Parent Workshop: Let’s Talk About Sex

Are you wondering about how to talk about sex and sexuality with your school-age child?  What are students learning about this topic at school?  What is “normal”?  What about my family values? 

If you would be interested in a parent workshop to help you answer some of these questions, call Marg at 519-434-3644 x38.    If there is sufficient interest, this workshop will be offered in the New Year.

Stress – Everyone has it!

Stress affects everyone!  Our bodies and minds both respond when we get excited, fearful, challenged or anxious.  Our brain tells our bodies to get ready to deal with these feelings and gets our body ready to “flee from danger” or to stand up and “fight it”.  This helps us deal with things that threaten us.  Special hormones are released in our body that prepares us to be alert and respond with lots of energy.  This is a good thing once in awhile, but not when adults and children are constantly dealing with stress.  These raised levels of hormones can make us feel very tired, create sore muscles and make it hard to fight off illness.  One group of researchers found that parents with more worries also had children who were sick more often.

Some signs of stress in children:

Behaviours	Body	Mind	Feelings
Whining Crying Nail Biting Fighting Low appetite or eating more Day dreaming	Headaches Stomach-aches Fast heartbeat Being cold Poor sleeping Tired Illness	Forgetful Easily distracted Confused Can’t concentrate Unreasonable Can’t problem solve	Fear Anxiety Sad or Angry Panic Overly sensitive Helpless Frustrated

 

What can we do?

Eat healthy food, get lots of exercise, get enough sleep, learn to reduce or manage stress, spend time with your children, laugh a lot, ask your children if they are worried about anything and really listen to them, minimize competitive activities, provide regular routines, make a stress management list (like deep breathing) and post it where all family members can use it.  

Mary Ann Avey, Parent Educator

Hands-On Cooking: Making Applesauce

3-4 sweet apples
½ cup water
½ tsp cinnamon 

Combine in a saucepan and cook on stovetop until mushy.  Cool a little and enjoy!

Apple Poems

I’m a Little Apple (to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”)

I’m a little apple
Short and round
I make a crunchy
Munchy sound
If you bite into me
You will see
I’m delicious
As can be

Two Green Apples

Way up high
In an apple tree
Two green apples
Smiled at me.

So I shook that tree
As hard as I could
And down fell the apples
Mmm, mmm, good.

Serve with apples.

Walking Salad

Core an apple, fill with soft cheese, peanut butter, raisins, etc.  Great for taking on walks or for picnics.

Nibble Necklace

Use a large-holed, blunt needle and thread to string dried fruit bits, cheerios, puffed rice, popcorn and small pretzel knots.  Wear your “jewellery” while exploring a park.

Summer Boredom Busters Part V

Physical Activity

• With children, plan and set up an indoor or outdoor obstacle course.
• Plan races, “Who can run/hop/slither/skip to the fence and back the fastest?”
• Armed with a list of things from around the house or yard, have children rush to find things in a scavenger hunt.
• Let children go through their toys and decide what they have outgrown or don’t use, then help them set up a yard sale and sell lemonade too.  The next rainy day, plan a “shopping day” to spend the money they earned.
• Walk to a nearby park, and have a picnic.  Let children help prepare the food.
• Have children decorate their bicycles, and have a bike parade.  Invite the neighbourhood children to join in the fun.
• Find local trails, and go on a family hike.
• With bubbles in hand, have a bubbly fun day.
• Visit an appliance store for very large boxes, so they can build a castle or a rocket ship.
• Buy a cheap magnifying glass, and take your children on a backyard safari.
• Equip everyone with gloves and bags, and plan a community clean-up of litter.
• Buy or make a pinata, and plan a party with neighbourhood children.
• Visit or volunteer at a local seniors’ residence or nursing home.

Pause to Play: April 27 to May 3, 2009

For 7 days in April 2009, students and families in Middlesex London will be encouraged to push the pause button on their screens and get up and get moving!  Track your physical activity time using the log sheet.

Daily physical activity is important for good health.  Build more physical activity into each day and reduce the time you spend in front of screens (TV, computer, video games, cell phones, etc.)

There are many FREE activities offered to families during the week and participants can WIN great prizes!

Middlesex London Health Unit

Health Care Connect

 

Health Care Connect services are available to anyone in Ontario without a regular family physician.  Click here to find out how it works.  

 

Please share with your family and friends.

 

Marg Glendon, Parent Educator

Dr. Washcloth

Washing up can be more fun for wee ones when you use a puppet made from a bright red washcloth.  As a “doctor” puppet, it serves as a great distraction when nursing cuts and scrapes, and the advantage of the red material is that blood won’t show!