Parenting Skills for Today's Parents: Internet Safety for School Age Children with Computers

Parenting Skills for Today's Parents: Internet Safety for School Age Children with Computers

Internet Safety for School Age Children with Computers

Like many things in life, the Internet has potential for harm, but guess what? So does crossing the street. So just as you would hold their hand and look both ways before stepping into a crosswalk, there are ways that you can hold your kid's hand virtually, even if you are (away from their keyboard). Here are seven steps to get assist you:

Carve out a space:  For younger kids, having a family computer in an open, shared location (like a family room or home office) can be one way to keep tabs. But with older kids, that might not be such an easy task. You can install monitoring software and/or filtering, but kids often find ways around these. Parental controls can help, but they won't teach your child how to behave outside your home, where "everybody's doing it."  Be certain that you are aware of where your child is at and the environment that they are visiting.  This is important!

Get tech savvy: If you don't know as much about computers as your kid(s), ask them to show and tell you where they're going online. If you need to bone up on your computer skills, most areas in the U.S. have local computer user groups, offering introductory computer classes for free or a nominal fee. Search online for: "[your city name] computer user group," and you're bound to get some leads.  Also, you can always check  “history” on their computer to see for yourself where they visit at while online!

Learn the lingo: In order to talk tech with your kids on their level, you need to speak their language. Two-way communication is key: You want your child to feel comfortable enough to come to you if something or someone questionable comes to them. But more importantly, you want to establish that they won't be punished if they come to you first!  Do not given them too much freedom on the Internet.  Just as there is Good online there is a world of Evil and corrupt websites that can damage and “pervert” your child’s young mind!  Too much freedom online for a child is just as bad as too much freedom on television, both offer too much adult sites that are not good for a child’s mind!

Chat offline:Before your kid logs on, talk to him or her about the types of things online that can be misleading, i.e., someone requesting a private chat or asking them for personal information about where they live, what they look like, how old they are or their phone number. Make sure to have a dialogue and not a monologue: Not only does this empower your child, but again, it can make him or her feel more comfortable about coming to you with questions down the road.

Explain anonymity:Having an anonymous person online is an in-depth topic all by itself, but needless to say, it's important your child understands that on the Internet, things are not always as they appear. The photo of the 13-year-old posted on their favorite social networking site or online profile may not show the actual person they're communicating with.

Take extra precautions:Determine whether you really need that webcam or not. If you do, make sure it is only used with parental supervision. A large portion of webcam usage is adult-related. What's more, there are certain individuals who take abnormal pleasure in viewing children's ordinary activities online.

Make a deal:You can always set ground rules when appropriate. But instead of restricting Internet access, many parents have found an agreement in writing—a contract of sorts—helpful.  

Limit the time that your child is online: Set definite boundaries with your child throughout their Internet Experience.  If they are researching for homework, playing games, learning songs, or whatever the project may be, make certain that they are doing what you have given them permission to do and limit the amount of time that they can be on line.  Personally I suggest no longer then one hour.

So, in short, don't be afraid of the Internet. It can be a great place for entertainment and a wealth of information (You're online now, aren't you?). When it comes to the positive parenting of your kids, just remember keep the lines of communication open.

They are Counting on Us!

We don't want to be critical of the favorite foods that we prepare for our kids because they are decent, satisfying foods that comprise a reasonable component of a good diet. However, consider this: Are we too concerned about preparing a meal of favorite foods, and less interested in introducing young children to the delightful variety of foods that will be important in ensuring lifelong good nutrition?

Eating a wide variety of foods is simply the best way to ensure nutritional adequacy and good health. Our bodies need protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water to function at peak performance. By eating foods from the grain, vegetable, fruit, milk and protein groups, we get the nutrients we need. Variety within the food groups is critical because key nutrients in each food group offer unique contributions to our diet. If we ate only one kind of food from each food group, we could develop nutrient deficiencies, even though we consumed enough calories.

Nutrition is a relatively young science, but good sense tells us that variety is the key toconsuming a nutritious diet.

Mikey likes only four foods: boxed macaroni and cheese, white bread, french fries and apple juice. If we become overly concerned with satisfying Mikey's caloric needs by serving him only what he wants, the only foods he knows, we risk long-term deficiencies in a number of different nutrients, including vitamins A and C, calcium, fiber and iron.

It is critical that we remember that we are "teaching" children to experience and enjoy a wide variety of foods that will keep them healthy. This is a process that requires tenacity. If they miss a calorie here and there because they reject a food, it is still far less important than the experience of learning to like a new food. In the feeding relationship, we must honor the division of responsibility. The adult is responsible for serving a wide variety of foods in a supportive manner. The child needs this exposure in order to discover, taste and enjoy new foods. Children know how much to eat, they don't know what kinds of food they need.

