Keeping Your Children Entertained This Summer!

It can be difficult to know what to do with your children through the summer holidays. It's a long amount of time to keep them occupied and we all know that they need plenty of it! The following article has been written to help parents, baby sitter and child minders or the following summer holiday.

Don't forget that there are plenty of companies who sell children's toys and crafts for next to nothing. Don't think that you will have to pay a fortune to get things to keep the children occupied. You can also create craft materials from old house hold objects.

It is a good idea to keep the children away from computer games and the TV for a proportion of the day. If it's sunny there is no reason why the children cannot play outside or play a board game or craft on the patio or grass.

By purchasing craft packs you not only stimulate their mind and improve their hand-eye co-ordination but you create a fun activity. It's far better for their mental health to be doing craft and board activities as opposed to sitting in front of video games.

I would recommend searching on the net for deals on games for the children over the holidays. You can often get voucher codes and cash back options.

Don't forget that you can also take them out to feed the ducks or collect wild flowers. You can teach them about wildlife and also show them different types of flowers. Not only do you teach them something different but they are outside in the fresh air and communicating with people and wildlife.

Have fun this summer and don't forget that there are simple and cheap options to keep your child entertained this summer. I hope you enjoy yourself!

Joan Smith purchased from Baker Ross

What to Do When Your Child Screams and Cries Every Day at Preschool

A mom told me about her son who is three and has just started preschool. She described him as a kid who isn't normally really clingy, but when they even talk about going to school, he starts to scream. According to his teacher he screamed and cries for the full 2.5 hours for the first two weeks. She wondered if this is normal or is he just not ready?

Unfortunately for this mom and the child's teachers, the situation is difficult, but not that unusual. Without knowing this child personally, there are actually two conflicting answers I suggested. I asked her to think about each one, knowing that other parents have done both and felt confident in their decisions.

The solution I recommend most is to try to stick it out. I know how tough it is. A couple of things you might try, are to bring him to school during a time when he isn't in class. For example, if he goes three mornings, bring him in the afternoon or on an off day. Let him show you all around his classroom, pointing out the things that he likes best. Make a big deal about his cubby, his circle time mat, etc. Let him play with you on the playground. If he isn't anxious because he knows you aren't going to leave, he may enjoy himself. Then, when you bring him to school the next day, be sure to talk about something specific that he showed you in the classroom. Tell him you can't wait until he comes home to tell you how he enjoyed it in school.

Also tell him how lucky he is now that he's a big three year old and he gets to have special time with new friends and new experiences. You have jobs you have to do (pick something he doesn't like, such as going to a store) and he doesn't have to go with you to do your job. School is his special time and you are so proud of him because you know it's a little scary to go to a new place by yourself. Ask him to make you a picture that you can't wait to hang on your refrigerator. Be sure to ask his teacher to give him time to make that picture. They should also make a big fuss over the special picture he is making just for you.

Ask his teacher if he can bring a blanket, stuffed toy or other comfort item that he's allowed to keep with him. Slowly his teachers can wean him off of that item. One more thing you can do is have a play date with a child in his class. If he develops a friendship, he might be more excited about playing with this child in school and may look forward to playing with him again after school.

Not to confuse you, but I know another parent who went through a similar situation, and after two weeks she decided to pull her son out of school. She believed he just wasn't ready yet. He had some speech delays, and she chose to use that year to enroll him in speech. She also formed a play group so he could begin to meet and become friends with the children he would ultimately go to school with. She worked with him on the pre-reading and pre-math skills he would be missing in the three year old program, so he didn't "fall behind."

Her son is now in his twenties and she is sure she made the right decision at that time. In fact, she teaches in the same preschool where I teach. If you decide to do this, it won't be popular among other parents. You need to be strong in your conviction that you are doing the best thing for your child. At three years old, he has plenty of time left for school.

