Together Time Tuesday: Springtime Activities 03/29/2011

Hooray, Spring is finally here!!  After such a long, cold winter we’re thrilled to finally spend time outside and we bet you and baby are too! To help celebrate the arrival of the new season, check out these fun activities for you and your little one. Happy Spring!

Help baby discover rainbows and the colors of spring with these simple activities:

Create a Rainbow Crayon
Take three (or more) colorful crayons and tape them together. Show baby how coloring with this “special” crayon makes multi-colored lines, like a rainbow. Then guide baby’s hand with the crayon, to create a picture with rainbow-like lines.

I Spy . . . a Rainbow!
Play the “I Spy” game, searching for rainbows! A great way to do this is take your little one outside and blow bubbles. Point out all the rainbows in the bubbles. Another fun activity requires a small mirror, a clear glass and some water. Fill the glass three-quarters with water. Then place the mirror in the water and set the glass somewhere in your house where the sun can shine through the glass and hit the mirror. Move the mirror until you see a reflection of a rainbow on a wall or ceiling, and watch baby stare at it in amazement. 

Another wonderful way to help baby discover spring is by introducing them to gardening! Check out these planting ideas below:

Carrot Top
A very simple and easy planting activity to start with uses carrots. Simply cut off some carrot tops and place them in a dish with pebbles. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the carrot. Hide the dish in a place where there is not too much sun and where baby can’t get to it. A few days later have your little one “find” the dish and they will be amazed at the difference! The carrot tops will have begun to sprout into plants.

Grass Heads
A fun gardening activity is creating a grass head together with your little one. To start, help her spoon a grass seed into the foot of a stocking and then put potting soil on top of the seed. Tie a knot in the stocking and be sure to leave the excess fabric hanging. Next, fill a yogurt container halfway with water and place the stocking head on top with the nylon tail in the water. Glue googly eyes to the “head” and draw on a mouth with permanent marker. Have your older children decorate the yogurt container and voila! Your grass “head” is complete. Baby will love checking out the progress as the “hair” grows everyday and your little grass guy will last for months!

Discovering Rhythm: Make Your Own Instruments! 03/24/2011

To help celebrate the launch of our brand new World of Rhythm Discovery Kit, we’ve come up with a great family-time activity to help baby discover the wonderful world of music and rhythm! You can start a family band by using ordinary household items. Below are a few ideas for you and your little one to make your own instruments. Check them out below and get rockin’!

Tambourine:
Making a tambourine is easy! All you need are two paper plates, a hole punch, jingle bells and some string. First, staple or glue the plates together, facing each other. Using a hole punch, make holes around the edge of the plates and tie the bells to the holes with a string or ribbon. Have your little one decorate the tambourine with crayons, markers or colored pencils and voila! Your tambourine is complete. Just shake and enjoy!

Hand Bells:
Hand bells are another instrument that baby will love to shake around and are really easy to make! To begin, simply punch a hole in each end of a paper towel roll. Then tie two jingle bells to each side of the paper towel rolls using string, yarn or ribbon. For more fun, decorate the paper towel roll with stickers or markers. Next step: shake, shake, shake!

Maracas:
If your little one loves all the shaking, maracas are another easy and fun choice. All you will need is a plastic or paper cup, rice, paper and a rubber band. Fill the cup halfway with rice and place the paper over the top of the cup. Secure the paper with the rubber band and you’re ready to rattle up some rhythm!

Horn:
Another fun instrument to add to your homemade band is the horn. Making it is easy and baby will love playing it! To make a horn, cover one end of the paper towel roll with waxed paper and secure it with a rubber band. Next, punch a row of holes along one side of the roll with the tip of a pen or pencil. To play, just have baby make noises into the open end of the “horn.” Demonstrate first and then watch your little one try to figure it out!

Guest Blogger Spotlight: Baby’s First Steps by Cars, Trucks and Teething Rings 03/16/2011

With three little ones, it seems like “firsts” are at least a monthly occurrence in our home. Josiah just started walking and little Trinity just started smiling. What happiness that brings on both counts! There’s nothing better than looking down at a sweet little face and seeing it light up with the pure joy of learning something new.

