Perhaps, you have not heard the Australian motto for protecting young children in the sun? Australians are matter-of-fact in their approach and use the saying “Slip, Slap, Slop” before going outdoors with youngsters. Did you figure it out yet? That’s right. Slip on a hat, slap on a shirt, and slop on the sunscreen when preparing for safety in the sun. These are the basics of sun safety, but, there are many more good ideas for keeping your baby and young child safe from the sun’s harmful rays this summer.
Montessori-Inspired At-Home Activities for momstown’s ‘Under The Sea’ Theme
As a Montessori teacher, I have a passion for hands-on learning, and believe that every child benefits from Montessori-based activities which focus on learning through the senses. So, the reason for this article is to give moms an opportunity to learn about, and to do some Montessori-inspired activities at home with their preschoolers. The momstown theme for the month of May is ‘Under the Sea’. So, have fun with these sea-markable, themed, do-it-yourself activities – Montessori style!
Lana Kelly
Editor, momstown Guelph
Free Video Series Helps Parents to Raise Healthy Kids
New research into child development demonstrates that parents and caregivers can play a critical role in ensuring their child’s individual success in all areas of development. In order for that to happen, we often need extra support, wisdom, and encouragement along the way, so that we can feel confident in our ability to give our child a healthy start and provide early intervention. This is why Dieticians of Canada and Alberta Health Care Services have created a free video series called ‘Raising Our Healthy Kids’.
Lana Kelly
Editor, momstown Guelph
Kids Who Help in the Garden are Smarter and Healthier
Did you know that kids who garden are more than twice as likely to eat the recommended 5 servings of vegetables a day? This is just one of the reasons to include your kids in gardening during the spring and summer months. Yet, there are many other reasons for children to garden which include emotional, cognitive and physical development.
Good Dental Health Actually Begins in The Womb
Developing good oral health habits at an early age is essential for a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums. So, did you know that a baby’s healthy tooth development can actually begin before birth? As a mom-to-be you can actually get your child’s teeth off to a healthy start during pregnancy. And, once baby is born, your job is to promote the healthy development of gums and those first baby teeth, in order to ensure good oral health into adulthood.
Lana Kelly
Editor, momstown Guelph
Looking for Fun Activities in the Guelph Region this Family Day?
Nothing in the world could make human life happier than to greatly increase the number of strong families.
~ David R. Mace
Family Day celebrates the importance of families. Why not make this Family Day count? Here are a few activities, intended to strengthen the family bond, in the Guelph Area.
Lana Kelly, Editor momstown Guelph
Focusing Too Much on Your Child’s Weight Can Be Harmful
Everywhere we turn, there are commercials, poster ads, and social media images which shame us, as parents, into believing that we are solely to blame for the fact that our child is overweight. It can even start as early as birth, when you have that first ‘well-baby check-up’, only to be advised that you are feeding your baby too much (on demand, imagine that!) and that he or she is above the average weight percentile. And, when our child gets older, we are constantly comparing him to his thin peers, and wondering where we went wrong, since he does not seem ‘a-typical’. In a sense, we are being brain- washed by the societal demands placed upon us as parents. We are conned into thinking that just because our child does not fit the ‘norm’, he is going to be ostracized because of it, and we tend to develop extremist attitudes that force us to do anything in our power to prevent the bullying that he will, no doubt endure, because of his ‘abnormal’ bodily appearance. Studies show, however, that focusing too much on our child’s weight can be harmful to their health – both physically and emotionally.
Lana Kelly
Editor, momstown Guelph
Am I Trying to Buy My Child’s Love?
If you’re a parent, you have been there. The little, scratchy fingers that tug at your coat, the whining, the crying, and sometimes, the all-out temper tantrum while you try to calm your child, and gently explain that he or she cannot have this toy that they sooooooooooo desperately desire. You feel like hiding behind the toy shelves, and pretending that your child (or is it your child?) belongs to someone else. You wonder if you (or other family members who lavishly spoil your child) have done something wrong. How did your child come to expect or feel he deserves these expensive items? How did you manage to spoil him to this extent, and not notice that you were turning him into an aggressive monster who punched and kicked and screamed when he didn’t get something he wanted? How did this happen?
Lana Kelly,
Editor, momstown Guelph
Preventing Prejudice in our Children
We live in a highly diverse population of people, and, as much as we would like to ignore the fact that biases still exist in our society, we can’t. As parents, we have a necessary and challenging role to play in our children’s lives, as a teacher who models appropriate strategies when faced with situations of discrimination or prejudice. As an Early Childhood Educator, I have been taught the anti-bias approach for the education of young children. You see, although multicultural education has been a focus in our classrooms for over a decade, the idea of diversity (including all prejudices, such as issues of racism and sexism, ageism, et cetera) is becoming more complex, and needs to be taught to young children as a basis for an anti-bias value system. Did you know that preventing prejudice in your young child, and in our future generation actually begins with you? No pressure there, right? Wrong! You can have a hand in creating the possibility of a gradually emerging anti-bias society – a society in which all people, regardless of race, culture, ability, gender, are accepted, valued, respected, and included. This Black History Month, I encourage you to accept the challenge of preventing prejudice in your own children, and paving the way to an inclusive society.
Lana Kelly
Editor, momstown Belleville
momstown Hosts Sleep Themed Baby Basics in partnership with Walmart
Let’s face it. As a new mom, you feel overwhelmed. Your once peaceful world is now filled with anxiety, chaos, dirty diapers, feeding on demand, and the big one – sleepless nights. These sleepless nights take a wear and tear on our bodies (especially on our faces!) and are accompanied by suitcases ( a step up from ‘bags’) under the eyes. The old cliché still stands: We need our ‘beauty sleep’ to truly be at our best. This is why our momstown pass holders and new moms all over the Guelph area would not have wanted to miss the Walmart ‘ Every Little Step’ Sleep-themed Session!
