Blogs

Hi Everyone,

At our last staff meeting we had a shower for Mai whose new baby is going to make an appearance at any moment. Mai is a member of the Chipmunk teaching team and has her son Mustafa in the Bluebird room. Mai and Mustafa opened presents for the new baby. Mustafa seemed to understand that these presents he was opening were not for him. He did such a great job of carefully opening every one!

Monday was Earth Day, a day to celebrate the environment and promote efforts to protect it. Even though Earth Day is over, it’s not too late to focus on the environment. There are many ways the environment around us affects our health. I’d like to share a few ideas of ways to get children involved in Earth Month that will also help keep them healthy.

Great Expression of the Value of Play! Read on . . .
"Historically, play has been viewed as a frivolous break from important endeavors like working and learning when, in fact, a child’s ability to fully and freely engage in play is essential to their learning, productivity, and overall development," observe Steve Gross and Rebecca Cornelli Sanderson in their article, "Play is the Way," in the Beginnings section of the September/October 2012 Exchange magazine. They continue:

Nutrition is a topic where I feel I am always learning new things or rediscovering facts that I had previously learned. What we eat plays an important part in how we feel and for children, how they develop. I’m going to be doing several posts on different topics around food, nutrition, and eating. I look forward to learning as I write them, and I hope they will offer something to you to learn as you read them.

Early childhood is an important time for so many things, including creating the foundation of a healthy body, lifelong food preferences, and a healthy relationship with food.

The last of the seven dimensions of wellness is physical wellness. Physical wellness is about keeping our bodies healthy and taking action when we are sick or injured. When we are physically well, we are active, at a healthy weight, feel good about our bodies, and are able to participate fully in our lives.

Occupational wellness means having a balance between work and home life and feeling positive about one’s work. Work can include a job, a role such as caregiver, being a student, or any other role or responsibility. With occupational wellness, the work you do reflects your values and you are able to seek opportunities to grow professionally.

Spiritual wellness is tied to having values and beliefs that help guide our actions and give meaning to our lives. Spiritual wellness may mean different things for different people. For some, it may be tied to a particular religious practice that they follow. Others may find spiritual wellness through meditation, nature, or helping others.

Two weeks ago, on Staff Development Day, CPSC staff came together to celebrate our new wellness policies and to learn how to take good care of ourselves. We heard a keynote speech on the seven dimensions of wellness, attended a wellness fair, and attended a variety of workshops focused on physical and emotional wellbeing. I think it was a recharging day for all of us!

I go around on a regular basis and check the first aid kits in each classroom and the yards to make sure they are fully stocked. Earlier this week I was checking the kit in the senior preschool yard. It was a beautiful day, so I took the kit and my list of supplies and sat at one of the small picnic tables with a few of the children from the Unicorn room.

The children wanted to know why I was there. At first they thought maybe someone was sick or hurt and I was checking on them. I explained that I was checking to make sure we had everything we needed ready in case someone got hurt.

The New York Times Column A Surprising Risk for Toddlers on Playground Slides shares an important safety tip for playgrounds - holding a child in your lap to go down a slide actually increases the child's risk of injury. You can read the article here: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/23/a-surprising-risk-for-toddlers-....

For more playground safety tips, go to http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/outdoor/playground.html.

This photo is priceless! Apparently, this little 2 year old boy, when he is finished eating what he wants, engages in a little engineering and stacks everything up! He looks pleased, doesn't he? It's his idea and his accomplishment. You know that was not a teacher's idea. It's all him.

Now I know some of you might be thinking, "He didn't finish all his food!" or "Why is he playing with his food?" I know, I know! It is important to teach children social conventions and we do that at CPSC.

Here's a little story that makes me laugh every time I think about it.

A few weeks ago I had a minor surgical procedure to remove a small growth on my face. I went around for about 2 weeks with a very visible bandage on my chin. Of course that was the source of endless questions from the children. The comments went from "Owie!" in the toddler rooms to "I have an owie too." in the preschool rooms to more detailed and sophisticated conversations with the pre-kindergarteners.

I was in the middle of one of these conversations in a pre-k room that went something like this.

We have several parents in our Hummingbird classroom of 15 2-3 year olds who celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim. This year their children and their classmates were old enough to really appreciate a party to celebrate Purim together. The children got ready. They raided the dress-up box and created their costumes. Three moms showed up in costume as well with plenty of Purim songs to play for the children. The music went on and everyone danced together. The music and dancing were infectious. We’re not sure who was having more fun, the children or the adults. Big smiles on every face!

I was walking through the toddler yard and here comes a five year old, boing, boing, boing, jumping through the yard on the sidewalk accompanied by his mother. Do you know how much energy that takes? Try it!

This is a topic I have written about in the past, but it is one that is important, so I wanted to discuss it again. Many of us were raised with the idea that going outside in the cold will cause illness. Actually, in winter it is especially important to spend time playing outside.

When we stay inside all day with the doors and windows closed, we are breathing the same air. This means that we are all sharing each other’s germs – not the kind of sharing we want to encourage!

New car seat laws went into effect January 1, 2012.

All children under 8 years of age or under 4'9" in height need to ride in the back seat in a car seat or a booster. Most children will need to be in a booster seat until they are 10 or 11.

Acetaminophen is a commonly used medication in children and infants. It is typically given to reduce fever or to relieve pain.

Currently, acetaminophen (Tylenol, Little Fevers, Pedia Care, and others) is available in two concentrations. The children’s version has 160 mg per 5 ml. More concentrated infant versions are also available with concentrations of 80 mg per 0.8 ml or 80 mg per 1 ml.

Earlier, I shared an article on the importance of safe sleep environments for infants. First Five Santa Clara County, in partnership with the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, has just announced a new Safe Sleep Awareness Campaign.

To read more about the campaign and to find resources for safe sleep, visit http://www.first5kids.org/safesleep.

Hello everyone.

Two physicians on Santa Clara County’s Child Death Review Team recently wrote an article for the Mercury News about the importance of safe sleeping practices. I’ve included the article below or you can view it at: http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_19451069.

We are entering into flu season. Starting last year, flu vaccines have been recommended for nearly everyone over 6 months of age. It is especially important for some groups to get the flu vaccine. These include pregnant women, children under 5 and especially those under 2, people over 50 years old, people with some chronic medical conditions, and those who care for people at higher risk for the flu. That includes people who care for or live with infants under 6 months who are too young for the vaccine.

Fire prevention week

This week is fire prevention week. Here are some tips to help protect your family and home from fire.

Install smoke alarms – install smoke alarms at each level of the house, outside sleeping areas, and inside bedrooms. Test the batteries once a month. Make sure children know what the smoke alarm will sound like if it goes off.

Cook safely – stay in the kitchen and keep an eye on what you are cooking.

Many of you may have heard of the ongoing outbreak of listeriosis associated with cantaloupe. So far, there has only been one case in California, but it is likely that more cases will be found as public health officials continue to investigate.

Everyone who has ever been around babies knows that they communicate from the very beginning. Who can ignore a new-born's cry? I've not met that person yet. Whether we are the parents, grandparents, or just someone else in the room, an infant's cry gets an immediate response from us.

Head lice can be itchy, uncomfortable, and a nuisance, but fortunately they are not a serious health concern. There are a lot of misperceptions about head lice; here are some facts.

I had such a lovely thing happen to me recently that I just have to share it. Currently I am spending time in one of our toddler rooms to support them through some upcoming transitions; so I pop in and out frequently. Sometimes I stay and play. Other times I'm in and out more quickly.

This proves a bit confusing to the children. Why is Rachel coming in so often? Why doesn't she just stay with us rather than leaving?