Back-to-School Craft: Speed Car Erasers

Vroom! Vroom!  An eraser car is a creative, fun activity children can make as a back to school craft or even on the weekends! Adult supervision will be required, especially for smaller children, to prevent little ones from putting pieces in their mouths. Have fun!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• Knife (have a parent do this part of the craft)
• White Glue
• Thumbtacks
• Cardboard
• Permanent Markers

HERE’S HOW TO MAKE IT:

1. Begin by cutting erasers with a knife (a parent’s job; kids can use scissors for this, but the cuts won’t be as straight).
2. Stack the erasers to make cars, trucks, and trailers. Pencil-cap erasers and automatic pencil eraser refills make good cargo. Use white glue to hold the pieces together.
3. To make tires, press thumbtacks into a piece of cardboard, color them with permanent markers, then remove the tacks and press them in place on the vehicles.

CHECK OUT LE TOP BABY AND CHILDREN’S CLOTHING AT
www.letop-usa.com

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Smart Tips for Back-to-School Shopping & Le Top’s NEW Pre-Fall Styles!

To your kids, shopping for new clothes, gear, and school supplies may be the only good thing about going back to school. Here are some back-to-school shopping tips to get you in the mood for fall clothes in the middle of summer!

Shop Le Top’s NEW pre-fall arrivals and click HERE 

• Start early. If you haven’t already, try to get your child’s school supply list from the school. Or compile your own list of items (backpack, notebooks, pencils, pens, etc.) you think your kid will need right away versus items (calculator, text book covers, Spanish dictionary, winter coat) that can wait till later in the school year.
• Shop at home first. It’s easy to forget in August that you’ve packed away extra school supplies last spring. Try to find as many items on your list around the house before you hit the aisles. Chances are, you probably have binders, colored pencils and highlighters left over from last year. Once you’ve completed your search, gather everything together to determine where you can save.
• Make a list and a budget and keep it with you at all times. You never know when you might stumble onto a sale on your way to the dentist or the grocery store.
• Buy a lunch box. You can save so much money when you send your kids to school with a homemade lunch. Added bonus: It’s likely to be a healthier choice. And you can monitor the cost of your homemade lunch purchases by using grocery store coupons, packing leftovers and reusing water bottles.

Also check out Rabbitmoon’s mix and match styles HERE

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Learning How to Share

The time finally arrived! My three-year old son has learned how to share. This is a picture of him sharing cars with a friend in his Mommy & Me class. I remember last year when he and two other boys would eye the same car/truck/train, look at each other, then dive for the toy as they each tried to yank it from each others’ grasps. Oh, boy! That was a nightmare because all the mommies had to deal with the crying, the fighting and giving our sons “The Talk” about sharing. It’s a good thing we mothers are all on the same page regarding this, and know that we need to teach our children how to play together.

A year later, I stand in the classroom with pride (and with my camera) as I listen to my son say, “Do you want this car?” and proceed to play nicely with his friend. He’s growing up!

Paulo is wearing the rabbitmoon “discover” striped zip hoody. For this comfy cotton layering piece and more mix and match stylish kid’s clothing go to www.rabbitmoon-usa.com.

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How much exercise do kids need?

Ten percent of 2- to 5-year-olds and 20 percent of 6- to 11-year-olds qualify as obese, according to 2008 data on U.S. children from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Being aware of exercise guidelines for children can help you provide your child with the proper amount of physical activity to maintain a healthy weight, thereby preventing excess weight and multiple other potential health problems.

The post has been moved to our website. To view the full post go to: http://blog.letop-usa.com/?p=24555

CHECK OUT LE TOP PLAYWEAR FOR YOUR LITTLE ONE AT
www.letop-usa.com

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Decorating Options for your Holiday Cookies

So there I was, it was 8pm on the night before my daughter’s last day of school before the winter break. I had signed up to collect money from the parents for gifts for the teachers and distribute it to our teachers. Before I went to bed I had cards to write for all 9 teachers (from the parents), figure out how much money to put in each envelope, plus, I wanted to give each of the teachers homemade cookies as a token of our appreciation.

