Keep holidays simple for younger children

We all love to see the wonder and excitement in children’s eyes during the holidays, but often little kids can get as wound up as the toys they receive. Preschool education writer Rachel Lister compiled this list of tips to keep this special season sane for both young children and their families:

• Focus on family activities. Most preschoolers love the gift of time more than anything else. Enjoy the season by planning simple activities that take time, like decorating the Christmas tree and making cookies. Let toddlers hang ornaments and play with cookie dough. It’s about taking pleasure in each other’s company in an unhurried fashion.
• Limit gift giving. Gifts are great, but for preschoolers they can sometimes be too much of a good thing. Young children are big on instant gratification. They want to play with their new toy right away. Giving them too many can make them frustrated and lose interest in the whole gift-giving process. Try to limit the amount or space out the gift giving so it doesn’t become overwhelming for them.
• Decorate your home for the holidays. Little children have a limited sense of time passing. Decorating for the holidays helps them understand they’re entering into a new season. Preschoolers love decorating and it can become a valuable and much-loved family tradition.
• Lower your own stress level. When family members are stressed, little children can feel it acutely. Slowing down and scheduling less for the holidays helps toddlers and parents alike enjoy the season more.
  

Go outside and play! (Batteries not needed.)

Remember playing when you were a kid? If you’re over, say, 35, chances are good the pasture or empty lot behind your house was your ball field, the nearby woods your jungle gym, and you ran in and out of the neighbors’ houses like they were second homes to you—and probably were. "Organized sports" meant getting enough kids together for a pick-up ball game. Your parents’ daily admonition? "Be home for dinner/by dark."

Times have changed. We have been made more wary of our surroundings. We don’t know our neighbors as we once did, especially since the stay-at-home parent is practically a rarity these days and more young children spend their days in child care.

Today, we want our children to grow up in a safe environment, within close range of our watchful eyes, involved in activities we believe will enrich them. That’s great, but the downside is children don’t get out for creative, outdoor play as much as they used to.

The lack of play, particularly outdoor play, is a big contributor to the growing sedentary habits of children, says Betsy Thigpen, an early education specialist at Western Kentucky University Research Foundation. "Keeping children inside for most of the day leads to less active play and more structured, adult-directed activity. Outdoor play provides important opportunities to explore the natural world and learn about our environment."

Outdoor play strengthens muscles, hearts and lungs. "It encourages creativity and imagination and provides opportunities for collaboration and problem-solving with peers," Thigpen says.

The outdoors offers a treasure trove of experiences for the very young as well, who explore the world through their senses. "The outdoors presents a new world of sights, sounds, smells and tactile experiences," Thigpen continues. "Infants and toddlers benefit from time spent outside as much as older children do, but caregivers may not recognize the need or benefits for very young children."

Thigpen feels child care environments offer an untapped potential for addressing obesity, overweight and sedentary lifestyles in young children. Studies show that children in child care spend an average of only 60-75 minutes outside as part of a 10-hour day, and about 4-10 minutes an hour in actual vigorous play.

Thigpen offers these inexpensive ideas for caregivers and parents who want to create a more "outdoor friendly" environment for young children:

• Create outdoor areas for diaper-changing, feeding and relaxing so play is minimally affected by these interruptions.


• Kids can’t get enough of sand and water activities!


• Provide a natural habitat with butterfly-attracting plants and bird feeders to give children a firsthand experience with the natural world.


• Hang wind chimes or mobiles to provide visual and auditory interest.


• Provide safe spots for crawling, such as grass or a vinyl or wood composite surface.


• Rocking, pushing and riding wheel toys are a great way for kids to use their large motor skills.


• Consider play areas that include gently-sloping non-metal slides, short tunnels, peek-a-boo places and sturdy ledges or railings about 14-16 inches high for babies to pull themselves up.

For a list of outdoor and kids’ games and more information about outdoor play, visit http://www.wcif.org/ and click on "Kids’ Play."

Mural colors young kids' world

Families participating in Pope County's Early Childhood Family Education program are guaranteed to be greeted with smiles--even if there's no one in the ECFE room. A colorful mural covering one whole wall shows a diverse group of happy children holding an alphabet banner (see video). It is the work of local artist Katherine Chevalier. She donated more than 40 hours to complete the mural.



The ECFE program is a member of the Pope County Early Childhood Coalition.

New grant program benefits two regional early childhood programs

West Central Area Schools and Thorson Library in Grant County and the White Earth Indian Reservation Tribal Council were two of six organizations receiving awards from the Minnesota Department of Human Services' new Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) Child Care grants program authorized by the 2007 Legislature.

The FFN grant program was established to promote children's early literacy, healthy development, and school readiness, and to foster community partnerships to promote children's school readiness.

Grant County's new Family, Friend and Neighbor Outreach Program is a collaborative effort that will provide training materials and children’s activities based on the Minnesota Early Childhood Indicators of Progress. The library will host play and learn groups and other special events following the ECFE model of child/adulttime together and periods of separate instruction. The focus will be on health, safety, nutrition andschool readiness.

White Earth Reservation will work with Mahnomen, Becker and Clearwater counties to provide services to FFN providers. Monthly home visits with White Earth's Readmobile will be provided. Readmobile stock will be improved and books and other literacy materials purchased to give to the children. Materials and events in the Ojibwe language will be offered. Providers will be connected to local social services. The White Earth early childhood certified staff/trainers will provide assistance to, train and mentor FFN caregivers.

Read more.

No such thing as a bad kid

Sometimes it's easy to label certain folk--kids and adults--as bad eggs. But nationally known speaker and youth care specialist Charlie Appelstein, MSW, is adamant that there's no such thing as a bad kid and is spreading the news that misbehavior is a cry for help and can be changed.

On Nov. 14, Appelstein will present " 'No Such Thing as a Bad Kid' The Power of a Strength-based Approach in Reshaping the Lives of Troubled Children & Youth" at the Lakeside Ballroom. Cost is $15 and includes lunch. Clock hours are available.

The event is sponsored by HELP (Helping Everyone Live In Peace) Council and the Pope County Early Childhood/THRIVE Initiative.

Learn more and register today!

Early care and education are our future's most important investments

It's written all over her face: Louise Stoney believes that exemplary care and education of our youngest children are the biggest investments we can make in our country's future. She presented at the Mary McEvoy Lecture Series, Monday, Oct. 15 at Fergus Falls to a group of 120 area educators, early childhood professionals, care providers, government officials and more. Stoney is a nationally known child care and early childhood education policy specialist who co-runs the Alliance on Early Childhood Finance.

Check back for Stoney's PowerPoint presentation. She suggests you read the notes section for more in-depth information.