Boca Beth My First Songs in Spanish

This 15 song CD will help your children learn Spanish through lyrics to songs. These short fun songs will help your child learn to count to 10, their different body parts, colors and more. These songs are not only in Spanish but also English to help your child learn both languages at the same time.

The Boca Beth site is one of the best for helping you find the right way to start your young child on their journey through learning the Spanish language. This CD is no exception. It is geared for children ages birth and up.

These cute little songs are set to music we parents grew up with such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and The Farmer in the Dell. With both Spanish and English words included. There are songs about animals, days of the week, using your manners and so much more.

If you are looking for a way to help your child learn Spanish as well as English try Boca Beth. She also has videos that are great and a puppet that the children just adore.

You can also purchase Boca Beth's Products on Amazon.com: My First Songs in Spanish/Mis Primeras Canciónes en Inglés

Co-sleeping with Baby

In our modern culture, many people wouldn’t even consider sleeping in the same bed as their baby, but the practice of co-sleeping has gone on for thousands of years in many parts of the world. Co-sleeping with your child helps you form better bonds and feel closer to them, helps them feel safer, and has even been shown to improve a child’s self esteem and more satisfaction with life when they get older. While many organizations claim co-sleeping is unsafe, there are precautions you can take to sleep safely with your child.

How you do it
There are a few options for co-sleeping with your baby. The most common nowadays is to have the baby’s bed in the bedroom with you. While most people do this for convenience, it also does have some of the added benefits of co-sleeping (but not all).

The second option, which has the benefits of co-sleeping without some of the safety hazards, is co-sleepers. This is a place for the baby to sleep that attaches to the side of the bed.

True co-sleeping, involves putting the baby in the bed with mom and dad. Many people place the baby in bed between mom and dad, but it is usually recommended to put the baby on the side of mom.

What are the benefits?

In addition to the benefits listed above, co-sleeping can help you get more sleep. The baby is right there next to you, so you don’t have to get up to comfort them when they’re crying. It’s also much more convenient for nighttime feedings. Studies have shown that co-sleeping helps babies get into their biorhythms faster, so they’ll start sleeping through the night earlier.

While many people are concerned about the dangers of sleeping in the same bed with your child, research has actually shown co-sleeping reduces the occurrence of SIDS. Doctors theorize that SIDS is caused by the baby entering too deep a sleep. When a parent is sleeping near, there are noises of breathing and shifting keep the child from entering too deep a sleep.

Safety Precautions

One of the biggest safety concerns with co-sleeping is suffocation. Many parents worry that they will roll over on their child. Actually, while suffocation deaths do occur with co sleeping, it is usually due to improper bedding. Make sure to sleep with your child on a firm bed. Do not provide pillows or blankets that are too soft. Also, never leave your infant unattended in and adult bed. To avoid rollover, do not sleep in the same bed with your child if you have been drinking or are exhausted.

Another leading cause of death with co sleeping is the getting caught in the headboard or foot board. Get a headboard or footboard with no spaces cracks or crevices that your baby can fit into. If unsure about a certain headboard, don’t risk it.

You should also take care to keep the baby from falling off the bed. You can do this by having the baby sleep between the parents, putting one side of the bed up against the wall, or using a toddler guard rail.

Having more than one person in a bed also means the temperature will be warmer, take steps to keep your baby from overheating. The best way is to give them a separate blanket. This will also keep them from getting uncovered accidentally in the middle of the night.

If done properly, co-sleeping can be highly beneficial for you and your child.

5 Chores for Toddlers

When toddlers see Mom and Dad working around the house, they are often eager to help. They love to try to do the same things their parents are doing. Although it may take longer to get the chores done when trying to teach a toddler how to do them, it can help them learn to enjoy housework and develop good habits that will be an asset later on.

The most important thing to remember when selecting chores for toddlers is to keep it simple. Very young children do not have the cognitive or motor skills to take on complicated tasks. But there are some things they can do that, after some practice, will be helpful to you.

* Picking up toys - Getting your toddler to pick up after himself can be a great help. But it's usually too much to expect him to put everything in its exact place. A better approach would be to provide a laundry basket or large box for him to simply throw all of his stuff into. Then you can take it to his room and put it where it belongs.

* Feeding the pets - Kids are often honored to help take care of their pets. Toddlers are capable of helping to feed pets, but occasional messes should be expected. To minimize accidents, you could buy pet food in individual packets or cans for small cats and dogs. For watering purposes, toddlers can put the water into a small watering can and then pour it into the bowl.

