Today we made an orange crown for the new King of the Netherlands.  We mixed together red and yellow paint to make orange, and then Ethan painted some white card to start his crown.



Ethan is really enjoying painting lately, and he doesn't need to do anything fancy or complicated.  He's very happy with one brush and one colour, just painting back and forth.  It's great for his Creative Development as he learns to express himself and great for his Communication Language and Literacy as early mark making, soon that will be a pencil in his hand!  After the paint dried I cut a wavy line across the paper to make 2 halves (the long way) and then stuck the pieces together to make him a crown, my little King :)

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Today we were talking about all the fun that we had at the farm yesterday!  So we looked at the book Baby Touch - Farm saying all of the animals names and making their sounds.  Then we sang Old MacDonald Had a Farm as we turned the pages of the book and pointed to the animals as we sang about them.



This is a lovely book, because it's so simple you really can just focus on the animal names and sounds.  Ethan is coming on really well with his language now, it's so exciting to hear all of the new words that he can say.  He is also absolutely loving books, so today's activity was perfect for him.  We'll try it again in a few days and see which animal names he's remembered as part of the speaking and listening element of his Communication, Language and Literacy development.

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Today we were out and about in London and looking for somewhere nice to let Ethan run around and have some time out of his stroller to stretch his legs.  We were lucky enough to find Spitalfields City Farm!  It's a lovely little farm with plenty of animals to look at, and it really is in the middle of the city!



Ethan loved the space to walk around and looking at the animals.  One of the staff had a sheep out for the children to pat, we also saw ducks, chickens, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, donkeys, pigs and a pony!  Ethan ran from one enclosure to the next, stopping to watch the animals and to try to say their names (he can say 'duck' but most of the others he called 'dog dog').  It was a great opportunity to teach him the names of the other animals and the sounds that they make.  A true Knowledge and Understanding of the World experience with real live animals.

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Today Ethan wanted to put together his Bus Puzzle (the one we have is from Marks & Spencer, but it's currently out of stock, though Orchard Toys have one looks lovely and similar to it).  

Ethan has been taking out his puzzles a lot more lately, he's still learning how to attach the pieces himself, but he enjoys watching it come together and handing me the pieces to put on next.  This puzzle is especially fun because the wheels move, so when we finished putting the puzzle together we sang 'The Wheels on the Bus' and turned the wheels round and round.  A great activity for his Physical Development and fine motor control as he tries to fit the pieces together.

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Today we were inspired by yesterday's magic water painting to get out the Aquadoodle mat!  I bought this one for Ethan when he was about six months old, it's the Tomy Play to Learn Aqua Splash and Print as it can be used for prints and stamping from a young age, and just bought extra pens as it doesn't come with any.  I would actually recommend the Tomy Rainbow Aquadoodle (the one we had at school) as it comes with pens and stampers (just not the stamp pad) and would probably be used for longer (recommended from 18 months).  We also have the Chuggington Mini Mats, which are fun to have alongside the Aquadoodle (or for travel).



It's fun because we've had this toy for quite a while, but Ethan is just starting to really scribble on it now (he mostly chewed on the pens and stamp pad before).  He really likes playing with the pens and stampers now, it's a bit different than colouring on paper and great for his Creative Development.

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Today was another beautiful day in London, so we spent most of the day outside!  But we also went to a new playgroup this morning, met lots of new people and played with some fantastic toys!  The playgroup is in a church, so their craft activity was based on a Bible story - Jesus turning water into wine.  



The activity was to do magic water painting, there was a laminated picture of Jesus turning water into wine, and a thin piece of white cloth taped down on top of it.  The children used paint brushes and water to paint the cloth, and when it got wet you could see the picture underneath.  It was a really clever idea and Ethan enjoyed doing the water painting (also, no mess!) Great for Ethan's Physical Development as he works on his fine motor skills; dipping the brush in the water, and using the brush to paint across the whole picture.  We also got to bring it home, so he can do it again and again.

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Today we're focusing on movement again, as Ethan is now a very confident walker he has started to experiment with other movements.  We were dancing the other day and I taught him to spin around, he's been jumping off big mats at Gymboree and now we're trying to teach him to jump up and down.  His favourite word at the moment is 'jump' so this is also a great activity to expand his vocabulary.



So we sang 'If You're Happy and You Know it', adding in different actions and movements that he knows and some he hasn't yet mastered.  We had lots of fun dancing around together, learning new ways of moving as part of his Physical Development and working on listening skills as he follows instructions.


