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Month by Month
A Whole Year of Toddler Activities By Shannon McKelden
December: Feed the BirdsPolaski suggests going on a pine cone hunting expedition. Back home, tie binder twine around one end of the pine cone as a hanger. Mix together peanut butter and vegetable shortening. Smear the mixture on the pine cones, then push the cones into a deep bowl of bird seed to coat. Hang in the trees as winter feed for the birds. (Make extras for holiday presents your toddler will be proud to give!) Use a bird identification book to identify the birds that come to feed.
Tackling Toddler Outings Lisa Speigel, co-director of Soho Parenting in New York City and coauthor of A Mother's Circle (The Soho Parenting Center, 1996), suggests remembering these tips when you're going out with toddlers.
- Length of trip: Make the trip no more than one hour because of fatigue and short attention spans.
- What to pack: Bring a bag to bring home anything found, a drink, a small snack, wipes, diapers and an easy change of clothes forwhatever toileting stage they are in.
- Safety rules: Work on holding hands and staying "where mommy can see you" rules.
"Keep your expectations low," Speigel says. "It may be a 'Hallmark' outing or Meltdown Central and most likely a mixture of the two." She recommends remembering that the things you notice and talk about before and after the outing are also a big part of the experience.
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