Toys and Book of the Week: Time For Bed

Hi there! I'm doing a toy rotation system for Yuri's toys. Some of you might have known that by reading my blog post last week, but for the rest of you, here's a recap on how I do it:

A week's worth of toys should have one educational toy (shape sorter and the like), plush toys (stuffed toys), cars and toys with wheels, and little non-toy trinkets (like his Calpol's cover) to encourage Yuri's imagination.

Anyway, the bottom line is get out only a few toys each week (the number of the toys and the frequency of the rotation depend on you!) and keep the rest hidden. So far, it proved to be only advantageous in our household. Less mess, fewer toys to pack away, gets the child to play with all his toys, and encourages the child to read more books.

To make the most out of this system, as well as to help you curious souls out there, I will be featuring my chosen toys each week. Just in case you want to have a clearer idea of how to do it. As for me, blogging about it is gonna be a constant reminder to be vigilant in choosing toys every Sunday night!

In addition, I'd also like to feature one book per week. Again, this is for kindred souls out there who also want to raise readers and bookworms like me! By doing this, I hope we'll be able to build libraries for our budding book-devourers. Okay, gawa-gawa ko lang yung word na yun. But it captures the essence, right? Who doesn't want a kid who devours books like there's no tomorrow?

Anyway, enough talk. For this week, here are Yuri's toys:

I've given him wooden puzzles over the last weeks, so to minimize suya, I didn't get out another puzzle this week. Instead, I got out some electronic toys that he wasn't able to use for over a month now. I chose those that can, at least, teach him something, so I got the piano with a mini shape-sorter (unfortunately, one piece is missing!) and an electronic turtle that teaches words. The most educational toy would be the shape-sorter.

I also got out a little plush puppy, a plastic clapper (which we used last New Year's Eve - it was really loud). For the non-toy category, I got out a pink hairbrush. I didn't bother to get a wheeled toy anymore because he has several toy trucks in the living room (I think they are becoming a mainstay!).

And this is our book of the week:

I wanted to feature Yuri's ultimate favorite book at the moment for my first ever Book of the Week feature. Yuri loves "Time for Bed" by Mem Fox, illustrated by Jane Dyer. I read it to him every bedtime, and one reading is never enough for him. He even asks for it when he wakes up in the morning!

Funny anecdote: There was one time when he didn't let me finish a second reading of Time for Bed. Instead, he got the book from me. Then, he got one of his stuffed toys (I think it was Jollibee), and laid it beside him on his crib. He got the book, flipped through the pages, and mumbled as if he was reading. Then, he said to Jollibee, "Tuyog, anayt!" (Tulog, good night!). He then hugged the toy and kissed it. Suh-weet!

Baby Verdict:
I think Yuri loves this book because of the different animals. There are different mother-baby animal tandems featured with unique "good night" lines. Based on experience, I think all toddlers are enamored by animals, making the book a sure hit. I also think he likes the book because he relates to the little boy in the last page. He thinks it's him! By the time I get to that page, he says, "Tuyog Suri" (Tulog Yuri).

Eh kung ano kung blonde yung boy? Sya daw yun eh!

Mom Verdict:
I don't get annoyed with Yuri's requests for me to repeat reading the book because reading it is like singing a song. The lines are very rhythmic and melodic and stress-relieving. Also, they are very easy to memorize. This is a good thing to remember for us, mommies, because there are times when I'd be too sleepy to read and I'd just close my eyes and recite the lines like a pro!

Seriously, though, the best part of the book for me would be the watercolor-style illustrations that are realistic and romantic. Plus, the fact that it features different animals and the correct names of baby animals (i.e. horses and foals) makes it educational, which makes bedtime learning time!

(I got the book from The Learning Basket for only P90. What a steal!)

PS:
For the record, I don't do book rotation. I think it's not yet time for us to do that because we only have a few books. Also, I want Yuri to be always surrounded with books. Unlike toys, I want him to be able to have a lot of options for "reading" (closed in quotation marks because he doesn't read yet - duh! Hee hee). Finally, if the living room will get messy, I want it to be messy with books. Just like this: