Coming Soon!
9 years ago
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Preventing Childhood Obesity
The TODAY Show aired a segment on "Preventing Childhood Obesity" today with Dr. Jennifer Trachtenberg; author of "GOOD KIDS - BAD HABITS". Studies indicate that obesity can begin as early as infancy. (As a reference, babies gain about half a pound per week for the first 3 months of life and then they double their birth weight by the time they are 4 months old and triple their birth weight at age 1.)
What is your opinion??
Monday, August 31, 2009
National Nanny Recognition Week Video
Brought to you by: The Association of Professional Nannies
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Regarding Nannies
Picky Eaters, What's a Nanny to do? Find out from ANDREA FLAGG (Co-Founder/Moderator of Nanny Alliance of NY & NJ) on REGARDING NANNIES blog.
Shared via AddThis
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
TEACHING RESPECT BY EXAMPLE
On July 26, 2009, THE BEST NANNY NEWSLETTER posted a article regarding to "Teaching Children Respect". Nanny Molly (our NEW Blog Writer!) has written a brief account of how she thinks respect should be taught by example and how we as Nannies must begin with ourselves.
(Written By: Nanny Molly)
It used to be that children should be seen and not heard. It was considered respectful if children kept quiet and out of the way. Obviously, times have changed and thank goodness! Respect, however, still varies in different households, among different cultures and in different parts of the world. You could say respect is a matter of opinion.
Personally, I feel that children should be taught to treat others as they would like to be treated. I don’t believe in teaching children that adults are more important than them. I’m afraid that is the message that sometimes comes across when we teach children how to speak and act around adults. Kids should be kids, but they should also know boundaries, guidelines, courtesy and kindness. All of these are key components of respect.
As a nanny, teacher, or child care worker, it is important to realize that children are children. They don’t know the ways of the world yet. They only know what they’ve seen and experienced. A 3 year old is not capable of telling you how much it meant to them that you listened to their fears or excitements. But just by listening, you are showing that child respect. The next time you need them to listen to you, ask for the same respect in return. Also keep in mind that a 3 year old has a short attention span. Accepting this and the way a child’s mind works is all part of respecting that child.
I was at work one day, cleaning up the kitchen while the toddlers had some unwinding time with their favorite TV show. There I was cleaning up their kitchen mess when I hear “snack please!!” coming from two raised hands in the living room; faces still staring at the TV. I realized they were only doing what they had been taught. They had learned that if they want a snack all they have to do is ask and I get it for them. But the way it came across was, “Hey, hired help! Serve us!”. I quickly took action and put the TV on pause. I explained to the kids that it was time they start helping themselves and me. We worked together to get their snack and then enjoyed the show after our hard work was done. I wanted to teach them self sufficiency, but also to respect the effort that goes into getting a snack.
As Nannies, we are expected to care for our charges, to get them what they need and show them love. I have never walked into a job where the parents have said, “Please, teach my children manners, kindness, self sufficiency, and respect. Please teach them all the important things they will need in this world when they grow older”. I have never been asked to do this, and yet, as Nannies, we all do this. We have to. We are the ones with these children all day and if we don’t teach them, there will be limited time for anyone else to teach them. I think a lot of nannies fall into the trap of feeling like the babysitter. We begin to doubt our self worth as we clean up the same toys every day, the same spilt milk, the same dirty diapers. But, what we may not realize is that these kids are being molded. They are being molded by us. Lead by example, begin by using manners yourselves and showing the children the respect they deserve. This is our ultimate job. Children learn by example and imitation and if we want them to show respect, we must respect them first!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Supernanny Techniques
Have you watched Supernanny and thought "Wow, that's a GREAT idea!"? But then you forget exactly how to enforce it or create it? Well... now you can find those things you liked right on the Supernanny's website! All her techniques from Paci-Fairy to Potty Training are all at your fingertips. Just visit: http://www.supernanny.com/Advice/-/Supernanny-techniques.aspx
Read more...Thursday, April 30, 2009
Give Nannies & Housekeepers the Rights that they Deserve!
NY household employer and journalist is writing to let others know that the labor laws need to be revised for domestic workers... and in a positive way!
by: Gayle Kirshenbaum
4/8/09
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/04/08/2009-04-08_give_nannies_and_housekeepers_the_rights-2.html?page=0
Birth Order & Personality Types
Nannies and Au Pairs Can End Birth Order Stereotypes
by: Best Nanny Newsletter
Birth order does seem to affect personality traits in siblings. But you can end these stereotypes when working with your charges.Parents often have high expectations for firstborns. Firstborns often are eager to please their parents, have high expectations for themselves, are conscientious, and perfectionists. Sometimes they put too much responsibility on themselves and grow up too quickly. Nannies and au pairs can end these stereotypes by trying not to expect too much from the firstborn. Nurture their playful side. Don’t place all of your attention on their external accomplishments. Let them know how much you appreciate them simply for being themselves.The middle child often doesn’t get as much attention from the parents or caregivers as the oldest child did simply because there are two children to care for instead of one. Rather than fade into the background middle children tend to become very social and independent. To end this stereotype nannies and au pairs should make sure not to let the middle child feel overlooked. Make sure to give them extra attention. Play games or have one-on-one chats to give them some of the attention they crave.By the time the youngest child is born the parents are more relaxed with their parenting style. While the youngest child may feel they are living in the shadow of their other siblings they actually get much attention for being the adorable and charming one. With the added attention the youngest siblings are often irresponsible. Au pairs and nannies can do the youngest child a favor by not treating them like “the baby.” Give them age-appropriate tasks and help them set age appropriate goals.End these social stereotypes and help each of your charges develop to their best potential.
Positive Nanny Story
Bringing Up Baby, As Music Lovers Might
All Things Considered, April 15, 2009 -
Doug Schulkind hosts a Friday morning music show on WFMU, a noncommercial radio station in New York City. A self-described music obsessive DJ, he plays every kind of music he can get his hands on. When his wife went into labor, he brought his boom box and a stack of CDs along to the hospital.
