Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in saint louis, MO

Smart Summers on a Budget

June 22, 2009

There is a television commercial that shows a boy drying off from swimming, shaking his head to get the water out of his ears and watching all of the numbers and facts he learned during the school year fall out as he moves. I don't remember who the commercial is for but the message sticks with me and I worry that my kids, especially my 9 year old, will forget the lessons they learned over summer break.

I want to teach my kids over summer break without making lessons boring or "school like" and I'm on a budget. I could send them to expensive camps or tutoring sessions but it doesn't fit in with our spending plan so I have been looking for low cost alternatives to reinforce their learning but also have fun. Luckily, the St. Louis area has many free museums which is a great place to start. I have already taken the kids to the newly expanded Magic House (which is not free but there are coupons available online) and the St. Louis Zoo. The Zoo is always free but The Children's Zoo is not unless you arrive before 9:00 in the morning. By getting there early, you save money and miss the hottest part of the day! I also plan on taking my oldest son to the Art Museum again (I find it hard to appreciate in one visit so we have been seeing small sections at each trip) which is also free. 

To prepare for our summer activities at home, I visited our local craft store and re-stocked our construction paper and other art supplies. I'm not a crafter so we usually play with foam stick-on's, watercolor and finger paints, markers and crayons. The kids and I have made our own stories and cards for loved ones which is fun and reinforces their writing and cutting skills. 

Outside, we also practice our letters, numbers and shapes. I buy massive amounts of sidewalk chalk to encourage outdoor art projects. With our three year old triplets, I often draw hopscotch squares and let the kids fill in the numbers to reinforce the little ones' writing skills. I also write part of the alphabet or numbers on the driveway and let them finish. I encourage them to write their entire names and have recently been trying to teach them to write their address. Our driveway is always covered in my poorly drawn pictures with labels and arrows showing the kids the word for the drawings. By doing this, I've taught them sight words and they are beginning to write words like "car" and "dog" on their own.

I want to keep the kids' bodies healthy as well as their minds and encourage the physical coordination they practiced during the school year. The triplets learned outdoor games like "Red Rover" during preschool which we continue to play outside in our yard. We've also been running, jumping, swinging and slip and sliding all over our backyard. We also visit our many local (and free!) parks where the kids balance along equipment and try to cross the monkey bars. Late summer afternoons are also wonderful times to walk the neighborhood and learn about our surroundings while getting exercise.

Summer can be an easy time to have fun and learn with kids without breaking the bank. Longer daytime hours, good weather, family get-togethers and holidays all provide opportunities to learn with children (and if you do it right, they won't even know they were learning).

What Every Parent Should Know About H1N1 Flu

May 12, 2009

The H1N1 (Swine) Flu has garnered a lot of attention in the last few weeks. Our children hear conversations and catch headlines about pandemic flu scenarios that scare them and don't always know fact from fiction. As a parent, it is hard to wade through the stories and understand how to protect our families from illness and it is even harder for children to understand the situation. It is important to talk to school age children about the flu and reassure them that everything will probably be okay but teach the skills necessary to lessen the chances they will catch the flu. Because the flu was called "swine flu" when first identified, kids may get the mistaken idea that they can catch the flu from pigs or eating pork and you should reassure them that the virus isn't spread in this way. Also explain that even if family members catch the flu, they will most likely be fine since the virus appears to be more mild than previously thought. Of all the cases in the United States, there has only been one fatality and most people have fully recovered.

One of the most important things to do to prevent getting the flu is becoming educated on what flu symptoms are and how to avoid contracting the virus. For Missourians, the Missouri Department of Health's Web site is an informative resource for facts about the spread of the H1N1 Flu in the state. As of May 9th, there are 14 confirmed cases of H1N1 Flu in the state with 3 cases in St. Louis County and 3 more in St. Charles County. The Health Department page is updated daily with the latest figures and statistics as well as information on how to avoid contracting the virus. The national Center for Disease Control is also maintaining a Web site with the latest information on the latest flu information. There are nation-wide statistics, case counts by region and health information available through CDC Web site.

