Keeping Kids Entertained During the Summer Months

Every parent at least once in their lives has heard those two dreaded words every child mutters: "I'm Bored!" Even the child who is most excited about the end of the school year will not get through the summer break without mumbling that phrase at least once. So what as parents are we to do to keep our kids stimulated and entertained over the summer months?

There are plenty of activities you can do once the initial fun phase of summer wears off. Here is just a brief list of ideas to help keep the summer doldrums from setting in:

• Plant a mobile garden – maybe in a wheelbarrow or other container that can be moved around. Plant vegetable plants, flowers or even start an herb garden that your children can be responsible for.
• Draw in butterflies by planting wildflowers around your lawn. Not only will it beautify your landscaping it will also decrease the need for mowing.
• Have a picnic with your child’s favorite teddy bear or doll. This can be something as simple as fruit and juice or tea and cookies. Plan to make this a weekly event – and even play dress up for a “formal” lunch!
• Kids love bubbles! Adults love bubbles! There’s just something magical about them that no one can explain so take a trip to the dollar store and pick up a large container and some wands that make some really unique bubble shapes. Spend a late afternoon/early evening blowing bubbles and chasing them with your kids.
• Don’t forget your local library. There are always reading programs in the summer and other special programs that you can involve your children with.
• Build a treasure box with your child. Find an old shoe box or other suitable container and let them decorate with crayons, paper cutouts and other craft items and then they can fill up their box with “treasures” they find.

You can do a lot of things that keep your kids entertained without spending a ton of money in the process. Spend times with your children doing some of these activities or add your own idea to the list!

Helping Your Child Get Ready for the First Day of Kindergarten

We’ve given birth and nurtured our children and watched them begin to grow into wonderful little people in awe of the world and all their surroundings. Now it’s time to prepare for them for the first big step in their lives – preparing for the first day of kindergarten.

Getting ready is probably the most difficult part. You have likely already been working to instill good, healthy habits into your child’s life but it’s even more important as they prepare to enter school to instill healthy habits like getting enough sleep – at least 10-12 hours per night and eating right – a healthy breakfast and lunch will help your child get through the day.

Once your child is in school on a full-time basis, it’s common to think that after school activities are all part of the process. We want our children to be well-rounded and involved and in our quest for making this happen, we tend to get our children wrapped up in many after school activities. Children can become as burnt out as adults can so it’s important to fight the urge to let them get involved with everything and keep these after school activities to a minimum.

The next step in helping your child adjust to school is to help them foster independence. Allowing your child (within reason of course) to pick their outfit and dress themselves will help give them both independence and confidence. Keep in mind that this doesn’t include tying their shoes. It is not uncommon for children not to learn to tie their shoes until their kindergarten year.

You also want to address things like making sure your child understands the importance of putting away things when they are done using or playing with them, putting the lids back on paints and markers and putting the crayons back in the box when they are finished.

Finally, make sure you have the “potty” talk before your child heads off to the classroom. Make sure they are able to take care of themselves after using the potty and don’t forget to stress the importance of washing their hands when they are finished.

Talking over these few tips will help your child be better prepared for their school day – take the time to make it a positive one! 

Crafts for Remembering Summer Vacations

Summer vacation is always a fun time for you and your family. Why not hold onto those memories a little longer and make them last a lifetime with a few simple crafts to capture those memories.

One simple idea is a “beautiful places” key chain. With just a few simple items, you can create a keychain keepsake.

You’ll need a few metal caps, pictures of the places you visited, a key chain accessory, duct tape, glue and yarn. Carefully cut the picture to fit the shape and size of the caps you are using and glue them to the inside of the cap. Cut pieces of yarn to match the number of caps you’ve made. Cut a small piece of duct tape and attach the yarn to the back of the cap. Cut a longer piece of yarn and pull it through the loop you’ve just attached to the back of your cap and knot it. Do this for all of the caps but be sure to leave enough space into between the caps.

Attach your keychain accessory to the end and you’re all finished.  

Another fun summer vacation project is a travel timeline. This can actually be done during the trip itself and will not only make the trip more enjoyable but will also limit the number of times you hear “Are we there yet??” All you need for this craft is a line of string or yarn, a hole punch, some drawing paper, crayons, colored pencils or markers and a few paper clips. See? No mess! Before you leave for your trip, install the string in your car like a clothes line. Have your child or children draw pictures or write short stories about each milestone of the trip. When they are finished, hang on the string with a paper clip. A good first picture to start with is of your own vehicle with everyone inside smiling and excited for the trip!

Finally, try an easy treasure chest. Get a box with a lid and long sheet of paper folded accordion-style. Glue the first sheet of the paper into the lid and the last sheet into the bottom of the box. On each page, glue or draw a picture from summer vacation and then tuck it neatly away in the box to be enjoyed through the years. 

Respiratory Issues in Children

All children – particularly those aged eleven and under – have experienced some type of respiratory distress at some point or another, in fact, some even have many during a calendar year.

There are two parts to the respiratory system that can be affected: the upper respiratory system which includes the sinuses, nose, mouth and throat and the lower respiratory system which is made up of the lungs and bronchial tubes.

