Halloween is a happy, fun-filled holiday for families and provides inspiration for children to express creativity and manners! Parents balance this enthusiastic learning opportunity, however, by providing safe and dependable environments – both at home and “on the trick-or-treat road.”
Pumpkin Decorating
Encourage your children to participate in pumpkin decorating activities.
• A child-friendly and safe alternative to pumpkin carving is to provide children with markers or paint to decorate their pumpkins.
• Use child-drawn outlines to carve the family pumpkins. This is a ‘parent-only’ activity and should be conducted on a flat, stable surface.
• Children can help remove the pumpkin insides using their hands or scoops. Clean up the messes as you go – slimy pumpkin insides can cause slipping hazards.
• Use small, battery-operated lights designed for carved pumpkins in lieu of candles.
• Families who choose to illuminate their pumpkins with candles should use votives or tea-light candles.
• Candlelit pumpkins should never be left unattended and should be placed on sturdy surfaces, away from flammable objects.
Costumes
Children should let their imaginations go – this is the ultimate creative activity! Resist ‘buying’ a boxed costume for your children (and don’t be afraid that you’ll have to roll out grandma’s sewing machine). In order to make costumes safe, consider the following:
• Costumes, masks, beards, wigs and other accessories should be flame resistant.
• Masks may obstruct vision and could restrict breathing. Consider applying face paint or cosmetics instead.
• Ensure masks fit securely and have eyeholes large enough to allow full vision.
• Avoid hats that could slide over children’s eyes.
• Knives, swords or similar costume accessories should not be sharp or rigid; rather they should be made of soft, flexible materials.
• Avoid loose, baggy or long costumes to prevent tripping.
• Children should wear sturdy, fitted footwear - oversized shoes and mother’s high heels are not ideal for safe walking.
• Trim costumes and trick-or-treat bags with reflective tape to make them visible to motorists.
Treats!
Before the ‘treats,’ plan an easy and filling dinner. Pasta with veggies or macaroni and cheese with a salad will fill tummies before the evening takes off.
You’ll remember this one, “Do not eat any candy until you bring it home and we have thoroughly inspected it.” Times haven’t changed much – same credo for your children!
• All treats should be carefully examined by adults for evidence of tampering. Any spoiled, unwrapped or suspicious items should be discarded.
Interested in making the evening more memorable and less scrutinized for the children in your neighborhood? Be a role model:
• Avoid distributing treats considered choking hazards (e.g., gum, peanuts, hard candies and small toys).
• Non-food giveaways such as coloring books, notepads, stickers, crayons and toothbrushes are all good ‘candy’ alternatives.
Trick-or-Treating
Trick-or-Treating is a two-way street. Neighbors are responsible for each others’ children and parents are responsible for their own children.
Your Children’s Safety:
• Young children should always be accompanied by parents or other responsible adults.
• All children and escorts should carry flashlights with fresh batteries.
• Only homes with outside lights ‘on’ should be visited.
• If you allow older children to go trick-or-treating with a group of friends, discuss safety precautions and agree upon a specific time when they should return home.
• Remind children to stay on sidewalks and not to cross through yards or between parked cars, to only approach well-lit homes and to never enter a home or car for a treat.
Your Neighborhood’s Safety:
• Prepare your home to receive trick-or-treaters. Clear your lawn, sidewalk, steps and porch of obstacles or potential tripping hazards.
• Sweep wet leaves away from stairs and walkways to prevent slipping.
• Candlelit pumpkins should be kept away from areas where costumes could brush against flames.
• Pets should be restrained to keep children from being jumped upon or bitten.
After-Party
Host a post-‘treating’ event at your home. Invite neighbors (parents and children) and serve hot chocolate and dessert. This is a wonderful opportunity to socialize and build memories!
Additional Resources: The American Academy of Pediatrics (www.aap.org), National Safety Council (www.nsc.org) and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (www.cpsc.gov)
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
From the Mouths of Babes
The first time your preschooler blurted out “bad words” or other unacceptable language you were probably pretty surprised—and may have even laughed out loud. We may wonder: what happened to our eager-to-please, angelic sweethearts? As our little ones grow bigger, their curiosity to test and push boundaries grows bigger, too. As parents, we know that rude language and other maddening behavior will quickly lose its charm and humor. Instances like this provide the perfect time to lay the foundation for better behavior. Here are a few simple steps to curb the rudeness.
Establish the rules. Let your child know that “bad words” or rude behavior are unacceptable and will not be used again—and that they will have consequences if they are.
Pre-determine the consequence. Decide in advance on a consequence that you will use if this rude behavior should happen again. Choose something that has a fairly immediate effect such as, “No more playing outside right now,” or “Snack time is over,” as opposed to something you would be more likely to rescind such as, “You are not going to Grammy’s house next week.”
React with confidence. Next time your child speaks impolitely, respond with certainty. Calmly, but firmly, say, “We do not use that sort of language. For that reason, you will not be riding your bike this afternoon.”