By Terri Akman

A bit about myself: I produced the Romper Room and Friends TV show and Bowling for Dollars when I worked for Claster Television in the '80's and '90's. With three kids of my own, I stopped working there in 1996. Today I am a freelance writer and preschool teacher and I am in the process of publishing my first book about preschool advice for parents. Please check out my blog at http://www.preschoolteach.blogspot.com

What to Do When Your Kids Eating Habits Are Out of Control

This is a common problem with families across the board. Obesity in children is on the rise and we need to help our children now, before they reach adulthood and start the bad eating cycle with their own families. Healthy eating starts at a young age. if you start your toddler off on healthy snacks like fresh fruits and veggie snacks you will start them off right. Now this is not to say that they will never touch junk food. Of course they will! But the important thing is that they will eat less of it. However sometimes no matter how hard you try your child's eating habits do get out of control and so does their weight.

Here are 5 things to do when your child's eating habits are way out of control.

Educate yourself: you and your family need to understand the reasons for bad eating habits and what healthy eating really means. The best way I know to get this accomplished is to read up about this on the Internet. I know that this takes a little time and effort but it is worth it for the health of your child and family.

It does not take a lot of expensive books and manuals to learn how to eat in a healthy way. You do not have to obsess about it just make a few adjustments and use common sense. Then examine your family's eating habits and you will understand why your child is getting into bad eating habits.

Lead by example: In order to take control of bad eating habits you will need to get the whole family involved. Many bad eating habits are simply learned from home. Children learn from examples and contrary to many people's opinions not all these habits come from peers.

So the first thing to do is to get all the family involved. Once the entire family is eating in a better way you will be surprised to see that your child will often follow the same example. Now this will not solve the complete problem but will go a long way to resolving the situation. When all the family are eating in a healthy way your child will not feel that they are being singled out and they will feel that they have support and can change their eating habits.

Do not nag your child this will only make matters worse: The biggest mistake in getting your child back on the healthy eating track is to be continuously reminding them that they are overweight and should stop eating junk. Constant nagging will push them to defy you and eat even more junk. I know because I have done this mistake myself.

Get rid of unhealthy food from the house: This is a hard thing to do. Go through all the food in the house and get rid of all the junk food. You know what they are...chips, candy, cakes and cookies etc. Do not forget to get rid of soda. The important thing to remember when you do this is that once you have got rid of the junk food you must be very sure not to buy any more from the grocery store.

Offer alternatives to junk food and soda: of course you cannot expect your family just to "cold turkey" when you get rid of junk food you will need to replace those tasty snacks with other things. Fruits are a good alternative. Sugar free drinks can replace juices and sodas. Try to encourage your family to drink more water. Sugar free ice cream can be taken in moderation. You can make fun veggie snacks; there are many quick recipes for healthy snacks on the Internet. Make use of a slow cooker to prepare a good meal for your family which will be ready when you come back from work. This will eliminate the fast food habit.

If you take action today you can get your child's eating habits back in control and when they lose those extra pounds you will both be happy that you made the sacrifices. Do not forget to compliment your child on their weight loss as this will make them realize that they have achieved something and will make them feel better about themselves.

Cathy Q is giving away a free mini course "5 Strategies to Lose Weight Fast and Keep It Off" to take advantage of this offer please visit http://lose10lbamonth.com

Baby Pushchairs and Strollers - Getting Ready For Your New Baby

There are many strollers available on the market and your choice will be determined by a number of factors such as price, functionality and style/personal choice. When looking for a stroller you will need to firstly consider the frame and construction of the push chair. Most strollers have aluminum frames and a light weight chassis which folds up easily and it is important that it folds up tightly with preferably a one step folding process. The ease with which you can fold it up and tuck it away is a vital factor for most would be mothers and accessories such as rain covers and it's weight will also be significant with some starting at only 15 pounds.

Something you should also be concerned about is the warranty that the stroller carries and this can range from 1 year to a lifetime warranty. When you fold up your stroller you will want it to fold up into a standing position and the best strollers do so by the front wheels disappearing between the back wheels and ready to be stored away in a space efficient way.

Interchangeable and washable liners will also be a factor in your decision as you will be looking at it for a long time and the availability of accessories such as shades, insect repellents, adjustable handles and a great color choice is important to many new moms. You can expect to pay anything from $50 up to $500 for your stroller and the more expensive ones feature a stroller frame with a removable car seat for baby.

