To My Russian Viewers!

I've noticed that I'm getting several page views from Russia, and I would love to know how I can serve you better. I'd also love to know more about Russia's education for young children and your attraction to my website! Thanks again for your interests!

Proper Restroom Etiquette for Children by: Deborah McGuire

Recently, I was asked by a mom if her six year old should be able to wipe herself after using the restroom. My answer was, "all children need to be trained to take care of their basic hygiene needs as soon as they become potty trained." For one, it's good hygiene, and second, your child will not always be in your presence when using the restroom. Therefore, parents must teach their children to wipe themselves in order to not rely on someone else.

For example, during my second year of teaching prekindergarten, I had a male student that would yell for my assistance in the bathroom that connected to the classroom. He continued to yell until I was able to pry myself from a classroom of fifteen students to wipe his bottom. Mind you, this was a completely capable 4 year old that insisted I take care of his hygiene needs.

So, I know your wondering if I wiped his bottom, and the answer is "yes, I helped him the first time." But...I did not leave the restroom before having a heart-to-heart conversation. I told the young student that he would need to wipe his own bottom the next time and that he should begin practicing at home. However, a couple of days later, we ran into the same problem again. However, this time I closed the bathroom door so he would not disturb the entire classroom. I also gave him step by step directions on what to do from outside the bathroom door, and after a few more minutes of protesting, came silence. I assumed the young man took care of his own needs without involving me, and the best part of all... the problem never arose again!

All in all, parents need to teach their children to take care of some basic needs such as feeding themselves, appropriately communicating with others, and properly using the restroom. We cannot expect educators, camp counselors, aides, etc. to take time out of their busy day to wipe the hind ends of capable children.

If you have any comments or questions, I'd love to hear them. You may respond to this post or personally email me!

My daughter vs. the doorstop. Too funny!

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TEACHER? :) By Jeff Foxworthy

1. You can hear 25 voices behind you and know exactly who it belongs to.
2. You get a secret thrill out of laminating something.
3. You walk into a store and hear the words "It's Ms" _________" and know you have been spotted.
4. You have 25 people that accidentally call you Mom at one time or another.
5. You can eat a multi-course meal in unde...r twenty minutes.
6. You've trained yourself to go to the bathroom at two distinct times of the day: lunch and planning period.
7. You start saving other people's trash, because most likely, you can use that toilet paper tube or plastic butter tub for something in the classroom.
8. You believe the teachers' lounge should be equipped with a margarita machine.
9. You want to slap the next person who says "Must be nice to work 8 to 3 and have summers off."
10. You believe chocolate is a food group.
11. You can tell if it's a full moon without ever looking outside.
12. You believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says "Boy, the kids sure are mellow today."
13. You feel the urge to talk to strange children and correct their behavior when you are out in public.
14. You think caffeine should be available in intravenous form.
15. You spend more money on school stuff than you do on your own needs.
16. You can't pass the school supply aisle without getting at least five items!
17. You ask your friends if the left hand turn he just made was a "good choice or a bad choice."
18. You find true beauty in a can full of perfectly sharpened pencils
19. You are secretly addicted to hand sanitizer.

Selecting good books for children by: Roxanne Rowley

As the holiday season draws near, it is time to shop. I hope parents will consider buying a book or two as gifts. Reading to a small child is one of life’s greatest pleasures. It is a perfect way to bond with a child, and a great way to enhance their literacy and language development. Finding quality literature for children is not hard if you keep in mind a few hints.

Is the text of the story engaging?

Are the illustrations colorful?

Will the illustrations keep your child’s attention?

And do the illustrations go along well with the story?

Can the child identify with the characters in the story?

Is it fun to read the book aloud?

Will you be able to read the book over and over again with enthusiasm?

Do the illustrations invite the child to look for details of the story?

