Cognitive Development
Today marks 106 years since the birth of Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. Dr Seuss. Even if you haven’t fallen in love with Dr Seuss’s works themselves, you’ve probably loved classics that follow the style he made popular. That style is marked by imaginative characters and settings, bold colors, rhymes that trip the tongue and made-up words. In conjunction with Dr Seuss’s birthday, the National Education Association has developed an initiative to encourage reading called National Read Across America Day. {Last year, Aaron Nigel Smith joined in the celebrations to inspire young readers.} This year, to celebrate both, we are having a wild Dr. Seuss birthday party!
Sammi has been so excited to have a birthday party. We’ve read Dr Seuss books and she and Elli have been heard around the house belting out “Happy Birthday to You.” It has really helped her and Elli establish the pattern of birthday parties and their preparations. We were able to borrow a box of Dr Seuss themed decorations from the library as well as a few more books. Here’s a peak at what we’re preparing:
We’ve invited tons of friends to celebrate with us. Each family is bringing their favorite Dr Seuss book along with a treat/drink/craft that is inspired by their favorite book. I’m making meatballs inspired by the GUFF going by in Oh, the Thinks You can Think! I asked a dear friend to bring her Oobleck cupcakes that she debuted at her son’s birthday party (which inspired a lot of what I hoped to do for this party.) She graciously shared her yummy recipe, too, so you can whip up a batch of these little cupcakes today to celebrate!
Oobleck Cupcakes
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 egg whites from large eggs
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Green Food coloring
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, shortening, milk and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Mix at low speed for 2 minutes. Scrape bowl. Add egg whites and mix at high speed until fluffy and smooth, approximately 2 minutes. add food coloring.
- Fill liners 1/2 to 2/3 full of batter. Do not overfill. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool 10 minutes in pans then remove from pan, and place on wire racks to cool completely.
- Frost
Vanilla Buttercream frosting
16 ounce(s) marshmallow cream
1 1/2 cup(s) butter softened
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1/2 cup(s) confectioners’ sugar (more if necessary)
Beat the marshmallow cream using an electric mixer set on low. Add the butter (in 1-inch pieces) and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla extract, and confectioners’ sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, and continue to beat on medium-high until smooth and fluffy. Add more sugar to adjust texture.
So, grab a Dr Seuss book, or any favorite, and sit down with your little one today and read, read, read!
What book has inspired you to read, either for yourself or with your little one?
Brent came home early from school the other day with the brilliant idea to take the girls on a nature hunt. We drove to the start of a trail that would take us through two covered bridges and a tunnel. When we parked the car, we asked the girls to look around outside and help us make a list of the things we might see on our nature walk. With our list in hand, and a camera in each girl’s hand, we set out to find everything on our list.
Our list: We added to it as we saw new things like the water and little rocks
After looking at all the pictures, which item on our list did we NOT find? There was only one.
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Today we are sharing our family’s favorite Dr Seuss books as part of Feed Me Books Friday hosted by The Adventure of Motherhood. Check out the other posts today about Dr Seuss books!
My Fave Dr Seuss Book:
I Can Read With My Eyes Closed
We’ve read this one so many times, I literally can read it with my eyes closed! I was a bit hesitant the first time I read this book because I thought it would downplay “reading” and upplay imagination. But I was wrong, gratefully. It’s actually about how important it is to keep yours eyes open to read and observe the world around you. My favorite line is “And when I keep them open I can read with much more speed. You’ve got to be a speedy reader cause there’s oh so much to read.” We’ve worn our copy of this book almost completely out.
Brent’s Fave Dr Seuss Book:
Sneetches and Other Stories
Brent loves to read the Sneetches story to the girls at bedtime. At first I thought it was a little long for a bedtime story, but now that I’m more familiar with it, it goes rather quickly. I think Brent really likes the rhythm of this book’s rhymes and he kind of sings the words in a bouncy voice. He also likes the message of the Sneetches lesson, that we are all the same no matter out outsides and we can live in happiness and peace together. But we do always wonder with the Sneetches without stars upon thars never had their own frankfurter parties. Some mysteries are left unexplained, I guess.
