Time for a healthy breakfast
22 January 2011
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Nutrition is a key ingredient in a child’s development. Nutrition plays an important role in long-term development but also in the day-to-day learning activity of young children. As a 2007 study pointed out the effects of nutrition are not limited to under nourished children, which clearly must be addressed, but also extends to children that many would consider well fed. They found statistically significant cognitive gains among all children who were given a vitamin and mineral supplement.
Recognizing the fundamental role of nutrition plays in the educational setting the U.S. Department of Agriculture just released a new proposal this week that changes the requirements for subsidized school lunches. The proposal was combined with new legislation extending the requirements to all school based lunches not just subsidized programs to improve nutritional standards for all school children and hopefully improve learning and development.
The proposal, though still in the early stages, changes the current standards to include more fresh fruits and vegetables and limits the amount of transfats and non whole grains served. While not blockbuster and likely still a couple of years from taking effect, the change highlights the importance of nutrition for a child’s learning and development.
As parents this is hopefully not news. It should be, however, a reminder that we (as parents) contribute to our children’s education and development in many important ways. Understanding all of the ways we can set our children up for success is the first step, making it a habit is the second and most important step. Most of us recognize the importance of healthy eating, but we also know how hectic the day can become when juggling work, kids, and any thing else life sends our way.
Morning times are probably the most challenging for most parents but most important for our children’s nutrition. The chaos that is the morning time generally determines at least two meals – breakfast and lunch. A small amount of planning can go a long way toward improving the morning time routines. Here are a few suggestions that may help alleviate the morning time stress and get you and the kids out of the house with a healthy meal in hand and stomach.
– Plan for the chaos when shopping: At the grocery store we all have grand plans and great meals in store, but those take time. Pick out items that are fast and nutritious for the morning. Ideally, they are items that are portable (ie a banana and whole grain peanut butter toast) having fast and healthy options available makes it much easier.
– Bedtime stories & brown bags: Add to your bedtime routine. Reading to our kids is critically important so why not go for the one two combination and involve your kids in packing their lunch for the next day. It’s an opportunity to have fun and involve your children in their own healthy development.
– Start early: Our children watch us from the very beginning. Create healthy habits from the very beginning, as they are much easier to reinforce and maintain than to create once they are older.
Under Construction: Your Child’s Brain
17 January 2011
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Babies are born with their brains literally still under construction. While they have the majority of the building materials already on site the construction of the elegant and complex pathways of the brain are still very much in process. Babies are born with roughly 100 billion neurons already in place. Most of these neurons have not been ‘connected’ meaning they have yet to form into the useful pathways that enable vision or language. These connections are formed over the first ten years of a child’s life. More importantly, the brain develops in predictable stages based on the chemical changes occurring in the brain at that time. Because these stages are predictable scientists and developmental psychologists have been able to identify “prime times” for specific development activity and learning.
A recent publication by Judith Graham and Leslie A. Forstadt of the University of Maine detailed these prime times, what’s happening, and what a parent can do to support. Here is brief summary of their findings:
Helping your child’s vision
– From birth to age 6 a child’s vision is developing. There is a peak in development between ages 1 and 3.
– Babies, when born, can see clearly objects that are 8-10 inches away from their face. Over time they begin to develop greater depth perception.
– Eye exams are the biggest help a parent can give. If problems go uncorrected the neural pathways could lose functionality.
Helping your child’s feelings
– Emotions are a complex development process lasting through about age 10.
– The first emotions the brain builds are calm and distress at about 2 months these emotions begin to develop into more layered feelings.
– You can help nurture your baby’s emotional development by providing a structured and supportive environment. Simple things like expressing joy, providing routine, and positive discipline help your child develop robust and healthy emotions.
Helping your child’s language
– Language skills begin developing at birth and grow through age 7. Vocabulary specific development starts at age two and continues into adulthood
– The first 6 years are critical for brain development to understand, recognize, reproduce language.
– Talking to your baby is the most important thing you can do. Continually share your language and vocabulary with your child. As a baby the singsong talk is especially helpful in helping babies learn new words.
