Kinetic Sand: The Sand You Can't Put Down

We are obsessed with our Kinetic Sand by Spin Master. The kids will play, tinkle and mould with this stuff for hours if I let them have their way. And probably -- for me -- the best feature of this magic sand is that there is no mess; something us mums will easily be sold on, no doubt. Ordinary sand goes just about everywhere, and I do mean everywhere! Fact of the matter is, I would never willingly bring play sand into the house for this very reason; it's a nightmare to get rid of completely. But not Kinetic Sand, which proclaims itself to be "98% sand and 2% magic". I'll take a box or two of that, thank you.

'Kinetic Sand sticks to itself and not to kids, so it can be easily cleaned up and stored. It oozes, moves and melts right before your eyes. It flows through fingers just like real sand and leaves them completely dry, but when pressed together, it sticks to itself and keeps its shape.'

But seriously, this sand is so therapeutic, especially for my son who is very sensory when it comes to these sorts of things. You can view some of their products on their Instagram page. D just loves the stuff. Auntie A couldn't have chosen a better gift than this little sprinkling of magic.

Feeling the sand glide smoothly through your fingers is incredibly relaxing, even for us adults. Kinetic Sand truly is the sand that you can't put down. It moulds and shapes perfectly, providing endless amounts of creative fun building sandcastles, making forts, or simply just letting it fall through your fingers (on repeat).

D loves it and so do his sisters, who are 8 and 9 years old. It turned out to be a really fun joint activity. Each of the kids got a share and made up their own games on their respective LJUDA place mats from IKEA.

          

I mentioned that it has been very useful for my son's sensory issues and depending on the type of sensory requirements your child might have, I'd highly recommend Kinetic Sand for its tactile nature. You can choose from all sorts of colours and creative sets. We have the 'Shimmering Sapphire' version, which is a 454g box of brilliant blue (subtly sparkly) sand from Amazon.co.uk that will last for ages. It's also currently available to buy at ASDA, Toys "R" Us, Argos and SMYTHS.

Bringing Some Life to 'Jack & The Beanstalk'

This quiet and restful Sunday morning started of with some much hankered for dryness (having rained much of yesterday evening), which was accompanied by some short lived sunshine and momentary warmth and with nothing much on my 'to do' list I decided that the girls and I would focus of some academic recapping on the school week just gone. My eldest daughter, (E), was all levels of enthusiasm, as usual and spent the entire day conjuring up an array of suffixes to best describe her daily encounters with her friends in the school lunch hall. And then there is L, my youngest daughter who really does takes things in her own mellow pace and only commits to learning as and when she is inspired to do so. So when the opportunity arose  to do a little seed planting in relation to the studied text of 'Jack and the Beanstalk', she jumped at the task of writing out some instructions and hoped dearly to see just one of Jack's beans sprout. We replicated what L remembered doing in class and here's how it turned out.

1. Firstly, we had to put four black turtle beans into a glass as we recounted the events that took place in the story of 'Jack and the Beanstalk', a book that L had studied in class.

2. Then we tore up two small buds of cotton wool and gently dropped the pieces into the glass and on top of the beans.

3. Next, I was told that we had to pour in some water and there was some dispute over the quantity but we settled on just an egg cup full and L promised to keep a very watchful eye and make sure that it didn't dry out.

4. Once the water matter was over with, we placed the glass on the window sill in direct sunlight (we're obviously hoping to get some more of that sun).

L loved this added activity as part of her homework and it really helps to reinforce learning in a home environment for younger children; it captures their imaginations and gets them recalling events and information they have acquired at school. It gives them something to think about and look forward to as they wait for the first signs of sprouting.

Kids' Arts & Crafts: Creative Card Making

Spring Break is upon us in all its full two-week force. So, what better excuse to pull out the arts and crafts box to keep your little ones busy over the holiday. I always have lots of different types of media for the kids to get creative with and they really enjoy the freedom of choosing/combining water paints, acrylics, pencils, felts, chalk, sequins, feathers, paper, etcetera. L's teacher had a birthday recently and so I ought to publish this post now, instead of letting it languish in my drafts folder.

Cards, whether it's a birthday card or seasonal greeting card, are just the best for kids to get their creative mitts into; it's messy and it's fun. Two very key ingredients right there, for some. So find a clear space at the table or even on the floor, lay down some protective covering if you plan on going a little wild, set the scene with all of the tools and media you'll be using, round up the clan and get sticking.

