Who doesn’t love the zoo? We spend a lot of time at our local zoo. It’s a favorite in both the summer and the winter. It helps that we live close and have a season pass! Zoo animals can play a part in child development as well. Think of how a child learns animal sounds, […]
My son drinks out of a straw for nearly every meal. I started to notice how he was playing with his straw and working on putting it in and out of the hole on his cup. It’s pretty cool to see how little kids learn through every day life and free play. I decided that
Toddler Fine Motor – With Objects Around The Home Read More »
As part of my job I get to travel between schools. I love this part of my job…most of the time. The only issue with this is, I don’t always have my own space. This is especially true when I am working with kids that aren’t a part of a center based program. I usually
School-Based Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Resources Read More »
I was so very fortunate to get an entire year off when I had my baby. The best part was, I knew I still had my job waiting for me…if I wanted it back. Going into the first few months I didn’t think that I’d want to go back at all. I was completely exhausted
5 Reasons I Like Being A Working Mom Read More »
We are NOT handy people at this house. Putting together anything usually ends up lasting an entire day, generally with a fight. So, when we got to the point where we needed to mount our baby monitor (video), I was on the search for an easy solution. Preferably one that did not involve tools. We considered stacking up
Mounting A Baby Monitor Without Tools Read More »
I’m excited to have teamed up with a fellow educator and share with her readers all about posture in the classroom. You can read all about it at Minds In Bloom! photo credit: Marind is waiting for les tambours de la pluie via photopin cc with added cropping and text
Posture In The Classroom Read More »
I’m delighted to be part of a group of great bloggers participating in a series, Happy New Year, Healthy Kids. In this series we are focusing on how to help keep our kids happy and healthy this new year. I’m excited to touch on the area of gross motor skills. Gross motor development is exciting for
7 Ways To Encourage Gross Motor Development Read More »
When I was pregnant and we found out we were expecting a boy, the first words out of my husband’s mouth were in regards to how much money we were going to save. He was referring to my shopping habits. In the months prior, I had ooowed and ahhed over pink frilly cute girls clothes.
Cute Boys Clothes Without Breaking The Bank Read More »
It was so much fun to take a look back at my statistics for 2014 to see what posts brought in the most traffic to Pink Oatmeal. Pink Oatmeal started in February of 2014 but being such a novice blogger I didn’t even have analytic tracking until March. It’s been a lot of fun and
Top 10 Posts of 2014 Read More »
This year my husband and I are having a “fancy” meal at home for New Year’s Eve. Our New Year’s Eve evenings have changed since having our little guy. Along with food, we need a perfect drink to go along with our meal. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the drinks we end up
New Year’s Eve Mocktail Read More »
An Oball (affiliate) is a fabulous toy for baby. It’s easy to hold and manipulate and is a perfect size ball to roll to baby right from the beginning. I also talked about it as a great product to promote crawling. Some even come with built in rattles and in different sizes. When your baby
Are you looking for a different way to incorporate physical activity into the classroom? Maybe you need a different spin on brain breaks? Maybe you are looking for some carryover from therapies to the classroom with a fitness emphasis? I started to implement marathons (miles, 5k’s, 10k’s) as a motivation to move during the day.
Marathons For Movement Motivation Read More »
I signed my little man up for an art class this past fall. I found out the only thing that really interested him when it came to art was sticking his hand in the paint, squishing it between his hands, and smearing it all over the paper for a few minutes. It was a great
As a physical therapy student I remember one of my professors stating that crawling was a milestone that was okay to skip. I should note, I don’t think this was a pediatrics professor. I thought that sounded right, as my mom told me I never crawled as a baby. I turned out fine and didn’t have
Benefits of Crawling Read More »
It’s the biggest shopping day of the year, or maybe second biggest now? I’ll admit, I find myself out searching for bargains this weekend too. I just can’t resist! For those of you looking for great ideas for the babies in your life I’m hoping this list will be of help. With all the items out
10 Gifts For Baby That Promote Motor Development Read More »
Each year I make an attempt at DIY gifts for Christmas. Some years I succeed, some years I find myself at the mall a few days before Christmas trying to buy gifts that didn’t quite work out. Most of these gifts consist of little need to sew or need to use too many tools. This year I’v started
10 DIY Gift Ideas That Promote Motor and Sensory Play Read More »
I remember my mom making playing card holders for her Kindergarten classroom years ago! I even made a playing card holder for a motor development project back in college. This particular playing card holder still stands as my favorite in spite of all of the great ideas that can now be found on Pinterest. Card holders
DIY Playing Card Holder Read More »
In the months before I had my baby I felt decently prepared. I worked with kids and understood their development. I had plenty of friends who had given me great advice on sleeping, eating, and getting out. I wasn’t under the assumption it was going to be a walk in the park and knew that
Pumping Tips From 10 Moms Read More »
It’s hard to believe that Christmas is almost here. I’ll admit, I’m pretty excited that the Hallmark Channel has started playing their Christmas movies. Even though it’s not even Thanksgiving people have been asking what to get my little man for Christmas. I’m sure I’m not alone. I’ve come up with a simple list of stocking
Stocking Stuffers To Promote Motor Development Read More »
Every night before my little man goes to bed we read books. We sit cuddled up with blankets and toys to read his favorite stories. Reading is no only one of our favorite ways to wind down at night, but it builds a foundation for continued interest in books, language and education. This weekend we have a
Giving Back To Education Read More »