Helpful Halloween Safety Tips for Parents

With the advent of little ghosts and goblins imminent, here are some safety tips from Consumer Reports that serve as a good reminder for parents. NSPRA is a member of the National School Safety Coalition. For more information on keeping kids and schools safe, check out these social media sites.

Consumer Reports National Kid Safety Coalition - Twitter
Consumer Reports National School Safety Coalition - Facebook

Alternative Halloween Treats for Kids

Don't get stuck handing out just candy to trick-or-treaters. Prevent the sugar overload with these edible and nonedible Halloween treat ideas that are healthy but still fun for kids.

Visit Parents.com for some creative treat alternatives.

Printable of the Week - Minibook

Mr. Allgunky and the Missing Monster

When author and illustrator David Hyde Costello was looking for ideas for a new monster story, he turned to the experts -- kids! For several weeks, we collected story ideas from students around the country. Here, you can see how the author transforms thoughts about scary characters and fun plot twists into an exciting picture book.

click here to print this minibook

Perfectly Pumpkin

Food For Thought: Yummy Pumpkin Casserole: Pumpkin Casserole 2 cups pumpkin puree 1 cup evaporated milk 1 cup white sugar ½ cup self-rising flour 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ...

Techno Toys for Kids

Stocking stuffer idea!

The AppCrayon stylus enables kids to practice proper pencil holding techniques while using a tablet and works with over 300,000 apps and is compatible with iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Motorola Xoom, Galaxy Tab, and many more!

click here for more information

Introducing the New CFB-TV

The district cable channel has received a much needed makeover.  It has a new format with a fresh look. Information is being added daily so check back often to see news and announcements.

CFB-TV can be seen on cable television in Carrollton and Farmers Branch or can be viewed live on a computer by visiting www.cfbisd.edu/cfbtv.

Here is how to find us on your TV:

Time Warner - channel 15.5 (without a cable box)
Time Warner - channels 95 and 98 (with a cable box)
Verizon - channel 38

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK OF THE NEW LOOK!
click here to fill out a short survey about CFB-TV

Going Beyond Education

C-FB ISD has core character values that we develop in our students from their first day of school until they graduate.

Our Character Values: 

• cooperation
• integrity
• pride
• respect
• responsibility
• service
• citizenship

 We go beyond education to support parents in raising productive, healthy and balanced children.

click here to see our vision and goals

What's your Parenting Style?

Research shows that each child will most likely become what his inheritance dictates-the color of his eyes, his stature, his talents, and even his temperament. But he will also become the kind of person that the adults in his life enable him to become.

Research findings suggest that teachers and caregivers, as well as parents, use interaction styles that elicit important personality traits in infants and young children.

Three basic interaction styles have been identified. These include authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative.

Which are you?  Click here to find out

Source:  www.earlychildhoodnews.com

Food For Thought: Fruit of the Month for October

Fruit of the Month for October: In an effort to introduce elementary and middle school students to new FRESH fruits, the student nutrition department has launched a "fr...

Carve a Pumpkin - Share a Snack

Here is a fun recipe to make with your child that may just convince them that pumpkin is for more than just carving.

PUMPKIN DIP

4 c. powdered sugar
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese
1 can (30 oz.) pumpkin pie filling
2 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tsp. ginger

Combine sugar and softened cream cheese until well blended. Beat in remaining ingredients. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

Serve with sliced apples or gingersnap cookies.

Pumpkin is is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Printable of the Week

Spark a discussion about respect with this coloring sheet.

Click here to download a coloring book about bullying.

source: Pacer.org

Printable of the Week

Red Ribbon Week is Oct. 22 - 26

C-FB ISD encourages healthy choices all year but we
dedicate one week a year to teaching our students
to say “no” to drugs and to live a drug free life. 
We have celebrated Red Ribbon Week for 23 years.

Visit our website at www.cfbisd.edu/RRW to see all of the campus activities taking place this week.   

Drug Awareness for All Ages

The issue of drugs can be very confusing to young children. If drugs are so dangerous, then why is the family medicine cabinet full of them? And why do TV, movies, music and advertising often make drug and alcohol use look so cool?

We need to help our kids to distinguish fact from fiction. And it’s not too soon to begin. National studies show that the average age when a child first tries alcohol is 11; for marijuana, it’s 12. And many kids start becoming curious about these substances even sooner.

click here for tips for talking to children about drugs

10 Talking Tips

Here are 10 helpful tips for you in talking with children about any difficult topic:

1. Start early.
2. Initiate conversations with your child.
3. ...Even about sex and sexuality.
4. Create an open environment.
5. Communicate your own values.
6. Listen to your child.
7. Try to be honest.
8. Be patient.
9. Use everyday opportunities to talk.
10. Talk about it again. And, again.

