A Cautionary Guide to Summertime Pool Safety

With the arrival of warm weather comes the desire to dive in and cool off in a pool. The water can be an excellent way to keep the kids cool on a hot day and entertained for hours. Swimming can turn even a shy kid into a giggling, noisy one, and being in the water can help that child feel free and graceful. The make-believe games that preschoolers love to play are easy in the water too. Pretending to be a mermaid or a flying superhero is easier when you can glide through the water. If you have access to an indoor pool, swimming can also fill much of the afternoon on a rainy day. Another bonus for you? After having so much fun in the water, your little swimmer will be too worn out to fight bedtime when it comes.

Swimming has tons of positives, but drowning is the second leading cause of death among children between 1 and 4 years old, according to SafeKids.org. "Safety first" is always a good rule to follow for all those in or around the pool. Here is a little information on how to insure your swimmers stay safe.

Presented By Doheny

CONNECTions

Check out the latest issue of CONNECTions Magazine with a focus on the Great Start to Readiness Program!

Update for Participating Programs - Launch of STARS 2.0

Important changes are coming to Great Start to Quality, Michigan’s first rating and improvement system for child care and preschool programs. 

For those currently participating in Great Start to Quality, we would like to provide more detailed information about how this will impact your program, and what action will need to be taken when the new system launches on June 10.  The Office of Great Start has provided additional details on the launch of STARS 2.0, and the 60 day window during which information must be updated. Please click here to read the letter from the Office of Great Start with these details.

We are here to assist you with this transition. For further assistance, please contact your Great Start to Quality Resource Center at 1-877-614-7328, or  616-447-5678.

There are lots of great activities coming up at the Wittenbach/Wege Agriscience and Environmental Education Center in the next few weeks!

These are some great opportunities to get the kids outside to explore their natural surroundings, and support their curiosity, exploration, and understanding. Help encourage your child’s interest in the diversity, beauty, and joy of natural life and an understanding of the importance of the interrelationship of living things.

Frog Watch Training

Wednesday, April 17th @ 7:00 pm

FrogWatch USA is the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' flagship citizen science program that allows individuals and families to learn about the wetlands in their communities and help conserve amphibians by reporting the calls of local frogs and toads. It’s a nationwide program where participants learn and practice science while developing a closer relationship with the natural environment. The Wittenbach/Wege Agriscience and Environmental Education Center has started their own FrogWatch USA chapter and will host another training on Wednesday, April 17th @ 7:00 p.m. Volunteers with an interest in monitoring frogs in the greater Grand Rapids area are welcomed to attend. For more information, please call 616-987-2565 or email mjohnson@lowellschools.com.

Earth Day Arts & Crafts

Saturday, April 20th 9-11 am

The Wittenbach/Wege Agriscience and Environmental Education Center is teaming up with LowellArts! to present a morning of fun arts and craft activities for children ages 5 and up using recycled materials. Project Director Kacey Cornwell will teach a variety of youth craft projects. Youngsters may choose three of five projects available. The projects are puzzle blocks, sachet, collage, pin/magnet, drinking straw/paper bead bracelet and a found-object mask. Cost per child is $5 and space is limited. Pre-registration is required. Sign-up by Wednesday, April 17th by calling 616-987-2565.

It’s April Fool’s Day ALL Month at the WWC Sundays April 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th 1–4 pm Each Sunday in April, the Wittenbach/Wege Agriscience and Environmental Education Center will have a different trail set up to try to “fool” you. Hikers can pick up a list from the center and see if they can find the items on the list located along a particular trail. You’ll have to think outside the box because the item listed might not be what you think it is. Once everything is found, bring your completed list into the center to be entered into a drawing to win a fishing pole and tackle box set (winner will be announced on Monday, April 29th). We challenge you to come out each Sunday – we’ll have a different list for a different trail each week. See if we can fool you!

Fun on the Farm

Saturday, May 4th 9–12 pm

Join us for a day of Fun on the Farm! Ever been eye to eye with a newborn calf? Want to pet a lamb? The Lowell High School FFA Chapter will provide you with these opportunities and more as you get a chance to get up close and personal with several of our barnyard friends. This FREE event is GREAT for families and all are encouraged to attend.

Family Fossil Dig

Sunday May 19th 2:00 – 3:30 pm

Join geologist Steve Tchozeski for a fun and informative geologic trip into the earth's past. Learn about fossil formation, types of fossils and how fossils are used to develop a geological history of the earth. Afterwards, we'll dig through limestone material in search of fossils dating back 350 million years. All found fossils are yours to keep!Cost is $15 per family. Space is limited so call 616-987-2565 or email mjohnson@lowellschools.com to register.

Get RAW Workshop

2nd Tuesday of each month starting June 11th Each class is 6:30-8:00pm Get “vegucated” on a raw, plant-based diet and taste for yourself how raw fooding can improve your health, lifestyle and tantalize your taste buds. A series of four classes will begin on June 11th at 6:30pm at the Wittenbach/Wege Agriscience and Environmental Education Center in Lowell. Each class will be taught by a Raw Food Chef and you’ll walk away will educational materials, recipes and the taste of 100% raw food. Over the course of the summer you’ll learn lots of new recipes to create your own four course raw meals at home. Each class is $25.00 or you can attend all four classes for $80.00 (savings of $20.00). Spaces are limited so please call 616-987-2565 or e-mail mjohnson@lowellschools.com today to reserve your spot. Classes brought to you by Encompassing You LLC and the Wittenbach/Wege Agriscience and Environmental Education Center

Class Schedule

* June 11th Green Smoothies and Juicing

* July 9th Appetizers and Dips

* August 13th Main Dishes

* September 10th Dessert and Potluck

Create an Outdoor Garden with the Kids this Spring!

Take advantage of a beautiful day by learning outside! 

It is great for kids to get outside and play in the garden but it’s even better when they can play with the garden! Including plants in your garden that are suitable for kids to use in their play is a great way to encourage them to be outside – playing, interacting and learning with nature.

Be sure to include many different types of plants to ensure a variety of activities. For instance, including some hardy vines and creepers in your garden will provide an endless supply of crowns for kings, fairies and the like. Try Star Jasmin or Hardenbergia/Coral Pea.

Kids can spend hours in the yard concocting potions from plants, water, who knows what else! Plants with an interesting scent from flowers or leaves are always fun for creating potions. Try Lavender, Pineapple Sage, or Mint. Mint grows like a weed so the kids can pick as much as they like!

Kids love picking bunches of flowers to give to someone they love, or just to brighten their day. Choose some hardy flowering perennials that take little maintenance, or annuals that easily self-seed each Spring. Some suggestions include Daisies or Geraniums for a perennial, and Cosmos, Forget Me Nots, Calendula, Nasturtiums, and Borage for self-seeding annuals.

There is no better way to teach children where food comes from than to grow it themselves. Plus it’s fun to collect some home grown goodness to snack on. Choose easy to grow fruit or veggies that you know your children enjoy; beginning with those the kids can eat right off the plant for fast snacking while playing.  Try strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, beans, or cherry tomatoes.

A fort is one of the best backyard play areas for a kid, but if you don’t have one you can always grow one! 
As simple as a circle of sunflowers or a creeper growing over an arched tunnel, hiding among the plants is lots of fun. You could try: Giant Sunflowers – plant in a circle to make a hiding spot, climbing beans – set up a teepee support and grow a bean cubby, or vines and creepers – build an arched tunnel and grow evergreen creepers over it for a more permanent cubby house.

Growing something a bit funny or weird can always get the kids interested. Maybe it is a funny looking flower, or an unusual looking veggie, something a little different is a fun addition to the garden.

Even if you don’t have a garden, many of the smaller, playful plants will grow in pots on a window sill or balcony so there is no reason why everyone can’t enjoy playing with plants!

Recording the Weather

Observing and recording the weather is a daily activity in many preschool classrooms. And with the weather beginning to change (hopefully), this would be a fun learning activity to do with the kids.

Included in this post are the learning benchmarks (LB) to be covered during this fun part of your day.

Start by discussing different kinds of weather during Circle Time (LB: Use common weather-related vocabulary such as; rainy, snowy, sunny, and windy. Identify basic concepts associated with night/day and seasons).

Then using chalk/white boards, practice making simple weather symbols (LB: Understand that pictures and symbols have meaning and that pring carries a message).

The "Weather Reporter" can be a job that rotates daily. The Weather Reporter goes outside with an assistant, but it could also be done by looking out a window (LB: Use senses to explore and observe materials and natureal phenomena).

Tips for Choosing Toys for Toddlers

 

Toddlers are little explorers who learn by doing. Play gives your child a great opportunity to develop and practice new skills at her own pace by following her unique interests. The toys and playthings your child has available to her can shape her development in important ways.
While it may seem like choosing toys for toddlers should be easy, as you walk into a toy store today, the only thing that's easy is feeling overwhelmed. There is a huge array of toys that have been developed for the toddler market. How do you choose which are right for your child? How can you tell which are high quality and which will last? Which will engage your child's interest for more than a few days or weeks? Below are some ideas for choosing toys that will grow with your child, challenge her, and nurture her overall development (her thinking, physical, language and social-emotional skills).

Guidelines for Choosing Toys for Toddlers

• Choose toys that can be used in a variety of ways. Toddlers love to take apart, put back together, pull out, put in, add on, and build up. Choose toys that are "open-ended" in the sense that your child can play many different games with them. For example, wooden blocks or chunky plastic interlocking blocks can be used to make a road, a zoo, a bridge or a spaceship. Toys like this spark your child's imagination and help him develop problem-solving and logical thinking skills.
  
