Thinkrolls - recommended tablet game for toddlers

As a parent, I am always on the look out for new ways to stimulate my child's mind. Maybe because I have a boy who hates puzzles and crafts, I am desperate to find interesting activities other than train tracks and animal farms!

I came across this game on my kindle fire tablet because it was free! If I'm perfectly honest, I originally downloaded it for myself because it looked like a fun and pretty game, and - come on - FREE!!!

On a Eurostar trip back to London a couple of months ago, my son was a bit agitated so I gave him to tablet for the first time. I know at nursery they have iPad sessions so he knew how to handle ours.

Soon enough, he was hooked on the game. Most of you would say it's really bad to get them used to computer games and I would normally agree but hear me out.

Thinkrolls

Thinkrolls is a game of strategy for toddlers and children aged 3-8. My son was barely 2 and 1/2 when he started so they are definitely capable to achieve the first levels at that age.

The basics of the game are that each window screenshot is a maze through which you have to guide a funny character. Obstacles need to be moved or used to go through the right path. 

The first levels are easy, you just need to eat biscuits or move boxes but as chapters difficulty increases, it becomes more and more strategic.

At later levels, strategic actions include moving a cushion to jump from to get out of hole, or fill the hole with the box, move balloons to clear access or extinct fires with ice cubes using moving platforms.

At the age of 2 and 1/2, my son is able to achieve all chapters at the easy setting which is for children aged 3-5. He can also achieve the first levels of the hard setting where observation and choices are the skills developed even further.

What Amazon says about it:

• 207 challenging levels with mind-sharpening puzzles
• Easy mode for ages 3-5, hard mode for ages 5-8
• Experiment with gravity, heat, buoyancy, speed, friction, elasticity & more
• Enhance logic, observation, spatial cognition, memory
• Track progress for up to 6 player profiles
• 22 hilarious super smart characters to play with
• Original soundtrack and sound effects
• Supreme design, eye-catching artwork
• Language neutral game-play
• COPPA compliant

Highly recommended!!!!

Toddler fine motor skills popsicle activities

Hi and thanks for visiting my blog.

Today, I would like to share with you an activity for >2yo toddlers. You may have seen my previous post on cartoons popsicles.
So naturally, having purchased a big bag of wooden sticks, I'm looking for more amazing activities to do with my son that are using those.
For this activity however, I purchased the Jumbo sized wooden sticks because I thought that it would be easier to handle for my son.

Note: that the previous article could also be based on these Jumbos.

Toddler fine motor skills popsicle activity


I'm happy to report this is also made from only 2 things: wooden sticks and velcros!!

If you purchased the Jumbos sticks from the previous post, then you only need to buy one thing, the velcros - if you don't already have at home!
That's how good this activity is!
If you purchased the thin wooden sticks, then I would recommend buying the Jumbos ones simply because the smallest velcros I could find are the perfect size for the Jumbos and would be too big for the Thins (I tried cutting the velcros in 2 and sticking them to the Thins but the velcro grip is a bit flimsy and does not work as well).

Material



What your toddler can learn

1. He can learn the colours of the wooden sticks
2. He can explore the two different textures of a velcro
3. He can observe and work out how to use a velcro
4. He can learn to build shapes
5. He can learn to name shapes
6. He can associate shapes to single-coloured wooden sticks
7. He can learn to be quiet at a restaurant while playing with this unconventional and educational home-made toy ;)

Method

The only thing there's to do is stick the velcro on the sticks! :)

Now, because you can do pretty much anything, you can actually stick the velcros anywhere you want.
I did mine the simplest way you can:

• A soft velcro on one end and a grip velcro on the opposite end but same facing side. 
• A soft velcro on one end and a grip velcro on the opposite en but reverse side.

My original plan was to stick them all on one facing side but it turned out I couldn't close the triangle, ah ah!

But if you have older kids, you can try sticking velcro on the half-length to make more complicated shapes.

I tested these yesterday afternoon when we went to a pizzeria:

I took a box of his favourite toys, including the godforsaken Woody and BuzzLight, and our Velcroed Popsicles!
To my delight, he played with them more than any other toy that I had brought for him. Result!

I showed him how the velcro textures were different on each side of the sticks and how they stick together, and how - of course - they make weird noise when you try to separate them.

He was mesmerized by the magic glue, but then his 2 and 1/2 yo spirit took over and the shapes became weapons to dismantle while making big gestures and funny faces.

