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October 2013

Volume 11 Issue 2

CROW Comments
National Family Week is October 7-13, 2013. The Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs (FRP Canada) coordinates this annual event to recognize the diversity of families and the important role families play in society. The theme this year, Strong Families, Strong Communities, celebrates the role of families in creating a nurturing and supportive community in which to live. It evokes a sense of interdependency; communities are built by families and families are supported by communities. By being involved and engaged, families not only create an environment that is responsive but one that provides opportunity. Families and communities rely on each other, just as members of a family or neighbours within a community. National Family Week is an ideal opportunity to acknowledge the way we can all contribute to building a community that supports everyone. Check the FRP website at www.frp.ca/nfw for ideas to celebrate. adapted from www.frp.ca Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated in Canada as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. Thanksgiving has its historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, but has long been celebrated in a more secular manner as well. We will be closed on Monday, October 14, 2013 to celebrate Thanksgiving. Bounce Back & Thrive! Bounce Back and Thrive helps parents to feel to better about themselves, making them better parents and more able to meet their children's needs. This workshop helps parents build skills that increase their capacity to role model resilience (an individual's ability to cope with stress and adversity) in their daily interactions with their children. Board members! We are looking for two board members to join our team. If you are interested please contact Sue Cavanagh at 613-283-0095 extension 303 or by email at edcrow@bellnet.ca Facebook! Have you liked us on facebook yet? If not, click here https://www.facebook.com/ ChildrensResourcesOnWheels Toonies for United Way. Each year we ask our program participants to donate $2.00 per family. It is an annual, one time, toonie donation to help those in need in Lanark County. Please be generous and show your support. Thank you.

Inside this issue:

Providers Page Literacy Page Parenting Page Parenting Page 2 3 4 5

Songs/fingerplays 6 Playgroups Workshops 7 8

www.crowoeyc.com

Childrens Resources on Wheels (CROW) programs include : Ontario Early Years Centre Licensed Home Child Care CROW is dedicated to supporting and strengthening childcare, family life, child development and community links in Lanark County We Believe: That programs and services for families should be open to everyone

Getting Picky Eaters to Pick Less And Eat More

Its a common battle in many households and daycares. You sit down to a meal prepared with love and care only to have a child refuse to eat it. You cajole, plead & bribe but all to no avail. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Many parents and caregivers describe their children as picky eaters. While there is no magic way to transform a picky eater to a young child begging for more spinach, the following suggestions offer some creative ways to expand their food horizons. Use amazing props use wacky, disposable straws, fun sippy cups, or colourful spoons and forks at meals help children make their own placemats by drawing or colouring some of their favourite nutritious foods on a piece of paper, then laminate it use permanent, non-toxic markers to write names on cups and favourite utensils for each child Present food creatively use cookie cutters to cut sandwiches or pancakes into fun shapes make fun face sandwiches, using an English muffin or pita as the face and fruits and veggies for features give the meal a fun name like Supermans Super Supper serve age-appropriate foods and serving sizes. Young children have small stomachs. Childrens servings are 1/4 to 1/2 of an adult serving. make meals colourful. Let kids make a rainbow on their plate! Get Children involved let children help with meal preparation. Include them in menu planning. At mealtime, recognize them for helping select the food. Think Beyond the Table have a pretend restaurant or tea party. Let the child take your order and serve the food. nourish the children with books on nutrition sing songs about food and nutrition Fun Food Disguises sneak in veggies. Mix spinach, grated carrots or mashed peas into ground meat for hamburgers or spaghetti sauce. Use veggies as pizza toppings. Add diced cabbage and broccoli to lasagna. And just think of all the veggies you can hide in stew or soup! make fruit smoothies for snack time. The Role of Parents and Providers at Mealtimes In addition to being creative and making food fun, it is important to know what your role is at mealtime. Here are some concepts to keep in mind. Avoid Food Fights and Power Struggles Children are quick to learn how much power they have when it comes to food. A parent or caregiver who tries to coerce a child to eat various foods may be making an issue of something else left a non-issue. Comments like, if you eat your peas, you can have dessert, send children the message food is a tool they can use to get what they want or to avoid what they dont want. Never use food as part of punishment or reward. Food should never be provided or withheld based upon a child;s behaviour or actions. Respect Their Food Preferences Everyone has food likes and dislikes. Children are no different. Their taste preferences are continually expanding and changing, therefore, new food should be introduced and reintroduced. If a child tries a food and doesnt like it, then they should not have to eat it. But dont give up. Repeated exposure to new foods is important. Try serving the food prepared in different ways and use some of the creative ideas previously mentioned. Look at the Big Picture Dont worry if a child refuses to eat much during a meal, or if all she wants to eat is the fruit dessert. It is not a problem if a day or two goes by and they do not eat any veggies. Look at the diet over a week or two. Put your mind at ease knowing while picky eaters may eat less variety, if offered nutritious foods, most children meet their nutritional needs and grow adequately. Avoid Becoming A Short Order Cook If a child is not interested in the meal youve prepared, dont feel the need to prepare something else. Instead, avoid the problem by including at least one food you know each child likes as part of the meal. Make It A Daycare Family Affair Studies show regularly scheduled meals provide the structure necessary to help make mealtime enjoyable. Always sit down to lunch and have pleasant conversation with the children in care. Talk about your day, the dog, the weather, etc., but dont talk about how much is being eaten.
adapted from Earlychildhood NEWS at www.earlychildhoodnews.com

