Discovery Bins

Little P turns 10 months old this week. Sigh. He's growing so fast! Too fast! Lately, he has had a love for smaller objects that he can comfortably hold in each hand. Or, if he can get more than one item in each hand, all the better. I have discovered that he loves groups of items given to him in little containers. He can dump all the items out, play with them in a big group, play with individual pieces, etc. Here are some of the mini-discovery bins that I rotate out on the living room floor for him to "discover" each week:

Here are the contents of some of his bins...

a:: A rubber silicone ice cube tray holds individual links (he doesn't put them in the tray yet, that's mommy's job. Little P Just takes them out and throws them)

b:: Clothes pins (he loves chewing on wood) and chip clips

c:: Assorted spoons (measuring spoons, table spoons, baby spoons, etc)

d:: Baby jar lids (he LOVES these. He tries to get as many as he can into one little fist. So far his record is 4)

e:: Ribbons!

Here's Little P during some of his Discovery Bin moments

And I don't know about you, but Minnesota was hit hard with this horrible hot weather. Unthinkable temperatures are keeping us inside like it's the middle of winter. Hence, our latest discovery bin - Ice!

Homemade "Paper" Books

Little P loves paper. LOVES. Every time he and I go to get the mail together, he is busy trying to wrestle it from my grip. I can't tell you how many times I have found pages of my books nibbled on, pieces of brochures missing, and chunks of business cards swallowed. Yes, my little boy has some of my graphic designer(and subsequent love of paper) jeans. So, in an effort to deter him from eating our mail, I knew that I needed to try something. 

 

The first thing we tried were these incredible indestructible books by Kaaren Pixton. They are fantastic. The have a paper feel, but they can't be torn. They are also washable. Fantastic. Little P thought they were great. As I was feeling the material, it reminded me of something... but what? Then I figured it out - Priority Mail envelopes! Those envelopes that are completely indestructible and sometimes so hard to open! I mentioned this realization to Little P's MiMa, and the next time she came to visit, she had a super neat homemade indestructible book for Little P! He loved it! It was a real Learning tool for him as he felt the paper with his little hands, manipulated the pages, and chewed on the "paper" texture.

Here's what you need to create your own indestructible book:

A few Priority Mail envelopes (free at the post office), a plastic shower ring, and a hold punch. Cut down your envelopes to the size you want you "pages" to be, then punch holes in the corners of each page. The awesome ting is, these things are so indestructible that the ring will never tear out from the holes. Believe me, I tried it (I also nibbled on a page before giving it to Little P, just to make sure we were all good. Nothing tore or broke apart.) Put the shower ring in the holes and Viola! Your own Indestructible Book! (Optional - they have pure white envelopes out there as well if you are concerned about the ink. I was at first, but that stuff is not coming off, no way, no how.)

Here's Little P enjoying the goods:

A Bit About How this Blog is Organized

As you read Raising My Little One, you'll notice that I have different symbols on each post. What do they mean? Check it out...

Nurturing his Heart

Whenever you see this symbol, my post will be related to some aspect of nurturing Little P's heart as he grows up. Generally these posts will be about Biblical applications in our everyday life and showing Jesus-style love to each other and those around us.

 

Encouraging his Creativity

Posts in this category will usually be about fun experiences that encourage Little P to explore his world and see different shapes, textures, colors, and design. There will also be many different craft tutorials and ideas.

  

Instilling a Love of Learning

I love to learn. I never stopped. Perhaps that's why I became a teacher. No, that's definitely why! I hope to help instill a love of learning in Little P as he grows up. Learning is fun! And I plan to make it that way. Just wait, you'll see!

 

Fostering his Sense of Adventure

Hubs and I love to take the road less traveled, make random stops, and detour just to see and experience more. Before Little P came along, we were steadily working on seeing the world. Now our adventures will consist of the three of us, and Little P will be part of those fun adventures!

Nourishing his Body

I am a gluten free mommy who found out at the ripe age of 26 that I had severe osteoporosis of the spine. Because of this, I have had to make major dietary changes and I have learned a lot about the foods that I eat and the ingredients that go into them. I realized that I have to be my baby's best advocate in trying to raise him to be a healthy little boy - not just with food, but also taking into account the types of medications he receives, the products we use, and the types of cleaning supplies that are in our home. 

Now whenever you see one of these symbols on a post, you'll know what aspect of Raising My Little One I am focusing on that particular day. Happy reading!

Welcome to Raising My Little One!

My name is Laura (aka Minnesota Mommy). I am a graphic designer, turned elementary computer teacher, turned stay at home mom. I am married to a wonderful man (aka Hubs) who brings light to my day and encourages my creativity and crazy ideas.

In autumn 2010, Hubs and I became the proud parents of a precious son, our Little P. 

Beginning the process of parenthood and raising Little P has been the most exciting, terrifying, rewarding, frustrating, and precious thing I've ever done. One day, with stunning clarity, I realized that in giving us Little P, God had blessed us with a little piece of eternity and it was up to us to raise him, encourage him, and shape him into the little boy (and eventually man) that God created him to be! What a mind-blowing task!

As we raise Little P, we want to: 

• Nurture his Heart
• Encourage his Creativity
• Instill a love of Learning
• Foster his Sense of Adventure
• Nourish his Body

 This blog is dedicated to that journey.