Walking is one of the most important milestones of your baby’s development. Walking signifies they have mastered the skill of balance, coordination and movement. It also means they have enough leg strength to hold their bodies up and enough strength to move around. Many parents never forget the day their baby learned to walk – and for good reason. Walking is one of the first signs of your baby’s transition from being a baby to being a toddler.
WHEN YOUR BABY WILL START WALKING
Like most physical aspects of your baby’s development, it’s hard to put an exact time on when your baby will start walking. If you’re a fan of averages, the average baby starts walking anywhere from nine to twelve months, and will be walking pretty well by the time he is fifteen months old. Don’t be alarmed if your child hasn’t learned to walk by their first year of age. Many perfectly normal babies are still rather ‘shaky’ on their feet even when they are sixteen or seventeen months old, and that is quite okay.
If you tend to carry your baby around a lot or leave him in the stroller or the swing for extended time, your baby will think this is natural. So, put him in the playpen and of course the crib to let him stretch those muscles. Babies have a fascination with fingers and toes. So, playing with their feet will teach them to kick those little legs around.
LEARNING TO WALK
Walking is a natural instinct, and it cannot be 100% “taught”. Of course you can encourage and assist but your baby will simply have to master it on his own. When your baby is five months old, he will start bouncing up and down if you hang on to his arms and let him “stand.” This is a great exercise because it is strengthening babies’ legs and thighs. It also helps building the crucial muscle and gaining the coordination they will need for walking. Your baby will start trying to pull himself up by eight months old, and will attempt to balance while holding onto anything in sight, such as an edge of a table or a couch or the crib rails. Your baby will keep practicing standing up and holding up steady for at least four weeks, until he is ready to start cruising. Now is the time to put everything that can hurt him up and away, out of the baby’s reach while he’s trying to master this great feat.
Cruising is when your baby moves from one piece of furniture to the next, stumbling but not falling. Your baby doesn’t possess the coordination to walk yet, but he has enough strength and coordination to at least move from one support to the next. Eventually, your baby will be able to stand on his own without support, but still will have trouble walking. If your baby is not exactly a risk taker he’ll need you around to accompany him in his cruising. To help him gain confidence offer your supporting hand. Seeing how much your baby trusts you to be always around to catch him and protect him is truly touching. Also you can position toys at a reasonable distance to trigger his natural curiosity and desire to explore. One good day your baby will make this first step driven by a toy, the sound of your voice or your outstretched arms.
Support, encourage and be patient but do not force walking – many babies start walking by the time they turn one year old, and most can walk independently by the time they’re fifteen months old. Enjoy the moment and take a lot of pictures.
The first type of baby shower gifts are the more practical and immediate items that the parents-to-be can use as soon as their baby is born:
Picture Frames – There’s no better way to remember the baby shower or your friends first day with her baby by remembering the event through pictures.
Clothing – Sleepers, Receiving Blankets, Undershirts, Onesies, diapers. socks and hats. Make sure they are easy to change since too many buttons or snaps may be difficult for new parents to take on and off the baby. Buy cute clothes to go home from the hospital in and Waterproof Lap Pads.
Health/Grooming Products – Baby Powder, Lotion, Baby Wipes, Desitin, Q-Tips, Hydrogen Peroxide (for the umbilical cord), baby safety pins, nail file, scissors, first aid kit, baby soaps and wash cloths, Baby Thermometer, Diaper Bag.
Feeding – Bibs, bottles, bottle holders, baby formula (if not breast feeding), breast pump (if going to be used), Nipples, Bottle Brush set (get multiple brushes of the same kind since they will go through them pretty fast), Tipper Cup, Feeding Spoon, Baby Burp Towels, Baby Dishes (plastic), and bathrobe.
In The Bath Products – Towels with cute hoods, wash cloths, baby lotion, shampoo, soap, baby brush, bath toys (make sure they are age appropriate).
In The Crib/Bassinet Items – Crib Fitted Sheets (a few orders of them), Comforter, Bumper Pads (not recommended by all doctors and nurses due to the increase of SIDS), Mobile, Crib trim, Waterproof Crib Pads, blanket to swaddle the infant.
For The Baby Room – Stuffed Animals, Cute pictures for the wall, Gift Certificate for a Muralist to come out, dresser, changing table, Cute Initials of the baby on some type of ceramic item (i.e., toy blocks with his/her initials), Picture frame, Nursery Lamp, Furniture, Boppy, Bouncey Seats and Piggy bank.
Toy Time – Teething toys, colorful play matt, black and white play matt, Musical Toys and Plush/Stuffed Animals always go over well at a baby shower!
Learning Time – Baby Bach Video, Baby Einstein CD’s (or really any learning CD’s for the infant), classical music CD’s, Disney movies, Books for the Parents, baby books, Lamaze soft books and story books.
