The Consumer Product Safety Commission released an article Thursday about bedtime routines for infants.  Part of that routine, the article says is to make sure that your child’s sleeping environment is a safe one.  In the case of small children, the fewer “things” that are in the crib, the better.  Here are some key ideas when putting your infant to sleep:

1. Remember the “back to sleep” idea.  Put your child to sleep on his or her back.  If they are old enough to roll over, then that is okay.  However, until that point, put them to sleep on their back.
2. Make sure the crib meets minimum safety standards.  Cribs that are sold today meet the minimum requirements for safety (or are recalled when a defect is detected).  If you are using an older crib, though, check the spacing between the rungs and all of the connecting pieces for durability and safety. 
3. Never use a pillow in a crib.  If a child’s head needs to be elevated for a cold or other symptom, elevate the entire head of the crib by placing the legs on a small stack of books.  Babies should sleep on firm, infant mattresses, not pillow or other soft objects.
4. DO NOT use a crib that has been altered or repaired.  The integrity of the furniture is compromised at that point.
5. Make sure the mattress fits well in the crib.  The space between the mattress and the crib components should be minimal (two fingers wide at most). 
6. Remove any strangulation or choking hazards, such as tie backs from a curtain or the cords from blinds. 
7. Check with the CPSC for any recalls regarding the components you are using with any child.

1. Cinderella Battery-Powered Toy Cars Recalled by Dumar International USA Due to Fire and Burn Hazards

5. Munire Furniture Recalls Cribs Due to Fall Hazard 

The flu.
RSV
Bronchitis.
Pneumonia.

Our bodies fight off many germs and viruses each day, including the ones that lead to such nasty illnesses such as these (and more).  There are a few simple things you can do to keep your body healthy and strong to ward off serious illnesses.  These are also great practices when you ARE sick, if for nothing else than to protect others with whom you come into contact.

1.  Wash those hands – A LOT!  Make sure you use soap and water, and wash well.  I love to use the “preschool rule” for washing hands – sing the ABC song to make sure you lather and scrub for an adequate amount of time.  Washing your hands frequently is a good way to ward off unwanted germs and viruses that may find their way onto your skin.

2.  Bulk up on fruits and veggies.  Foods that are high in vitamins, especially vitamin C, will certainly help boost your immune system.  Make sure that you have at least five servings each day.  While multivitamins will give you your daily allocation, they are not as easily absorbed into the body in pill form as in their natural state.

3. Don’t forget your water.  Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day – more is better.  Keeping your body hydrated will help flush out any impurities in your body. 

4.  Saline is your friend.  Before you even get a sign of the sniffles, keep your nose clean by misting it with saline at least three times a day.  The saline will flush out any histamines or other airborne impurities that might leave you feeling not 100%. 

5.  Be a friend without being too friendly.  Keep your contact with others to a minimum.  People can carry viruses and germs on their bodies without showing any signs of illness.  Respect people’s personal space and keep your germs to yourself; others will follow suit.

We had an incident this weekend with our older son, age 8.  He is at that stage where he is testing his boundaries, moreso than “normal”.  And, during the church service, he went a bit too far.  His consequence for his inappropriate behavior was to visit the nursery (typically for children 3 and under).  He begged me not to leave him, but the room wasn’t crowded and since I work in there from time to time, the ladies were more than happy to let him “help out” with the little guys.  So, he was admitted into the room with the little kids, and I am pretty sure he sat in the same chair for the remainder of the worship service.  He was in the same spot when I retrieved him for Sunday School.

My first reaction to what I was doing to my child was shock and a little horror.  Was I scarring him for life?  Was it wrong for him to be embarrassed or humiliated?  I had an overwhelming sense of guilt until my reasoning skills took over.  *I* didn’t put my son into that situation; *he* put himself there.  He knew the consequences and chose to take the wrong path anyway.  He was testing his limits and found out exactly where that kind of behavior would lead him.

We had a long chat afterward about his feelings over what happened.  He was embarrassed and angry at first.  But he, too, realized that it all could have been avoided had he simply done what was expected of him.  He also understands that it WILL happen again should he choose to misbehave.  For every action, there is a consequence, and he is in charge of his own actions.

Was I tough on my son?  You bet I was.  That’s my job as a parent – to teach him to be responsible for himself, to show him that his actions warrant consequences (good and bad), and to enforce rules that are given to him.  My job is not to be his best friend or let him do whatever he wants to do; that isn’t parenting.  Parenting is hard work, it is painful, and it is emotionally and physically draining.  The rewards are huge, though, when your child realizes they are in control of their discipline by their actions.

If there is one item in my 4 year-old class that thrills every single one of my students, it is my set of pattern blocks.  My class loves to create patterns and pictures with shapes, creating art and objects using squares, hexagons, triangles and quadrilaterals.  This activity always manages to lead the child to discover the properties of shapes in regards to angles and sides: how different shapes can “interlock”, which shapes work best for creating patterns, and which shapes do not work at all.

Tessellations are, simply put, a “tiled” pattern.  They are a design created by interlocking, non-overlapping, repetitive shapes that leave no “holes” or gaps between them.  Much like floor tile, tessellations can go on forever, repeating the same pattern over and over.  Tessellations do not have to be regular polygons (such as triangles and squares); they can be created with non-traditional shapes and figures as well.  Dutch artist M.C. Escher is one of the most famous names associated with tessellations.  Check out a terrific collection of his work at Platonic Realms’ site, complete with a short biography and a variety of his sketches and drawings.

While playing with shapes and their relationships with each other can create amazing art and designs, children are also exploring mathematical concepts closely tied with geometry and spatial relationships.  Incorporating toys and tools such as Fractallations and Puzzellations, children are able to experience the joy of creating a unique design or picture while still learning and internalizing key mathematical concepts.  For a more direct look at tessellations, products such as tessellation activity books can provide opportunities for children to explore the use of design and color to enhance a tessellation design.