Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Multisensory Exploration with Cloud Dough

What is Cloud Dough?

Cloud dough (also known as moon dough) is silky and mold-able and takes just two ingredients to make- flour and oil.  You can color it and scent it for extra sensory fun.

It's delightfully messy so it's a perfect warm weather activity.

Click here for 20+ recipes and play ideas.  

Good Behavior Games for Preschoolers

Tired of nagging your child to do the right thing? Skip the lecture! Instead, add these super-fun ways to teach honesty, responsibility, compassion, patience, and more to your parenthood playbook.

5 Values You Should Teach Your Child by Age Five

Many parents think that it's premature to teach values to a toddler or preschooler. But that's a misconception. Here are the values that all children should develop by their fifth birthday, and some easy ways to make them stick.

Value #1: Honesty

Value #2: Justice

Value #3: Determination

Value #4: Consideration

Value #5: Love


Raise a Compassionate Child

Want a child who really, truly cares about others? Here is some advice on raising compassionate children from experts and parents.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Feeding Kids Organic--The Scary Truth About What Your Kids Are Eating!

Organic: If you're a parent or you're expecting, this word likely passes your lips regularly. It describes produce that is grown without potentially harmful pesticides. Sure, many experts insist such chemicals are safe. But with a baby in the house or on the way, you're probably more vigilant about what goes into your body and your child's, and with good reason. 

"Babies eat more than adults, pound for pound, and are more vulnerable to environmental toxins," says Alan Greene, MD, pediatrician and author of Raising Baby Green.

To lower your chemical load, you don't need to take an all-or-nothing approach. Start with a change or two based on what your family regularly eats.


source:  parents.com

Monday, April 22, 2013

Happy Birthday Earth!

Earth Day is a Birthday! Just like a birthday is a special day to celebrate a person, Earth Day is a special day that celebrates the Earth. Earth Day was born on April 22, 1970, in San Francisco, California. Every year, America and over 100 different countries join together in the celebration of Earth Day on April 22nd. Earth Day is the largest, most celebrated environmental event worldwide. On Earth Day, we remember to appreciate nature and learn ways to protect our environment.

6 Ways Preschoolers Can Celebrate Earth Day

It is never too early to start teaching children the importance of keeping our planet clean and learning how to reduce, reuse, and recycle. With a little guidance and supervision, kids can get creative helping and celebrating the earth. Just because preschoolers are small doesn't mean they can't help make a difference. After all, little steps can lead to big changes.

click here to find out how to get kids involved

Is Snacking Around the Clock Hurting Your Child?

The Snack Epidemic
source:  parents.com

Cookies at school, crackers for car rides, chips after sports ... This around-the-clock nibbling is hurting kids' eating habits -- and their health.

Our kids are snacking more than ever before. In the late 1970s, the average kid between the ages of 2 and 6 ate one snack a day between meals, but today kids typically eat almost three, according to a study by Barry Popkin, Ph.D., professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. And, as any mom with raisins strewn inside her handbag knows, some children eat even more than that.

read more...

Thursday, April 18, 2013

How Much Does My Kid Need to Eat?

Use this age-by-age guide to find out the amount of food your child should be eating -- and how to create healthy habits for a lifetime.

click here to see an eating guide by age and a sample menu

The 20 Best Snacks for Kids

Toss out the junk food and start making snack time fun again! Check out these 20 kid-friendly ingredients that make great snacks, plus an easy recipe for each one.

click here to see a list of healthy snack choices

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Time for OUTDOOR Learning!

Play Number Dash

Help your child develop a strong math foundation and be active while she's doing it. Play Number Dash with two or more children and let the fun begin! In this activity, your child will participate in large motor play, identify numbers by appearance, experience organized game play and rules. She'll also work on her writing skills and specifically her ability to write numbers. This is a great learning game for preschoolers!

What You Need:

  • Sidewalk chalk
  • Large paved area

The Truth About Dirt -- Are We Keeping Our Kids Too Clean?

It's the basic nature of young children to touch the very things in their environment that their parents find most disgusting. Just try to keep your 1-year-old from sticking the dog's bone in her mouth! 

Epidemic-scale flu seasons have health authorities imploring regular hand washing, and with talk of sanitizer gel like it was liquid gold, it's tough not to worry about what your children are getting into and the ultimate impact it will have on their health.

Infectious diseases are a legitimate cause for concern, but some would argue that our society has gone overboard when it comes to protecting our kids from germs.

How clean an environment do our kids really need for good health?

Check out this great article about children and germs on webmd.com.

Did You Know?

By the age of three, your toddler will have developed around 1,000 trillion connections between the cells in her brain, which is around twice as many as the average adult!

