Update: Age 28 months (new media)
Books:
- Elliott Moose (Andrea Beck)
- Jane Hissey's books (Old Bear, Hoot, Ruff, Jolly Tall, Little Bear's Trousers, Little Bear Lost, Splash!, Old Bear's Surprise Painting)
- My Visit to the Aquarium (Aliki)
- Frog and Toad books (Lobel)
- Henry and Mudge books (Rylant)
- Mr. Putter and Tabby books (Rylant)
- Anything Leo Lionni (Alexander and the Wind Up Mouse, Swimmy, Fish is Fish, Little Blue and Little Yellow)
- More complex Dr. Seuss books (Horton Hears a Who!, The Lorax, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Sleep Book)
- Vicky Cobb science books (I Face the Wind, I see Myself)
- Rainbow's End books (by John Patience)-- New Friends, Toby Claypot's Wishing Well, That Mouse Must Go, The Winter Warming --charming books from my childhood about a village of little gnomes
- The Cat in the Hat Learning Library (Inside Your Outside, Hark! A Shark!, Oh Say Can You Seed, Miles and Miles of Reptiles, Is a Camel a Mammal?)
- Paleofiction like "Pterosaur Trouble" and "Ankylosaur Attack" by Daneil Loxton. These are fictional stories about a day in the life of a few dinosasurs/pterosaurs. I highly recommend these for children who love dinosaurs.
- The Slinky Malinki series (by Lynley Dodd)-- quasi mysterious stories about the high jinks of a cat and his friends.
- The Toby series by William Steig (Toby, Where are You?, Toby, What are You?)
Toys:
- Lego
- Magnet wands
- Magnifying glass
- Puzzles (especially Crocodile Creek floor puzzles- they're gorgeous!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2008-Crocod...imal-36-Piece-Floor-Puzzle-/191065438255)
- Bruder trucks (e.g.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bruder-02660-Actros-Garbage-Orange/dp/B00007B8O9)
- A cheap plastic tea set for the bath
Other print media:
- The magazine "High Five" by Highlights. DS especially loves the hidden picture puzzles. My parents bought a gift subscription for DS. He loves the magazine so much that I decided to buy back-dated used copies of the magazine going back 3 years. I'm going to hide a copy in the mailbox each week so it feels like we're getting a more frequent subscription.
- Here is a link to some free online hidden pictures puzzles:
http://www.highlightskids.com/hidden-pictures/interactive/archive- Brain quest puzzle decks (FYI: these are easy; age 4-5 or 5-6 seems about right for a 2 year old)
Electronic media:
- App: My First Hidden Pictures (Highlights)
- TV shows: "Dinosaur Train" and "Mighty Machines". He also likes watching model truck reviews on the YouTube channel "Cranes etc". The narrator is a wry British man who makes some biting remarks about manufacturers' products, which DS seems to love.
- He still likes Starfall, though we only play it once every week or two, whereas we do a few hidden picture puzzles every day on request!