For The Parents – Pamper the parents-to-be with a gift certificate to a spa, book store, record store, or a nice gift such as baby hand and foot imprinting plaster, Baby Bjorn or other baby carrier Coupons for babysitting.
Diapers, Diapers, Diapers – A great gift that seems to always running out for the mommy-to-be is to have everyone bring a few packages of diapers. New mommies never have enough in the house so getting diapers is a perfect baby shower gift.
Useful Laundry Basket Idea – Instead of spending the money on a gift bag that is likely to get thrown away, use a laundry basket, line it with a baby blanket and put the gift inside and cover with tissue paper or another blanket. Then the basket can be used for the extra laundry that will be added or for toy storage.
Baby Shower Baby Books – Have each baby shower guest bring a baby book for the new parents. Have each guest pre-write a sentiment or advice to the new parent’s on the first page of each book which is a great memento to cherish for the baby growing up and the parents.
Fleece Baby Blanket – A great and inexpensive baby shower gift is a fleece baby blanket. You make these by taking two pieces of fleece and putting them together, then cutting 3 inch slits every 1 inch all the way around the blanket and tie knots to keep the pieces together. Then just roll the blanket up and tie it with a ribbon.
Keepsake Box – Use a hat box and draw/paint/add personal touches to the box. Fill the box with onesies, clothes, pacifiers, bottles, wipes, diapers, etc. You can also include a pack of alphabet stickers for the baby’s name and birthdate, weight and height on the box with the stickers once he/she is born. This is a great idea as it can be used to collect personal items for the baby, placing them in one box that you can eventually pass on to the child!
Baby Shower Clothes Line Gift – Buy a bunch of clothes (onesies, bibs, sleepers, caps, booties, receiving blanket, washcloths, lap pads, even small items like binkies if they are in a cardboard holder) and pin them with clothes pins to a clothes line. Buy a large hat box (easy to find and cheap at Marshall’s or Ross Clothing). Lay out the clothes line in the hat box going around and around. When it comes time to open the baby shower gifts, have someone (can be mommy-to-be) pull the string and walk across the room so all the gift items are hanging.
Get everyone excited to go to a loved one’s baby shower by making the cutest baby shower footprint invitations. Baby footprints are the most endearing sight to behold. They are a reminder of cute little babies who took their first breath when they were born. Here are wonderful suggestions on how you are going to design and make your whimsical footprint invitations.
1. If you are not much of the artistic type, simply download ready designs from the Internet and print them out yourself. There are many designs and colors to choose from. You simply edit the text and you have your personalized footprint invitation.
2. If you feel that it would be more fun to do the invitations yourself, simply draw an outline of a little footprint with pencils or crayons. Then color the foot with paint or colored markers. You may write the details of the event on the foot itself or on the back of the paper.
3. You may want to have a regular rectangular card and just draw tiny footprints on the card as if a baby has walked on it. That would be really cute.
4. There are other simpler ways to put those little footprints on the card. You may buy a special stamp that is shaped like a footprint and just stamp away. Create a design with this stamp and be original. This would even look more professional because of the uniformity of the footprint size.
5. Consider the material of the paper, too. There are a wide range of materials to choose from. There are thin, translucent papers and there are thick and textured papers. Choose one that would be easy to decorate.
6. You might also want to just create the footprint as an added texture in the invitation. This you can do by buying special tools from bookstores or specialty shops that will allow you to emboss the shape on the paper. Although they come out more expensive, they are classier and more beautiful to look at.
7. The color of the footprint invitation should also match the theme of the party or the gender of the coming baby. Blues and greens are perfect for boys while yellows and pinks would be lovely for girls.
Starting out with an extraordinary invitation with a baby footprint for your baby shower will drive excitement for your guests and will be especially delightful for the expectant mom. Baby footprint invitations are simply adorable. Use this great idea for the baby shower you will give.
What a Baby Shower Footprint Invitation Is
A very popular design for invitations is the baby shower footprint invitation. This is a charming way in which to celebrate the imminent arrival of a new member of the family and it fits with almost any theme that you may choose.
Planning Ahead
It is a good idea to think well ahead when planning for the baby shower. The reason why this is important is because your guests will appreciate being given adequate notice of the shower so that they are able to attend. Of course, you will also give yourself plenty of time to prepare. You should also send out your baby shower footprint invitation around four weeks in advance.
Some Things to Keep In Mind
Oftentimes you can find the baby shower footprint invitation in commercially produced party supplies. Of course, you can also make your own baby shower footprint invitation if you want to lend a more imaginative touch to it.