I had baked up the cookies (sugar and chocolate chip), and then came the time to decorate the sugar cookies…

This post has been moved to our website. To view the full post on how to frost. glaze and decorate you holiday cookies, go to: http://blog.letop-usa.com/?p=23048

 

CHECK OUT LE TOP CHILDREN’S CLOTHING 
AT WWW.LETOP-USA.COM 

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A Great Homemade Gift for Your Kid’s Teacher this Holiday Season!

Christmas vacation is quickly approaching and its usually customary for parents to send their kids with gifts for their teachers (it never hurts right?). I remember bringing See’s candy as a child to my teachers with a nice holiday card, but why not make your own homemade candy jar – its personal, cute and very festive! Plus your kids will enjoy putting it together! Here is how to do it (it is also cheap!)!

For teachers, neighbors, and baby-sitters, label jars of candy with a sweet illustration. Have your kids draw directly onto individual labels…

Materials Needed:

–        Mason Jars
–        Any kind of candy you want
–        White labels (you can get these at a local art store or even staples.com)
–        Red and Green markers
–        Glue and glitter (optional)

How to:

1. Fill the jar with candy
2. Take a white label and have your child address the teachers name (or you if your child is starting to write) and also color or put glitter on the label to make for a festive gift
3. Close the candy jar
4. Deliver to teacher!

CHECK LE TOP CHILDREN’S CLOTHING AT WWW.LETOP-USA.COM 

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Teaching Basic Manners for Toddlers

I recently took a trip to Hershey Park in Hershey, Pennsylvania with my fiancé and his family – he has two adorable nieces that were so well-behaved and had the best time in the amusement park. However, it was also a great reminder at how well-behaved his nieces are, and how so many parents have yet to teach their toddlers some basic manners. I don’t expect every toddler to be perfect, and think it’s not that much to ask for some basic manners (not to sound too old-fashioned). Every parent wants to raise a well-behaved child, but that sometimes feels like an impossible dream during the toddler years. pTwo- and 3-year-olds stomp their feet when they want something, crawl under the table during dinner, and snatch toys away from their friends. You might be tempted to put off teaching manners until this phase passes, but it’s the perfect time to begin.

In my opinion, when you start early, your child will learn that being polite and considerate is just the normal way people act. Just don’t expect instant perfection until your child understands the reason for politeness, he or she needs repetition and reinforcement from you.

1. Kindness: Now that your child is old enough to play with other kids, it’s important to teach her to treat them fairly. While toddlers are naturally self-centered and possessive, they can tell the difference between “nice” and “not nice” behavior, such as grabbing a toy. Kids tend to get aggressive when they don’t know how to express themselves, so if your child starts hitting, take her aside and calmly explain that she has to use her words when she wants something. Tell her why her behavior is wrong, and ask her to apologize to her friend. To make sharing more appealing to your child, start by taking turns playing with a toy together. After her time is up, ask her nicely for the toy and have her do the same when it’s your turn.
2. Please and Thank You: The magical words: Kids’ verbal skills improve rapidly now, so chances are that your little chatterbox can say “please” and “thank you.” Toddlers watch you closely and mimic what you say. Start small with simple gestures when the child is a toddler. If you want him to hand you something, extend your hand and say, “May I please have that?” When he hands it to you, thank him. Model good behavior by asking for things nicely in front of your child. If he yells “gimme,” ask him to say “please” before you let him have something. Practice “the magic words” often: Hand a toy back and forth and say “please” and “thank you” to each other.
3. Table Manners: Your toddler may prefer to eat mashed potatoes by the handful, but the good news is that she’s developing the fine motor skills needed to use utensils and wipe her hands on a napkin. Start showing her how to eat properly. Say, “See how I hold my fork? Let me see you try.” Make helpful suggestions and remind her when she makes mistakes: “Let’s finish chewing before we talk,” or “When we burp, we say ‘excuse me.'”
4. Meet-and-Greet: Your child can look at someone when they say “hello,” but it’s normal for them to freeze when faced with unfamiliar people and situations. If your child goes mute when he meets someone, give him a gentle reminder: “Max, say ‘hello’ to XYZ.” But don’t push it if he’s too shy. Modeling good behavior is more effective than forcing it.