* Watering plants - Small children usually can't resist the opportunity to water plants. This is another task that could get messy, so make sure your plants aren't sitting on or near anything that could be easily damaged by water. It's also smart to make sure they don't fill the watering can over half full. This will help prevent spilling the water in transit.

* Cleaning the floors - It may seem like an adults-only task, but floor cleaning is something that kids often enjoy. The trick is to let them use tools that they can easily manage. Cordless floor sweepers are ideal for this purpose. There are also small, working vacuum cleaners and brooms available in the toy departments of most stores. While it might be too ambitious to expect a child to sweep all of the dirt into a neat pile, he can help get the dirt out of the corners while you go behind him and sweep it all together.

* Helping with the laundry - Every mom could use some help with the laundry, and young children are often happy to oblige. Toddlers can help sort dirty clothes, and you can even turn it into a learning experience. You could also enlist your toddler's help in loading and unloading the washer and dryer.

When your child is old enough to walk and is somewhat verbal, he can start helping with the housework. Getting your child to help with chores will help him develop a sense of responsibility. And that is something that you will be thankful for when he is older and can do more substantial housework.

5 Presidents' Day Activities for School Aged Kids

Presidents' Day is a great time to remind our children about The United States rich history. The two presidents most associated with Presidents' Day are George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as both of their birthdays are in February. There are many great educational and fun activities that can be enjoyed by school aged kids, either in the classroom or at home.

George Washington was our first president and one of the favorite stories about him is how he chopped down the cherry tree and admitted it when his father asked him about it. Why not make some cherry treats for a snack? Cherry Thumbprint Cookies are easy and fun to make. Make the dough ahead of time if working with a larger class. If you have a smaller class, let the kids help measure and mix the dough. Each child rolls the dough into small balls, and places them on a greased cookie sheet (for less mess, use baking paper). Have them push their thumb into each ball, and then place a cherry in each thumbprint. Bake following the recipe directions.

Another project that is fun and simple is finger puppets. Gather enough Lincoln pennies and Washington nickels for one each for each student. Cut squares of blue and black construction paper to make the body of each puppet. Roll each square to make a tube to fit over the fingers of the children. Tape the penny on the black tube, and the nickel on the blue. Cut a small black stovepipe hat to tape to the penny and a blue triangle hat to tape to the nickel.

A presidential game of hangman can be a fun way to learn details about both presidents. Include different important details about their lives, such as log cabin, cherry tree, Delaware River, and Mount Vernon. Once the children have discovered the words, have them they identify which word goes with which president.

Building a log cabin from twigs you gather, or popsicle sticks is another fun Presidents' Day activity. Take a small box, and cut the top on angles for the roofline, using a 45-degree angle. Draw a rectangle for the door, and cut one side and the top, to make a hinged door. Cut two square holes for windows and cover the inside of the windows with clear plastic taped in place. Glue the sticks on the sides of the box.

While the sticks are drying, cut another rectangle of cardboard large enough to make the roof. Score it down the middle (cut part way through) to allow it to bend in the middle. You can reinforce it with tape. Make a chimney on top, by using a small rectangle box, with the bottom cut to match the angel of the roof. Cut it a bit longer than you need, and fold the ends out to make flaps to attach to the roof. You can cover it with small pebbles or leave it plain. You may need hot glue to get the stones to stick to the cardboard chimney.
Glue the roof in place and add sticks to it as well, covering the chimney flaps.

Put on a skit about the presidents' lives for another class, maybe even younger students, or parents. The students can help write the skit based on the things they've learned about the presidents. They can design simple sets and costumes and practice. It will not only be fun, but help reinforce what they have learned while they practice their lines.

Presidents' Day has become a less prominent holiday over the last few years. By celebrating it and learning the history behind it, it could make it a more significant day for your family or class.

Inexpensive Take Home Gifts for Birthday Party Guests

When we think of birthday party gifts, the first thing that comes to mind is the gifts that guests bring for the birthday boy or girl. But it's also nice to send the guests themselves home with a small gift. It's a nice way of expressing appreciation for their attendance.

If you're playing party games, gifts could take the form of prizes. But unless you come up with a way for every child to win something, you'll also need some party favors to give everyone. Here are some ideas for inexpensive take home gifts for birthday party guests that won't break the bank.

Party Favors

You can often find inexpensive party favors to use in grab bags at your local dollar store. It's possible that they'll even have something that matches with your theme. If they don't have items that have exactly the same theme, you can almost always find some more general favors like costume jewelry, bouncy balls, or toy cars.

Some nicely packaged candy is an appreciated and inexpensive favor. You'll just need a large bag of candy, some small cellophane bags or tulle, and some ribbon to tie them up with. You can also add shaped beads or other decorations if you like.

