Outdoor Winter Fun with Kids

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Since many animals are nocturnal or scarce, children rarely see shy and secretive animals in the wild. But animals leave their tracks and mysteries for children.
  Take a walk in your own backyard in winter or along the beach in summer.  These tracks will tell a story.
  Observe human tracks in your yard. How can you tell which way the person is going?  What are they doing? Were they taking out the garbage or delivering a package? Look at the patterns of boots and shoes soles. Observe how they are different in size, tread, and walking pattern.
  Do family dogs and cats leave tracks in the snow? Being able to distinguish between domestic dog and fox footprints is important.

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Making Tracks
   Make new tracks. Drag a stick behind like the child in the book “The Snowy Day” by Keats. Take some pictures or make drawings with markers in a science. notebook. Leave some seeds and check on the spot later. Did animals visit?
  Now can you find some wild animal tracks in your backyard, park, or trail? Try to identify them before the snow is too deep. Explain to children that most animals are nocturnal. They look for food at night and sleep during the day. Their tracks in the snow are often around their homes or trails where they can find food.
  Many free animal track keys are on-line and very helpful. The book “Animal Tracks of the Great Lakes” by Stall is also a handy book.
 Show children some common tracks in your area like rabbits, squirrels, deer, fox, birds, raccoons, chipmunks, shrew, bear, and skunks. Sometimes they will be trailing each other. Why?
Decode Tracks
  When you first find a set of tracks look for the most distinct print. Note the shape of the heel pad, and count the toes. Even though adults may already know the animal, make it a scientific game. Look at the animal track key, think out loud, and eliminate animals by looking at characteristics closely.
  Take out a ruler and show children how to measure a track. Is there evidence that you have several animals, perhaps adults and young ones? Note the habitat. Why are the animals there? Does evidence show animals visit this spot often? Why?  Look around for berries and seeds.  Is there evidence your animal is a tree climber because the tracks stop there abruptly?  Follow some tracks. Where do they lead? Did the animal dig, hop sideways, or run off suddenly? Note that rabbits’ long back paws lead the way because of how they hop.
  Although there is no substitute for first hand study, it is fun to watch trail camera wildlife videos on You Tube with children. View them alone first, however.
photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Simple Cooking: Time to Teach and Talk

Cooking with children is an important parenting activity.  It is a good chance to teach and discuss. The cooking doesn’t need to be fancy.  Very young children can help measure ingredients and stir.  As soon as children can handle a table knife they can also learn to cut up fruits and vegetables into small pieces for family salads.
   When they can spread with a table knife it’s time to teach how to make a sandwich.  If your children are not allergic to nut spreads like peanut or almond butter, they are ready to move toward helping themselves.  Nut butters go with almost anything. They can be spread on vegetables like celery or carrots. They can be slathered on fruits like apples, pears, and banana halves.  This is a perfect way to sneak in protein. Two tablespoons have 210 calories, 7 grams of protein, and 1 gram of sugar. Look for no sugar added.
  Nut butters make delicious easy sandwiches with bananas, pickle spears, apples, pears, low sugar jelly, or mashed berries.
  It’s also a good time to talk about reading food labels. Preschool children can learn to recognize protein, and different vitamins and minerals on all labels of food they eat. They can also look for ingredients that are not nutritious like sugar, salt, and fat.
Calorieking.com is a research tool that breaks down nutrition value of foods including those in restaurants.
Tortilla Sandwiches
  The tortilla is an easy all purpose base.  Cooking with tortillas involves eventually putting them in a toaster or microwave so children will need supervision.
Any nut butter combo sandwich can be rolled in a warmed whole wheat tortilla wrap. Children find them easier to handle than a cut up bread sandwich.
  Here are a few other possibilities. Spread cream cheese on a warm tortilla. Add an optional thin slice of ham, turkey, or chicken, and raw shredded carrots. Roll up and eat. If children like scrambled eggs, scramble two, add ½ cup shredded cheese and a few small pieces of lettuce.  Children may like the warm lettuce better than the texture of raw lettuce.  Roll up in a warmed tortilla. If you have spaghetti and meat sauce leftovers, warm them up, add cheese and place in a warmed tortilla.
Tortilla Pizza
 For a tortilla pizza, you’ll need 1 small flour tortilla, 1 tablespoon spaghetti sauce,
2 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese, meat and vegetables, if desired. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese. With supervision, children can lay tortillas on a cookie sheet.
Broil for 2 minutes and watch carefully. These can also be microwaved on high for ½ minute.  Cut up or roll when cooled. 
Photos: Fran Darling fdarling fotos

More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Easy Kitchen Art with Kids