Accessories that you can look for in your push chair include small trays for storage of baby's toys and there are even small trays for parents which attach to the handle and on which you can store some small knick knacks such as your cell phone. Another important feature you will need to consider is the brakes which need to be effective and those which work on all four wheels as opposed to just two are clearly safer for your loved one.

There are many choices to make to ensure that you do your best for your loved one.

To help you with your choices stop by Sarah's site http://BassinetBaby.org where she reviews Bassinet baby products which will definitely help you to make the right choice for your baby.

What is a Tween? And Why You Should Be Concerned About Them

One of the hardest jobs you'll ever have is that of parent. You may not realize this now, if you don't have children, or if your children are infants, or if they're still under your wing where you can protect and nurture them. But the day will come when your child will walk out your door and leave you at home, wringing your hands, wondering if they will take all that you've taught them into that scary and quite often dangerous world of Tweens. It's always been our perception that teens are the most difficult to handle, that the teenage years are the hardest. But there is a new reality facing parents today and that is the Tween years. These are the years when they're growing out of their babyhood but have not reached Teen status yet. And parents, these are the truly important years.

These Tween years are the precursors of what is to come - the dreaded Teen years. These are the years where we absolutely have to lay the foundation for their future. This is the time to really begin the dialogue on sex, drugs and rock and roll. Ok, so we'll forget about the sex for the most part in this article and the rock and roll of another era seems to have been overtaken by some violent and graphic lyrics of rap, so we'll address that in a future article. For now, let's concentrate on drugs and addiction. The Tween years are when kids start hearing and learning about drugs. Notice I didn't say they start learning about addiction. No, they hear about drugs and depending on who they hear this information from, they may think that doing drugs is cool and that everybody is doing them. Unfortunately they may not be too far off the mark with that reasoning. But these same kids who are curious about drugs do not know the truly down side to doing drugs and that is Addiction with a capital A. For if our children were to really know exactly what addiction is, I doubt that they'd be so eager to start down this path. This is why it's critical for parents to first educate themselves, and then to educate their children. The famous slogan, "Just Say No" initiated by then First Lady, Nancy Reagan, has lost a lot of its impact over time and is only the beginning of what should be a serious, open, and honest discussion about drugs between parent and child. A better slogan to teach your children would be "Just Say Know." Know what drugs can do to you, Know what addiction is, Know how addiction affects not only your life but the lives of your family and friends. Know that you can say No to drugs. Education will be our salvation and we must all be educated on this important subject. We have to reach kids while they're still on the vine or in the tree, so to speak. We can't wait until that tomato ripens or the apple falls from the tree because then it's too late. Kids in the 5th and 6th grades are now acutely aware of drugs. Their innocence is being stripped away from them at younger and younger ages. The time for discussion about drugs and addiction is now!! Don't be a "Not in my family" parent. Just because your child has always been a delight and has not given you any trouble does not mean that trouble might not be looming on the horizon. The Addiction Monster is out there and he's waiting to grab your child and you'll find yourself in the fight of your life, trying to spare your child from his deadly grip.

Start speaking to your Tweens about drugs NOW. There is not a moment to waste. Parents of Tweens, don your suit of armor and grab your tools because, as Bette Davis famously said, "It's gonna be a bumpy ride."

Sheryl Letzgus McGinnis is the author of the book "I Am Your Disease (The Many Faces of Addiction)" published by Outskirts Press. You can read about, and purchase the book at Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well as the author's website - http://www.iamyourdisease.com. Sheryl's two latest books are Slaying the Addiction Monster - An All-Inclusive Look into Drug Addiction in America Today and The Addiction Monster and the Square Cat. Both of these books will be available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well as the author's website in October of 2008. The Addiction Monster and the Square Cat is a wonderfully educational book for kids ages 10 and up and is told by the sassy but lovable family cat. It packs a powerful punch and speaks to kids in their own language.

I am a retired medical transcriptionist and radio DJ who also did voiceovers for TV. Married, with one living son, having lost my youngest son Scott, who was a paramedic and an RN to the disease of addiction. Happily married for 42 years to Jack, retired 8th grade science teacher. My oldest son Dale is a graduate student in Environmental Sciences and has his own band, New Gravity.

We live in Palm Bay, Florida. I am originally from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and am a citizen of both Australia and the US. We are owned by one dog and four cats!