Shaving Cream Fun

I've been reading a lot of teaching preschool blogs lately, and I've been learning a lot about sensory activities for tots.  This is one of the activities suggested so often.  

After three trips to the store with shaving cream on my list, I finally remembered this week!  I decided to set it up one afternoon when it was hot, we were bored, and I knew hose-play was inevitable.

You'll notice he is squishing it in his hands.  He was staying something that sounded like STICKY. 

The shaving cream didn't stay in the tub for very long.  By the time I could grab the camera, he'd already smeared it in his hair.   He actually dipped his entire head in the tub while I ducked inside to get the camera!  What a clown.

Notice how he has some on his face? 

 He recognized the shaving cream as shaving cream, not as the white cream I'd named it to him.  He rubbed in on his face and said, "Daddy! Ho, ho, ho!".  

He also used his sense of taste.  (EW, by the way!).

The shaving cream was everywhere... just everywhere.  He rubbed in his eyes, which promptly ended the activity.

Lesson I learned from this experience:  

It smelled strongly of man.  I need something different than Barbosol, I think.

It burns eyes.

Expect DHH to experience materials through touch.  Expect him to touch it with all parts of his body, even his head.

Try a tray instead of a tub.

Try food coloring, water, small tools, etc.

We repeated the activity this morning with DHH's friend Taylor.  We used the plastic trays, small dishes of colored water, and medicine droppers.  It went better!  DHH was still more interested in the water hose and cleaning up the mess, but Taylor who is nearly four, really enjoyed this activity and used her imagination, too.

She told me she made butterflies with the cream!

It was good for DHH to have a model to follow ... she set some standards and seemed to normalize some boundaries like no cream on the face, using fingers to swirl, etc.

Didn't I snap the photo at JUST the right time?

So, after the second time of this activity, I think we'll do it again in a few weeks!  I think it would also be a fun thing to do in the bathtub with or without water during the winter when its too cool to be outdoors.

Playing Cars with Emmie

Daniel calls his friend Emmett "Emmie".

He came to play.  They enjoyed each other's company, but the word of the day did seem to be MINE.

A First Fireworks Experience!

Daniel's first July 4th was last year, but it was rather uneventful.  He was eleven months old and went to bed peacefully and regularly at 7 PM each night.  We didn't change his routine and treated it as any other night.  Thus, he missed out on the celebration last year... the fireworks didn't even wake him!

This year, Daniel is falling asleep around 8:15PM each night, which is very close to 9 PM.  That's when the local fireworks display starts.  We went back and forth on going this year, since Elsa doesn't sleep in her car seat and since Daniel really does need his sleep in order to be a friendly guy.  Our friends the Dorrs told us about a great place to watch the fireworks they accidentally discovered last year.  Its a parking lot north of the stadium, free from traffic, smoke, firework noise, and crowds.  We decided to go!

Aunt Rachel and her boyfriend came for dinner and went to the fireworks with us, too.

Daniel was really sweet in the car on the way to see them..  He practiced saying his new word, firework.  He grinned a lot, too.  We could tell he knew we were doing something special.

We bought camp chairs and a beach towel to sit on.  It was really pleasant.  Daniel was happy his friends Emmie and T were there, too.

I had to point out when the fireworks began because Daniel was distracted by his friends, the location, and a nearby motorcycle.

He was stunned.

He said, "Wow. Woah. Wow."

He also said "Pow! Boom!".

Being so far away from the Stadium and the fireworks made it a little less exciting for us, but I don't think Daniel found it any less neat.  It was certainly different than being on the parking garages.  I liked that that there weren't other people around though.

 Elsa stayed in her car seat the whole time.  I don't think she figured out what was going on.  She fussed a bit, but when we got home, she slept from 10:30 until 5 AM.

Here are a few more scenes from the night.

The little boys were squirrely and very interested in lighting fireworks or looking at the motorcycle parked nearby.  We had to round them up on our laps a few times.

 The little girls didn't do too much this year.  I bet next year they will be running around and being goofy, too.

After the fireworks were over, Emmie shared his fireworks.

 

 DHH didn't actually like the sparklers.  He held one for about ten seconds, but then was content to just watch.

 He was okay just watching or holding an unlit sparkler.

My sister's boyfriend is from Turkey and hasn't celebrated very many American Independence Days.  This was his first time with a sparkler! 

 Then it was time for the Snaps.  DHH liked these.

He said, "POW" and also tried stepping on them, too.

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 It was a pretty fun night, and I am happy our two year old got to share this experience with our friends and family.