Flu Season Reminders and Tips

As the Flu season is upon us we just want to remind our parents and teachers of some key things:

1. Use the golden rule and do unto others: please don't bring your kiddoes when you know they are sick. Also they have to be fever free for 24 hours to be considered noncontagious.
   
2. Teach your children to wash their hands after they use the bathroom, after they blow their noses, etc. Sesame Street has created some great resource information to help you teach your child these things visit their website by clicking here. Also here is the Youtube link to this video that is a bit larger screen for you and your kiddoes to watch: click here
   
3. Teach your children to also sneeze into the crook of their arm or their hands. Then remind them to wash those hands (refer to point #2)
4. Also remember to wash baby and toddler hands as well...they pick thing up really easily from shopping carts, so make sure you carry anti bac wipes with you. Be careful with waterless anti bac and babies and toddlers. There have been some adverse reactions to the solution.
   
5. Don't forget the toothbrush! Germs breed here as well, if your child has been sick remember to soak their toothbrushes overnight in mouthwash or run them through the dishwasher. After taking them out of the dishwasher though remember to run them under hot water for a minute to make sure any lingering detergent is gone from bristles.
   

Do you have any tips you can share. Please comment and pass along. More information is better than none. Please help us keep our preschool areas healthy this flu season.

Teaching Children To Be Thankful

We are heading into Fall but before Thanksgiving (which I think is a very overlooked holiday these days) arrives. I wanted to give you a head start on thoughts on teaching your children to be thankful. Here is a great post from the blog: Better Parents, Better Families about teaching children to be thankful. But I also wanted to give you an example of an activity that you can do to help train your children about being thankful.





Supplies you will need:
1 large piece of black or brown poster board
several pieces of colored construction paper
scissors
glue or tape
Marker or crayons

Cut out the shape of tree from black or brown poster board. Make it large enough for handprints to be the leaves. Put this up somewhere where everyone in the family can see it.

Next have everyone trace several of their handprints on different colors of construction paper. Then have each person write their names each leaf. (have older siblings help younger ones write their names or parents help do this)
Then ask each child to write down 1 thing on each leaf that they are thankful for. Try to have them save a leaf for each day and write down something to be thankful for each day when you have family devotion times.
At dinner or at bedtime prayers gather to read over the leaves and pray and thank God for those things.

Teaching children to be thankful in a world that is filled with all kinds of stuff can be hard, but you can also make it fun as you shift their thinking from wanting and taking to thanking and giving. Remember what Proverbs 22:6 says:
What other things have you done to teach your children about being thankful? Let us know so we can help each other in the task of raising Godly kids.