Play a Game!

There are many benefits of playing board games with your children!

Social:

• A TV-free activity for you and your child to enjoy.
• Mommy/Daddy & child time.
• Practice of turn-taking and cooperating
• Sharing in an exchange of ideas and points of view.
• Making decisions and choices and accepting the consequences.

Emotional:

• Practice in regulating emotions if child does not “win”.  Avoid competition if a cooperative alternative is available.  Play in teams rather than one vs. another.
• Sharing and communicating emotions—both excitement and disappointment.
• Developing self-esteem while gaining success at playing by the “rules”.
• Focusing attention on the game and avoiding distraction.
• Persisting even when frustrated and coping with disappointment.

Communication, language and literacy:

• Responding appropriately to the verbal and print directions on how to play the game.
• Using new words and building vocabulary.
• Recognizing numbers in print and counting.
• Recognizing colours and shapes and matching their names.

Cognition:

• Asking questions to solve problems and clarify understanding.
• Using numbers, letters, shapes and quantities of items.
• Sorting objects, pictures and things into groups (classifying).
• Identifying patterns and knowing what comes next in a sequence.
• Using memory to remember picture cards in a matching game.
• Using counters to represent objects.

Physical:

• Fine motor dexterity, eye-hand coordination, by picking up and placing small items such as cards and game pieces.
• Large motor in floor games such as hop-scotch and twister.
• Auditory skills when identifying sounds on a sound bingo/lotto game.

HAVE FUN!

Make Giving a Family Tradition

 

The fall, whether it be for Thanksgiving, High Holy Days, Diwali or other traditions, is a time when many of us gather with friends and family to enjoy good company and good food.  As you gather this year, we encourage you to start a new family tradition focused on charitable giving. Take the time to start a conversation about what donating means to your family and to inspire the young people in your life to become the next generation of donors!   

Here are some tips to help you get started: 

Talk to your children or younger relatives about the causes that matter to you and why you choose to support them.  Discuss all of the great things that charities do in all sectors (healthcare, animals, the environment, education, international development, social services etc…). 

Visit or volunteer at a charity you’ve supported in the past to see first-hand the important work they do with your donations. Be sure to set up a time to visit in advance – service demands go up for many charities around holidays.

Make this time of year the time that you set your annual giving budget. Decide the amount that works for you , and how you would like to split that amount among the causes you support. 

 Ask everyone to research a charity they would like to support.  Before a meal, go around the table and ask everyone to say a few words about the charity they chose and the impact that organization has on the community.

Thanks for Giving!

Thanks to our generous donors, over the last year Childreach has:

•  led monthly Parent Circle programs in the Kipps Lane community, bringing families together to address parenting and neighbourhood challenges;
• introduced a new summer program AND a second stage program for our young moms group that has doubled in size;
• provided over 100 one-on-one parenting sessions to parents that are struggling; some of which required a translator;
• piloted a very successful ready for school family literacy program in a vacant store at Northland Mall.

Parents are the most important influence on a young child.  By supporting parents, we work toward our dream of the best start in life for all children.  We can’t do it alone.

Thanks for Giving!

UWO Terrorfest 2010 Benefits Childreach

TERRORFEST 2010 is coming your way!

(WARNING:  Terrorfest 2010 is not intended nor appropriate for those under 16 years of age. )

What is TERRORFEST 2010 you may ask?  Well, it is one stellar week of Hallowe’en themed events that has been designed for YOU by the USC Charity Committee!  The BEST part is that ALL of the money raised from these events will support a local charity.  Our main attraction for the week is a HAUNTED FOREST that takes you on a horrific journey through a dark forest with a group of your closest friends!   Not enough for you?  Check out the full roster below!

Haunted Forest: Oct 26-29th, 7-11pm (Oct 28, 7-10pm)
$2 entrance fee
 Located in the forest behind Saugeen (meet at the bonfire in the Saugeen Parking Lot)
E-mail usc.charity@uwo.ca for large group bookings.

Horror Films: Oct 26-29th, 4pm
McKellar Theatre @ 4pm daily
FREE
Movie Selection:
Oct 26 – Paranormal Activity
Oct 27 – Scary Movie
Oct 28 – The Blair Witch Project
Oct 29 – I Know What You Did Last Summer

Zombie Pub (19 ): Oct 28th @ the Wave
Doors Open at 9pm
$3 Cover Charge
Costume Contests!

Come and celebrate Hallowe’en in style while supporting CHILDREACH!