Helping your child’s motor skills
– A baby’s motor skill development starts with the large muscle groups and refines to smaller muscles from there.
– The basic motor skills (arms, legs, back, etc) start at birth, with fine motor development starting around 6 months old.
– Motor skills are refined primarily over the first 4 years of a child’s development
– You can help your baby’s motor skill development by having age and stage appropriate activities available. For example drawing with crayons or painting helps with fine motor skills while having reaching for objects helps large motor and hand eye coordination in younger babies.
Your child is equipped from the day she or he was born with all the tools needed to develop and grow into an amazing person. Understanding how your child develops will help you provide the best environment possible to stimulate those 100 billion neurons.
Best Parent Blogs in Ohio
11 January 2011
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My picks for the top 20ish mom (+1 dad) blogs in Ohio. They are all a little different, so I like them for different reasons.
Stop, Drop, and Blog – Fun theme, beautiful pictures, down to earth posts
Classy Chaos – Fun and sophisticated
Mommy Bits – Writings about family, life, and tech
Ms. Single Mama – Packed with tons of great content and videos
Mom of 2 Peas – This blog makes me smile
Working Moms Against Guilt – 4 moms write about working, kids, and guilt
Classic Ivory – Cute blog about Lindsey and her family
The Life of Dad – Humorous writings about parenting and fatherhood
Paper Glue Etc. – Eclectic and thoughtful
The Bird’s Nest – Lots of fun stuff packed in this blog
The Tomecko Echo – Just an honest look at life
Mom Going Green – Going green for a healthy family and earth
Mommin’ It Up – 2 moms writing about life with kids
Starr Family Blog – Lovely designed blog with lovely photos of life
Family Friendly Cincinnati – Family friendly dining, events, and attractions in Cincinnati
Akron Ohio Moms – Giveaways, Food, and Reviews
Being Mom2Amara – Just feels real…Like a close friend
So This Is Life – Blog about life + cute crafts
Mandi Minding Money – Deals and money saving tips
Bullfrogs and Butterflies Baby – Product Reviews
A Busy Mom of Two – Who can’t relate to a busy mom? :)
DustinNikki Mommy of Three – Giveaways and Products
Know any other really great Ohio parent blogs? Post your top pick here in the comments! :)
The Value of Early Education
03 January 2011
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The value and importance of early education and care is too often misunderstood, overlooked, or even dismissed. Whether empirically or instinctively, those who have spent time in early education and care know how formative these years really are. We understand it is not simply finger paints, wooden shapes, and sand boxes; it is the foundation for that a child’s development – physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually.
A recent editorial in the Detroit Free Press again highlighted the importance of early education and care for the individual child AND for the prosperity of a City and State. I’ve observed it is much harder to make big structural changes in good times. It’s easier for people, companies, governments to maintain the status quo when things are good. It isn’t until the proverbial $#*& hits the fan that change becomes a welcome guest at the party. It’s hard to argue that there is a city that has faced greater challenges than Detroit’s recent struggles.
Much has been written about potential solutions to the City’s woes but this editorial in particular caught my attention because (disclosure – I am admittedly a big proponent of early care & education) of their direct correlation between Michigan’s financial stability and success and an investment in early education and care. And, my hope that Michigan may be the perfect storm of circumstances that enables the case for making early education and care a fundamental building block of any solution may finally reach receptive ears. Noting that a lack of quality early care and education leads to 11% of Michigan kindergartners repeating the grade and costs the state $100M annually, must open at least one pair of ears.
I get that the choice to devote funds to education and more specifically early education is a challenging one for politicians and legislators. Many of the pay offs are over the long haul and most politicians, by the time this investment pays dividends, their political career has long been over. But, 1- there are real dollars at stake and, 2- at some point (and I hope now is that point) you have to change what you put in to get something different back out. Yes, there will always be more immediate gains to be had, but the research has repeatedly shown that the return on investment in early education and care is a multiple of those immediate gains.