When the big moment arrived, he knew what song he had to play.
"I think the music found me," he says. "And the music that was playing when I first remember holding our new daughter wasn't any accident."
She was one day old. Her first music: John Coltrane's A Love Supreme.
"To me, there isn't any other piece of music I know that can come closer to that sense of wide-open heart and grace," Schulkind says. "And it's so humble and loving and transcendent that it seems equal to that incredible moment of holding your child for the first time."
Parents preparing for the birth of a child have a lot to think about, from choosing the right name to figuring out child-care arrangements. For people who are passionate about music, picking the first song their newborn will hear upon exiting the womb is nearly as important.
Crib Counterpoint
Jeremy Eichler had just brought his newborn son home from the hospital when he realized he had a momentous decision to make. Eichler is The Boston Globe's classical-music critic.
"It did actually feel like there was a lot of pressure as I was standing in front of our CD library," he says. "It was fairly paralyzing to think what would be the appropriate music to play for someone's very first-ever taste of music. And I ended up choosing Bach's Art of Fugue, in an arrangement for string quartet.
"I thought, 'Why not begin at the summit?' Bach's Art of Fugue is one of the pinnacles of his art. He's taking a single subject and manipulating it in many different ways. I just thought it would be like honey for the infant mind."
Babies can recognize surprisingly complex rhythms, and are sensitive to the differences between consonant and dissonant music.
"It's tempting to think of all of this as a giant exercise in projection, because of course I chose this music because it's music that I love," Eichler says. "And yet, scientists are now telling us that infant music perception is actually very sophisticated, much more so than what you'd think when you're looking at a cute little blob sitting on your sofa."
So how did Jeremy Eichler's son respond to Bach's majestic musical architecture?
"If memory serves, he was absolutely intrigued for the first few bars, and then pretty quickly closed his eyes. Now, in that moment, I'm sure I was tempted to read that as a kind of wise, meditative state of listening, but in fact, I think most likely he just fell asleep."
A Talented Mom
Jazz singer Rene Marie started singing to her two sons long before they were born. But it wasn't any particular song.
"Because I sing constantly," she says. "And so they'd been hearing me sing the whole time they were in womb. But after they were born, I started writing lullabies and singing them to them."
When they got a bit older, Marie would often wake her boys up in the morning with Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man." But she kept singing to them, too. It was a way she conveyed her love to them.
"And I wanted them to know that music doesn't come from a record," she says. "It comes from somebody singing. And they will quiet down and just stare at you. I love that feeling and having that impact on another human being. I just love that. "
Marie's two sons are in their early 30s now. And she does most of her singing in concert halls and nightclubs. In fact, it was her older son who convinced her to pursue singing as a career — so others could hear her voice, too.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
CDAs Develop Support Network
Isolation is a problem for many family child care professionals. MaryBeth Bush, a CDA from Trumbell County, Ohio, relates her personal experience about a network of family child providers who were able to study together, receive their CDAs together, and then unite together for emotional and professional support. This organization went on to become a child care resource for the whole community.
In 1998, I learned that there was funding available for local child care providers who wanted to learn more about early childhood education and to receive the CDA credential. A few of us were inspired to apply for this grant money so we could receive our credentials. We started the process in February, and the grant specified that we must use the funding by June 1, so we had a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. We attended classes two or three nights a week. Sometimes we carpooled together, and we occasionally traveled over 50 miles to find training sessions that were appropriate for our respective child-care situations. Out of this group, eight of us were family child care providers. After spending so much time together, our little group of family child care providers was not ready to be on our own without each other’s support. We decided to meet at a local coffee shop on a monthly basis, and we invited more and more home providers. Eventually, we even invited different speakers to come and speak to us on child care issues.
Our little group took off — we grew and grew. In 1999, we named our organization “H.A.P.P.Y. Homes” (Helping Association for Professional Providers of Young Children). We elected officers, who were all from our original CDA class, and we continued to organize training for home providers and to hold monthly meetings.
In 2002, we were approached by a large foundation in our area, who invited us to apply for a grant, for any innovative ideas we might have about early education. Working with a local university’s extension office, we developed an plan for a 10-month, 5-day-a-week curriculum kit to be used with young children. We applied and received a $40,000 grant, and we were able to provide 50 family child care providers with these kits. This program is named “H.A.P.P.Y. F.A.C.E.S.” (Helping Advance Premium Preschool Years by Focusing on Accomplishments thru Childcare Educational Successes) and it proved to be very successful!
We reapplied the following August and we were granted another $40,000 to continue the program. During the next year, we researched and applied for a 501(c)3 tax-exempt status, and we were now an official nonprofit organization. We expanded and continued the programs and continued receiving grants. In 2006, we were granted $5000 for a program to prevent child abuse. This grant was named “H.A.P.P.Y. H.E.A.R.T.S.” (Helping Advance Premium Preschool Years by Helping Educate, Articulate, Reach, & Teach for Successful families).
We are now in our seventh year and we are still a great organization that is growing every day. Over the years we have won several awards, and our current board members are still some of the founding group members. One long-time member of our original group was just named provider of the year by the local PBS television station and her story will be featured on their website. Our organization continues to advocate for young children and we stay very visible in our community. We are all board members of our local affiliate of NAEYC, called TruMahCol AEYC. You can view our website at http://www.happyhomesdaycareassociation.org/ for more information.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
"WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD" (APRIL 19-25TH)
April 19-25th is "Week of the Young Child" and Central Florida Nannies will be doing a Book Drive to support the cause!
Join us.....
Friday, April 17th @ 11am
Borders-- 434/436 in Altamonte (Home Depot/Target Plaza)
Mr. Richard will be performing too!!!
Please bring a NEW book to donate to the needy children in Orlando.
