Fostering a child’s generosity begins with the important adults in his or her life; the adults he or she respects, looks up to and wants most to be like.

Educators, doctors, psychologists and other child development professionals are come out in print and digital media to caution about how much information our children, especially young children, are being exposed to about what has happened and continues to happen in Japan. “The television, Internet and other media outlets are saturated with images of the tragic earthquake and tsunami, so it is inevitable that children will notice something about the event,” says Judith Myers-Walls, professor emerita in human development and family studies, Purdue University. “Parents and child-care providers need to be aware of how this endless stream of information and images can affect a child.”

Yes, we do need to protect our young children from the horrific images that continue to flash across our televisions. However, we can also use this event to foster generosity in our children by involving them in helping the Japanese children directly impacted by the earthquake and the tsunami.

We can tell young children that children far away, in Japan, need our help because their homes were flooded and they need lots of new things that were lost in the flood like clothes and books and toys.

Most young children have a generous spirit. They love to help around the house with small tasks that they are capable of doing. Giving your child the opportunity to earn donation money from doing chores is one way of nurturing generosity. Including them in a family, church, synagogue, school or neighborhood projects to raise money for Japanese earthquake victims is a wonderful way for them to learn to be generous, not only through their own efforts, but through the examples of other children and adults. It also gives them the positive experience of working cooperatively with others for a common cause.

The following organizations are accepting donations for immediate disaster relief in Japan:

• UNICEF – http://www.unicefusa.org/news/releases/unicef-humanitarian-aid-japan-earthquake-tsunami.html?gclid=CKnInoeBz6cCFQjd4AodmAqKDQ

• Apple: http://www.apple.com/

• Google Crisis Response – http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html

• Salvation Army http://www.salvationarmyexpectchange.org/2011/03/11/update-salvation-army-disaster-response-in-japan/
• Red Cross – http://www.redcross.org/

• International Medical Corps – Internationalmedicalcorps.org.

Fostering a child’s generosity can take many forms. Children learn generosity most often from watching adults, especially their family members being generous to one another with their time and help as well as giving a cash donation to a cause.

Getting Young Children to eat healthy leads to a special edition of The Very Hungary Caterpillar by Eric Carle, being distributed to pediatricians across the United States.

Do you have a picky eater? Are you always trying to get him or her to eat healthy?

Well, it looks like you may be getting some free assistance from a caterpillar who has been helping kids eat healthy for a number of years!

Be sure to check with your pediatrician’s office staff  as to when you can receive a copy of a special edition of  the  book , The Very Hungary Caterpillar, by Eric Carle.  As a parent you will also get a brochure containing tips on getting your child to eat healthy. The effort is a collaboration among the book’s publisher, Penguin Young Readers, and its company’s foundation, We Give Books; the American Academy of Pediatrics; and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

The parent handout contains tips for using the book to get your child to eat healthy including:

• After reading the page where the caterpillar eats the green leaf and feels better, talk to your child about how you too eat green leaves (lettuce, spinach, cabbage, etc.) and how it is good for your body.
• Talk about how some foods are for sometimes, like cake and ice cream, while other foods like fruits and vegetables are for every day in order to eat healthy.
• Discuss how it is important to stop eating when you feel full or you will get a stomach ache like the caterpillar.
• Stress the importance of eating breakfast every day.

If kids are going to eat healthy, kids need to get excited about eating in ways that are fun, such as:

• Add fruits and veggies to foods your child already likes to eat
• Cut up fruits and veggies in funny shapes
• Let your child help you prepare fruit and veggie snacks for school,  after school, sports and other events

You can download the brochure at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) or  Alliance for a Healthier Generation links above.

It can’t hurt to download the brochure and pick up a copy of the book when it arrives at your pediatrician’s office. If it helps in only one way to get your child to eat healthy will be worth it!

In this  post, Denise A. Somsak, MD details the kindergartner’s well visit. Dr. Somsak is a pediatrician and mother with young children. She blogs at www.pensivepediatrician.com where she posts about areas of interest and concern for parents.

My fifteen minute office visit is only 0.003% of the kindergartner’s total year, but it’s the culmination of our priorities as a society.  How communities, parents, educators and doctors work together to invest in our children is reflected in the kindergarten check up.  When a child is healthy physically, socially, emotionally and intellectually that means the parents have succeeded on many levels and sometimes in spite of challenges like poverty, prematurity, speech delay, or maternal depression.  When all children even those with disabilities can access quality education and be prepared to learn, our future is more secure.

Kindergarten readiness starts at birth with a safe and nurturing home environment filled with books and time for play, regular check ups, good nutrition, a quality pre-school experience with a chance to practice sharing and empathy with peers, and exposure to simple outings like the library or museum.