Sammi’s Fave Dr Seuss Book:
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Sammi requests this one quite often. It’s another one I can almost read with my eyes shut. It doesn’t have a single storyline, rather each couple of pages work together around the same characters or topics. The lack of a coherent story is kind of difficult for me, but it does have some pages we quite love and quote often. For example, one page counts the fingers on Ned and he has eleven. Our quotable line is “Eleven, this is something new. I wish I had eleven, too!”
Elli’s Fave Dr Seuss Book:
Sleep Book
Yes, at 18 months Elli has a fave Dr Seuss book and it is indeed The Sleep Book. It’s kind of a long book so I usually read the first few pages (which are the best, in my opinion) and then read a couple out of the middle and then the last three pages. I’m not sure why Elli likes this book so much. We tried reading it to Sammi for ages before she showed any interest in it. But it’s a regular now at bedtime. My favorite line is “And people are gradually starting to say, ‘I feel rather drowsy. I’ve had quite a day.’” That’s exactly how I feel at the end of most days.
My Least Fave Dr Seuss Book:
The Cat in the Hat
I’m not fond of this one in the least. The poor kids are totally overwhelmed by the cat and then the poor cat is totally rejected by the kids. When I read it, all I can think about is the experiences of the characters on an emotional level. I think Dr Seuss definitely improved over his career. I haven’t read The Cat Comes Back. Maybe I should give it a try. But I’m not entirely motivated to. Maybe if it shows up on my doorstep, I’ll give it a go. But for now we’ll stick with our favorites.
What are your family’s favorite Dr Seuss books?
…A bookshelf full of age appropriate books for all members of the household.
This one takes a bit of background so please bear with me! I am an only child. I read and read and read all throughout my childhood. Books were my escape from hours of endless boredom. I always told people that I would have a dozen or so children so that no one would ever be bored at my house. Fast forward to my present situation: stay-at-home mom of two children. I’m trying to figure out the whole sibling relationship thing right along side my daughters.
Whenever there are squabbles that don’t die down or when the girls are so emotionally charged, my coping skill is to scoop them up and read them a book. Books have become a neutral ground for us. The girls always come together over a book. I can read them a book, sometimes two, and they are ready to play together again. When my mom was here, she used the same coping skill! It cracked me up to hear her over crying girls, “Come here and I’ll read you a book.” And it works like a charm.
The benefits of early exposure to books is astounding to me. Literature is such a powerful way for parents to connect with children, for children to connect with each other and for families to come together. To help each family secure the benefits of literacy and reading habits, I’d like to see each family have a bookshelf in their home full of books just right for the ages of all members of the family.
My Book Picks By Age
Ages: 0-2
Five Little Ducks
We love this book because it takes the familiar song and changed up each of the verses so ti’s not so redundant. My favorite is the ending because the mother duck goes out to look for her ducklings and they all come back to her. Sometimes when we sing the song we sing this ending instead of the daddy duck version. Makes me feel better 
I love Dan Yaccarino’s illustrations and have enjoyed any book I’ve seen illustrated by him.
Love and Kisses
We love this book. We bought it from the library a couple of years ago and the girls have read it completely to pieces. I’m actually buying it again because we’ve enjoyed it so much. It’s all about the circle of giving love and how that love always comes back around to you. It has cute illustrations and lots of animals. We practice our animal sounds as we read it so it’s interactive. Elli is currently enthralled with the little frog and stops on that page every time we read it!
Ages: 2-5
Good Night, Gorilla
This is such a cute bedtime book. The gorilla has so much personality and the ending is adorable. We love the zoo so this book is a great way to remember and revisit the zoo as often as we like. For the longest time, Sammi said “granilla” instead of “gorilla.” I tried to explain it to her, but she was determined she was saying it correctly. It was pretty cute and we got lots of great smiles whenever she told people how much she liked the granillas at the zoo.
