Great Websites for Kids

We often get requests from parents and child care providers who are looking for a list of websites that would be fun, safe, and appropriate for children. Here are some that we like:

www.mealsmatter.org
Comprehensive website all about meals! Create a healthy shopping list, your own cookbook where you can save and organize favorite recipes, and learn how to stock the pantry so you can create nutritious meals even in a pinch. Utilize the meal planner tool to balance healthy food choices by planning and organizing family meals!

www.kidshealth.org
Start at the home page, where you can choose to enter the Parents, Kids, or Teens site. Each section provides information on kids’ health geared toward that specific audience.
o Parents – Practical parenting information and news
o Kids – Homework help and how the body works
o Teens – Answers, advice, and straight talk

www.activeallowance.com
“Teaching dollars and sense.” Utilize the services on this website to create and maintain job charts and allowance accounts. Great system the whole family can use!

www.stepfamilies.info
Great resources from the National Stepfamily Resource Center: research, educational resources, law and policy, facts and FAQ, and information about programs and services in your area.

www.preschooleducation.com
Lots of ideas! Arts & Crafts, books, bulletin boards, circle time, dramatic play, felt boards, games, math, music, science & sensory, and themes! Plus, check out the parent corner and teacher lounge!

www.familyfun.go.com
Check out the online version of Disney’s Family Fun magazine! Crafts, activities, recipes, and lots of other ideas!

www.kidsgardening.com
“Helping young minds grow.” Check out this site for history, curriculum, thematic explorations and activity ideas. Plus, find out information about school gardens, grants, and conferences. Develop and expand your outdoor classroom with curricula, structures, tools, and accessories from the online shop.

www.storylineonline.net
Stories are brought to you in an online streaming video program featuring Screen Actors Guild Foundation members reading children’s books aloud! Each book also includes activities and lesson ideas.

www.scholastic.com
Get the latest (and archived!) teaching resources, book recommendations, and student activities!

www.kids.nationalgeographic.com
Games, photos, stories, videos, and more from National Geographic Kids!

www.whitehouse.gov/about/white-house-101/ - Facts & Fun about the White House

www.usmint.gov/kids/ - U.S. Mint history, games, and activities, and collector’s club.

www.kids.gov/ - The official kids’ portal for the U.S. Government

www.weatherwizkids.com
A wonderful website developed by Crystal Wicker, a television meteorologist for the ABC affiliate in Indianapolis, Indiana especially for kids to allow them to learn more about the fascinating world of weather. It’s also a great educational website for teachers and parents to give them the right tools to explain the different types of weather to children.

www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids
You can find news, homework help, games, and the Time for Kids online magazine here!

www.highlightskids.com
All the fun of Highlights magazine online! Great activities such as Hidden Picture, Fun Finder, Story Soup, and Science in Action are all here, plus more!

www.pitara.com
There are lots of things for kids to do here. There are six categories to choose from: Talespin, Magazine, Discover, Activities, Games, and Reference. Check out poems, folktales, science activities, famous people, tongue twisters, quizzes, arts & crafts, math games, mind games, skill games, quotes, history, and more!

www.pitara.com/junior/
This is the “junior” version of Pitara with stories, games, and activities.

www.ixl.com
Math practice site for PreK-6th grade with more grade levels on the way! Links to state standards and progress reports for parents and teachers; fun, engaging math practice with an awards page for students!

www.lego.com
Build “virtually” anything with LEGO Digital Designer! Lots of other games, puzzles, and creative activities plus comics & movies, downloads, and product information.

www.funbrain.com
Awesome educational games for grades K-8!

www.wholefamily.com
“Real Families, Real Issues, Real Solutions.”

www.pbskids.org
Educational games, activities, and videos for kids.

www.crayola.com
Coloring pages, crafts, activities, lesson plans, games, and more!

www.disney.com
All things Disney: games, video, creativity, characters, movies, T.V., music, and more! You can also link to Disney’s Preschool site http://disney.go.com/preschool.

www.sciencewithme.com
Free, educational science website for elementary students.

www.mathwithme.com
Free, educational math website for elementary students.

www.brainpop.com
Animated educational site for kids with lots of topics: science, social studies, math, English, arts & music, health, technology. Also has links to state standards and Brain Pop ESL.

www.brainpopjr.com
Like Brain Pop, is an animated educational site for the younger set with science, math, health, reading & writing, social studies, arts & technology, and a word wall. Also has links to state standards and a “grown-up guide.”

