This post was first published in June 2010.

Dad 101 recently started telling Immy the story of Goldilocks and The Three Bears as part of her bedtime story routine. She is captivated by the story and asks for it over and over again, both at night and during the day. Whilst I love her love of the story just for what it is I also saw in it as an opportunity to re-introduce Immy to a breakfast food that she hasn’t had for quite a long time…porridge.

When we were out shopping, I suggested we buy some porridge oats so that we can pretend to be Goldilocks and the Three Bears. ‘Oh, yes!’ she said and then began planning who would play which role. Needless to say, she would be Goldilocks and I would be … Papa Bear! Go figure?

The next morning we made a nice fresh batch of porridge and as we ate I read her the story from a fairytale treasury (this was the first time she had enjoyed the story from a book, previously it had been shared through verbal story telling). On the mornings that followed we would either read the story as we ate or invite our the Three Bears to join us for breakfast – three different sized teddy bears, each with their own appropriately-sized bowl and spoon.

And now we are well and truly back to enjoying porridge as a breakfast food.

One of my Facebook followers recently asked for some further tips on toddler eating and I think one of my number one tips would be to make it fun!

If you can positively engage your toddler with food, it can often work to encourage them to eat – especially when it comes time to introduce new foods. And it doesn’t need to be as elaborate as inviting the Three Bears over for breakfast! For example, when I feel that Immy isn’t really interested in coming to the table for breakfast, I simply sprinkle a few 100’s and 1000’s (coloured sugar sprinkles) onto her breakfast and excitedly exclaim, “Oh, look Immy, the fairies have been to visit. They’ve left fairy sprinkles on your breakfast.” It’s not something I do everyday, keeping it for those mornings when we need to eat quickly to get out of the door on time.

Up your eggy fun factor with a character face drawn with marker pen.

My number two tip – wherever possible, eat alongside your child. When I re-introduced the porridge, I sat down with a bowl too.

Thirdly, I think a mistake we sometimes make with babies (on solids) and toddlers is sticking to foods we know they eat and forgetting to regularly introduce new foods, especially when it comes to breakfast. When Immy is showing less interest in breakfast, I try to mix it up again, remembering that breakfast doesn’t just have to be about cereal or toast.

Simple alternative breakfast food ideas

• Fruit salad or fruit kebabs – Immy is really interested in food which comes on a ‘stick,’ you would be amazed what can be turned into a kebab! Add yoghurt for dipping.

• Fruit smoothie – I use bananas or frozen berries and add yoghurt and a dash of honey.

• Eggs – boiled, scrambled or as an omelette. I have such happy childhood memories of dippy eggs with soldiers of toast.

Breakfast fun for older children learning to read.

• Baked beans or tinned spaghetti.

• Pikelets or pancakes with fruit.

• Muffins – try English muffins with a new or favourite topping or make some homemade fruit or savoury muffins together.

• Bread or toast – think beyond vegemite or honey and try;

1. Mashed or sliced banana with or without a drizzle of honey
2. Cream cheese with sultanas
3. Sliced apple and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar
4. Melted cheese – alone or over a little tinned tuna or vegemite
5. Mashed avocado
6. Mashed hard boiled egg

What are your kid’s current favourite breakfast foods?

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• 5 easy toddler snacks that won’t fill them up before dinner!
• 18 Super Sandwich Fillings Just Right for Kids

At five years of age Immy has recently discovered the joy in a game of Tic Tac Toe (otherwise known as Noughts and Crosses). This felt version of the game was super easy to make and given that we have already played with it many, many times I know that it is a fabulous addition to our games cupboard. As it takes up next to no space, I look forward to packing it next time we are travel or head out to dinner as a family.

Felt Tic Tac Toe Tutorial

You will need:

• One length of felt 47cm x 20cm for the game base/storage pocket
• Two contrasting colours of felt, enough of each to cut out 12-16 small circles (I allowed for a few extra game pieces of each colour)
• Cotton in contrasting colours to your felt
• Sewing machine
• Iron on adhesive for fabric (I used Heat n Bond)
• Two velcro dots

To make:

1. To make the playing pieces cut 12-16 small circles from each colour of felt. I used a circle template to create circles 5cm in diameter. Two circles are used for each playing piece.

2. On six (to eight, depending upon how many spare game pieces you are making) of the felt circles of one colour, machine stitch a cross using a contrasting coloured cotton. Mine were sewn free form (which worked better for the crosses then for the noughts) but you could draw your shapes onto the felt first. I stitched over each line three times. On six of the felt circles of the other colour, machine stitch a circle using a contrasting coloured cotton.