Help Build a Bird's Nest

Springtime is a great time to be outdoors with your child. The weather is nice, the colors are beautiful, and the birds are making their nests. With this easy and rewarding activity, your child will get to contribute to the beauty of spring while learning about birds and practicing fine motor skills.
This activity introduces children to the scientific method by encouraging them to make a hypothesis, do the research, make observations and compare the concluding results with their original hypothesis.

What You Need:

  • Coat hanger
  • Yarn
  • Ribbon pieces
  • String
  • Cloth scraps
  • Mesh material
  • Masking tape
  • Basket

Lemonade in a Ziplock Baggie -- Yes Indeed!


Remember Great-Grandma’s old-fashioned lemonade? Here’s your chance to bring back some of the past and let your child enjoy that delicious homemade taste of summer from the days before the freeze-dried "lemon drink" mix. The best part is that your preschooler can make it all by himself.

This activity is a great way for your child to enjoy warm weather and cool down with a homemade refreshment, or to remember the fun of summer when the season is over. Besides having fun, he'll be conducting a basic science experiment. Science is about studying change. By following a set of procedures, making predictions, and observing results, your budding scientist will be dabbling in the scientific method!

What You Need:

  • Zip-lock bags
  • Lemons
  • Water
  • Sugar
  • Ice (optional)
  • Straws

Monday, April 8, 2013

Worst Parent Ever?...Don't be so hard on yourself!

The Mommy Meltdown

Your little one has her share of tantrums, but you're probably guilty of that too. Totally losing your temper after playing another round of "Why is the sky blue?" or trying to talk on the phone is pretty much par for the course when it comes to parenting. Kids know how to push you to the brink, leaving you a guilty mess afterward.

How to deal: Everyone loses their temper, especially with curious, hyper and obnoxious kids on board. Excuse yourself for a breather when your temper flares. If you do end up yelling at your little one, quickly apologize and give her a moment or two of one-on-one attention. This shows her that while it's okay to get mad, it's important to make it right again. Chances are, all she wanted was a few minutes of face-time anyway.

Learn to Read with Rhymes

What rhymes with "rain"? With this Rhyme Connection worksheet, your child will not only connect rhyming words with each other; he'll also reinforce their meanings with words and pictures! Then, challenge him to answer a bonus question using one of the rhyming words.

14 Great Printable Preschool Games

Fly Home Little Birds

Make counting and number practice fun. Kids take turns rolling a die and moving their penny birds from cloud to cloud in a race to the other side.

click here to see 14 great printables for young learners

Funky Fun Art: 10 Ideas for Creative Painting

Need something to do on a hot summer day? Cool off with chilly ice paint! Kids love to swirl the melting paint over paper, creating beautiful designs. They'll practice their color recognition and counting skills while observing paint go from a liquid state to a solid state, then back to liquid again.

What You Need:

  • Liquid tempera paint
  • Ice cube tray
  • Craft sticks
  • Paper
  • Plastic wrap (optional)
click here to see 10 creative ideas

Healthy Mouth, Healthy Brain?

Is it possible that children with good oral hygiene are smarter than kids without?

According to the American Journal of Public Health, both learning ability and school attendance improve when children receive regular dental care. Oral health is as important as booster shots and should be a regular part of school preparation.

According to the Surgeon General of the United States, children lose an estimated 51 million school hours each year due to dental related problems. Studies show that children with even low grade pain tend to focus on their discomfort subconsciously and consequently do not absorb lessons and perform below their proven ability.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

A Website Kids Will Love

Introducing kids to good oral hygiene is a snap with the help of mouthhealthy.org.

Find printables, games and videos that make having a healthy mouth fun and entertaining.

Two Minutes They Won't Want to Miss

2min2x.org has come up with a creative way of getting kids to brush their teeth for two minutes without complaining.  Check out Brush & Watch on 2min2x.org to learn more.

Top Ten Sugar Sources That Attack Teeth

Top Sources of Added Sugar in the Diet and Percentages

  • soft drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, 35.7% 
  • grain-based desserts (cakes, pies) 12.9% 
  • fruit drinks 10.5% 
  • dairy-based desserts (ice cream) 6.5% 
  • candy 6.1% 
  • ready-to-eat cereals 3.8% 
  • sugars and honey 3.5% 
  • tea (sweetened) 3.5% 
  • yeast breads 2.1% 
  • all other foods 15.4% 

Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010

Chart Their Way to Good Health

Children love to be rewarded for their efforts.  Here is a printable brushing checklist to post near their brushing station.  Here are some suggestions for a super star brushing reward:

  • A trip to pick out a new toothbrush and toothpaste.
  • Story time at the library.
  • Healthy snack made together.