Questions?  Concerns?  Email, usc.charity@uwo.ca or find us on Facebook!

Happy Hallowe’en!

The USC Charity Committee – To enhance the educational experience and quality of life for all undergraduates at The University of Western Ontario

Fun-tastic Fall: Magic Drawings

You will need:

• white paper
• cotton swabs
• baking soda
• water
• purple grape juice

Here’s what you’re going to do:

1. Have your child combine one tablespoon of baking soda and one tablespoon of water in a cup.
2. Let your child dip cotton swabs into the mixture and make designs on sheets of white paper.
3. Let their designs dry completely so that their papers look blank.
4. Have them paint over their designs with purple grape juice.
5. Watch what happens!

For more fun-tastic fall crafts, recipes, stories, activity ideas, and poems, download and print our Fall Funtastic Book!

Starting a Home Child Care?

So you have decided to take the plunge and open your own home child care !  September is a busy month for everyone adjusting to new schedules, new families, new routines, and new children.

It is always a nice fresh start when you begin with lots of rest, daily exercise (e.g. walking, gym, sports, etc), organization, good time management, prepared schedules, and a caregiver support network.  To do this you can explore what is available in your community, online, or by attending playgroups.

New children can have lots of fears and tears.  Chances are by day one that you have had pre visits with the families to familiarize the child to your new environment.  Contracts are in place, and agreements are signed so you are noticeably ready to go!  Or are you?  Carefully planning your first couple weeks closer to home can assist in smoother adjustments for you and the children.

Here are some tips for a smooth integration process for you and the child:

• Greet the parent and child warmly
• Encourage the parents to “Get ready, set, go!”   Strategize with families in advance to know when they are getting ready to go.  Set the stage with the child with a daily goodbye routine.  Go promptly when you say it is time to go.  “Get ready, set, go!” decreases drawn out goodbye’s and teaches the child good habits of what to expect as you and the parent are consistent.
• Ask the parent to bring in a favourite blanket or stuffed animal for comfort.  (Or whatever the child uses for comfort).
• Ask the parents for a family photo (or two), or photo album in advance from home.  These become valuable during a parent’s absence.
• Label the spot for coats, bags, lunches (if they bring this), and all their gear!  This helps the child feel welcome and knows you are ready for them.
• The caregiver should hold the child as much as the child needs to build the attachment.  Children will grow and prosper once a healthy attachment is in place.  Don’t be surprised if you have a lap mate for the first week or so.  If they are not happy being held, seat the child within sight of you and let them follow you.  Be patient!  As the child becomes accustomed to your home, they will slowly and gradually become more independent. 
• Limit your outings as much as possible for the first week.  Your home and a new environment are sometimes enough for a new child.
• Let the child set their own pace.  Warmly invite the child into play.  They may be more comfortable observing for the first few days. 

Being prepared for change and the feelings is an important step for assisting with the child’s transition.  Continue building a positive relationship with the parent.  Open communication daily for the first week with an invitation for phone calls at specific times helps the parent ease their worries and is reassuring.  Keeping those lines of communication open encourages an easier transition for everyone!

Written by Dawn Baetens, RECE, Early Years Program Leader

PS.  Childreach is currently putting the finishing touches on the 6th Annual Home Child Care Conference: Commitment to Caring brochure.  Mark Saturday, October 2 in your calendars!   This full-day conference will take place at the Ramada Inn and will include lunch.   To register, or for more information, please call Sheri Spriggs at 519-434-3644 x39 or by email at sspriggs@childreach.on.ca .

Shoelaces

My littlest was beading a mountain of friendship pins this week, and she had strung all the decorated safety pins on a long purple string.  I noted that when I was little, my friends and I would put them on our shoelaces.  She gave me the strangest look.  

But what was stranger than her look was that it dawned on me that I had completely forgotten to teach my child how to tie her own shoelaces!    Oh, the guilt.   Thankfully, my resilience skills are up to par, and rather than dwell on the fact that I had potentially failed as a mother, I thought about how we were going to solve this issue.   

During this time of reflection, I reassured myself that although she could not tie shoelaces, she could knit a scarf.    It’s definitely not a lack of fine motor skills holding her back.    However, apparently  knitting is higher up on my parenting priorities than tying shoelaces.   To be honest, I also thought about going against all the ‘rules’ and seeing how far in life she could go without ever learning how to tie shoelaces, and the non-conformist in me was inspired.   Who says she needs to wear shoes with laces?   The only problem with this option was that I think she would look super cute in hightop sneakers.