Where the Wild Things Are
This book took us a little bit to fall in love with. But once Sammi let me read it all the way through, she was hooked. My favorite part is when Max is lonely and wants to go where someone loves him best of all. I asked Sammi who would love Max best of all and she shouted, “His Mommy!” We include that in every reading now. I just love the imagery of Sendak’s language because it is beautiful but still accessible to little ones. We also loved the movie. Sammi wasn’t scared at all. In fact, it helped her resolve some of her own fears and emotional outbursts. I think it’s just about time to see it again!
Ages: Elementary School
Charlotte’s Web
Sammi and I read this book when she was two. I read it to her every morning at breakfast. It took us a few months to finish, but she stuck with it. She really enjoyed what she got out of it. We saw a real baby white pig, just like Wilbur and that was very exciting to her. I remember reading this book with my mom when I was in elementary school and just loved it, too. It’s a great read-aloud book as well as an individual read.
Ages: Junior High/Middle School
The Wednesday Wars
This book was a Newberry Award honor book in 2008. I really enjoyed the flow of the book as well as the storyline. It covers a lot of issues experienced by junior high/middle school students with humor and depth. It’s the story of a boy and his journey of self-discovery. I think it appeals to boys because of the main character and his boyish interests, but it’s well written and would still be a good read for a girl.
Ages High School
The Outlaws of Sherwood
I love Robin McKinley’s ability to retell classic stories. She is an amazing storyteller and can weave the very essence of the characters, plot, twists and triumphs into the pages the book is printed on. I never fail to lose myself in one of her books. My all time favorite is Beauty
For Grown Ups
The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
This book is an inspiration for reading with your family. Aside from outlining the benefits of reading aloud, he gives great examples of how to make it work for different ages and different situations. I love that he encourages all people, whatever their level to start today to read with their family members. I had a cool experience with this idea one day at the library. There was a mom sitting on the floor with her two children, one of whom was on her lap. She was reading them a book. She was stumbling over some of the words and I could tell she was out of her comfort zone to be reading aloud to her little ones, especially in public. But, her children were so engrossed in what she was reading, it didn’t even matter. It was obvious they loved listening to their mom read out loud to them. As parents, we have a connection with our children that enables us to step outside our comfort zones and do things with and for our little ones because they have no judgment. They are 100% accepting and embracing. I so appreciate that!
So that’s my list! The books I’d love to see every family be able to own and a bookshelf to put them on. Sorry it was so long. I hope you made it this far This post is part of Adventure Mom Janna’s Feed Me Books Friday. Check out the other books moms are sharing.
What would you love to see in every home?
While at Blissdom last week I picked up a few of ice cream bowls from Blue Bunny, one of the sponsors. The bowls change colors when they get cold. They turn blue, of course! Well, I had some ice cream last night and left my bowl on the table. When I woke up this morning, it was still blue! I get I keep the heat pretty low (it’s set at 55 pretty much constantly!)
On a side note, they were handing out samples of Double Strawberry Aspen® Frozen Yogurt Granola Bars. They were so yummy and the girls gobbled their up in a flash. I think I’ll get more of these with the coupon they gave us!
40 Amazing Facts About Babies
I wanted to share an article with you that I found to be rather interesting. 40 Truly Amazing Facts About Babies contains all kinds of nuggets about babies’ amazing bodies. Here are a few of the facts included in the list:
No Kneecaps : On birth, babies do not have kneecaps. Rather they have a structure of cartilage that resembles kneecaps. They usually don’t develop them fully until after six months. Most seen on babies who “army crawl” instead of doing it on all fours.
What A Load : The heaviest baby ever born was a boy who weighed 22 pounds, eight ounces. He was born in Italy in 1955. To summarize, it isn’t highly unusual for a one year old baby to weigh 22 pounds.
