Archives for 2020

How dollhouses can positively impact childhood experiences

Dollhouses, which are beautiful, miniature homes with tiny dolls are popular toys among children of all genders, though mostly little girls use them. Dollhouses can not only be quite entertaining for all children but even for adults. They are also beneficial in child growth and development since they positively aid in the development of young children. During dollhouse play sessions, children can also use symbolic representations for different objects like furniture and other accessories like potted plants. Due to the beneficial aspects of dollhouses in terms of positively impacting childhood experiences, they are a wonderful addition in your children’s playrooms.

Before, most dollhouses that were available were handmade, but with the increased demand there has been quite a mass production of these gorgeous toys. Their prices have also incredibly reduced, enabling most parents to purchase them for their children. You can get the best standardized and affordable dollhouses for your children on popular sites like We Love Dollhouses. Below is more information about how dollhouses can positively impact childhood experiences and develop their social, emotional, and intellectual skills as well as help boost their brainpower.

Enhances a child’s social skills

The dollhouse play can include dialogue between more than two different characters in the family set up. You can improve your child’s social skills by asking her to reorganize the dollhouse to accommodate more people. This will allow your child to communicate and connect with other people, make friends and learn how to work harmoniously with other people. These skills will be quite beneficial later on when your child goes to school.

When it comes to emotions, your child will be also able to learn how to process and express emotions like empathy and compassion. Once your child learns how to take care of her doll by playing with it they will be able to care for other people including their siblings and pets. As they care for their doll, children’s level of responsibility is heightened, allowing them to grow up into caring people.

Promotes creativity

Kids who play with dollhouses have to imagine various situations that occur in homes. This might include daily household activities among other tasks like dinner or playtime. Their involvement in dollhouse daily play activities carried out at home, such as playtime, bath time, mealtimes, and going to bed. Incorporating this kind of play in the dollhouse game and life helps your child to piece together different elements and important daily routines occurring in everyday life, enabling them to determine which chores are essential to maintain a home. You can also ask your child to play different roles in the family scenario that needs to be solved allowing him to control and customize a solution, therefore enhancing their creativity.

Enhances vocabulary and verbal skills

As your child learns to socialize and communicate through the dollhouse play, her vocabulary is enhanced. This will help your child to narrate situations the correct way and describe certain items and rooms. It will also teach your child how to speak respectfully to others, especially in a scenario where there are adults or elderly people involved. This is great in helping them discover how the world around them functions.

Improves a child’s imaginative abilities

The dollhouse play setup provides an avenue for your child to learn how to solve problems. By asking your children to imagine a story and possible topics or ideas that occur in a family set up, they will be able to create an imaginative picture of the scenery, people involved and imaginary narratives that happen in real life. This will help improve your child’s emotional skills by allowing him to express his feelings and thoughts allowing him to learn how to deal with different kinds of feelings every day.

It refines a child’s motor skills

Dollhouses consist of small objects that can be moved around and rearranged in different areas, For example, upgrading their dollhouse by measuring the surface area of floors in the dollhouse, decorating the dollhouses, creating room borders and measurements or using items like tiny pillows or bottle caps can be great for refining motor skills. This skill also allows your child to understand mathematical concepts which will be a heads up when he starts school.

Dollhouses provide several setups to be explored, stories to be told among many other elements. Also, since they don’t have to stick to only one component, these present an opportunity to help your child develop various skills in one setting. Simply pick from the best collection with plenty of fun accessories and get ready to keep your child’s mind occupied throughout the day.

Bear, April 2nd Pet of the Week!

Our shelter has been emptied by rescues like The Little Lion Foundation. Bear, 4 years old and 18 pounds, is a rescued kitty who would be the perfect companion. Bear is completely blind, but once he’s comfortable in his new environment, you won’t even notice it. He’s a sweetheart. With all those bears on people’s windowsills to comfort children, wouldn’t it be nice to have a Bear on your lap? It’ll comfort him and certainly you. To adopt Bear, find him on the Little Lion’s page and fill out the application at https://www.littlelionfoundation.org/adopt.