Follow through. Do not negotiate or justify the consequences of rude behavior. It is important to set consistent limits by following through with your decision. If you cave in or offer multiple chances, your child may believe that what is acceptable and what is not is up for discussion.
Reward the good stuff. Recognize when your child uses “nice” language. Provide lots of praise, love, affection and positive feedback when they behave well.
Establish the rules. Let your child know that “bad words” or rude behavior are unacceptable and will not be used again—and that they will have consequences if they are.
Pre-determine the consequence. Decide in advance on a consequence that you will use if this rude behavior should happen again. Choose something that has a fairly immediate effect such as, “No more playing outside right now,” or “Snack time is over,” as opposed to something you would be more likely to rescind such as, “You are not going to Grammy’s house next week.”
React with confidence. Next time your child speaks impolitely, respond with certainty. Calmly, but firmly, say, “We do not use that sort of language. For that reason, you will not be riding your bike this afternoon.”
Follow through. Do not negotiate or justify the consequences of rude behavior. It is important to set consistent limits by following through with your decision. If you cave in or offer multiple chances, your child may believe that what is acceptable and what is not is up for discussion.
Reward the good stuff. Recognize when your child uses “nice” language. Provide lots of praise, love, affection and positive feedback when they behave well.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Gather ‘Round Our Table
For most parents, getting the family to the dinner table—and keeping them there—takes some creativity. Here are a few secrets to help your little ones (and bigger ones) stay put, eat something other than mac-n-cheese and even look forward to family meals together.
Cut yourself some slack. The goal is to keep your family mealtime a positive, happy experience. Think about lowering your expectations for what a "sit-down" meal with little ones and bigger ones means. Real life can be hectic—balancing work, soccer, piano lessons, play dates—and getting the whole family to the table at the same time can be so challenging that many families just give up. Most of us believe that family dinner is important—we simply lack the patience, energy or tools to pull it off. And then we feel guilty.
Why not make dinnertime fun instead of a chore? Include an unexpected ingredient such as purple carrots or star fruit, serve the kids’ juice in fancy glasses—or enjoy pancakes, eggs and OJ instead of your usual dinner fare. Have a picnic: pack up a basket, spread out a blanket on the living room floor, move a couple potted plants over and enjoy dinner in “the park.” Is your fridge full of leftovers? Dish them up, put out some soft taco shells and let your family enjoy making their own “wacky wrap” creations.
Make it a group effort and give everyone a responsibility. Your spouse could get the salad together while your daughter sets the table. Let your youngest supervise from his booster seat while your son takes the drink orders. Your 10-year-old can feed the baby while you get the rest of dinner on the table. This is the perfect opportunity to provide your children with a valuable sense of involvement. Ask your family for their own ideas and allow them to choose the side dishes for the week. Remember that while some of their requests may be a bit off the wall, they are (generally) doable.
Start a tradition of “Family Happy Hour.” Before you start preparing dinner, serve healthy appetizers such as chopped veggies with hummus or baked whole grain tortilla chips with mango salsa while listening to a fun playlist. These healthy options take the edge off their hunger, and you may find your children happier and more willing to try new foods when you do sit down together.
Dinner is not your only option. Sometimes the demands of real life can get in the way of this important commitment—so, we need to be flexible. Family mealtime is about connecting with your family—if dinner is impossible, why not connect over lunch or a snack? And, take advantage of some shortcut ideas. On the weekend, why not prepare a few meals in advance so that everything is ready to be heated when you get home from a long day at work? Learn to make some compromises—crock pots can be wonderful, and not every meal needs to be Coq au vin!
Family dinner is a good idea. “Mealtime is often the only time in the whole day when everybody's in the same room having a conversation," says William Doherty, Ph.D., author of The Intentional Family (Addison Wesley Longman, 1997), "so it's where the family's culture gets created." Family dinner helps demonstrate to our children that they are important enough for us to spend this valuable time with. And we often hear experts say that consistent family mealtime improves nutrition, table manners, communication skills, family relationships and bonding.
Cut yourself some slack. The goal is to keep your family mealtime a positive, happy experience. Think about lowering your expectations for what a "sit-down" meal with little ones and bigger ones means. Real life can be hectic—balancing work, soccer, piano lessons, play dates—and getting the whole family to the table at the same time can be so challenging that many families just give up. Most of us believe that family dinner is important—we simply lack the patience, energy or tools to pull it off. And then we feel guilty.
Why not make dinnertime fun instead of a chore? Include an unexpected ingredient such as purple carrots or star fruit, serve the kids’ juice in fancy glasses—or enjoy pancakes, eggs and OJ instead of your usual dinner fare. Have a picnic: pack up a basket, spread out a blanket on the living room floor, move a couple potted plants over and enjoy dinner in “the park.” Is your fridge full of leftovers? Dish them up, put out some soft taco shells and let your family enjoy making their own “wacky wrap” creations.