Variety is important. Next time you want to say, "but Mikey only eats…," remember that you are the adult who wants to offer the best of everything to Mikey. It takes time, patience, encouragement and above all confidence that this is in the child's best interest.  They are counting on your wisdom.

By Solano Family & Children's Services, Child Care Food Program

Support Healthy Risks.

Encourage your child to explore something new, such as trying a different food, finding a best pal, or riding a bike. Though there's always the possibility of failure, without risk there's little opportunity for success. So let your child safely experiment, and resist the urge to intervene. 


For instance, try not to "rescue" him if he's showing mild frustration at figuring out a new toy. Even jumping in to say, "I'll do it" can foster dependence and diminish your child's confidence. You'll build his self-esteem by balancing your need to protect him with his need to tackle new tasks.

What does my preschooler need to know before entering kindergarten?

It is very smart to have your child prepared for Kindergarten. Today's Kindergarten class is much more advanced then Kindergarten use to be. Today children need to be prepared to take many different tests once they start school. Before your child begins Kindergarten, social skills are very necessary. It is imperative that they know how to interact with other children. Childen that do not have this exposure with other children before Kindergarten may become overwhelmed when placed in a school environment. 

We as parents must realize that there is a time when we have to "let go" and trust professionals to work with our children. Kindergarten can be a hard adjustment for parents and child!  Once your child is placed in school I ask that you become involved with your child's learning adventure. Rememer, once your child begins school - YOU too are enrolled as your child's academic support coach!

Seven Things Kindergartners Need to Know:

1.  The upper case alphabet out of sequence or mixed up. Children will be asked to name the letters listed, such as: B, D, X, K, J, M, O, etc. 

2.  The numbers to 10, out of sequence or mixed up. Children will be asked to name the letters, listed, such as: 2, 5, 9, 8, 1, 3, 4, etc. 

3.  Children will be asked to identify basic colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

4.  Your child will be asked to identify basic shapes: circle, diamond, rectangle, triangle, oval and square.

5.  Children will be asked to identify basic coins: penny, nickel and dime. 

6.  Your child will be asked to count objects to 10 

7.  Kids will be asked how far they can count to 100. 

The results of the evaluation are shared with parents at their first parent-teacher conference.

Don't Over Punish Minor Misbehaviors

Teach them good and moral behaviors by displaying your own good and moral behaviors. Go to church as a family. Plan healthy family activities that promote good morals and "together" time. You will soon see your child mirror your values and morals. Child discipline and training does not occur in a vacuum. Their behaviors are formed within the context of what they witness in their primary teachers. Child discipline is one of the most important elements of successful parenting, yet more and more, parents just don't know what to do.

Discipline (or training) might simply be defined as a process to help children learn appropriate behaviors and make good choices. In addition, loving, effective discipline aids a child in exercising self-control, accountability, and mutual respect. Through proper discipline, children learn how to function in a family and society that is full of boundaries, rules, and laws by which we all must abide. With it, children gain a sense of security, protection, and often feel accomplishment. Without proper discipline, children are at risk for a variety of behavioral and emotional problems.

We must first learn to discipline ourselves in the matters of child rearing.   Whether parenting skills come naturally or we learn them through trial and error, they are accomplished by consistency, encouragement, and example.  The importance of these tools cannot be expressed enough!

Teach your child that all actions bring consequences.  Encourage them when they make good choices.  They need to know the benefits of obeying and making good choices, as well as the negative consequences for disobedience. 

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Supporting Self Esteem for Children

SELF-ESTEEM

Support healthy risks. Encourage your child to explore something new, such as trying a different food, finding a best pal, or riding a bike. Though there's always the possibility of failure, without risk there's little opportunity for success. So let your child safely experiment, and resist the urge to intervene. For instance, try not to "rescue" him if he's showing mild frustration at figuring out a new toy. Even jumping in to say, "I'll do it" can foster dependence and diminish your child's confidence. You'll build his self-esteem by balancing your need to protect him with his need to tackle new tasks.

Let mistakes happen. The flip side, of course, of having choices and taking risks is that sometimes your child is bound to make mistakes. These are valuable lessons for your child's confidence. So if your child puts his plate too close to the edge of the table and it tips, encourage him to think about what he might do differently next time. That way his self-esteem won't sag and he'll understand that it's okay to make mistakes sometimes. When you goof up yourself, admit it, says Daniel Meier, assistant professor of elementary education at San Francisco State University. Acknowledging and recovering from your mistakes sends a powerful message to your child — it makes it easier for your child to accept his own shortcomings.

