Here are a few tips before you begin:

• Be prepared for a mess.
• Cover your work area with newspaper or a drop cloth.
• Use your kitchen or a tiled area to make cleanup less stressful.
• Have your child wear a smock or an old t-shirt to protect her clothes.
• Remember your own childhood and relish the FUN!

Snow Art

1. Spray shaving cream on a table or placemat.
2. Let your child finger-paint with the shaving cream.
3. When your child has completed a design, press a piece of dark construction paper over their shaving cream masterpiece.
4. The result is a snowy scene!

*Children should have adult supervision throughout all activities.

What you need:

• Sheets of colored paper or craft foam
• Ribbon or small adhesive magnets
• Small photo(s) of your family or child
• Glue stick
• Child-safe scissors
• Washable markers
• Pencil
• Single hole punch
• Decorative “winter” craft accessories of your choice

What to do:

• Use a pencil to trace your child’s hand on a sheet of paper or craft foam. Trace each finger individually or around their four fingers together and thumb separately to make a mitten shape.

•  Carefully cut out the hand or mitten shape, and then trim your photo to fit in the “palm” of the cutout. Glue the photo in place.

•  Here’s the fun part! Encourage your little one to get creative with washable markers and “winter” craft accessories to add their own decorative touch!

•  When your child is happy with their masterpiece, either punch a hole in the top and tie a ribbon through it for hanging or attach small adhesive magnets to the back for hanging on the refrigerator.

*An adult should oversee all activities.  Activities may not be appropriate for all ages.

Like a scavenger hunt, create clues that will send the treasure hunters from one hint to the next, eventually ending at the “buried” treasure! Have fun and be creative when writing your clues—use riddles or rhymes—but don’t make them too hard for young children to figure out quickly.

Once you’ve created your clues, set up your landmarks for the treasure hunt. You could use stuffed animals and pretend they’re “wild dingos,” build a totem pole out of empty boxes or fill a small kiddie pool with sand (outside, of course) and encourage the children to dig for their next hint. The possibilities are endless! Be sure to set boundaries, and keep all landmarks and treasure chest within your home or backyard where you can easily supervise.

Cardboard treasure chests can be found in most party stores, but if you’re feeling adventurous, you could make one using a few supplies from your local craft store.

Are you shopping for a preschool-aged child this holiday season? Look no further! Children and educators from select Goddard Schools–leaders in early childhood education–have announced their top toy picks for infants through children six years old for the 2011 holiday shopping season. The Goddard School^® Toy Test is the only national toy test designed exclusively for children in the preschool age range.

The Goddard School is dedicated to providing an environment where teachers support the nurturing and learning children want and need. It is with this focus that Goddard Systems, Inc., named the number one childcare franchise company for the tenth year in a row by Entrepreneur magazine, has released its fourth annual list of top toy finalists.

After a national call for submissions, Goddard School educators and children evaluated entrants based on a number of criteria, including:

• Interactive, child-initiated play focus
• Creative, social or engaging
• Appropriate for infants through children six years of age

“Goddard Schools are recognized nationally for our learning through play philosophy and our play-based FLEX^™ Learning Program, which focuses on the value of playful learning,” said Sue Adair, Director of Education at Goddard Systems, Inc. “We feel that our Top 10 Toys list will serve as a great resource for parents, grandparents and other family members as they enter the gift-giving season.”

Top 10 Preschooler-Approved Toys (in alphabetical order):

Animal Sounds Hay Ride (Learning Curve)

A fun tractor and hay wagon ride with farmer and animal figures. The figures are removable, with a bonus application of matching the animal figure to an image within the hay wagons to be rewarded with the correct animal sound.

(Suggested Age Range: 18 months & up) 

Bristle Block® Stackadoos® (B. Toys by Battat)

Chunky, soft pieces are easy to connect and feel good in little hands. A booklet filled with building ideas keeps the fun going.

(Suggested Age Range: 2 to 6 years)

Citiblocs Camouflage 100 Piece Set (CitiBlocs)

Eco-friendly; builds strength in little fingers and improves eye-hand coordination. Learn and practice math skills by grouping, adding, subtracting, matching and sequencing in a new camo color design.

