​At our childcare programs, the kids are constantly learning, growing, and having tons of fun! It is no surprise that even when Mom and Dad arrive for pick-up, the children are reluctant to leave! In this blog, we will be discussing some tips for smoothing over the stressful time of picking up your child from daycare!
Tips for pick-up:

1. Giving your child a chance to finish what they are doing/working on (within reason). A child may have been working on a skill all day, and it was just finally coming to fruition, and that excitement may need just a few more minutes before heading home.
2. Allow them a chance to say goodbye to their friends. Many of your child’s friends may be considered part of their primary social group. A primary social group, especially for young children, is the people closest to them. This includes parents, siblings, and your closest friends which is probably the ones your growing up with and the few people you see on a consistent basis. Giving them a chance to say, “Good Bye!” closes the chapter on that day and initiates a beginning for the next day!
3. Have a consistent pick-up routine. A lap around the classroom checking out learning centers, draw a picture, collect art-work from the day, etc. keep it short and simple, and your child will know that when those things are done, it is time to go home.
4. Communicate to your child the activities that need to be done at home! For example, “We need to go home to see daddy!” Usually their eyes brighten up and they get giddy with excitement and anticipation.
5. Lastly, do something when you get home each day discussing what happened at daycare for the day. If you do this consistently, the child can anticipate this conversation every day and want to go home so they can tell you all about their day!

These are just a few tips to ease the pick-up process, and hopefully can help end the day on a positive note. 

​Social groups are everywhere in society. Social groups are two or more people that see and interact with each other regularly and share a sense of unity or common identity. We can be a part of many different social groups such as a sports team, church group, workplace, classroom and more! There are two different types of social groups, primary and secondary groups. No two groups are created equally. Each group has its own purpose, culture, norms, etc.
 
A Primary Group is a group that is extremely close-knit. These groups are usually smaller and much more intimate. These groups are usually very long lasting, and the members of the group share a strong personal identity with the group. Family members, and close friends usually make up primary groups. These are small groups and the relationships are close-knit and enduring. Primary is used with these groups because they are the primary form of relationships and socialization. We learn our values and norms from these relationships that stay with us for most, if not, all of our lives.
 
A Secondary Group is a group that can be small or large and are mostly impersonal and usually short term. These groups are typically found at work and school. An example of a secondary group is a team organized to run a fundraiser. Members of the team meet infrequently and for only a short period of time. Although team members may have some similar interests, the purpose of the group is about the task instead of the relationships. Sometimes, secondary groups become pretty informal, and the members get to know each other fairly well. Even so, their friendships exist in a limited context; they won't necessarily remain close beyond the fundraiser.
 
Both types of social groups are necessary to have in today’s society. For your children at daycare, they are beginning to form strong friendships with each other. These can be the foundation of primary groups they may share for years. Seeing each other each day, learning the same concepts, growing up at the same time, sharing similar experiences, etc. 

When adults think of exercising, they imagine working out at a gym, running on a treadmill, or lifting weights. However, for kids, exercise means playing and being physically active. Kids exercise when they have gym class at school, during recess, at dance class or soccer practice, while riding bikes, or when playing tag. I don’t think I have ever heard a 5 year old say, “Mom, I will be back in an hour, I’m heading to the gym to lift weights!”
Kids who exercise will have:

• Stronger muscles and bones
• Leaner bodies
• Less risk of becoming overweight
• Lower chance of getting Type 2 Diabetes
• Lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels
• Better sleep
• Better capability to handle emotional challenges
• A better outlook on life

Three elements of exercise are endurance, strength, and flexibility. Endurance develops when kids regularly get aerobic activity. During aerobic exercise, large muscles are moving, the heart beats faster, and a person breathes harder. Aerobic activity strengthens the heart and improves the body's ability to deliver oxygen to all its cells.
Aerobic exercise can be fun for both adults and kids. Aerobic activities include biking, baseball, soccer, skating, running, hiking, swimming, etc.
Improving strength doesn't have to mean lifting weights. Instead, kids can do push-ups, stomach crunches, pull-ups, and other exercises to help tone and strengthen muscles. They also improve their strength when they climb, do a handstand, or wrestle.
Stretching exercises help improve flexibility, allowing muscles and joints to bend and move easily through their full range of motion. Kids get chances every day to stretch when they reach for a toy, practice a split, or do a cartwheel.
The problem is kids being sedentary. Sitting around, watching TV, playing with an iPad, playing videogames, etc. They are not being active enough. Try some of these activities to help in the growth and development of your kids! 

