Adventures In Learning Preschool®

It's nearly time to 'Spring Forward.'

At 2 a.m. on the morning of Sunday, March 11, we'll be springing our clocks forward—and losing an hour of the day, for daylight saving time. The good news: sunset will be an hour later.

You may have noticed the annual tradition of daylight saving time has crept forward a bit. We used to spring forward on the first Sunday in April and fall back on last Sunday in October. But a couple years ago, Congress changed the date—adding more daylight saving time to the calendar. This year, it will run from March 11th until Nov. 4th.

Unless you're in Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. They don't do daylight saving time.

Around the world, about 75 countries and territories have at least one location that observes daylight saving time, according to TimeandDate.com. On the other hand, 164 don't observe the time change at all.

Brief History:

According to the Huffington Post:

Benjamin Franklin has been credited with the idea of daylight saving time, but Britain and Germany began using the concept in World War I to conserve energy, the Washington Post observes. The U.S. used daylight saving time for a brief time during the war, but it didn't become widely accepted in the States until after the second World War.

In 1966, the Uniform Time Act outlined that clocks should be set forward on the last Sunday in April and set back the last Sunday in October.

That law was amended in 1986 to start daylight saving time on the first Sunday in April, though the new system wasn't implemented until 1987. The end date was not changed, however, and remained the last Sunday in October until 2006.

Today, daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. The time change will precede the first day of spring and the vernal equinox, which is set to take place at 1:14 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, March 20th.

If I have to sit in the corner for sayin' it, at least you could tell me what it means ! ~ Dennis the Menace

In a recent episode of the TV series, "Modern Family" a toddler blurted out a swear word.  This scene stirred quite a controversy as experts weighed in with arguments that swearing by preschool children is inevitable, intolerable, avoidable, or something else.  Here is a sampling of some reactions as shared in MSNBC.

"The show's theme already has critics at the anti-indecency Parents Television Council grumbling, but researchers who study cursing find that, believe it or not, 2 years is about the age when kids really start to use 'adult' language.

"'Yes, 2-year-olds say f—,' said Timothy Jay, a psychologist who studies psycholinguistics and obscenities at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.  'Preschoolers are pretty well versed in the lexicon, and by 11 to 12, we are looking at adult swearing patterns.  Kids say swear words as soon as they talk.'

"Jay and his colleagues have a dataset stretching back into the 1970s of words that schoolteachers, day care workers, and other adults who work with children report hearing.  Kids mimic words early on and pick up quickly on which words are 'bad,' even if they don't know the exact definitions of those words, Jay said.

"In fact, studies suggest that swearing is firmly embedded in the brain.  Swearing is a form of 'formulaic language,' said Diana Van Lancker Sidtis, a professor of communicative sciences and disorders at New York University.  These are expressions such as 'You bet!' that frequently appear in conversation, and kids learn them as they're learning how to piece together sentences."

 From a recent article in the December 12, 2011, edition of Time Magazine   entitled “Good Guess – Why we shouldn’t underestimate the value of estimating” author Annie Murphy Paul pointed to research that clearly proved the benefit of having children estimate, both and home and at school.   According to the researchers who study the science of learning, estimation is the ESSENTIAL FOUNDATION for advanced math skills, abstract thinking required to achieve good grades in school, and the ability to get and keep a job in our knowledge-based economy.  So what is a parent to do?

• Ask your children to make everyday predictions like: how much will this cart full of groceries cost? How much gas will the car take? What time do you thing the casserole will be done?
• Play board games with them letting them guess the number of moves necessary to get the next “win” on the board.
• Talk about how many miles it is to Grandma’s house, or the mall, etc.
• Use unusual units to guess – for instance, “how many daddies long is the football field.”

Be creative and let everyone guess. We benefit from considering other opinions.  Allow for discussion on how your children arrived at their guess and how near they were to the correct answer.  Have fun with this and the payoff will be great.

ASK Invites You to PEERS

The COPE approach to teaching parenting skills uses active, small-group discussions among parents to help them identify their goals and their approaches to parenting. Group leaders foster discussions that help participants develop, practice, and strengthen the skills that will allow them to achieve their own individual goals for parenting their children.

By the end of the series of sessions, parents should have the tools they need to help their preschoolers prepare for their school-aged years. It is time well-invested as the skills parents learn can greatly enhance their effectiveness.

CUIDAR: Helping Parents Manage Children with ADHD and Other Behaviors.

Do you ever feel frustrated as a parent or are you concerned about your child's behavior? If you have a toddler (up to 3 years old) in your home, we have a program for you. CUIDAR offers an 8-week program intended to help parents find effective solutions to common behavior challenges while getting to know other families in the community.
Next class is scheduled for July and August

Click here for detailed flyer

To Register go to: www.mission4health.org

Health and Safety

Is the program licensed by the State of California?

Does the program comply with the appropriate caregiver/child ratios? (At least 1 teacher: 4 babies)

Do caregivers and children wash hands before and after meals, diapering, toileting or contact with bodily fluid?

Do caregivers place infants under one year of age to sleep on their backs?

Do caregivers keep the environment free from hazards by using outlet covers, locking cabinets for storage and other appropriate safety precautions?

Do caregivers clean toys and materials daily?

Care Routines

Are the same caregivers in the program each day so that infants and toddlers can form relationships and feel secure?

Do caregivers respect and accommodate individual sleeping and eating patterns?

Do caregivers hold infants when feeding them a bottle?

Do caregivers encourage toddlers to be independent during meals, toileting and dressing?

Do caregivers support infants and toddlers during naptime in a positive manner through rocking, rubbing backs or playing soothing music?

Professionalism

Are caregivers trained in Infant/Child CPR and First Aid?

Do caregivers attend trainings and conferences focused on infant and toddler care?

Do caregivers seem knowledgeable about the specific needs of infants and toddlers in child care?

Observation and Assessment

Do caregivers keep written observations about the development and interests of the infants and toddlers in their care?

Do caregivers plan activities for infants and toddlers based on these observations?

Do caregivers share their observations with families on a regular basis?

Learning Environments

Do caregivers provide space for infants to play on the floor?

Do caregivers provide opportunities for infants and toddlers to climb, run, jump and dance?

Do caregivers provide a variety of materials for infants and toddlers to touch, look at, listen to, smell and taste?

Do caregivers read and sing with children?

Do caregivers encourage infants and toddlers to choose what they want to play with?

Do caregivers take infants and toddlers outside to play?

Interactions

Do caregivers show warmth and affection with infants and toddlers through holding, hugging, playing and singing?

Do caregivers play and interact with infants and toddlers on the floor?

Do caregivers talk with infants and toddlers about what they are doing and how they feel during play and care routines?

Do caregivers quickly soothe infants and toddlers who are sad, hurt or upset?

What is the age for Introducing Baby Finger Foods – When will Baby be Ready for Finger Food?

All babies are different and there is no set-in-stone age for when to introduce finger foods. You should introduce finger foods when you feel that your baby is ready; this may be at 7 months old or when baby is 10 months old. The average age for introducing baby finger food is between 7 and 8 months of age.

 Your baby should be able to "chew" using his or her gums to mash foods. Your baby should also have a pretty good pincher grasp. The pincher grasp is the the ability to grab and hold objects between the thumb and the fore finger. If your baby has the fine motor skill to maneuver and grab and hold onto foods with the pincher grasp, then your baby is probably ready for finger foods.

Why is the Pincher Grasp important when offering Baby Finger Food?

 As with anything your baby is learning to accomplish, there is a level of frustration that comes with each milestone and accomplishment. If you offer your baby finger foods and your baby is not physically ready to pick up and hold onto the small bits of food, your baby may become frustrated. It is important to limit baby's frustration so as not to inadvertently begin to foster a negative relationship with food and self-feeding.

 Finger Foods for Babies will do more than just provide nutrition.

 Finger Foods help baby learn fine motor skills and Finger Foods allow baby to engage in the wonder and fun of food experimentation. When your baby reaches between 7-8 months old and has a pretty good pincher grasp, you may think about offering him finger foods. 

What are Good Finger Foods to Offer Baby?

 Ideal Finger foods are those foods that baby can easily pick up and easily mash between his gums.  Finger foods help baby begin to learn to self-feed.  Good Baby Finger Foods are any foods that baby has already had – and anything that you can make into small soft and "mash-able" bits.

Here's a list of finger food favorites:

• O-shaped toasted oat cereal or other low-sugar cereal
• Lightly toasted bread or bagels (spread with vegetable puree for extra vitamins)
• Small chunks of banana or other very ripe peeled and pitted fruit, like mango, plum, pear, peach, cantaloupe, or seedless watermelon
• Small cubes of tofu
• Well-cooked pasta spirals, cut into pieces
• Very small chunks of cheese
• Chopped hard-boiled egg
• Cut-up raisins, softened dried apricots, or stewed prunes
• Small pieces of well-cooked vegetables, like carrots, peas, zucchini, potato, or sweet potato
• Small well-cooked broccoli or cauliflower "trees"
• Pea-size pieces of cooked chicken or other soft meat
• Rice cakes or crackers broken into small pieces

Baby Finger Food Quick Tips

Baby Finger Foods should be ""mash-able"" between the gums.

Finger Foods should be age appropriate – do not offer your 8 month old whole eggs scrambled for example.

If your baby cannot hold her head up and sit up unassisted, do not offer her finger foods

Baby should always be sitting upright when offered Baby Finger Foods so as to avoid possible choking.

NEVER leave your baby unattended when serving Baby Finger Foods (or any other chunky food for that matter).

There is no brand of teething biscuit/cracker or recipe for teething biscuits/crackers that is guaranteed not to crumble or break off into pieces.

Right From the Start:

Parenting can be challenging.  Are you unsure or anxious about your parenting skills?  Do you want to feel more comfortable with your baby? Then Right From the Start is right for you and your child 12 months or younger.  A healthy parent-child relationship promotes infant attachment security, mental development, and well-being.  In Right From the Start, parents work together on solutions to parenting challenges, share ideas, and explore the many faces of parenting

A FREE 8-session parenting skills course

Progressive Interventions Online.

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