According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) the best way to prepare eggs for an egg hunt is as follows:

• Only use eggs that have been refrigerated, and discard eggs that are cracked or dirty.

• When cooking, place a single layer of eggs in a saucepan. Add water to at least one inch above the eggs. Cover the pan, bring the water to a boil, and carefully remove the pan from the heat. Let the eggs stand (18 minutes for extra large eggs, 15 minutes for large, 12 minutes for medium). Immediately run cold water over the eggs. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, place them in an uncovered container in the refrigerator where they can air-dry.

• When decorating, be sure to use food-grade dyes. It is safe to use commercial egg dyes, liquid food coloring, and fruit-drink powders. When handling eggs, be careful not to crack them. Otherwise, bacteria could enter the egg through the cracks in the shell.

• Keep hard-cooked Easter eggs chilled on a shelf inside the refrigerator, not in the refrigerator door.
• Hide the eggs in places that are protected from dirt, pets and other potential sources of bacteria.
• Remember the two hour rule, and make sure the “found” eggs are back in the refrigerator or consumed within two hours.

Remember that hard-boiled eggs are only safe to eat for one week after cooking.

 For parents who are new to picking a camp, I would like to share what I know about providing a safe, enjoyable summer camp experience.

I ran a community day camp for several years. In addition to knowing how your child will be spending his or her time at camp, the following list includes other things that you will want to consider when picking out a day camp.

• Transportation Personnel -Who are they? What is their background?  Our camp policy was to have a staff person ride in each of the vehicles for the first two weeks of camp to insure that the drivers were responsible and that they had patience with the children. Given the age of the children, we expected the transportation company to provide an attendant to ride in each bus.
• Water Personnel – Are swim instructors, life guards and counselors who accompany the children in water activities trained in water safety? Have they passed first aid training including resuscitation?
• Group Leaders -Are they teachers, recreation personnel or other  mature adults with specialties in arts and crafts, music or other specialties such as cooking,  sports, dance?
• Counselors – Are they trained in first aid including CPR? Do they have experience with young children?
• Does the camp do a background check on all personnel?
• Is their an orientation/training  for staff prior to the camp opening for the season? What is covered in this training?
• Is there a day when families can visit and see what the children are doing? Can the view a play or a skit or a music/dance demonstration?
• If children must bring their lunches, how are they kept cool? If the camp provides lunch and snacks, what do they provide?
• Are play areas, toys, jungle gyms, etc clean and in good condition?
• Is there a nurse on staff?
• What is the policy when a child is injured or gets sick?
• If the camp has outdoor space, is it fenced in?
• Is the ration of staff to children 1 to 4 or 5?
• Does the camp have a favorable listing with the American Camping Association or KidsCamps.com?

It is hard enough to send our little ones off on a camp bus for the first time. Parents need the peace of mind of knowing that the camp their child is going to is a safe, secure, clean place for summer fun.

Recently, a reader wrote saying, “I think your blog needs a post about Floorball. It is the dominant school PE activity in northern Europe.” Michael

Thanks Michael and here it is:

Floorball is a form of floor hockey. It is a non-contact  team sport where the aim is to direct the ball into the opposing team’s goal using a composite-fiber stick fitted with a plastic blade.

The game is most popular in Sweden, Finland, and other European nations. It is part of the physical education program in schools in Northern Europe. There are competitive leagues  throughout Europe , Australia, Japan,Canada and the US.

The game is played with 5 players per team plus a goalie. The maximum amount of player per team is 22. This is for substitutions. The measurements of the playable field is between 36×18 and 44×22 meters. (118×60 and 144×72 feet) The court is surrounded by boards, so the ball can bounce. Games are played in 3  20-minute periods. No special equipment is needed for the players except the club and the ball. The exception is the goalie who wears a knee pad, a stomach protection plate and a facial mask. The description above is for professionals.

The strength of the game is that it is cheap, since you don’t need a lot of equipment and that the rules are quite easy; score by getting the ball in the other team’s goal. The plastic ball weighs is 25-30 grams (about 1 ounce), has a diameter of 72 mm( 2.8 inches ) and has 26 holes in it.

When you play for fun, all you need is a few people, clubs, a ball and something that can act as a goal. The game would be just as fun to play if you had 3 people on the team as it would be if you had 10. The game is intense and improves physical conditioning. The game is fast, you’re in constant movement and forced to make instant decisions. Here is a link to some league floorball in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1K7_s78Kl4

“Can Do” Street has new additions to its home page!”

“Can Do” Street’s additions start with a larger home page scene giving the whole site an expanded look and feel. If you take your mouse and roll over the characters, their names will appear in a pop up.

Watch carefully for the new addition of Maria and Yundi popping their tops and giving out with a  stream of bubbles.

Just under the “Can Do” Street Banner, in the upper left hand corner of the site, there is another addition…a description of what “Can Do Street is all about. It says, “Where kids 3-7 help can-shaped characters make good choices.”

When you get a chance, roll over Bobby’s boom box and listen to the “Can Do” Street theme song. It’s not a new feature but it is always a fun listen.

The flag over the mall awning is there to make finding out what’s new on the site and in the mall easier. Just click on the flag and then click on the feature you want to view.  An active link will take you to the latest  features such as crafts, games, lesson plans and much more.

So visit often and please let us know what new features you would like to see added to “Can Do” Street!

The “Can Do” Street Mall Showcase is about sharing! It’s about adults sharing with one another about what young children enjoy and what can boost their enthusiasm for learning.

If you have a program, curriculum, activity, sport, game, software,  camp or resources for children 3-7 years, including children with special needs, now is the time to showcase it in the mall on “Can Do Street.”

There is no fee to showcase.

It is a free feature designed to give parents, teachers and other adults involved in child development the opportunity to see what is available for young children and to replicate what is suitable for their child, school or community. Every submission will credit the person responsible for the submission and include an active link to that person’s website, blog, or social media site.

Eligible showcase  materials include but are not limited to:

Programs: recreation, education, sports,  arts, music, computer, cooking, gardening, martial arts, knitting, sewing, quilting

Curriculum: academics, recreation, the arts, life skills, character and values education

Sports: all age-appropriate sports, intro to sports appropriate for elementary school upper grades

Resources for children with special needs

Showcase formats: Video, UTube, PowerPoint presentation, pictorial display with written narrative,  interactive programs, games, audio/graphic presentations

Submissions to the showcase are reviewed for suitability of content. They will be posted as received and reviewed. We welcome submissions from  individuals, schools and organizations. For more information, or to get your questions answered, please email jeanc@candostreet.com.

The Showcase is about adults sharing what enriches the lives of young children. So…please showcase  and share!