Wordless Wednesday

Quiet matey or I'll make you walk the plank!

Tuesday Teachings

Due to the extended holiday week-end I thought I would provide links to some of my favorite blogs geared towards families of young children. We will be back next Tuesday to continue with out alphabet lessons, in the meantime please enjoy these links.

Homeschool Creations is a great blog. They are a family of 6 that home school their kids and post frequent updates. There is a great age range on the blog, including a preschool corner.

My Montessori Journey is another great blog. This is a dedicated Montessori teacher that posts her great ideas of Montessori activities. One of my favorite things about her blog is that all of the things she does with her class are affordable. She buys inexpensive items to make into inspiring activities for her students.

No Time For Flashcards is another amazing resource. She has great book recommendations to go along with her posts. Currently she has guest bloggers as she has just had a baby girl but the guests posts are great also.

I hope you will find some inspiring activities at these links and take the time to make a difference in the life of a child.

Special July 4th Desserts

On the July calendar for tomorrow I suggested making a special dessert so I thought I would give you a few ideas today so you can hit the grocery store on the way home.

First up is Family Fun Magazine with the Uncle Sam Ice Cream. This is adorable and only requires 6 ingredients! Not only does it look yummy but could be quite creative as well.

Next up are some very cute cookies from The Decorated Cookie. I like the mini versions, no need to give the kids gigantic cookies! It would be very cute to set up the cookies in the shape of a full flag.

Another project from The Decorated Cookie involves using special markers to write on food. I have these markers (I purchased them at Michael's) and I have to admit, they are a lot of fun. You can write on food with them or draw pictures. I think it would be cute if some of the cookies just said "BOOM" on them.

Last but not least is this Patriotic Trifle from Taste of Home. It looks beautiful and delicious.

I hope this will at least give you a starting point to get in the kitchen and have some fun with your kids. As always, we wish you the best! Have a safe and fun Independence Day!

July Calendar

July 2010

Kids Left in Cars

I have recently heard of two local cases of children being left unattended in vehicles. One child survived but the other was not as lucky. I want to give you some facts on hyperthermia.

Source: San Francisco State University

Average number of child hyperthermia fatalities per year since 1998: 37
Total child hyperthermia fatalities since 1998: 464
Of these deaths: 51% were "forgotten" in the car by a caregiver; 30% were children playing in unattended vehicles; 18% were intentionally left in the car by an adult and 1% were circumstances unknown.
Average elapsed time and temperature rise:
10 minutes makes the interior temperature increase by 19 degrees F
20 minutes makes the interior temperature increase by 29 degrees F
30 minutes makes the interior temperature increase by 34 degrees F
60 minutes makes the interior temperature increase by 43 degrees F
"Cracking" the windows had little effect on the interior car temperature.

Under no circumstances is it acceptable to leave a child, regardless of age, unattended in a vehicle. As we can see above, the temperature continues to climb, even if it is for "just a minute".

Some simple steps to keep kids safe:

• Always leave your car doors and trunks locked. A child could get in the car and then be unable to get out.
• Always store your car keys out of reach and out of sight of kids.
• Teach children not to play in or around cars.
• Never leave a child in a car alone.
• Place something that you will need at your next stop – for example a purse, lunch, gym bag or briefcase – on the floor of the backseat where the child is sitting. This simple act could help prevent you from accidentally forgetting your child if he or she is sleeping.
• Be especially careful if you change your routine for dropping off infants or children at day care. Have a plan that if your child is late for daycare that you will be called within a few minutes.
• 
  If you see an unattended child in a vehicle, call 911 immediately.

Please keep your kids in sight. Before leaving your vehicle, take a look in the back seat and be sure your child is not in there. This one simple step could save the life of a child. I realize we are all busy and trying to multi-task all the time, but just a few seconds to glance in the back seat is worth the effort.

Wordless Wednesday - Silly Times

Be sure that you take time out of your busy day to just be silly with your kids!