The five year well visit is a time to celebrate the child’s accomplishments, unique skills, and review health behaviors.  The child can tell me how often he brushes teeth, his favorite food, and what he watches on TV.  She can tell me if she rides in a booster seat or wears a bicycle helmet.  I ask who lives in the home and who the child’s best friends are.  She answers with confidence or looks to her parent for help.  At this age, most children know their full name and sometimes part of an address or phone number.  They cooperate with the exam easily and are curious about my stethoscope and lights.  Children enthusiastically draw me a self portrait.  They excitedly handle the book that I provide while I ask parents about reading in the home.  They wait quietly and even though they inevitably interrupt, they are easily redirected.

This interaction with the child demonstrates what I think are the three most important aspects of kindergarten readiness:

1. Communication and social-emotional skills
2. Inquisitive nature
3. Self control

What I measure and review:

• Height, Weight and BMI (Body Mass Index).  All families, fat or thin, need more information on nutrition, the importance of physical activity and how it relates to school success.
• Vision and Hearing.  All children especially those at risk of learning disabilities, need their senses working properly to learn and should be referred if they cannot complete the screen.
• Motor skills. Children demonstrate skipping or hopping.  A crude test of cognitive and fine motor function is counting the number of body parts on a child’s drawing of a person.  As a child ages, she adds more parts with more accurate proportions.
• Developmental Screening. The AAP recommends developmental screening with a structured questionnaire at 9, 18 and 24 or 30 months of age.  Hopefully, if a problem was identified, it has already been addressed.  The AAP does not recommend screening for social emotional disorders with a validated tool nor do they recommend a general developmental screen at the five year check up.  I screen at this age only if their is a concern, but some pediatricians formally screen all children this age.
• Dental home.  I encourage my patients to see a dentist as soon as they have teeth.  By five, they best be getting regular dental cleanings.
• Literacy and screen time. Books are good.  Computers can be educational in moderation.  Although an effective babysitter, the television should be turned off most of the time.  It disturbs sleep, encourages sedentary behavior, and even educational programming has advertisements that can send children unhealthy messages.  Video games, at five?  Are you kidding?
• Routines and sleep. Children need to be well rested for school especially if attending a full day program which unlike preschool will no longer accommodate a nap.   A half day or whole day of kindergarten can both adequately prepare children for first grade.  The choice should be made based on the needs of the child and the educational environment of the home and school.
• Update vaccinations.  Because of the success of vaccinations, pediatricians are less worried about severe acute illnesses. They can focus on prevention of disease and injury and help parents understand the behavior and development of their children.

The kindergarten visit is a snap shot of the child’s health and potential.  My signature on the physical form indicates that I am one leaf on a huge tree in the forest of the child’s life.  Parents have the hard work.  Check out these resources on kindergarten readiness and literacy for more details on how to prepare your child, your patients, our future:

A checklist of kindergarten readiness from the Ohio Department of Education.

A quiz to see how effectively your home promotes literacy.

A guide to reading with your child from toddler years to third grade.

Ideas to promote kindergarten readiness from the National Association for the Education of Young Children

And all the resources are free for your use! Just go to www.candostreet.com click on the awning that says, “Can  Do” Mall and start exploring the resource centers.

We invite you, not only to use the resources in the mall, but be a part of the “Can Do” Mall by contributing a resource that you have to share.You will be credited for the resource and an active link will bring visitors from the mall to your website, blog, Twitter, Facebook or other social media page.

The three resource centers that are  first to open are: Crafts and Games, Teaching Resources and Recipes.

Coming in two weeks…Writing with Wendy offering activities for young children that promote an interest in writing.

Soon after the Digital Arts Studio will  provide the opportunity for online painting of scenes and characters as well as the ability to download images for use on clothing, in quilting and other mediums.

Also planned for a  future opening…Showcases where gamers, artists, teachers, writers, and companies that create products for children can showcase a new creation that visitors to the mall can tryout at no cost.

Be sure to checkout the “What”s New” Flag above the “Can Do” Street Mall whenever you visit, to see the newest additions to “Can Do” Street.

To send a resource for publication:

• Review the guidelines for submission on the Welcome page in the resource center  where you want to contribute
  
• Email your submission along with your name and the URL address that will be activated as a link to your site to jeanc@candostreet.com

In her article on the 3 S’s of Preschool, Tracy Rasmussen identifies three skills important to a child’s functioning in preschool: Self-care, Sitting Still and Sharing. These are not academic subjects; these are life skills that help a child fit in, get on with other children and do well in a new environment.

Ms. Rasmussen suggests practicing with your child by having him or her sit for short periods of time at home such as when having a snack or being told a story. Story time is a good time to introduce sitting in a circle.

Play dates are a good way for children to practice sharing. If children have older siblings, they are used to the idea of having to share…they may not like it, but it is not a new concept for them.  Only children often are not faced with sharing on a regular basis until school. Time in the playground, park or frequent play dates is where they can practice sharing.

Self care, especially being able to put on one’s coat, jacket or sweater without assistance, is a tremendous help to the teacher, as well as giving a child a sense of independence. When a teacher has to help most of the children in the class with their clothing that cuts into teaching time and  play time as well.

To read Ms. Rasmussen’s article in its entirety, please visit:

www.wondertime.go.com/learning/article/0906-3-skills-every-preschooler-needs.html