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Today we played the freeze dance game.  We actually spent most of the day outside as it was beautiful and sunny all day.  It is St George's Day in England, so we were going to make a shield with the St George's cross, but it was just too lovely out for crafting inside, maybe next year!  But while we were home having dinner, Ethan started to play the freeze game that we play at Gymboree, he was tapping the table and then putting his hands on his head and giggling like crazy!  He's been loving playing this in our Gymboree classes lately, so I decided to have a little search for the song they use, and I found it!  It's called The Freeze by Greg & Steve and it's on their CD Kids in Motion.



It was so much fun to watch Ethan the first time that the song came on, he just started tapping right away and then put his hands on his head!  Such a fantastic activity to help develop Ethan's listening skills, his Physical Development as he moves in different ways and his Creative Development dancing to the music.  We'll definitely be looking for some more movement songs in the coming weeks to get Ethan dancing :)

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Today we made a cardboard box bus!  Ethan absolutely loves buses, and as it's Earth Day today we thought it would be good to reuse some materials to make him a bus.  We've always got loads of boxes around, (due to all of our Amazon orders :) and we had some scrap paper and paper plates that we could use as well.



Ethan worked with Daddy to build the bus with tape and to put the steering wheel and wheels on (with paper plates and split pins) and then Ethan and I decorated the bus.  We used scrap sugar / construction paper cut into small squares for the bottom of the bus, gluing them on overlapping each other.  This was easy for Ethan to do as he could stick the squares on anywhere and it would look lovely.  We then used red paint along the top section of the bus, and stuck on squares of yellow paper for the windows.  We've also now found some stickers of our favourite characters and stuck them in the windows.  Ethan enjoyed making the bus, it was his first time working on such a big project and he seemed to really like sticking and painting on such a large surface.  A great activity for his Creative Development as he was part of a big project from start to finish.  And of course he now has this fun bus to play in, with a steering wheel that he can happily spin around!  We also sing 'The Wheels on the Bus' as he's playing in it (we just need a horn!)

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Today is London Marathon day, so we had our own little marathon with our Happyland Racetrack Sports Day set and our Happyland City Road Race set.  These are both great little sets, we love to play with Happyland and we've got everything we need for wheelchair racers, female and male racers.



We've had these sets for a few months but today was the first time that I actually took the track out to play with.  Ethan was very interested in this big jigsaw puzzle track, pulling it apart and putting it back together.  Then it came time for the races, we worked together to make the racers go around the track, commentating on their progress, clapping for them at the end and putting them on the podium for medals.  We had such fun, and with the London Marathon on the tv in the background it was the perfect way to help him to understand an important event, essential for his Knowledge and Understanding of the World.

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Today was Ethan's first football class!  Incredibly at 18 months old they can start, so it seemed like the perfect thing for us to do over the summer.  We go to a class with Kiddikicks, they run termly classes so ours started today and goes on throughout the summer.



It was so much fun to watch Ethan running around and kicking the ball with the other little kids his age.  They did a variety of different activities using the footballs and other equipment.  These kids certainly won't be playing a proper football game any time soon, but they're learning all of the skills that they need so that they eventually can.  They lead the kids in all sorts of great activities for their Physical Development, they were kicking, balancing, throwing and stretching. It is also a great way to build on Ethan's Personal, Social and Emotional Development as he learns to follow instructions and to play alongside other children.

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Today our new London car set arrived in the post!  A friend of Ethan's has this set, and he was always taking her cars to play with, so we decided to get him his own set.  It does say that it's for ages 3 and up, so we will be careful that he doesn't break off any small parts and swallow them, but they do seem quite safe for him to play with at 18 months old.
He absolutely loves them, especially the bus!  He is absolutely obsessed with buses at the moment, and as we live in London, he sees a lot of them!  So walking down the street he's often pointing to the buses and shouting 'buh!' (his word for bus).  These are great because they're a lot smaller than most of his other cars, so easy to carry around with us, and perfect for his Knowledge and Understanding of the World as he is starting to make the connections between real things and toys / pictures of things.  

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Today we played with Ethan's new set of Thomas the Tank Engine Bath Crayons.  It's a great little set because it comes with a train shaped holder that sticks to the side of the tub to keep the crayons in (which is also fun to play with!)