Does the story keep your child’s (and your) attention? It is likely that if you find the book boring or lacking so will your child.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Selecting good books for children - Traverse City Early Childhood Parenting | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/early-childhood-parenting-in-traverse-city/selecting-good-books-for-children#ixzz1e0HEJslh

Activities Young Children Can Master

Independence Building Activities

· Washing hands
· Dressing/undressing
· Managing clothes fasteners
· Assisting with meal preparation (pouring, mixing, scooping)
· Assisting with packing lunch (spreading, pealing, picking,
etc.)
· Open/close food packages (baggies, straws, caps, etc.)
· Feeding self
· Feeding pet
· Setting/clearing table
· Filling/clearing dishwasher
· Washing/drying dishes
· Sweeping (small and large)
· Watering plants
· Sorting anything (laundry, socks, paper, ribbons, utensils,
etc.)

How does sleep affect your child’s brain? by: Rhonda Sampiere

How Sleep Relates to the Brain

· Studies show that 3 year olds who nap well are
more adaptable. (Adaptability is the single most
important trait for school success.)
· In a study of 5 year olds, persistence or attention
span was the trait most strongly associated with
daytime sleep or nap duration. Those who slept
longer during the day had longer attention spans.
· Studies show napping does not affect duration or
quality of sleep at night.
· MRI studies suggest that a growth hormone is
released during REM sleep (Remember, 95% of
brain development takes place by age five.)
· Researchers also believe that memories are consolidated
during REM sleep

It is important to know that the process of falling
asleep is learned and, in fact, a self-help skill.
(Remember, you can put a child to bed, but he must
put himself to sleep.) Children often wake at the end
of REM sleep cycles. Those who put themselves to
sleep independently will not need help from you when
this happens. Successful bedtime routine meet two
criteria:

· They work for the child. They enable the child to
go to bed calmly and safely and to fall asleep on
his or her own.
· They work for the parent. The don’t make parents
feel trapped or resentful.

Tips for Setting the Stage for Successful Sleep

· Bedtime starts long before children are in bed. In
fact, children are far more ready for bedtime if they
have “winding down” time with some calm relaxing
activities.
· Avoid television and videos
· Eliminate caffeine at least 6 hours before bedtime
· Make bedtime the same time each night. Give advance
warning at 15 min. and at 5 minutes.
· Adjust daytime naps to support the bedtime schedule.

Divide day in half. Example: A child waking
at 8 a.m. and going to bed at 7 p.m. would nap at
approximately 1 p.m.

· As evening approaches, the environment should
become quieter and lighting should become dimmer.
· Keep bedtime routines short and sweet—no longer
than 15 minutes (not including bath, of course!)
· Children should sleep in the same sleeping environment
every night, in a room that is cool, quiet and
dark. (without a television)
· Wake children at the same time every morning
(give or take 5-30 minutes.)

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, Weissbluth,
Ballantine 2003
Sleepless in America, Kurcinka, Harper 2006

Brain Insight by: Deborah McNelis

Isn't it wonderful to know we can easily impact

the healthy brain development of all children?

Hello and Welcome!
It is an extreme pleasure to participate and contribute to this new and wonderful collaborative blog. My passion is to create the awareness and understanding that we can easily impact the healthy and optimal brain development of children.... And the early years are the best time to have a positive influence. The exiting aspect of this new blog is that those of us that understand the importance of the early years can make a real difference when we all share and work together. Huge thanks to Debbie for creating a new way for helping us achieve this goal that our hearts so desire for the benefit of kids!
Deborah McNelis

As I often say to audiences at the beginning of brain presentations, “ I am thrilled that technology allows the study of the brain, like we've never seen before”. When scientific research began demonstrating that a child's early development is largely determined by the daily environment and experiences, rather than genetics alone, I became extremely excited. I was an early childhood educator at that time and knew the impact of the early years, but having scientific evidence to support the dramatic difference quality early childhood educators and caring parents make was very reinforcing.

