About a year ago, I chanced upon a blog entry from Dana Verhoff, a mom, educator and play advocate.  Dana’s post was not a review, just a mom’s thoughts about how eebee and our philosophy motivated her to actually host her own eebee-inspired developmental play dates.  Her insights were thoughtful and her candor refreshing.  I sent Dana an email and we even made a phone date so that I could get her feedback first-hand.   That was our last direct contact.  A few weeks ago, I came across another blog entry in which eebee’s adventures was on a short list of recommended TV shows.   The post was about toddlers and TV. http://toddlerbrain.blogspot.com/2009/09/toddler-tv-time.html The blogger’s POV was “it depends on the show.”  The blogger, Dana Verhoff.  We reconnected and I invited Dana to write a guest blog about her developmental play dates.  Dana’s blog follows….  I hope this will be the first of many guest blogs.  Please get in touch if you’re interested in writing a guest blog, too!    Best,  Stephen.

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Ever thought about taking an ordinary play date – moms chatting while the corralled babies play on the floor - to the next level?   With just a little bit of planning and some materials from around your house, you can take an already delightful experience and make it meaningful.  You can host a play date with a “higher purpose.” A play date inspired by eebee’s Adventures not only focuses on developmental play but also empowers you and your mommy friends to see play through an enhanced lens … as demonstrated by a handful of kiddos.  Pretty exciting stuff, huh?

Be forewarned, this type of playdate is likely to be a bit of controlled chaos … as learning should be, in this educator’s humble opinion.
So here’s what I did …
I hosted a play date with 6 other moms and babies, ages 10-18 months.
I set up three separate stations – one in the living room, one in the family room, and one in our little play niche – each one a different learning adventure.
• Pouring and Scooping – two big bins filled with uncooked rice, all kinds of scoops and cups, and a big blanket to cover the floor (I’ve found that makes clean-up a little easier).
• Building and Stacking – a big bin filled with all the blocks and cups I could find and a collection of empty boxes (cereal, shipping, diapers, …)
• Rolling and Sliding – a board made into an inclined plane by propping it against the ottoman, balls of all shapes and sizes, and a set of random objects for sliding
When the moms first arrived, I gave them a handout for each station – information I obtained from the eebee.com website under Parent Info. Each handout defined the concepts this type of play teaches, explained the importance of learning the concept, and suggested ways for parents to be involved in the play (things to say and ask). I asked the moms to take a minute to preview each activity while the babies played and “got to know each other.” And I gave a little “talk” about my passion for teaching/learning and why I think eebee Adventures is such a good tool for moms and babies; remember, I am a teacher so this is right up my alley, but it’s not essential to the overall success of the play date.
From there, we split into groups – two moms and two babies – to rotate through the stations. Each station visit lasted about 10 minutes and then groups moved on to the next. The rice station was a big hit amongst the babies, but some moms seemed a little skeptical about making such a big mess. It did take me about 20 minutes to clean it all up after the PD, but I think it was totally worth it!
After 30 minutes of rotating, I brought everyone back together for snacks and conversation about what happened at each station, what observations the moms made, what ideas they would take back home with them … that sort of thing. Oh, and while the adults talked, I popped in our eebee DVD and the babies got to watch other babies playing just the way they did at the stations! With just this brief introduction to the eebee concept and the philosophy of developmental play, it was clear that the idea of play was being redefined in their minds. Now, that’s exciting!

Now that my daughter is two years old, she’s crossed into an age group in which most of the play dates we attend are structured around crafts or physical activities. What I’ve found is that the age group between 9 and 24 months is a time when crafts/games don’t really work, but those little minds are craving more. Most play dates become just a chance to play with another child’s toys in someone else’s house and gain some socialization. All of which is fine and good, but the potential to maximize learning – with minimal effort – should not be ignored. Play – and even play dates – can be fun and meaningful. I am so glad eebee has taught me that lesson, and I enjoyed sharing it with other moms, too!

Dana Verhoff
Mommy of a two-year old with one on the way
Blogger at mommybrain.com and toddlerbrain.com
Teacher with a passion for learning and technology