Well, we are into that 3-5-week period in Wisconsin where the warm weather finally comes out to greet us. Some may say that it gets so hot that when you go to buy vegetables, it is vegetable soup before you can even make it home. Everyone is always looking for ways to stay cool on a hot Summer’s day. As a parent, you are trying to find ways to keep your children cool! Here are 5 refreshing snacks that will surely peak your child’s interest:

1)Watermelon: Watermelons and Summer go hand in hand, don’t they? There’s just something so refreshing about biting into the juicy fruit on a hot day. It can be difficult to keep little people hydrated and cool when all they want to do is play in the sun. Watermelons make fantastic snacks for kids as they quickly replace lost water and electrolytes. It has an incredible 92% average water content! It’s also an excellent source of vitamin A, potassium and lycopene.

2)Homemade Fruit Popsicles: When you make popsicles, it is important to use the whole fruit, rather than just the juice, so kids get 100% of the nutrients in the fruit (juicing removes the fiber and some water-soluble vitamins). And if it gets kids eating fruit that they ordinarily wouldn’t touch, well that’s a massive bonus too.

3)Peanut Butter and Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip: This dip would go perfectly with your fruit kabobs, apples, or simply any other fresh fruit. Kids love to dip their food!. This is also very low hassle, and a quick snack for your children even if you are on the go in the Summer.

4)Veggies with Ranch Dip: Finding a “clean” Ranch at the grocery store can be tricky, but Bolthouse Farms makes one that is as healthy as they come. Fresh veggies including celery, carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, etc. are all very refreshing to have with everyone’s favorite dip. This is also an easy snack to prepare or bring with you traveling.

5)Greek Yogurt with (fresh or frozen) Berries: Plain Greek yogurt is used to avoid added sugar in. To sweeten, either add raw honey or a tiny bit of stevia to a handful frozen berries, and it’s a treat the kiddos won’t want to put down. Frozen berries are also usually less expensive than fresh ones and are great for smoothies too.
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Summer is a great time to enjoy some new snack options, especially when the fruit is in season here in Wisconsin! Enjoy it while it lasts, and embrace the warm weather, because we know all too well that the cold will be back before we know it!
 
Have a wonderful Summer!

One sheep… Two sheep…. 3 sheep…

Putting your child to sleep can definitely add some much-needed quiet time, however, obviously the concept of a child getting rest isn’t to benefit the parents. Sleep can help children fight obesity, avoid colds, and aide in having success in school. There is an ongoing public health goal to get more sleep both for children and adults. When kids get the sleep they need, they may have a lower risk of becoming overweight and developing diabetes as well as fewer learning problems and attention issues. Sleep is as important as nutrition and exercise. It's when the body repackages neurotransmitters, chemicals that enable brain cells to communicate. And experts have recently been able to demonstrate that sleep allows brain cells to "take out the trash" each night, flushing out disease-causing toxins.

1)Sleep Promotes Growth
a. I am sure there are mornings where you wake up, and you strongly believe your child has gotten bigger. Well that is because it is true. Growth hormone is most strongly secreted during deep sleep. By our own human nature, babies spend about 50% of the time in this deep sleep, which is considered to be essential for adequate growth.
2)Sleep Affects Weight
a. Getting too little of sleep can cause obesity as early as infancy. By parents understanding the difference between children eating because they’re hungry, rather than using it as a soothing tool, swaddling and swinging can put a baby to sleep. Thus, the baby will not gain unnecessary weight. Worn out children eat differently then well-rested children. They crave more carbs, or higher-fat foods.
3)Sleep Fights Germs
a. During sleep, children (and adults) also produce proteins known as cytokines, which the body relies on to fight infection, illness, and stress. Therefore, the less sleep you get, the less cytokines you produce. It's been found that adults who sleep fewer than seven hours per night are almost three times more likely to develop a cold when exposed to that virus than those who sleep eight or more hours.
4)Sleep Increases Attention Span
a. Children who consistently sleep fewer than ten hours a night before age 3 are three times more likely to have hyperactivity and impulsivity problems by age 6. Research has shown that adding as little as 27 minutes of extra sleep per night makes it easier for them to manage their moods and impulses so they can focus on schoolwork. It is a pretty easy concept that the more rested you are, the easier it is for you to stay focused on a task.
5)Sleep Boosts Learning
a. Newborn babies are constantly learning, even when they are sleeping. Although they look so peaceful and cozy, their brain is making millions of connections all while sleeping. Sleep aids learning in kids of all ages, and education experts are finding that naps have a particular magic. Neuroscientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst taught a group of 40 preschoolers a game similar to Memory. Then the kids took a nap (averaging 77 minutes) one week and stayed awake the other week. When they stayed awake, they forgot 15 percent of what they'd learned, but when they napped they retained everything. The kids scored better on the game not only after they'd just woken up but the next day too.
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Develop a routine and a time that children need to go to sleep. For example, bath, brush teeth, read a story, then lights out. Then you can set the stage, things like temperature, fan, night light, etc. Do all this, so that your child knows it is time to recharge the batteries and get some sleep!

