I have a food-centric household. I not only read cooking magazines, I re-read them, I dog-ear them for recipes, I study the photos and I daydream about visiting the featured spots and tasting the food. My daughter knows the names of all of the cooks on the Food Network. She eats at "fancy" restaurants with my mom almost weekly. My husband has a full page "menu" from which to (sometimes) choose what he wants for dinner. I have an extensive list of bookmarks on my computer, all devoted to food related blogs, recipes, and general chowing-down. Fortunately for me, I do have a daughter who eats a pretty wide variety of foods.
Eating and food can be a big issue for some parents. For those who are blessed with "good eaters" we can only be thankful they do not have to dread mealtimes. As I was standing in line at "whole paycheck", I was drawn the photo of a luscious sandwich on the cover of Bon Appetit magazine. Of course, I had to buy it.
One article in the magazine really got my attention. The article, Health Wise: Eat Your Broccoli!, talks about the recent trend on "sneaking" vegetables into our children's diet. There are two recently published books The Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food
The concept is good, sneak vegetables into your child with food they are willing to eat, such as macaroni and cheese with puree of cauliflower, and brownies(!) with pureed spinach. The problem, the author of the article points out, is that your child will "grow up learning to eat macaroni and cheese but not vegetables."
We all know our child's likes and dislikes, and I'm sure vegetables is on the top of many "dislike" lists. So, how do we get our children to eat their vegetables? (One parent, a few years ago, asked me to tell their child to eat vegetables because as a teacher, they felt I could convince their child...if only I had that kind of magic!) I can only give suggestions, and you can only try a few of the suggestions. So here it goes...
Grow a garden. Children will try things that they grow themselves.
Allow them to "help" cook their meals. Let them peel carrots, stir the bowl, toss the salad...
Cut things into interesting shapes. Use cookie cutters, or shred raw zucchini into strips like noodles, sprinkle with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, grated parmesan and toss. Sounds weird, but can be tasty!
Ask other parents what their tried and true vegetable preparations are...maybe what we've been cooking just wasn't tasty enough!
Present an offending vegetable on their plate, along with their other food often. Sometimes it takes more than a dozen times to introduce a food before a child will try it. Sometimes we give up too easily.
Nothing is more effective than showing your child that you eat lots of vegetables yourself. Eat a variety, eat it often, order it as a side at restaurants so that you widen your own repertoire of preparations. If your child sees that you relish eating your vegetables, they will more likely grow up to be a vegetable eater.
Results not guaranteed. But at least we tried...
Friday, February 29, 2008
Hello!
Okay, so I took a long time to advertise this blog to you, my room parents. Really, it's more out of total embarrassment than anything. I'm not so comfortable as a writer, but I do feel pretty passionate about my point of view. I really want to help you navigate through this time in your child's life. When I write a blog entry, hopefully, I'll be able to write frequently, not like the previous posts. I will write about general things that have been swirling in my head about events from the classroom, but I will try to be very general to keep the event that trigger these thoughts ambiguous, and keep the anonymity of the individual(s) involved.
Also, please forgive typos and possible spelling errors! I usually will be writing posts late, after the little one has been tucked in bed!
Also, please forgive typos and possible spelling errors! I usually will be writing posts late, after the little one has been tucked in bed!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Remember when...
Talking with (not at) your child is so important. But did you know that talking with your child is also teaching them reading strategies as well. How's that? Well, remember that reading is not only about decoding, c-a-t.
Reading is gaining meaning from the text. Reading involves having experiences, or schema, to connect with what is being read. Reading means actively creating mental images of what is happening in the text.
Reading is inferring what is, will, may, or can, happen next.
Reading means synthesizing information to check for understanding and think beyond what has happened in the text.
Whoa, that's a lot to digest? Are you synthesizing the meaning of reading?
When you ask your child to remember an activity or event that happened in the past, you are helping them to develop the language skills to make connections. Talking about activities you have done, whether vacations, trips to the library, or shopping builds schema as well as helps your child learn the language of narrative. You are helping to describe what happened, first, next, and last. You are expressing how you felt about the activity. You are teaching them the flow of language, vocabulary and concepts, as well as the importance of appreciating the time you have together. In addition, its always amazing what things your child remembers. It's almost always something you don't expect.
