Applications for Rural Fellowship Program Now Open
Summer 2023 will mark the Rural Fellowship program’s 10th anniversary. The seven-week program, housed in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, places college students in Nebraska towns to help create and execute community-improvement projects.
The Creative Toddler
(Eighteen to Thirty-Six Months)
Image source: CanvaThis is an exciting time for caregivers of toddlers! Every day brings new glimpses of personality and their expanding interests. Tap into your toddler’s creativity with a few inexpensive and low-stress creative activities. Your child’s self-confidence and language will develop at a fast pace when participating in a variety of art, music, dance and story-telling activities.
Eighteen to Twenty-Four Months
At this age, you’ll notice your toddler finds undressing to be quick and fun but dressing is still difficult. Physical coordination is also improving daily and you may notice your toddler standing on tiptoe, walking up and down stairs, and catching balls using both arms and chest.
Better watch what you say and do! Your child is becoming an excellent mimic of action and voice. Here are some creative activities to try:
- Hold hands with your child and move to music. Let your movements vary from fast to slow, high to low, and forward to backward.
- When socks won’t stay on the feet, pretend socks on hands are puppets or animals.
- Visit the library and choose picture books.
Look at pictures and photos and tell stories.
- Act out favorite stories with simple props (toy phone, doll, scarves).
- Play with simple child-sized instruments.
- Creative art projects may use paper plates, Popsicle sticks, torn paper, nontoxic paint, or Play Dough. As the caregiver, you will be supervising but allowing your child room to experiment.
Twenty-four to Thirty-Six Months
Growing into the “Terrific Twos” you will notice your child’s coordination improving and concentration lasting longer on some activities. Since that attention span varies day-to-day, be ready to move on if an activity doesn’t “click” on a particular day. Here’s a wide variety of ideas to try:
- Draw on paper and name objects drawn
- Go outside and draw on sidewalks with water
- Complete puzzles that have large knobs on each piece
- String large beads
- Use motions for “Itsy, Bitsy Spider” or “I’m a Little Teapot”
- Experiment with brushes and paints, Play Dough and clay
- Create simple costumes using fabric or old clothes
- Play with puppets to retell stories or create new ones
- Point out shapes, textures, and colors when dressing
- Demonstrates loud/quiet and fast/slow when singing or dancing
- Demonstrate and explain light and dark colors and hard and soft pressure when drawing and coloring
For more information on developmental milestones, check out our NebGuide, Ages and Stages for Toddlers https://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/g2104.pdf
I also invite you to watch these short videos from our Beautiful Day series, Paint with Water https://mediahub.unl.edu/media/13293 and Exploring Shapes https://mediahub.unl.edu/media/13189 for more creative inspiration with your child. Discover and Design are packed full of ideas https://fitandhealthykids.unl.edu/discover-and-design.
Linked Resource: Creative Connections: Young Children and the Arts
by the Maryland State Department of Education in 2013
www.marylandhealthybeginnings.org
LA DONNA WERTH, EARLY CHILDHOOD EXTENSION EDUCATOR | UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA
Peer Reviewed by Jackie Steffen, Lisa Poppe, and Lynn DeVries, Early Childhood Extension Educators
Make sure to follow The Learning Child on social media for more research-based early childhood education resources!
Minimizing Storage Losses of Round Bale Hay
Storing big round hay bales by lining them up along the fence row may be easy, but it is not economical. Baled forage probably constitutes the highest percentage of winter feed cost we have wrapped up in a cow. The production of hay uses immense resources, and the ration quality is affected by hay quality. Storing dry hay on the ground without cover causes greater amount of spoilage when compared to other methods of storage.
Spanish:The Storm in World Fertilizer Markets Continues
Conference Explains Key Connections Between Agriculture, International Trade
Inflation Reduction Act: What Does it Mean for the Climate and Ag Producers?
Returning to the Farm Workshop for Families in Transition Dec. 9, 10 in York
Tax Options Amid Drought Conditions
Cautions for Cattle Grazing Frosted Forages
When some forages are frosted, the potential for bloat, toxicity, and nitrates may increase for grazing cattle.
Spanish:Flexible Stocking Rate Options for Drought Management
It is often recommended that ranchers stock at a moderate stocking rate to avoid overgrazing and to manage for dry conditions. However, during severe multiyear droughts, even moderately stocked rangelands become overstocked, and managers are forced to sell breeding stock to adapt. Depending on market conditions during and after drought, liquidating breeding stock can have significant financial impacts on the operation. Developing plans that provide for interannual variability can give producers the opportunity to take advantage of above average years and prompt action in poor years.
Spanish:Tensions Surrounding US Beef Exports to China
This article was originally published by "In the Cattle Markets" in August 2022.
Spanish:Sample for Soybean Cyst Nematode This Fall
Using a Cornstalk Nitrate Test to Evaluate Nitrogen Management Decisions
Preventing Baler Fires
Corn harvest is just starting and with the shortage of forages this year, several corn fields will have corn stalks baled up. With the majority of the state being in some variation of drought, the potential of a fire occurring and spreading rapidly is a topic of concern. Here are a few tips and reminders to prevent fires from occurring.
Spanish:Cropland Reference Ecological Unit — A Land Classification Unit for Comparative Soil Studies
Assessing Soil Health at the Field Scale: Putting Reference Soils and Sampling Strategies All Together
Nebraska Extension Provides New Cover Crop Grazing Conference November 1, 2022
Nebraska beef producers and corn growers can enhance their operations by attending the 2022 Cover Crop Grazing Conference. Scheduled for November 1, the conference will take place at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center near Mead.
The conference kicks off with registration, refreshments, and a trade show at the August N. Christenson Building at 9:00 a.m. Educational programs are from 10 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. and include a producer panel session and live field demonstrations.
Spanish: