Things We Love: September Round Up
A September roundup of what Team Charmspring (Steph, Jennie & Allie) is loving right now! Featuring favorite books, play picks and bathtime tricks.
Play
Allie: Right now we’re really into dramatic play in our house and even though it’s only September we’re already starting to think about Halloween. My son is 2.5 so I still have some say in his costume choices and I always look for things that can be used for dress up on the 31st and far beyond! My newest costume obsession is Jack Be Nimble, a design studio located in Asheville, North Carolina. Jack Be Nimble costumes are inspired by nature and constructed for active play. I love the whimsical quality of their designs and I am particularly smitten by the Stingray Costume and Firefly Light Up Wings.
Steph: We are all about our at home mini Ice Cream Shop these days! The girls like to take everyone’s orders, tell their “customers” what flavors and toppings are in and out of stock, and come up with totally silly prices that are owed. When it’s time to pay, they ignore the pretend dollars that come with their play set–I’m not sure if they’ve seen money in real life more than a few times–and expect us to use Apple Pay. Modern kids!
Jennie: We are deep in Barbies right now at our apartment but in the most imaginative and creative ways. Our Barbies take baths in all sinks, after their shampooing, they get haircuts (and the hair gets everywhere) and then we create our own Barbie outfits using the Barbie clothes we have and cutting them into different versions (long skirts become short skirts and pants become shorts) or using colored painters tape to create new looks. Our Barbies even go on a zipline that my girls have created using lanyard and key chain loops. Besides accidentally walking into some of the ziplines that are across our living room, it’s really amazing to see them bring these dolls to life.
Bath
Allie: My son started school for the first time and has been coming home really tired and a little bit discombobulated. Instead of waiting to do bathtime at night, I’ve changed the routine and we do a long afternoon bath session. Sensory play in water helps him decompress, process the day and reregulate. In the tub I always use Oli & Carol toys, which are made out of plant-based rubber and float without a hole so they don’t collect water and get gross and moldy.
Steph: Bathtime is party time for us! The girls have a bunch of measuring cups, beakers, and other contraptions. We keep the faucet running on low and they do all kinds of pouring experiments. They’d stay in the bath for an hour if we didn’t eventually fish them out.
Jennie: Before we got our Springboard, my girls started to resist bath time at the start of this school year. I think they knew it meant the start of “bed time.” Once we got our Springboard, I have been able to visually show the girls that there are a lot of other steps between bath time and bed time and that we can build in some fun ones like “dance” or “special time.” Now that they have started to embrace bath time again it really has become less of a “task” for all of us and more of “time together.” We put on music during bath, and they have been loving colored foam soap and sponges. The only way to get them out now is to say “your hands are starting to get pruney!”
Books
Allie: For some kids the back to school transition happens in a couple of days and for others it’s an evolving process over months. For us, it’s the latter! To support the ups and downs that come with the new experience of school I’ve been turning to two books, Owl Babies and The Rabbit Listened, a lot. They tackle topics of separation and big feelings and I’ve found that they offer all of us a little comfort. If you’re navigating your own back to school transition we have a Charmspring book list to support your family.
Steph: We love the book What Should Darla Do? which is a fun story about a girl who throughout her day can make choices and she sees how her choices impact the trajectory of her day. Our girls can read it over and over again making different choices each time and seeing how Darla’s day changes. It’s such a positive influence on helping children understand the power they have over their own decisions and day!
Jennie: We recently moved and something that I added to their spaces in our new apartment are bookshelves at their height - some in their playroom, in their bedroom, and even next to the potty in the bathroom. Each shelf gets curated (by them) and changed every week for books they are more interested in. It’s made them even more interested in books and it feels less overwhelming than the books all being in one place together. Some books stay week after week like “The Beautiful Oops” and “Not Little!”
Learn more about the Charmspring Team here!
