Hippo Herald

 If you want to entertain a preschooler for an extended period of time, put him in front of a mirror and let him watch himself at play. He will be amazed at his image, and love making funny faces at himself in the mirror. Play along with him to see who can make the funniest face.

There are several opportunities to entertain a preschooler in the kitchen. Let him have his own cabinet full of plastic bowls and lids, in which to play with. Pots and pans and plastic spoons are another hit with this age group. So let him have her fun in the kitchen, while you prepare dinner or do dishes.

Kids love music, so start belting out your favorite tune and watch him start to sing and dance to the beat. It doesn’t matter how good your singing is, as long as both of you are having fun together.

Up until now, he has seen the world through a stroller or baby carrier, but he has had little opportunity to see things at ground level. So strap on your walking shoes and let him be the guide around your neighborhood. He will marvel at all the rocks, trees, bugs and flowers. Pack plenty of snacks and water, and bring along the stroller just in case he wants to hitch a ride on the way back home.

Are you on the lookout for fun activities to do with your preschooler? Over the course of the next few days, I am going to give you a tip a day of some fun activities that will not only stimulate your preschooler’s mind but keep them entertained! Which is a win-win for everyone.

I don’t know about you, but I live by my calender. It is full of play dates, family activities and just about everything else you could think of. I can tell you what we are doing 3 months from now, as long as my calender is near by. So, the time has come to start shopping for a 2008 calender, and I wanted to share some of my favorites with you. These calenders are designed with you in mind, you can track family activities, lesson plans and just about anything else.

Mom’s Ultimate Fridge Friendly 2008 Calendar- ***Begins September 2007!***
The perfect planner for Moms on the go! This handy planner will help you remember birthdays, plan activities, keep track of chores, and organize your family’s schedule.

Mom’s Ultimate Family Fridge Calendar includes:

• 16 monthly pages
• Super Magnets
• 432 Little Reminder Stickers
• 16-month desk calendar

Amy Knapp’s Family Organizer- ***Begins July 2007!***
Amy Knapp’s Family Organizer is quickly becoming an essential tool for Busy Families by providing a simple approach to getting and staying organized; Time Management that is Manageable. This calendar includes:

• A comprehensive grocery list will save time and money at the store
• Weekly list helps define and track important tasks<
• Week at-a-view calendar
• Current month at-a-view calendar
• Full page perforation
• Plan which coupons to redeem before going to the store
• A weekly record of accomplishments toward personal goals
• Color coded stickers mark events and appointments for quick reference
• Create a weekly menu based on activities and appointments for the week

Mom’s Family Calendar- ***Begins September 2007!***
Abounding with Boynton’s lovably goofy cows and hippos, chicks, pigs, and aardvarks, it’s family organization with a great big smile. Mom’s covers sixteen months, starting in September. Each month’s ingenious, oversized grid is laid out on a vertical, with five columns across the top (one for each family member) and the days of the month reading down the left side. One glance is all it takes to see exactly who is doing what, and when. It’s the ultimate marriage of practicality and, well, cute. Includes a magnetic phone list for the fridge and 500 stickers!

Mom’s Plan-it 2008- ***Begins August 2007!***
This best-selling organizer is the perfect 17-month planner for Mom’s busy. A handy storage pocket, built-in magnetic hanger, 442 stickers, and extra-large grid all make it a breeze for Mom to keep track of up to five family members. Two tabbed quick-reference contact sections keep everyone’s information handy. Finally, a calendar that keeps Mom’s whole world together!

Now that the new school year is quickly approaching, there are dozens of things that are probobly on your to-do list. You have to pick up school supplies, buy school clothes, and if you are like many, you may pick up a few things to donate to your child’s teacher or classroom. Glue and scissors are nice, but have you ever stopped to think about cleaning supplies?

According to a recent Clorox survey of school nurses, 76 percent of school nurses see upwards of 16 students in one day, and the CDC cites that more than 52 million cases of the common cold each year among Americans under the age of 17. Bottom line: school nurses say more can be done America’s classrooms to help prevent the help prevent the spread of illness.

This school year, Clorox is providing tips and tools for teachers to help them expel germs from their classroom. Teachers & Parents can log onto http://www.cloroxclassrooms.com/ to download free “Clean Up the Classroom” lesson plans, children’s games and more.

Check it out- and here is to a healthy and happy school year!

Kids and playdough go together like peanut butter and Jelly, so you will likely be using it alot. Here are some things you already have lying around the house that you can add to your playdough arsenal.

Everything goes into a large plastic or tupperware container that’s big enough to hold the following:

1. 1 or more rolling pins
2. 4 or 5 balls of different homemade playdough(each ball kept in a separate ziplock sandwich bag)
3. Toothpicks, straws, popsicle sticks
4. Plastic toy knives
5. Cookie cutters
6. Garlic press
7. Old Combs
8. Old toothbrushes
9. Melon baller
10. Potato Masher

A variety of children’s playdough tools can also be purchased at most toy stores where playdough is sold, and added to your playdough kit.

Want more playdough ideas? Check out the Playdough Ideas for Kids book.

What did doesn’t like play dough? It’s fun, and if you use the recipe on Knowmore.com, it’s free. But, if you are like me, you spend a lot of time creating snakes and bracelets and can’t really get inspired to create much of anything else. Which is why this book I found is so cool. It’s called Creative Playdough Ideas for Kids- and it is full of fun patterns and ideas that will have you and your kids creating works of art in minutes.

Check it out!