Avoid Decorating Dangers

Follow this link to read about the ways you can avoid decorating dangers this holiday season.

Get Ready To Shop!

Making your shopping list for the kids in your life? Well, check out some safety ideas first. Go here for some helpful advice.

November 2010 Book and Craft

Book Suggestion For November is "Is There Really a Human Race", written by Jamie Lee Curtis and illustrated by Laura Cornell, published by Joanna Cotler Books, New York
This delightful story asks a lots of questions about growing up. It's about making mistakes and good choices and what makes living worthwile. The journey, with making the world a better place, is what is most important and the lesson that is taught every year at holiday time. This book gives you the opportunity to tell your children what's most important to your family and those yet to come. Happy Thanksgiving!




Apple Turkey-NOTE: THIS PROJECT MUST BE DONE WITH ADULT SUPERVISION

For this craft you will need a large apple, toothpicks or wooden skewers cut into sections, spice drops, dried fruit and whole cloves. Use caution when using the pointed toothpicks and cutting the wooden skewers.

Using toothpicks or pieces of skewers, make three supports so that the apple can lay on it's side without rolling. Place three or 4 spice drops onto several toothpicks or pieces of skewers and poke them into the back of the apple to resemble feathers. There can be as many rows as you wish. In a similar manner, attach a piece of dried fruit (I used a dried plum) where the stem was removed to resemble the head and placed a red drop below to be the waddle. You can also use a large olive, with the pimento hanging out of the whole as the waddle. Name cards could be placed between the rows of feathers if you wish to place them on your Thanksgiving table. Have fun!

Time For a Change

Change your clocks, change the batteries in your smoke detectors!

October Safety Recalls

Follow this link for a list of those children's products that have been recalled.

New Warning About Baby Monitor Cords

Follow this link to read how baby monitor cords can be a risk to infants.

Pre-School Fire Safety Contest

Perhaps your child's preschool can win prizes if they participate in this fire safety contest.

http://www.safekids.org/educators/preschool-fire-safety-contest.html

October Reader's Choice and Craft

For October I am recommending two books written by the same author, Barbara Park.
First, Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under her Bed. This book is perfect for this spooky time of year. It's main character, Junie B., is a kindergartner, and always getting into some crazy situation which she seems to survive using the most unique strategies.
Second, Junie B. Jones, First Grader, Boo and I Mean It! This book is one in the first grader series.
Both series has many titles and they will make readers, both young and old, giggle with delight!
They are published by Scholastic, New York and can be found in the beginning reader's section of your local book store as well as your public library.



Craft - Fabulous Foam
Look for foam sheets, foam shapes, or foam craft sticks in your local craft shop. They are cheap and fabulous for children to work with. You can easily cut out shapes to make holiday pictures (use can use children's beginning coloring books for patterns), and it works well with most types of glue. Because they are light, they also make wonderful garland decorations, ornaments, or mobiles. They are ideal for adding to cards or scrapbook pages too. Use them for making place cards for your Halloween or Thanksgiving table. Here is a cute fast project I made as a window decoration using foam craft sticks and some construction paper.

Halloween Safety 2010

Here's a link to a great forum for parents about Halloween Safety. Stop by and join the discussion.

Environmental Hazards For Children

Follow this link to an article on environmental hazards for children published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Preventing Childhood Injury Webinar

SafeKids USA is hosting a special 60 minute event on Oct. 27th at 7:00pm. It is designed for parents and coaches to help them spot overuse injuries, the signs and symptions of concussion, and proper hydration techniques. Register to watch this online seminar by following this link.

FDA Warns Parents About Sleep Positioners

They may sound like a good idea, but they aren't. Follow this link to read why.