4kid's_smile: April 2012

Learning words with LOTTO CARDS, article outside

I was very happy today to get a message from Larnaca Parents Network administartor,Sharon McKinley,that my new article is posted somewhere else outside of 4kid's_smile blog. Actually I posted 2 blogs in Mums in Cyprus already too, but mostly they repeat articles from here, just slightly changed.

So, let me share with you my first article which lives its own life outside of home blog. It is called "Learning words with LOTTO CARDS" and the main idea of it is to make educating process with lots of fun and games.

This is the way how I teach Karolina to some words...But here I think it is better for me to stop and for you - have a look at this link:

http://www.larnacaparentsnetwork.com/2012/04/learning-words-with-lotto-cards.html

Like it, share it, comment it. I would appreciate any comment of you.

Freedom makes kids smile

When Karolina was rather small, just about 6 months or so, we moved to Cyprus where new life and new experience has begun for all of us- me, my husband and our daughter. As for me it was a big challenge to stay alone without support of my family and friends and rely only on myself. It was about everything, where most difficult was to learn how to be a mum.

Since time was passing I was meeting more and more people who were mostly not from my country, but from UK, Germany or other parts of Europe. These people gave me a lot for my new experience, they showed me other opinions (approaches which are for natural things) about parenting, bringing up, treating a child,etc. I was too scared about all things at the beginning, i.e. when Karolina was sitting on the ground or made herself dirty, or wanted to move further or faster or such, I was always a step behind her. I always rushed to clean the toy which fell down. And later I realized that there is nothing better than to give a child freedom (of course not total). This freedom which I talk about is to let the baby do as much as he/she wants and watch after them. This freedom means not to tell all the time "No" to everything your baby starts. The more they do, the more experience they have and learn fast from the life.

I know it is hard for some mummies. I also learnt a lot. However, now I try to share this freedom with my baby, mainly to share the feeling of happiness from the freedom and this is what I see... This is what makes my daughter smile...This is what makes her and me happy...

When mummy has a short talk with other mummies, Karolina doesnt think too long to take a comfortable place
(after Kindermusic classes, at Theo's Drawing room)

Karolina feels absolutely not shy when she looks for the snack in the bag of our friend

she was enjoying sitting somewhere a little bit far from her mum

it took quite long time and no worry that mum is somewhere

i just love when my kid is smiling

this was her choice of clothes for today at home)))a kind of freedom in choice too!!!

Hide-and-seek in sand

Sun, nice weather, a little bit of wind...perfect conditions for going out with your child to the beach. Karolina loves playing there with the sand, sifting it from one place to another one. And it is a true fact that sand is very good for motorics and calming down the nervous system of children. Moreover it is a new experience for Karolina this year and she really enjoys such kind of actitivity.
However, when your child cannot build the castle yet, only ruins it (if you try to build).Or in case you want bring some water in the bucket, thinking your child is grown up enough to play with it...but...this water is always not in the place where it must be - sand, or small pool from the sand- but on your baby???!!!What else can you do with your little one when playing in sand?
So, the answer is to play HIDE-AND-SEEK! and we were playing hide-and-seek game in the sand with a ball. You know at this age children like to play "peek-a-boo" (My Karolina is 17 months now). They just need to close their eyes with sth like hands or scarf or book and they think that nobody can see them. The same they love getting back towards themselves...let it be just other person or a toy hidden behind sth. It is always a big suprise for them to find the toy after that especially with exclamation "Peek-a-boo".
My Karolina started doing this since 6 or 7 months and still enjoys it. Much more ineteresting now is to see her reaction and emotions. Absolutely unconsciously I hid the ball in the sand and asked Karolina: "Where is the Ball?" in some seconds she realised that there is a new sand hill in front of her and started digging and then she saw her ball...her delight was so sweet and she screamed "Peek-a-boo" (of course she said it in Russian, which sounds like "Ku-Ku and what is easier for babies to pronounce").

this is when she found the ball already the second time

Karolina is digging out the ball

Anyway, I didn't think that it would have such a success and it took us so much time to play hide-and-sick because later I started with different variations of the game....I dug 2 holes and hid at first in one hole then in another. Or I asked her to hide the ball (which was interesting to watch since she just put the ball in the hole but didn't realise yet that she must put sand over it)))) It was very cute!!!