The good news is that advances in brain research have demonstrated the enormous importance of the early years in determining a person's future success in learning and in life. It is now known that a child’s brain continues to develop long after birth. The term “brain development” means more than just intelligence building. It means the actual structural changes that take place in the brain. The experiences a child has in the early years activate the actual physical connections between brain cells that make the brain grow—in other words, the brain's "wiring." We now understand that school readiness is based on this brain wiring, most of which takes place before age 5. This wiring develops best when provided with:

• Nurturing and stimulating environments
• Repetition of positive experiences
• Nutrition and sleep
• Unstructured Play with real objects
• Movement activities and time in nature
• Direct and interactive language
• Routines and consistency
• Being read to and exposure to music activities
• Positive and caring relationships

Conversely, constant exposure to stress, limited stimulation, poor nutrition, chaos, little time outdoors, too much television time, unpredictability, and lack of nurturing relationships all lead to types of brain wiring that can contribute to emotional and learning problems. Brains learn very early how to cope with the environment to which we are exposed, sometimes with harmful results.

This information is critical because approximately 13 million infants, toddlers, and preschoolers are not in the care of their parent during the day, including 45% of children under the age of one. Early childhood professionals who are trained and are knowledgeable about early brain development have a dramatic and very positive influence. Dedicated educators and care providers create healthy learning environments and the loving interactions growing minds need when children are away from their parents.

The significance of the early years is still not fully recognized. We need to ensure all settings are environments where children can thrive. Our education system and entire society cannot afford to continue to allow large numbers of children to miss out on the positive experiences they need in infancy and early childhood; the costs in terms of lost potential and increasing rates of emotional and behavioral problems are too high. Brain research show us what children need; our responsibility is to ensure that every child receives it!

Deborah McNelis, MS -Education

Christmas season promotional!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Christmas is a great time to prepare, organize, and purge toys in order to make room for new educational toys, furniture, etc. Therefore, Creation Stations for kids is offering a free playroom consultation this holiday season to families interested in a new playroom or reorganizing their current playroom.

A regular consultation is $50 which means $50 will be discounted from your total playroom purchase. I highly recommend using CS4K to help with your playroom needs because it can be very difficult and time consuming for parents to organize a playroom on their own, especially when the kids are around! Let CS4K take the burden off of your shoulders by sifting through all the unnecessary toys to find the gems and then organize so your children can easily access them.

So you might be wondering, "How will you accomplish this?" Well...

CS4K sets up the following 7 stations in your home: literacy, art, drama, fine motor, library, science, and blocks. Ample research shows that these activities are linked to encouraging exploration, creation, imagination, fine motor skills, and cognitive development in young children. In fact, Parents Magazine recently published an article expressing the need for creativity in children because, “ in a recent IBM poll, 1,500 CEOs identified creativity as the single most important trait for leaders of the future” (2011).

So, what are you waiting for? Give CS4K a call!

Preschooler Generosity: Is it Possible?

By Erin MacPherson, mom of three.

I admit, I had asked the unthinkable—requesting that each of my children part with their hard-earned dollars, dollars saved from birthday presents, allowances and the tooth fairy—to buy a toy for someone else.

After wildfires raged through our hometown of Austin, Texas, destroying more than 1,500 homes in one day, my husband and I decided to help. And, since this disaster hit close to home affecting several of our friends, I really wanted my kids to have a tangible understanding of what it meant to give generously.

So I asked them to donate to the cause. And, as expected, they refused.

"I asked them to each spend time
praying that God would show them
how they could make a difference."

Not ready to give up, I sat them down on the couch and explained. I told them about kids who had nowhere to live and nothing to play with. Then I asked them to each spend time praying that God would show them how they could make a difference. Talk about laying it on thick.

Five minutes later, they came and asked if we could go to Target. They headed straight to the toy aisle where Joey carefully selected a Star Wars toy and Kate selected a pink pony.

I could see the emotions in their eyes as they carefully counted out the bills from their wallets and handed them to the cashier. Trepidation mixed with joy, disappointment mixed with pride, and I knew that a huge lesson had been learned.