Respect the food preferences of children.

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Literacy Page
page until your child is ready to move on to the next idea in the book. Read through the book once. Go back and read it again. This time Hands can talk. We ask your child to look for situajust cant hear what they are say- tions that are similar to his own ing. Look at page 2 in the book. experiences. Do you know what some of those hands are saying? Hands come in Fun With Hands many different sizes, shapes and (tune: Row Row Row Your Boat) colours. But all around the world Roll, roll, roll your hands, we use our hands to say hello and As slowly as can be. goodbye. On pages 3 and 31 hello Roll, roll, roll your hands, and goodbye are written in several Do it now with me. languages. How many different Roll, roll, roll your hands, As fast as fast can be. words do you know to Roll, roll, roll your hands, say hello and goodbye? Do it now with me. Lets Play With Clap, clap, clap your hands Rhymes Shake, shake shake your hands Fee, Fie, Fo, Fum Fee, fi, fo, fum Lets CreateShadow Puppets See my finger Shine a lamp or flashlight onto a (hold up pointer finger) wall in a darkened room. Use your See my thumb hands to create shadows that look (hold up thumb) like barking dogs, bouncing rabFee, fie, fo fum. bits, ducks etc. Fingers gone, Join in with your child and create (bend down pointer finger) your own puppet show. Does your So is thumb! childs shadow puppet know how (hide thumb in fist) to deal with anger as well as your child does? Note To Parents & Caregivers Reading together means providing opportunities to talk, look and to think silently. Follow your childs lead. Read, discuss, look at pictures, or just sit quietly with each Lets Talk About The Book: Hands Are Not For Hitting Lets Be Together Why is my child hitting? A child hits because he is frustrated or angry. It is normal for a child to go through a stage of hitting, kicking, biting or hair pulling. Children are not born with the ability to control their aggression. Adults must teach them. They watch and listen to adults who model self control and positive ways of handling anger. The back of this book provides some ideas for you to do with your child. Role play activities help your child practice what she has learned from the book. She may find it easier to talk using a finger puppet as a prop. Two finger puppets are included for you to use with the activities in this book. Pages 18 and 19 offer many ideas for you to use with puppets) How to use puppets as props: Let the child name the puppets. Have the puppets introduce themselves to each other. The adult puppet can ask the childs puppet questions like: What makes you angry? What can you do when you and your friends are not getting along? Who do you know that you could talk to when you feel angry? This book is available at your local library.
adapted

from kingston literacy website at www.klandskills.ca

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Parenting Page
Talk to Me!
A smile and a wave bye bye, babbling bababababa, reaching up with arms outstretched, everyone smiles when they see a young child communicating. Language has been the hot topic of the month. We know language and communication are tied into many developmental areas making the early years of a childs life the most crucial for language development. What if your child is having difficulty with language? Maybe he isnt using as many words as other children his age. Maybe he uses words, but isn't combining them into little sentences the way other children of the same age do. It isnt always easy to know whether or not you should be worried. Here are some examples of things your child should be doing at certain ages: by 12 months: use gestures like waving bye bye, searches for the source of sounds like the doorbell or telephone, babble things like "bababa", imitates sounds like oh oh, understand andrespond to words like no and up. by 18 months: tries to say at least 20 different words like No, "Mama" or "up", imitates animal sounds, point to objects or pictures in familiar books, follows simple instructions like Show me.. or Give me, points to three body parts, understand simple commands like "Don't touch". by 2 years: tries to say or imitate words you say (may not be clear), combines two words into a phrase (moe doo for more juice), asks Whats that? and Where?, responds with yes/yup/yeah or no to questions, understands concept of one, some or all (give me one block) by 2 years: Starting to say three words together, Uses I, you mine and me, asks for and joins in singing songs and rhymes, understands most adult conversations (Careful what you say!), puts objects in/on/under when asked, finds objects when described by their use something you eat with, uses a variety of consonant sounds p, b, m, n, t, d, w, h by 3 years: uses three word sentences "My truck is broken", at least half of what they say can be understood by someone outside the family, can talk about something in the past, follows two step directions, cans find things that belong together (Find all the clothes) . by 4 years: uses sentences of four or more words, tell
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The early years of a childs life are the most crucial for language development