Reading is gaining meaning from the text. Reading involves having experiences, or schema, to connect with what is being read. Reading means actively creating mental images of what is happening in the text.
Reading is inferring what is, will, may, or can, happen next.
Reading means synthesizing information to check for understanding and think beyond what has happened in the text.
Whoa, that's a lot to digest? Are you synthesizing the meaning of reading?
When you ask your child to remember an activity or event that happened in the past, you are helping them to develop the language skills to make connections. Talking about activities you have done, whether vacations, trips to the library, or shopping builds schema as well as helps your child learn the language of narrative. You are helping to describe what happened, first, next, and last. You are expressing how you felt about the activity. You are teaching them the flow of language, vocabulary and concepts, as well as the importance of appreciating the time you have together. In addition, its always amazing what things your child remembers. It's almost always something you don't expect.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Helicopter Parenting...
Recently, while channel surfing, I happened upon a talk show where they were discussing "helicopter" mothers. You know they type, constantly hovering over a child, trying to control their child in all aspects of interaction, environment, and expression. Then, while browsing through a Scientific American special edition on child development, I came across a quote...
"When mothers seemed to have a need to be constantly involved by controlling and limiting the child's activity, it made the child insecure. Children who felt confident of their mother's interest behaved in a more relaxed way and presumably would adapt better to their surroundings."
We, as parents, are trying to raise our children to become responsible adults, who are independent, and can make positive, active choices in their lives. The foundation for this goal begins early, and as parents of kindergarten children, we need to evaluate how much we are doing for our child. A child who is five, is capable of doing many things around the house, and can learn to do many things independently. If you are doing many things for your child, begin to transfer appropriate activities that you normally do, to your child. They can sort the socks in the laundry, set the table, put their clothes away, help put dishes in the dishwasher. Give them a chore chart of a few activities they can do and possibly give them a small allowance for following through with their chores.
Children with control in their lives tend to be more confident and have less "tantrums". Although the chores may take your child longer to do than for you to do, the time you take to teach them now, will save you time in the long run. Relax.
"Children whose mothers are relaxed seem at ease. Those with controlling mothers seem insecure." (Scientific American: Special Edition on Child Development)
"When mothers seemed to have a need to be constantly involved by controlling and limiting the child's activity, it made the child insecure. Children who felt confident of their mother's interest behaved in a more relaxed way and presumably would adapt better to their surroundings."
We, as parents, are trying to raise our children to become responsible adults, who are independent, and can make positive, active choices in their lives. The foundation for this goal begins early, and as parents of kindergarten children, we need to evaluate how much we are doing for our child. A child who is five, is capable of doing many things around the house, and can learn to do many things independently. If you are doing many things for your child, begin to transfer appropriate activities that you normally do, to your child. They can sort the socks in the laundry, set the table, put their clothes away, help put dishes in the dishwasher. Give them a chore chart of a few activities they can do and possibly give them a small allowance for following through with their chores.
Children with control in their lives tend to be more confident and have less "tantrums". Although the chores may take your child longer to do than for you to do, the time you take to teach them now, will save you time in the long run. Relax.
"Children whose mothers are relaxed seem at ease. Those with controlling mothers seem insecure." (Scientific American: Special Edition on Child Development)
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Talking with your child vs. talking at your child...
My daughter has been asking lots of questions ever since she turned two in January. Of course, the most common question always starts with, "Why..?" While driving recently, her latest question was, "Why the car go like that?" I answered simply and truthfully, "The car is being bumpy because the road is rough because they are fixing it." My daughter is learning what "bumpy" means and why. Sometimes I even remind her of an experience that relates to the current one, "Remember when you were riding your tricycle on the grass, and the ride was bumpy?" Maybe next time she'll say, "Whoa, the car is on a bumpy road!"
As parents, we are constantly answering questions. Answer the questions, and answer them directly and truthfully, with the understanding of course, that your child is not going to understand the whole answer. They will gain some vocabulary to help them understand their questions later on, and they will respect you for respecting their question. As their vocabulary develops, start asking them, "What do you think?" with your goal to have them tell your their thoughts in complete ideas and sentences.