I truly hope there is a great test case very soon that other states will rally around. It may be Michigan, it may not, but Band Aids will not fix what is broken. We need a systemic change. As parents, however, we can’t rely on others to solve the problem. We have to be smarter parents…understand what’s important in the early years and what quality early care and education really means. Most importantly, we can’t only outsource our children’s development. There are tons of great teachers and care providers across the country, but the most influential and important person in your child’s early development is you!
Child Care Centers for all of California NOW AVAILABLE!
03 January 2011
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Attention California Parents:
We now have licensed child care centers in California on MomTrusted.com!
Now find:
Los Angeles child care Los Angeles preschools Los Angeles inhome family care Los Angeles nannies Los Angeles babysitters
Long Beach child care Long Beach preschools Long Beach inhome family care Long Beach nannies Long Beach babysitters
San Diego child care San Diego preschools San Diego inhome family care San Diego nannies San Diego babysitters
Santa Ana child care Santa Ana preschools Santa Ana inhome family care Santa Ana nannies Santa Ana babysitters
Anaheim child care Anaheim preschools Anaheim inhome family care Anaheim nannies Anaheim babysitters
Fresno child care Fresno preschools Fresno inhome family care Fresno nannies Fresno babysitters
San Francisco child care San Francisco preschools San Francisco inhome family care San Francisco nannies San Francisco babysitters
Sacramento child care Sacramento preschools Sacramento inhome family care Sacramento nannies Sacramento babysitters
Oakland child care Oakland preschools Oakland inhome family care Oakland nannies Oakland babysitters
San Jose child care San Jose preschools San Jose inhome family care San Jose nannies San Jose babysitters
and California Child Care, California InHome Centers, California Preschools, California Nannies, and California Babysitters…… for ALL locations in the state!
Attention Bloggers and Social Network Users: Help Parents Find Childcare!
20 December 2010
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Help parents find care by posting this child care widget on your website, blog, or social profiles. When parents enter their zip code they are taken to a list of child care providers in their area where they can easily save, compare, and contact them. They can also talk to other parents in their area to find the best fit for their family.
Copy this code and paste it on your site or profile:
Also, don’t forget to like us on Facebook!
How to Choose Before and After School Child Care
04 November 2010
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This video with Kathleen Bryan, 4C for Children, includes information on selecting quality before and after school care as well as summer camps for school age children.
Things to consider:
Supplies and Equipment
– variety of age appropriate choices that include games, arts and crafts, sports, and dramatic play
– be aware of outdoor and indoor environment
– should have enough materials so children do not have to wait to use them
Activities
The program should be balanced by activities that are lead by adults and activities that are child initiated (i.e. opportunities for children to choose their own toys, have time to read, listen to music, talk with friends, or just hang out by themselves).
Staff
– staff should have training on how school age children learn and grow
– understand that activities should be interesting, fun, and challenging
– allow school agers to work together on projects and encourage them to solve problems
– should be role models for your school age child
– energetic while maintaining a safe environment
– should be flexible and fun
Latest Pins on Pinterest
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easy baked ravioli recipe everyone will love! Also easy to pack inside a school lunch. with gluten free option
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A fun and delicious breakfasty twist on salad!
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No sew face mask project
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Make your favorite Mac & Cheese recipe (or the box kind works nicely for this and the kids love it anyway ;). At the same time, throw together your normal Chili recipe (here’s a super easy chili recipe if you don’t have your own).
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Make your favorite Mac & Cheese recipe (or the box kind works nicely for this and the kids love it anyway ;). At the same time, throw together your normal Chili recipe (here’s a super easy chili recipe if you don’t have your own).
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Since we live in the country that is open to the brunt of all the weather (wind, wind and more wind), it is super important to provide the best support to garden plants right from the beginning. There is no “one best way” to do this. I usually work with whatever I have on hand as you can see from some of the included photos.
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Since we live in the country that is open to the brunt of all the weather (wind, wind and more wind), it is super important to provide the best support to garden plants right from the beginning. There is no “one best way” to do this. I usually work with whatever I have on hand as you can see from some of the included photos.
