BC Empowerment Crier Newsletter - December/January 07

Using Play For Many Purposes—Jenny Hoeger

Many people think a child’s job is to play and an adult’s job is to work. But, I think work can be play for both children and adults. As a speech therapist, I become worried when a child lacks age appropriate play skills. Play skills facilitate problem solving, nonverbal communication, social skills, expressive language and sensory/motor skills. In the first 3 months of life, we give a child a rattle and get excited when we see their expression when they “accidentally” shake it. We notice when the baby makes eye contact with the toy or tries to explore it with two hands. The problem solving also begins when the rattle accidentally drops and scares them. Soon, playing with a rattle will lead to a banging and mouthing stage that is very crucial to learning.

By nine months, the child is searching for hidden objects. She is problem solving while searching for a desired object. Also at this time, the child is reaching for herself in the mirror and gaining understanding of her actions and body. She is learning to anticipate while enjoying play with caregivers. By the child’s first birthday, he is participating in speech routine games. He is imitating verbally and during play. The child is using toys appropriately, such as pushing a car. He may resist the removal of a toy and still like to have his own playtime without others interfering.

Eventually, play leads to pretending. Pretending leads to abstract thinking and learning. A cardboard box is no longer a storage place, with imagination it can become a means of transportation. It is important to pay attention to a child’s ability to communicate, but remember what comes first…..PLAY. To receive ideas about play activities to facilitate learning, please attend my class on January 24th, 2006 at Kirkwood Community College Vinton Center, 111 W 3rd Street, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. The presentation will be informative and fun. We will use a variety of techniques to improve our quality of play; music, books, fun activities and take home projects.

Pediatric Medic First Aid/CPR Certification

Sue Klenk will present Pediatric Medic First Aid/CPR Certification on December 12th and 14th, from 6:00 until 10:00 p.m. at Frontier Child Care Center, 1 Frontier Road in Norway. This training is being offered to first-timers who will learn basic care skills in first-aid, CPR and obstructed airway for infants, children and adults. This course meets OSHA requirements for day care and preschool workers. Two-year recommended renewal. We encourage you to attend this class for certification as future classes are not yet scheduled. Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come first-served basis.

Pediatric CPR/First Aid Re-Certificatiton

Sue Klenk will present Pediatric CPR/First-Aid Re-Certification on December 18, 2006 from 6:00 p.m.—10:00 p.m. at Frontier Child Care Center, 1 Frontier Road in Norway. This training is being offered to those whose previous certification has not yet expired. Sue will review the basics of CPR for adults, infants and children. This course meets the OSHA requirements for daycare and preschool workers. If your two-year certification is due soon, we encourage you to attend this class for renewal as future classes are not yet scheduled. Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come first-served basis.

Registration Information

To register for any of these provider classes, call Heidi Schminke at 319/472-4543 or 888/690-3444. Classes run from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Tuition will be paid for by Empowerment funds for all childcare providers, preschool and Kindergarten teachers in Benton County.

Trivia Day—January 4th

Trivia Day celebrates the many people who know all kinds of interesting facts or tidbits of information that often seem unimportant to others.

Stress the fact that trivia is useful because it’s fun, stimulates curiosity and encourages children to become inquisitive. Find a collection of trivia for kids and share a tidbit of information each day during the week.

Children will certainly get caught up in the excitement of learning new facts and will probably want to share a little bit of knowledge of their own with others.

You never know when a tiny piece of trivia will stimulate a child’s curiosity to want to find out more!

National Bake Cookies Day

National Bake Cookies Day is always on December 18th. 'Ya just gotta love Bake Cookies Day....

Christmas is for Christians
Hanukkah is just for Jews
Ramadan is for those of Islamic descent
Kwanzaa is for those of African origin
Native American Day is for American Indians
But, Bake Cookies day is for EVERYONE!

Bake Cookies Day comes at an opportune time. It right amidst the major December holidays. It serves as a reminder to bake holiday cookies, if you haven't done so already.
Young and old celebrate this day by baking their favorite cookies. Make a party of it, and bake cookies in groups with family, friends, kids and grandkids. Don't stop at baking just one kind of cookies. Plan to bake a number of cookies. Try a new recipe, or two, or three, or....
If you bake more than you can eat, good for you! Wrap up gift trays filled with cookies for friends and neighbors. Many cookies freeze well, too.
Important Note: It is surprising that Bake Cookies Day is not immediately followed by "Eat Cookies Day."