3. For each playing piece, cut a circle out of the iron on adhesive. Follow the manufacturer’s directions to join one stitched playing piece to one blank circle piece. This will strengthen the playing pieces.

4. To create the game board and storage pocket, mark out the playing grid directly onto the felt (this will be on the inside of the final product). I first divided my length of felt into three sections – the first two at 19 1/2 cms wide and the third 8cms (this section will form the flap that is folded over to seal the storage pocket).

Draw the game board in the middle section. My grid lines were each 16 1/2 cms long and sat 7cms apart.

5. Machine stitch over the lines marked on your game board with a contrasting coloured cotton. I stitched over each line three times.

6. Fold the large side section over the middle section. Pin each side and machine stitch (with a 1/2cm seam allowance) each side. This forms a pocket for storing the playing pieces when they are not in use.

7. Fold the top section down to form a flap that will close the storage pocket. Stitch the two velcro dots in place to secure.

Turn the pocket over and you are ready to play. Enjoy!

If you are looking for more activity ideas or practical suggestions for travelling with kids as we head into school holidays and summer vacation time, be sure to check out my Road Tripping & Family Travel board on Pinterest.

As many of you know my first book, Time to Create: Hands On Explorations in Process Art for Young Children, was recently published by Gryphon House. Today I am excited to share that the book is going on tour! Over the next few weeks, Time to Create will be featured on a series of blogs from all around the world, which means you’ll have the opportunity to peek inside the covers to see what the children of my fellow bloggers (and their mamas) think of the creative projects and ideas that lie within. The tour will feature reviews, activity ideas and even an interview or two with little old me.

It all kicks off today with a feature on my good friend Kate’s blog – Picklebums. Be sure to check out what she and her son, Morgan, have to say about Time to Create.

With thanks to each of the following fabulous bloggers for their support of Time to Create. Keep an eye on their blogs for upcoming stops along the tour (if you are not already familiar with them, these are all great blogs to follow), I’ll update the links here as their posts go live…

Picklebums . An Everyday Story

 Learn With Play At Home . Octavia & Vicky

 Sesame Ellis . Nurturestore

 Simple Kids . Our Everyday Things

 Rainbows Within Reach . Teach Preschool

 At Home With Ali . Go Explore Nature

 Not Just Cute . Lessons Learnt Journal

 PreK+K Sharing . The Imagination Tree

Get your own copy of Time to Create

Time to Create: Hands On Explorations in Process Art for Young Childrenis now available internationally through all major online booksellers, including The Book Depository, Amazon, Fishpond and Barnes & Noble.

Welcome back to the Childhood 101 virtual bookclub. We are currently reading Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish (full bookclub details here), looking here at sections 5 & 6: Siblings in Roles and When the Kids Fight.

Wow, these two sections were jam packed with information, weren’t they? So many of the examples and stories shared resonated with my own experiences of family and siblings and in hindsight each section was probably worthy of its own independent discussion. That being said given that my girls are both so young, section five held the most relevance to me right now (though I have no doubt at all that section six will come in handy very, very soon). Here’s what spoke to me most strongly;

There is so much truth to the discussion of children and ‘roles’ in section five. I found the idea that it is not only parents (or teachers) that allocate or reinforce roles but also the child himself and siblings (and other peers, I am sure) really interesting, it was something I had not really considered previously. I have seen firsthand (as I am sure we all have) how the individual’s personality type, areas of strength (or weakness) and interests can all play a significant part in the determination or reinforcement of the roles allocated to him or herself. Although we don’t refer to it negatively, Immy has always been particularly drawn to imaginative and creative play, and she sings and dances her way through every day. It would be easy to label her our ‘creative’ child. Section five reminded me that encouraging her strengths and interests is important but I should be cautious in not limiting her from exploring other pursuits and mindful of how we compare our girls as AJ grows and shows us her own distinct self. The example the author used of her own experience learning the piano was really poignant for me.