(This rescue encouraged by the usual suspects.)

The Perfect Customized Collar For Your Pooch!

Image by Terri Cnudde from Pixabay

Giving your pet personalized collars is like instantly handing them a special gift. You can get a custom collar made for your dog. As a pet owner, you cannot refuse your dog friend this small gift, and it can make in any style you choose. It’s like a precious one, and you have to give the animal the most significant gift it truly needs if you ever lose your dog. The customized collar can be personalized to have your info, and in case your pooch suffers their way, anyone can check the details on the collar and return your best friend to you.

Unique Designs:

The name, phone number, and all other relevant information should be provided in the customized dog collars to help you monitor your pet. In the creation of custom dog collars, you can even have the paw-shaped displayed. It would be the most fun present, and many animal lovers in the area will also be inspired to pursue your caring gesture to your friend. You will even illustrate the adorable nature of your dog, and that will be a virtual lifeline if your dog went missing.

It is convenient for you to find your lost dog and people to return your pet to you safely if your dog ever goes missing because the personalized collar will contain all essential information. You wouldn’t want to search for your dog randomly because it is not easy to identify animals. Usually, animals are curious by nature, and they want to explore alone, and if it is moving objects or they see a sign, they do not hesitate to run after it.

Skin-friendly Material Dog Collars:

The collar you get for your dog must be composed of a fabric that does not irritate their skin, get your dog checked for allergies if the standard leather fabric irritates its skin. While most dogs can withstand leather, but if your dog is allergic to the material of the collar, you get him, then you will be torturing your pooch as the collar cannot be taken off by the dog, and he’ll spend his time suffering.

You can order customized dog collars from the internet or retail shops where the various designs are available to get an idea before you come up with a customized collar of your choice.

There are also professional dog collar designers that will send you creative ideas, including text messages and photographs from artworks, which can be shared and offer your animal a wonderful treat. The characteristics and preferences of the owner, as well as the innovative concepts, represent the personalized dog collars.

The collar produced with precision and with your concept will be the perfect present for your loving animal because it can help you recognize them and help them get back to you in case they go missing.

Look for a top-quality dog collar maker to make your pet feel comfy with the best material. Top-quality nylon and safe equipment are the products to be tested, so you should hope to obtain the design collar in 5 to 10 working days.

Animal stores are the perfect option to buy collars. As it is easy to pick the fabric or even carry it with you, whether you have an old leather belt or any other item which you have no use of, but wish to reconstruct it into a personalized dog collar. You may even purchase a personalized leather dog collar online, of which you can find a wide variety. Nonetheless, take care of delivery costs because they can make a bill go up high.

Make sure it’s the perfect fit:

Though you might think your dog is going to chew the collar, your dog can’t chew handmade leather dog collars when they fit them. If your animal can chew his leash, then that means the collar is not a perfect fit, nor is it made for its neck. Currently, if the animal is willing to chew on an extra leash, it does not match the leash. The collar scale will also match to settle on the neck securely. It ensures that the dog can’t break from it or jump on the leash. Leather style of collars may often be used by dogs of all sizes and heights, because they can be customized to the dog’s height, ensuring that you can adjust the neck size according to the size of your dog.

Measure your Dog before Ordering:

It is always important to check the neck of your dog, as personalized collars are made by hand while selecting a collar, you don’t want to have the incorrect measurements. The best way to calculate your dog’s neck’s diameter is to use a lightweight measuring tape across your dog’s neck. Stick to this length around two centimeters, which is the thickness required for a collar.

Customized Leather Collar:

Since leather can be very long-lasting, so many customers may opt to have leather collars made for their dog. Still, another beautiful thing about customized leather collars is that they are available in so many different styles. Since the leather collar is specially designed for you, they are more commonly produced by the hand so you can pick from about every color you can imagine and can also attach decorations or modifications to your dog collar. Such as name marking, spitting, and other common patterns that are especially popular for breeds such as poodles.