Triple Take : At the end of the first year, your baby’s weight will have tripled. That means if they were born at ten pounds, at their first year they will weight around 30, give or take.
Motherhood Makes You Smarter : Pregnancy can take a toll on a woman’s body, but it can also help. A Pulitzer Prize winning reporter discusses her findings on how women improve perception, efficiency, resiliency, motivation, and emotional intelligence. The detailed article has more.
What amazes you most about your little one?
I am amazed by how well little ones understand numbers. I have been fascinated as I’ve watched Sammi develop an understanding of numbers and counting. Her spontaneous learning of numbers and counting is one of the reasons why I consider homeschooling on an almost daily basis. We talk about numbers at the most random times, like the breakfast table, a public restroom or the car. Wonderful opportunities for learning that can’t be planned or shoved into a classroom setting. [end soapbox]
This post is inspired by my mom’s visit. She has been here a week already and has another week left. Sammi, who adores her grandma, has fretted since the second day of her visit that she would be leaving any day. Sammi asks every morning if this is Grandma’s last day. Since it’s hard still for her to grasp the concept of a week, my mom thought of making a countdown chain for her so she could see how many days are left. It was also a way to prepare Sammi for Grandma’s departure so that it wasn’t a shock to her on the day that Grandma actually leaves. I was skeptical at first because I didn’t think it was very upbeat to count down the days till Grandma leaves, especially not right in front of her! But it has worked out well for Sammi. She has stopped asking and now runs to count the links on the chain to see how many days are left.
Learning Numbers
Little ones as young as 19 months are beginning to use numbers. They start by understanding the concept of more and then move to saying actual numbers in fingerplays and such. As they have more experience with numbers and counting, they begin to imitate counting at around 2 years. They also show an understanding of “one” and “one more” about this time. Then, around 2 1/2 to 3 years they start counting numbers in order. I remember Sammi got really good at the number one. She always acknowledged objects around her that were in the quantity of one. Then she moved on the the number two. She spotted two of a kind every where we went. It was about this time that she also started to understand the question “How old are you?” and could respond with her age, and favorite number, two. As she turned three, she fell in love with that number and could quickly find groups of three all around her.
I find it interesting that her progression through numbers has matched her age. Though now, at 3 1/2 she’s also got a handle on the numbers four and five. Elli is just starting to get the number one. I love to help her show 1 finger when people ask her how old she is. She doesn’t get it quite yet, but it certainly is cute to see her hold one finger up.
In addition to counting up, children (eventually) need to be able to count down in order to do simple math functions like subtracting. One easy way to introduce counting up and down is with songs. Music is a great way to help turn skills or knowledge into a game. Information can also be easier to remember when it’s set to the rhythm and melody of a song. Here are some great songs and variations for introducing numbers to little ones.
Number Songs and Variations
- 1 Little, 2 Little, 3 Little “Indians”—we sings “girls-dancing,” “books-in the library,” “toddlers-jumping,” “babies-sleeping,” “trucks-vrooming” (Count up and then count from 10 back down to 1)
- Wheels on the Bus—”1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Begin again. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10″ (Shows counting up)
- 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (Shows counting down)
- 5 Little Ducks (Shows counting down)
- 5 Little Speckled Frogs (Shows counting down)
While we don’t want to expect our little ones to fully grasp the concept of numbers and counting up or down just because we sing these songs, it is a fun way to expose them to these concepts. It’s also one of those magical parenting moments when you see the light bulb go off when the concept of 5 clicks with the 5 Little Speckled Frogs one random day.
What’s your little one’s favorite number?
One day Elli invented a new game. I don’t remember it evolving from any patterns or previous games. I can’t even think of where she might have gotten the idea. As far as I can tell, it’s all her own and she definitely owns it!
After I change her diaper, I usually stand her up on the changing table to pick her up. One day when she was facing me she held up her hand for me to kiss. So I kissed her hand. Then she held up the other hand for me to kiss. So I kissed it. Then, without warning, she planted both hands firmly on my the upper part of my chest, like you see in the picture. It startled me so much I almost lost my balance!
