Posts Tagged ‘Learning Tower’

  • 13 Oct

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Sparkly

    0

    Now that the weather’s turning cool (and rainy-boo), Jude and I have been stuck indoors more than I would like. Because we’re (almost) condemned to playing indoors all the time, Jude has been watching a fair number of movies per day, and I’ve been having a bit of an internal struggle over that fact. I honestly do believe that children are capable of self-regulating when it comes to pretty much everything: tv, food, video games. Some kids are simply visual learners–they get a lot out of tv shows, movies, and video/computer games. Even though I *know* all that, I was still questioning my not even two-and-a-half year old’s self-regulating ability. Some days he doesn’t even *think* about movies, let alone ask to watch one. Other days, all he wants to do is watch, watch, watch. We’ve been in that “watch, watch, watch” phase for a couple of weeks now, I think in part because of the crummy weather.

    In light of our present situation, I recently asked for indoor play suggestions from the people who are on a Unschooling listserv I’m a part of. I got some great suggestions for toys and for different ways for Jude to experience the kind of “big movement” play that he gets outdoors, indoors. Regarding the amount of screen time he’s engaging in, I got what I think is the best piece of advice ever in the history of the world:

    “Make sure that the tv/dvd player isn’t the most “sparkly” option in the house.”

    So simple, yet so true. Of course the “toy” that plays fun songs and depicts cool-looking talking vegetables is going to get the most attention. I mean, honestly, if you give me the choice of either putting a puzzle together or watching an episode of Firefly, I’ll pick Firefly every time. Or 99% of the time, at least. (I <3 Nathan Fillion.)

    Josh and I talked and decided to go shopping for some sparkly, hands-on toys for Jude. What we came home with… well, what we came home with is a ball pit big enough for two children. Also, three hundred (300!!!) plastic balls! Oh! And an indoor sandbox (filled with rice) and a new Play-Doh set. I can’t begin to describe how big a hit these new toys have been.

    Jude loves playing in, under, and on top of the ball pit (though we try to discourage the “on top of” part). He loves throwing the plastic balls and putting them in boxes. He loves dumping all three hundred of them on the floor. Jude does not love picking the balls up at the end of the day. This doesn’t surprise me.

    The rice/sandbox gets used on the counter while Jude stands happily on his Learning Tower. Sometimes we put a sheet down on the floor and put the box on top of it and the yoga mat along side it. Jude will sit on the yoga mat and play with the rice for minutes upon minutes! The sheet underneath makes for easy cleanup. It’s wonderful I tell ya!

    Play-Doh is always a hit around these parts, and this Picnic Set is no different. Jude has finally started experimenting with using more than one color of Play-Doh at a time, and though we no longer have any of the true colors we started with, it makes me happy to see him combining colors and making new things.

    So, needless to say, we’ve been having a great time playing at home lately. Earlier today, we hosted a play date at our house, and saying the kids had a blast might be the understatement of the year, but more on that later. Right now it’s lunch time, and my son will not be kept waiting!

    Hope everyone’s enjoying Autumn!

  • 10 Sep

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Rainy-Day Fun

    4

    One rainy morning a few weeks ago, I got the brilliant idea to do a major finger-painting project with the boy. (“Who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear!”) I called our friend, Tracie, to see if she wanted to bring her son over to join in the fun. She accepted the invitation, and I started making preparations for fun.

    There used to be a children’s resale store down the road from us. It was called The Pig Pen, and Tara, the owner, had half the shop set up as an art studio where you could take your child(ren), pay a small fee, and do arts and crafts for the day. During her going out of business sale, I scored a HUGE role of butcher-type paper and a bunch of finger paints. Until that day, I had only used the butcher paper up on the counter. There, Jude could stand on his Learning Tower and paint or draw to his heart’s content. On this day, however, I decided to roll the butcher paper out onto the floor and let the boys go wild.

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    I ended up with a palette that was approximates 5′ x 5′. I put down two layers of the paper, and taped down the edges to stop it from shifting. The next thing I did was pour six different colors of finger paint into small plastic containers for easy access.

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    Then, shortly before Kainoa and his mom showed up, I stripped the boy down to his diaper because honestly, clothes just get in the way of finger painting, ya know?

    The boys painted for about half an hour. They painted their bodies and ran across the paper. Tracie and I did a fair amount of painting ourselves. I mean, we had that HUGE palette and all that paint ready to go. When you’re surrounded by that much fun, you just can’t help but dive in.

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    When the boys’ attention span was well surpassed, Tracie and I pulled up their masterpiece and moved it into Jude’s room to dry. She took Kainoa upstairs for a bath, and I wrangled Jude into the shower.

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    Now that the weather is turning cooler, I’m gearing up for some indoor fun. I would really like to stock up on all different kinds of art supplies for the winter months, but don’t know where to start. Do you have a favorite arts and crafts store you like to patronize? Any suggestions for online stores where I can get supplies on the cheap?

