MOJITO GUM
A toothsome taste of Havana
The warm weather has us daydreaming about sipping cold drinks on a sunny patio on a balmy island (and we don’t mean Goose Island). But a cubicle, not Cuba, is where we must spend our days, so we’ll settle for Orbit’s Mint Mojito gum. A not-too-radical change from typical mint gums, this sugarless offering from Wrigley has a nice balance of mint and citrusy tang that keeps its flavor. We’re always ready for a little taste of happy hour without the hangover. 99 cents at drug and grocery stores.
— Nancy Watkins
LANGUAGE TAPES
Ni hao. Como estas, bebe? Ciao
It’s never too early to put baby on the fast track for learning a new language. Sure, you, the parent, may be hopelessly monolingual, but wouldn’t it be cool if your child also spoke Chinese, French, Italian or Spanish along with English?
Living Language’s “Baby’s First Words” are audio CDs geared toward ages newborn to 2 years.
Each package includes a 60-minute CD of songs, rhymes, words and stories with sections set for specific age ranges (ie: newborn to 6 months, etc), a guide for parents about how kids learn languages and a lyric sheet so Mom and Dad can sing along.
Q tested the Chinese and Spanish CDs with a 14-month-old exposed to only Mandarin until she was nearly 10 months. She loved it, looking around happily during the songs.
Still, Q wanted to see if she’d also love Spanish. She danced, smiled and bopped her head. Ah, muy bueno!
The CDs ($16.95) sell at Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores.
— Kelly Haramis
ACTIVITY BOOK
Toddlin’ to-dos
If your active toddler is ready to go to the park before he’s finished playing hide-and-seek — always ready for the next fun activity — Gymboree has the answer for you with, “365 Activities You and Your Toddler Will Love: Fun Ideas for Your Toddler’s Growing Mind!” by Roni Cohen Leiderman and Wendy Masi (Key Porter Books, $16.95).
The book promotes reading (“browse a bookstore”), creativity (“tye-dye socks”) and learning (“seek out shapes”) and is geared toward children 12 months to 36 months.
Q loved tip No. 83: “Make a rainy-day sandbox: Set a plastic dishpan on a tray and empty a large box of oatmeal into it. Give your toddler cups and spoons for pouring and digging, plastic horses for grazing, or toy cars for tunneling through the oats.”
The book sells at major bookstores. Oatmeal not included.
— Kelly Haramis
