Jan 14, 2011 - manners

Riley is improving her spoon and fork skills

A satisfying bite of oatmeal off her spoon

Eventually she gets tired of using utensils and resorts to her fingers, but still holds her spoon in the other hand

We are headed to Yosemite tomorrow (Sat.) morning for the long weekend and I guess I got so busy preparing and packing I forgot to write the blog last night. Sorry for the delay!

Things have slowed a bit since the holidays and we've settled back into our routine. For the next 3 months Riley and I are signed up for a parent assist gymnastics class for toddlers age 1.5-3 years old. Winter is California's rainy season so I was looking for something to replace our usual outdoor activities. This sounded like a fun way for Riley to run off some energy. The class meets once a week for 40 minutes. The first 30 minutes is free play on the equipment: a low balance beam, rings, angled mats to help with front rolls, a spring board, things like that. The instructor, Miss Davia, circulates and helps the kids; Riley really likes her and always pays attention when she is working with her 1-on-1. The last 10 minutes is circle time, where they follow instructions such as bear crawl (Riley just does a regular crawl) skipping (Riley runs, she'll figure it out eventually) and stretching (oh to be a flexible toddler, I think even the instructor is a little envious of their abilities). The class is really well thought out, they burn off energy before they are asked to sit still and listen. They aren't working on training olympic gymnasts, but focus on skills like patience while waiting for equipment, motor skills, and following instructions. We've both really enjoyed the class so far.

We've also been working on her table manners. Riley is getting better at using a fork and spoon and now spends most meals in a booster seat, sitting at the table, eating from a plate or bowl. She definitely still makes a mess but her motor skills are improving. She is also starting to learn what is acceptable at the table. She likes to turn her sippy cup upside down and bang it on the table so the milk squirts out. As she does this, she says, "Bad manners!" Well, at least we know she understand the concept!