a simple story, can anticipate what will happen next, can clearly make these sounds in words k, y, f, g, d, t. There are many ways parents can encourage language development. Expose them to language, talk to them about what youre doing, sing songs and rhymes, read to them (Yes, that same book over and over if thats what they want. Repetition is important!), and join in their play. Learning happens naturally - Children learn language best during everyday routines and conversations with the important people in their lives. Parents are their child's most important language teachers. If youre concerned that your child is even slightly delayed, taking immediate action is the key. Dont Wait and see. Chat with the CROW staff at playgroup or give them a call at our office. Parents can call Language Express, the preschool speech and language service in our county, just to chat or ask questions 1-888-503-8885. You can also check them out on-line for lots of tips at www.language -express.ca (dont forget the hyphen!).
adapted from www.hanen.org and www.language-express.ca

-by Jane Paul, Parent Education

Coordinator

Parenting Page
A Sense of Belonging
How do children learn what it means to belong to a community? It happens in everyday activities. When they watch what their parents do and listen to what they say, children are getting to know the people they belong with, the people who help them and whom they help. They learn when we are part of a community, we share our good times and bad times. We belong together. Belonging to family Your babys first community is the people she lives with. Your smiles and gentle touch give the message: were happy youre part of our family! She knows her needs are important to you when you feed and comfort her. Older children also need to know youre glad theyre part of your family, even when you want them to change their behaviour. You can also connect your children to their extended family, whether near or far away. Family dinners, outings and celebrations build life-long ties with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. You can keep in touch by phone, internet and mail. Keep the memories alive by putting grandparents photos on the fridge, looking at photo albums together and retelling family stories. Neighbours and friends As children get older, neighbours and friends become part of their circle of belonging. To foster community feeling start an exchange of babysitting services with other families in your neighbourhood or build a web of security for your children by becoming a Block Parent (www.blockparent.ca) or join a walking school bus program. Community becomes the adults who live in the houses where I know I can get help and friends I travel to school with. Wider circles We also define community by our various roles and identities, for instance, school, religious affiliation, cultural and language traditions, musical groups, clubs, hobbies and sports. Look for ways to build a sense of belonging around you and your childrens activities and interests. Here are some ideas: get to know the parents of other children at childrens activities and help each other out by sharing the driving invite your childs teammates and their families to a potluck after a game volunteer at your childrens school or childcare centre. Help at a fundraising event or be on the parent teacher committee and you will find out about the community where your children spend their days. attend activities of your own cultural, religious or language groups to show children what they share with many others. You can also discuss the importance of learning about and respecting the traditions of other groups. Helping others Part of belonging together is helping each other; children learn about this at home too. Little children imitate what you do and want to help out. Give them the chance to contribute to the familys well-being in whatever way they can. Think of it as time invested in their understanding of community. Give your preschooler the job of tearing up lettuce for a salad; an older child can carry a small bag of groceries for you. Dont forget to tell them how their help is important to you and whole family. Get them involved in helping others too when you: make gifts/cards for family and friends bring soup to a sick person welcome a new family to the neighbourhood give outgrown toys/clothes to other children. Seeds bear fruit Starting with these small gestures when children are young, the feeling of belonging grows outward, so when disaster strikes people on the other side of the globe, our help extends to them too, as members of our world -wide community
adapted from www.parentsmatter.ca Page 5

Belonging to a community happens in everyday activities.

Songs, fingerplays and crafts

Submitted by Linda Cybulski These are so easy to make, easy for a group and I think they are really cute. Here are the steps to make one: Jack-O-Lanterns 1. 2. 3. 4. Add orange paint/water to a bottle. Secure the lid on tightly. Give it to the child to shake it up. (so much fun) Next have felt faces cut out in yellow or black (use the felt with sticky backing) 5. Let your child apply the faces. 6. Paint lid with green for a steam.

Happy Halloween

Pumpkin shakers * Cut out a section (top and bottom) of an egg carton and fill one side with dried beans. * Glue the sides together, with an ice-pop stick coming out of the middle. * Paint with orange paint, let dry, and push a green pipe cleaner into the top as a stem; slip on a green construction-paper "leaf" and bend pipe cleaner over in a loop.