Making Your Own Baby Shower Footprint Invitation
If you decide to make your own baby shower footprint invitation, then you should search for a footprint outline, use footprints as a background to the text or have a footprint “trail” (like the baby had walked across the baby shower footprint invitation themselves. Another idea here is to look for rubber stamps of baby footprints at your local craft supply shop to use.
Regardless of what you choose to do, you should keep the concept simple and make sure that the colors you use all complement one another. However, you may wish to experiment with different colors of ink and different patterns to find a look that truly appeals to you. Remember, you can use almost any pastel shade here, especially if you do not know what the sex of the baby is going to be and are thus choosing to stay away from the more traditional colors of pink and blue.
Expanding Upon This Theme
Once you have decided upon the design for your baby shower footprint invitation, you could then go ahead and extend this theme from the baby shower footprint invitation to other items such as game prizes, thank you cards and so much more. This really is a great way in which to create a clsssic look for your baby shower party.
Posted by admin on Thursday Jun 2, 2011 Under kids activities
Having a swimming pool on your property can be a great way to have fun for yourself and your entire family. Even though a pool can be fun, it can also be very dangerous if you have children around. If you can wait, you should wait until your kids are least 5 or older before you put a pool on your property. On the other hand, if you already have a swimming pool, there are ways that you can protect your children.
One thing you should always remember is to never, ever, allow your children to be alone near your pool. Children tend to be drawn near the water, and all it takes is a second for them to fall in the pool. If you and your children are at your pool and you need to leave the area for a second, you should always take your children with you.
To be on the safe side, you should always make sure that you have plenty of safety equipment around your pool at all times. Safety items are great to have around, as they can save the life of a child or anyone else who can’t swim. You should also invest in a shepherd’s hook as well, as you can use it to pull someone out of the water. Having a phone at your pool is also a wise investment, as you can easily call for help in the event of an emergency.
If you don’t have a fence around your pool you should look into getting one. A fence is a great way to protect your pool from children. If you have a protective fence up, you won’t have to worry about little kids falling in while you are away from the pool. When you put your fence, you should always make sure that it’s at least 6 foot high, with a locking gate. This way, no one can get into the pool without the key – which you should keep with you at all times.
You can also learn CPR as well. Even though you may not ever have to use it, it’s always great to know in the event of someone falling in your pool that is unable to swim. Whenever you have children or people you know can’t swim at your pool, you should always stay within reach of them, so you can react instantly if they fall in. A second is all it takes to save someone’s life.
Always keep in mind that swimming is fun, although you should always think in terms of safety first. Once you have finished using your pool for day, make sure that you secure the area well – and lock the gate up tight so no one can get in.
A swimming pool can be very dangerous for children. If possible, do not put a swimming pool in your yard until your children are older than 5 years. Help protect your children from drowning by doing the following:
Pool Safety for Children
Never leave your children alone in or near the pool, even for a moment. An adult who knows CPR should actively supervise children at all times.
Practice touch supervision with children younger than 5 years. This means that the adult is within an arm’s length of the child at all times.
You must put up a fence to separate your house from the pool. Most young children who drown in pools wander out of the house and fall into the pool. Install a fence at least 4 feet high around all 4 sides of the pool. This fence will completely separate the pool from the house and play area of the yard. Use gates that self-close and self-latch, with latches higher than your children’s reach.
Keep rescue equipment (such as a shepherd’s hook or life preserver) and a telephone by the pool.
Do not use air-filled “swimming aids” as a substitute for approved life vests.
Remove all toys from the pool after use so children aren’t tempted to reach for them.
After the children are done swimming, secure the pool so they can’t get back into it.
A power safety cover that meets the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) may add to the protection of your children but should not be used in place of the fence between your house and the pool. Even fencing around your pool and using a power safety cover will not prevent all drownings.
Remember, teaching your child how to swim DOES NOT mean your child is safe in water.
Posted by admin on Wednesday Jun 1, 2011 Under kids activities
Teaching Children Reading and Writing
As a parent, teaching your child to read and write is one of the most important things that you will do for them. Through taking the time to do this before they go to school, and continuing to offer support while they are there, you can help your child to have the foundations necessary to learn, share and communicate with others. Teaching a child to read and write is a harder task than many parents expect, not least time consuming. You firstly need to start by teaching them how to pronounce sounds, and from there they have the vital components to pronounce words and then sentences and so on. A child can generally start to learn the alphabet at around 4 years old, and then they can try writing what they can read soon after. Many parents are concerned about trying to introduce their child to reading at too young an age, however this is not something to worry about – the truth is that it can only help.
When you are starting to teach your child how to read, you should not concentrate on pronouncing capital letters first. The reason for this is that learning lower case letters is easier to aid learning how to read. This is because lower case letters represent how one speaks, and through combining lower case letters you start to understand how you can formulate words stemming from them. When your child tries to repeat lower case letters you may find that they are slightly off in how they say them. This is not a concern, and in actual fact does not relate to intellectual capacity. You should also not be overly concerned with grammar either; this is something they will learn over time and should not be prioritized from the outset.