These were my favourite passages from section five;

“We also need to prepare our children for life outside the family. And life demands that we assume many roles. We need to know how to care for and be cared for; how to be leaders and followers; how to be serious and a little wild; how to live with disorder and how to create order. Why limit any of our children? Why not encourage all of them to take chances, explore their potential, discover strengths they never dreamed lay within them.”  - page 94

and

“No child should be allowed to corner the market on any area of human endeavour. We want to make it clear to each of our children that they joys of scholarship, dance, drama, poetry, sport are for everyone and not reserved for those who have a special aptitude.”  - page 98

and

“Some of us might have greater needs or greater challenges, but we all need to be accepted as we are. Each of us is capable of growth and change. Which doesn’t mean we won’t have problems, but we’ll deal with each problem as it comes up. The important thing is to believe in ourselves.”  - page 117

With regards to section six, I need to have the summary of strategies offered on pages 144-145 printed as a visual to hang in our home! I’ll add it to my to-do list! (Did you see that I shared a printable poster for the strategies from section 2?) There really was so many excellent examples offered in this section and I know I will refer to it again and again but my favourite passage would have to be;

“Basically we try not to interfere, but when we must step in, it’s always with the thought that at the earliest possible moment we want to turn the children back to dealing with each other. That’s the best preparation we can give them for the rest of their lives.”  - page 157

What about you? Which of these sections spoke to you where your family is at right now? Did you nod along as your read, reflecting upon your own sibling relationships like I did?

Feel free to share your reflections in the comment section below. You might like to comment on;

• What is one idea, tip or story that really spoke to you or that you took away as a valuable insight?
• Do you have question for others in response to what you read?
• What was your favourite passage from the book?
• Is their a story of your own related to the themes of one (or both) of these sections that you would like to share?

Details for the next book club meeting
Pop back on July 4th (that’s three weeks today) to discuss your thoughts about Section 7 and the Afterword and a general wrap up of our thoughts on the book.

Links to previous Siblings Without Rivalry book club conversations;

• Siblings Without Rivalry bookclub introduction
• Siblings Without Rivalry reflections on sections 1 & 2
• Siblings Without Rivalry reflections on sections 3 & 4

Providing regular opportunities for children to think creatively encourages them to be receptive to innovation and invention, and to be open to alternatives when learning, solving problems and facing new situations. This simple game encourages children to brainstorm and use divergent thinking as they attempt to think of many different ways of using a common object, such as a scarf, ball, or in the example below, a cardboard tube.

Immy had been playing with a cardboard tube, pretending it was a telescope, for quite a while. As her initial interest in the tube began to wane I said, ”I have been watching you using the tube as a telescope, it looked like you were having so much fun. Which made me wonder, what else could you imagine it to be?”

In no time at all she had come up with ten different potential uses, each accompanied by an enthusiastic demonstration of how the cardboard tube would indeed function in its new role;

It really is a very simple, spontaneous game and it can be lots of fun – don’t be afraid to give it a go yourself. Be sure to actually give the child the object to hold and move with as they play. Be open to all of the child’s responses, no matter how out there they might appear (I am still not quite sure what a teeth sharpener is!), and be aware that (depending upon the age of your child) you might need to join in with a few suggestions as they get used to the idea of the game. For older children you might like to start with, ”In one minute tell me as many different uses as you can for this _____” or “Can you think of five/ten/twelve different uses for this ____?”

SunScholars . Frogs, Snails & Puppy Dog Tails . Playful Learners . Train Up a Child . Fantastic Fun & Learning . Scribble, Doodle & Draw . Learn. Create. Love. . Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas .Nothing if Not Intentional . My Little 3 & Me . Buggy & Buddy . Sun Hats & Wellie Boots .Twodaloo . True Aim . The Educators’ Spin On It . Blog Me Mom . Life At The Zoo . Putti’s World. Kitchen Counter Chronicles . Triple T Mum . Busy Kids Happy Mom . Crystal’s Tiny Treasures .Rainy Day Mum . Momma’s Fun World . My Little Bookcase . Craftulate . One Perfect Day .MumCentral . Artchoo! . Creative World Of Varya . Simple. Home. Blessings. . JDaniel4′s Mom .NurtureStore . Me & Marie Learning . Child Central Station . Mamas Like Me . Mama Miss. Making Boys Men . Powerful Mothering . Craft to Art . 3 Dinosaurs . Domestic Goddesque .Lessons Learnt Journal . Royal Baloo . Smiling Like Sunshine . Adventures at Home with Mum .B-Inspired Mama . PragmaticMom . Eazy Peazy Mealz . Gluesticks . TheBoy&Me . Learning is Messy . My Nearest & Dearest . Growing Book by Book . How to Run a Home Daycare . Here Come the Girls . Think Magnet . Dandelions Picked . 123 Homeschool 4 Me . Our Ordinary Life .Parenting with Professor Poppins . 2 Little Hooligans . Fun-a-Day! . The Non-Martha Mamma .Angelique Felix . My Very Educated Mother . Creative Playhouse . Go Explore Nature . Zing Zing Tree . Sense of Wonder . Childhood 101 . Crayon Freckles . KZ & Me . Serenity You . This Mumma’s Life . Leapfrog & Ladybugs . Blue Bear Wood . Growing Together . KC EDventures .Mommy Lessons 101 . Nature & Play . Like Mama Like Daughter . Mums Make Lists . From Wine to Whine . Messy Kids . Babble Dabble Do . Sugar Aunts . Teaching @ Home . Preschool Powol Packets . Clothed in Love . Curiosity Creates . The Magnolia Barn . Strong Start . Stay-at-Home Mom Survival Guide . Learn with Play at Home . Mummy… Mummy… MUM! . Science Sparks. Toddler Approved . Thrive 360 Living . Rockabye Butterfly . Mud Hut Mama . Coffee Cups & Crayons . Playing with Words 365 . My Lil Love Bugs . Creative Connections for Kids . LalyMom .Love, Play, Learn . Kindergarten & Preschool for Parents & Teachers . The Pleasantest Thing .Teach Beside Me