Make it a group effort and give everyone a responsibility. Your spouse could get the salad together while your daughter sets the table. Let your youngest supervise from his booster seat while your son takes the drink orders. Your 10-year-old can feed the baby while you get the rest of dinner on the table. This is the perfect opportunity to provide your children with a valuable sense of involvement. Ask your family for their own ideas and allow them to choose the side dishes for the week. Remember that while some of their requests may be a bit off the wall, they are (generally) doable.
Start a tradition of “Family Happy Hour.” Before you start preparing dinner, serve healthy appetizers such as chopped veggies with hummus or baked whole grain tortilla chips with mango salsa while listening to a fun playlist. These healthy options take the edge off their hunger, and you may find your children happier and more willing to try new foods when you do sit down together.
Dinner is not your only option. Sometimes the demands of real life can get in the way of this important commitment—so, we need to be flexible. Family mealtime is about connecting with your family—if dinner is impossible, why not connect over lunch or a snack? And, take advantage of some shortcut ideas. On the weekend, why not prepare a few meals in advance so that everything is ready to be heated when you get home from a long day at work? Learn to make some compromises—crock pots can be wonderful, and not every meal needs to be Coq au vin!
Family dinner is a good idea. “Mealtime is often the only time in the whole day when everybody's in the same room having a conversation," says William Doherty, Ph.D., author of The Intentional Family (Addison Wesley Longman, 1997), "so it's where the family's culture gets created." Family dinner helps demonstrate to our children that they are important enough for us to spend this valuable time with. And we often hear experts say that consistent family mealtime improves nutrition, table manners, communication skills, family relationships and bonding.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
COOKING WITH CHILDREN
Sharing the kitchen with your child can not only create a lifetime of happy memories, but can also instill valuable life lessons from a young age. Through baking, cooking and even cleaning up, children can develop and express their creativity and independence; explore new foods; learn about nutrition; enhance their math, reading and science skills; and, most importantly, spend valuable quality time with mom, dad and siblings.
Below are a few tips to help make kitchen time with your little one fun, safe and memorable:
1. Always stress cleanliness and safety in the kitchen.
• Wash hands before, after and as-needed during the process.
• Provide your child with a sturdy, non-slip step stool to stand on so they are at your level.
• Use kid-friendly wood or plastic utensils.
• Let them choose their own apron or buy a plain one that they can personalize with fabric markers. Covering up will help cut down on the cleanup afterward.
• Keep sharp knives, graters and other dangerous tools/appliances away from small hands.
• Explain that only mom and dad can use the stove, oven and other electrical appliances.
• Supervise your child closely. Stay in the room until the cooking is complete. If you need to leave for some reason, take them with you.
2. Include your child in the preparation.
• Decide together what to make.
• Read the recipe together thoroughly and gather all ingredients before beginning. Take them shopping with you for the ingredients and/or have them help select what you need from the cupboard.
3. Start out easy.
• When first introducing your child to the joy of baking, use simple recipes with basic ingredients and uncomplicated instructions.
• Box mixes are a great way to get started. They usually ask for only two or three added ingredients and provide easy-to-follow, detailed instructions right on the box.
• As your child learns more about the cooking and baking process, feel free to introduce more complex recipes.
4. Let them do it.
• This is a great learning opportunity for your little one, so let them measure and pour ingredients into the bowl. It’s not only a good math lesson, but also bolsters their confidence.
5. Taste and praise!
• Learning to cook and bake should be a fun experience for your child, so always be enthusiastic about tasting their masterpiece and praise the effort and the outcome, no matter what. They’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment and be excited for their next cooking adventure!
Below are a few tips to help make kitchen time with your little one fun, safe and memorable:
1. Always stress cleanliness and safety in the kitchen.
• Wash hands before, after and as-needed during the process.
• Provide your child with a sturdy, non-slip step stool to stand on so they are at your level.
• Use kid-friendly wood or plastic utensils.
• Let them choose their own apron or buy a plain one that they can personalize with fabric markers. Covering up will help cut down on the cleanup afterward.
• Keep sharp knives, graters and other dangerous tools/appliances away from small hands.
• Explain that only mom and dad can use the stove, oven and other electrical appliances.
• Supervise your child closely. Stay in the room until the cooking is complete. If you need to leave for some reason, take them with you.
2. Include your child in the preparation.
• Decide together what to make.
• Read the recipe together thoroughly and gather all ingredients before beginning. Take them shopping with you for the ingredients and/or have them help select what you need from the cupboard.
3. Start out easy.
• When first introducing your child to the joy of baking, use simple recipes with basic ingredients and uncomplicated instructions.
• Box mixes are a great way to get started. They usually ask for only two or three added ingredients and provide easy-to-follow, detailed instructions right on the box.
• As your child learns more about the cooking and baking process, feel free to introduce more complex recipes.
4. Let them do it.
• This is a great learning opportunity for your little one, so let them measure and pour ingredients into the bowl. It’s not only a good math lesson, but also bolsters their confidence.
5. Taste and praise!
• Learning to cook and bake should be a fun experience for your child, so always be enthusiastic about tasting their masterpiece and praise the effort and the outcome, no matter what. They’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment and be excited for their next cooking adventure!
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