Letting kids make their own favors provides a fun party activity and a unique favor to take home. It's even better if you can find a project that fits well with the theme. For example, girls at a princess party could make tiaras out of construction paper or poster board and decorate them with markers, paint, or stick-on gems.

You could also use more general items for projects. For example, you might buy inexpensive items such as plastic visors and provide paint for the kids to personalize them with. These types of projects are inexpensive, easy and fun.

Prizes

If the kids will be playing games for prizes, offering something a little more elaborate than the standard party favors is in order. It doesn't necessarily have to be more expensive, just something above and beyond what everyone is getting.

Filling a jar with jelly beans, hard candy, or some other small treat provides both a game and a prize. Guests can write down their guesses as to how many of the items are in the jar, and the one who gets the closest can take the jar home to enjoy. Or, if you prefer, you could provide another prize and let everyone have some of the candy from the jar.

The dollar store should also have some good items to give away as prizes. Small stuffed animals, jump ropes, and other inexpensive but fun toys work nicely as prizes. You could also get a few even less expensive items and put them into a gift bag or basket for a special prize.

Homemade Birthday Party Invitation Ideas

Birthday party invitations are often expensive when you buy them in the store. Making your own invitations can save you money, but that's not the only reason to do it yourself. Creating original invitations is a fun project for you and your child, and it makes the party guests feel extra special.

Balloon Invitations

A fun and easy way to make great invitations is to put them into balloons. You'll need to use regular paper instead of card stock to avoid potentially putting a hole in the balloon. Simply write a note with the party details on it, roll it up, and insert it into a balloon. If you can fill them with helium that's great, but it's not necessary.

Balloon invitations will have to be hand delivered. Calling ahead to make sure the recipient will be home is a good idea. When you give them the balloons, be sure to tell them to pop them - they may not realize that there is something inside!

Puzzle Invitations

Kids love puzzles. So puzzle invitations are sure to be a hit. There are a few different ways you can make them.

A simple way is to write your message and the details of the party on card stock and decorate with stamps or stickers. Then just cut it up into pieces. The pieces should be large enough not to get lost in the shuffle, but small enough to provide a challenge. Then just put the pieces in an envelope and mail or deliver the puzzles.

You can also make a puzzle with craft sticks. Lay enough of them side by side to write your party details on, and paint them with spray paint or craft paint. Let the background color dry, then decorate by painting on designs or using rubber stamps. Then paint the party details on, or write them with a permanent marker. Once everything is nice and dry, mix the sticks up and tie them together with ribbon.

Making Invitations with Your Computer

It's easy to make great invitations with your computer. There are lots of software programs available that have premade card designs that you can customize to your liking. Most programs also have clipart and fancy fonts that you can use to design a card that is totally unique.

You can add to the personalization of the invitations you make on the computer with some craft supplies. Scrapbooking scissors with fancy designs, punchouts, and stickers can all add character to your cards. If you're feeling especially creative, you could forgo the computer and use card stock and craft supplies to make the invitations completely from scratch.

Birthday Party Theme: Pirate Party

Boys love to play pirate. Eye patches, swords, and hooks are all the rage these days, with all of the movies and television shows that feature pirates. A pirate birthday party is sure to be lots of fun for any young swashbuckler.

Pirate Party Invitations and Decorations

Invitations for pirate parties can be lots of fun. You can probably find a variety of designs at any party supply shop, but it's much more fun to make them yourself if you have the time. Your soon-to-be birthday boy will probably be glad to help.

Treasure maps are ideal for pirate party invitations. You could make a regular card with a treasure map on front, or you could make an authentic-looking treasure map with the party information on the back. Using parchment paper, or paper that is of a similar color, will make the maps look more authentic.

If you're hand delivering the invitations, a message in a bottle is lots of fun. Simply write the party details on some parchment or similar paper, roll it up and tie it with string, and put it in an empty glass single-serving soda bottle. You could even put in some sand or small shells for added effect.

For decorations, you could use Jolly Roger flags or toy swords hung on the wall. Pirate or ship piñatas also make great decorations, and they provide an easy party game as an added bonus. Large treasure maps also make great decorations.

Pirate Party Food and Favors

There are several types of cake that would go well with a pirate party. A skull and crossbones cake is a popular choice. A cake with blue icing would make a great base for a pirate ship cake topper. Alternatively, you could use cupcakes topped with pirate-themed toppers or candies.

Fish-shaped snacks go nicely with a pirate party. Goldfish crackers or gummy fish could be served with the cake. You could also cut apples, pears, or other fruits in half and stick a toothpick in the middle of the flat side, adding a triangular piece of paper to make a pirate ship.

