Adequate Sleep Affects Child Development

Studies Are In: Children NEED Sleep

How much sleep do children need? How do you get the kids to sleep enough? Experts and and families have grappled with those questions for decades. Now the studies are in and here are recommendations as reported in the Journal of Pediatrics, articles from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

  Enough sleep is critical for the body to heal, brain development, attention and alertness, and emotional regulation like avoiding mood swings, anger acting out behavior, and coping with stress.

  According to Dr. Sumit Bhargava of Stanford, humans sleep to conserve energy and function during the day, and to restore and rejuvenate.  During sleep hormones are secreted and byproducts of the brain’s daytime activities

Sleep for: Healing, Brain & Social Development

 are cleared. Sleep helps the brain develop and organize.

   Preschool-aged children with early weekday bedtimes are one-half as likely as children with late bedtimes to be obese as adolescents.  Lack of sleep affects hormones controlling appetite and metabolism. (Journal of Pediatrics September 2016)

How Much Sleep?

  Many studies recommend these amounts of quality continuous sleep: Babies 4-12 months need 12-16 hours; children 1-2 years need 11-14 hours; children 3-5 years need 10-13 hours; children 6-12 need 9-12 hours; teens 13-18 need 8-10 hours.

  Recommended times for children to start sleeping, not just in their bed, are infants about 7pm, toddlers about 7:30pm, children by 8pm and teen’s 9-10:30pm.

Set Time and Routine

  

Bedtime Routines Are Crucial 

The studies suggest families choose an age appropriate bedtime that allows children to get the consistent number of hours they need seven days a week, healthy for adults, too.

  Install light blocking shades in bedrooms and remove all electronics from the bedroom like TV, phone, computer, and electronic game devices. Designate a deposit spot in the kitchen to keep track of the devises.

  Establish a pleasant and calm routine and stick to it. This is easier said than done and may take several weeks to run smoothly.

  First, children can take an evening bath or shower to relax and clean off sweat and dirt from daytime play. Provide snacks that have nutrients to encourage sleep. Here are a few: water and whole grain graham crackers with cottage cheese and kiwi on top; warm rice with a little milk (dairy or nondairy); ham and cheese roll up; popcorn; 

Bedtime Routines Can Be Creative

whole grain toast with nut butter (if not allergic); banana and milk smoothie; cup of broth based soup like chicken noodle and crackers.

  Move on to brushing and checking teeth, bathroom time, and reading time. Add a little “I love you so much” time, tuck in, and then turn out the lights in this quiet part of the house.
Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Shetches: Mark Nowicki

For more science and math STEM adventures go to -  grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live Tuesdays at 4:30pm and Saturdays at 8:30 am and pod casts archived on the site.

Arachnids Fascinate Young Children

What's Your Favorite Spider Story? 

Spiders are often over feared and misunderstood. When a spider web and huge “Charlotte” appear in the yard you might turn them into family STEAM activities at home (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math).

Observe Spiders

 Adults and children can observe a spider with a magnifying glass for several days while it adds to its web, collects insects, and encases them. Check on spiders working at night with your flashlights. How much progress do they make by morning?  Observe spiders around the neighborhood to compare spider webs. Warn children to look and not  touch because they will bite.
   Check out some other nonfiction spider books from the library like “I Love Spiders” by John Parker and “Anansi the Spider” by Gerald McDermott. Search for “Spiders: children videos” on You tube. Here's one find: 

https://www.pinterest.com/snowangel7781/theme-spiders/ 

"Isty Bitsy Spider” song and many other finger plays are also found on the Internet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLi_tCSJyAA

 Children can discuss how spiders help the ecosystem by catching harmful insects like mosquitoes and flies.

Anansi the Spider - McDermott

 Are there female spiders carrying white sacs of eggs? Research if Daddy Long Legs are really spiders.

   Adults and children may discuss what facts they learn and use different geometric shapes to illustrate a few pages about spiders. Children may dictate sentences for captions under the pictures and help staple the pages together.

Making Spiders

  With adult help, children may create their own spiders.  Children can cut out two circles (head and body), eight long 

FINGER-PLAYS Online!! 

skinny rectangles for legs. Circles for eyes, and tape them together to make a spider. Hang a string and thread it through a short straw taped on the back so the spider can climb and drop down from the string.

  With help children may make edible spiders.  Cut two circles from bread, spread peanut butter, add eight pretzel legs and eight raisins for eyes.

   Children can also go outside to make spider web mazes in sand or on the sidewalk. Spread out stones in the sand to make points for a pentagon, hexagon, and octagon. With a stick or chalk make lines like spokes in a wheel to connect each stone with the center of the shape

  To catch an intricate web, spray one with a

I Love Spiders - Parker

 light coating of white paint and carefully swish a large black piece of construction paper made by taping several pieces together. What geometric shapes are in the web? How do spiders store their meals? Which web has captured the most insects? How strong is a web?

Family STEAM activities help young children observe, form questions, increase vocabulary, do quick sketches and writ stories of what they see for science journals.

