Monthly Archives: August 2012

Felt Baby Balls

Posted on by

 

I am completely in love with these wool felt balls by local artist, Rebecca Daun-Widner.  Every baby needs a set (they come in sets of 3).  They can be made to order in a variety of designs, are completely washable and will be a joy to play with.  Invest in these balls and support a local Oakland artist.  You and your baby can try them out in a tum e time class.

Its a great gift idea if anyone wants to buy your little one something functional and beautiful!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dirtgirldesigns?ref=pr_shop_more

 

Recycled goods? Family class this weekend!

Posted on by

There are 2 places in the Bay Area I love to go to to get ideas and new items for my treasure baskets.  Since people are constantly dropping off new stuff, you can go each day and find a treasure trove of bits and bobs. Be inspired, feed your artist side and use your imagination to creative incredible treasure baskets for your baby.

If you are in the East Bay, you need to know about The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse.

http://www.creativereuse.org/

In SF, the place to know is SCRAP.

http://www.scrap-sf.org/

Both places run special family events, check out this one on Sunday at SCRAP.

This Sunday, August 26th, Noon to 3pm

Come support SCRAP and enjoy an afternoon of fun SCRAP-style!
SCRAPpy Sunday is a family-friendly event with hands-on creative reuse activities, music by Nothin’ but Fun, food carts, and more.

Plus, SCRAP will be open for shoppers featuring specialty items!

Suggested minimum donation is $10-20. Kids are free!
SCRAP is located in the Bayview at 801 Toland Street in San Francisco.
Our entrance is on Newcomb between Toland and Selby Streets.
Hope to see you here!

RSVP on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/477246242285477/

SCRAP 801 Toland St. SF, CA 94124 (415) 647-1746 mailto:scrap%40scrap-sf.org www.scrap-sf.org

Does your child W-sit?

Posted on by

 

W-sitting refers to sitting on your bottom with legs out to the sides, like the shape of the letter ‘W’.  This position, although it offers more stability, puts pressure on growing joints and muscles.

You may find that your child uses w-sitting occasionally when transitioning from crawling to sitting, but don’t let it become a habit. Offer a variety of options such as, “Lets move your legs in a V shape.”  “Criss-cross, applesauce.” “Can you side sit like this?”  “See how Mommy has her legs straight out in front of her?”  All of these are more beneficial positions that engage and strengthen the core muscles.

Here are more articles to read up on the subject.

http://www.physioquestions.com/2011/01/13/w-sitting-in-children-is-it-ok-or-not/

http://www.pediatricservices.com/parents/pc-22.htm

http://nspt4kids.com/parenting/w-sitting-and-your-childs-growth/

 

Technology

Posted on by

This is an excerpt based on Sherry Turkle’s appearance at the TED talks 2012.  It was taken from a live blog feed…

“”Human relationships are rich and they’re messy and they’re demanding. And we clean them up with technology. We sacrifice conversation for mere connection.”

Technology appeals to us where we’re most vulnerable, says Turkle. “It gives us the illusion of companionship without the means of friendship.

“It feeds the fantasy that we will always be heard, and we will never be alone.”

And it’s changing our psyches.

It “makes being alone feel like a problem that needs to be solved. Where the moment people are alone they reach for a device.”

We need to learn to be alone, says Turkle. We even have to re-learn how to be bored. “We all really need to listen to each other including during the boring bits. When we lose our words or stumble it’s when we reveal ourselves.”

We need to use technology to bring us back to our real lives.”