Small pouches filled with chocolate coins make fun and simple party favors. Goodie bags can also be filled with items such as eye patches, small toy swords, and other treasures. A treasure hunt makes a great party game and allows guests to "earn" their favors.

Planning a pirate party is lots of fun, and the party itself is even better. Playing pirate is great, and it's even more enjoyable when you have lots of props and plenty of friends to play along with. Make sure you have a camera on hand, because there will surely be many memorable moments.

Princess Birthday Party Theme

Princess toys and clothing are favorites of many young girls. So what could be more fitting for her birthday than letting your daughter be princess for a day? A princess theme party is guaranteed to be great fun for all involved.

Princess Party Invitations and Decorations

Princess parties are quite popular, so you can find princess-themed invitations at many discount and party supply stores. You could also design your own with your computer, or you could make them from scratch.

Crown-shaped cards would be very fitting. You could add stick-on jewels from the craft store, or some silver or gold glitter. Other shapes that are good for princess party invitations include castles and glass slippers.

For decorations, you could make a princess banner and put up lots of pretty streamers and coordinating balloons. A princess needs a throne, and you can whip one up in no time using a chair, a sheet, some ribbons, and a soft pillow to sit on. Piñatas are decorative and serve as a party game as well. Choose something like a unicorn or castle to go with the rest of the décor.

Princess Party Favors and Food

There are lots of party favors that would work well for a princess party. Wands, goblets and costume jewelry are nice if you're going with store-bought favors. You can also find inexpensive paper crowns to use instead of the standard party hats.

You could easily make your own party favors to save money and add a creative touch. Card stock paper will make a fairly durable crown, and you could provide stick-on jewels and other pretty things to the girls and let them decorate their own. You could also cut out stars from cardboard, decorate them with glitter, and glue a dowel to the back of them for homemade wands. For a simple yet elegant favor, put some assorted candy in some pretty tulle and tie it up with a ribbon.

Miniature sandwiches make a dainty food for a princess party. Simply make regular peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese sandwiches and cut them into quarters. Pink lemonade or fruit punch served in goblets or teacups provide royal refreshment.

Castle cakes are a hit at princess parties. Most bakeries can make them. If you want to make your own, you could use a regular sheet cake with a smaller cake centered on top of it. Add upside-down ice cream cones at the corners to create a castle shape. Then decorate with icing, and add a tiny princess figurine to complete the look.

A princess party doesn't have to be expensive to be fun. You can make almost everything on your own, or you can find inexpensive favors and decorations at your local discount store. Your little princess will have a memorable birthday, and her friends will talk about what a great time they had for weeks to come.

Birthday Party Etiquette Tips

Kids' birthday parties are lots of fun, but planning them can be somewhat stressful. There are decorations and favors to buy, refreshments to choose, and games to plan. For the guests, there are arrangements to make and gifts to buy. And throughout it all, there are lots of etiquette issues to consider on both sides. Here are some tips to help you get through it all.

When Your Child is the Host*

If you can invite some but not all of the children in your child's class at school, mail the invitations or deliver them to their homes if possible. Doing so will save hurt feelings. If that is not possible, have your child give them to friends as discretely as possible, and tell her to try to avoid talking with them about the party at school.

* Be as specific as possible on the invitations. If you want the parents to drop the child off, put the child's name on the invitation instead of just "you." If a parent or sibling is welcome to come as well, add the words "and parent" or "and guest."

* If guests do not RSVP, feel free to call and ask politely if they are coming. It is their responsibility to let you know, but some people just don't. Calling to find out one way or the other will make planning much easier.

* Talk to your child before the party about his responsibilities as the host. Reinforce his good manners, and encourage him to make sure that all of his guests are having a good time. If he forgets to thank guests for their gifts, a gentle reminder should suffice.

* Have extra food and favors on hand. An unexpected parent or sibling may show up, even if you were extremely clear about who was invited on the invitations. The best thing you can do is be prepared for this.

* When the party is over, have your child write thank you notes. If she is too young to write, she can help you by telling you which guest brought which gift or signing the cards herself. The idea is to show her that it's the right thing to do, even if she's not capable of doing it all on her own yet.

When Your Child Is a Guest

* Read the party invitation carefully to see whether the parents should stay or the child should be dropped off, and whether the child is invited to bring a guest. If it is unclear, don't be afraid to call the parents and ask.

* Get your child to the party on time. If you're dropping him off, be back to pick him up on time too.

* Refresh you child's memory on the subject of good manners. Even the best mannered child in the world has a lapse every now and then. It doesn't hurt to remind her of the finer points.