Parents As Teachers Newsletter
Keystone Newsletter Fall 2011
Prenatal: Be prepared for your new baby.
What do you need for your new baby?
- Car seat
- Crib, mattress, and accessories
- Receiving blankets
- Undershirts, sleepers and outfits
- Diapers and wipes
- Baby bathtub
- Baby soap, shampoo, and nail scissors
- Thermometer and ear bulb
Websites with health and safety tips for families:
Math for infants and toddlers-everyday activities are math activities.
During their first year, many children figure out how to judge short distances. They can adjust their reach to pick up an object. During their second year, many figure out how to jump over a small object, and take long steps as they walk.
Between the first and second year, some children will explore quantity by filling and emptying containers with water or sand. Throughout these early years, many children will believe that a single cracker broken into many pieces is more food than the same unbroken cracker.
A few two-year-olds will discover how to correctly use words like “big” or “small,” “fast” or “slow,” “heavy” or “light.” For instance, a child might say: “My sister is a baby. She is small. I am big!”
Counting and Number Books to share with your child:
1 Is One by Tasha Tudor
1, 2, 3 to the Zoo by Eric Carle
10 Minutes till Bedtime by Peggy Rathmann
Counting in the Garden by Kim Parker
Counting Kisses by Karen Katz
Fish Eyes by Lois Ehlert
How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten? by Jane Yolen
Miss Spider's Tea Party by David Kirk
Olivia Counts by Ian Falconer
One Gorilla by Atsuko Morozumi
Over in the Meadow by Ezra Jack Keats
Piggies by Don Wood Audrey Wood
Watching Moving Objects – Babies like to watch faces, bright patterns, and brightly colored objects. Get your baby to look at your face, a picture of a face, the soft light from a small flashlight, or a colorful object (such as a red mitten). Move your face or the object slowly in different directions to see how far your baby will watch it.
Playing Ball-Roll a ball to your baby and get him or her to roll or toss it back to you. A large ball will be easiest for your baby to play with at first. Slowly play with different sizes. Do not use balls small enough for your baby to put in the mouth and choke on. Do not use balloons.
Counting Apples
Five red apples
Hanging on a tree five fingers held up
The juiciest apples you ever did see!
The wind came past
And gave an angry frown shake head and look angry
And one little apple came tumbling down.
Four red apples, three red apples, etc.
Pumpkin Seed Snack
Scoop all the seeds out of a pumpkin, rinse them, and let them dry. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over the seeds. Sprinkle with salt and toss. Spread the seeds on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until light brown.
Jumping Show your child how to jump, getting both feet off the floor at the same time. This is different than jumping off a low step. If your child needs help, hold hands for a few jumps. Or let your child try to jump over something like a small washcloth.
Apples, Apples
(Tune: "Twinkle, Twinkle")
Apples juicy, apples round,
On the tree or on the ground.
Apples yellow, apples red,
Apple pie and juice and bread!
Apples crunchy, apples sweet,
Apples are so good to eat!
As the summer heat gives away to cooler weather, many families are spending time outdoors on their bikes. Please follow these safety tips from Safe Kids.
Before riding/wheeling:
- All children, whether a tricycle, rider, bike rider or a passenger on an adult’s bike, must wear a well-fitting helmet. Helmets should bear a sticker that says it meets standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
- Always ensure that tricycles and bicycles that are the right size for the child.
- Take children to the store when buying a helmet to ensure proper fit.
During riding/wheeling:
- Always supervise your children.
- Never allow children to ride in the street.
- Avoid wearing long, loose clothing, including dresses and wide-legged pants, that can get caught in bike chains or wheel spokes.
- Don’t ride when it’s dark.
Take the Back to School Safety Pledge
I pledge to eliminate distractions while I drive, especially in school zones.
Do your part to keep Kansas kids safe!!!
Restaurant waiting games
Help keep your little ones busy while waiting at a restaurant with the following ideas:
- Trace a handful of objects — a sugar packet, a spoon, a pen, and the like — onto a piece of paper or a disposable place mat, then have your tot match the objects with their outlines. Afterward, he can color in the images or try tracing the objects himself.
- Line up salt and pepper shakers, the sugar dish, a ketchup bottle, and other objects down the center of the table. Have your child close her eyes while you hide one of the items, then see if she can figure out what's missing. When she guesses correctly, try switching roles.
- Remove the wrappers from some crayons and have your kids make rubbings of the flatter items in your purse or wallet, such as a comb, a key, and a credit card. Just be sure to get them back before the check arrives.
Parenting may be the hardest yet most important--and ultimately the most rewarding--work a person can do.
Pumpkin Waffles
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
Instructions
- Set up the waffle iron on a countertop or table within easy reach of the cook. Plug in the iron to preheat it. (Remind your child never to touch the surface of the iron; she should touch only the handle and always cook with adult supervision.)
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter, and pumpkin. Pour the wet ingredients over the flour mixture and stir just until combined.
- Coat the preheated waffle iron with cooking spray. Pour the waffle batter onto the center of each section of the iron. (You will need 1/4 to 3/4 cup of batter for each waffle.)
- Cook the waffles for about 4 to 5 minutes or until they are crispy and light brown. (Read the manufacturer's directions for details about how long you should cook the waffles in your particular waffle iron.) Serve immediately with maple syrup and butter. Serves 4.
Using Sign Language with your baby:
Babies as young as 6 or 7 months can be taught to sign. If you know sign language, you can use it with your child to help her communicate long before she can talk.
5 Reasons to teach signs to hearing babies:
1. Help babies talk sooner . . . and boost spoken vocabulary.
2. Empower babies to direct adults' attention to what they want to talk about.
3. Reduce frustration.
4. Provide a strong foundation for early literacy.
5. Stimulate intellectual development.
Websites: www.signwithme.com