I can remember it just like Yesterday. Playing soccer with my friends in the front yard as the sun begins to set. The warm air is cooled by a light breeze and the tree branches shimmer ever so slightly. The sprinklers turn on, but that doesn’t stop us from playing… it only made the competition that much more intense. After each goal a belly slide through the sprinkler sufficed as an appropriate and jubilant celebration. Oh Summer days… how we love you.
                The best activities for children I can think of for Summer:

1. A sprinkler system can be a water park of fun for your kids, as well as water your grass. On a hot Summer’s day, it only makes sense to run around and be active with neighborhood friends. Water balloons, sprinklers, super-soakers, you name it. This always rallied all the kids in the neighborhood to meet up for a fun day. This is also an inexpensive way to keep your kids and their friends busy for the day!
2. Visit the Beach/Pool! Who doesn’t love a good beach/pool day? Frisbee, paddle ball, beach ball, volleyball, picnic, you can do it all! This is a great opportunity for family bonding. Also, this can be a great day if your children are learning to swim! Swimming is a big goal to achieve so exposing your children to the beach, and pools, and aiding them in developing that school can be very important to their development!
3. Ride Bikes: There is nothing like the thrill of feeling the wind fly past you as you first learn to ride a bike. Riding in your neighborhood or a local park is always a fun activity for the entire family. Biking keeps you active, as well as different way of exercising outside of walking and running. Biking is also a big milestone for children, so looking to develop that skill of balance and steering can be a fun goal to try to achieve this Summer!
4. Hiking: Being out in nature or at a park is extremely important, refreshing, and FUN! Our outdoor environment can help children in learning about our ecosystem such as ponds, trees, bugs, and so on. This is also another way to remain active while exploring the world around us.
5. Lastly, Sidewalk Chalk Murals: Look to enjoy activities that bring out the creative side in your children. Drawing and coloring monsters, trucks, animals, etc. on the sidewalk can be a fun way to develop writing and drawing skills such as holding a writing utensil or critically thinking about what things look like.

There are so many creative and fun activities to do over the Summer with your children. Sometimes, just letting their imaginations run wild with very simple activities can create the most fun! Most importantly, spend time with one another! Share those Summer moments that many of us ever fail to forget. 

​Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink in the wild air."
Summer Program is so much more than a place for children to play and have fun with friends. It is a place to have new experiences, develop new interests and skills, and to establish the confidence to be independent and empowered.
              Our Summer Program offers a ton of different activities, including but not limited to: Light Speed Indoor Go-Carts, swimming at Country Springs, Discovery World, Miller Park Tour, Milwaukee Zoo, Uihlein Soccer Complex, Water Town Aquatics, and more! With this wide variety of activities, your child can experience new things, and find new interests outside of traditional sports and school activities. Our intentionally planned activities are meant to evoke imagination and creativity.
              Summer Program allows kids the opportunities to form new friendships with others they have yet to meet or interact with. Learning and growing with new people is always an important skill in child development. Also working as a group or team can teach skills and foster friendships that will prosper long after Summer Program concludes.  These potential life-long friendships could all be rooted in the similar interests that they found they share at Summer Program.
              With activity and growth comes success and failure. Whether it is basketball or chalk drawing on the pavement, each activity comes with its own set of mini milestones and tests. Some of these activities might be brand new to your child, while others could be extensions of what they already know. Maybe they’ve never played basketball before, or perhaps they’ve played basketball but have never attempted a certain type of dribble. By getting out on the court and learning to play basketball, or even putting together some form of a through the legs dribble, an increase in confidence will result. The willingness to try something new, regardless of their impending success or failure will result in a newfound confidence, and a more resilient child.
              In the end, Summer Program is FUN. There will be loads of good times and plenty of learning. But that is what Summer Program is, it is a learning experience. This summer can be a very important in learning new skills, having new experiences, and developing new friendships. 