  Examples: Blocks, interlocking blocks, nesting blocks or cups, and toys for sand and water play
  
  
• Look for toys that will grow with your child. We all have had the experience of buying a toy that our child plays with for two days and never touches again. You can guard against that by looking for toys that can be fun at different developmental stages. For example, small plastic animals are fun for a young toddler who may make a shoebox house for them, while an older toddler can use them to act out a story she makes up.
  
  Examples: Plastic toy animals and action figures, toddler-friendly dollhouses, trains and dump trucks (and other vehicles), stuffed animals and dolls
  
  
• Select toys that encourage exploration and problem-solving. Play gives children the chance to practice new skills over and over again. Toys that give kids a chance to figure something out on their own—or with a little coaching—build their logical thinking skills and help them become persistent problem-solvers. They also help children develop spatial relations skills (understanding how things fit together), hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills (using the small muscles in the hands and fingers).
  
  Examples: Puzzles, shape-sorters, blocks, nesting blocks or cups, art materials like clay, paint, crayons or play-dough
  
  
• Look for toys that spark your child's imagination. During your child's third year, her creativity is really taking off as she is now able to take on the role of someone else (like a king) and imagine that something (like a block) is actually something else (like a piece of cake). Look for toys that your child can use as he develops and acts out stories. Pretend play builds language and literacy skills, problem-solving skills, and the ability to sequence (put events in a logical order).
  
  Examples: Dress-up clothing, blocks, toy food and plastic plates, action figures, stuffed animals and dolls, trains and trucks, toddler-friendly dollhouses, toy tools, and "real-life" accessories such as a wrapping paper tube "fire hose" for your little fire fighter. The all-purpose large cardboard box is always a big hit for toddlers and is free. (Call an appliance store about picking up one of their refrigerator boxes). Boxes become houses, pirate ships, barns, tunnels—anything your child's imagination can come up with!
  
  
• Give your child the chance to play with "real" stuff—or toys that look like the real thing. Your toddler is getting good at figuring out how objects in her world work—like television remotes or light switches. She is also interested in playing with your "real" stuff, like your cell phone, because she is eager to be big and capable like you. Toys like this help children problem-solve, learn spatial relations (how things fit together), and develop fine motor skills (use of the small muscles in the hands and fingers).
  
  Examples: Plastic dishes and food, toy keys, toy phone, dress-up clothes, musical instruments, child-size brooms, mops, brushes and dustpans
  
  
• Toss in some "getting ready to read" toys. Books, magnetic alphabet letters, and art supplies like markers, crayons, and fingerpaints help your child develop early writing and reading skills. "Real-life" props like take-out menus, catalogs or magazines are fun for your child to look at and play with and also build her familiarity with letters, text, and print.
  
  
• Seek out toys that encourage your child to be active. Toddlers are doing all kinds of physical tricks as they are stronger and more confident with their bodies. Your job is to be an appreciative audience for your little one's newest playground achievement! Look for toys that help your child practice current physical skills and develop new ones.
  
  Examples: Balls of different shapes and sizes, tricycles or three-wheeled scooters (with appropriate protective gear), plastic bowling sets, child-size basketball hoop, pull-toys (e.g., toys that your child can pull on a string), wagon to fill and pull, gardening tools to dig and rake with, moving boxes (open at both ends) to make tunnels to crawl through
  
  
• Look for toys that nurture cross-generational play. While adults and children can play almost anything together, there are some toys that are designed for adult participation. As your child approaches age 3 and beyond, early board games—that involve using one's memory or simple board games that do not require reading—are fun for all ages to play. Consider starting a "family game night" when all of you play together. Board games encourage counting, matching and memory skills, as well as listening skills and self-control (as children learn to follow the rules). They also nurture language and relationship-building skills. Another important benefit is teaching children to be gracious winners and how to cope with losing.

Common Questions on Choosing Toys for Toddlers

What are the benefits of sounds, lights and music? Many, many toys for toddlers are ablaze with buttons, levers, lights, music, etc. Often these toys are marketed as "developmental" because the toy has so many different functions. Unfortunately, this often has the opposite effect for the child. The more a toy does, the less your child has to do. If your child can sit and watch the toy "perform", then it is likely more entertaining than educational. In addition, these toys can be confusing to a child who is learning cause-and-effect. If a toy randomly starts playing music, or it is unclear which button made the lights start flashing, then your child is not learning which of his actions (the cause) produced the lights and music (the effect). In short, the most useful toys are those that require the most action on the part of a young child. The more children have to use their minds and bodies to make something work, the more they learn.
Can toys actually "make my baby smarter", as the packaging and advertisements often claim? Proceed with caution. Most products that make these claims have not been proven to increase children's intelligence. In fact, safe household items (plastic bowls for filling and dumping, pillows for climbing and piling up to make a cave, old clothing for dress-up) are often the best learning tools. Remember, the more your child has to use his mind and body to problem solve and develop his own ideas, the more he learns.

Copyright 2012 ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families
1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20037 | Phone: (202) 638-1144 | Fax: (202) 638-0851