PARENT TO PARENT

This is a monthly column dedicated to parents sharing helpful parenting suggestions with other parents. We all have experience we can pass along and maybe we will learn something that would be helpful with our own kids.

This month's question is all about traveling...

What have you found really helpful for long car rides/road trips and/or traveling with kids?

• I Spy

• Yes and no game (you cannot say yes or no the questions asked)

• Travelmonkey! He's one of those furry monkey toys with long arms. The velcro on his hands and feet stick to the inside of the car and you can play peekaboo and make him dance until the kids are giggling and happy. Never fails. :)

• Songs

• We watch for the traffic lights to change then shout out colors. And of course we watch for trucks and buses.

• We like to listen to kids' music and story tapes and sing or say lines from the stories. On really long drives we take a TV/VCR that plugs into the cigarette lighter and play our favorite movies (The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins).

• Buy toys from the dollar store so it won't matter if they get lost.

• Pack snacks/wipes in disposable bags so you're not carting around dirty, empty containers.

• Getting on a plane I always say to the people in front/behind: "Hi! I'm traveling with small kids - hope they don't bother you etc.". Every time people have been very polite and PREPARED!

• Car rides are tough - but airports and planes I am truly blessed. He's a great traveler.

• Bring books and stickers

• He doesn't get to watch TV at home so on really long trips a DVD player can be really helpful.

• The Colormagic markers and pad. The pens only work on the special paper so they don't get messy. Put as many kids' songs as possible on the iPod.

HOW ARE YOUR KIDS PLAYING?

“Toys of value enhance children’s natural ability to engage in imaginative, meaningful play, by allowing them to try out their own ideas and solve their own problems” (truceteachers.org).

This may seem like a silly question, as we all assume that kids just know how to play. However, some children do find it difficult to entertain themselves, find healthy creative activities, or to engage in an activity for more than a few seconds. As teachers, we see a variety of ways in which children play, and are increasingly seeing more and more kids who find it difficult to play by them selves or to create imaginative ideas for play scenarios. We also look around and see the ways in which toys and activities for kids have changed in the last decade or so. No doubt you have noted that the tinker toys and Lincoln logs are not the most popular ones on the shelf anymore. Research is constantly indicating that the types of toys children have access to affect the ways in which they learn to play, and thus the ways in which they develop many important cognitive, social, emotional and behavioral skills throughout life.

One of the main ways toys have changed is in the lack of open-ended toys now marketed. Many toys currently marketed have only one use and it is usually connected to a TV show or character. These types of toys leave children with little room for creativity and a lack of understanding of how to create their own games and ideas (Daphne White, Mothering Magazine, Nov.-Dec, 2004). According to TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment), one of the main benefits of play is that if helps children understand the world around them as they are able to work out their own lives and experiences through play (truceteachers.org). Thus, if we provide them only with toys that have a pre-scripted way to play with them (i.e. those based on TV shows or characters), it leaves the children reenacting someone else’s plot and experiences, not their own. On the other hand, when we offer kids open-ended materials such as blocks, markers, play-dough, and generic looking dolls or cars and trucks, they are able to use their imaginations and discover things on their own, make sense of their own experiences and develop problem solving skills and other valuable life and educational skills learned through play. Additionally, it is equally important to allow children regular opportunities to play by themselves, without adult or peer interaction (Daphne White, 2004). Time alone not only allows them some breathing room and maybe down time, but it also helps them learn how to entertain themselves and use their own imaginations without outside influence or judgment. Most children, as do adults, crave time alone, and develop important self-regulation, trust, and confidence by exploring and spending time by themselves.

In this New Year, with new resolutions, we can all look at the ways in which we help kids develop important skills, and one easy way is to think about the play opportunities being offered to them. TRUCE offers some suggestions for how to think about the toys you are providing for your kids:

Toys Have Enhanced Play Value when they…
• Can be used in many ways
• Allow children to determine the play
• Appeal to children at more than one age or level of development
• Are not linked to video games, TV, or movies
• Can be used with other toys for new and more complex play
• Promote respectful interactions
• Help children develop skills for further learning and a sense of mastery

--copied from the TRUCE website: www.truceteachers.org---

SILENT AUCTION COMING UP!

More information on the Events page

WAYS TO HELP THE SCHOOL FINANCIALLY
(Without Spending an Extra Cent!)

There are many ways to help reach our school fundraising goal just be doing everyday tasks like grocery shopping and eating out. Here are a few ideas that will help earn money for the school and don’t take any additional tie or money.

1. Get a rechargeable scrip card from Weaver Street Market, add some funds to it, and tell the cashier to link it to school 112. Then take your family to eat dinner at Panzanella or breakfast at Weaver Street Market. Do some grocery shopping while you are there. Pay with your scrip card when you are finished and you’ve just earned the school 5% of your purchase total! Easy and delicious!

2. Drop by Harris Teeter and pick up some Harris Teeter products, maybe some Harris Teeter Farmer’s Market grape tomatoes for your salad or HT yourpet biscuits for your dog. When checking out, ask the cashier to link your VIC card to school 2951. You’ve just earned the school a percentage of your purchase and made your dog very happy!

3. Log onto www.foodlion.com and link your MVP card to our school. Do your regular weekly shopping and present your MVP card at checkout. Get good deals and earn the school a percentage of your total bill!

4. Purchase scrip certificates for Whole Foods by placing your order in Mac’s folder by 9am on 10/9, 10/23, and/or 11/16. Wait for your scrip certificates to be returned to your child’s folder and then use them like cash at the Chapel Hill Whole Foods. Repeat, repeat, repeat! This week’s Whole Food scrip order earned our school $97.00 and didn’t cost our families anything extra. Keep it up, Whole Foods shoppers!

5. Tell Beth (Mac’s Mom) what other grocery stores you frequent and she will investigate scrip options for that store.

6. Stay tuned for exciting new scrip opportunities at Dream Dinners and Earth Fare!

Email bpartington@nc.rr.com with any questions. Thanks for your efforts to support our school!