We'll see you there!!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Spotlight to Nightlight: Celebrity Nannies
By: Ali Landry (3/15/09)
Check out Goddess' new video program, "Spotlight to Nightlight," where celebrity moms talk parenting. In the first episode, host Ali Landry talks to E!'s Catt Sadler, tackles the issue of childcare, and gets the scoop on how much nannies to the stars really make from Westside Nannies in Los Angeles!
Click here to view the video and the rest of the article: http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/goddess/spotlight-to-nightlight-celebrity-nannies/194
Con-Artist Nanny
Disturbing Child Dumping Scheme
Posted on: THE BEST NANNY NEWSLETTER (1/10/09)
According to the news report linked to this blog post, when hired to care for a family’s twins a nanny, Roxanna Patricia Villamarin, said she was taking the children to the library but was really dropping them off at a rundown apartment.The article reads, "According to officials, Villamarin had been leaving at least five clients' children at this apartment over a period of five years. ""'She would pick up the children; she would drop them off at an unlicensed daycare center. And she would pursue other goals,' City Attorney Will Rivera says.""These other goals, he says, included working at a farmer's market and at her family's restaurant. At the end of the day, Villamarin allegedly would return to the apartment, pay a woman there $10 a day — about $110 less than she was making — and bring the children home."What’s worse is at the end of the news article the reporter spoke with the nanny, and she does not regret her bad choices. She was quoted as saying, “They treat me bad, I treat them bad. ” She claimed that she left the children because she needed a break.
See news article here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99120521&ft=1&f=1006
What do you think? Are the parents right to be angry with the nanny they hired?
Saturday, April 4, 2009
MINNESOTA MAN CONVICTED OF MURDER AFTER LURING BABYSITTER ON CRAIGSLIST
By SCOTT MICHELS
ABC NEWS
April 1, 2009—
A Minnesota man was convicted of murder this week for luring a recent college graduate to her death with a fake ad on the Web site Craigslist.
Michael John Anderson, 20, was convicted Tuesday night on all six counts, including first-degree murder, for shooting and killing Katherine Ann Olson, 24. He is scheduled to be sentenced this morning.
Prosecutors said Anderson simply wanted to kill someone when he posted an ad seeking a baby sitter in October 2007, according to The Associated Press.
When Olson showed up and then tried to leave, he pulled out his father's gun and shot her.
Olson's body was found stuffed into the trunk of her car at a nature preserve, according to the Savage, Minn., police.
Olson had traveled to Savage from her home in Minneapolis after responding to an ad for a nanny she'd seen posted on Craigslist, police said.
Olson's father, the Rev. Rolf Olson, told ABC News in 2007 that his daughter had found other nanny jobs, including one in Turkey, through Craigslist and had had positive experiences.
He described her as a warm, outgoing, "larger than life" person who loved theater. Olson said his daughter had traveled around much of the world, including Egypt and Argentina, where she worked as a juggler for a circus. Her e-mail address meant "crazy redhead" in Spanish, he said.
"She lived a larger-than-life existence for more than 24 years," Olson said. "I'm broken."
Olson wanted to go to Madrid to study in a graduate theater program and was considering the nanny job so she could make extra money for her trip, he said.
"Katherine was, unfortunately, too trusting," her father said. "She had found benefits on Craigslist, but in her trusting nature, she fell into this trap."
When Olson's best friend, Sarah Sevcik, last saw her the night before she disappeared, Olson was considering whether she wanted to work as an interpreter, Sevcik said.
Olson ultimately decided the career wasn't for her.
Interpreters "really have to be silent and just relay information," Sevcik said. "But Katherine was somebody who needed to have a voice."
2009 Nanny Conferences and Retreat
Looking for ways to increase your personal marketability? Attend a Nanny Conference or Retreat and you will do just that! Nannies from around the country attend events like these every year in order to broaden their potential and to network with others in their profession. Here are just a few events that are going on this year. 
24th Annual Conference
April 23rd-26th, 2009
Addison, TX
Nannypalooza
October 3rd & 4th, 2009
Chevy Chase,MD
Nanny Day Out Retreat
September 11th-13th, 2009
Lake Geneva, WI
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Nannies in the News: The Recession & Temp-Sitters
Two articles have posted this week that are worth taking a look at.
CNN posted an article regarding "Nannies and the Recession". How are you being affected with the way the economy is? Have you lost some hours, days or your job? Let us know your opinion after reading this article.
The second article is from Wall Street Journal regarding Temp-Sitters. Do you work for a agency that provides temp-sitters? Have you worked as a temp-sitter? What do you feel are the pro's and con's to using a temp service for families? Share your input after reading this article.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
NANNY AGENCY LOYALTY
What Does it Take for Nannies to Be Loyal to a Nanny Placement Agency?
By Ginger Swift, President of ABC Nannies and Domestics, Denver Colorado
Posted by: The Best Nanny Newsletter @ www.bestnannynewsletter.com
When I think of loyalty, I think of friends that hang with you no matter what. Of course, loyalty can be lost if you do something awful to harm the relationship but for the most part, loyal friends stick with you like glue. During this recession, I wondered whether nannies would remain loyal to an agency or if they may find alternative way to find a job.
Last fall, a survey went out to nannies across the country to see how nannies find jobs and if they are loyal to a particular method. Over 80 nannies responded and the comments were very consistent. Sixty-five percent of the nannies surveyed, first call a nanny placement agency when starting to look for a new job. Eighteen percent contact their friends and nanny network first when searching for a job. Eight percent immediately get on Craig’s List and another eight percent contact a nanny web site. Less than one percent of those surveyed answered that they place classified advertisements in the newspaper. Nanny web sites and traditional agencies tied for the second most used method followed by networking with friends, Craig’s List, newspaper, Internet, and networking with Mother’s Clubs and employer’s friends. The most popular online agencies mentioned were 4Nannies.com, sittercity.com, enannysource.com, and care.com.
