space, use lily pads in a pond, be monkeys in treetops, and of course the lava standby.

Start a pots and pans band.  Grab your pots and pans and some wooden spoons and go to town.  Your older child can practice mimicking rhythms with you.  They can count out beats.  They can also compare different sounds from different size pots.  Your baby can just enjoy making big noises.  They can turn the pots over and practice putting things in and out of the pot.  I've seen wooden spoons used for teething toys, so this could be a good one during those tough times.

Play with blocks.  Regular blocks, Mega Bloks, shoe boxes, it doesn't matter what the blocks are, just let them build.  Older children can practice stacking, working on hand eye coordination.  With Mega Bloks you can talk about same vs. different concepts.  You can practice identifying some colors and counting.  You can work in imaginative play by building castles or barns or houses, whatever your child is into.  Babies can work on hand eye coordination with basic stacking and grabbing of blocks.  For a bonus interaction, encourage your older child to build a tower and let baby knock it down.  Both children will be practicing cause and effect skills, while also focusing on patience as they wait for the tower to be built and then knocked down.

Race cars down a ramp.  Grab a box or stiff poster board and make a ramp for cars to drive down.  Older children can compare different size cars as they go down the ramp. They can try to use different levels of force to push them down.  Babies can either hang out at the base and try to catch the cars, or they can sit at the top of the ramp and push them down themselves.  They will practice hand eye coordination and releasing objects on purpose.  Both age levels will reinforce cause and effect ideas.  They will be seeing how the natural world works in terms of gravity and acceleration.  It can also be an exercise in taking turns.

Do yogurt painting.  This is a messy one.  Get some yogurt, add a little food coloring (or not, your choice), and go to town finger painting!  The big benefit of the yogurt is of course that babies can get in their mouths without you worrying too much.  Older kids can see how colors can combine to form new ones.  They can paint on paper or just on plate that they rinse off and start over with.  Babies can smear it all around the tray of their high chair.  This is great sensory play for both ages, and a lot of fun.  Plan this one for before bath time though.

Play kitchen.  Have your older child make play food for you and baby.  Baby is going to put everything in their mouth anyway, so they will really be in character.  You and your littlest can sit at a restaurant while your older child plays waiter and chef.  Talk about healthy eating while practicing handing play food back and forth with baby.  Point out colors, shapes, practice counting.  Baby can eat and make a mess.

Create an obstacle course.  This one sounds  like you need a big house or something, but you don't.  Put a blanket over a coffee table to make a short tunnel.  Put a chair out to climb over.  Throw down some pillows to zig zag around.  This will help your older child burn off some energy while practicing gross motor skills.  Baby can enjoy playing in the tunnel and crawling around the objects.  Just changing the lay of the land challenges how they think about the world around them.

This list is just a jumping off point.  What are some of your favorite ways to foster play between your preschooler and baby sibling?

-Kim