this is how she hides the ball

Sweet Easter Greeting from Karolina to neighbours

At last Easter Holiday came last Sunday and everybody usually celebrates this Great Holiday with Family. As we are new here in Cyprus, and all our families from both sides live in other places, our neighbours and friends became our family now. It is so nice to know that someone waits for you, is interested in your life and happy for you, when you have good news, or helps you, when you in a trouble.
Moreover, it is very sweet to see how these people treat my child, how they play with her, and I know that they like her a lot and she is friendly and smiley in reply to them.
It was a good mood by both of us with Karolina on Saturday and we decided to make sth pleasant for our neighbours in honour of coming Easter. I asked Karolina if she wants to make muffins with me and she nodded her head, saying "Da!!!", which means yes in Russian language. May be she didn't realise till the end what exactly her mums wants from her but I'm sure that she is always happy to annything together with me. So, that day my baby was the Chef in our Kitchen-)))
Take a look how it was:

At first we put butter and eggs in the bowl and then the turn of sugar came...Oh...Oh...

Karolina helps me to put sugar in the bowl, though it is almost inside...lets say beside-)))

After she realizes that the sugar stayed on her hands which was rather sweet

The time of flour came and here without help of mum it would be vere heavy and difficult to put it herself

That is really fun time when baby must use teh fingers in their work...like painting she spreads the butter...

ooops...new consistence on the hand...sth sticky

the Best time started...decorations which were everywhere including mouth of Karolina


the result of our work

We congratulated our neighbours with Easter and it was the greatest appreciation to see their smile and thankful expression of the face, sweet words especially after they found out who was preparing muffins-)))

P.S. the post is a little bit delayed because that day was full of prepations whereas the next - with celebrations. Anyway, today is Monday after Easter and I wish everyone Happy Easter Holidays!!!

Egg Party 2012 - part 2

Another Easter Egg Party happened with us at the Tots Playgroup!!! At the beginning children were offered to do different craft activities like: creating your own Easter Bag for presents, 3D egg, Face Painting, Egg Colouring, Colouring Page with Easter bunnies or Eggs, Creating a Book with pages of different colours where each page has its own meaning and story behind (which was very educating and interesting information) and of course EGG HUNTING.

children were creating their own bag where they could put their crafts, chocolate eggs and presents from party!

This table took my attention a looootttt!!!how creative can be our kids!!!!

some of kids did 3D eggs decorating them with glitter, paper stripes, etc.

There were so many children that nobody could even expect this. All seats around tables with different activities were not enough for those who desired to take part (what actually was very interesting to see).

There was such interesting thing as FACE PAINTING…what kids liked also very much

Face painting...kids like this new adventure for them!!!easy and simple face painting on Easter thematic made children smile what is the most important for us, mummies

This was our little Easter Bunny, costume surprise)))

The noise of kids’ voices, singing, screaming during playing or creating sth was unlimited))) I guess only the snack time reduced it a little bit for a short time and parents could take a breath while our darlings were saving energy and charging it with tasty things, preparing for the main joy of the day - Egg Hunting.

It was totally funny to watch your baby looking for small colourfull eggs in grass, palm trees, on the road…everywhere around, in one word. I believe parents also enjoyed this activity-)))At the end when our bag was full of Eggs I realized that we found about 20 eggs or so….oh…oh…it was a little bit too much. However for our over-result we got a present from Easter bunny and my baby was very happy about that.

Later we gathered together in a circle and listened to a story about Easter colours, their significance which was reproduced by Rebekah and I found it very necessary to know for our new generation, as they must know not only about some decorations of Easter but the story behind too. And of course….favourite routine for finishing the Party was singing.

Egg Party 2012

Last week and beginning of the present one were fantastic for me and my baby: full of “Easter adventures” with fun, different entertainment, craft activities, sweets and such. We had our first Egg parties which I guess were and will be very memorable.

It took place in 2 different playgroups which we attend with Karolina: Baby Antitode Theatre Playgroup and the Tots (at Greek Evangelical Church) where each of them has its own peculiarities and funny moments, with main focus on Egg Hunting, of course.

Here is the photo report from the First Egg party at Baby Antidote.

The hall was decorated so nice, that I couldnt help but run around and take pictures before kids should come. It looked so amazing and I was like a small girl, enjoying it.