Although 65% of nanny candidates first contact a nanny placement agency, only 54% of the same people surveyed said it was their favorite way to find a job. Perhaps, some nanny placement agencies have some work to do to make this a higher number.
Here is what one nanny said, "I still prefer working with an agency because there is a hope that the agency actually checks out the family and will match my skills and then help with the contract negotiations but I have been disappointed by a number of agencies over the years."
For the most part, nannies seemed pleased with their agencies. "I feel that agencies usually have higher paying families and families will treat you as a professional," said one nanny and this sentiment was shared by other nannies as well. "All my best positions have been through nanny agencies," answered another nanny.
One nanny replied, "While I like looking through web sites and having access to all the job descriptions, going through an actual agency is my first preference."
Another nanny answered, "The guidance, negotiations, and contract help is why I go through an agency."
Other preferences in finding a nanny job were word of mouth (24%), online agencies (8%), Craig’s List (6%), followed by ads in paper (1%) and none (1%).
Not surprisingly, 100% of all the nannies surveyed said that they tell other nannies where to go to whom to use in finding a nanny job. And while financial incentives are nice, no nannies surveyed would ever refer an agency that they did not feel good about. An in-home childcare provider said, "I just recommend if it’s the right thing to do. Incentives or not."
So what does it take for a nanny to be loyal to an agency? Those surveyed had this to share: "I’ll be loyal if they have been loyal to me," "Genuine personal attention from the agency, "the friendly and helpful staff," "honesty," and "the way they treat me."
Perhaps, this nanny phrased it best, "I’m loyal to an agency that realizes I too am a client." Nannies want to work with nanny agencies that communicate, listen, respect, support, and work hard.
During this recession, it is likely that nanny placement agencies that don’t do this will disappear and those that truly care about helping and finding nannies jobs will be around for the long-term.
Are you loyal to a nanny placement agency? What is your advice to working with a nanny placement agency?
Please share your opinion with us!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
THINK PINK LEMONADE STAND--ORLANDO (March 21 & 22)
Ladies and Gentlemen....
This story really tugs on my heart strings. I had to run out and support the effort of these little girls today. They are trying to raise money for the MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER here in Orlando on behalf of Angela Petrucelly (one of the little girls mother) whom passed away FEBRUARY 14th, 2009 after her severe battle with Breast Cancer.
I really want to encourage all of you to go out and enjoy a glass of lemonade and dig deep into your pockets to help these little ladies raise some money for a cause that is very near and dear to my heart (my mother is a breast cancer survivor!).If you are unable to attend the event and would like to send a donation you may either
contact Dana Loncar at 407.808.3441
or send a check/money order to:
"MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER ORLANDO"
THINK PINK LEMONADE STAND
1810 NEBRASKA STREET
ORLANDO, FL 32803
OR VISIT... http://orlandohealth.com/OrlandoRegional/GetInvolved/Foundation/Events/Events.aspx?Pid=1437&Wid=1
Read on for the story about Angela Petrucelly and the THINK PINK LEMONADE STAND.
Little girls have sold lemonade on neighborhood streets for generations…but this lemonade stand will be a bit different!
Victoria Petrucelly and Jesse Theobald first talked about selling lemonade over a year ago but when Victoria's mother learned she had breast cancer, their lemonade stand idea took on new meaning.“When my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, we decided to make it a pink lemonade stand to raise money for people with cancer,” Victoria said. Victoria’s mother, Angela, was diagnosed with a particularly serious and aggressive form of breast cancer last April that had already metastasized in her bones. The girls, joined by their third grade classmates from The Christ School, are selling pink lemonade as a tribute to Angela who died last month. Victoria’s father, Reid, said, “For two children to have that insight... to make the connection between the pink ribbons for breast cancer and the pink lemonade... it’s amazing.” All of the money raised from selling lemonade will go to MD Anderson Cancer Center-Orlando where Angela was treated. “Angela loved the care at MD Anderson,” Reid said. “They treat the person as a whole as well as the family.” Angela enjoyed high tea on Thursdays, dog therapy, the Mind/Body/Spirit area, the labyrinth that serves as a meditation place, and the tours given to the children to make them more comfortable. “She had no problem telling people her story,” added Reid. “She wanted people to be more aware of their health and to know the importance of early detection,” he added. "Our plan is to donate the money to help people with cancer in Mrs. Petrucelly’s honor,” Jesse said.After a brave fight, Angela passed away on Feb. 14, 2009 at the age of forty. In addition to Victoria, she and Reid have a 4-year-old son, Vincent. She was chief operating officer for Deprince, Race & Zollo, an investment firm in Winter Park. She touched the lives of everyone that knew her and was known by the third graders for her fabulous baking skills. “My favorite cake was my second grade summer cake, when my mother turned blue Jello into the sea,” Victoria said.Reid said his wife would be proud of the girls and their pink lemonade stand. The “Think Pink Lemonade Stand” began as a simple idea from two little girls, and has grown into something much greater. Countless individuals and companies have come forward with donations and support. “It started small but ended up being one of the biggest things in Orlando,” Victoria said. Jesse added, “I’m just happy it’s going to happen. When you’re a kid, things usually don’t happen.”The girls’ goal for the stand is simple. “I hope we can make at least $50,” Victoria said.Whether the third graders make $50 or much more, Angela certainly will be smiling down from heaven.
