Parents can help their child become life long readers.

There is no more important activity for preparing your child to succeed as a reader than reading aloud together.

Family Activity:

R and R:

Repetition and Rhyme

1. Pick a book with repeated phrases or a poem you and your child like.

2. Read slowly, with a smile or a nod, let your child know you appreciate their participation.

3. As the child grows more familiar with the story, pause and give them a chance to “fill in the blanks.”

4. Encourage your child to pretend to read, especially books that contain repetition and rhyme.

Most children who enjoy reading will eventually memorize all or parts of a book and imitate your reading.

How to use 911 ~ Part 2

Always refer to the emergency number as 9-1-1, not 9-11, so that they are not looking for 11 on the phone’s keypad.

Even though the police or fire can identify your address through caller ID, make sure that your child knows their full address, including an apartment number and floor.

Do you have a first aid kit in the house? If not, get one. If so, make sure that your child knows where to access it in case you are not available.

Child Care Challenges

Separation Anxiety

Dealing with separation anxiety can be a very difficult for parents and children. When children cry, it can make you feel guilt and cause you to worry about their emotional comfort. Here are some tips to get your through this temporary faze.

1)          Remember that this behavior is normal. Usually this occurs between 9 and 12 months old or as early as 6 months.

2)          Time your departure strategically. Find a fun distraction for your child.

3)          Keep Departures Brief. Your first response is to stay and comfort your child, but every time you do, it will train them to cry longer to get you to come back. Most children recover quickly once you have left.

4)          Don’t sneak out. Sneaking out will only cause your child confusion. And will erode their trust in you. Tell them that you are leaving and assure them that you will be back soon.

Chinese Proverb

One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade.

Why 2-year-olds bite

It can be shocking to hear that your 2-year-old has bitten another child — or to feel her teeth sinking into you. But the behavior isn’t at all unusual. Most children have bitten someone at least once, as well as been on the receiving end of an unfriendly chomp. Small children bite when they just can’t handle a situation — when they’re overcome by fear, anger, or frustration. Or they may bite because someone bit them. And sometimes 2-year-olds bite simply to gauge the effect it will have, because they’re excited or over stimulated, or as a misplaced expression of love.
Still, knowing that biting is common doesn’t make it any easier when your 2-year-old’s bitten another child, or when your child has been bitten. Stay calm, and don’t blame or punish. Though you may be tempted to impress upon your child the seriousness of her actions, harsh punishment can actually make young children more likely to strike out. Experts suspect that such punishment causes anger and resentment that, over time, can lead a child to act out even more. Encourage your child to come to you when she’s upset and don’t forget to talk about what happened.

Quotable KIDS

“No, I licked them.”

So says a 3 year old after being asked if he wants to wash his hands after eating a piece of cake.

Silly Snacks Corner

Cooking Together Keeps Families Close

Sugar & Spice Twists

1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 package of (7 oz/6 breadsticks) refrigerated breadstick dough

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray baking sheet with non-stick baking spray.

2) Combine sugar and cinnamon in a plate. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a 12 inch rope. Roll in sugar cinnamon mixture. Twist into pretzel shape. Place on baking sheet.

3) Bake 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool. 6 Servings

Fun tip: Use colored sugar sprinkles instead of the granulated sugar for a splash of color.

Welcome to SpringTree Academy’s Blog!

Each blog will include different types of information that will help you to become a better parent or just find interesting crafts or activities to do with your child.  Stop by often, we will have lots of ideas and tips to chose from!

Safety First Corner

As soon as your child is able to talk clearly and repeat information, it’s a good time to begin to teach them their home address and important phone numbers. Also, when should you start teaching your child what to do in an emergency and about when to call 911?

Learning about what is a true emergency is something that is taught over a period of time. However, you should start to teach them that if they ever are in doubt about what is a real emergency and there isn’t an adult or older sibling around to ask, then they should always make the call.  In some cases, safe is always better than sorry. If they do need to call 911, prepare them in the event that the situation might be frightening, but to try to speak slow, clearly and calmly, and to give as much details as possible. While on the phone, the operator will need answers to questions like: Where do you live?  What is the emergency? Who needs help?

Fun Family Activities

1-2 Year olds – Look at photos in a magazine or photo album of different faces with your child. Talk to him/her describing the emotions in the pictures.

2-3 Year olds – Provide your child with pictures of adult and baby animals. Ask them to match the adults with their babies.

3-4 Year olds – Use Froot Loops or different types of noodles and string them together to make necklaces. Create a pattern, like blue, green, blue and green. Use the activity to show patterns and practice counting.

Quotable KIDS

“Mommy, I think that the house is falling down!”

2 ½ Faith trying to regain her balance after spinning around in circles.

Silly Snacks Corner

Cooking Together Keeps Families Close

Jungle Juice

1 banana, 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 6 oz vanilla yogurt, 2 tablespoons frozen orange juice, 2 tablespoons strawberry syrup, fresh orange slices

1)     Place banana, strawberries, yogurt and orange juice in

blender, blend until smooth.

2)     Evenly drizzle syrup around inside of 2 tall clear glasses. Pour the Jungle Juice into glasses, garnish with orange slices. Makes 2 servings.