Snookums, March 26th Pet of the Week!

Rabbits don’t hibernate, but the well-named little Snookums is willing to learn! She’s only 3 months old and has cuteness that she hasn’t used yet. This tiny bundle of joy has adoring eyes and soft fur, is gentle to the touch and is very friendly. We promise that she wont’ talk while you’re working!

All adoptions are being conducted through social media and email. If you’d like a little Snookums of your own, contact Long Beach Animal Care Services at AnimalRescue@longbeach.govSpecify ID##A641014.

(This rescue encouraged by the usual suspects.)

Rubio’s Free Delivery & $5 Burrito Day

Photo Credit: Rubio’s.

Rubio’s locations across California, Arizona, Nevada and Florida are open for free delivery now, by ordering through the Rubio’s app and on Rubios.com.

Looking ahead to National Burrito Day, on Thursday, April 2, Rubio’s is planning to continue the tradition of offering any burrito on the menu, with the purchase of a beverage, for just $5. Simply show or enter the coupon https://www.rubios.com/coupons/2020-national-burrito-day-mktg906 with your order.

For health and safety, Rubio’s dining rooms are closed but they are offering take-out, pick up and free delivery with a $15 order. The following safety measures are in effect:

FREE Delivery and No Contact Pick Up

·      Rubio’s is implementing a new tamper proof seal on all of their to-go packaging, which is on its way to restaurants.

·      Rubio’s is offering FREE delivery when you place an order in the app or online at rubios.com.

·      Rubio’s offers “no contact pick up.” Place an order through the app or online for pick up, grab the order off their pick up shelves and go.

·      Guests may still come into restaurants and place a to-go order.

Store Operations

·      Some locations will be operating with reduced hours and some may be closing temporarily.  Please continually check the Rubio’s website for the status of locations.

Food Safety and Sanitization

Providing safe and clean environments for our guests has always been a top priority for Rubio’s, and following are additional precautionary steps and response measures they are taking:

–     Rubio’s has increased the frequency and extent of the cleaning in their restaurants, using a solution that the authorities have communicated is effective in disinfecting surfaces to protect against this virus.

–     Rubio’s has and will continue to emphasize the importance of handwashing by all team members, a critical step everyone can take to prevent the transmission of any illness.

–      In addition to handwashing, all team members wear protective gloves when handling food.

–      Rubio’s is adding hand sanitizers in all stores for use by guests.

–      All single-use items such as lids, straws and condiments have been moved behind the counter and are available upon request.

–     Rubio’s salsa bar has been temporarily closed. Individually packaged salsas may now be selected with online orders and are available upon request.

   Rubio’s has provided restaurant managers with enhanced guidance to ensure team members stay home if they aren’t feeling well.  

Credit: Rubio’s.

Pet of the Week!

Chunky Monkey is looking with hope at the potential pals out there who need some company during this difficult time and want to share quality hours with a good doggie. Chunky Monkey is a 5-year-old male pit bull who has the heart and soul of an angel and the kindest eyes you’ll ever see. He knows his commands pretty well and loves nothing more than affection from a loving companion. Meet him at the P. D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village, 7700 East Spring St., (562) 570-PETS. Ask for #A640988.

(The usual suspects contributed to this rescue)

How to Use Apps to Make a Difference in the World

With all the difficult things that can happen in this world, sometimes its best to focus on the positive. If you want to make a difference in the world, you can find different avenues that could really use your help. When I started researching ways I could help, I ran into this article, which I linked below. This was a great article and really helpful with my search for ways to help others. 

Great Apps To Help Others

Check out the article, but do keep reading on to find out what I learned about ways to help those in need. 

Help Local Homeless Shelters

If you want to have an impact in your local community, you can look at ways to volunteer at a homeless shelter in your city or area. Many homeless citizens have fallen on hard times, and really need a friendly face and a warm meal to make it through another day. You can really make an impact in their lives by volunteering your time to help serve dinners, help them apply for adult education or a job, or simply someone to have a chat with. If you don’t have lots of time during the week, you can always volunteer at important times like the holidays. Serving food at Thanksgiving or Christmas is a great way to give back to the community, and let those that are less fortunate feel cared for. 

