Early Childhood

Is Your Child Being Bullied?

Jun 17, 2008

Posted by

When children are being bullied, the warning signs often go unnoticed. Learn how to recognize if your child has become the victim of a bully.

Popular television shows often make light of school bullies doing things to hurt or humiliate their victims. For a child who has to deal with being bullied each day, it’s no laughing matter -- it’s traumatic, and it can take a toll on his mental well-being.

When parents find out that their child is being bullied at school, their reactions may differ. Some parents may be livid, and ready to give the bully a taste of his own medicine. Others might say to their child, “Toughen up,” and cart him off to school to get stuffed in a locker.

Because your child may be embarrassed, he probably won’t tell you that he’s being bullied – you may have to figure it out on your own. A child who is being bullied may exhibit some of the following signs:

being withdrawn
afraid to go to school
loss of appetite
trouble sleeping
change in grades
moody (depressed, sad, etc.)
frequent headaches
nightmares
bedwetting
low self-esteem

If you want to learn more about the effects of bullying, and how to help your children cope, read “When Kids are Being Bullied.”

Permalink

Jun 3, 2008

Bike Helmet Safety

Posted by

Requiring children to wear helmets when they ride bikes drastically reduces their risk of sustaining serious head injuries from the impact of falls.

According to Safe Kids USA, “Nearly 28 million children ages 5 to 14 ride bikes, and the popularity of scooters, skates, skateboards and other wheeled sports has skyrocketed. Each year thousands of these kids are disabled or die as a result of a wheel-related brain injury.” One of the simplest ways to minimize the occurrence of these head injuries is to make sure your children wear helmets each time they ride bikes. Listed below are a few safety tips to follow when using bike helmets.

Provide children with properly fitted bike helmets that meet the standards of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Never allow your children wear other headgear under their bike helmets.
Always secure the straps on a bike helmet properly.
Always position a bike helmet level on a child’s head. If it’s too far back, it leaves the forehead vulnerable to injury.
Never allow kids to wear bike helmets backwards.
Never allow your child use a second-hand bike helmet. The safety of it may have been compromised from previous misuse or damage.
Never use a bike helmet after it has sustained an impact from an accident.

Bikes can be a great source of fun and a perfect way to encourage physical activity--but always remember to put your child's safety first.

Permalink

May 21, 2008

Swimming pool safety

Posted by

Practice pool safety to prevent accidents from occurring while children are swimming.

Swimming pools and hot weather seem synonymous--but if proper safety precautions are not taken--a cool dip in the pool can turn deadly.

Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death in children--and according to National Safe Kids USA, as many as 20 percent of near-drowning survivors suffer severe, permanent neurological disability. Learn how to protect your child from drowning with these tips.

Avoid letting children run, jump, ride bikes, skate, or partake in any type horseplay around the pool area.
Don’t let children dive into the swimming pools.
Never leave your child unsupervised in or near a pool--even if they know how to swim.
Since children under the age of five are more likely to drown in swimming pools, adults should remain within arms-reach of them at all times.
A self-closing, self-latching gate should surround the perimeter of the pool. The gate should be frequently checked for holes, weak-spots, and wear and tear on the lock.
Pool covers should not be used as a substitute for gates.
Don’t get distracted by doing things like talking on the telephone or reading magazines while your kids are in the pool.
Learn how to perform CPR.
Keep a phone in the swimming pool area just in case of an emergency.
Provide constant adult supervision.

Swimming pools can be a great source of fun for children if you remember to put safety first.

For more tips on keeping your children safe read Backyard Safety for Kids, How to Keep Kids Safe at the Park and Protecting Kids from the Sun.

Permalink

Quick Playroom Organization Tips

May 8, 2008

Posted by

Quick tips to banish the mess and organize your kids' playroom.

If you're tired of stepping on legos every time you venture into your kids' playroom, these quick tips will help you banish the clutter and get organized.

Throw Away and Donate

Go through all of your kids’ playthings and donate the toys they no longer play with to a local charity. If toys are broken or have missing parts, simply throw them away.