She has repeated this game for over a week now. She absolutely loves it and giggles the whole time. I keep wondering where she came up with the idea. I guess I may never know. But I do know that it’s so fun to interact with her in a game that she initiates. I feel like the child waiting with excitement to see what the next part of the game will be. Elli’s the parent patiently teaching me what to do, like when I first didn’t realized I was supposed to kiss her hand and she nearly smacked my lips so I’d get it.
What games have your little ones invented that you had to learn?
I love words. When I read, I am driven by the words on the page. As fast as I can absorb the words determines how quickly I turn the pages. This is fine for reading grown up books with few or no illustrations, but I tend to carry this over into my reading with the girls. I’ve really had to work at slowing down and looking at the pictures with them and answering the random questions that arise, entirely unrelated to the storyline, because of the illustrations. Even when I am trying consciously to allow time for studying the pictures, I still get caught up in the words. For this reason I now LOVE Chicken and Cat Clean Up.
Chicken and Cat Clean Up came to us from Scholastic for review. When Sammi first pulled it from the pile and wanted me to read it, I expected your typical picture book. But I was surprised when I opened the book and there were no words to read. I turned to the next page to see if there were words. None. I turned the page again. Hmmm. I was at a lost. So I went back to the beginning to figure out how to “read” this book to Sammi. But, Sammi’s observations and imagination came through to make this book a big hit.
We poured over the pictures on each page and looked for all the details that would help us understand the story. There is a little bit of print throughout the book, but almost all of it can be figured out through the illustrations. After we went through the book a couple of times, Sammi went off to her baby dolls to tell them the story over and over again. Then it occurred to me that this book was perfect for developing the early literacy narrative skill.
Storytelling is a part of developing literacy. When little ones understand the structure of stories, that they have a beginning, a middle and an end, they are better able to process the meaning of the words in the story. Retelling stories, or even making up their own, is great practice in developing literacy skills. I love to watch Sammi, and now Elli too, sit with a book and turn the pages as they retell the story to each other and their dolls. Sammi even has mastered holding the book facing away from her and “reading” it from the side. Elli is great at holding up the book and showing off the page to the whole room before turning the page and looking at the book herself again.
So, back to Chicken and Cat Clean Up. The illustrations are engaging, simple, but full of detail. The story is a bit of a page turner because you just wonder if it really could get any worse for poor Cat and then the ending is charming. I like this book not only for its strength in helping kids develop narrative skills necessary for literacy, but also because it created the opportunity for me to forget the words and lose myself in the illustrations. It really helped me experience literature from my little ones’ perspective; to remember what books are like when you can’t read; and how much joy there can be in that experience.
Use the code SSVDAY at Scholastic to receive 20% and free shipping if your order is $25 or more. This code is valid until Feb 1 (that’s Tuesday already!) This post is part of the Winter Wonderland Carnival. If you haven’t already, you can enter to win one of our great prizes from our fabulous sponsors. Please visit Join the Winter Wonderland and leave a comment. For an additional entry, you can also leave a comment on this post. We’ve also added this post to Adventu1re Mom Janna’s Feed Me Books Friday. Please visit to find other books to share with little ones!
What is your favorite story that you’ve heard your little one tell? What is your favorite story to tell you little one?
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One of our favorite winter activities has been curling up on the couch with a blanket and a stack of books to read. Sammi has definitely moved into longer picture books. I’ve been surprised at how long Elli also sits still on my lap and listens as I read these long books.
We received a few more books from Scholastic in the fall to review. Sammi’s instant favorite was from the series Adventures with Riley and is called the Polar Bear Puzzle. The first time we looked at it I thought it was going to be a flop. It’s a fictional story with nonfiction facts dotting the pages and running through the storyline. I didn’t think Sammi would like the length of the story. Boy was I wrong on all counts!