Children who suffer from an upper respiratory infection can sound congested, suffer from irritability, restlessness, coughing when lying down, runny nose and even a fever that can spike to as high as 105.

While lower respiratory infections are less common, children can suffer from them and can experience symptoms like: shallow coughing, fever (which can also be an indication of pneumonia), difficulty breathing and wheezing. While both types of infections can mean a trip to your pediatrician’s office, a lower respiratory infection is a sure fire trip to the doctor.

Viruses are the most common cause of upper respiratory infections and lead to sore throats, the common cold and the flu. These ailments are typical among young children and typically run their course in four to ten days. Home remedies and over –the-counter medications are typically used to treat the symptoms of these infections as antibiotics aren’t effective for viral infections.

Bacterial infections are also a problem and ultimately lead to bacterial pneumonia – often after one of the more common viral ailments. Among the first signs of a bacterial infection is rapid breathing, irritability and decreased activity. While not effective on viral infections, antibiotics are typically prescribed for bacterial infections.

Watch your child and be aware of the early warning signs of respiratory infections. If after being treated, symptoms and conditions don’t improve, your best bet is to see your doctor for treatment. 

Talking to Children about Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is scary enough for adults but for children who don’t understand what’s involved with this awful disease and don’t understand the big medical words and procedures, it can be downright devastating. But how do you know when it’s ok to talk to your children about it?

Some experts say that when children learn how to control their own emotions, they are likely ready to discuss important issues like this. There are a wide range of emotions associated with the breast cancer – anger, denial, sadness, fear and when you’re talking with your children they will likely experience any or all of these emotions. The most important thing you can do is to be in control of your own emotions in order to be able to be supportive of your children and inform them of “what’s next.”

In addition to controlling your emotions, it’s best to wait until the family is together as a whole and have the conversation together in the privacy of your home. The group of you together can support each other and share the range of emotions as well as retreat into your private spaces and deal with your emotions privately.

It won’t be necessary to follow a script, unless it’s what is easiest for you to get everything out that you want to say. Either way, you want to make sure you cover the important aspects of what will happen as the disease takes its course: hair loss, nausea from chemotherapy, etc. All of this information may be confusing to particularly young children, and you will want to make sure you explain that what is happening to the cancer sufferer as a result of treatment, will not happen to them, too.

While this can be a difficult conversation to have with your children (remember, they will not react in the same way you did) it’s important above all else to be honest during your conversations. Some parents think that protecting their children from a cancer diagnosis, experts disagree with this. It’s important to be honest up front and with what’s happening and you’ll find that the honesty will make a difficult situation that much easier. 

Teaching Children About Dental Health

It’s never too soon to teach your children about the importance of good oral health and get them in to a routine that will carry them throughout their lives. While some children will take to the task at hand easily and without much fuss, everyone learns differently and may take a little extra coaxing. Here are a few tips for you to help your little ones keep their teeth and gums healthy.

• Teach your children about their teeth. Explain the different types of teeth, how many they have, where they are located and even what their jobs are. As adults we have 32 teeth – twelve molars (in sets of three and are in the back of the mouth), eight premolars (also known as bicuspids and are used to crush and tear food), four cuspids (next to the bicuspids or premolars and are pointed which make tearing food easy) and eight incisors (located in the front of the mouth and are used to cut food.)
• Read books specifically about dental health. A trip to your library or local book store will provide plenty of age-appropriate reading material that talk about good dental health. For younger children, books with more illustrations are a better choice. If you are able to connect to the Internet, the American Dental Association’s website offers an animated book about going to the dentist.
• Experiments are fun, too! You can come up with your own experiments or, if you prefer, Crest offers a great experiment on their website that shows how teeth can become soft and weak if they are continuously exposed to acids that are normally found in foods we eat every day.

 The younger your children are the better when it comes to teaching about good oral health habits. Don’t put it off another minute. 

Time-Saving Tips for Parents

Life itself is an unpredictable ride – but when you add children and the craziness of their schedules to the mix, it becomes even crazier. It’s no wonder that as parents we sometimes feel there is never enough time in the day to get everything done. It’s impossible to completely avoid chaos – and really, would you want to? But with a few of time-saving tips like the ones below, you can begin to make the most of your time.

 
·         Watch closely how you spend your time. Most of us spend more time on things every day that can either wait or really don’t need done at all.
·         Prioritize. The key to getting and staying organized is all about making and keeping priorities. Schedule more important tasks to be done and let the rest carry over until you have more time.
·         Multitask. Every parent has to master the art of multitasking. Use downtime like naps, doctor appointments or school time to get jobs done that are difficult to focus on when caring for your children.
·         Be prepared. With babies especially it’s important to be prepared. Keep a packed diaper bag in the car at all times to avoid having to carry extra baggage when you leave home.
·         Baskets, not diamonds, are a girl’s best friend. Baskets are a great way to store toys, video games and books in your children’s playroom or bedrooms.
·         Prepare for meals ahead of time. When you are making dinner, double or triple your recipe and freeze the extras for future meals. You’d be surprised just how much time this alone will save you!

These are just a few tips that can help parent’s lead less chaotic lives, spend less time on working and more time on more important things – spending time with our kids