We're using paper, card, sequins, glitter glue, feathers and pencils.

The kids are likely to take off all on their own initiative once they see everything and you'll probably end up taking the back seat as an observant supervisor. L pulled together this card up from its paper foundations and built her own little googly eyed feathered friend. She didn't even want/need my help. I just sat and watched with encouraging "ooohhs" and "aaahhs" - secretly wanting to get involved. I restrained my urges.

Look around the house for reusable items (carrying on the recycling theme a bit from my last post, which you can read here), such as old cartons, egg boxes, toilet roll, plastic lids, old buttons, packaging, bubble wrap, cotton wool... The list is endless! And if you are still stretched thin for ideas, there is always Pinterest. Have a go and capture the imaginative hearts of your kids this holiday.

'Cool Mum' badge earned without lifting much of a finger.

Getting Your Child to Eat

No one ever said that parenting was going to be easy. In fact, it is quite the opposite and probably one of the hardest challenges you will face in life, as has been the case in my own experiences a mother.

And yet, being a parent is the best, most rewarding job in the world. I would never change a thing about having my kids... and I had them relatively young. Whether that makes the experience harder, I do not know. There is a list of arguments for and against the idea, which I will not get into right now.

What I am trying to say is, no matter how hard it seems at the time; it is worth every hair-pulling, brow tensing second. There will always be a silver lining, and at the end of the day, when your little one looks up to you with the utmost love... I mean, I cannot express to you, but it is absolutely, without a doubt, the most life defining moment, ever!

Raising your children the right way was always going to be a challenge, things wouldn't be as exciting if they weren't. We knew this when we had them. What we didn't know was how frustrating this brilliant job could be at times. But I will admit that there are those few instances where I am absolutely stumped as to why I cannot solve a problem right away. And I have hit a stumbling block.

Over the past six months, my current (and ongoing) parental challenge has been getting my eldest daughter to actually eat a meal in decent time. All solutions have escaped me and despite my best efforts I can't help but feel as though every attempt to acheive a simple normal eating pattern has outright failed because while the first few tries have appeared to be successful, it eventually dwindles into an alltogether stressful situation where all parties are just, miserable. 

It is the most disheartening moment, when all you want is for your child to eat. It really is the hardest thing to do; to watch your child unable to eat a pefectly healthy and wholesome (kiddy-sized) plate of food, which was so lovingly put together.

Surely, at three and a half years of age, it should not take upto two whole hours, to just get her relatively through her meal. All the while she is constantly distracted by absolutely nothing. Twiddling with the fork, staring off into space, enticing her sister into playing beneath the table, which results in kicking (we absolutely put a stop to this, the moment it happens - got to love those timeouts), flicking the food about her plate as if she was simply bored.

We have tried and tested the 'Supernanny' approach of with-holding food until the child realises that they will not get anything else except what they were served. But then that was never Eden's issue in the first place, she wasn't being picky and demanding fries or cookies or any of that junk because she has never eaten these things (we are not a junk food house-hold). So, that was a fail and my kid just went hungry. The next day, I realised she was all to happy to have gone hungry the night before. Personally, I am not in agreeance with letting my child starve...

So where to go from there? Well, we tried 'Timeout! If you do not eat', which have worked for the most part, but it doesn't solve the timing issue, she is still slow as poke! Having to administer Timeouts just prolong the process. We decided to incorporate into this, the 'smaller portion/serving,' which worked for the first few days, as she began eating quicker. But, again she started to fall back into her old ways and once again, that look of boredom and utter lack of concentration.

We have even tried to just talk casually (around the dinner table) about the day and things we might have planned in the week, but that is the worst approach so far as she takes it as an invitation to chatter non-stop and completly give up on her food. I really cannot recall all the other little alterations and like I said - stumbling block.

Nevertheless, I am determined to try and figure this out. And you know what, I am sure that there are some days where the kid will just not eat and we, as parents, are always going to throw a fit about it and go into a frenzy of worry and panic. Fact of the matter is, Eden is a happy girl; she is tall and lean (which is to say, not too skinny), with a tremendous amount of energy that is shockingly overpowering. We really cannot keep up with her. So until there are signs that your child is poorly, is not themselves, are weak and of a somewhat lifeless nature, then you really should not worry too much.

The Troublesome Eater: Boredom at the dinner table, anyone?

My goal is to stay on top of the situation. It is, after all, a work in progress and I will keep this updated when we have a breakthrough. In the meantime, any top tips, or suggestions are always welcomed and appreciated.