Stuff We Like (and you might too!)

We just spent a morning at our local library which is always a highlight of our week. We get a lot of books. I don't really make a limit. Because Aidan is starting to read, I pick out a few easy reader books for him, some ballet books (a current obsession for Nora), and then story books that look fun to read to the kids (mostly Aidan). We have also started getting some comic books because Aidan loves looking at the pictures. My current favorite series I stumbled upon is only illustrations and no words, which is perfect for Aidan's age group.

"Owly" is a really fun picture/comic book and keeps Aidan very occupied. We have found them at our local library and there are several in the series.

Another thing we have recently stumbled upon is Your Story Hour and Adventures in Odyssey free broadcasts. Aidan loves listening to these stories. I thing Your Story Hour is a little more for his age and Adventures in Odyssey says it is for 8-12 year olds. I usually just look up what the story is about to see if it is something I think he'd be interested in. These last for about 1/2 an hour and have been a new part of our daily routine.

We have been doing a reading program through Looney Tunes Phonics that I purchased through LivingSocial in the fall. It was an excellent deal (just $20 for a lifetime membership-so I can use with all my children). I have thoroughly enjoyed going through this. At first, I was a little concerned that I had wasted my money, but I think it was just too much for Aidan at the time I purchased it. He is now on lesson 22 of 100 and starting to read simple sentences. I would definitely say this is something that you have to sit with your child and do together for them to get the full benefit. The cartoons they show during the lesson are pretty repetitive which is the downside, but Aidan doesn't seem to mind. Nora also enjoys sitting with us and watching. She sounds out the letters, but still doesn't have much letter recognition.

Our kids love Melissa and Doug toys and have recently been busy with the following:

The Melissa and Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards  has been a great tool for both of our children. Nora is already starting to follow the patterns at just 2 years old! This is a great way to talk about colors and shapes as well.

The Melissa and Doug Shapes Clock has been a great way to talk about time (with Aidan), shapes, colors, and numbers. There are so many things you can do with these toys to teach your kids while they have fun playing.

A wonderful resource that I think I shared once before (also found at our local library) is Unplugged Play.

This book is a wonderful resource full of ideas for games and imaginative play with your kids. I haven't had much time to spend on getting together some of these ideas, but I hope with my returning energy I will be able to again devote some time to planning ahead for activities.

Well, those are just a few of our favorite things around here at the moment.