Tips on avoiding the new flu virus are the same for avoiding regular, seasonal flu viruses. Teach your children good health hygiene by instructing them to sneeze or cough into a tissue then throw it away. If a tissue is not available, kids should be taught to sneeze or cough into their elbow instead of on their hands. Hand washing is one of the most important things anyone can do to avoid contracting the virus. Kids should be taught not just to wash their hands  with soap but to wash them for the proper length of time. An easy way to teach this lesson is to tell them to sing Happy Birthday or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star while washing their hands and explain they aren't done washing until the song is finished. If soap and water are unavailable, alcohol based sanitizers like Purell are also useful for killing germs on hands.

What do you do if you or a family member gets sick? Recognize flu symptoms and learn when it is necessary to seek medical attention. H1N1 Flu symptoms are similar to seasonal flu symptoms and include: fever, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, body aches and headaches. At this point, doctors are advising people to stay home if they have flu symptoms and assuring that people don't need to go to the doctor when they begin to experience flu symptoms. As always, people should seek medical attention if they have problems breathing, a very high fever or other serious symptoms. The Missouri Department of Health page suggests staying home for seven days after symptoms arise and longer if the illness persists.

Any flu can be dangerous to young children or people with a compromised immune system so when in doubt, be cautious. Some school districts in other states closed in late April to slow the expected spread of this new flu. Since that time, the spread and severity of the H1N1 Flu appears to have slowed and school closings have decreased. Parents of students can often get information from the district at their web sites or through emails and text alerts. My son's elementary school has been sending home information updates and pushing hand-washing and proper sneezing/coughing techniques with students. If your child's school does decide to close to be cautious in avoiding the spread of the virus, reassure your child that classsmates and teachers will also be okay and the closing is just precautionary to keep everyone safe.

25 Ways To Say Good Job

March 09, 2009

Preschool aged children can be charming, sweet and kind but they can also be contrary, whiny and screamers who throw frustrating tantrums. Discipline can be difficult and exhausting for parents because there is no magic wand that makes a kid behave. One way to teach kids your expectations for their behavior is by rewarding them when they do things the right way to prevent times when they "do it wrong". Instead of using candy or toys as rewards, parents can reward kids by using positive verbal reinforcement, i.e. telling them good job. The main idea is to catch your child doing something right and heap on positive feedback and reinforcement. By praising your preschooler, you are teaching them your expectations for good behavior which can lead to less bad behavior. Use exaggerated voices, expressions and reactions to show you are very happy with their behavior. Get excited!

However, saying "Good Job" over and over again can become mind-numbing and lose impact because the kid has heard it so many times. The following is a list of ways to say good job without actually saying good job. Praise the behavior you want to encourage with one of these phrases and include the specific action (or lack of action) the child performed with these positive statements. 

1. I'm so proud of you!
2. Excellent choice
3. It makes me happy when you do that
4. Good remembering
5. You are awesome
6. Congratulations, you did it right!
7. Thank you for remembering
8. Nice going/Nice Job
9. Keep it up
10. You are getting better at that every time
11. Now you have it
12. Good listening
13. You've just about got it
14. You must have been practicing
15. That is the best ever
16. You are learning a lot
17. You did very well today when we ____
18. That is the best you've ever done!
19. Way to figure it out
20. That's it!
21. You make me smile when you _______
22. You are very good at that
23. I like it when you did______
24. Wow, you are so nice!
25. Great, Wonderful, Fantastic, Excellent, Perfect, Super, Bueno, Wow or Outstanding!

Kids and Voting

by Kim

November 03, 2008

Tomorrow is finally election day and is a great opportunity to teach your kids about the election process. It is important to make an impression on your child that voting is an important process but you don't have to push your opinion of the candidates or political parties. Try to remain positive about who is running for office and the action of voting. Election day presents an opportunity to  Read more...