I loved watching him play with this oh-so-simple toy and it gave me the confidence that I can find, and easily make, educational and fun activities for him.

What do you do to keep your LO busy when out at a restaurant?

Easy Cartoon Popsicles for toddlers made up of only 2 things

Thank you for dropping by and visiting my creations blog.

Today, I'm going to start a new label called Toddlers Craft!
As my boy is now approaching the evil age of 2 years and 1/2, I need to start thinking about fun activities for him to do that are educational as well as interesting.

Unfortunately my boy is not exactly the crafty type of person like his mum is, he absolutely hates anything messy so there hasn't been any chance of painting, drawing, water playing yet.

He's not too much into his toys, as expected for his age and despite rotating them, but he absolutely loves TV stuff. OK, my own fault for introducing him to Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Noddy and Peter Rabbit. But let's admit it, we can't survive without TV, if only to tame his hyperactivity!

In my rare moments of free time, I like to browse Pinterest for anything exciting including crafty things to do with Nuno. That's when I found a lot of crafts made of wooden sticks!

Usually, I absolutely hate wooden things because it makes my teeth grind! I know, weird! Some people have this with Styrofoam.

Cartoon Popsicles Made with Only 2 things

Material



Method

1. Wooden popsicles

I purchased my wooden sticks from Amazon, you have the choice between normal size ones (ice cream style) or the Jumbo ones (like at the doctor's), natural colour or rainbow coloured. I bought both sizes but used the smaller ones for this activity. And of course I chose mine rainbow - obviously ;):

2. Print outs of your toddler favourite cartoons
My boy is in love with Disney and CBBies characters!!

I copied-pasted images from Google Image onto PowerPoint because it was easier to guesstimate how big they were going to turn out. I then printed them out on thick drawing paper and loosely cut around them.

=> I then glued them onto the popsicles with a bit of PVA craft glue.

Et Voila:

My boy absolutely loves them. When I first showed them to him, his eyes sparkled with recognition. It was a special moment!

See you Soon,

Teething is a B!tch!!!

I can't believe poor babies are not born with their teeth out yet! When you think about the pain it must be to cut those gums, no wonder poor child is screaming his head off!
Actually we have all these teeth ready but they just come down when they are ready! Have a look at this weird pix:

Although, my son is also going through the anxiety phase whereby he screams if he can't see his mummy! At 3 am, oh Joy! And it takes him 1 hour to calm down! Superb! The problem is that it takes me 2 hours to calm down and stop hearing his piercing screams in my ears!!!
Oh Well, all this is short-lived, isn't it! Soon he will be a toddler, in fact in a few months, he's officially not  a baby anymore! Then he will be an infant, then a teen! Ah ah, I can't wait for him to start sleeping 12 hours a day and complain about getting up! I shall take my revenge then...

Nuno Vincent Nicolas

My son was born on the 24th September 2012 at 9.17am at Whipps Cross Hospital in London!!! Here is a pix of him at 17days old!! He's so cuuute; like his daddy!!!

Things are getting ready...

Well, 9 months is NOT a long time at all!!
Of course if you consider that by the time you realise you're pregnant, you're already at week 4 to 5!
At this point of writing I have 5+ weeks left to go!! So of course I'm in full speed to prepare everything!
How to dress, feed, clean, make your baby sleep are all steps being underway!! Classes are booked, next check up scan booked, midwifes appointments taking place for the "administration" bit but also, nursery corner being prepared...

To have time to prepare mentally and physically, I was lucky enough to have my contract ending last Friday 3rd August (well, actually 17th but for HR purposes, my last day was 3rd). That was weird enough! Every day, I would do one single experiment and think OMG this might be my last of that kind EVER! Indeed, as I don't know what kind of job I will be doing once I've nursed my baby for 9 months, and as I don't think science research would be a good next move, I need to find my new career path!
For that future plan, I'm hoping to be able to work on my blog Science is So Sexy a maximum of time and  use it as a basis for my future beautiful CV!!
When I was younger, my mum used to take picture of my brother and myself on each first day of school, so it was only fitting that for my last day of work before a very long break, I should take a pix of myself.

Although I don't know what the future holds, I will never ever in my life be so long without either studying or working. Technically I can stay out of job for 10 months, I'm sure I could do more but I will see how I feel of course, maybe I will miss work, maybe work somewhere will look for me...