(Suggested Age Range: 3 years & up) 

Citiblocs Little Builders Rattle Blocs (CitiBlocs)

Eco-friendly; builds strength in little fingers and improves eye-hand coordination. Practice fine motor skills, problem solving, imagination and experimentation. A great first block set for children!

(Suggested Age Range: 2 years & up)

Count Your Chickens!™ board game (Peaceable Kingdom)

The perfect ‘first’ board game for children. Cooperative games emphasize play and not competition. 100% Green.

(Suggested Age Range: 3 years & up)

Elemenosqueeze (B. Toys by Battat)

Chew on them, toss them in the tub, learn the alphabet, build your masterpiece. Keeps children busy for years! Or at least minutes. Rich colors inspired by the toymaker’s international heritage.

(Suggested Age Range: 6 months to 3 years)

Hoot Owl Hoot! ™ board game (Peaceable Kingdom)

A color-coded cooperative matching game. Cooperative games emphasize play and not competition. 100% Green.

(Suggested Age Range: 4 years & up) 

Little Shopper Playset (Earlyears)

6-piece playset is full of activities. Each food features a different texture plus crinkles, jingles or chimes. Perfect for fill and spill and take along fun.

(Suggested Age Range: 6 months & up) 

Sassy® Sensory Ball Set (Sassy)

Sassy’s Oppenheim Award-winning sensory ball set comes with 3 balls, each featuring high-contrast patterns, graspable areas, textures or noisemakers for play and sensory development.

(Suggested Age Range: 3 months & up) 

Soft Chime Garden (Lamaze)

Colorful and musical textured flowers encourage baby to reach, tug and bat, developing hand-eye coordination and teaches cause and effect. Also straps to car seats and strollers.

(Suggested Age Range: 6 months & up) 

For more information on the Top 10 Preschooler-Approved Toys, visit www.goddardschools.com/toys. To learn more about The Goddard School, families are encouraged to visit www.goddardschool.com or call 1-800-GODDARD.

Start by creating a space in your living room or play room that can be used as the “beach.” Have your child wear their best beach outfit, complete with flip flops and sunglasses, and lay beach towels on the floor. If you have beach balls or other beach-related decorations, bring them out to add to the fun.

During their day at the “beach,” encourage your child to use their imagination to pretend they’re swimming, surfing in the waves, or the lifeguard watching over all the swimmers. Read your child’s favorite beach-related books together, eat lunch picnic-style on your beach towels, play a game of beach ball catch and even take a nap on the “beach.”

What you need:

• Bright colored water-based paint
• Dark construction paper (blue or black to simulate the night sky)
• Drinking straws
• Newspaper (or a drop cloth)
• Paintbrush or dropper
• Small bowls (for mixing the paint and water)
• Water

Ready, Set, Blow!

• Protect your work surface with newspaper or a drop cloth.
• Give each child a piece of construction paper.
• Add a few drops of paint and a few drops of water to each bowl and mix to thin out the paint.
• Using a paintbrush or dropper, place a drop of the paint mixture on the paper.
• Holding a straw a few inches above the paper, each child should blow through the straw to move the paint around to create a “firework.”
• Repeat around to fill the paper with different colors until it resembles a sky full of fireworks!

• Nuts (peanuts, cashews, almonds, etc.)

• Raisins

• M&M’s®

• Cheerios®

• Chex® cereal

• Small pretzels

• Teddy Grahams®

• Small cheese snack crackers

• Goldfish® crackers

When complete, consider writing a little ingredients list for dad to attach to the package, such as: “Ingredients: peanuts (because I’m your peanut), raisins (because you’re so good at raisin’ me), Teddy Grahams (for a big bear hug) and M&M’s (because you’re so sweet).”

• Frozen Fruit Pops: Use frozen berries and/or fresh fruit and experiment with different combinations. Blend your fruit of choice in a blender with a bit of all-natural fruit juice and pour into ice cube trays. After the cubes have set up for a few minutes, insert Popsicle sticks into each one and freeze completely. When ready, pop them out one by one and enjoy!

• “Ice Cream” Sandwiches: Spread a bit of sugar free Cool Whip on a graham cracker and top with another graham cracker. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. When completely frozen, unwrap and savor your tasty “ice cream” sandwich creation!

