Acknowledgements - gapitc

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Awesome Outdoors
Take your infant outdoors to explore the natural world.
Go for a walk and look for a variety of “nature’s wonders” such as bird feathers,
leaves, grass, pine cones, shells, and flowers. With your help, let your infant look
at, touch, and smell them as you talk about each one. No tasting, please!
Hang a birdfeeder with birdseed outside. Sit on a blanket with your baby and
watch and listen for the birds to come for a snack and fly away. Watch for
squirrels too.
Blow bubbles and watch the wind blow them up high. Use words like “floating,”
“wind,” “high,” “low,” and “pop” to describe what is happening.
Tie streamers to a tree branch and watch them blow in the breeze.
Let your infant crawl on grass and feel it with his hands, legs, and feet. Talk about
the soft, green grass beneath him.
What Smells So Good?
When you cook, call your baby’s attention to the yummy smells and tastes. For
example, make applesauce using these steps:
• Cut five or six large apples in slices and put them in a slow cooker or a
saucepan.
• Add water, covering about one fourth of the apples. Add cinnamon if you
wish. Set the slow cooker on high and cook for 3 to 4 hours. Put the slow
cooker in a safe place where your baby cannot reach it. If you are cooking on
the stove, cover the saucepan and simmer until the apples are soft enough
for your baby.
• Start in the morning so you can enjoy the smell all day and have applesauce
for an afternoon snack. Cool before serving.
• Let your older infant try to eat the applesauce with a spoon.