Looking ahead toward summer? Thinking of sending your child to a summer camp? Thinking of creating your own family “camp”? Here are some great links to accomplish both!
March is generally the month for spring break. With budgets tightening, what are some fun things that you can do wtih your family that don’t cost alot? Here are some books with a wide variety of indoor games and activities:
The American Academy of Pediatrics published an article in 2007 by Kenneth R. Ginsburg, Md, MSEd about the importance of child driven play. In this article these key points were mentioned:
– Play is important to healthy brain development
– Play allows children to create and explore a world they can master, conquering their fearas while practicing adult roles.
– As children master their world, play helps children develop new competencies that lead to enhanced confidence and the resilitency they will need to face future challenges.
– Undirected play allows children to learn how to work in groups, to share, to negotiate, to resolve conflicts and to learn self-advocacy skills.
– When play is allowed to be child driven, children practice decision-making skills, move at their own pace, discover their own areas of interest and ultimately engage fully in the passions they wish to pursue.
– In contrast to passive entertainment, play builds active, healthy bodies.
– Perhaps above all, play is a simple joy that is a cherished part of childhood.
“Integrity is telling myself the truth and honesty is telling the truth to other people.”
– Spencer Johnson
Honesty is another important character trait that you can teach your child. A fun article that gives you some great tips wtih this goal can be found at the following website:
There’s lots of advice for new parents. Here’s a few that we think are important to remember:
1. Sleep deprivation is NOT healthy. Your body requires more than 2 hours of sleep. Ask for help from friends, church and family members. You’re a better parent when you’re not tired.
2. Understand that no one is a perfect parent. Don’t beat yourself up if you forget the diaper bag, let your baby sleep through their feeding time or haven’t started to read to your infant on a regular basis. Trust yourself that you’re doing the best that you can.
3. Take time for yourself. When your baby sleeps, it’s tempting to spend that time getting “stuff” done. Take a nap, put on some makeup, read a chapter in a book, etc.
4. Your baby will grow and change quickly. It’s easy as the days go by to forget how little he/she was. Take a picture every couple of weeks on the day of the week they were born so that you can see how much they’ve changed. Write down on a calendar exciting developmental changes when they happen. (Trust us — you won’t remember these moments later no matter how amazing they seemed at the time. Date your pictures too.)
5. Everyone loves to give advice to new parents. Remember that each child is different and what may work for one child may not work for another. Though there are recognized developmental milestones, children do things at their own rate. (My oldest child walked at 13 months and my second child was walking by 9 months of age.) Don’t hesitate to talk to your pediatrician if you have any concerns. Always be an advocate for your child — you know them better than anyone else!
Being a first time parent is a lot like being on a rollercoaster – just when you start to feel comfortable, something new comes along. Fortunately, there are some great books and websites that can help you along the way. This week, we’ll take a look at some websites that we hope will be helpful:
Did You Know?
Tri County Health Department is the largest local health department in the Colorado, serving the residents of Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas Counties.
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.” ~Mary Anne Radmacher
The last week of every month in 2011, we’re going to share some book suggestions about character traits such as honesty, courage, cooperation, respect, etc. This month, our topic is Courage.
Douglas County Libraries has a Summer Reading Program for everyone in your family! Go to douglascountylibraries.org and register by July 13th!
Kids at the Library Were Asked….
What is your favorite thing to do outdoors in the summer?
Kai (Age 4.5): Jump on the trampoline
Chloe (Age 5): Swim
Sylvia (Age 11): Football
Grady (Age 2): Ride my Pedal Car
Alex (Age 8): Jump on the trampoline
Katherine (Age 3): Jump on the trampoline
Elizabeth (Age 5): Swim
Karolina (Age 7): Swim
Michal (Age 9): Bike
Ani (Age 5): Swim
Braeden (Age 11): Jump on the trampoline
Dominic (Age 8): Play in the sprinklers
Looking ahead toward summer? Thinking of sending your child to a summer camp? Thinking of creating your own family “camp”? Here are some great links to accomplish both!