Ethan loved playing with them, drawing in the bathtub is so much more fun than drawing on paper!  He happily took out one crayon after another and scribbled on the side of the tub.  I would then draw something for him or write his name and spell it out for him.  He then said a word ('bus') and I drew one for him, then had him help me to colour it in.  It was fun and great for his Creative Development, as well as being a fantastic distraction for when I was washing his hair.

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Today I took Ethan to his first art class!  We already go to Gymboree for gym classes (play and learn) but Ethan is finally old enough to try out the art classes (18 months old).  


It was very different to the gym classes, which was a bit of an adjustment for Ethan at first, but he was so good and really interested in everything that was happening.  They started out with a few songs, then onto playdough (with tools just like we used at home the other day, so he was a bit of a pro) then onto the main activity of making a paper plate caterpillar.  Ethan got a bit distracted (the chairs were very fun to play with) but we got his interest back with the next activity, squishing paint around a ladybird laminating sheet (fun and messy!)  After that the kids got to play with maracas, this was perfect as it was just what Ethan needed after sitting still for so long (they even did the freeze song, his favourite!) and finished off with the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar (to go with the activity) and goodbye songs.  We absolutely loved it, I got to be the proud Mommy bringing home a piece of Ethan's artwork, and he was able to work on his Creative Development with other children around to learn from.  We will definitely be going back for more art classes.

Today I was inspired by the stack of cardboard boxes in the recycling, so I headed over to Pinterest to find something to make with them.  I found a few different ways of making marble runs, including a very simple looking one on Red Ted Art.  I made a ball run instead, as marbles are still a bit of a choking hazard for Ethan's age.  I used a cardboard box, with the flaps as ramps, cutting a hole in each level big enough for the ball to go through.  I had an extra flap so I used it on the top, just as something extra for Ethan to do by lifting it up to put the ball through.



I have to say I was quite proud of the finished product, and it was simple to use, so Ethan figured it out straight away.  He was soon lifting the flap and dropping the balls through, helping them along if they got stuck and catching them at the bottom.  He also started looking for other toys that could fit through the hole, soon discovered that most of his cars were too big, but that he could fit his toy trains through.  A great activity for Knowledge and Understanding of the World as Ethan watched as I made this toy from a cardboard box and as he learned what he had to do to make it work.

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Today we played with our lovely Lavender Playdough from last week, but this time we used a new set of playdough tools.



Ethan enjoyed playing with the playdough again today, I gave him some time to get used to it and squish it around before introducing the tools.  He picked them up and very quickly learned how to use them, and was soon rolling it out and using the cutters to make shapes.  A great activity for his Physical Development and fine motor skills as he learns to use tools for a task.

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It was a beautiful day today, so we were in the park running around and today we brought bubbles with us!



Ethan loves watching bubbles, and trying to catch them.  He's not quite got the hang of blowing bubbles himself, but he enjoys trying to.  A great activity for his Knowledge and Understanding of the World as he learns about different substances and their very interesting properties.


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Today Mommy had a bit of a rest while Daddy and Ethan built a fort!  They had so much fun (the giggling could be heard throughout the house) while they worked together to pile up cushions and blankets to make their fantastic fort.



Ethan loves throwing cushions around and playing peekaboo with blankets, so this was the perfect way to take it to the next level.  A great activity for Ethan's Knowledge and Understanding of the World as he learns about building a structure and as he explored all the corners of it.


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We had a birthday in our house today, so there were balloons around to play with! It's funny because I never thought to use balloons specifically for play (especially because of the danger of popping them!) but it actually turns out that they are a brilliant toddler toy!  



Ethan loved throwing the balloon up in the air and watching it fall, he loved throwing it and the best part, because it falls so slowly he was able to catch the balloon when I threw it to him.  Such a great activity for hand eye coordination, something that's so difficult to learn when a ball is coming at you quickly, but much easier when it's slowed down by a floating balloon.  Fantastic for Ethan's Physical Development and lots of fun too :)

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Lately Ethan has been throwing a lot, he picks up any ball he sees and throws it.  So today I decided to practice throwing with him and see if he could throw with a purpose.  We got out the basket full of balls, emptied it out and threw them one by one back into the basket, in our own little game of basketball.



Ethan was so excited to play this game!  It took quite a while to get him to understand, he kept walking up to the basket and placing the balls back in (basically tidying up the balls).  I had to tell him quite a few times to stand back and throw the ball into the basket.  I also wanted to work on his language, so I said '1, 2, 3, throw!' before throwing each ball and 'ball' whenever he brought me a ball.  This is definitely something that we can continue to work on, as he had so much fun playing, but didn't really get the game at all!  A great activity for his Physical Development either way, as he learns to throw the balls at a target.