To celebrate try making Butterscotch Gingerbread People with your children:

1 small box butterscotch pudding mix (cook & serve)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
decorations or icing

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream pudding mix, butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat egg in. Add dry ingredients and mix until blended. Roll out on floured board and cut with cookie cutters.

Add candy buttons, cinnamon candy hearts or other decorations as desired. Bake for approximately 10 minutes and cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Cookies may then be decorated with icing as desired. Makes approximately 12 large cookies or many smaller ones, depending on size of cookie cutters.

Every Child Reads (3—5 Years)—Second Edition

These workshops will provide early literacy professional development for early childhood providers. Participants will use these early literacy strategies with children. Participants can model these strategies with other adults

The goals of ECR are to:

Increase the percent of children entering kindergarten ready to read
Decrease the number of referrals to specialized services in language, reading, and writing by third grade

Participants will learn about literacy strategies appropriate to use with 3-5 year old children. This professional development will follow the Iowa Professional Development Model using theory, demonstration, practice, and coaching. During the sessions participants will begin planning using the Planning/Reflection logs; implement the plans with children; and return to class sharing the new learnings and reflections. Copies of these written logs will be collected, analyzed, and used to plan subsequent class sessions. Copies of the logs will be used as documentation to meet the requirements for this professional development.

Classes will be held at the Kirkwood Vinton Center on the following Thursday nights from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. January 11 & 18; February 1 & 15; March 1 and 15. March 29 will serve as a make-up date for weather related cancellations

Attendees will participate in all six sessions plus three 2-hour follow up sessions (24 hours); implement the strategies with children and document plans, implementation, and reflections.
Barbara Roberts, a Grant Wood AEA School Psychologist will be the instructor for these workshops.

If you are taking it for credit, be prepared to complete the credit registration form during the first session. You will need one of the following numbers to complete the registration: license folder number, social security number, driver’s license number if taking for teacher license renewal or graduate credit.

Contact Mary Airy at 319/399-6725 or mairy@aea10.k12.ia.us with any questions.

To register contact: Heidi Schminke, Benton County Community Empowerment by January 5, 2008 FAX: 319/472-5928, phone 319/472-4543 or at ccc@bcempowerment.com.

January Is Eye Care Month

National Eye Care Month educates people about the importance of good eye care. Talk to your children and their parents about the necessity of seeing clearly, getting yearly checkups, and taking care of our eyes.

Learn about the incredible eye by drawing a diagram, labeling the pupil, the iris, the eyelid, and the eyelashes and then explaining the function of each. Ask each child to look carefully at another child’s eye and locate each of the parts.

Children will have fun checking the pupil that changes in size as it adjusts to different lights.
Some eye safety tips to share with your children include:

Always use proper lighting when reading, writing, watching television, or using your computer.
Don't point with sharp objects; you never know who you might accidentally bump into.
Don't run or walk quickly with sharp objects in your hands.
Don't throw pointy or sharp objects in the direction of others.
Wash your eyes out with water if you feel something (like a bug) got in there. You can also get an adult to look into your eye to get the foreign object out.
If you are having trouble seeing the chalkboard or overhead at school let your parents know. It might be time for you to visit the eye doctor.
Give your eyes a rest when reading, watching TV, or working on the computer.

Cut It Out! - Snowmen Out Of Soap

Materials:

4 cups Ivory Snow flakes (not detergent)

1/2 cup water

Toothpicks

Twigs

Whole pepper corns

Orange marker

Scraps of material

Twist ties

Felt

Black paper

To Make:

Pour soap flakes and water in a large mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer to a doughy consistency. For each snowman, roll a golf-ball sized ball for the base, and two slightly smaller ones for the chest and head. Stick a toothpick through the base ball. Push chest ball on top of the toothpick. Put second toothpick into chest ball. Push head ball through that toothpick. Attach twigs to sides for arms.

Use peppercorns for eyes, mouth, and buttons. For nose, break toothpick in half. Color orange. Let snowman dry several hours. Use a scrap of material for a scarf, felt and a twist-tie for earmuffs, or paper for a hat. When spring comes, snowmen can "melt" in the bathtub.

Benton County Empowerment
303 First Avenue Vinton, Iowa 52349