Other Local Charities to Volunteer

But, there are more areas in which you can help your own community. You can  volunteer at a charity for animals, for women and children running from abuse, or even help keep the streets and lands free of trash. Ultimately, no matter what you are passionate about, you can find a cause to volunteer at and be proud of the impact you make. If you don’t have time to volunteer, but you still want to be able to help, you can always make donations to various charities. Although volunteering is a crucial element in running a non-profit organization, money is the most important. So, even if you can’t physically be there to help, you can make a huge impact on any charity by providing a donation. Even better, if you can pledge to donate a certain amount of money every month the charity knows they can rely on that amount and allocate it each month to what is needed most. 

Help on a Global Scale 

If you love to travel and want to help others in different countries, you can find international charities to volunteer with. You can help bring water to developing communities, help teach children, work with animals, and much more. Of course, if you can’t afford to travel, you can always donate money to different causes. The world is more of a global community, now more than ever, and it’s important to help those in need everywhere. Therefore, you can easily do a quick search online and find loads of different charities needing help in countries all over the world. 

In Conclusion 

The desire to help others is a wonderful trait in any human being. Though it may not always seem easy to jump into volunteer work, any charity, local or international, can use monetary help too. So, check out the link to the article above to see if any of their information helps you find a way to make a difference. No matter if you’re passionate about helping animals, children, or adults fallen on hard times, you are sure to find a charity that you believe in and feel good about helping. It’s important to be apart of making a difference in this world, and with the help of technology, the options are vast and right at your fingertips. 

4 Benefits of Group Activities for Kids

If there is one thing which can be said about children, it would be that most are very social creatures. They love to play and although there is the rare child who would rather stay to themselves, most kids are happiest when they are with a group of friends or classmates. In fact, it is so rare for kids to prefer being alone that it is a cause for concern. Yes, kids have fun and learn social skills when interacting in groups, but have you ever wondered about other benefits your kids may derive from group activities? Here are four to explore.


Royalty Free Photo

1. Learning to Work as a Team

No matter what activity children are involved in during group activities, the one thing which must be established early on is the need for rules and structure. The right activities can teach kids the importance of working together to the benefit of all. They learn to share and also have empathy for those who are unable to participate on their level.

2. Physical Fitness

Another huge benefit to group activities is the fun children can have exercising to stay fit. However, this takes planning for those kinds of activities that motivate kids to move. Programs like Skillastics have been designed with kids in mind and every lesson or activity is based on group participation. Some are team activities and others are more individually competitive. However, the very presence of other children can energize them and motivate them to get moving.

3. Stress Reduction

Kids who participate in groups often find levels of stress dissipating. Studies have shown that after a group participation, children feel better about themselves. Those who suffer self-doubt, or are overly concerned with grades, find comfort in interacting with others who share the same doubts and fears. Studies have proven that group activities, especially fitness activities, lead to an overall reduction in stress.

4. Building Friendships

Some kids also find it difficult to make friends. They are shy or lack in the social skills necessary to easily interact with others. However, when participating in a group activity it becomes easier to literally break out of their shells. Instead of communicating on a one-to-one basis, they are communicating with a group of peers. In fact, larger groups give kids more choices and possibilities in whom they’d like to build a friendship with. The bonding that goes on in groups is just what might be needed to teach kids how to make and sustain friendships.

These are just four of the main benefits of group activities but there are so many more. From helping kids to improve concentration skills to building strong minds and bodies, group activities help children to grow into strong and healthy adults. Never before has it been more obvious that kids simply need other kids in order to thrive. If you have a child who is overly introverted and lacking the social skills necessary to make friends easily, you might want to get your kids involved in some kind of group activity. It isn’t important what kind of group it is, but it is important to give kids a chance to learn, play and grow together.