Wednesday, November 25, 2015

10 Powerful Breakfast They'll Love



(1) Kodiak Power Cakes 
A box of this mix will keep your family powered in many ways. Packed with whey protein, transform this box into tasty muffins, pancakes or waffles. Great for weekends, or make muffins in advance for weekdays.

(2) Scrambled Eggs 
An oldie but a goody. Serve with buttered toast.

(3) Oatmeal 
Oatmeal is a blank canvas! Dress it up with fresh or dried fruits, maple, honey, agave, nuts, nut butters, trail mix and even some chunks of semi-sweet chocolate for a treat.

(4) Greek Yogurt 
The high protein content of Greek Yogurt will keep your child present and focused at school. Watch the sugar, though. Alternatively, buy plain and add your own sweetener.

(5) Smoothie 
You can add anything but the kitchen sink! Try a protein powder like Amazing Grass for a full profile of nutrients.

(6) Toast with Nut Butter 
Whole grain bread with almond butter and agave, peanut butter and jelly or even sun butter and marmalade. It's your toast, so go nuts (get it?!)

(7) Egg Muffins 
Not the English kind - think more like these.

(8) Kashi Go-Lean Cereal 
As much protein as an egg, for those kids who hate eggs.

(9) Toad in a Hole 
Cut a circle out of a buttered piece of bread, put it in the fry pan. Crack an egg in the hole, flip, eat.

(10) Baked Beans on Toast 
Simply open a can of baked beans and heat on the stove. Make some toast. Enjoy 14g of protein and fiber.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

10 Sensory Activities for Toddlers



(1) Sorting Objects 
"Sorting" is a great activity for building all kinds of tactile, decision making and mathematic skills. Give your kids a bin full of small erasers, figurines, 3D shapes, or any small object - and watch as they use their senses and preferences to put them into groups.

(2) Painting 
Forget the smock, strip your kids down to their diaper/underwear and let painting become a sensory experience. Lay out a large piece of paper on the grass, use non-toxic paint and have a hose and towel ready for the aftermath.

(3) Play Doh 
Make it yourself using this simple recipe . Go ahead and add essential oils, glitter, beads, popsicle sticks and googly eyes. Watch that small pieces don't end up in their mouths, noses, ears...

(4) Feely Boxes 
These work really well for preschoolers, but who is to say your toddler won't get a kick out of a feely box too. Basically, cut a hand sized hole in a box and put a small, textured item in the box. The game is based around guessing what the item is, based on how it feels. Click here for an example.

(5) Olfactory Station 
Set up some safe mystery smells and see how your toddler reacts. Will they screw up their face, or try to eat it? Smelling food can also demystify some tastes for fussy toddlers.

(6) Beans and Rice 
Fill a bin with dry beans and rice, add a cup as a shovel. You have a new toy!

(7) Sand Play 
At home, at the beach, at day care - wherever there is sand - play with it! Some children have a real aversion to the texture of sand, so play with it as much as possible.

(8) Water Play 
We are experiencing a severe drought in California, so think of water play ideas that use less H20 but give maximum enjoyment.

(9) Cooking 
Bake some cookies, whip up some muffins or find a no-bake recipe that your toddler can enjoy with you. Cooking with very young children is best kept simple, fast and 1:1.

(10) Tapioca Beads 
Water beads are great fun to play with, but a hazard for little hands. Tapioca is almost identical, but edible! Check this out.