When you are teaching your child how to read and write, you should be careful to limit the vocabulary that you aim to teach. The more vocabulary that you introduce; the more confusion and the more overwhelming the situation will become. According to some lines of academic thinking it is suggested that there are only 400 words a child needs to know in order to be able to communicate effectively.
When your child starts writing much the same applies as with reading. You should not be too concerned with a lack of firmness or preciseness in how they write – much of that will come with practice. The key is to teach your child to associate a character with a sound, and therefore to be able to graphically represent the spoken word.
Teaching your child to read and write is something which should go beyond preparing them for going to school. You should continue to do reading and writing with your child out of school as they may wish to clarify points with you that they do not want to ask their teacher. Further more, through making reading a fun and recreational exercise for your child you can ensure that their reading skills and ability to digest information will be much greater than it otherwise would be.
Reading and writing for infants
Teaching reading to teach talking is probably the single most effective intervention for helping children with Down syndrome to overcome their learning difficulties. Reading and writing skills are important for everyday life and for access to the world of literature for all children. They are also powerful tools for teaching speech and language to children with Down syndrome and for mediating their cognitive development. Beginning early, by introducing young children to reading from two years of age, will promote the development of both their spoken language and their literacy skills. This module explains how to teach reading to teach language and how language and literacy teaching can work together to promote the development of children with Down syndrome, beginning in the preschool years. Guidance on teaching methods and examples of activities show parents and teachers how to introduce young children to reading and other literacy activities. This module is linked with Reading and writing development for individuals with Down syndrome – An overview,[DSii-07-01] which should be read first, to provider the reader with evidence for the benefits of early reading and the rationale behind the programme.
The importance of early reading for all children
Reading activities may be the single most important intervention for promoting the speech, language and cognitive development of preschool children with Down syndrome. Leslie Duffen first drew the benefits and effectiveness of teaching reading to teach talking to our attention in 1979.[1-3] Leslie had introduced his daughter, Sarah, to reading at 3 years of age and observed that she could learn and use words that she had seen in print much more easily than words she only heard.
Since that time, we have taught many children with Down syndrome to read from 2 years of age and we are quite convinced that it is the single most effective way to help children overcome the learning difficulties associated with Down syndrome. All the early readers we know have made exceptional progress through school and into teenage life. All these children have been taught reading and language side by side by their parents in their preschool years. It is not difficult to teach children with Down syndrome language through reading, and most children would succeed and benefit if those around them had confidence in the value of reading and worked consistently in small steps.
Case studies, illustrating the progress of some of these children, and our research studies of reading, are discussed in detail in Reading and writing for individuals with Down syndrome – An overview. We hope that all parents, home teachers, nursery and preschool teachers will use reading activities to help their children from the stage when they understand 50 words and are beginning to link two words together. We also hope that teaching reading will quickly be seen as an easy activity to plan and to develop, with parents and practitioners always working together.
We encourage record keeping and we are keen to collect information and as large a sample of early readers as we can to expand our knowledge of the short and long term benefits. If you are prepared to keep records of your child’s progress and interested in joining a research study, please contact Down Syndrome Education International. We will provide regular feedback and advice to those who wish to take part in the study.
Activities for children are not always fun. A kids activity that is fun delights children. Kids like clever child activity. Play activities for children need not always be so. But younger children love fun in a child activity, and older children like a kids activity to be also clever. A kids activity that is clever, a child activity that is fun is best.
Children activities are many -make children activity fun. Activities teachers should always remember these verses by the ‘Teacher of Teachers’ the Cypriot thinker and poet, school-teacher, the late Orhan Seyfi Ari:
“Sometimes such fool we were, sometimes smart kids;
Sometimes Satan’s tools, sometimes with saintly deeds”
Among activities for children, this kids activity is educational fun. It’s one of the better children’s activities. Blue or Black Rose: At night put white rose in a glass of water, add some ink-by the morning it’ll be blue or black.
In children activity, fun junior tricks include kid pranks. Thread on Jacket is among the best tricks, pranks: Put a reel of thread in your breast pocket; with a sewing needle, bring the end of the thread out of it -watch as someone, usually one of the girls, tries to pick it off you.
Play activities for children must be fun. Kids activity, be they pranks, tricks must be fun. Here’s a child activity that is fun -a kids activity called Bean in Walnut: Split, empty, place a bean, in walnuts; glue the shells.
Challenges are fun play activities for kids, often junior tricks. Among children activities, pranks, games, tricks, Mighty Breath is a fun child activity: Place a book on its side, challenge to make it fall using only breath -place a balloon under it and inflate it.