The irony of all of this is I’ve done this before – the whole teaching a kid how to tie her shoelaces.   I seriously can not remember how I did it.   It’s been almost ten years!    

I asked the littlest if she wanted to sit down and learn how to tie shoelaces, and she simply said, “Nope.”   With 15 years of parenting behind me, I’ve learned to pick my battles very carefully which really means, I don’t pick many battles at all anymore.   They’re right when they say your parenting relaxes with subsequent children.   I respect that she doesn’t want to learn how to tie her shoelaces.   That’s cool.  And I’m cool.

In the meantime, she’ll wear slip-on shoes and shoes with velcro and buckles a little bit longer.  She’s down with that, so I am too.  One day she will want to learn, and when she does, I have some handy reference links up my sleeve!

A to Z Kids Stuff | Tying Shoes
youtube videos galore
Tying shoes step by step

Until then, I’ll keep my eyes open for the pair of shoes that will inspire her to learn and keep my shoe-lacing skills sharp.  :) 

Written by Nadine Reeves, Administrative Assistant

DIY Obstacle Course

While the children are out of the room, create an obstacle course with furniture and toys.

IDEAS:
- chairs to climb over or under
- table to climb over or under
- stop at the sink to wash hands
- carpet squares/placemats spaced for jumping one to the next
- build a block tower to jump over
- riding toys to drive from one point to another
- easel with paint & paintbrush to paint a shape

Demonstrate the order of the items in the obstacle course and the challenges in each area.  Have children form a line, and at the signal, let the first child start following the course. When the first child is finished, signal the next child to begin.

Ideas for Fall Outdoor Activities

As the weather changes, outdoor activities change.  The cooler days of fall are ideal for long walks of discovery.  Pack a snack of cut fruit, cheese curds, crackers or finger sandwiches and some water to drink.  Walking in familiar places makes changes more noticeable. 

Watch for:

• Flowers turning brown
• Leaves changing colour and drying
• Birds and animals gathering food
• Pets growing heavier coats

Encourage children to:

• Look, smell, feel and think
• Collect pebbles, twigs, leaves, pine cones, wild flowers
• Hug some trees and decide which is largest, smoothest, friendliest

Use nature collections for crafts and to decorate at home:

• Make a branch mobile with leaves and nuts.
• Dip leaves, feathers, evergreen sprigs, etc. in paint and then press onto paper.
• Adopt an abandoned spider web by sprinkling it gently with talcum powder – lift it by placing a sheet of black construction paper underneath.
• Create a table centrepiece of acorns, pine cones, pebbles in a glass jar, or flowers dried by hanging upside-down.
• Preserve leaves by pressing between wax paper (cereal and cracker boxes have super wax bag liners) or use a placemat-size piece.  Place gathered “treasures” on one piece of wax paper.  You could shave crayon pieces with a grater, cut out magazine letters to create a name or add magazine pictures for added interest.  Place another piece of wax paper on top and iron gently (no steam) to melt together.
• Press leaves between sheets of wax paper placed under a heavy book.  Preserve leaves permanently by covering with clear MacTac.  Cut around leaves leaving 1/16” MacTac around edges.  Hang these in a window to twirl and sparkle in the sunlight.
• Place a leaf or two under paper, rub the top of the paper with a crayon to see the leaves appear magically.
• Create an apple face with miniature marshmallows or raisins.
• Use apple chunks to add to muffins or pancakes.  Share a cooking experience!
• Use apple pieces dipped in paint or pudding to make apple prints.

The colder weather of early winter brings out mittens and scarves.  The changing textures of clothes and dropping temperatures can be discovered.

• The ground is hard.
• We see our breath.
• We hope for snow.
• Watch the grey sky, and move quickly when outdoors to stay warm.  Play FREEZE! – then HOP – FREEZE, JUMP-FREEZE and so on.  Let the children take turns calling freeze.

5th Annual Soup & Chili Luncheon

Mark your calendars!  Friday, November 6, 2009 is Childreach’s 5^th Annual Soup & Chili Luncheon fundraiser for the United Way Campaign.  Last year we had more than twenty of the most delicious soups and chilis from which to taste – all home-cooked by our staff, and we raised over $750!   We guarantee you will not be disappointed.   It’s all-you-can-eat for a minimum donation of $7 to United Way.  Just drop in for lunch between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to fill up; although, we recommend coming earlier rather than later as the crockpots empty fast! 

Nadine Reeves, Administrative Assistant

See Last Year’s Event