For more science and math STEM adventures go to -  grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live Tuesdays at 4:30pm and Saturdays at 8:30 am and pod casts archived on the site.

Economics for Preschool Children

As the Weather Changes...Make Some Change!!

Do you have a change jar? Do you carry around heavy coins? These can be a source of easy and fun economic activities for young children. As weather changes...change right along with it!! Here's how:  Take out your change jar of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters when your children need a new quiet activity.  Be sure your children know not to put money in their mouth and continue to watch them.  It’s also a good idea to wash hands after handling money.

Money Games  

  Make a game out of sorting the coins into piles according to denomination.  Younger children can use shape, color and size to determine the correct pile.  As you work together, mention the names of the different coins.  

Sort and Teach!!

Line up each type of coin and count how many are in each category. Which group has the most coins? Which has the fewest? Count the pennies one by one.  Older kids can practice counting the nickels and dimes by fives and tens. Show how to write the cent and dollar signs.

   Sorting things by similarities is a very useful skill for reading, science and math.  Teach young children to count by touching each object. By teaching coin names, we are helping children to understand our monetary system.

    

Savvy Pig!! 

Adults can talk about how people earn money and how your family uses money to buy things.   The Savvy Pig savings banks help children collect coins and watch their money disappear when spent. They are divided into save, spend, donate, and invest to help teach children to save and give to charity. The Money Jar program is another. These help children learn early about choices and opportunity costs. The money people spend on one choice is not available for other things.

Take a Closer Look

  Use a magnifying glass to study pictures, numbers, and words on coins. What do they mean? Why are they on the coins? State quarters are especially interesting.

  Look in the paper or at stores to see how much things cost.   Children can make simple copies of the coins by rubbing over the surface of the metal.  Older children will like to play an exchange game where you trade pennies for nickels, dimes from a pile of coins.

  Simple games are based on “heads or tails.” Cover three coins with cups, one being tails. Move them around and ask children to pick up the cup with the tails coin. 

Play Store -- Great Economics Activity

Teach children to flip a coin and call heads or tails similar to a football game. Use heads or tails to decide who goes first.

   A favorite economics activity is playing store. Children set up a store, create or use real coins, determine or negotiate prices, and sell toys to each other just for fun. 

Savvy Piggy: https://www.amazon.com/Money-Savvy-Generation-LMSP-Blue-Pig/dp/B0002HRWBQ

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
Shetches: Mark Nowicki

For more science and math STEM adventures go to -  grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live Tuesdays at 4:30pm and Saturdays at 8:30 am and pod casts archived on the site.

Economics for Preschool Children

As the Weather Changes...Make Some Change!!

Do you have a change jar? Do you carry around heavy coins? These can be a source of easy and fun economic activities for young children. As weather changes...change right along with it!! Here's how:  Take out your change jar of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters when your children need a new quiet activity.  Be sure your children know not to put money in their mouth and continue to watch them.  It’s also a good idea to wash hands after handling money.

Money Games  

  Make a game out of sorting the coins into piles according to denomination.  Younger children can use shape, color and size to determine the correct pile.  As you work together, mention the names of the different coins.  

Sort and Teach!!

Line up each type of coin and count how many are in each category. Which group has the most coins? Which has the fewest? Count the pennies one by one.  Older kids can practice counting the nickels and dimes by fives and tens. Show how to write the cent and dollar signs.

   Sorting things by similarities is a very useful skill for reading, science and math.  Teach young children to count by touching each object. By teaching coin names, we are helping children to understand our monetary system.

    

Savvy Pig!! 

Adults can talk about how people earn money and how your family uses money to buy things.   The Savvy Pig savings banks help children collect coins and watch their money disappear when spent. They are divided into save, spend, donate, and invest to help teach children to save and give to charity. The Money Jar program is another. These help children learn early about choices and opportunity costs. The money people spend on one choice is not available for other things.

Take a Closer Look

  Use a magnifying glass to study pictures, numbers, and words on coins. What do they mean? Why are they on the coins? State quarters are especially interesting.

  Look in the paper or at stores to see how much things cost.   Children can make simple copies of the coins by rubbing over the surface of the metal.  Older children will like to play an exchange game where you trade pennies for nickels, dimes from a pile of coins.

  Simple games are based on “heads or tails.” Cover three coins with cups, one being tails. Move them around and ask children to pick up the cup with the tails coin. 

Play Store -- Great Economics Activity

Teach children to flip a coin and call heads or tails similar to a football game. Use heads or tails to decide who goes first.

   A favorite economics activity is playing store. Children set up a store, create or use real coins, determine or negotiate prices, and sell toys to each other just for fun. 

Savvy Piggy: https://www.amazon.com/Money-Savvy-Generation-LMSP-Blue-Pig/dp/B0002HRWBQ

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
Shetches: Mark Nowicki

For more science and math STEM adventures go to -  grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live Tuesdays at 4:30pm and Saturdays at 8:30 am and pod casts archived on the site.