This children activity is fun. Some children activities impress a teacher more than games, pranks, tricks. This children activity is educational fun. Activity teachers love such children activities. This children activity is called Onion: Place an onion in a glass of water; in a few days it will grow leaves and long roots! Good, fun, kids activity.
Child activity that impresses delight children. Not only a teacher can be impressed by children in child activity. There are children activities that impress others. Some play activities for children that are fun kids’ activities impress parents.
Moms show feelings more in children activities that impress them. This kids activity impresses moms. Use a popular children activity, Invisible Ink: Dip a match stick in lemon juice, write ‘I love you mom’, dry -invisible until a kid’s mother is asked to iron it with a warm iron. Such tricks, kids activities, get hugs!
Children activities are many. Children like child activity that fools. Pranks, tricks, fool games, are better play activities for kids. More fun are kids activities, if a child activity fools other kids. A clever children activity is Mind Reading: Write ‘what’ on paper; say “I know what you’re thinking.” Kids will ask “What?” -show it. In child activity one of the best tricks -fools play activity teacher.
If kids activity puzzles that’s fun in play activities for kids. Kids’ activities are fun activities for children. Clever feel children if children activity appears an impossible feat. Others puzzlement make children activities fun.
Such a child activity is Bottled Egg: Leave a hard boiled egg in vinegar overnight; its shell will soften -gently squeeze it into a milk bottle, rinse. A child activity, one of the activities for children that puzzles play activities teachers -they ask kids to tell them the secret!
Kids activities mix kid pranks in children’s games. Kids often create child activity, tricks, pranks from other play activities for kids. Children invent many children activities. Creative are kids in children activity. One of the creative fun activities for children, a loved children activity is Coin on String: Glue thread on a coin, place it in not so public a place, extend the reel, hide; someone will try to pick it up if nobody is watching -pull the string!
In children activity fooling grownups delights a child more than fooling children. Kid activity is fun if children’s games fool grownups. Such children activities are popular. One of the activities for children that rates high among kids’ activities is Make Look Up: If in a quite public place two children stand, look, point up to the sky, grownups will gather, copy the kids’ activity.
Child activity can be fun play at home. In kids activities home is seldom for pranks. In children activities pranks often exclude parents. With parents’ permission junior kids’ activities include tricks, pranks on grandparents. This children activity is a great kids activity for a child at home. A fun children activity is Paper Shower: When rainy put confetti gram’s umbrella, roll, put back.
Activities for children are fun if kids’ activities impress someone with authority over children. Children’s activities that impress a kids’ play activity teacher are so. There are many activities for children that impress. Such a children activity makes a child feel clever. This is popular with children in kids activities, 1st last: Cut lower-case letters, spell ‘last’; challenge kids, activities teacher to make it read “first” -remove ‘a’, impress activities teacher.
Teachers like educational fun activities for children. Many are impressive fun activities for children. Some educational activities for children can be days long fun activity for a child. A child can have more fun activity by varying educational activities for children. A variation in educational kids’ activities -Greenery: Place top of a carrot in a saucer with water in it, grow many long leaves.
In play activities for children, kids like clever child activity. Activities for children are loved that make a kid feel smart. Challenges in activities for children are liked by many kids. That’s also why in children’s play activity tricks are popular. Play activities teachers in fun play activities can delight children by teaching children clever kids activities. Play activity teachers can look smart by teaching children a kids activity that enables a child to look smart to other children. One of the clever activities for children that makes a child feel smart in fun play activity is Water in Water: Challenge to separate water in a bowl without removing it -dip a glass in it, fill, sit it in it.
Some kids puzzles and challenges aren’t as much fun to kids as some fun activities for children. Kids activity must be fun. Clever fun is best in play activities for kids. Activities for children are fun if they amaze, are such fun kids activities that children can repeat them to impress other kids. Such a children activity is Egg on Edge: The play activity teacher challenges children to stand an egg on its edge -shows kids how, stands it on a heap of salt.
Some activities for children are suitable only for senior kids. In fun play activities for young children balloons are prominent. In kid activities young children like balloons. Some activities for children are suitable for senior kids, and under supervision as junior activity. One of the tricks liked in fun play activities for children is Pin in Balloon: Can kids stick a pin in an inflated balloon without bursting it? Put sticky tape on it, then the pin.
Also in junior play activity for kids is liked fooling adults. Older children often do so with tricks, younger children mostly with feats. One such fun activity of younger kids is No Touch Pick: Can parents pick up paper tissue with straw without using hands? Drinking straw in mouth, suck on it through straw.