It’s been a long time since I posted about eating out with children and in that time we have grown from a family with one young toddler to a family with a kindergartener and a just-found-her-feet-but-mama’s-not-ready-to-call-me-a-toddler-yet baby. We still don’t eat out that regularly which makes it a treat for all of us, which it can only be if it’s relaxed and stress-free for both the children and the adults. Here’s a few simple steps we take to make dining out as a family as low-fuss as possible;

Success is in the planning: Being just that little bit organised before you even leave home can make all the difference to a family outing. Carefully consider;

• Your choice of venue – is the restaurant or cafe family friendly? Are high chairs available? Is there a children’s menu? You’ll feel a lot more relaxed dining with children in tow if the restaurant is somewhat informal and clearly caters for family groups.
• Don’t bite off more than you can chew – dining out doesn’t have to just be about dinner, would a family outing for just dessert, coffee and cake or breakfast be a better fit with your family dynamics and routine right now?
• Time it right – wherever possible, make a prior booking with the venue so that you are not waiting unnecessarily. We try to book at least half an hour before our regular meal time to ensure that there is time to order and for the food to be prepared before the girls get too hungry.
• Don’t wait until everyone is ready – we tend to order the children’s meals as soon as we arrive so that their meals come out first and they are not waiting for adults to read the full menu before making their own choices.
• If dining with a large group, looking up the venue’s menu online beforehand can save valuable time on the day.

Make like a boy scout and be prepared: I know it can be easy to get out of the habit of making preparations for outings once young children are out of nappies but I find it is always handy to have each of the following on hand;

• Baby wipes – fabulous not only for wiping messy fingers and faces but also cleaning high chairs or wiping over tabletops that have been left suspiciously sticky by the previous occupants.
• Child sized utensils for young children
• Children’s water/drink bottles
• Snacks – It might seem silly to take along food when you are heading out to eat but keeping a few small snacks tucked away can be a blessing if you face lengthy delays.

Keep them busy: I might arrive looking like I’ve packed for an overnight stay rather than a simple meal but I am always sure to bring along a small but varied collection of quiet activities to occupy the girls during waiting times. These might include;

• Drawing utensils and paper, pad or colouring book
• Sticker books
• A new children’s magazine
• Small figurines: fairies, dinosaurs, zoo animals, Polly Pockets, My Little Ponies – they’ve all made an appearance at one time or another on our family mealtime outings
• Mini magna doodle (check out this post for four game ideas for the magna doodle)
• Plasticine (the baby wipes also come in handy for wiping down table tops once done)
• AJ’s baby play purse
• Board books (easy to wipe down if food gets spilt)

Encourage social skill development: Eating out provides a wonderful opportunity for children to observe and use a range of good manners and social conventions. Support your children to take (developmentally appropriate levels of) responsibility for what to eat and drink, for ordering their meal and for making suitable requests from waitstaff.

Do you dine out often as a family? What are your tips for making it a pleasant experience for everyone?

Related Posts

• Why Kids Are No Good at Being Good
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This post is by regular contributor Kate Gribble of An Everyday Story.

What’s the most popular toy at your house? Our is definitely blocks. My four year old son Jack builds with blocks everyday, many times a day. He’ll build bridges and houses and whole cities.

It wasn’t always this way though. For almost a year the blocks sat in a basket ignored, in favour of any and all other toys. I really loved blocks though and wanted so much for Jack to love them too. I loved the potential of blocks; the open-ended play, the problem-solving, the design and creativity, the potential for deep imaginative play.