Read more...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
ABC News airs "Mommy vs. Nanny"
ABC news airs "Mommy vs. Nanny"--A Battle for Kids Affection.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/story?id=7079689&page=1
Also, check out Lora Brawley's (ALL ABOUT NANNY CARE) comment to the airing in her blog at: http://lorabrawley.wordpress.com/
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The Serious Need for Play
Scientific American Mind
January 28, 2009
The Serious Need for Play
Free, imaginative play is crucial for normal social, emotional and cognitive development. It makes us better adjusted, smarter and less stressed
By: Melinda Wenner
On August 1, 1966, the day psychiatrist Stuart Brown started his assistant professorship at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, 25-year-old Charles Whitman climbed to the top of the University of Texas Tower on the Austin campus and shot 46 people. Whitman, an engineering student and a former U.S. Marine sharpshooter, was the last person anyone expected to go on a killing spree. After Brown was assigned as the state's consulting psychiatrist to investigate the incident and later, when he interviewed 26 convicted Texas murderers for a small pilot study, he discovered that most of the killers, including Whitman, shared two things in common: they were from abusive families, and they never played as kids.Brown did not know which factor was more important. But in the 42 years since, he has interviewed some 6,000 people about their childhoods, and his data suggest that a lack of opportunities for unstructured, imaginative play can keep children from growing into happy, well-adjusted adults. "Free play," as scientists call it, is critical for becoming socially adept, coping with stress and building cognitive skills such as problem solving. Research into animal behavior confirms play's benefits and establishes its evolutionary importance: ultimately, play may provide animals (including humans) with skills that will help them survive and reproduce.Most psychologists agree that play affords benefits that last through adulthood, but they do not always agree on the extent to which a lack of play harms kids—particularly because, in the past, few children grew up without ample frolicking time. But today free play may be losing its standing as a staple of youth. According to a paper published in 2005 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, children's free-play time dropped by a quarter between 1981 and 1997. Concerned about getting their kids into the right colleges, parents are sacrificing playtime for more structured activities. As early as preschool, youngsters' after-school hours are now being filled with music lessons and sports—reducing time for the type of imaginative and rambunctious cavorting that fosters creativity and cooperation.A handful of studies support Brown's conviction that a play-deprived childhood disrupts normal social, emotional and cognitive development in humans and animals. He and other psychologists worry that limiting free play in kids may result in a generation of anxious, unhappy and socially maladjusted adults. "The consequence of a life that is seriously play-deprived is serious stuff," Brown says. But it is never too late to start: play also promotes the continued mental and physical well-being of adults.Worries over the demise of play began surfacing as far back as 1961, when the International Play Association was founded in Denmark to protect, preserve and promote play as a fundamental right for all children. But the idea became more popular a little over a decade ago, when many more nonprofit foundations—such as the National Institute for Play in Carmel Valley, Calif., started by Brown, and other organizations, including the Alliance for Childhood and the Association for the Study of Play—began forming around the globe to promote the value of play and to raise concerns over its demise.Freedom CountsBut kids play soccer, Scrabble and the sousaphone—so why are experts concerned that these games and more structured activities are eating into free play? Certainly games with rules are fun and sources of learning experiences—they may foster better social skills and group cohesion, for instance, says Anthony D. Pellegrini, an educational psychologist at the University of Minnesota. But, Pellegrini explains, "games have a priori rules—set up in advance and followed. Play, on the other hand, does not have a priori rules, so it affords more creative responses."This creative aspect is key because it challenges the developing brain more than following predetermined rules does. In free play, kids use their imagination and try out new activities and roles.The child initiates and creates free play. It might involve fantasies—such as pretending to be doctors or princesses or playing house—or it might include mock fighting, as when kids (primarily boys) wrestle and tumble with one another for fun, switching roles periodically so that neither of them always wins. And free play is most similar to play seen in the animal kingdom, suggesting that it has important evolutionary roots. Gordon M. Burghardt, author of The Genesis of Animal Play, spent 18 years observing animals to learn how to define play: it must be repetitive—an animal that nudges a new object just once is not playing with it—and it must be voluntary and initiated in a relaxed setting. Animals and children do not play when they are undernourished or in stressful situations. Most essential, the activity should not have an obvious function in the context in which it is observed—meaning that it has, essentially, no clear goal.Face TimeHow do these seemingly pointless activities benefit kids? Perhaps most crucially, play appears to help us develop strong social skills. "You don't become socially competent via teachers telling you how to behave," Pellegrini says. "You learn those skills by interacting with your peers, learning what's acceptable, what's not acceptable." Children learn to be fair and take turns—they cannot always demand to be the fairy queen, or soon they have no playmates. "They want this thing to keep going, so they're willing to go the extra mile" to accommodate others' desires, he explains. Because kids enjoy the activity, they do not give up as easily in the face of frustration as they might on, say, a math problem—which helps them develop persistence and negotiating abilities.Keeping things friendly requires a fair bit of communication—arguably the most valuable social skill of all. Play that transpires with peers is the most important in this regard. Studies show that children use more sophisticated language when playing with other children than when playing with adults. In pretend play, for instance, "they have to communicate about something that's not physically present, so they have to use complicated language in such a way that they can communicate to their peer what it is that they're trying to say," Pellegrini explains. For example, kids can't get away with just asking, "Vanilla or chocolate?" as they hand a friend an imaginary cone. They have to provide contextual clues: "Vanilla or chocolate ice cream: Which one would you like?" Adults, on the other hand, fill in the blanks themselves, making things easier for kids.If play helps children become socialized, then lack of play should impede social development—and studies suggest that it does. According to a 1997 study of children living in poverty and at high risk of school failure, published by the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation in Ypsilanti, Mich., kids who enrolled in play-oriented preschools are more socially adjusted later in life than are kids who attended play-free preschools where they were constantly instructed by teachers. By age 23, more than one third of kids who had attended instruction-oriented preschools had been arrested for a felony as compared with fewer than one tenth of the kids who had been in play-oriented preschools. And as adults, fewer than 7 percent of the play-oriented preschool attendees had ever been suspended from work, but more than a quarter of the directly instructed kids had.Animal studies lend support to the idea that play deprivation leads to poor social skills. According to a study published in 1999 in Behavioural Brain Research, rats that are kept isolated during the two weeks of development when they most frequently play—the fourth and fifth weeks after birth—are much less socially active when they later encounter other rats as compared with rats that are not isolated during the same two-week period. And a study published in Developmental Psychobiology in 2002 revealed that male rats reared in isolation during their youth fail to display normal avoidance behaviors when introduced to dominant male rats that repeatedly attack them. Could play deprivation specifically cause these behavioral problems—or could social isolation in general have been the culprit?Another study suggests that play promotes neural development in "higher" brain areas involved in emotional reactions and social learning. Scientists reported in 2003 that play fighting releases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)—a protein that stimulates the growth of new neurons—in these regions. The researchers allowed 13 control rats to play freely with companions for three and a half