The electronic pet was one of the popular children’s activities. Educational fun play activity for children calls for a teacher’s creative imagination. This play activity for kids is to children as an electronic pet. An educational fun kid’s activity is Pea Shoots: Line a box with wetted blotting paper, place a few beans, peas in it -wet them daily; watch them grow shoots, longer each day.
Kids’ activities need not all be educational. Fun play activities for children can also be simply interesting fun activity. This children activity is for senior kids, not a junior fun activity. Card Guessing: Make a circle with playing cards, face down, clockwise, beginning with an Ace (‘A’), ending with a Queen (‘Q’) -place the King (‘K’) in the center. Ask a kid to think of a number between 1 and 12; each time you tap on a card to count down from 20, and tell you to stop when he reaches it. First tap on seven cards randomly, make sure your 8th tap is on the Queen (‘Q’) -then tap anti-clockwise (J, 10, 9, 8…). When told ’stop’, it is the number thought of. This kids activity can be had much fun with before teaching it to other kids.
Fun activities for kids both younger and older children indulge in. Some kids activities are classic favourites of children. A popular kids activity is Back Wheel: To a kid riding a bicycle, yell, “Your back wheel’s going round!”
Kids also love fun. Children’s activities must be fun play.
Posted by admin on Thursday May 5, 2011 Under kids activities
Is your child having a birthday party? This article can help with your party planning. If your house is not suited for an at-home party, consider some of the below kids’ birthday party places for hosting your child’s next birthday bash.
A walk in the park – The park can be an excellent setting for a child’s birthday party in the warmer months. Check out the parks in your area to choose one that offers the best options. If you manage to find a park by the beach would be even ideal, because kids love to get wet too.
Take in a movie – Check with your local movie theatres to see if any of them offer kid’s birthday party packages. Many of the large theatre complexes will allow you to rent an entire theatre for a large fee. The fee usually includes a space for eating cake and ice cream and opening presents.
Visit the zoo – Although zoo is a very common attraction, it’s not a no-no to throw a birthday party there. Zoos are wonderful kids’ birthday party places. Most zoos offer party packages but you can plan one on your own easily. Why not create a scavenger hunt for the children to go on at the zoo?
Give your kid a makeover – There are some special beauty salons that offer party packages or you can approach a local salon and ask for a special rate. The girls who attend the party can get their hair fixed, their nails painted, and their faces made up. Younger children enjoy creative face painting in place of makeup. Make an arrangement with the salon owner to provide birthday cake and other treaties.
Other places for kids birthday parties include:
* Sporting event
* Arcade
* Nature center
* Concert
* Restaurant or pizza place
* Bowling alley
* Amusement park
* Swimming pool
* Putt-putt golf facility
* Museum (children’s, science, toy or art)
* Miniature horse farm
* Paint-your-own pottery facility
* Skating rink
* Short factory tour (candy, chocolate, dairy, ice cream)
Here’s a mini list of other popular places to host your kids birthday parties.
Amazing Jake’s Food & Fun is the first all indoor family-themed restaurant and entertainment center of its kind in Arizona. Open since August 2005, Amazing Jake’s has rapidly become the perfect place for all ages to enjoy. (www.AmazingJakes.com)
When it comes to kids’ birthdays, there’s nothing they love more than being at the center of everything. BounceU’s kids’ birthday party packages offer an array of awesome inflatables and fantastic food choices to make sure your child’s birthday celebration is truly special.
BounceU offers the most unique entertainment for kids’ birthday parties. What’s more, there is need to worry about where to have kids’ birthday parties or coming up with great ideas for kids’ birthday parties. Our party pros take care of it all. BounceU is the place to have kids’ birthday parties. (www.bounceU.com)
All Star Sports is the premier destination in Wichita for family entertainment, birthday celebrations and memorable events for organizations of all sizes. We offer a wide array of outdoor attractions, games and food selections. Come out & play! (www.AllStarWichita.com)
Kid Stuff is an indoor entertainment facility with themed private party rooms, a GIANT playscape, video and redemption games, laser tag, a separate toddler area, a wi-fi area, and our food service, serving strictly organic and/or natural whole foods. (www.kidstuffspringfield.com)
Birthday celebrations are more magical at Disney Parks with special events, offers, attractions and new entertainment. Bring all of your spectacular birthday fantasies to life at Disney Parks, where the celebration is as boundless as your imagination. (disney.go.com)
One of the many problems for children exposed to domestic violence, is that for some, it comes to be included amongst their own interpersonal management strategies.
Children exposed to domestic violence learn the use of violence as a strategy to mediate their needs and wants. They see the violence between their parents and how in many cases the violence advances the preferred outcome of the aggressor.
