[blparent] getting out with your kids in the winter

[Veronica Smith]

I also did the kindermusic classes with Gab when she was about a year old to
about 2.  We found the advertisement in the library newspaper or newsletter.
If you are a gym goer, the gyms usually have a litte daycare which has tons
of toys.  I also found things to do through the La Leche league.  They also
had a great resource for places to go with your tiny baby. V

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Dena Wainwright
Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2010 11:29 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] getting out with your kids in the winter

Here are some of the things that we've done:

We do a lot of mall and indoor playgrounds. I generally feel better doing 
this with sighted help. You could do it alone, but it would be a real 
challenge unless you knew the play area very well.

We do walk in the malls. This could be done alone if you were very familiar 
with the mall's layout. You could use a walking harness to keep Michael with

you once he's walking. You could also wear him if he's content to do that.

We do story times at local book stores or libraries.

You can see if there are early childhood type educational classes. You could

check your local school district's community education program.

Many churches have mother's groups, as well as programs for kids.

You could post an ad in your church newsletter saying that you have a 1 year

old son, and you are hoping to organize a playgroup for him with similarly 
aged kids. There is also MOMS Club International, MOPS, and meetups.com.

You could see if you have a local children's museum. A good way to find 
resources like this is to use local parenting magazines, or to Google terms 
like "family friendly activities, name of city, name of state." Most states 
also have tourism websites that list attractions by type. E.g., our 
exploreminnesota.com website has a whole section for child friendly outings.

They then break those down to events (like festivals or holiday specific 
parties), parks, attractions (museums, water parks, etc.), and so on.

We have done gymnastics classes at Little Gym and are hoping to do a 
Kindermusic class or similar after Christmas.

Some people do swimming lessons. I personally worry too much about Elise 
getting chilled in this weather, but that's just me.

We also just go on fun trips to places like Toys"R"Us and just let Elise 
explore.

If you want things to do in the house, babycenter.com has great ideas. For a

child Michael's age, some things that might work are:
Sensory experiences: putting oatmeal or potatoes flakes into a big tub and 
letting him explore them with scoops, funnels, etc.
Sand and water tables (messy, but worth it for the amount of entertainment 
they provide).
You can also make playdoughs and finger paints that are completely edible. 
Again, babycenter.com has recipes.

Regarding the lack of transportation: I know exactly where you are coming 
from. Our area has no public transportation of any kind. This also means 
that we have no paratransit service. I have chosen to hire a sighted 
assistant. Her job is to make sure we get to the gym class, mall, etc. She 
tells me what Elise is doing, and makes sure she doesn't kill herself. I am 
still the mom, however. If Elise pulls another child's hair, I am the one 
who intervenes, not her. If you cannot financially afford to pay someone, 
you might check local colleges. A lot of times, students need internship 
hours in order to get their degrees. You might be able to arrange to have 
one of the students from a child development or preschool education program 
intern with you for credit.

Hope some of these ideas help. Please email me on or offlist if you want 
additional ideas or guidance about where to look for stuff to do.

Dena


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Leslie Hamric" <lhamric930 at comcast.net>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2010 10:12 AM
Subject: [blparent] getting out with your kids in the winter


> Hi all.  I was wondering, what are some ways you guys get out with your 
> kids
> in the winter? One of my favorite activities was going to the park in the
> warmer weather but now, it's too cold for that.  So I was wondering what
> else can you do? Take walking around the mall, for example.  I'd like to 
> get
> perspectives on who's done this with or witht sighted assistance.  Another
> question is what are some ways to connect with other moms?  What about
> transportation if ou don't live in an area that has decent public
> transportation?  What are some of the ways you've gone about getting 
> rides?
> I look forward to hearing many suggestions as always. Thanks.
>
> Leslie
>
> _______________________________________________
> blparent mailing list
> blparent at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> blparent:
>
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/dena%40envogueacce
ss.com 


_______________________________________________
blparent mailing list
blparent at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
blparent:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/madison_tewe%40spi
nn.net