www.nwf.org/Kids.aspx
Outdoor fun and activity ideas from the National Wildlife Federation with links to Wild Animal Baby (ages 0-4), Your Big Backyard (ages 3-7), Ranger Rick (ages 7+), and Just for Fun magazines.

kids.discovery.com
There’s lots of things to do at Discovery’s kids site – videos, fun & games, TV programming, and more! Be sure to link to http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/, the best place for science entertainment and touted as the yuckiest site on the internet! For younger ones, visit Ready, Set, Learn at http://kids.discovery.com/fansites/readysetlearn/readysetlearn.html.

www.nick.com and www.nickjr.com
Games, videos, music, movies with your favorite Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. characters!

www.kidsites.com
This is a huge listing of approved kids’ sites that are categorized and easy to navigate! Way too many to list here – they have pages and pages and pages of links!!

www.kidsclick.org
Developed by librarians, this is a web search site for kids with a comprehensive listing of 600+ topics.

List compiled by Rebecca Veach, Office Professional

Take a Walk

Whether planned or spontaneous, taking a walk is a great way to spend time with each other and discover your environment without spending a lot of money. The best things about walks are that they are adaptable: you can take a walk indoors or out, in an urban area or rural area, a new place or a familiar place, and in all types of weather.

Through walks, children can actively explore, follow directions, make observations and inferences, ask questions, and compare and contrast things in their indoor, outdoor, and at-home environments. Real, practical experiences such as these encourage problem-solving and adds to the understanding of experiences.

When planning a walk, consider these suggestions:

1. Gather Information – take the walk yourself ahead of time. Any obstacles or unforeseen concerns? Interesting things to point out along the way?

2. Talk About It – Advance notice can get children excited and remove some fears. What do the children already know about where you are going? Can they predict what they might find?

3. Safety Rules – Let children know where the boundaries are (crossing streets; staying on a path); walk with a buddy; stop when told to stop. Look for and encourage positive behaviors.

4. Integrate with Curriculum – Provide books related to there experience (I Went Walking by Sue Williams is good one to start with); make a book of findings to encourage writing skills and invite children to revisit themes throughout the year; create or select music to support your walk (try Who are the People in Your Neighborhood? from Sesame Street); extend dramatic play by making prop boxes with materials that focus on the walk (neighborhoods, careers, animals, etc.)

5. Assess Learning – After the walk, help children think about what they have learned. Talk as a group, encourage writing and drawing, or create a chart of objects found or photographs taken.

Try some of these ideas to get you started:

•Discover Water Resources –Where can you find water? In a sink? A swimming pool? A creek?

•Above and Below Walk – What can you find that is above your head? Below your head? Add other concepts such as over/under, up/down, in front of/behind.

•Flashlight Walk – Perfect for a rainy day! Darken the room and use a flashlight to shine light on specific items in the room; ask children to recall what they saw.

•Indoor Magnet Walk – Create a list of objects for children to test. Draw the items on a record sheet and leave room to draw additional items. After the walk, make a chart of which items are attracted to the magnet and which items are not.

•Marvelous Machines – If there is current construction in the neighborhood, ask the contractor if is okay to observe from a safe distance. On each observation walk, take pictures. These will help facilitate discussion on big machines, careers, building structures, etc. You can also make a book with your pictures. Provide building-related materials in the block area and dramatic play area for children to try their own hand at construction.

Adapted from:
Peachin Wineberg, Lenore. (Winter 1997). Walks: An effective approach to learning. Texas Child Care.

by Rebecca Veach, Office Professional

Get the Latest Health Information for Children!

HealthyChildren.org is a new website recently launched by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The site is full of pediatric advice for both parents and caregivers.

On the site, you can search for health information by age group, view "hot topics" in child health, search for a pediatrician in your area, or register to receive their newsletter and customized health information for your family or child care program.

I just searched and found this great article about keeping children safe on the playground. Did you know that children younger than four should never be allowed to climb on equipment that is taller than they are?

Visit HealthyChildren.org for more useful health and safety tips!

2010-2011 Missouri Early Child Care Grant

Are you interested in opening a new child care program in Missouri to serve infants and toddlers? Would you like to expand your current program to serve more infants and toddlers?

The Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division has issued a Request for Application (RFA), hereafter referred to as an application, for the start up of new or the expansion of existing child care facilities for children ages birth through 24 months. Applications for this grant are being accepted from April 1, 2010 until 3:00 p.m., May 4, 2010. You can access the child care Start Up and Expansion application at http://dssapp.dss.mo.gov/grant/index.asp.

