Pencil Grasp

Harrison has begun writing letters and wrote his name for the first time today. We have been working hard to develop his fine motor skills over the past year. I will post some of our favorite activities later. Today, I put green and yellow dot stickers on a large sheet of paper. He knows green means go and red means stop. He drew a line from one green dot (go) to a pink (we didn't have red) dot (stop). He practiced his horizontal lines and then his vertical lines. All pre-writing skills.

When he was done. He said they were lines like the letter H in his name. He wrote the letter H and then I aked him if he could write the other letters in is name. This is what he did....

Pencil grip can be very hard for young children and may take awhile to master. I taught him to make an L with his pointer and thumb, then grasp the pencil with his finger. He still will revert back to a palm grasp at times. As you can see, his grip is too far down on the crayon. But what a great milestone!

Only introduce this to your little one when you notice them moving away from grasping a writing utensil with their entire hand called a palm grasp. Stay away from forcing a young child from holding a pencil correctly or using worksheets for practicing letters if they are not ready. This can lead to frustration and improper grasp of a pencil. Given the opportunity to strengthen their small muscles through age appropriate activites, most will develop the grasp naturally. Get Ready For School shows the different stages of pencil grasp. Remember all children will develop at different paces.

You Say Tomato and I Say YUMMO!

Harrison loves to pick vegetables from our little garden. Harrison helped his daddy plant the vegetables and water them (his favorite thing to do of course) all summer long. It has been a wonderful learning experience for him to watch his garden grow. The garden was Robert's idea. I have to admit, I didn't think anything would grow when he came home with those puny little plants. Okay, okay...So they grew and grew and produced like crazy. We have had tons of fresh tomatoes, grape tomatoes, pear tomatoes and cucumbers from each plant. Our backyard gets so much sun, it really is silly that we haven't taken advantage of it in years past.

This is in the spingtime. I think this tomato plant should go right here.

A little bubbles will help. Right daddy?

He was so proud of his plants.

This is a picture of just one pickin'. I would like to share with you one of the recipes for a tomato salad that is quick and yummy.

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Salad
Serves 1
1 large tomato cut into wedges
4-6 fresh mozzarella balls (I buy Bel Gioioso "Cherry Size" from Sam's Club.)
2 T. Paul Newman's Balsamic Vinaigrette
3 Basil Leaves, fresh
Arrange tomato wedges and mozzarella balls in small salad bowl. Drizzle with salad dressing. Top salad with fresh basil leaves. Serve.

Cinnamon Rolls

Rolls

2, ½ oz. pkg. active dry yeast

1 c. warm milk (110-115 degrees), put in microwave for 1 minute

½ c. sugar

1/3 c. margarine melted

1 t. salt

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

4 c. flour

Filling

(I do not measure the filing. I just spread the butter on. And generously cover it with cinnamon, sugar, an brown sugar. The following measurements are an estimate.)

3/4 c.Butter

2 T.Cinnamon

3/4 c. Sugar

1/4 c. Brown Sugar

***You may also add raisins and nuts to your filling.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick margarine

1 ½ c. powdered sugar

¼ c. cream cheese

½ t. vanilla

1/8 t. salt

Put dry ingredients for rolls: sugar, salt, yeast and flour into a food processor with steel blade. Turn on food processor and add milk, melted margarine, eggs, and vanilla. Allow mixture to form into a soft ball.

Knead dough onto a lightly greased surface for 10 min. I use cooking spray on the counter and my hands to keep it from sticking. Knead until slightly elastic.

Put dough into a large bowl and cover with towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until it has doubled in size. (I put mine outside during warm weather.)

After dough has risen, roll onto a lightly floured surface until 16x21. Add filling on top of dough. Spread dough with butter and sprinkle with sugar and brown sugar. Sprinkle with cinnamon. If you are adding any raisins or nuts do so now.

Starting on the longer end, begin rolling dough into a log. Do not roll too tightly. Pinch together seams. Divide rolls into 12 sections. I take a knife and gently mark the center and then divide each side into 6 sections. I cut the rolls with a serrated bread knife, sawing very gently.

Put rolls into a lightly buttered 13x9 pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 or until rolls are browned and center rolls are done. Let rolls set for at least 5 min. before serving.

While rolls are baking prepare cream cheese frosting. Cream butter and cream cheese together. Add salt and vanilla, blend together. Add milk and powdered sugar. Beat until creamy.

Top with cream cheese frosting and enjoy!

Tips:

Making the day before:

You can make these rolls the day before. Just follow directions, but do not bake. Cover with saran wrap and put into refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator and bake.

Freezing

These rolls can be frozen for up to 1 month. Cover tightly with saran wrap and then cover with aluminum foil. Remove from freezer and set upon counter for 10-12 hours. Bake until done and add frosting.