“Hey Siri, Call Becky”
“Hey Alexa, Text Jason”
“Hey Google, what is the weather?”
             Technology is all around us whether you like it or not. Some of us, are more tech savvy than others, but we cannot deny that technology helps us create deeper insights, do more with less, and simply saves us time. Technology also has its negatives including the constant need to upgrade, lack of privacy, and it can be powerfully destructive. As a self-proclaimed technology enthusiast, I still find it easy to point out negatives, rather than the positives. Although I do believe that the evils of technology are only exemplified when you abuse how much time you spend using it, I do see ways we can steer away from too much technology.
              A big change in the behavior of children is less exercise/play. Technology such as iPads, video games, television, smartphones, etc. can be to blame for making children much more sedentary when they get home from school, rather than going outside to play. Spending time outdoors has a huge number of positive effects on the body — it provides you with exposure to sunlight, which supplies your body with Vitamin D. This helps to fight infections and keep your skin healthy. Additionally, regular exposure to sunlight helps to keep your sleep cycle regular by influencing the body’s production of melatonin. Recent research has shown screens from devices such as tablets and smart phones emit harmful blue light that can cause headaches, eye strain and irritated eyes for children.
              Technology is just overflowing stimuli that gives us instant gratification. It can also affect the way kids process information — when kids are exposed to high levels of technology, they tend to think through things only superficially and don’t develop the ability to think critically or be creative when learning new concepts. They only begin scratching the surface, when really the more we think critically, the more connections our brain makes. All types of technology can have negative effects on children when used in excess, because they lower children’s frequency of interacting with their peers. This makes it more difficult for them to pick up on social cues and develop meaningful relationships with others — something that can have serious negative consequences as they grow and develop. Engaging in new experiences with others creates that interpersonal relationship. They also have a difficult time developing emotion the same way other kids would if they spend too much of their time with technology and not enough time being engaged while in the presence of others.
              This isn’t to say that all technology is bad, or that children should never use technology. Technology provides tons of positive opportunities for learning, entertaining, and socializing, but it should be monitored and used appropriately. Here are some tips to help head off these problems and encourage responsible technology use with your children. Instead of prohibiting technology use altogether, set daily limits for how long children can use technology each day. Talk with them about what seems reasonable and keep their schedules in mind. For many kids, once they get their initial fix of technology after a long day at school, they’ll get the same level of satisfaction that they would if they’d been using the technology for hours. If your children are fighting you on these rules, try explaining to them the negative effects that technology can have — this will help them understand why it’s important.

In early childhood education centers we rightly stress the importance of early literacy, learning one’s ABCs, exercises for physical development, and promoting other essential experiences that assist children in meeting their developmental milestones, but we often neglect a crucial part of child development: teaching generosity.
Generosity can be defined as, “the act of giving to others freely.” Generosity is both a skill and a habit that once learned and implemented can be a powerful antidote to the negativity we all experience on a daily basis. There is research that promotes the notion that we are biologically hardwired in our brains to have the inclination to act generously, but as early childhood educators we are not doing an effective enough job unleashing that inclination to ensure that every child’s generosity is making the lives of others around them better.
How can we encourage generosity in children?

• Involve children: When they turn an appropriate age, involve them in charitable action. Whether it be volunteering with them, or bringing them along with you as you do something generous with your time or resources.
• Encourage empathetic questioning: At ages 3 and 4 a child’s ability to perceive the feelings of others are enhanced, which enhances one’s ability to be empathetic. Encourage this development by asking questions to spur empathy. Examples are included below.
  • How do you think your actions affect your friends? Why do you think your friend is sad? What could you do to help make your friend happy?
• Give children an emotion vocabulary: Teaching children to identify and label emotions is linked to showing greater concern for others.  Next time your reading a book to a child, ask questions about how the characters are feeling, or how the book makes them feel. One study shows that toddlers whose mothers have encouraged emotional labeling are more likely to show concern for others in distress.
• Model generosity: Children learn by imitating and observing.  If the adults playing a prominent role in their life are acting generous and going out of their way to help and give to others, then children will be inclined to follow suit by modeling that behavior themselves.
• Discuss often the importance of generosity: Children need to be informed that generosity isn’t just a few actions they partake in every couple of weeks, it is a way of living. Generosity when converted into a lifestyle becomes a part of one’s daily routine way of seeing the world.

What are the positive effects of generosity?

• Better Health: Children are inundated with presentations, lessons, and discussions about the importance of a nutritious diet, the need for daily exercise, and adequate sleep, but the current research conveys that “giving” might be just as much a boost to one’s health.
• A better world: When children are taught to be generous, they grow up to exemplify generosity. Who doesn’t want to live in a world in which the vast majority of people are willing to be generous with their time and resources?
• Increased happiness: A lifestyle of sustained generosity has been linked to increased happiness in multiple studies.
• Enhanced connectivity with others: Individuals who make generosity a priority report feeling more connected to the people around them.
• It is contagious: Generosity is socially contagious, meaning that when another individual witnesses or hears about you completing an act of generosity, they are more likely to engage in one themselves.