Install Wall Hooks

Wall Hooks can be used to hang kids’ dramatic play items such as dress-up clothes, purses and hats. Hooks should be installed low enough for children to reach their playthings without the help of adults.

Use Plastic Bins and labels

Plastic bins are an inexpensive way to store small toys such as pegs, crayons, sorting materials and hot wheels. Labeling the bins will make retrieval and cleanup a breeze for your kiddos.

If children aren’t able to read, you can take pictures of the items and attach them to the appropriate bin. The labeled plastic containers can be stored on a low shelf so children can easily access them.

After following these tips, your kids will have a newly organized playroom that they'll enjoy.

If your children don’t have a playroom, read these fun articles to learn how to create one:

Permalink

Make Old Crayons New Again

Apr 29, 2008

Posted by

Follow these easy steps to help your children turn their old, broken crayons into creative designs.

If your kids have broken crayolas strolled all over the house, don’t toss them out -- help your kids make those old crayons new again by following these simple steps.

Materials Needed:

broken crayons
candy molds (can be purchased at any craft store)
tin pie pan
preheated oven

Steps:

Gather old crayons and remove the paper.
Place the crayons into a tin pan and place them in the oven until they are completely melted.
Remove the melted crayons from the oven and pour them into the candy molds (this step should be completed by an adult).
Let the crayons cool in the candy mold for two hours.

After the crayons have cooled, pop them out of the candy molds and let the fun begin. Your children will have a blast using these creative crayons to color their creations.

Permalink

Apr 15, 2008

Celebrate Earth Day

Posted by

Your children will have a blast making these simple pine cone bird feeders.

What are you doing to celebrate Earth Day with your children? How about letting them make bird feeders out of pine cones. Kids will have a blast making treats for the birds to enjoy.

Materials Needed:

pine cones
yarn
birdseeds
peanut butter
plastic knife or craft stick

Steps:

Take the craft stick or plastic knife and spread the peanut butter on the pine cones.
Sprinkle the birdseeds over the peanut butter covered pinecones until completely covered.
Tie the yarn to the top of the pine cones and attach them to a tree branch near a window.

Children can look outside of the window to see how many different birds they spot enjoying the seeds.

Permalink

How to Create a Reading Nook

Apr 11, 2008

Posted by

A reading nook is the perfect place for your child to enjoy his favorite books.

Give your little one the perfect place to enjoy his favorite stories by creating a reading nook. It’s simple. All you need to do is put a comfy beanbag, a few colorful pillows, and a storage container full of children’s books in a quiet corner. If your child wants to personalize it, he can create one-of-a-kind artwork to place on the wall of his reading area.

Here is a list of books to consider placing in your child’s reading nook:

Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss
The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin and John Arcambault
Love you Forever, by Robert Munsch
The Grouchy Ladybug, by Eric Carle
Silly Sally, by Audrey Wood
Are you my Mother, by P. D. Eastman
Who Said Red, by Mary Serfozo
If you Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Joffee Numeroff

All of these book selections are great for preschool and early elementary aged children.

Permalink

Apr 3, 2008

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Posted by

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is perfect for children who enjoy stories with upbeat rhymes.

If you’re looking for an upbeat book to read to your children (3-8 years old), Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, written by Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault and illustrated by Lois Ehlert is a perfect choice.

The book uses lots of rhythm and rhymes to tell the story of an attempt by the letters of the alphabet to race to the top of a coconut tree. It seemed like a good idea at the time -- that is -- until they all came tumbling down.

Don’t worry, with the exception of “black eyed P,” the letters only suffered minor injuries.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is 32 pages of pages of pure magic -- and your kids are sure to get a kick out of it!

Permalink

Mar 21, 2008

Happy Easter!

Posted by

I just wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy Easter!

Hi all! I just wanted to pop in and wish everyone who’s reading this a safe and happy Easter weekend! The weather in my city is perfect, so no complaints here.

Also, when filling those baskets for your children, try not to overdo the candy. You wouldn’t want them to overdose on sugar - or worse, have to empty your bank account to pay for costly dental visits.

Permalink