PLAY-DOH FUN! SEPTEMBER 7, 2007

The 2nd image gives the title that explains that this was her first time to play with play-doh! I had read an idea about play-doh. It was ideas about things that children can do on their own while you get some work done. The idea was to set a plastic table cloth on the floor and make a chair tent over the table cloth. Then give the child one color at a time so when they get tired of that color that they can exchange it for another one thus getting more play time out it. Well, I thought great idea but first we need to know what to do with play. It also suggested cookie cutters. I never got into play doh with my children (long story). So I was pleased with these new ideas. So the other day I bought four colors of play dough. Waited until Friday when I would have her again. After I got things straighten up around here, we played play doh!
Of course, Natalie didn't know too well what to with it yet. So I would cut the shapes with the cookie cutters and then let her play with them. She calls hearts, valentines because of her "I Love You" Elmo book. The last two pages have hearts all over it and it says "Will you be my Valentine?" (Elmo is asking.) She always says "uh, huh". It is so cute. Then it says will you give Elmo a kiss and of course, she does. She she was tickled with this "valentine"!

This is the "cheesy" expression that she gave me when I asked her to look at MiMi.
I love this concentration expression. This is her playing with a little dog that I cut out for her. She would tell me which color she wanted to play with. She seems so advanced on her color knowledge. She could identfy all basic colors way before her second birthday. So now we're learning to identify ABC's. So I used some alphabet cutters that I had for my kids for Jello jigglers. I got the ones out that I thought she could identify. I would cut the item and then ask her. I didn't ask before because some of them didn't look recognizable until it was cut. These are the ones that I was pretty sure she knew...A, B, C (for obvious reason--being that you see them first at the beginning of the story books) N (for her name) H, M, O, X, Y and Z. I think she has learned most of these from the Elmo A, B, C DVD that Uncle Danny and Aunt Maria got her for her birthday. And I guess from just watching Seasame Street, other educational shows and her ABC story books.

Yesteday she was eating these new alphabet cookies that I found at Wal-mart and I was amazed that she even recognized even more letters...F, P, and maybe some others, but that's all I remember right now.

MiMi needs cookie cutters! This was my elementary designs. Don't you recognize Cookie Monster and Elmo? Natalie did!
We had a lot of fun...though it was a little stressful--trying to capture the memories and trying to keep the colors from getting mixed up. But it happened! Now we have another color too--
TIE-DIE COLORED PLAY-DOH!
No matter how much we grow up. We never forget the smell of play-doh. I told her not to put it in her mouth and she said "I'm smelling it!". I had actually forgot about telling her not to put it in her mouth until just now. She looked over her shoulder from her high chair while eating her breakfast and watching "Little Bear" and said "Don't put it in your mouth, Natalie!" repeating what I probably told her several times while playing.

Natalie woke up from her nap before Cari and Brittany got here after school. So she had her a ice cream cone for her afternoon snack. She usually still eats them with a spoon. Then I eat the rest in the cone. I love ice cream cones! ---Natalie's MiMi