Then this idea (from the web-site The Masters’ Country) is for you.

These hooks for towels are made from the used toothbrushes. Some imagination and a fine set is ready. Read the rest of this entry »

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It is not a problem for a baby to learn two languages at the same time in a bi- or multilingual family. But what if mum and dad speak the same language but still want their little one to study a foreign language as it is much easier to learn a language when one is little. I will share my experience of “teaching” our daughter English (Russian is native to her). Any second language could be taught like that.

When Soniya had turned 2 months old, I decided to buy a book of poems with colourful pictures in English. But I could not find such a book in our bookstores. I found some books with fairy-tales instead. And it was for the better as later I found out that the child is not interested in poems at all (these rythmic lines were like a noisy background for her) but likes to listen to stories when mummy is reading them for her.

From 2 to 4 months

I read 5 funny phrases about animals to our daughter – every day, with the right intonation and pronunciation. And the baby was really listening.

From 4 to 5 months

When she had turned four months old, I added 2-3 Read the rest of this entry »

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A baby starts watching the falling of toys on the floor from 6-7 months. In fact, the toys are thrown out of the cot even earlier. First, I washed the toys and rattlers as soon as they met the floor according to the acceleration given to them by a child’s hand. But during the dayone and the same rattler could fly out from the cot from 5 to 10 times. So, I started collecting all the “lucky ones” in a basin and then wash all of them the next morning. Our daughter had only 1-2 toys by the evening. Too few!

And one day our daddy made one simple thing which made my work much easier. He Read the rest of this entry »

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That’s it – always ready! As both the mother who has a little baby and the mother who is “packing” her child for school and hurrying to work do not have time for cutting, boiling and frying! But malnutrition, as we all know, is not good for our health.

Natalie and I have worked out a list of products (with no semi-finished products!), which can provide a good breakfast being used together or separately:

* Oatmeal. Natalie’s method: put rolled oats into the dish, cover it with boiling water and eat the dish in 3 minutes. Anastasia’s method: put rolled oats into the dish, cover it with cold water, put the dish into the steam cooker together with the vegetables for the baby, add raisins and eat. The method of Anastasia’s husband: put the oats into the dish, add cold water, put the dish into the micro-wave and add mashed banana – then you can eat it.

* Boiled buckwheat. Anastasia’s method: put buckwheat into the saucepan, add cold water, leave it on fire for 10 minutes. Natalie’s method: Read the rest of this entry »

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The wardrobe of our newly-born Sonya was being filled up, basically, due to the presents of our relatives and friends. Everybody wanted to see the baby, to smile at her but how one can come without a “present”!

We, in our turn, wanted to thank the generous guests for the beautiful clothes (from crawlers to dresses) and entertaining toys (from rattles to construction sets).

Tea with sweet things was an ever-present attribute of the meetings. Of course, I had neither strength nor time for a substantial “feast” but why not have some tea?

And we also found the way how to express our gratitude for the present to each guest in such a manner that Read the rest of this entry »

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“First, WHY Trays?

• Let me begin by saying that I am in NO way saying that my beliefs are right, they are just MY beliefs. I share openly about what I believe when it comes to educating young children, and yes I do have a college degree, but that in no way makes me any smarter than others out there. I just share what I believe!
• The TRAY itself: I believe the tray itself provides a sense of space for a young child. When all items are contained on a tray (or a mat, or something similar), it is easier for the child to visualize all involved with the activity and also how to CLEAN it up! Cleaning up is a huge part of this method for me.

• 

• The ACTIVITIES: I believe in providing simple, yet engaging activities that sometimes expose a skill and sometimes are just fun! I love the discussion times these trays provide. I love the concentration required. I love that Krash is developing perseverance, focus, and determination to accomplish tasks. I love the vocabulary alone that stems from the tray activities, it really is endless. I love that I can change up the activities easily without a ton of work each evening. I love that most of the items on the trays aren’t *toys* so they are refreshing for Krash and engaging.
• The ENVIRONMENT: Trays provide Read the rest of this entry »

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Today we are answering the question of Daria, a reader of our blog:

“So far, I have not been able to think out how to make table and a home playground for our elder daughter (24 months) for her to be able to make crafts and other creative things as we also have one ore baby (12 months) who will bother her. It is not possible to leave all the things like paints, pencils and plasticine on the table for them to be reached by he girl at any time as then you will get tired to collect all thi stuff about the room“.

We have asked mums who have also got toddlers with 1-1,5 year’s difference of age between them what solution they’ve got concerning this issue.

Vera, the mother of Bazhena (4,5) and Kyrill (almost 3):

«Kyrill started crawling late, when he was about 8 months old. Till some certain time, we could play (study) peacefully with our daughter. But I decided in the very beginning: the things which are really not to be touched (by both the children) should always be in boxes on the refrigerator in the kitchen: everything for plasticine modeling, puzzles, pencils, brushes, watercolours, etc. I bought these boxes in “Ikea” but you can also

Read the rest of this entry »

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Starting from the age of 7, I used to look through the album with the pictures of me as a baby and my “sayings” which my mother had made. I studied how I had been changing while growing, how “wise” my comments were when I was 3,4,5 years old. I remember the album to make me joyous when I was not allowed to leave my bed because of a cold or flu:

“A TV set is working in a dark room.
- Mummy, I like this light so much. And I can say that this light is state*!” (4 yrs. old)

* “state” here means “belongs to the state”

“-Mummy, let’s start keeping a dog.
- When we have a bigger apartment, then we will get ourselves a dog.
- When I am a grown-up, let’s start keeping a dog?
- OK!
- What is OK, mummy?
- We’ll start keeping.
- Who will we start keeping?” (4 yrs.old)

«-Anastasia, how long will it continue?**
- I do not know. Think yourself, long or not.
- And what do you think?
- I do not think. I have a day-off». (5 yrs. old)

** about my misbehaviour

When a daughter arrived in our family, I wanted to make something similar for her.

And at that time, Natalie, whose son Arseny was born only 3 months before our Soniya, suggested an idea. She turned out to have bought a thick writing pad and to be writing down some notes about the development of their baby by hand there. And, the main thing, she was drawing sketches there. Moreover, she also had photos and video. It was she who told me about scrapbooking.

But my approach to making the book differed from Natalie’s one. I decided Read the rest of this entry »

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A baby arrived in the family… He has not turned 1 yet but you are already thinking what he will be in 5, 10, 15…

Would you like to know right now what to present your little one with for his future full age (which seems so far now) ? The most touching and unforgettable present for the grown-up “baby” is your book with the recollections about him during his first (second, third…) year of life.

No, I do not encourage you to buy a thick notebook and writ? down something in it daily (especially during the first months of your baby’s life ).

If you’ve got a little one and you are reading this article now, it means, most probably, YOU ALREADY HAVE SUCH A BOOK! Read the rest of this entry »

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At that time, the idea of the rocking chair was put by somewhere at the periphery of my consciousness and came to life again in some months when baby-twins arrived in the family of my sister. Exhausted by constant rocking, the parents decided to try a rocking chair and immediately bought two. “It was the best investment for all the period of my fatherhood“, later said Paskal, a Swiss husband of my sister.

So, the idea was tested. But when our son was born, we did not use it at once. First, Read the rest of this entry »

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