days and kept 14 other rats isolated for the same period. On examining the rats' brains, the researchers found that the cortex, hippocampus, amygdala and pons of the rats that had played contained much higher levels of BDNF than those of the rats that had not. "I think play is the major mechanism whereby higher regions of the brain get socialized," says Washington State University neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp, who co-authored the study.Stress ReliefResearch suggests that play is also critical for emotional health, possibly because it helps kids work through anxiety and stress. In a 1984 study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, researchers assessed the anxiety levels of 74 three- and four-year-old children on their first day of preschool as indicated by their behavior—whether they pleaded, whined and begged their parents to stay—and how much their palms were sweating. Based on the researchers' observations, they labeled each child as either anxious or not anxious. They then randomly split the 74 kids into four groups. Half of the kids were escorted to rooms full of toys, where they played either alone or with peers for 15 minutes; the other half were told to sit at a small table either alone or with peers and listen to a teacher tell a story for 15 minutes.Afterward, the kids' levels of distress were assessed again. The anxiety levels of the anxious kids who had played had dropped by more than twice as much as compared with the anxious kids who had listened to the story. (The kids who were not anxious to begin with stayed about the same.) Interestingly, those who played alone calmed down more than the ones who played with peers. The researchers speculate that through imaginative play, which is most easily initiated alone, children build fantasies that help them cope with difficult situations.Animal studies also support the idea that play helps to alleviate stress—a concept known in neuroscience as social buffering. In a study published in 2008, Gettysburg College neuroscientist Stephen Siviy put rats into a chamber by themselves and exposed them to a collar previously worn by a cat, which made them visibly anxious. Later, the chamber was cleaned so it no longer smelled of the cat, the rats were put back in without the cat collar, and the rats immediately became anxious again, probably because they associated the space with the cat. But if Siviy and his colleagues then introduced another rat into the chamber—one that had never been exposed to the cat collar and was not afraid—the two would begin playing by chasing each other, tumbling and pretend fighting. And shortly thereafter, the first rat would relax and become calm, suggesting that play helped the rat to lessen its anxiety.Play to the Head of the ClassRelieving stress and building social skills may seem to be obvious benefits of play. But research hints at a third, more counterintuitive area of influence: play actually appears to make kids smarter. In a classic study published in Developmental Psychology in 1973, researchers divided 90 preschool children into three groups. One group was told to play freely with four common objects—among the choices were a pile of paper towels, a screwdriver, a wooden board and a pile of paper clips. A second set was asked to imitate an experimenter using the four objects in common ways. The last group was told to sit at a table and draw whatever they wanted, without ever seeing the objects. Each scenario lasted 10 minutes. Immediately afterward, the researchers asked the children to come up with ideas for how one of the objects could be used. The kids who had played with the objects named, on average, three times as many nonstandard, creative uses for the objects than the youths in either of the other two groups did, suggesting that play fosters creative thinking.Play fighting also improves problem solving. According to a paper published by Pellegrini in 1989, the more elementary school boys engaged in rough-housing, the better they scored on a test of social problem solving. During the test, researchers presented kids with five pictures of a child trying to get a toy from a peer and five pictures of a child trying to avoid being reprimanded by his mother. The subjects were then asked to come up with as many possible solutions to each social problem; their score was based on the variety of strategies they mentioned, and children who play-fought regularly tended to score much better.Pellegrini does question, however, how much cause and effect one can glean from these studies. "What does play do? Is it the vanguard of learning something—so does play precede those sorts of skills—or is it merely practice or consolidation of skills that are already developing?" he asks. Although no one knows, "either way, at some level, it would be beneficial," he concludes.Does lack of play, then, impede the development of problem-solving skills? Perhaps, according to animal studies. In a paper published in Developmental Psychobiology in 1978, experimenters separated young rats by mesh partitions—they could see, smell and hear other rats but could not play with them—for the 20 days during development when they would have most frequently played. The researchers taught these rats, and a group that had been allowed to play without constraints, to pull a rubber ball out of the way to get a food treat. A few days later they switched the setup so the rats would have to push the same ball to get the treat. The isolated rats took much longer to try new approaches, and thus solve the problem, than did the rats that had played. The authors speculate that through play, animals learn to try new things, and animals that do not play simply do not acquire this same behavioral flexibility.Playing also appears to help with language development, according to a 2007 study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Researchers at the University of Washington gave a box of toy blocks to children from middle- and low-income families aged 18 months to two and a half years. Parents of these kids, as well as parents of a similar group of kids who had no blocks, kept track of how often the children played. After six months, the kids who had played with blocks scored significantly higher on language tests than the others did. The researchers are not sure, however, whether these improvements resulted from playing with blocks per se—because by playing with blocks, the youngsters were spending less time in unproductive activities such as watching television.But why might play help kids excel? Animal researchers believe that play serves as a kind of training for the unexpected. "Play is like a kaleidoscope," says evolutionary biologist Marc Bekoff of the University of Colorado at Boulder, in that it is random and creative. The bottom line, he posits, is that play encourages flexibility and creativity that may, in the future, be advantageous in unexpected situations or new environments. Some child psychologists, such as Tufts University child development expert David Elkind, agree. Play is "a way in which children learn," Elkind says, "and in the absence of play, children miss learning experiences."Let LooseIf play is so crucial, what happens to children who are not playing enough? Ultimately, no one knows—but many psychologists are worried. Because play is somewhat risky—animals that are not alert and watchful are at risk of being attacked by predators—it probably evolved and persists because it confers survival advantages. "If it wasn't important, it wouldn't have evolved in its elaborate form," Bekoff says.Indeed, evidence indicates that play is evolutionarily quite ancient. Rats that have had their neocortex removed—a large brain region that is involved in higher-order thinking such as conscious thought and decision making—still engage in normal play, which suggests that play motivation comes from the brain stem, a structure that precedes the evolution of mammals. "This means that the core, genetically-provided circuitry for play is situated in very ancient regions of the brain," explains Panksepp, who led the experiment in 1994.Of course, many parents today believe they are acting in their kids' best interests when they swap free play for what they see as valuable learning activities. Some mothers and fathers may also hesitate to let their kids play outside unattended, and they may fret about the possibility of the scrapes and broken bones that sometimes arise during play fighting or rambunctious fantasy play, says Sergio M. Pellis, a behavioral neuroscientist at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta. Although those instincts are natural, protecting kids "simply defrays those costs to later, when those same children will have difficulty in dealing with an unpredictable, complex world," Pellis says. "A child who has had a rich exposure to social play experiences is more likely to become an adult who can manage unpredictable social situations."Parents should let children be children—not just because it should be fun to be a child but because denying youth's unfettered joys keeps kids from developing into inquisitive, creative creatures, Elkind warns. "Play has to be reframed and seen not as an opposite to work but rather as a complement," he says. "Curiosity, imagination and creativity are like muscles: if you don't use them, you lose them."
