I have been a bloggy fan of Zanni Louise's for a very long time. I met her late last year, and it was wonderful to chat words, blogs and children in the Queensland sun. I was delighted when she sent me an advance copy of her debut children's book, ...
How to fly with young children – a 15-step plan
Have you ever flown with young children? I have. I flew with my daughter when she was 14 months old, and then again with both children when they were 3 years old and 4 months old respectively. And both flights went very smoothly.* *I'm ...
Bears in the Night – Stan and Jan Berenstain (book review)
Who loves the Berenstain Bears? Who sees a pic of them and is instantly transported back to childhood? Who couldn't wait to have kids just for the excuse to revisit them? Is your hand in the air? Mine is. And one day, I'm sure my son will ...
Kids grow up, and so do we
My son is growing up. Usually, when I put my son to bed, we read a story or two, sing some songs, then kiss good night. But one night last week, he didn't want to do any of that. He wanted to hop straight into bed, and then invited me to lie ...
How I stop myself from yelling at the kids
Alternative (but less catchy) title: How I try to stop myself from yelling at the kids and succeed most of the time. Okay, some of the time. I love my kids. Adore them. I think they're great kids, in that totally non-biased way where even though ...
Don’t Call Me a Koala Bear – Don Spencer and Michelle Pike (book and CD review)
My not-so-little girl recently turned five, and received lots of music and lots of books for her birthday. Today, I'm reviewing something that is both. --- Don't Call Me a Koala Bear (& Other Aussie Songs) / Don Spencer and Michelle ...
Toddler music group – the body
Welcome to another toddler music group post! What's that you say? If you're not sure what that means, or would like to know how to host a toddler music group, start here. Last month I presented a program with farm songs (and maybe you presented ...
Toddler music group – farm songs
Last month, I wrote about hosting a music group for toddlers. That post outlined all the things to think about before starting. And now, it's time for the fun posts: the actual music group programs! Without further ado, I'm going to dive into ...
Goodnight, Mice! – Frances Watts and Judy Watson (book review)
Goodnight, Mice! / Frances Watts and Judy Watson (ABC Books, 2013) This book and I didn't get off to the best start. On the very first page, two rhyming paragraphs have different lengths and rhythms, and it threw me. When I read a rhyming ...
How to host music group for toddlers
Every Wednesday morning, I host a music group for toddlers at my house. I willingly invite babies, toddlers, children and their parents into my house to sing songs for half an hour, have some morning tea, play for a while, then leave in a ...