Benefits Of Drawing for Kids

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Today I am excited to feature a guest post by Kathleen Wilson. She reached out to Like A Dad, asking to share her thoughts on the benefits of teaching our children arts and crafts. How could I say no.

Drawing is typically seen as a great past time for kids; keeping them busy while giving parents a little break to clean or pay bills. Here is some great news, not only is drawing fun for children but it also provides huge health benefits as well.

One great benefit that drawing provides kids is that it stimulates brain activity and development. Drawing stimulates a child’s brain to grow which results in better observation, perception and critical thinking skills.

Our Son’s First Trip To The Dentist Office


If only we got that far. That boy looks quite calm doesn’t he?

Ah Dentists. They are required part of life, but so many of us fear their existence and the dreaded trip to their offices.

You would think with all the cool stuff a dentist office provides, kids would love it.

Televisions everywhere including on the ceiling, toys, books, cool gadgets, the best flavours in toothpaste and the free toothbrush you get at the end.

I wish dentist offices were like that when I was a little guy.

Anyways, we had our first trip to the dentist for our 3-year old on the weekend and it was a learning experience.

The final verdict – he called it off at the moment of truth.

What we learned? That too much waiting time can hurt your chances of success. The wait was not the only factor but I think that is what put it over the edge.

Harrison’s day started really early. He was up at 6 am I believe, which was not a good sign for a noon appointment with the dentist that he had never met.

Anyways, with him, it is hard to ever really tell.

All week we had been getting him used to the idea of what a dentist was and what was going to happen. My wife even book her appointment before his, so he could get a live look at what the dentist would do.

The mood shifted. One day, he would be interested. The next, he would say he did not want to go.

Back to Saturday morning.

Like A Dad’s Photos Of The Week – August 9

instagrams-of-week

I love taking pictures. Whether it is of my kids, grilled meat or anything else that catches my eye.

Every Friday, we will be wrapping up the week with the best of the photos added to Like A Dad’s Instagram page.

We went on a lot of adventures in Halifax this week. The Public Gardens, the Halifax Waterfront and even a park by the ocean.

Here are some of the best photos I posted to Instagram this week.

Day 90: Banana, Pizza, Avocodo, Yogurt And More

pl-daily
The PL stands for Parental Leave, which I am currently doing for six months.

Where did the week go? I realize it was a short week thanks to Natal Day, but I have to say, it flew by. Yesterday was Day 90 of my parental leave. Wow, 90 days. What a wild ride. I am almost forgetting what it is like to be in an office environment. I know I still have two months to go but lately it feels like the time is slipping away. Every day is starting to feel more and more like Sunday night. Oh well, I will stop complaining because there is still a lot of fun left. We have a few trips coming and August and September in Nova Scotia are usually the best months. Plus I get to spend it all with Charlie.

Halifax Playgrounds: Seaview Memorial Park

seaview1

Every Wednesday, I get the car. That means I need to take advantage of the car and the weather. With two boys ready to play, there is nothing better than going on an adventure to a different park of Halifax.

Due to the short week because of Natal Day, Wednesday came a little quicker than normal and I did not really have a plan.

I woke up today, still without a plan. The weather was going to be ideal and I needed a place to go.

Well Facebook provided me inspiration.

Harry-isms #2: Branching Out To New Kinds Of Cheese

Kids say funny things or pronounce words in a way that you can’t help smile at. Our son Harrison does this all the time and we want to share some of them with you.

If you follow this blog, you know that Harrison loves his cheese. He lists it as his favourite food. But it was always classic cheddar or orange cheese as he called it.

Recently he has branched out to all kinds of new cheese. If you walk down the cheese aisle at the fancier grocery stores, he will try a free sample of just about everything.

That is where his new funny word came about. When he started eating “Monsterella” cheese.

Here is another installment of Harry-isms #harryisms.

Fast And The Furious: A lot Changing For Charlie

charlie-crawl

Is time going faster than normal? Did we just not have our second baby? In only what seems like a blink of an eye, we celebrated our son’s 10-month anniversary on the weekend.

10 months!? It feels like we just brought him home.

Yep, Charlie is growing fast and furious and that means a lot of changing things up in the house.

He seems way ahead of the game when comparing him to his 3-year old brother, but when looking back at photos, the difference is not as great.

Yes, Charlie is doing most things quicker, but then again, he has someone to watch and learn from right?

Over the last few weeks, I have felt this speed in progress mostly because I have been doing a lot of things I did not do for our first son until much later.

Like A Dad’s Photos Of The Week – August 2

instagrams-of-week

I love taking pictures. Whether it is of my kids, grilled meat or anything else that catches my eye.

Every Friday, we will be wrapping up the week with the best of the photos added to Like A Dad’s Instagram page.

Where oh where did July go? It was over in a heat flash. Oh well, August and September are great months to be living in Nova Scotia and since I am home with the kids, I get to enjoy it to the fullest. That also means taking a lot of photos as I go.

Here are some of the best I posted to Instagram this week. Also, thanks to the many new followers this week. Nice to have you aboard.