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Today we made playdough!  For the first time I had Ethan help me make the play dough, and I found a recipe that worked! 




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Today we tried out our Crayola Tadoodles Easy Stampers for the first time.  They come with a sheet to practice stamping on, so we used that and some plain paper.



At first I wasn't sure if Ethan would understand or figure out how to use them properly, but after showing him how they work he quickly picked it up and started stamping all over the place!  They are actually the perfect creative toy for him because while making a picture he also gets to bash things against the table :)  I left them out on the table for the rest of the day, and he kept going back to them, which he rarely does.  A definite thumbs up from Ethan, he loves these stampers and they're great for his Creative Development.

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I found this brilliant idea on Pinterest from Toddler Approved for Pressing the Buttons - Homemade Elevator Activity, so we decided to give it a try.  At first I had Ethan help me to make it, but he kept pulling the 'buttons' off as I was sticking them on.  So I made it and then let him play with it instead!  I put a lot of glue on the back of each 'button' and then put glue all around each one as well to make them stay on really securely.



Ethan loves pressing the buttons!  I've stuck it up on the wall and he keeps going back to it and pressing different buttons.  I tell him which number each one is, just as some extra number language for him to hear.  He is absolutely loving it, it will be interesting to see if he's made the connection and will try to press buttons the next time we're in a real lift / elevator.  He really is starting to make connections between play and real activities, all part of his Knowledge and Understanding of the World.

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This weekend the sun has finally been shining on us, so we've been in the park playing with a football (soccer ball) today!  



Ethan is very good at throwing the ball, but doesn't do much kicking at home, so it was nice to be in a big open space and try kicking the ball.  We showed him how, held his hands to do it together and encouraged him to try kicking it on his own.  It seemed a bit tricky for him on the uneven ground to keep his balance sometimes, but he had lots of fun and it's such an easy thing to do on a nice day.  We'll continue to work on Ethan's kicking skills for fun as as part of his Physical Development, and maybe soon we'll even sign up to start football classes!

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Today we made up a game to play, which we've called 'Bounce, Bounce, Jump'.  Ethan doesn't say many words yet, so what we're working on now is lots of repetition and lots of praise when Ethan makes an effort to say any words.  He was bouncing around on the couch today and I was sitting on the floor, and we made it into a game in which he would bounce, bounce, bounce closer to the edge of the couch and then jump into my arms.  He found it absolutely hilarious and I was able to encourage him to say 3 words repetitively; bounce, jump and again.  Hopefully with all of this encouragement we'll get a few new words soon.  I'm not concerned, but it would be helpful and of course it is good to develop his Communication, Language and Literacy skills.  I would love any suggestions of fun games to play to help develop language further.

Today Ethan is 18 months old!  We got him a few little presents, including his first box of Lego!  We've played with it before at playgroups and friends houses, but it was fun to save it until he was officially the age recommended on the box to have his own Lego Duplo set.



It's interesting though, because he always just took it apart and moved it around when we've come across it before, but for the first time today he actually stuck bricks together!  So there must be something about being 1 1/2 and being ready for Duplo.  We had lots of fun putting bricks together and taking them apart, all a part of Ethan's Knowledge and Understanding of the World (also great for his fine motor control).

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Even though Easter's over, we're still talking (and singing) about bunnies!  It was nice to be back into our normal routine today, it gave us a nice long time to play and laugh together.  Today we played Ethan's version of Sleeping Bunnies (less time sleeping, more time hopping, lol).

Ethan lays down while we sing the first part and then stands up and bounces for the second part.  




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Leading up to Easter we have been reading Spot's First Easter, which Ethan got as a present from his Nana last Easter.  It's so much fun because he's actually able to lift the little flaps now (up until now he's mostly enjoyed books with big flaps like the Peekaboo books). He's been bringing us Spot's First Easter to read everyday now, I think we're going to have to get more Spot books! 


Ethan got 2 Easter books in his Easter basket; The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Easter Bunny Flap Book.  And then he got 2 more Easter books in the post from Nana; Peppa's Easter Egg Hunt and Peter Rabbit Easter Surprise.  It's not hard to tell that Ethan is going through a real phase of loving books, and we're definitely encouraging it!  

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