The Greatest Strides are in the First Five

"The most rapid phase of a child’s development occurs in their first five years of life. These early years are when the brain grows the most—85% of children’s core brain structure is developed by the age of four—providing the foundation for children’s future health, academic success, and social and emotional well-being."

 Source:  childrennow.org

There is No Child Like Your Child

PBS.org has an online Child Development Tracker to get insights on the stages of growth.

Select an age and development category to see ways to nurture your child's physical and emotional growth.  

Fuel Up on Real Fruit Snacks!

All you need is apples, firm grapes, and food picks:

1. Slice an apple into wedges and trim the core.
2. For each apple wedge, slice 2 grapes in half, widthwise.
3. Push the pick through the sliced side of one grape half, then through one end of the apple, then finish with the other grape half, sliced side out.
4. Repeat with the other end of the apple wedge and 2 more grape slices, and they should look like little cars

Variations:

• pears with cucumber wheels
• carrot slice wheels on a cucumber car
• banana wheels
• cheese wheels

Falling Leaves Craft

from busybeekidscrafts.com

In this Falling Leaves craft the leaves actually fall! This is a really fun craft for autumn or when learning about the seasons. If you change the color of the leaves to green you could call it a "Windy Day" for a great weather craft!
Ages: 4 and Up

Preschoolers can do this craft if an adult cuts out the template for them ahead of time.

Here's what you'll need...
• Printed Falling Leaves Template*
• Construction paper
• Sandwich-size zip-lock baggie
• Hole punch (optional)
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers or crayons

Click here for instructions.

Scholastic Book Club - Top Five for October

The following books are recommended for readers K-1st grade.

1. Pete the Cat
2. Bailey
3. Flora's Very Windy Day
4. You Read to Me, I'll Read to You
5. Fancy Nancy and the Mean Girl

Click below to watch a video describing these books.



Interested in purchasing these books?  Save yourself a trip to the book store by visiting scholastic.com and use the code L49BQ to order online. 

Printables of the Week

Jump start your conversation with your kids about Fire Safety with these printables.

Fire Safety dot-to-dot

Fire Safety Mini Book

October is Fire Safety Month

Would your children know what to do in case of a fire? Now is a good time to develop an emergency exit plan for your home and practice it with your children. 

Here is printable to get you started in planning your home safety plan.

Did you know?

• Every day at least one child dies in a home fire. In that same day, 293 children suffer from a non-fatal unintentional injury caused by a fire or burn. 

• Home fires account for nearly 90 percent of all fire-related fatalities.

• 77 percent of families have not developed and practiced a home fire escape plan, one of the most important components to surviving a home fire.

• Fire can spread rapidly through a home, leaving a family as little as two minutes to escape safely once the alarm sounds.

Visit http://www.safekids.org for more information and ideas on how to keep your family safe.

Did you know?

C-FB ISD offers art and music education to all students, kindergarten through fifth grade. 

We offer orchestra, band, visual arts, jewelry making, theater, speech, debate, drill team, dance, and choir to our secondary students.

Printable of the Week

D is for Drum...here's a little fun!

Enjoy a little quiet time with this printable coloring sheet.

Learning through Art

How Art Impacts Learning Outcomes

What makes art such a great teaching tool? Art engages children's senses in open-ended play and develops Cognitive, Social, Emotional and Sensori-Motor skills. Art is a cooperative learning experience that provides pleasure, challenge, and a sense of mastery. Instruction in the arts is one of the best ways in which to involve the different modes of learning; through art, children learn complex thinking skills and master developmental tasks.
Here is a list of 52 kids painting ideas.  These should keep those little hands busy and learning for a good while. 

Boost Memory with Music

Music has been found to stimulate parts of the brain, and studies have demonstrated that music enhances the memory of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, including a study conducted at UC Irvine, which showed that scores on memory tests of Alzheimer’s patients improved when they listened to classical music.

It’s possible, then, to use music to help your child retain information and enhance learning.

learn more here

The Joy of Noise

It’s a well known fact that from the time they are babies, children love cause and effect. If I shake this rattle I hear a sound. When I push my toy car, it rolls along the floor. When I bang a wooden spoon on this saucepan it makes a noise. Lots of noise!

Cause and effect is how children learn to control and interact with their environment, and understanding cause and effect helps to develop problem solving skills.

Here is a fun experiment to do with your kids that only takes a few minutes to put together.

9 Benefits of Music for Kids

Kids who learn to play a musical instrument gain an outlet for their creativity that can bring them a joy for a lifetime. They also reap tangible benefits that can help them as students and throughout their lives.

Through musical instruction, children learn discipline, patience, problem-solving skills, confidence and responsibility, to name just a few benefits. 

 

Take a closer look at some of the advantages your child can gain from learning to play an instrument by clicking here.