CHECK OUT LE TOP CHILDREN’S CLOTHING
AT WWW.LETOP-USA.COM

 

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A Bollywood Pre-School Graduation

Lilah and one of her best friends, Daniel, in their performance costumes

Wow, my daughter graduated from pre-school a week ago. I can’t believe the time has gone by so fast. I don’t recall at her age having a formal graduation like the one at her school. Though she is continuing there next year, most of her classmates are older and moving on to a different kindergarten or to first grade, depending on their age or skill level.

When it came time to sign-up for photos of Lilah in her cap and gown, I opted out of the individual photo and instead went with the group one where she was photographed with three of her favorite classmates in their graduation gowns. I can’t believe how wonderful it turned out. This is by far the best photo I have of them. Given that these friends won’t be with her on a daily basis anymore it is a keepsake for Lilah and a reminder for me to set up those play dates!

After the heartfelt graduation ceremony, Lilah and 5 of her classmates (ages 3 1/2 -5 1/2) performed an Indian dance routine while wearing beautiful costumes (complete with bindis) dancing to a song I remember from Slumdog Millionaire. They were all so incredibly adorable. Lilah never once looked at any of her fellow dancers for cues on what to do (though you could see her brain working waiting for the music prompts). I know I’ve overused the word “proud,” but it so perfectly explains how I felt. Grandparents from both sides of the family were in attendance cheering her on. What a great day!

Over the last week she has shown me that same routine no less than ten times. I guess it’s time for some formal dance lessons. Maybe hip hop since I know my little tomboy will not wear tights!

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How to Help your Child Cope with Friends Leaving

This morning, while I was dropping my 4 1/2 year old off at school she told me that one of her very best friends was mad and was not talking to her. She didn’t know why and was sad. I talked with her about asking him why so that if she had done something wrong she could apologize. She agreed but when I turned to leave he was right in front of me. He was not his normal smiling self – something was weighing on him. I bent down and asked him what was wrong. To summarize, he told me he could no longer be friends with Lilah because he had new friends at his new school (he is leaving in August to go to a different Kindergarten). I was CRUSHED and so was Lilah. He seemed so unhappy about it too. I thought this is not the way to spend the last couple weeks together. 

At this point, we were drawing a crowd of preschoolers and I tried to explain that you can have many friends. I told him how Lilah still has friends from her old school. He didn’t believe me. The teacher came over to gather all the children and it was time for me to leave.

I spoke with the head of the school before I left and he assured me he would talk to ALL the children about it.  As much as I want to protect her, I know this is only the beginning of the misunderstandings, harsh words, and miscommunications that are part of a child’s life.

Here are a few tips to help your child through leaving or being left by their friends.

• Talk About It: Explain to your child that though they no longer attend school together, aren’t on the same team, or don’t live in the same area, they can still remain friends. We can’t have too many friends.
• Stay Connected: Set up play dates shortly after they are no longer together to assure them that they are still friends. If they are far away have them write a letter or call each other regularly. Depending on the age of your child, they can also email or be friends on Facebook.
• Try to make them understand that they will have many friends in their life and some see each other daily and others sporadically, but that doesn’t change their friendship.
• Put photos of your child’s friends in their rooms and talk about them often.

Obviously not all children will be able to maintain ALL their friendships (especially the young ones). But remember, if it’s a close friendship those kids are part of what has shaped them and are worth the effort it takes to stay connected.

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Easter Fun

Paulo is wearing Chameleon Camouflage from Le Top’s 2011 Spring/Summer Collection.

I love when Paulo’s Mommy & Me class does activities for special holidays. It prepares him for the real deal when my family celebrates it at home. Yesterday, his teacher had an Easter egg hunt, arts and crafts, a bubble party, and a potluck snack time.

This is the first year that Paulo “gets” the egg hunt. He went out during recess with his Disney Cars pail and went on a search for colorful “balls” (as he would call the eggs). Each child gets to find a dozen eggs, but after Paulo found 3, he decided to ditch the egg hunt and go play on the slide. Oh, well. He doesn’t need all those candy-filled eggs anyway. At the potluck, there were sweet and savory treats. Not surprising, he pointed to the chocolate frosted brownie first. That’s all he wanted on his plate, however I also placed some fruits, cheese, crackers and turkey slices just in case. And SURPRISINGLY, he ate all his cheese and fruit. (Good boy!)

I wish every day could be this much fun. What a happy day!

TO CHECK OUT LE TOP PLAYWEAR GO TO
WWW.LETOP-USA.COM

 

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