I love these "my first" series and often use them in sessions. I only had "First Words (the one in the middle)" at first, then I liked it so much and I bought "Animals" and "Color and Shapes" eventually. Each box comes with 16 cards (7.1 x 4.6 x 1.7 inches each). Each card has one picture with a unique texture. Most of the pictures from "First Words" are appropriate for young children up to 3 years old. Some of the "Animals" pictures are appropriate for the same age range, but many of them can be appropraite for children between 4-8 years old. "Colors and Shapes" is pretty much the same deal as "Animals." All the pictures on cards are attractively large and have wonderful, unique textures that stimulate children's interests. Children enjoy looking at and touching these cards while they are singing and playing songs of animals, colors, and shapes. My personal favorites are the card of "Jelly," which has real sticky texture and "Kitten" which has very cat-like-fluffy fur. You can check out these cards in the short slide show below.
There are also "Numbers and Coutning" and "Things That Go" too.
My husband and I visited an independent book store called Jabberwocky Bookshop in Newburyport, MA. I love visiting towns near the water during the winter - it's nice and quiet and the scenery is still very pretty. Oh, an another good thing is that it is SO easy to find a parking spot! Anyway....this bookshop is conveniently located inside of The Tannery Mall. The bookshop is connected with a toy shop called Eureka! (there is no website that I can find) and this was a nice surprise for me!
First, we entered the bookshop and found children's book section upstairs in a loft space. They have a rich selecion of books and they are so well presented and organized. You can find lots of beautiful pop-up books and props for books too. There is a little corner where children can cuddle with a big teddy bear while the adults sit down and read to them.
Then in downstairs, there are a wide selection of books for adults! Such a WIDE selection, it's hard to believe it is an independent bookshop.
The whole atmosphere of the bookshop brings me back to the memory of when I used to spend all day in my grandfather's library in the attic. I enjoyed curling up in a soft, cuddly blanket and indulging in the world of imagination where all the books brought me to. Your little child within might want to come out too when you visit this bookshop! The staff is very friendly, attentive, knowledgeable, and helpful. The toy store next door is packed with fun educational and traditional toys. It is definetely highly recommended to check out!
Then after you enjoy shopping at The Tannery Mall, you might want to take a walk to The Dragon's Nest in Market Square, which is only a 10 minute walk (approximately). Plus, there are so many adorable shops and stores around. There is a magical and fatasy world theme going on throughout this store. Many of the toys selections are geared toward the world of fairy and magical tales. I found one of the Snake Charmers Poseable Snakes - "They can be curled up or completely stretched out to their full lenth." The snake's body curls up as it's making fun crinkly sounds. I can add this to my "Hibernation Activity" - see under "Activities."
Photo Gallery of Jabberwocky Bookshop and Dragon's Nest
I came home from sessions this afternoon and my husband had 2 surprise packages for me! One was filled with puppets and in the other package, I found "magic wands."
Photo Gallery of Music Wands
Recently I saw these "magic wands"
at a local toy store (it is more like "Lakeshore" in Newton, MA. It has
tons of classroom materials/resources). My husband purchased these
directly from the creator's website, since they were more reasonably
priced compared to the ones that were sold at a local store. They are
hand crafted, sculptured metal chimes. "Simply hold in your hand, tap
the end on a hard surface and enjoy the sounds," as it is explained on
the website. They work like a tuning spoon.
They really have open-ended uses including music of course,
pretend-play, and science. When I tried one of the magic wands at the
local toy store, the appearance and the sound were just so provocative
and intriguing to me. I did not know exactly how to use it in sessions,
but I just knew that children would love it!!
Thanks to my understanding and supportive husband, music wands are in
my hands at last!! I cannot wait to use them with my clients.
I have not come up with activity ideas that I can incorporate with this book.....but, it is just really a cool book to turn pages! Every time you turn the page, you see animal moving (it's amazing how it works! ) on one side and you can read a few simple sentences to describe the animal and the sound he makes. This looks like a book that is sure to fascinate beginning readers. I found my copy at a cozy children's bookstore called "The Alphabet Garden" in Chesire, CT. I have been looking around the local bookstores, but I have not seen a copy of this book yet. But, as you know, you can always purchase it online.
Bean bags are fun! If you work with young children, you probably know a couple of bean bags activities. I have been using these small Japanese bean bags with children who are 3-5 years old. I was amazed how aesthetic these young children can be, when I first brought these bean bags for them. As soon as each child picked up and held one bean bag in their little hands, they started talking about the colors, patterns, and the texture. They described how smooth the surface feels, how pretty and beautiful they are. There were certain patterns that reminded some children of origami - I was impressed and so glad that I brought the bean bags from Japan. Children enjoy chanting and singing while they are tossing and throwing the bean bags.
Toys 
- see under "Activities." 
