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BUILDING BLOCKS THERAPY WINTER NEWSLETTER 2011

Click here for 2010 Holiday Newsletter

 

To our valued clients,
Welcome to winter and the holiday season! At this time of year, parents often ask for present ideas and activities.  Below you will find gift suggestions with an emphasis on creativity and speech and language enhancement, as well as local family-fun activities for the winter break.

 

GIFT IDEAS:

  1. New games we’ve discovered:
    1. Melissa & Doug Sandwich Stacker game, Where is the sock monkey?, Jolly Octopus, Greedy Gorilla, and Cookin’ Cookies, are fun, engaging games to work on turn-taking and sequencing development.  Ages 3+
    2. New cool toy – Plan Toys “Build a Robot” – wooden doll has interchangeable heads with different emotions Age 3+
  2. Movement and Listening games:
    1. Jungle Jam, Kids on Stage, Animal Scramble,                                                        Diggity Dog, Hyperdash, and Creative Creatures are all games that     incorporate listening and movement. These are great for auditory processing and motor planning!
  3. Younger kids 9 mos-24 mos.
    1. Play Skool Popping Pals, Haba Fantasy blocks, Battat 3 Car Garage, and Piggy Bank are fun, exploratory cause-and-effect toys.
    2. Check out www.hearthsong.com for more wooden and soft baby toys! (like the Shake n’ Match Sorter and Patty Cake)
  4. Older kids 5-6+
    1. Secret Square, Don’t Wake the Hulk, Slamwich, The Dog’s Meow, and Cat in the Hat I Can Do That! are all games requiring strategy and higher level thinking and organization.
  5.  Most Creative Toy – Wall Coaster Ultimate Marble Run –   www.hearthsong.com – interchangeable tubes stick to the wall to create unique tracks for marbles Age 5+
  6. GREAT DEALS!!
    1. Mr. Potato Head carrying case – $10.00 at Costco- 3+ This large carrying case (in the shape of Mr. Potato Head) holds multiple Potato Head sets, allowing for easy clean up and storage. Mr. Potato Head is great for body parts, pronouns, and prepositions
    1. Early Years Busy Ball Drop - $14.99 at Child’s Play - 9+ mos.  This toy is great for early motor and visual tracking development and is small enough to not get in the way! 
    2. Educo Pull Along Mini Block Cart at Amazon.com - $16.00 – Blocks are great for imaginative play and the cart helps keep them organized once done playing!  
  1.     The Usual Favorites Ages 2-3+
    1.  Candyland Castle, Don’t Break the Ice, Memory, Chutes N Ladders, Pop Up Pirate, Hi-Ho Cherry-O. Ages 3+
    2. The Cranium brand offers a large selection of educational, strategic, and fun games for kids of all ages.  Yearly favorites include, Caribou, Hullabaloo (NOT the DVD version), Caribou Treasure Island, and Sounds by the Seashore.  Ages 3+                                                                             
  2. iPad apps:
    1. PlayHomeLite - The child can make each family member go into different rooms in the house and activate different appliances, turn the lights on/off, take food out of the fridge, etc.
    2. MoodyMonsters - has a lot of free matching and following direction games as well as feeling descriptions.
    3. JumpStartPreschool -  has matching, sorting, following direction games.
  3. Craft Actvities:
    1. Paper bag reindeer – You’ll need: brown lunch bag, 1 red fuzzy ball, 2 google eyes, and 2 pieces of construction paper. Have your child trace his/her hands on the construction paper and then cut out. These are the antlers.  Glue on top, then add the face. (For an even more simple way – you can simply color eyes and a nose).
    2. Crystal Snowflake – You’ll need: 3 white pipe cleaners, spaghetti jar, string, 2 cups boiling water, and Borax Laundry Booster.  Twist the pipe cleaners to look like a 6-pointed star, tie the string around the points to look like a snowflake. Tie a 2nd piece of string to the top pipe cleaner and then around the middle of a pencil.  Rest the pencil on top of the spaghetti jar so the snowflakes hangs into the jar. (Then remove from jar). Fill the jar with boiling water (1-2 cups whatever fits). Add 3 tblspns of Borax per cup of water and dissolve. Put the snowflake back into the jar and let sit over night. It will crystallize by morning!
    3. For more crafty sites check out:
      1. www.enchantedlearning.com
      2. http://dltk-kids.com/
      3. www.orientaltrading.com
  1. Local Activities:
    1. Ice skating! – Now that the weather is finally starting to cool down, the areas ice skating rinks are opening up. 3 local ones include:
      1. Cabin John Park Ice Rink
      2. Pentagon Row Ice Rink
      3. Sculpture Garden Ice Rink
    1. Holiday Festival of Trains and Toys – Baltimore, MD – Dec 2-29
    2. Build an Edible Gingerbread House – National Building Museum, DC – Dec. 10
    3. Concerts and Plays:
      1. Family Christmas Concert – Kennedy Center, DC – Dec 17
      2. A Barnyard Christmas – Oatlands Plantation, Leesburg, VA – Dec 15-17. Santa, cookies, and cider after the show!

 

HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY SEASON!!
Building Blocks Therapy Staff,
Kirsten, Melissa, Laney, Melanie, Cristin, Rachel, and Ashley
www.buildingblockstherapy.com

 

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