The Turkey Pokey

(Sing to: The Hokey Pokey, with movement actions)

" ou put your right wing in, you put your right wing out Y You put your right wing in and you shake it all about. You do the turkey pokey and you turn yourself around. Thats what its all about." Switch in actions with: Left wing; Beak (head); tail feathers (bottom); turkey body (whole self) Three Little Witches One little, two little, three little witches. (Hold up 1,2,3 fingers) Fly over haystacks, fly over ditches. (Make flying motion with hands) Fly over moonbeams without any hitches. (Make flying motion with opposite hand.) Hey, Ho, Halloween Night! (Clap) One little, two little, three little witches. (Hold up 1,2,3 fingers) Fly over barb wire and tore their britches. (Make flying motion with one hand, then turn and show your torn britches) Had to go home and get some stitches. (Pretend to sew) Hey, Ho, Halloween Night! (Clap)

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Playgroups
Please Note: No playgroups on October 14Thanksgiving Day

Day
Monday Monday Monday Monday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Friday

Location
Almonte - Holy Name of Mary School Carleton PlaceCarambeck Community Centre Smith Falls - Duncan J. Schoular School PerthDance Studio Almonte - Naismith School Almonte - Holy Name of Mary School evening Carleton Place - Arena, 75 Neelin Street Montague Rosedale Hall Smith Falls - OEYC Almonte - Holy Name of Mary School Carleton Place - Carambeck Community Centre LanarkMaple Grove School PerthPerth Library Smiths Falls - Trinity United Church Smiths FallsOEYC Almonte - Naismith School Carleton Place - Arena LanarkMaple Grove Perth - Perth Library Smiths Falls - Trinity United Church Smiths Falls - OEYC

Time
9:00 am2:30pm 10:0011:30 am 10:0011:30 am 9:3011:00 am 9:00 am -noon 67:30 pm 10:00 - 11:30 am 9:30 - 11:30 am 9:00-12:00 noon 9:00 am2:30pm 10:00 - 11:30 am 9:3011:30 am 10:0011:30 am 9:30 - noon 9noon 9:00 am2:30pm 10:00 - 11:30 am 9:3011:30 am 10:00 - 11:30 am 9:30 - noon 9:0011:00 am

Staff
Linda Issie Andrea Cindy Linda Linda Issie Andrea Lori Linda Issie Andrea Cindy Lori Parent run Linda Issie Andrea Cindy Lori Parent Run

Dates
October 7, 21, 28 October 7, 21, 28 October 7, 21, 28 October 7, 21, 28 October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 October 4, 11, 18, 25

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Workshops
WorkshopPre-registration is necessary call OEYC ext 300
Bounce Back and Thrivechildcare available10 week workshop Face Painting for Dummies Baby Time 5 Senses Toddler Boogie3 session workshop Family Math3 session workshop How To Talk So Kids Will Listen Infant Massage

Date
Thursdays Oct. 3 Dec. 5 Mon. Oct. 7 Fri, Oct. 4Nov. 8 Thurs. Oct. 17 Mon. Oct. 21, 28 Nov. 4 Tues, Oct. 22, 29 Nov. 5 Wed. Oct. 23, 30 Nov. 6 Thurs. Oct. 24

Time
9:3011:30 am

Location
Ontario Early Years Centre, Smiths Falls

10-11:30 am 12:301 pm 1011:15 am 12 pm 67:30 pm 6:308:30 pm 1011 am

Smiths Falls Community House Lanark Library Maple Grove School, Lanark Perth Library Naismith School, Almonte Stewart School, Perth Almonte Library

Staff Directory
Ontario Early Years Centre
Diane Bennett, Executive Assistant Kathy Boelsma, Early Literacy Specialist Emily Cassell, Data Analysis Coordinator Sue Cavanagh, Executive Director Linda Cybulski, Playgroup Facilitator Jan Forsythe, Finance Manager Cindy Goodfellow, Playgroup Facilitator Janet Wheeler Lackey, Resource Linda Lalonde, Reception/Office Manager Issie Mullen, Playgroup Facilitator Jane Paul, Parent Education Coordinator Andrea Snyder, Playgroup Facilitator Lori Wintle, Playgroup Facilitator

Ext
313 312 316 303 304 302 307 311 300 311 305 318 310

Licensed Home Child Care

Kelli Cassidy, Director Sherry Harder, Accounting & Admin Support Janice LePage, Home Visitor

Ext
309 301 306

Lanark County Child Care Programs Licensed Home Child Care offers home based care throughout Lanark County for children 6 weeks - 12 years. Caregivers Needed We are currently taking applications throughout Lanark County. Contact us for more information http://
www.crowoeyc.com/childcare/providerpage.html

Childrens Resources on Wheels (CROW) 91 Cornelia Street West, Smiths Falls, ON K7A 5L3 Phone 613-283-0095 or 1-800-267-9252 Fax 613-283-3324 Website www.crowoeyc.com