Celebrate the positive. Everyone responds well to encouragement, so make an effort to acknowledge the good things your child does every day within his earshot. For instance, tell his dad, "Joshua washed all the vegetables for dinner." He'll get to bask in the glow of your praise and his dad's heartening response. And be specific. Instead of saying "Good job," say, "Thank you for waiting so patiently in line." This will enhance his sense of accomplishment and self-worth and let him know exactly what he did right.

Listen well. If your child needs to talk, stop and listen to what he has to say. He needs to know that his thoughts, feelings, desires, and opinions matter. Help him get comfortable with his emotions by labeling them. Say, "I understand you're sad because you have to say bye to your school pals." By accepting his emotions without judgment, you validate his feelings and show that you value what he has to say. If you share your own feelings ("I'm excited about going to the zoo"), he'll gain confidence expressing his own.

Less Juice, More Whole Fruits, More Water

Encourage children to eat whole fruits, rather than drink juice, to meet their recommended daily fruit intake.  This way, they will benefit from the fiber in the whole fruits.

Moreover, offer children less juice and instead, encourage them to drink more water.  For example, offer them water as an alternative to juice at snack time.  For example, offer them water as an alternative to juice at snack time.

WATER IS IMPORTANT FOR THE BODY BECAUSE IT...

• KEEPS TISSUES MOIST, SUCH AS THOSE IN EYES, MOUTH AND NOSE.
•  
• PROTECTS ORGANS AND TISSUES.
• 
  
• HELPS PREVENT CONSTIPATION.
• 
  
• HELPS DISSOLVE MINERALS AND OTHER NUTRIENTS SO THE BODY CAN USE THEM.
• 
  
• REGULATES BODY TEMPERATURE.
• 
  
• HELPS KIDNEYS BY FLUSHING OUT WASTE PRODUCTS.
• 
  
• LUBRICATES JOINTS.
• 
  
• CARRIES NUTRIENTS AND OXYGEN TO CELLS.

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Avoid Over-Feeding Children to prevent Childhood Obesity

Avoid Over-Feeding Children

Do Your Part in Helping to Prevent Childhood Obesity

With childhood obesity being such a growing concern in our country it is time for us to realize that obesity in children can cause many diseases. Portion sizes have become out of hand in the food industry, giving Americans a distorted idea of what's considered to be a normal serving size for many foods that we eat.

As Child Care providers and Parents we should prepare and serve meals that meet the serving size requirements for various age groups of children as outlined on the meal pattern for Infants and Older children governed by the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Department. Below you can visit the USDA's meal pattern for children.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/care/programbasics/meals/meal_patterns.htm

For example, a serving size of pasta is 1/2 cup for a child between the ages of 6 and 12 years of age. Serving that child one cup of pasta over a period of time will most definitely give him or her a distorted idea of what's a normal serving size, which in turn will contribute to overeating and obesity.

Yours truly -

Shar

Parenting Skills: Effective Discipline for Children

Parenting Skills: Effective Discipline for Children

Discipline and Punishment-What is the difference?

Discipline and Punishment-What's the Difference?

What Is Discipline? Discipline can be defined as: Helping a child learn to get along with his family and friends. Teaching a child to behave in an agreeable way. Allowing a child the freedom to learn from his mistakes and experience the consequences of his decisions. Effective discipline is helping, teaching, and learning. Discipline Is Not Punishment.

Some think discipline and punishment are the same thing. Some think discipline is getting a child to behave and teaching him to be obedient. Some think it is what you do when children are naughty or misbehave. Whereas punishment focuses on the child, discipline targets the act. When we punish a child we are in effect saying to him, "You are loved (or not loved) because of the things you do." Punishment teaches the child to be "good" as long as we are looking - but as soon as we turn our heads, watch out!

Discipline separates the child's "goodness" from how well he does on a task. Our message now says, "You are OK even when your behavior is NOT OK." We love the child but reject the behavior. The purpose of discipline is to raise responsible, confident children who grow up to be persons who think for themselves, who care about others, and who live satisfying and useful lives.

Visit our kid's store

http://www.wookysboutique.net/

Shar Spencer

Child Educator and Retailer of Kids Clothing

Age and Stage make a difference!

