A NEW DAY, A NEW ADVENTURE

One of my new years goals was to do some form of exercise every day! Yesterday I decided to go for a walk with Ashton and while we were out we stopped along the way and looked at all the different animals we passed. Living out on a farm gave us quite the selection to look at and practice doing their animal sounds.

So after doing animals stretches on Monday, a walk where we discovered all sorts of animals on Tuesday and with reading lots of books that revolved around animals we decided that this weeks adventures should just follow the animal theme!

We went for another walk today and this time we took the camera to take photos of the animals we came across. We saw, cows, sheep, hens and their chicks, ducks and a hawk. (I also saw some horses, but Ashton had fallen asleep by that time, so I took a photo to show him after his nap.) Each time we stopped to look at one of the animals I would imitate the sound each animal made. As the animals moved around and made their noises I could see Ashton following the movement of the animals and really taking it all in.

It was adventure for Ashton and I and two days in a row of walking! Wahoo!!! Two birds with one stone! (oh I don’t know if I like that saying?)

ASHTON'S ANIMAL STRETCHES

As The Polkadots we have just decided to start doing weekly adventures with our children in video format to share with The Polkadots community. Ashton and I were first up, we planned to go on a sensory walk but the weather changed our plans and we ended up doing Animal Stretches with the Animal Stretch song from Body Bop and also with a book found on Ashton's book shelf called "Toddlerobics" by Zita Newcome.

Although Ashton is only 12 weeks old at the moment, I have been waiting a long time to go on adventures with my own child, so I didn't want this to hold me back! He is just as responsive to our adventures as my 4 year old niece is... just in a different way. When we got his animals out to do the stretching activities with, he got all excited and kept pulling them up to give them a hug and a kiss... (I call it a kiss, but really he just wants to put it in his mouth like everything else!)

By starting young Ashton and I get into the habit and skill of exploring our world! Making time for learning moments and quality time together. I have tried to do this with him right from when he was a couple of weeks old and I look forward to this time with him each day... and each day he is responding more and more!