  • 29 Apr

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Play-Doh

    0

    Is it odd that I *just* gave Jude some Play-Doh to play with for the first time a few days ago? I don’t know what I was waiting for… Was I worried about the mess? Was I worried about the amount of ‘Doh he might ingest? Yes. Both.

    I was silly to worry.

    Jude has been having a fantastic time, standing on his Learning Tower and playing with his Play-Doh on the kitchen counter. He has been wonderful about keeping the Doh on the counter and not tracking it all around the house, and although I have to remind him occasionally, he hasn’t yet eaten any of it.

    His favorite thing to do is to pull the big ball of Doh into pieces and then use a plastic scoop to transport the pieces to a cup. Jude also *really* likes it when I shape the Doh into a bunch of little balls. He likes to stack them and pull them apart. Right now, we’re only playing with one color at a time (we alternate through all four colors daily), but I imagine we’ll start combining colors soon.

    The weather has been pretty crappy here in Chicago. Although it was in the 80s this past Friday, since then we’ve been hovering in the 50s. Plus, it has been rainy. Boo. All that’s to say that Jude and I have been having lots of in-door fun lately. Play-Doh, forts, listening to the Alkaline Trio and dancing… You name it, we’ve done it!

    Here’s to (hopefully) nicer weather on the horizon!

  • 25 Feb

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Product Review: The Learning Tower (by Little Partners)

    6

    About two weeks ago, Jude’s recently-purchased Learning Tower arrived via UPS delivery. It staid in the entrance to our apartment for a few days until I was able to find the time to attempt assembly on my own.

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    For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Learning Tower, allow me to take a brief moment to describe the apparatus. The Learning Tower, at it’s root, is a glorified step stool for toddlers and young children. Please don’t let that kind of harsh description soil your opinion of it: it’s an awesome piece of furniture! It has an adjustable platform for the kids to stand on, a wide base to prevent tipping, and is semi-enclosed on all four sides so that little ones have less of a chance of falling off/out. Plus (plus!) it can support up to 500 pounds, so it doubles as a safe step stool for mom and/or dad!

    So, what good is a Learning Tower? Well, let me tell you–it allows children to (safely!) be at counter height in the kitchen, which in turn affords them the opportunity to watch or engage in what mom or dad are doing. For me, this was the number one reason for purchasing. Most kids, and Jude is certainly no exception, love to take part in the world around them. It’s how they learn. Since acquiring our Learning Tower, Jude has ‘helped’ me make dough for bread, chop veggies for meal time, assemble sandwiches for lunch, and wash dishes! He has learned (or is on his way to learning) that half of one cup is 1/2 cup, that there are three teaspoons in a tablespoon, and that mama curses when she forgets to mix cold water with the hot water while washing dishes. Hooray for learning!

    The Learning Tower can also be used as a stage for puppet/pretend play or as a place to sit and eat snacks. Little Partners are nice enough to send along a cloth drape to cover the Learning Tower and to assist with play time. (Note: Drape doubles as a cape.)

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    So, onto my (well, our) experience with assembly through playtime. I was amazed as how easy the Learning Tower was to put together. It would have been even easier if I had had some (adult) help (and if someone hadn’t hidden two pieces on me!), but I was able to put it together, fairly quickly, and with only stripping four screws (a personal best!). The instructions were clear, and the pieces were well-labeled.

    The unit is very, very sturdy. It is also on the heavy side (though Jude can push it around at will *sigh*), and definitely on the bulky side (read: not fantastic for small kitchens). The platform adjusts to four different heights. In other words, it grows with your kids! As your child gets taller, you simply lower the platform. You should note that the Learning Tower is available in a number of different colors/finishes, so you can (with any luck) match it to your kitchen space.

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    Our Learning Tower has, honestly, changed Jude’s and my day-to-day lives. He loves playing at the kitchen counter while I work in the kitchen. Tupperware and measuring cups have never been as much fun (or gotten so much use!) as they are now. And, the truly amazing part of all of this is that Jude will actually play by himself a little bit if he has access to the Learning Tower! He will happily allow me to fold clothes, so long as I bring them into the kitchen and hang out with him while he stacks his blocks or pours raisins from one container to the other and all over the kitchen floor.

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    In short, we LOVE the Learning Tower. If you’re looking for a way to include you child in your day-to-day tasks, don’t hesitate to purchase one. It is well worth the investment.

    Finally, here’s a video of Jude playing on his Learning Tower.

    Check out my other Product Reviews.

  • 24 Feb

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Mittens, or a Lack Thereof

    2

    I have a confession to make: Although Jude and I have spent a lot of time outside this winter–walking to and from the L, to friends houses, to the library, etc.–we haven’t done any actual playing outside until this afternoon. Honestly, I hate the cold weather. I often have to wear long sleeves, pants, two pairs of socks, and slippers in my 70-degree house, so being outside in sub-zero temperatures is pure misery for me.

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    This afternoon, after a walk to the library and a short stint at our friends’ house, Jude and I spent some time playing outside with Aimee and Miles. The air was brisk, though today’s high temperature was supposed to be around 41 degrees. The parking lot where we were playing still had some snow piles adorning its perimeter and some small puddles scattered about, but overall, it was a great place to play. Seeing as how Mr. Weatherman was calling for 41 degrees, I didn’t put Jude’s mittens on him before exiting Aimee’s house. Stupid idea.

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    While Miles played on the riding toys that Aimee brought out, my son moved a pile of snow, bare-fistful by bare-fistful, from one part of the parking lot to the other. The poor kid’s hands were red and cold, but he refused, quite loudly, to allow me to put his mittens on him. He also fell in a puddle, rendering him dirty and wet, and, I imagine, cold. About 15 minutes after the puddle incident, I decided that it would be best to pack it up and head back to the warmth of our home.

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    In other news, Jude received this table and chair set as a gift from my mom. It arrived via UPS this afternoon, and I’m hoping to put it together after dinner tonight. Maybe I’ll do a photo-documentary of the assembly.

    Also, I’m working on a review of Jude’s recently acquired Learning Tower. Looks for that review (and a few super-cute photos!) tomorrow.

  • 21 Feb

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Letter to Jude: Month 21

    0

    Dear Jude,

    Do you realize how close to being two years old you are? Today you turned 21 months old: that means you’ve been on the outside for one and three-quarter years. Eep! I don’t know if I’m ready for you to be two! Slow down with the growing up, please! Please?

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    February brought with it some impressive accomplishments on your part. Your vocabulary has tripled? quadrupled? in the past month. And, while you’re not quite able to say “I want ice cream” with the diction of a college English professor (or that 19-month-old super geeky baby girl), you rarely have trouble getting your point across.

    Near the end of January, you realized that you’re able to clasp your hands behind your back. That trick kept you occupied for a few days. Early in February you learned to “clink and drink”– that is, tap your sippy cup to Papa’s or my cup and then drink from it as though you were toasting to our health– and now you incline your cup towards mine on a daily basis. You’ve been honing your imitation skills this month as well. After watching me run down the hall and jump up and down trying (but failing) to turn off the smoke alarm, you smile, laugh, and mimic my flailing to a tee. You like to dance. You make up your own songs, sing them, and applaud yourself at the end of each one. You’re learning to feed yourself with a spoon and fork, and you’re already doing quite well with each!

    You, Papa, and I were all sick with the stomach flu a few weeks ago. None of it seemed to bother you…I wish I could say the same for Papa and me. The worst thing about you (and us) being sick is that we got (back) into the habit of watching numerous videos each day. Or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that we got into the habit of watching the same video over and over and over again each day. Jude, you LOVE the VeggieTales movie The Lord of the Beans. And, as much as I hate that you love that video, or videos in general, I love watching you watch that movie. I love seeing your reaction when Larry the Cumber comes on screen. I love it when you laugh at “Randolf” and “Todo Baggypants” at the beginning of the film. I love how you sway back and forth to the VeggieTales theme song. I love everything about you. Have you picked up on that?

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    Papa and I got you a Learning Tower earlier this month, and at the end of last week, I was (finally) able to put it together for you. I think I might love this piece of furniture more than you do, Monkey! I love having you at counter-height. I love that you can watch what I’m doing and that I can include you in the work I have to do in the kitchen. You simply love to be in the middle of things. You love playing with your toys on the counter and you love helping me cook and bake.

    You and I have made a few really good friends since moving to Rogers Park in December. We spend a few days a week with our friends Miles and Aimee, and we have a standing date with your friend Stella and her papa, Ian, on Wednesdays. We’ve been getting out pretty consistently, despite the cold weather. We go to Stories with Nadine on Saturdays at The Common Cup and we hit the library at least once weekly. Right now, your favorite books are Hippos Go Berserk! and Snuggle Puppy, both by Sandra Boynton. Next week I’m hoping to pick up a few Mo Willems books from the library because you really love Knuffle Bunny, and I think you would enjoy some of his other books as well.

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    Winter is on its way out, Baboo. Spring is just around the corner. In just a few short weeks (cross your fingers!) we’ll be spending our days outside, going for walks and playing at the playground. I can’t wait to explore our neighborhood with you…to discover different shops and places to play. I can’t wait for you to be able to play in the dirt and build sand castles at the beach. Only a few more weeks, Jude. The countdown is on!

    Love,
    mama

  • 09 Feb

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Money Well Spent

    0

    Can’t wait until our BabyBjörn Potty Chair and our Learning Tower get here!