Age And Stage Make A Difference

MANY times WE ARE often annoyed by a child's behavior when he OR SHE is only acting his or her age. Some behavior that is hard to live with is typical of most children. For example, young children have a great deal of energy and need to be active. If WE realize how hard it is for a young child to sit still and be quiet, we SHOULD arrange for the child to use up his energy in a way that doesn't irritate him or her.

Our number one concern, whether we are two or ninety-two, is to have personal control over our lives. Young children want to be independent and to do things for themselves, so that much of their so called "bad" behavior is a sign that they are growing. After all, WE wouldn't want the child to remain a baby who is completely dependent on PARENTS AND PROVIDERS.

Preschool children have a hard time telling the difference between fact and "pretend." If children in this stage say, "I saw a bear," they may not know the difference between what they "saw" in their imagination and what they actually saw. Parents would not call the child a liar; instead, they would say, "You did?" and encourage his imagination. By school-age the child should be able to tell the difference between reality and fantasy.

Children are curious. They just naturally want to learn about things around them. They may take things apart just to see what will happen.

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Wooky's Boutique Has Come

Wooky's Boutique an Online Clothing Store for Kids

http://www.wookysboutique.net/

COME SHOP AT WOOKY'S


Wooky's Boutique has arrived to supply you as a parent or guardian with quality, affordable and brand name clothing for your infant, preschooler or school age child.Our clothing are carefully hand selected and examined to ensure that our buyers will be completely satisfied with our line of clothing. We hope you will find everything that you need.

Wooky's Boutique is focused on providing high-quality service and customer satisfaction! We will do everything we can to meet your expectations! With a variety of kids clothing to choose from, we're sure you'll be satisfied with our professional services. Our goal is to coordinate great, fashionable, quality and durable clothing for your child or children. We desire to select clothing for infants, preschoolers and school age children.


Because Wooky's Boutique is here to support the clothing needs of children we also offer a variety of toys and gift items, along with plush stuffed animals for your child or children. You can shop for birthday gifts, and items that you may be in need of. Our goal is to offer a unique and exciting boutique! In these days that we are living in every school age child should have access to a computer for advanced learning adventures. Yes, we also offer desktop computers for you or your school age child at affordable prices.


We are here to satisfy our customers with professional support and quality clothing for your child or children. It is our desire that you will be happy with all that we have to offer. Wooky also has a store on Ebay and we are proud to announce that we have been selling children's clothing since 2004. We strive hard to please our customers and have earned 100% feedback on Ebay!Wooky's Boutique is committed to providing the same exceptional products and service that our customers have come to expect. We value your patronage and encourage you to contact us with any questions or comments. We love feedback!


You can reach us via email at: customerservice49@ymail.com
or Wookysboutique@AOL.Com.


Sincerely,

Shar

WOOKY'S BOUTIQUE USA

Get Involved at your Child's School

GET INVOLVED AT YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL

Don’t just Give them to the teacher-It takes Parent/Teacher Involvement for a Child to achieve all that he or she can while enrolled at school.

Whether your child is just starting kindergarten, entering the final year of high school, or is somewhere in between, there are many good reasons and opportunities for you to volunteer at school. It's a great way to show your child that you take an interest in his or her education, and it sends a positive message that you consider school a worthwhile cause. When you get involved at school your child’s teacher will know that YOU care about Your child’s academic learning opportunity. Stay Connected with Your’s Child Learning – It’s Your Responsibility.

Teaching Children How to Give of Themselves

Teach Kids to Give of Themselves

Volunteerism, especially around the holidays, offers an ideal opportunity for families to have fun and feel closer to each other at the same time. Community service helps to drive home the message that giving is much more than laying down cash for the hot gift of the season or scrambling around to buy mounds of presents. Volunteerism can show kids that giving your time, effort, and kindness is more rewarding than just expecting to receive lots of presents.Also, if volunteering begins at an early age, it can become part of your kids' lives — something they just want to do. It can teach them: that one person can make a difference. A wonderful, empowering message for kids is that they are important enough to have an impact on someone or something else.

By giving up a toy to a less fortunate child, a child learns that sometimes it's good to sacrifice. Cutting back on recreation time to help others reinforces that there are important things other than ourselves and our immediate needs. Working in community service can bring kids and teens in touch with people of different backgrounds, abilities, ethnicity's, ages, and education and income levels. They'll likely find that even the most diverse individuals can be united by common values. By helping others who aren't as fortunate, kids can better see all the remarkable things to be grateful for in their own lives. Community service can teach kids that giving comes in many forms, not just as presents. Emphasize that giving of their time, effort, and caring can mean so much more and last longer than any gift that money can offer.