Gross Motor

Here's all the advice I have about improving the gross motor skills of preschoolers:

BALLS.

Throw them;

catch them; 

roll them; 

bounce them; 

dribble them; 

kick them; 

toss them into boxes and baskets; 

throw them high; 

throw them to friends

...you get the idea.

We have an array of balls, big and small, squishy and hard, bumpy and smooth. 

Zelda loves to play "bally-ball," otherwise known as "catch." She tosses bean bags into holes. She "plays baseball" with her (thankfully soft-ish) bat and ball. She also goes to gymnastics and ballet classes (and who knows what else we will try this year), but the best bang for your buck, when it comes to promoting gross motor skills in babies and toddlers is still

BALLS.

Field Trip: Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

I'm embarrassed to say that this was my first time in the gardens, as well. 

I wish I'd visited years ago. The tranquility is palpable, and I learned a lot about 

the evolution of Japanese garden design over the centuries. 

Here are just a few moments from our field trip.

The gardens offers a quiet place to walk and contemplate the order of things, or to run far ahead of Mommy and the rest of the group while giggling fiendishly.

A local resident keeps an eye on the passersby from his impossibly precarious perch.

She knew she couldn't touch the intricate rows of the rock garden.

This would be an excellent example of getting as close as possible to breaking a rule without crossing the line and actually breaking the rule.

Pete's Four Groovy Buttons

We've attended quite a few of Mrs. Beth's Learning Adventures, sometimes in a park ($5.00) and sometimes in the party room of an indoor playground, which offers all day admission along with the class for $10.00. Mrs. Beth is a preschool teacher with tons of creative ideas and fun activities. During the one hour class, toddlers and preschoolers interact during an energetic and calendar-based morning routine, a little bit of "P.E." (following funny directions, body awareness and directionality, dance parties, etc.), and free time with theme-based sensory and art centers. Zelda gets to experience another teacher's methods, and she can spend time with friends who also attend the class. And every time we go to Mrs. Beth's class, Zelda reminds me that "now there are two Beths." 

One fine morning, Mrs. Beth brought out a copy of Pete the Cat' and His Four Groovy Buttons. She played a recording of an excellent reading of the book while she prompted her students to predict text, notice the illustrations' details, and reinforce the concept of "take away one button." 

Zelda likes texts with intentional rhythms; I can't tell you how many times I've read The Little Blue Truck and Going on a Bear Hunt. She loved Pete's buttons as much as she's loved all of his adventures. Mrs. Beth set out bowls of buttons and precut paper shirts. Zelda chose the colors because "I don't need your help, Mommy." She said there was a reason for each of them, and I'm sure she went into great detail and included multi-syllabic nonsense words that follow the phonetic rules of English but have no meaning, except for the meaning that she immediately provides, not even waiting to see if you will ask her what this amazing and preposterous word might fit into our language. Unfortunately but expectedly, I can't remember any of the details of the stories behind her choice of buttons. It's hard to remember a collection of non sequiturs and obvious epiphanies. 

However, I did remember to take a picture of this little art/math/language project before Zelda decided to reenact the book's plot. She ripped off the buttons, one by one. At least she told me how many she had each time. Lately, she's been keen to announce when there are just one or two more of something. She seems to enjoy the excitement of counting down toward zero. Pete's shirt was a great way for her to reinforce that idea. I suppose she got in some extra pincer grip practice, too. 

Pete's Four Groovy Buttons

We've attended quite a few of Mrs. Beth's Learning Adventures, sometimes in a park ($5.00) and sometimes in the party room of an indoor playground, which offers all day admission along with the class for $10.00. Mrs. Beth is a preschool teacher with tons of creative ideas and fun activities. During the one hour class, toddlers and preschoolers interact during an energetic and calendar-based morning routine, a little bit of "P.E." (following funny directions, body awareness and directionality, dance parties, etc.), and free time with theme-based sensory and art centers. Zelda gets to experience another teacher's methods, and she gets to spend time with friends who also attend the class. And every time we go to Mrs. Beth's class, Zelda reminds me that "now there are two Beths." 

One fine morning, Mrs. Beth brought out a copy of Pete the Cat' and His Four Groovy Buttons. She played a recording of an excellent reading of the book while she prompted her students to predict text, notice the illustrations' details, and reinforce the concept of "take away one button." 

Zelda likes texts with intentional rhythms; I can't tell you how many times I've read The Little Blue Truck and Going on a Bear Hunt. She loved Pete's buttons as much as she's loved all of his adventures. Mrs. Beth set out bowls of buttons and precut paper shirts. Zelda chose the colors because "I don't need your help, Mommy." She said there was a reason for each of them, and I'm sure she went into great detail and included multi-syllabic nonsense words that follow the phonetic rules of English but have no meaning, except for the meaning that she immediately provides, not even waiting to see if you will ask her what this amazing and preposterous word might fit into our language. Unfortunately but expectedly, I can't remember any of the details of the stories behind her choice of buttons. It's hard to remember a collection of non sequiturs and obvious epiphanies. 

However, I did remember to take a picture of this little art/math/language project before Zelda decided to reenact the book's plot. She ripped off the buttons, one by one. At least she told me how many she had each time. Lately, she's been keen to announce when there are just one or two more of something. She seems to enjoy the excitement of counting down toward zero. Pete's shirt was a great way for her to reinforce that idea. I suppose she got in some extra pincer grip practice, too.