Read more...
Thursday, February 26, 2009
CHEESEY VEGETABLE NUGGETS
CHEESY VEGETABLE NUGGETS
(AGE 7 MONTHS AND UP)
8oz frozen broccoli florets
4oz breadcrumbs
6oz Cheddar, grated
2 1/2 tbsp water
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Heat the oven to 375 deg F, 190 deg C.Cook the broccoli, then drain and chop well.Combine with the remaining ingredients and mix well.Form the mixture into nugget shapes and place on a greased baking tray, about 3in apart.Bake for 20-25 mins, turning halfway through the cooking time.Serve warm.
March is National Craft Month!!!
Crayola has a bunch of great Spring themed craft idea's available on their site now. Here are a few examples of what you may find....
St. Patrick's Day Lucky Parade Hats
http://www.crayola.com/crafts/detail/lucky-parade-hat-craft/
Dangling Snakes
http://www.crayola.com/crafts/detail/dangling-snake-craft/
Catch the breeze spinners
http://www.crayola.com/crafts/detail/catch-the-breeze-spinners-craft/
Visit http://www.crayola.com for more great creative idea's!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Dr. Seuss' Birthday~March 2nd!!!
Dr. Seuss' Birthday~Monday, March 2nd
Don't forget to celebrate Dr. Seuss' Birthday on Monday, March 2nd.
Here are some resources with great craft idea's, events and more!
Enjoy!
www.seussville.com
http://atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Dr__Seuss/
http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/marchholidays/l/blmar2nd.htm
Using Time-Outs
USING TIME-OUTS FOR NANNIES AND AU PAIRS
Time-Out Should Not Be Used as Punishment
By: The Best Nanny Newsletter
We have been discussing discipline. We have discussed time-outs. We have encouraged using timers to help positively discipline children. Most nannies, au pairs, and parents seem to use time-outs as punishment for children. When children do not behave caregivers often make the children sit in a “naughty chair” for a designated amount of time (a minute or so).
But, Jodi Pawel, a licensed Social Worker, Certified Family Life Educator, founder of The Family Network http://www.daytonfamilynetwork.com/, President of Parents Toolshop Consulting http://www.parentstoolshop.com/ and author of 100+ parent education resources, including her award-winning book, The Parent’s Toolshop, ttp://www.parentstoolshop.com/HTML/book.htm explains that time-outs should be used to help children gain control of their emotions rather than as punishment. She does not encourage caregivers to use timers.
The Parent’s Toolshop
By Jodi Pawel
http://www.parentstoolshop.com/HTML/book.htm
Many [caregivers] use the same type of discipline for every problem situation. One tool, however, is rarely effective for all situations. Plus, overusing one particular tool also reduces its usefulness. Time-out is just one tool -- and it really isn't a "discipline" tool; it's an effective anger-management tool. Since the purpose of a time-out is to help someone regain control, it is most appropriate to use when someone has lost self-control or there is extremely disruptive behavior.
Most adults have the mistaken idea that the whole point of sending children to time-out is to make the child suffer for their misbehavior. "You go to your room (or chair) and think about what you did." The tone of voice usually implies, "and you suffer." Imposing suffering only brings on more resentment and power struggles. Effective discipline, however, teaches children lessons from their poor behavior choices, rather than punishing them.
If you want time-outs to be constructive, try following these guidelines:
Develop a plan in advance. Teach children during a happy time about the value of a cooling-off period. Say, "When you feel like you're going to lose control, you can go (specify the place) and do something to make yourself feel better. Then, when you feel better, come out and we can work on a solution."
Teach children how to regain self-control. Suggest things the child can do to calm down while in time-out. Older children can help decide where to go and what they can do to help themselves calm down.
Allow the child to play. Many [caregivers] are upset when they find their child playing during time-out, but it's actually a good sign that the child has regained self-control. If they are ready to play, children might also be ready to do some problem solving.
Select a location for the time-out. Some children calm down faster when they are alone and in a quiet place. Other children have too much energy to be forced to sit still. Some children become more out-of-control and hurtful when they are forced to spend time-outs alone. These children can cool off in the same room as other people, as long as they aren't disruptive.
Some [adults] hesitate to use a child's room for fear the child will view the bedroom as a prison. If the time-out is initiated kindly and the goal is to give the child and you some quiet space, children won't see it as punishment. If you feel the child will be destructive, plan ahead and remove or put objects you don't want destroyed out of reach.