Even if your child is not asking tons of questions, talk with your child. Constantly. You are their model for their language development. If you don't communicate well with your child, they most likely won't communicate well with you. Talk with your kids while driving the car, while shopping at the store, and while eating dinner. Think of it as (almost) saying everything that is going on in your head. Try to have conversations, even though it seems like you are only talking to yourself. You can help your child develop a great vocabulary, be able to describe events in detail, or even understand how decisions are being made.
Try to reflect on the type of talk you have been having with your child. Do you mostly give commands? "Get your pajamas on." "Turn the T.V. off." "It's time to brush your teeth." "Go wash your hands, please." Instead of giving commands, maybe it's time you ask the questions. "Which pajamas are you going to wear tonight?" "What happened on the show you watched on T.V.?" "What books do you want to read tonight?"
Our bedtime ritual includes choosing two books to read, recapping the highlights of the day, and talking about "What are we going to do tomorrow?" I can't tell you how valuable I find this time of the day to be. Most of the time. Of course, I can't wait for her to go to bed sometimes and I do a little rush job...but most of the time I do enjoy reading the two books, talking about what she did during the day, and sending her off to sleep, looking forward to another day. "See you tomorrow. I love you!"
As parents, we are constantly answering questions. Answer the questions, and answer them directly and truthfully, with the understanding of course, that your child is not going to understand the whole answer. They will gain some vocabulary to help them understand their questions later on, and they will respect you for respecting their question. As their vocabulary develops, start asking them, "What do you think?" with your goal to have them tell your their thoughts in complete ideas and sentences.
Even if your child is not asking tons of questions, talk with your child. Constantly. You are their model for their language development. If you don't communicate well with your child, they most likely won't communicate well with you. Talk with your kids while driving the car, while shopping at the store, and while eating dinner. Think of it as (almost) saying everything that is going on in your head. Try to have conversations, even though it seems like you are only talking to yourself. You can help your child develop a great vocabulary, be able to describe events in detail, or even understand how decisions are being made.
Try to reflect on the type of talk you have been having with your child. Do you mostly give commands? "Get your pajamas on." "Turn the T.V. off." "It's time to brush your teeth." "Go wash your hands, please." Instead of giving commands, maybe it's time you ask the questions. "Which pajamas are you going to wear tonight?" "What happened on the show you watched on T.V.?" "What books do you want to read tonight?"
Our bedtime ritual includes choosing two books to read, recapping the highlights of the day, and talking about "What are we going to do tomorrow?" I can't tell you how valuable I find this time of the day to be. Most of the time. Of course, I can't wait for her to go to bed sometimes and I do a little rush job...but most of the time I do enjoy reading the two books, talking about what she did during the day, and sending her off to sleep, looking forward to another day. "See you tomorrow. I love you!"
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Calling All Volunteers!
You may have noticed the large posting by the PTA asking for parents to volunteer for Room Parent, Art In Action, and various PTA activities. Become involved in school activities and gain pride for your school, new friends, and the latest news. We welcome parents to share responsibilities as Room Parent and as a volunteer for Art In Action. Check this link,
http://www.artinaction.org/school/programs/k.html
for more information about Art In Action. Don't forget to let us know if you are interested or have signed up to help!
http://www.artinaction.org/school/programs/k.html
for more information about Art In Action. Don't forget to let us know if you are interested or have signed up to help!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Welcome to Kindergarten!
These first weeks of kindergarten will be full of emotions, activity, new routines, and new people in your lives. This blog is available to you as a way to provide information about school and parenting. Topics will be varied, and as parents, you may also help to provide topics as the year progresses.
Your child will have brought home a yellow envelope that is full of important information and forms to fill out. Please, please, please, fill these out and return to school as soon as possible. Also, please feel free to introduce yourself, and if you are available, please sign up to volunteer on the calendar on the classroom door. Volunteers are needed daily from 8:20 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. We also welcome volunteers to supervise, organize, or do activities with the children from 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
The kindergarten class of 2007-2008, get ready, set, go!
Your child will have brought home a yellow envelope that is full of important information and forms to fill out. Please, please, please, fill these out and return to school as soon as possible. Also, please feel free to introduce yourself, and if you are available, please sign up to volunteer on the calendar on the classroom door. Volunteers are needed daily from 8:20 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. We also welcome volunteers to supervise, organize, or do activities with the children from 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
The kindergarten class of 2007-2008, get ready, set, go!
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