Our older son grew up with grandparents, aunts, and uncles all within an hour of our home.  He was truly raised by a village of people!  However, before the birth of our second son, we moved four hours away from our amazing family support system.  We knew, though, how amazing those relationships with extended family were, so we came up with a way to help our younger son identify his kin as he grew older.

We took pictures of all of our relatives and printed them out on sheets of photo paper.  Then, we mounted these pictures to magnetic sheets.  Next, we cut out each individual person (I cut close to the outline of the person to make them “paper dollish”) and cut out names for labels for each person as well.  Our refrigerator and dish washer are decorated with smiling faces of family and close friends, and our sons both love to “play” with their family.  When we talk to relatives on the phone, the boys can look at that person they are talking to and make a connection with them!

In what my husband would call “typical boy fashion”, we have moments at the table of which I am not proud.  Moments of bodily noises, discussions that tend to curb many an appetite and, in general, not the greatest manners on the block.  So, to encourage my boys to be better behaved at dinner at home, I tried a few ideas.  My thought is, if we practice good manners at home, we’ll have an easier time remembering them when we’re out or at a friend’s house.

While none of these are the end-all, beat-all solution to teaching your children manners, they are some great ideas to encourage that kind of behavior.  Of course, the best solution is consistency and modeling.  If you want good manners, then SHOW good manners, and ENCOURAGE good manners.  These ideas lend themselves well to that theory.

1. Make it a tangible award.  We recycled an old trophy of my husband’s to be our “Manner Trophy”.  Each evening (you could also stretch it out over the course of a week with older kids), we present one child with the Manner Trophy for outstandingly good manners at the table (or the most improved for those that aren’t quite there but are trying really hard!).  That child gets to temporarily keep the trophy until the next award ceremony.  Old medals and ribbons also work well for this.
2. Make it a game.  We made a list of rules we wanted our boys to follow while eating a meal, such as “elbows off the table” and “thank the person who prepared the food.”  At the beginning of the meal, each person at the table is given 10 of an object, such as 10 toothpicks or 10 pennies.  During the course of the meal, if someone spots a violation of a rule, he (or she) may politely ask the offender for a toothpick or penny.  The winner of the game is the person with the most objects when the meal is over.  We try to make the “prize” something simple, like a sticker or another little treat, but as a family we try to make it an all-around tie so everyone wins!
3. Give out simple rewards.  This works well with younger children because the reward can be almost immediate.  Write out on slips of paper some simple rewards, such as reading an extra book at night or playing a board game or getting an extra fifteen minutes before heading to bed.  The rewards can be specific to each child.  Place each child’s reward slips in a special jar or container (we use recycled spaghetti jars labeled with the boys’ names).  When mealtime goes well and the kids use their good manners, each gets to choose a reward slip from his jar.

Disney Store Recalls Toy Tool Sets Due to Choking Hazard

With warmer days approaching, start thinking outside the box for ways to encourage some connections among the neighborhood brood.  Oftentimes, when the weather is chilly and the days are short, we lose touch with those that we spend endless summer nights chasing around the front yard and riding bikes up and down the block.  So, get everyone together for a Rise-and-Shine party!

The party idea is simple: gather the neighbor kids and their families together for an early-morning delight.  Host it outdoors if the weather is warm.  Dress is casual, and pajamas are welcome.  Serve up bagels, fruit, milk and juice, muffins, cereals and even donuts and coffee for the grown ups.  The key is to keep it simple and low-key.  Many people may be on their way to sports events or work, so make it easy on those folks as well.

Invitations can be anything from an electronic (email) message or a printed card.  Be sure to invite children and adults for adequate supervision and a chance to catch up with some big-people, too.  As the host, try to set as much of it up the night before.

In one neighborhood, as the year went on, families took turns hosting the Rise and Shine party each weekend.  It is a great way to connect with neighbors and reinforce good relations with the children!

