It seems that every day we hear of a new baby item or food item being recalled! We hope the following websites will help parents keep track of recalled products. You can even have recalls sent to your cell phone or email.

ClickCheckandProtect.org (Consumer Reports)

CPSC.gov (Consumer Products Safety Commission)

TSafeProducts.gov

We hope you will find these websites helpful.ext alerts – text the word “SAFE” to 76666

Every spring preschools seem to “buzz” with discussions on Kindergarten readiness. Public and private schools hold a variety of screenings to evaluate whether or not your child is “ready” for the next step. Defining and measuring school readiness skills are not simple tasks. A child’s level of curiosity and confidence is not easily measured.

Healthy and strong personal social development is key for school success. Mastering self-help skills, gaining a level of independence, and demonstrating a positive approach to learning are indicators of successful future school experiences.

Another important area to consider when thinking about school readiness, is your child’s motivation to learn, ask questions, stay on task and focus. A child’s ability to control his impulses and the capacity to complete a task because it is needed, are self- regulatory behaviors which will foster productive learning experiences. Small muscle control is also an area of physical development which directly affects a child’s ability to hold writing materials, draw and write letters. By giving children a variety of experiences with puzzles, manipulatives and other art materials, we can strengthen their fine motor ability.

Phonemic awareness, letter recognition, enriched vocabulary, critical thinking skills, and environmental print awareness are all components of early literacy. Expressive and receptive language skills and the ability to follow multi-step directions also help in this very important process of learning.

Future kindergartners should feel confident, capable and comfortable in meeting the challenges of transitioning to the next setting. As parents and educators, we will strive to provide the readiness skills necessary for a future filled with success!

by Regional Educational Director, Nancy Nathanson

The world of nature inspires your child to explore their surroundings. There are so many fun things they can do to experience and learn about nature. Winter, spring, summer or fall, your child can have great fun exploring the outdoors in a meaningful way. The best thing about nature exploration is that it doesn’t require any special tools. The most important tools include your eyes, hands, nose and ears, which you already have.

Not only is nature exploration fun, it’s educational. Consider how many questions your child asks on a walk through a park or nature path.

Outdoor activities often bring out the curious, creative, and self-motivated learner in all of us. Here are few ideas for your entire family to explore and learn in the outdoors. Your family can observe birds and imitate their movements. How do different birds move? Serenading a spider can be exciting. “The itsy bitsy spider…” How many different kinds of webs can you find? Draw your own web. Furthermore, you can help your child make a crayon rubbing of a leaf or the bark of a tree. Start a rock collection and tap them together to make rock music. Your child can start a nature journal or an art book depending on their interest. Also, cloud watching encourages vocabulary building.

by Margaret Augustynowicz