Walk Like the Animals

Directions

Who's Hiding?

Materials

1. Pictures of animals and favorite things
2. Cardboard
3. Glue and scissors
4. Felt markers

Directions

As an infant, toddler, child, adolescent, and deep into our adulthood, we progressively leap to higher levels of adaptation to the world around us and our place within it. The family we have and build around us affects nutrition, physical activity, and attachment style. We are embedded within a particular society within a cultural context. All these factors contribute to our “self”-organization. One means by which the “self”-organizes is through the relationship between child and parent.

Resources for Parents

After more than a year of living through the COVID-19 pandemic, we are entering the time of year for school graduations, and they continue to be less than normal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is starting to relax its guidelines, however large group gatherings are still generally not recommended, particularly if they are indoors.

Now more than ever, you can let go of your attempts to be Mary Poppins or the perfect parent. The rollercoaster of events caused by COVID-19 has forced us to dig deep and rethink what is most important in life. But meanwhile, we are required to #stayhome with our families while also attempting some degrees of normalcy with work, homeschool, and botched social interaction.

More: The Ultimate Guide to Working From Home With Kids

Succeeding at Standardized Tests

Parents: Do Your Homework
Standardized testing -- two simple words that often strike fear for children, teachers, and parents alike. Many states use proficiency testing as a way to assess children and evaluate teachers. In some states, a low score on a proficiency exam is grounds for holding your child back. Whatever the policies are in your state, your job is to prepare your young learner for the testing challenge.

Starting Your Baby on Solid Foods

Starting your baby on solid foods is the beginning of lifelong eating habits that will contribute to his or her overall health. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends feeding your child only breast milk or formula for the first four to six months of life. After that, a combination of solid foods and breast milk or formula should be given until your baby is at least a year old.

Books for Ages 2-4

Agapanthus Hum and Major Bark, by Jennifer Plecas
When she loses a tooth, Agapanthus discovers that she can make an angel hoot by blowing through the hole in her smile.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, by Bill Martin
Children see a variety of animals, each one a different color, and a mother looking at them.

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Developing Good Sleep Habits

Sleep is necessary to allow the brain and body to recover from and absorb all the day's events, allowing you to think clearer and perform better in all aspects of life. Researchers have shown that the ideal amount of sleep in order to perform the best in both sports and mental tasks is between seven and eight hours nightly. This amount might vary a little from person to person but is overall an effective guideline.