We all have opinons about how much our children “need” extracurricular activities.  Some people believe in a maximum of one per grade level, others abide by the one-sport/one-art rule, and on and on.  The fact is, we all do what is best for our children, and every child is different.  If you are looking for some ways to get your kids involved in structured, group activities this Spring, try these sources:

• Community theater.  Many local theater groups are always looking for children to fill bit-parts or extras.  Even if your child isn’t interested in the spotlight, perhaps check out opportunities to help with set design and costuming.
• Check out your Parks and Recreation department.  Many areas offer low-cost and non-competitive activities, from sports to sewing, sign language to cooking.  Classes are offered at various times, and they are typically short-term opportunities - perfect for trying something new.
• Your local library may offer classes as well, or even evening book clubs for young readers.  Check with the Children’s librarian; most larger libraries have one on staff.  Libraries are also a great resource for community opportunities as well.
• Sign up for a sport, such as baseball, soccer, swimming or tennis.  Even if your child isn’t the best soccer goalie, he or she will have fun getting to know other kids and learning to play on a team.  Or, look into less traditional activities, such as yoga or modern dance!

I always found it interesting that Dental Health Month coincided with one of the sugary-est events of the year - Valentine’s Day.  As we approach the Day O’ Love at the end of this week, we should also use this time to teach and reinforce good dental health habits with our children.

• Start with the source - give your pantry and your refrigerator a makeover!  Have your child(ren) help you move healthier food choices to the front (and lower for smaller, searching eyes) of the pantry and fridge.  Make healthy choices, such as cheese, fruits, vegetables and whole grain snacks, readily available for little hands.
• Switch away from sodas - work on making mouth-healthy drink choices, such as milk and water instead of fruit juices and sodas.  Making the same choices yourself sets a strong example for your children, too.
• Make a dental appointment.  If your child hasn’t been to a dentist, definitely make an appointment to do so.  Don’t know who to see?  Ask around!  Ask friends, neighbors with children and even that mom you see across the grocery store with her own kids for recommendations of pediatric dentists.  Our dentist is great with kids and supplies us with floss, brushes, toothpaste and even a toy when we’re done.
• Brushing twice a day - make a chart for brushing teeth twice a day if this is difficult to remember.  Always brush teeth in the morning and before bed.  With smaller children, have them “help” with teeth-brushing, but closely supervise and step in to make sure all of their teeth are getting well-brushed.  While small children still have “baby teeth”, problems like cavities can be devastating to the adult teeth below the surface as well.
• Floss - teaching my own boys about flossing was much easier than I realized.  I invested in a hand mirror and had them lie down on the couch while I sat next to their head.  My boys would hold the mirror so they could see what I was doing while I quickly ran floss around their teeth (baby teeth tend to be spaced out quite a bit, but flossing at an early age builds good dental hygiene further down the road).
• For older kids, consider a model for them to explore and study, such as the Bio Signs Human Anatomy Models: Teeth and Gums.  Reasonably priced, they provide a detailed model of teeth and gums as well as a discussion guide.

Are you looking for a few ideas to hold your sanity in tact until warmer weather arrives?  Even if you are already seeing signs of Spring, these are great activities in ANY kind of weather!

• Let’s go on a treasure hunt!  Hide a treasure somewhere outside, then leave a trail of colorful aquarium rocks, bread crumbs or even cereal for them to follow to find it.  If there’s snow around, the edible trail idea will be great for hungry animal-friends!  Too chilly for those little bodies?  Create a treasure hunt indoors!
• Become a weather bug! Have your child monitor the weather each day by writing or drawing what he or she sees.  Make a journal or chart of the changes in your local weather, and see if your child can predict what might happen the next day.
• If you are in an area still covered with snow, fill a few squirt bottles with colored water and bundle those kids up.  Have them spray the snow to create fantastic works of art right there on the ground!
• If springtime storms are starting to make an appearance, have your child create a picture with watercolor markers on a piece of posterboard or even a paper plate.  When the rain comes, place the drawing outside and watch what happens.
• Create an indoor snowman…make good use of those styrofoam packing peanuts be drawing an outline of a snowman on a piece of heavy paper.  Have your child glue packing peanuts all over the snowman, then embellish with spare buttons, scrap material, twigs, bottle caps or whatever goodies you have just sitting around!

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