• Frozen Bananas: Peel a banana and cut it into two pieces. Insert a Popsicle stick in the flat end of each piece of banana. Use a butter knife or spatula to cover the banana with your choice of peanut, soy or sunflower butter; honey or chocolate syrup and roll in granola, whole grain cereal or chopped nuts. Place the bananas on a tray covered with parchment paper and freeze. Children will “go bananas” for this fun frozen treat!

Zoo or Aquarium

Zoos and aquariums introduce children to thousands of new animals and species. The majority of zoos and aquariums use creative ways to involve young children in what is usually considered a ‘look-but-don’t-touch’ environment.

• Opportunities to pet and feed the animals will allow your child to explore and discover in a hands-on way. Children may or may not recall something that is told to them, but if you allow them to do it and touch it, it will make a lasting impression.
• Make sure the zoo or aquarium offers educational programs that target young children.
• Ensure that the zoo or aquarium has a strong commitment to safety, including several first aid stations and ample security.
• Visit the zoo or aquarium Web site before finalizing your trip to make sure that it will be an appropriate fit for your young child.
• If your child is a journal writer, encourage them to journal their experiences and feelings.

TIP Read a book about animals/aquatic life with your child before your zoo or aquarium visit – this helps build excitement about the upcoming trip. Providing children with a little background regarding animals they may experience may produce a higher probability of knowledge and experiential retention.

Beach or Lake

If you are near a beach or lake, make it a day! Children love to explore sand and water–let them play in it!

• Bring a plastic magnifying glass so your little trekker can become a geologist, analyzing the sand and shells.
• If the beach you are planning to visit has a bay area, or if you are visiting a lake, rent a canoe for an afternoon and take your child for an aquatic adventure. This is a great opportunity to teach your child the importance of water safety and aquatic life – always wear life jackets.
• It is imperative to re-apply your child’s sunscreen every two hours. Shade your child from extra rays and use an umbrella and hats.
• Maintain eye contact on your child at all times, regardless of the presence of lifeguards.
• Consider painting your seashell treasures when you get home. These personalized memories are wonderful gifts for grandparents, aunts and uncles.

TIP Bring a large make-up or powder brush (with talc) for an easy, pain-free way to remove sand before sunscreen application or at the end of the day.

Museum

Museums are a great attraction for family trips.  Children’s museums focus on learning through play, where children are encouraged to explore with their senses.

• Museums generally allow your little explorers to participate in activities such as working with fossils, climbing tree houses and even performing on a TV set or an opera house stage.
• Exploration centers, imagination factories, sensory stations and education-based play spaces are common attributes in many museums. Even your infant will enjoy learning.
• If it looks like a mini-supermarket, understand that to your toddler or preschooler it is a supermarket. Allow you little one to explore this environment as if it was a ‘research and development’ project.
• Does your museum display art? If it does, ask your child open-ended questions: What do you see? What colors did the artist use? How would you change this painting/sculpture?
• After your museum adventure, take a few moments with your child and draw or sculpt (with dough or clay) a memory.

TIP Allow your child to explore every facet of the museum. The museum’s design is based upon research in child development; even the ‘silliest’ activity may improve a developmental skill.

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, here’s a craft that little ones can do (with an adult’s assistance and supervision, of course) to thank mom for all that she does.

What you need:

• Two white paper plates
• Crayons, washable markers and/or water-based paint
• Hole punch
• Yarn, ribbon or a long shoelace
• Safety scissors
• Bag of Hershey’s KISSES
• Peel-and-stick magnets (optional)

1. Cut one paper plate in half and leave the other one whole.
2. Use the hole punch to punch holes, about one inch apart, along the straight edge of the cut plate.
3. Put the plates together so that the outside edges match up (this will form the pocket). While they are together, continue to punch holes, about one inch apart, around the edges of both plates.
4. Use the yarn, ribbon or long shoelace to sew the two plates together. (You won’t actually sew the straight edge of the cut plate to the full plate, but you can lace the yarn through these holes for decoration and added support.)
5. Tie the ends of the yarn, ribbon or shoelace together when sewing is complete.
6. Make a hole at the top and tie a piece of yarn or ribbon through for hanging on the wall or attach a few peel-and-stick magnets to the back for hanging on the refrigerator.
7. Decorate with crayons, washable markers and/or water-based paint.
8. When complete, fill the pocket with Hershey’s KISSES and present to mom on her special day! Once the KISSES are gone, mom can continue to use the pocket for recipes, coupons or more candy.