She loved learning about polar bears. She loved the storyline and the mixed media illustrations. After we read the book, she poured over each page remembering what information went with each picture. If she couldn’t exactly remember, she’d have me read it again, but then she went back to exploring the book on her own. She has carried that book around the house, to the store and even to bed on occasion for the last few months. I really am surprised that she picked such a sophisticated book to love.
That’s a credit to the book, I think. It took a difficult concept—global warming and its effects on the polar bear population—and made it come to life for Sammi. It’s been great to reinforce the winter season by talking about animals that depend on the cold weather as part of their life cycle.
Another book we received from Scholastic that has been a lot of fun for the girls is Marsupials by Nic Bishop
This post is part of Winter Wonderland. If you haven’t already, please enter to win one of the great prizes from our sponsors. Just leave a comment on Join the Winter Wonderland. For an additional entry, you can leave a comment on this post, too.
What books has your little one loved that surprised you?
On those crazy days where it’s blizzarding, thundering or just plain blustery, it’s necessary to have an energetic outlet for little ones. Music seems to be the number one solution I hear from parents to help their kids get the wiggles out. A close second for me is playing dress up.
I love dress up because it appeals to boys and girls equally. We’ve had so many boys over to play and they love getting into the clown outfits that were handed down to us from Brent’s childhood. They even like to accessorize with capes, boots and hats. Sammi loves these outfits just as much. In fact, we ended up at storytime at the library one day with her in one of the clown outfits. She was so insistent and I just didn’t have the heart to say no! Here’s a fun video of Sammi and a friend dressing up as clown super heroes. Just too cute!
They sure expended a lot of energy together and were more than ready for bedtime! The cape Sammi is wearing in that video has recently become her Snow White cloak. Sometimes the red cape Jack is wearing becomes a Little Red Riding Hood cape. I love how versatile the cape is in a dress up box. It’s a foundational piece, in my opinion, and belongs in every dress up box! It’s also super easy to make.
How to Make a Dress-Up Cape
- Cut one square of fabric 45 in x 25 in. Cut another strip of fabric of the same or contrasting fabric 45 in x 4 in.
- Hem the sides and bottom of the square piece of fabric.
- Using your sewing machine’s longest stitch setting, sew a running stitch across the (unhemmed) top of the square. You can sew a second line a little farther in the give the gather some stability.
- Mark the center with a safety pin. Gather the square using the running stitches you just sewed. Gather until the fabric measures 12 in across (6 in on each side of the safety pin.)
- Take the strip of fabric. Fold it in half lengthwise and press it. Then open flat. Fold the top half over to the crease (so it’s in fourths) and press the fold. Do the same for the bottom half. Then fold it all together so it’s like bias tape, which is basically how we’re using it. It should be 1 in tall now. Mark the center.
- Slide the gathered end of the square between the two sides of the strip, matching up the two center markers. Pin it securely in place making sure the top of the square goes all the way into the center fold of the strip. Then secure the rest of the square inside the strip with pins. Continue pinning the strip until you get to the ends. Turn the edges inside so that when you sew it there will be only smooth hems.
- Now it’s time to sew! Start at one end of the strip and sew down the short side and along until you get to the square. Continue sewing the square and the strip together making sure that the front and back of the strip are sewn together. Then finish sewing the remainder of the strip and the other end.
- Now you have a finished cape with the strings to tie it on!
Sammi loved being a part of the process when I made this blue cape. From the second I started cutting the fabric she kept asking if she could wear it yet. Unfortunately for her, this cape is a gift. Fortunately for you, it’s a gift for one lucky entrant in the Winter Wonderland! I’ve also added a few surprises that are must-haves for any dress-up box. To enter, make sure you’ve left a comment on the Join the Winter Wonderland post. For additional entries, you can comment on this post, become a fan of Because Babies Grow Up on Facebook or Stumble any post in the Winter Wonderland Carnival (From January 18-January 31, 2010)
What are your favorite dress-up moments with your little ones?
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