The violence comes in many forms visible to children. It may be through verbally abusive and demeaning language. It could be verbal threats of violence or physical gestures to intimate violence and thus intimidate. The violence may include throwing of objects and destruction of objects and in more extreme forms, it can include physical assault ranging from pushing, shoving and slapping to punching, kicking and strangulation. In the most physically dangerous of forms the violence can include the use of weapons. In so many cases, the violence is meant to assert one’s will over the will of another.
Although the majority of domestic abuse survivors are women, men often find themselves in abusive relationships as well. Sadly, men are less likely to step forward and get help during and after the relationship; the shame of having allowed oneself to be abused by a woman (or another man) is just too great in our culture. Even though I will be using male pronouns to refer to the abusive partner in this article for clarity’s sake, it is my hope that men in an intolerable situation will see themselves in the following paragraphs and find the strength to walk away.
Let me illustrate this with an example from my own family. My brother-in-law Steve showed up unexpectedly at my husband’s childhood home one summer morning last year with absolutely nothing but the clothes on his back and a junker pick-up truck with a completely empty tank of gas. He and his now ex-wife Gwen had moved away a year or two before, and no one knew where they were (she was isolating him from his family, one sure sign of an abusive relationship). Apparently he’d had a heart attack a few months ago, and, when he couldn’t work any more, Gwen started beating him on a pretty regular basis. The family found out later, after he’d come home and had some medical tests, that she was also overdosing him on his heart medication – overdosing enough to kill him, which was probably her intent (life insurance payments, you know).
How did he get away? He physically up and left. Gwen called every family member she could find (some to the point of harassment) trying to reach him. But my husband’s mother has an unlisted phone number, so Gwen never spoke to Steve. The space away from her gave him time to understand that the marriage wasn’t worth saving and that he had, in fact, been abused.
When you first met he was loving and kind. Now he’s abusive and evil. Too many women, and even men, end up in an abusive relationship with no clue as to how to handle it. You can handle an abusive relationship, with the main goal of getting out of it, with some strategic steps.
Signs That a Friend Is Being Abused
In addition to the signs listed above, here are some signs a friend might be being abused by a partner:
* unexplained bruises, broken bones, sprains, or marks
* excessive guilt or shame for no apparent reason
* secrecy or withdrawal from friends and family
* avoidance of school or social events with excuses that don’t seem to make any sense
A person who is being abused needs someone to hear and believe him or her. Maybe your friend is afraid to tell a parent because that will bring pressure to end the relationship. People who are abused often feel like it’s their fault — that they “asked for it” or that they don’t deserve any better. But abuse is never deserved. Help your friend understand that it is not his or her fault. Your friend is not a bad person. The person who is being abusive has a serious problem and needs professional help.
A friend who is being abused needs your patience, love, and understanding. Your friend also needs your encouragement to get help immediately from an adult, such as a parent, family member, or guidance counselor. Most of all, your friend needs you to listen without judging. It takes a lot of courage to admit being abused; let your friend know that you’re offering your full support.
For both men and women exposed to domestic violence in childhood, there is also a concern of desensitization when it comes to recognizing domestic violence in adulthood. In other words, they may only recognize certain behavior as violent when it reaches a threshold near their childhood experience. This means that while they may resist or object to violent behavior as experienced in childhood, they still may engage in, and/or tolerate violent behavior, not recognizing it as such, because it is less than experienced when young. The problem here is that no amount of violence is acceptable and all violence carries consequences. So even if the adult domestic violence is less than experienced in childhood, intimate relationships will still be problematic and exposure to the children will still be problematic.
If you were exposed to domestic violence in childhood, consider discussing your experience with a counselor knowledgeable in these matters. In discussing your childhood experiences it could be further helpful to explore current relationships and strategies for getting along and resolving differences. Exposure to domestic violence from childhood can have long-reaching consequences to adulthood. Hence we look to protect children in the present from such exposure to limit risks of their direct and immediate harm as well as their future intimate life.
Speech-language therapy is the treatment for most kids with speech and/or language disorders. A speech disorder refers to a problem with the actual production of sounds, whereas a language disorder refers to a difficulty understanding or putting words together to communicate ideas.
Speech therapists help people of all ages with different speech and language disorders. Here are some of them:
Articulation (say: ar-tih-kyuh-lay-shun) disorders: If a kid has trouble saying certain sounds or saying words correctly, it’s called an articulation disorder. “Run” might come out as “won.” Or “say” may sound like “thay.” Lisps are considered articulation disorders.
Fluency (say: floo-en-see) disorders: If a kid repeats certain sounds and has trouble saying the complete word, he or she may have fluency disorder. For example, a kid trying to say “story” might get stuck on the “st” and say “st-st-st-story.” Or he or she might draw out certain sounds and say “ssssssstory.” A stutter is a fluency disorder.