Watching Josiah take his first wobbling steps right around the time he turned a year old was so exciting for everyone involved! The first time I caught him walking, I was cleaning up their room. I heard him let out a belly laugh and looked up just in time to see him stumbling the few steps from one side of his crib to the other. Of course, I immediately called hubby to tell him the exciting news! He was in class and a bit disappointed that he’d missed the milestone, but was able to watch his little boy take a few steps later that night.

Unfortunately, Josiah went back to crawling for a few weeks after we brought home his baby sister. I think it was the change in the household, but he recently picked right back up where he had left off and is now wobbly-running throughout the house, doing his best to keep up with his big brother! Our baby-proofing quickly resumed and anything within his little reach had to be put up or he would be bringing it down!

Watching my children go through these new experiences makes me so proud to be a parent. It’s parents that they take those wobbling steps toward, those first big, gummy smiles are directed to their parent’s face, and they’re so excited to share what they learn with…you guessed it, PARENTS!

Guest blogger Sarah works full time while keeping up with her three (increasingly mobile) children and tries to catch movies with her husband when she can. You can read more about Sarah and her family’s discoveries on her blog, Cars, Trucks and Teething Rings.

Playground Chatter: Fan Favorite Lullabies 03/10/2011

A few weeks ago we asked our fans on Facebook & Twitter, “What songs best calm your baby?” and we got a TON of great responses! Many of you stated that common lullabies and nursery rhymes work the best, but a surprising amount of fans referred to rock n roll, punk and reggae songs. Check out our lullaby lists below and add your suggestions in the comment section. Thanks to everyone for your awesome responses!

Most Popular Lullaby Suggestions:

The most popular song our fans use to soothe baby at bedtime is “You are my sunshine”
In a close 2nd, 6 people suggested the classic “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Karen, Jennifer, Amanda and Tori all suggested Baby Einstein tunes (including Mozart, Bach, Beethoven & Lullaby Time.) Yayy! Thanks guys!!

Ninoska, Destiny and Tiffani’s babies love anything by the reggae king, Bob Marley!

Shiloh and Michelle’s babies love “Hush Little Baby”

“The Alphabet Song” is a favorite for Courtney, Rebecca and Shiloh’s babies

Other favorites include “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “Wheels on the Bus,” and “Brahm’s Lullaby”

Non-traditional Lullabies:

Michelle’s baby loves “DJ Got Us Falling In Love Again” by Usher

Tasha suggested the Sublime classic, “What I Got”

Erin suggested “Boys of Fall” by Kenny Chesney

Carissa’s little one loves “Honey” by Patsy Cline

We also received a few rock n’ roll “lullabies” by various bands including Led Zeppelin, Radiohead and The Beatles! Sounds like a bunch of our fans are raising little rock stars! Rock on!!

Discovery Kit Q&A: A Twitterific Time with Mom & General Manager Susan McLain! 03/07/2011

In honor of the release of our 3 latest Discovery Kits (Baby Lullaby, Neptune’s Oceans and World of Rhythm), we held a special live Twitter chat with mom and Baby Einstein GM, Susan McLain. During this chat, our fans and followers were able to ask Susan some great questions about the new Discovery Kits and gain some insight on the new products. In case you missed this very special live session, check out some of the highlights below.

Q: What are the age recommendations for the kits?
A: You can start using the kits with your baby around 3 months and enjoy the three levels as your baby grows

Q: What’s different about these kits as compared to your previous DVD titles?
A: The kits not only include a DVD, but a CD and a book/discovery cards. All 3 products work 2gether w complementary music & images + the kits r now offered in 3 levels that grow w your baby!

Q: Are you eventually planning kits for all your DVD titles?
A: There are 9 kits available today – 3 per level, and we plan on introducing more in the future.

Q: With these new Discovery Kits, what are the benefits for the baby as well as the parent or parents?
A: Some of the benefits are bonding, fun time 2gether, introducing your baby 2 new things, appreciation for the world.

Q: Which one does your child like best?
A: My oldest daughter loves World of Words, my 1 1/2 year old is a fan of Animals Around Me. They love the books and cards, too!

Did you miss the live Twitter chat with Susan? Be sure to leave your questions about the Discovery Kits in the comments, and follow us on Twitter to find about our live chats in the future!