Toys, Toys, Toys and Cheese Wrappers

I'm amazed at the variety of children's toys and their symbolism to learning. Melissa had a gift certificate to Babies "R" Us and Violet needed a new toy and some new pajamas - she's growing so fast. We bought her a Pop Top which is a spinning toy that plays music and has round animal figures that pop out sporadically every second or third time you push the plunger to make it spin. It scares Violet every time they pop out.  There's a ring stacker that is like the toys Michael and Melissa had as babies where you stack the different size plastic rings on a centered post.  In honor a Teresa, Violet has a Press and Go Pal we call Casey the Cow.

Violet has learned that if you push the yellow center of the cow it makes moo sounds and plays a couple different songs. The only problem - the orange circles on the cows legs are wheels that automatically spin so it rolls away from her when she pushes the button.

But my favorite is the teething book which I call the "krinkle" book. It's a plastic book that has three pages in it and sounds as though there is plastic inside the pages that is like the plastic used to wrap individual slices of cheese. We could have saved a fortune on toys if only Melissa would let Violet play with empty plastic water bottles and individual cheese wrappers. When Melissa isn't looking, that's what I give her to play with!