Resonance (say: reh-zun-unts) or voice disorders: A kid might have a voice disorder if people have trouble understanding him or her. The kids might start a sentence loud and clear, but it’s quiet and mumbling by the end. Sometimes these kids sound like they have a cold or like they’re talking through their noses.
Language disorders: A kid who has trouble understanding people or has trouble putting words together to express thoughts might have a language disorder.
Evaluations
When parents are alerted to a possible problem with their child’s speech development, either by their child’s doctor, teacher, or simply through parental observation, an assessment by a speech-language pathologist is the first step to take. During the evaluation, the speech-language pathologist not only observes the child, but will utilise a series of standardised tests to asses their current level of accomplishment and compare it to the expectations for the child’s age. Additionally, the pathologist will also make observations as to what the child understands (receptive language), what he can say (expressive language), the child’s use of non verbal communications (pointing, nodding, etc.) and his oral-motor status. Oral-motor status involves assessing the mouth not only in its capability for speech, but also in its usage for eating and swallowing.
Causes for Speech and Language Delays
Children’s speech and language development is influenced by many factors. Physical development, auditory (hearing) health, and habits are all involved in a child’s ability to speak, listen, and take direction well. While children may require speech therapy for a number of different speech and language related problems, each with their own causes, some of the most common are:
* Poor Habits: When children begin speaking, it is common for them to make a multitude of errors in pronunciation. If left uncorrected, these tendencies to mispronounce words can become a habit that is hard to break.
* Learning Delays: Some children have difficulty learning the meanings of new words and how to use language appropriately. Speech therapy can help children in this area.
* Hearing Loss: Children learn to talk by listening to and imitating the speech of others. When hearing is limited, delays in speech development are likely. When to Test
If you suspect that your child may have a speech issue, ask your pediatrician for a referral to a speech pathologist. They will do an official evaluation and test the child. Evaluations don’t mean a cold room and an endless battery of difficult questions – speech tests are generally conducted with toys and games, and sometimes the parent can stay in the room or observe through a one-way mirror. Areas of testing range from physical skills to vocabulary and grammar knowledge. Parents are usually told the results quite quickly and a written report typically follows within a week.
A good speech therapist can help your child make large gains. But you can help, too. Your child will probably be given a bit of “homework” – articulation exercises to practice with a parent each day. It takes time, no doubt about it. But in the case of our daughter, the benefits have been loud and clear… her “river of words” just keep on flowing and we are grateful for the help we’ve received along the way.
Posted by admin on Tuesday Apr 5, 2011 Under kids activities
In this advanced world of science and technology, everyone wants their child to be on the top. This is quite natural from a parent’s point of view, but parents should always consider their child’s caliber and their capabilities. It is not that if you insist and force your child he will get to the top, but it is the inspiration and motivation that might take him to the top or at least make him successful. Today, even the toy making industry is giving importance to teaching kids while they play and have fun. Children learn very fast when they are having fun and not forced to sit and study. This type of learning also lasts for a lifetime. Things learned at a tender age remain throughout one’s life.
Toys for kids to make
Whirly Horse and Rider
For this toy, use a rectangular piece of poster board (8×6 inches). Draw a running horse with no rider on one side of the paper. On the other side, draw a rider with no horse. Draw the rider upside down and in a riding position.
Punch a small hole in the center of each end of the rectangle. Attach a loop of string through each hole and whirl the picture around until the strings are twisted tightly. Then by pulling on the strings you can cause the picture to spin. The rider will appear to be riding the horse.
Rattling Bones
A homemade rhythm device can be made for clickety-clacking a beat. Use two flat pieces of hard wood or bone, each 6 inches long, about 1inch wide and ½ inch thick. Two halves of a wooden ruler work fine. Hold the ends of the “bones” together between your fingers—one between your first and second fingers and the other between your second and third fingers. Hold the sticks just tightly enough to keep them in place, but loosely enough to allow them to touch and clack together.
Look-A-Like Dolls
Craft a doll that looks like the gift recipient. The doll does not need to be complex–simple sewing techniques and patterns work fine. Use fabric, battling, yarn and fabric markers to craft the doll. Choose a hair color to match the recipient’s and make her clothes match her favorite outfit. If you want to go the extra mile, create an entire doll family representing every member of her immediate family. This gift of a highly personalized doll or doll family is likely to remain a treasured favorite long after she grows out of playing with dolls.
Clothespin Creations
Create a doll, an army, a cowboy and horse, or whatever else strikes your fancy out of clothespins. Use paint, markers, yarn and fabric to transform clothespins into small, hand-held characters. Use the clip end as the face or head portion, and the two separate clamp pieces as the legs. Glue two clothespins together to create four-legged animals, like horses. Paint a polystyrene foam block as the scene of the play area for the clothespin characters, inserting the “legs” into it so they stand upright.