When grandchildren or cousins visit, adults can be prepared in just a few minutes by using some simple art recipes that have been handed down through generations of teachers. The recipes use ingredients found in the kitchen and are easy and entertaining for children. These activities provide an excellent time to talk, an important first step to reading.
Cornstarch Recipes

   Rainbow Stew produces a fun rainbow effect of changing colors. There is no mess involved. Mix together 1/3-cup sugar, 1-cup cornstarch, 4 cups cold water and 3 drops of different colored food coloring. Mix together the first three ingredients and heat on the stove with low heat stirring constantly until thick.  Place in several zip lock bags when cool.  Add different food colorings and squish around. This is a good time to explain primary colors: yellow, red and blue. They will make the secondary colors of orange, green, and purple when pressed together.
  Oobleck is an old favorite. Is it a liquid or a solid?  Mix ½ cup cornstarch, ¼ cup water and add 2 drops of food coloring. Mix together cornstarch and water on a cookie sheet with raised edges or a cake pan.  This is easier than a bowl.  Add the food coloring.  Then take a small handful and let it drip and splat on the table. Pick it up again. Stretch it. Pull it into various shapes. Squeeze it through holes. Sometimes it will feel like a solid. Sometimes it will drip like a liquid. Stay in the kitchen to play.  This can get a bit messy. Store in a zip lock bag.
Kitchen Paints 
This next paint is edible so everyone can lick their fingers and their creation.

Children can paint with clean watercolor brushes or finger paint it on waxed paper, tin foil, or cookie sheets. The mixture can also be placed in a small tough freezer bag with a small hole for squeeze- bag painting.
  Cake Paint is delicious. Mix 1 package cake mix and required water on the package.  Add 1/3 cup vegetable or as stated on the package.  Do not add eggs since the mixture will not be cooked before eaten. Divide the mixture into small portions and add desired food colorings. When children tire of painting they can let it dry which takes a few days or eat their artwork.
Pudding Finger Paint is also easy.  Make a package of pudding mix.  Divide into smaller portions. Children can add food coloring and finger paint. If toddlers are using this paint, put on a bib, as food coloring will stain clothes.
Pictures: Mark Nowicki
Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Positively Connecting with Children

How we communicate with children profoundly affects all aspects of their development. Learning to communicate -- to listen and respond with empathy -- is critical to parenting.
Verbal communication, the words we use to describe our thoughts, feelings and ideas, comes from the left side of our brain.  The nonverbal part of communication-- tone of voice, gestures, posture, facial expression, and eye movement -- comes from the brain’s right side. Usually the nonverbal communication, the right hemisphere, provides the emotional connection and understanding.

Focusing on all aspects of communication, especially the nonverbal, requires that we be fully present, listening and observing. Too often we have problems listening to our children because we are preoccupied with our own thoughts and feelings. That does not mean that we will be available all the time.  But most of the time, we will try. When we do focus on feelings, thoughts, and perceptions of others and ourselves, it allows us to look beyond surface behaviors to deeper levels of understanding. 

Right Approach

Understanding of feelings is at the core of empathic communication. Even though we may not fully understand what someone says or does, we can acknowledge the feelings underlying the communication. For example, fourteen-year-old Amanda comes home from school in a bad mood, stating she “hates” her science teacher and that she has too many “dumb” assignments. Resisting the urge to lecture, Amanda’s mother responds to the underlying feelings, “Sounds like it was a tough day and you have lots of work.” This approach works.
After slamming down her books, Amanda says, “I’ve got tons of work to do!” And she soon sits down and starts the homework.

Amanda’s mother might have taken the approval/disapproval approach, “It’s not the teacher’s fault.  Maybe you should have done some of this work….” This approach rarely works.

Feelings VS. Behavior

While feelings are always okay, behaviors may or may not be acceptable. It is crucial to understand the difference between feelings and actions. The two-year-old gets angry and hits. The three-year-old sees a ball in the street and runs to get it. The four-year-old wants some candy and cries.
When four-year-old Jacob hits his two-year-old brother, you accept his feelings of anger but do not approve of his actions. “If you’re angry at Jimmy, tell him why you’re angry, but it’s not okay to hit.”   The message the child needs to hear is:  What you feel is understandable. What you did was inappropriate.”

Positively connecting with children involves accepting feelings, recognizing underlying wishes and fears, and acknowledging ideas. This often requires “decoding” their messages. Although challenging, it is how we learn to understand children and build their sense of emotional well being.

Guest writers are Phyllis Stien, Mental Health Consultant/Child and Family Therapist,  co- author, of “Psychological Trauma and the Developing Brain” and Kay Kurz, Middle School Teacher.
 Photos: Fran Darling fdarling fotos 

More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest