Parenting

Hasbro's Play-Doh contains many chemicals including Kerosene, petroleum distillate and borax. Even though the company insists the compound is non-toxic, it may be best to consider avoiding these chemicals anyway. With a little research I discovered a few good recipe's for making your own play dough at babyparenting.about.com.

Here's my personal favorite:

Nature's Playdough

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
2 T oil
2 T cream of tartar
beet, spinach, and carrot juice

Mix flour, salt and oil, and slowly add the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until dough becomes stiff. Turn out onto wax paper and let cool. Knead the dough with your hands until of proper consistency. Use as is, or divide into balls and add a few drops of the vegetable juices to make green, pink, and orange.

My wife and I have always been a little environmentally conscious. Now that we are having a baby we wondered what effect this new little member would have on our green-lifestyle. We started doing the research and found one of the best ways to maintain an eco-friendly lifestyle when raising a child is to use cloth diapers, and there are other benefits too.

I know what your thinking, "you've got to be kidding me!" I realize that cloth diapers are a little more work and probably seems less sanitary at first glance, but you can rest assured that cloth diapering is entirely sanitary and modern cloth diapers are easy.

Here are some great benefits of clothe diapers:

1. Environmentally responsible
   It's simple. The less we throw away, the less we harm the environment. Disposable diapers make up 1% of solid waste in U.S. Landfills. This may not seem high, but considering fast food wrappers contribute only 0.1%, things come into perspective. Not only does cloth diapering mean less landfill space, it also means less fuel used to transport and dispose of waste material. Cloth diapers are an all around great choice for the environment.
2. Great money saver
   

That blob of color, scribbled line or fuzzy shape may mean a lot to your child. Now how do you talk to them about it?

The best way is honesty, according to online resource Family Education Network (life.familyeducation.com).

“Children are hungry for true appreciation. They do not want flattery, opinions or even blind support for what they do,” according to the organization. “All children create from who they are in the best way they can.

“If parents and teachers don’t introduce the idea of better and worse, the children won’t either. When children are a littler older, they have already been conditioned to think in this way.”

Early art experience not only encourages creativity, but fosters independence, sensory exploration and happy memories, according to Bright Horizons Family Solutions (www.brighthorizons.com).

There has got to be a reason for all that crying, kicking, screaming and general misbehavior.

Even if university research, educational Web sites and other sources differ on why children act up, they all agree parents should try to find out what's behind it.
“Children misbehave for a reason. Being a parent can sometimes seem like being a detective,” according to The WonderWise Parent, an online resource created through Kansas State Research and Extension. “Why did my child do that? What is he trying to accomplish?

“If the behavior is accidental or if the child did not know it was unacceptable, then the behavior is not really misbehavior. Misbehavior involves deliberate disobedience to a reasonable limit.”

Deliberately acting out could be because:

Research from the National Cancer Institute suggests that eating large quantities of soy-based foods as a child leads to a reduced risk of developing breast cancer later in life. Results show a nearly 60 percent decrease in risk.

"Childhood soy intake was significantly associated with reduced breast cancer risk in our study, suggesting that the timing of soy intake may be especially critical," said lead investigator, Larissa Korde, from the NCI's Clinical Genetics Branch.

This reduced risk is asscociated with the presence of soy isoflavones.

Although many studies suggest that soy consumption is highly beneficial in all age groups for reducing cancer risk, Korde states that positive results were seen more strongly and consistently with childhood intake.

The underlying reason for these results is unknown, but researchers suggest that soy isoflavones cause changes in the breast tissue that may increase resistance to carcinogens later on.

This is a press release from TV Teachme.

TV Teachme cognitive learning development for art, alphabet and music bring learning to babies
1 -38 months.

(PRWeb) November 29, 2006 -- T.V. Teach Me Art, Letters and Music are the latest in the new science of
cognitive thinking videos for babies that use complex artistic images, soothing melodies and songs. Colorful, high
contrast shapes are used in conjunction with music and sound effects to keep a baby focused, stimulated and
entertained.

Cognitive learning specialists, speech language therapists and television producers were consulted using the latest
research and child learning development discoveries to create cognitive development baby videos.

There are endless suggestions of how to prepare children for school, some publications or Web sites describing parents as more anxious about the first day than their children.

Most sources suggest preparing students for school a few weeks before ut starts, making back-to-school shopping a fun event and celebrating the big day with dinner or a gift.

“For a new year in a new school, plan a visit there a week or so before the first day. Walk though the building, locating the classrooms, bathrooms and lunchroom,” www.ehow.com recommends.

ABC’s Denver news affiliate offers tips:

• Teach children family contact information;
• Review a route to school;
• Talk about the school bus;
• Get children to bed early before classes begin;

Where can you get it all – a place where your child is safe, has fun and keeps learning? Finding that all in a daycare might only take a few basic steps.

Web sites such as www.thenewparentsguide.com list parenting tips ranging from picking daycares to nursery decorating suggestions and choosing baby names. The Web site recommends:

• Make a tally of what is important to you, such as a daycare’s proximity to home or work;
• Ask friends or family members for suggestions;
• Research a center’s reputation;
• Check for current licensing;
• Review a facility’s scheduled daily activities.

More information is online at www.thenewparentingguide.com/choosing-a-daycare-center.htm.

So they stopped painting with finger paints – now how do you get children to appreciate other art?

Many experts and articles recommend making it fun and interactive.

“Create an art center with art supplies such as paper, crayons, markers, glue, string and other supplies readily accessible to your children,” the Texas Pasadena Independent School District suggests on its Web site.

The school district notes children are encouraged by creating their own paintings, sculptures and music.

“Provide creative tools that can be used to paint different shapes or lines, such as straws, sponges or Q-tips,” according to the school’s Web site.

Before a museum field trip, librarian Julie Kant recommends reading “Babar’s Museum of Art.” Book author Laurent de Brunhoff tells a tale of what a royal family does when their town’s train station closes.

At just about one-and-a-half years of age,whether through parenting, a teacher or self-exploration, all children begin to scribble. Although it is such a wide spread activity, many people just don't realize the importance of scribbling in the physical development, self-expression, and literacy development of a child.

The physical development produced by scribbling may seem obvious. In her book, "Young at Art", Susan Striker points out that scribbling helps train and strengthen hand and arm muscles needed later for writing. What may not be so obvious is how that the physical movement of scribbling actually greatly contributes to language development. Arnold Gesell, a noted child psychologist, has pointed out that kinesthesis, or body movement, is essential for language and social development.