…?” asked the bard.

A mighty lot, especially when it comes to a preschooler’s name. Your child’s name, to her, is besides mama or daddy, the only one which is of any consequence to her. We might get over the initial excitement of looking for a perfect baby name, and get used to calling out her’s as time goes by. For her, it’s her identity - a familiar voice calling out her name or seeing her name on a gift package label, or on the inside first page of a book, means more to your child then you know.

Use it often -

• In conversations with her, or drop it within her earshot when you’re talking to others.
• Display it liberally and prominently at home – use alphabet cutouts to display it on the walls of her room, or in shimmering letters on the bedroom door.
• Have it monogrammed onto her towels, and napkins.
• Paint it on her place mats at the dining table.
• Write it on the first inner page of each of her books.
• Look for all the letters of her name on store signs, bill boards etc. Older preschoolers won’t need any prompting from you.
• Write it out on a piece of cardboard, in large block letters and paint in bright colors. Cut out the piece of cardboard into random shapes – use it as her very own name puzzle to put together!

Here are some ways to make your preschooler’s favorite bed time story book more interesting instantly.

• Take some correction fluid, and erase the name of the main character. Insert her name instead. 
• Even better, add a “Sir” or “Lady” before the name.
• Connect events in the story to similar events that happened with her.  For instance, something similarly naughty that she does.

Kids have an extremely  self centered view of the world, and a storytelling session that revolves around HER will seem instantly more magical!

Sorry for the delayed posting, internets. It’s been close to a week of feeling under weather.

On with the tips, and here are some ideas of physical activities you can get your kids to do outside. They work just as well if she’s alone as with her friends. In fact, you could even combine a few of these, and turn it into a relay race for the kids. No fancy props necessary, only a few simple items you’ll find in the house.

Running (set a timer)

Doing bunny hops

Walking on a short wall, or a plank, or rope

Walking on paper plates

Crawling on his tummy

Crawling though a large open carton

Hopping on one leg

Walking on all fours

Balancing a book on his head

Throwing a ball into a bucket

Sliding like a snake

Encourage her to make as many silly movements as she can. It’s a great activity for physical co ordination, especially when you ask them to combine more than one activity.

Enjoy!

All kids love having a little enclosed space that they can call their own. It could be a tent,  or a playhouse,  or anything similar that no one can enter, but her.  If you have a tent, summer is a good time to set it up in the yard. If not, simply

1. Throw a sheet over your clothesline, and hold it down with bricks on either side.
2. Pull the sofa in front, and throw cushions on the floor between the sofa and wall.
3. Cover a card table with an old sheet, and cut out holes for windows.  Use marker pens to make brick designs for “walls.”
4. Throw a blanket between two chairs.
5. Use pillows and cushions to build a fort for her inside the house.
6. If you have a bunk bed, throw a sheet in front of the lower bed.
7. Throw a large sheet over the dining table.
8. Make a playhouse by using a large old carton or cardboard box.  Check out Idea No. 9 here.

Use cushions and pillows to accessorize the little playhouse.  Remember, a secret getaway needs a secret password or a secret handshake for all those who enter.

Here’s an idea to capture the great walk you had today with your preschooler, or the trip to the park or the beach…

When you return home, round up some collage materials, and make a collage of your day.

• Little pieces of cotton wool can double as clouds.
• Use dried leaves or small broken off twigs to make the ground.
• If your day involved a campfire, use matchsticks bunched up together like a bonfire, with red paper and cotton wool painted gray for smoke.
• Use pictures of boys, girls, and dogs cut out from magazines and books, for kids playing at the park.
• Make frisbees from cut out paper.
• Use markers to add detailing.

It’s a great way to boost her memory of her day, and also increase her vocabulary as you ask her about all the things she saw. As she creates the collage, she’ll remember more stuff, that you can add as you go along. Improvise with materials.

Enjoy!

This weekend, use a piece of paper to help your child understand the difference between rough and smooth.  Run her palm across the surface of the paper, and say “Smooth.”  Then, crumple up the paper into a tight ball, and run her palm across the surface of the ball. “This is rough.”

Hi, Internets! I am writing this from a glorious tropical island paradise (Okay, it’s a little beach town, it’s drizzling, and I was down with a mild bout of food poisoning last night; plus, I read in the papers that malaria has been doing the rounds, but for someone who hasn’t taken a day off in the past seven months, it sure feels like heaven).  Hope all is well with all of you wonderful people, and I’ll be back to regular posting over the weekend.

Coloring page for your kiddies. I wish I could say it was the result of my natural artistic talents. But, its not. I am test driving a daily coloring page service. Just click on the smaller icon, print and color. Let me know if you like it!

Edit: I moved this to the right hand side of the home page.

So, Cindy at Go Workout Mom tagged me to write a six word memoir. Since there is a strong possibility this is my only chance at any length of memoir, here goes.

“Before the boy, bedlam. Now, harmony.”

Now that we’ve got that profound life story out of the way, I am expected to tag five other bloggers to share their memoirs, and I’ve selected the women behind these amazing blogs.

Nicole at Planning With Kids

Trish at Another Piece of the Puzzle

Elexis at The Stuff I Live For

Lis at Woolgatherings

Jen at Big Binder

According to the rules, each person will have to post her Six Word Memoir, and tag five other bloggers. Remember to link to the post that tagged you, and leave a note at the blogs you tag letting them know they’ve been tagged! (Forgive the sound of this last sentence, I am in a bit of a rush!)

I can’t wait to read the life stories of these girls…in six words!

12

Disclaimer: I am not actually suggesting you take any number of kids in a fight.

I just played this game, and was pretty mortified at the results. Apparently, my fitness levels are at an all time low – I can take on only 12 5-year-olds-in a brawl. Pitiful.

It doesn’t help that I am vertically challenged, and don’t remember ever being trampled by a horse. Play to find out.

I’d like to know how these kick ass Moms fare – Cindy at Go Workout Mom, who’s flexing her muscles while she cleans the oven, scrubs the garage, and more feats that leave me exhausted just reading about them, and and Lisa at Workout Mommy who runs marathons. Enough said. I am guessing they’ll probably take on at least 30 runts each.