If you force a child to stay in a chair or room, it shifts the focus from what they did and their responsibility for calming down to who is in power. This turns the time-out into a punishment, which removes its effectiveness.
Present time-outs as a choice. A child can choose to settle down or take some time-out. Suggest the time-out in a kind and firm manner, followed by the encouraging instructions to come back when the child is ready.
Avoid timers. Use the child's ability to regain self-control or willingness to act appropriately to decide how long a time-out should last. Timers often turn time-outs into power struggles. If children have calmed down and are ready to return but parents won't let them "come out," it often escalates the situation. If children return before they have calmed down, firmly but kindly return them to the timeout and reemphasize the purpose is to cool off. Describe the behavior you want to see that shows they are calm.
When a time-out is over: If the child lost control due to anger, let it go and don't call attention to the behavior you want to stop. If the problem is serious or recurring, wait until both of you have calmed down and then use problem solving to generate ideas for handling the situation differently in the future.
Think about your long-term goal. If you want children to learn that it is their responsibility to control their behavior, use timeouts as cooling off periods which teach children how to achieve this self-control.
March Into Spring
March serves as Women's History Month, National Nutrition Month, Youth Art Month, and Music in Our Schools Month. Throughout the Month we will be posting several resources to help you spring into action this spring. :)
Read more...What Every Parent Should Know About Child's Investment Income
What Every Parent Should Know about Child’s Investment Income
Children with investment income may have part or all of this income taxed at their parent’s tax rate rather than at the child’s rate. Investment income includes interest, dividends, capital gains and other unearned income
This rule applies to children who have investment income of more than $1800 and meet one of three age requirements for 2008:
The child is younger than 18.
The child is 18 and has earned income that does not exceed one-half of their own support for the year.
The child is older than 18 and younger than 24 and a full-time student with earned income that does not exceed one-half of the child’s support for the year.
To figure the child's tax using this method, fill out Form 8615, Tax for Certain Children Who Have Investment Income of More Than $1,800, and attach it to the child's federal income tax return.
When certain conditions are met, a parent may be able to avoid having to file a tax return for the child by including the child’s income on the parent’s tax return. In this situation, the parent would file Form 8814, Parents' Election To Report Child's Interest and Dividends.
More information can be found in IRS Publication 929, Tax Rules for Children and Dependents. This publication and Forms 8615 and 8814 are available on the IRS Web site at IRS.gov in the Forms and Publications section. You may also order them by calling the IRS at 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).
Links:
Form 8615, Tax for Children Under Age 18 With Investment Income of More Than $1,800 (PDF 49K)
Form 8615, Instructions (PDF 24K)
Form 8814, Parent's Election to Report Child's Interest and Dividends (PDF 43K)
Publication 929, Tax Rules for Children and Dependents (PDF 220K)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
New Tax Withholding Tables to take effect Spring '09
New Withholding Tables Now Available on IRS.gov; Most Workers Will See Bigger Paychecks this Spring
WASHINGTON ― The Internal Revenue Service today released new withholding tables that will result in more take-home pay this spring for millions of American workers. The new tables incorporate the new Making Work Pay credit, one of the key tax provisions included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that became law earlier this week. “For most taxpayers, the additional credit will automatically start showing up in their paychecks this spring,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “Since employers and payroll companies will handle this change, people typically won’t need to take any additional action. The IRS will continue working to implement this and other provisions of the new law as quickly as possible.” The new withholding tables, along with other instructions related to the new tax law, will be incorporated in new Publication 15-T. This publication will be posted to this Web site next week and mailed to more than 9 million employers in mid-March. The IRS asks that employers start using these new tables as soon as possible but not later than April 1. Most workers will see a boost in their take-home pay soon thereafter. Eligible workers will get the benefit of this change without any action on their part. This means that workers don’t need to fill out a new W-4 withholding form to get the Making Work Pay credit reflected in their take-home pay. A Form W-4 will not need to be submitted for the automatic withholding change. Individuals and couples with multiple jobs may want to submit revised Form W-4 forms to ensure enough withholding is held to cover the tax for the combined income. Publication 919 provides additional guidance for tax withholding. Available for tax years 2009 and 2010, the Making Work Pay credit is 6.2 percent of a taxpayer’s earned income with a maximum credit of $800 for a married couple filing a joint return and $400 for other taxpayers, but it is phased out for higher income taxpayers. Most workers will qualify for the maximum credit. Because the credit is refundable (people can get it even if they owe no tax), most low-income workers will also qualify for the full credit. Though all eligible taxpayers will need to claim the credit when they file their 2009 income tax return next year, the benefit will generally be spread out over the paychecks they receive beginning this spring and continue until the end of the year. Many higher-income taxpayers will see little or no change in their take-home pay. That’s because the Making Work Pay credit is phased out for a married couple filing a joint return whose modified adjusted gross income (AGI) is between $150,000 and $190,000 and other taxpayers whose modified AGI is between $75,000 and $95,000. Taxpayers will not get a separate, special check mailed to them from the IRS like last year’s economic stimulus payment.
New Federal Income Tax Rate for Nannies
From: 4nannytaxes.com
New Nanny Federal Income Tax Withholding Rates
President Obama announced over the weekend that the new Federal income tax rates reflecting the $400/person tax cut in the stimulus bill, will become effective April 1, 2009.
HomeWork Solutions will have the new rates available on our website's Nanny Tax Calculator no later than Friday February 27, 2009. A nanny's Federal income taxes will go down approximately $10/week on average through December 2009. They will nudge back up a bit in 2010. Long time employers will recall that we had a similar mid-year withholding adjustment in 2002 when the Bush tax cuts were enacted.
Nanny employers who make a predictable weekly or periodic payment to the nanny are advised that they should continue paying with their current net calculation through the end of the 1st quarter (3/31/2009) and begin making new net check payments effective the first pay period in April 2009.
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