Yesterday the girls and I were enjoying a cozy snow day at home. Yes, you read that right, a snow day the end of March... the beginning of Spring break...a week before Easter. As an Edmontonian, I am looking on the bright side. At least this epic snow came at the end of March and not April.... or May!
Looking for a finger food for your little one that is both tasty and nutritious? Pomegranates are a great alternative to common snacks, such as Cheerios, that caregivers often place in front of their babies at mealtime. Not only are they delicious, they also have many nutritional and developmental benefits.
“Pom poms”, as my 12 month old son refers to them as, are often labeled as a superfood. They are jam packed with vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, and fiber. Pomegranates are also a great source of antioxidants which are responsible for protecting the body from the harmful effects of free radicals.
At then end of each session of Intellidance™ Babies I put together a sensory play class. During this class I set up different stations around the studio that allow the caregivers and babies a chance to discover, explore and play with a variety of materials. My stand bys are finger painting, tunnels, vestibular tops, ball pit, instruments, sensory balls, and puppets. Each session I also try to include something new. When I found this DIY Sensory Bag on Pinterest I knew I had my new station!
I learned a valuable lesson this week. A lesson that reminded me not to assume I "know it all". Here's how it happened....
A client of mine (who is also an early childhood educator) posted this link on Mess Free Finger Painting from The Hippie Housewife on my Facebook wall. I had seen this activity all over Pinterest the last few weeks and will admit scoffed it off as silly.
Isn't the point of finger painting to get messy? Why would you want to take that sensory experience away from your child? This must be an activity for neat freak, OCD types.
