Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Glowing Bath Time Fun

Creative Wednesdays

At every nanny job I have worked at it has been my responsibility to bathe the kids left in my care. In my early days working as a nanny I wasn't too creative if a child complained about taking a bath. I would sing songs and try to distract them. Now, there are tons of bath toys to use to help children enjoy their time in the sudsy water.

Currently, the four-year-old I care for loves having glowing LED ice cubes in the bath. As long as the sun is still up and there's some daylight, I turn off the lights in the bathroom and throw these Water Submersible LED Ice Cubesin the bath.

What ideas can you share with us to make bath time fun? You can answer below or on our Facebook page or on Twitter.

You can purchase your own Water Submersible LED Ice Cubesby clicking links above or below.

Water Submersible LED Ice Cubes

Friday, September 12, 2014

Making Strombolis

Cooking for Kids

Visit our new blog address to see how to make chicken parmesan strombolis and gooey spinach and cheese strombolis at bethebestnanny.com

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Aesop's Fables

Weekly Trip to the Library

Aesop's Fables are stories that teach morals through the use of animals and nature. These stories have been passed down from one generation to the next over the course of thousands of years.

The animals in fables are representative of the most powerful human emotions – both positive and negative – including love, fear, generosity, and greed. This helps to highlight the underlying moral of each story; it’s easy for both children to immediately recognize the foolish or the wise characters.

Aesop is undoubtedly one of the world’s most famous fabulists. More than 2,570 years ago, this Greek story teller created hundreds of tales, which are now known by the collective title of Aesop’s fables. Aesop’s fables feature inanimate objects and animals that are able to speak and interact with each other in the same way that humans do.

Aesop’s fables continue to be read and adored, as these stories are still relevant to our modern lives, despite being written several hundred years ago. They not only portray common experiences, but also teach children valuable life lessons, in a way that is easy for them to understand.


The Tortoise and the Hare: An Aesop's Fable
There are many examples of fables with morals, but perhaps one of the most well known is Aesop’s The Tortoise and the Hare, in which readers learn that slow and steady wins the race. The hare is naturally quick, so when he is asked to have a race with a tortoise, he is adamant that he will win, without even trying. He is so confident that he decides to take a quick snooze in the middle of the race. The tortoise, moving along slowly but consistently, passes the Hare out and wins.


The Lion and the Mouse
The Lion and the Mouse is another favorite fable that teaches children about the importance of kindness and that even seemingly powerful creatures need help sometimes. In this tale, the mouse accidentally wakes up the sleeping lion. The lion then considers eating the mouse, but decides against it after the mouse convinces him that he is not good enough to be the prey of a lion. Later, the Lion becomes entangled in a hunter’s net – the mouse spots the trapped lion, remembers the mercy the lion showed him, and decides to free him, by chewing through the ropes.


The Fox and the Crow
The Fox and the Crow is another well-known fable which illustrates the dangers of falling prey to flattery. A crow discovers a small piece of food, and flies up to a tree where he can eat it. However, a fox comes along and, wanting to steal the food, tells the crow how lovely he is, and asks him if his voice is as impressive as his appearance. The crow believes the fox’s words, and tries to impress him further by singing. As soon as he opens his beak, the food falls to the ground, enabling the fox to snatch it up and keep it for himself.

You can purchase any of these stories by clicking the links above or below:


The Classic Treasury of Aesop's Fables

Friday, September 5, 2014

English Muffin Pizzas

Cooking With Kids

Visit bethebestnanny.com to see how to make these mini pizzas.

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Footprint Ladybugs, Butterflies and Bluebirds

Grandparent's Day Footprint Cards

This upcoming Sunday, September 7 is Grandparents Day. There is no need to buy a pricey card to celebrate the occasion. Instead, make these cute craft card ideas from nanny and mother Heather Marincovich with the kids. This is a super project to do with babies since they cannot draw yet but you can still give the grandparents something from their grandchildren. Here is how to make these cute cards:

You Will Need:

Washable paints
Heavyweight paper
Paint brushes
Bins of soapy water or bathtub
Paper towels
Sharpie marker

Ladybug Footprint (see above)

When making a card, fold a piece of paper in half then reopen the paper and lay if flat on the floor. If just making a picture, there is no need to fold the paper. Paint the child's foot with red paint. Stamp the red foot on the left side of the card which will be the cover of the card (or center it on the paper if just making a sign). To make more ladybugs paint the foot again with more red paint. Flip the paper around so the lady bug will be in a different direction and stamp the foot on the paper. Repaint the foot as many times as you wish to make as many bugs as you wish. Clean the foot by dipping in a bin of soapy water or in a bathtub and dry with paper towels. Paint black paint on the child's finger and let them stamp black dots on the red foot on the paper. Wash the child's hand. Once dry use a black Sharpie marker to draw antennas and legs on the lady bugs. Write the message for grandparents with markers.

Butterfly Footprint

Use purple, pink, and light blue paint to make butterflies. Fold the paper into a card and unfold it before placing it flat on the floor or don't fold the paper if you are just making a sign. Paint the child's feet with purple paint and stamp them on the paper. Have the toes facing up with the arches facing out and the heels touching one another to make butterfly wings. Then repeat with other colors of paint for different colored butterflies. Wash the child's feet by putting them in a bin of water or in a bathtub. After paint dries, use a Sharpie marker to draw the body and antennas of the butterflies. Use markers to write a message for the grandparents.

Bluebird Footprint

If making a card, fold a piece of paper in half then reopen the paper and lay if flat on the floor. If just making a sign just put the heavyweight paper on the floor. Paint the child's foot with blue paint. Stamp the child's foot on the paper. Once dry, use paint or markers to draw the wings, beak, eye, and branch for the bird to stand on. Soak the child's foot in bin of soap and water or in the bathtub. Use markers to write a nice message to the grandparents.