The only pre-application conference regarding this Request for Application (RFA) will be held on April 8, 2010 at 9:00 a.m., in Room 492 of the Harry S. Truman Building, 301 W. High Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101.

Questions regarding the Child Care Grant must be directed to the Office of Administration Help Desk at 1-800-663-2647. Please refer to the Child Care Grant when contacting the Help Desk.

For full details about the grant application and requirements, please visit the Grant Application Home Page.

5 Ways You Can Help Prevent Child Abuse

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month! Thanks to Missouri Kids First for sharing these 5 Ways You Can Help Prevent Child Abuse:

1. Help Yourself.
When problems of everyday life pile up and you feel overwhelmed - take time out so that you don’t take it out on children. Learn the facts about child abuse and pay attention to the children in your life.

2. Help Children.
Spend time listening to a child, reading to a child or playing a computer game with a child. Children need to know that they are appreciated, loved and capable of following their dreams.

3. Help Others.
Support others with the children in their lives. Child abuse and neglect is a community issue and we can create our homes, schools and communities to be places where children are treated with respect.

4. Get Involved.
Ask your community leaders, groups and institutions to develop services to meet the needs of children and families. Volunteer at agencies that support children and families. Stay informed about local, state and national policies that impact children.

5. Report.
If you have reason to believe a child has been or may be harmed, call the Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-392-3738 or 911 for law enforcement.

This article is provided by Prevent Child Abuse Missouri.

Baby Sling Warning from CPSC

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a warning that caregivers should be cautious if using sling type carriers for infants younger than four months. This warning is due to at least 14 deaths in recent years that were deemed to be caused by the slings.

CPSC says,

Slings can pose two different types of suffocation hazards to babies. In the first few months of life, babies cannot control their heads because of weak neck muscles. The sling’s fabric can press against an infant’s nose and mouth, blocking the baby’s breathing and rapidly suffocating a baby within a minute or two. Additionally, where a sling keeps the infant in a curled position bending the chin toward the chest, the airways can be restricted, limiting the oxygen supply. The baby will not be able to cry for help and can slowly suffocate.

View the full story here.

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Subscribe to CPSC's e-mail list for product safety warnings and recalls.

Chill Out: Helping Young Children Calm Themselves

Often during the winter months tempers start to flare. It’s best to take the children outside to “run off steam,” even in chilly weather, but inclement weather sometimes forces everyone to stay inside.

An excellent book that can really help is Preschool Classroom Management: 150 Teacher-Tested Techniques by Laverne Warner. It provides suggestions to prevent behavior problems before they happen, and it gives solutions to help the children learn to control their own emotions, allowing them to make positive decisions and to learn effectively.

Warner cites these techniques to help children calm themselves when they are about to erupt into tantrum-like behavior:

Calm the child by talking to him/her in a soothing manner and by holding him/her close, if necessary.

Take deep breaths with the child. Say to him/her, “You seem to be stressed. Let’s close our eyes and take deep breaths together.” (This helps the teacher relax also, which will help you be able handle the situation in a more positive way!)

Take the child by the hand, and walk away from the stressful situation. Say, “When I feel stressed, I walk around for a few minutes. That usually calms me down.”

Teach the child a soothing song to hum or sing to himself when he feels mad.

Introduce group activities that will help all children to eliminate stress, such as lying on the floor and breathing deeply, closing eyes, and using a calming visual imagery, such as flowers, puppies, or swings. This technique is very successful in teaching the child to have a plan for when they are stressed or angry.

Have a rocking chair in the classroom that children can use when they feel stressed. This could be a small child’s rocking chair in an area that can be a private place away from the high traffic areas of the room.

Ensure that children are adequately fed and that they don’t get thirsty. Meeting their physical needs eases stress.

Follow the usual classroom routine. Stress often occurs when children are not following their normal habits and schedules.

Puppets can be used to have a calming effect on children. The puppet can talk to the child softly and explain that it understands that the child is angry. The child and the puppet can “talk to each other” about what to do.

Remember that some of the stressful events in the children’s life are beyond the control of the teacher. Be sure to talk to parents about helping children avoid stress. The suggestions above may be helpful to the parents as well.

Source:
Warner, Laverne. (2004) Preschool Class room Management: 150 Teacher Tested Techniques. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, Inc.

Written by Pam Raffurty, Director