February 2013 Updates: Alma’s Updates! Left: baby fairy in training Right: Little Red Riding Hood gets trendy...

Alma, as usual, is full of personality, giggles and mischief!

The trendy lady got a cool dress from Del (these are her ideas for poses)

Exploration has been a major thing this month: exploring new games and stories, exploring letters, numbers and writing, exploring new heights and where mum’s nerves and patience end... We started using the blue chair as a “time out” area when she gets out of control, and it has been working well.

Alma enjoys puzzles if they are about an interesting topic (like changing doll’s clothes) and uses all her senses (middle: checking out a tea bag). Her fashion sense is certainly developing too...

Alma and Barak have started going to Gymbaroo on Saturdays (while Hahgoot and I are at the pool) and both enjoy it immensely. This is one of the better equipped centres in the city.

What can you do with a puzzle? Quite a lot: build it, step on it (to find the right animal), jump from animal to animal, put blocks while sorting...

With a partner play Twister on it and then find dolls to match the animals – never a dull moment!

Alma has been keen to play on the computer but most of the programs don’t fit her skills yet. At last I found a Pooh Bear maths program she liked (mainly because you count cupcakes while decorating...)

She has been keen on colouring in this month, especially in the new workbook her grandparents from Tel-Aviv sent her, about colours, fruits and vegetables. It was also a good way to get her to recognize a connection between words and illustrations, as we had to read the titles to find out which colours to use for colouring in.

Alma has a social life independent from Hahgoot: She had a play date with Virginia, the 4 years old daughter of our neighbours from no. 8, and spent another morning with Dan, Nell and baby Cara, and their mum Sophie, from our playgroup (she is the wife of one of the church’s Ministers).

On a very hot day we had an afternoon play date at Eli and Bella’s house, and the girls had fun indoors and out. In our next presentation: Alma works on many artistic projects!