Then one day Jack asked where Daddy worked,

Daddy works in an office building.

What’s an office building?

Here was my opportunity. Would you like to build one with some blocks? YES!

Jack’s buildings were very basic at first, just a few blocks stacked on top of each other but he was so interested in office buildings that he built and built. This was the key. He now had an interest and a material which helped him explore that interest more deeply.

From then on more little opportunities presented themselves for Jack to build with blocks; a building in a story, a building we passed in the car, ‘Let’s build that with blocks when we get home’ I would say which eventually turned into ‘Hey Mummy, can I build that with blocks?’

Over the next few months I was so happy to see Jack seeking out blocks. Over the next two years, Jack’s love of blocks has continued to grow.

Throughout that time there have been a few quite deliberate things we have done to encourage and develop Jack’s block play:

• Set-up an inviting area for blocks

• Offered loose materials (based on his current interests) to incorporate into his play

• Asked Jack about his buildings and sculptures ’What is this here?’ to encourage him to think more about his designs

• If he is having difficulty building something, I ask him to draw his ideas. This helps him to explain his thoughts and relieves some frustrations

• Provide beautiful materials to entice

• Provide a space for his buildings and sculptures to remain untouched over a number of days for Jack to return to and build upon

Through blocks Jack is expressing his creativity, he’s learning to problem-solve and manage frustrations and he’s learning important concepts of balance, symmetry and design; all the things I had hoped for while the blocks sat ignored in a corner those years ago.

Do your children like to build with blocks? How do you encourage their interest and play?

Related Posts

• {Play & Learn} Links for Construction Play
• Literacy in the Block Corner
• Managing Play With Children of Different Ages
• Types of Play: Building and Constructing

Now that AJ is on the move it is more important than ever that she has time to potter outdoor each day. Unfortunately, the weather is cooling rapidly and I am not much of a Winter person, in fact I seem to be lacking in some essential gene that finds the cold and rain enticing. While our backyard is great for play on dry days I have been contemplating creating an outdoor play space that is undercover so that we can still get out for some fresh air on rainy days. Of course it is not just the cold that can take the shine off outdoor play (at least for parents!), a shaded, undercover play space is also a great idea for the very hot days of Summer.

I created this undercover play space under the patio that runs along part of one side of our house (just outside the playroom). Previously, the area has been completely under utilised because Dad 101 and I find it so uninspiring. We have big plans for a makeover of the space to create a lovely outdoor living space but as our vision includes changes from top to bottom current budgetary constraints mean that it is probably not going to happen any time soon! Fortunately cheering it up and making it more purposeful in the meantime required less than an hour, and as I re-purposed bits and pieces from our other (indoor and outdoor) play spaces, it didn’t cost me a cent.

The first thing I did was move the water table that we bought AJ for her first birthday into the space, adding a little sand, a collection of shells and some smooth river stones (choosing shells and stones that are large enough that they do not constitute a choking hazard to a one year old).

I tucked a storage tub for the sand toys and a dustpan and brush under the table as I am under no illusions that the sand will stay in the table!

Our art easel is always on the move! This time it relocated from one end of my kitchen (think witching hour distraction while mama is prepping dinner) into our new outdoor space. I added a bucket of fresh chalk and wipe down cloth. Next to the easel I placed a small plastic table (borrowed from the cubby house) and two stools. Immy is a proficient creator of artwork at the moment and I wanted to give her a place to sit to draw or paint with watercolours.

Speaking of artworks, I wanted to add some additional visual interest to the space and after considering various commercial posters and pictures instead decided to hang some of Immy’s many recent drawings and paintings on the large glass door. That way she may be inspired to add new masterpieces to the display as they are created.

I also added our basket of mini beanbags to the space as they are great for physical movement activities in limited spaces (for those interested in making their own, here’s the link to my beanbag making tutorial).

Finally I added this small carpet mat that was given to us when we purchased new carpet for the girl’s bedrooms about eighteen months ago. It’s big enough for the two girls to sit and play on but small enough to make it easy to roll up and store in the playroom.

As soon as she was up from her nap, AJ was keen to explore…

…and make her mark!

Do you have a patio, verandah or balcony that could benefit from an all-weather makeover?

Related Posts

• Making Space for Outdoor Play When Space is Tight
• 7 Tips for Making Outdoor Time a Habit
• Getting Little Bodies Moving When It’s Too Hot (or Cold) Outdoors