January/February - Haysville USD 261Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power. The oxygenation process that happens when our children are physically active actually builds connections in

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Haysvi l le Schools U.S .D. #261

1745 W Grand Ave Haysvi l le KS 67060

316-554-2303

www.usd261 .com/pat

Parents as Teachers Newsletter

January/February

Born to Learn

You are your child’s first and most important teacher!

PARENTS AS TEACHERS

Brain Rules

Parents, At the Parents as Teachers conference we attended in November, we attended a session by Dr. John Medina, brain researcher and author of the book, “Brain Rules.” In the book, Dr. Medina talks about 12 rules we absolutely know about how the human brain develops optimally. I think two of them are very important to what you do with your children.

Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power. The oxygenation process that happens when our children are physically active actually builds connections in the brain. It is far more powerful than video games, TV or computers. As parents, you have a great opportunity to model and encourage physical activity in your home. Rule #2: Sleep well, think well. Dr. Medina explained that when we sleep, we actually are processing and integrating things we’ve learned throughout the day into our brains. In other words, if we want something we’ve learned to become permanent, we need ade-quate and good quality sleep. That’s why a good sleep schedule (naps and bedtime) is so important for your child. Scheduled sleep accompanied by a routine will help your child be a much better sleeper (and learner!). I challenge you to make physical activity and an adequate sleep schedule an important part of your child’s life every day!

Stay warm. Roxie

PARENTS AS TEACHERS

Camden S. February 2

Luke N.

February 5

Jalissa B. February 7

Abbey S.

February 8

Ali N. February 11

Aleigha K. February 12

Samuel S.

February 12

Max C. February 15

Kaylin D.

February 15

Leah E. February 25

Layla P.

February 26

Alexander P. February 27

PARENTS AS TEACHERS

Zoey L. January 2

Nichole B. January 4

Jordan B.

January 10

Keegan T. January 19

Georgia B. January 23

Calee Grundy January 26

Benjamin B. January 29

PARENTS AS TEACHERS

PAT MONTHLY EVENT

JANUARY EVENT

TOOL TIME

Monday

January 18th

6:30—7:30 pm Alternative High School

(just 4 doors down from the PAT office)

This month, PAT will be hosting Tool Time.

This is a hands-on event that will involve parent/child interaction. We will have stations such as

“nuts & bolts” “hammers & nails”

“tents & flashlights” “building station” “wallpaper wall” “painting wall.”

This event is FREE and open to all PAT & ECC families as well as

USD 261 kindergarten students.

PARENTS AS TEACHERS

FEBRUARY EVENT

Mom’s Meal Mardi Gras

February 23rd

If you have a business or know someone who does and would like to

donate something to be used as a door prize,

please call the PAT office at 554-2303.

It’s a great way to advertise!

We will be hosting our Annual Mom’s Meal on February 23rd at 6:30 pm. This will be held at The Learning Center in Grand Lane, 150 Stewart (directly across from the PAT office) in Haysville. Food will be furnished along with a guest speaker. As in the past, we will be giving away some great door prizes to pamper our moms.

Don’t miss this chance for food & fun!

RSVP By

February 16th This Event is FREE.

554-2303

PARENTS AS TEACHERS

You are your child’s first and most important teacher!

Parents as Teachers is a nationally recognized program which has been in the Haysville School District since 1993. PAT is a free program for any expecting

families or families with children from birth to 3 years who reside in U.S.D. 261.

Recent research has shown that the experiences you give your child in the years from birth to three are critical for success later on in school and in life!

Make the early years count with PAT!

For now, consider the word navigate, to describe parents’ moving through the considerable learning and transitions of the toddler stage. It would be wonderful for those parents to have someone knowledgeable in feeding dynamics to check back with them every few months, to find out how they are doing, and to help

them make modest adjustments until they firmly establish the division of responsi-bility in feeding. Corrected early, the problems are small and the adjustments are minor. Allowed to persist into the preschool, school-age and even teenage years,

the problems become bigger and bigger and the adjustments come extensive.

References

1. Satter EM; Chapter 6, The Feeding Relationship. Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family: How to Eat, How to Raise Good Eaters, How to Cook. Madison, WI: Kelcy Press; 2008:57-70.

Copyright © 2008 by Ellyn Satter. Published at www.EllynSatter.com.

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in Family Meals Focus is intended to inform our readers about issues relating to feeding dynamics in general and family meals in particular. It is not intended to replace specific advice from a health care professional. Copyright 2008 Ellyn Satter

Family Meals Focus #31 (continued) Toddler feeding: A series of unfortunate events

PARENTS AS TEACHERS

November 25, 2008 FAMILY MEALS FOCUS #31 Interpreting the news and research about feeding and eating

I have said many times, most recently in Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family, that doing a good job of navigating the toddler stage in feeding is pivotal for raising a child who eats well now and who is a competent eater when he grows up. Family meals are critically important, and the toddler period can make or break family meals. The whole situation is a setup for parents: the toddler’s ''food intake drops off as she grows more slowly than before, develops mentally enough to become skeptical of new food, and tests limits by refusing to eat meals and then begging for food handouts between meal- and snack-times. You will dig holes for yourself in feeding your toddler—with her enthusiastic assistance—by limiting menus to foods she readily accepts, by playing games to get her to eat, and by leaving out little food dishes for her to graze on when she cruises by. None of it works because it isn’t developmentally appropriate. With feeding as in other ways, it is time for the toddler to learn to be part of the family.1

''Include your toddler in family meals and sit-down snacks at predictable times, let her determine what and how much to eat from what you provide, and don’t short-order cook for her or let her panhandle for food or beverages between times—except for water. Don’t ask her what she wants to eat—she doesn’t know and she isn’t mature enough to even think about it. In fact, she is far too busy to know she is even hungry until she collapses, so waiting to feed her until she asks is a big mistake. Plan menus to be considerate of your toddler’s limitations with chewing, swallowing, and food acceptance, but don’t cater to her likes and dislikes. Time snacks so she can come to meals hungry but not famished and ready to explore the food there.''1

Parents attempt to follow this advice, get pulled in by toddlers’ erratic eating behavior, and create any number of interesting scenarios. Uncorrected, those scenarios distort the feeding relationship, undermine the child’s eating competence, and persist into later life. Consider the toddler who hasn’t the slightest interest in eating solid food and learning how to eat table food. Consider the toddler falling off his growth curve, who shows little or no interest in the high-fat food his parents try to get him to eat, instead preferring to eat fruit and grains. Consider the toddler who sings a little song, over and over, ''I’m hungry,'' ''I’m hungry,'' ''I’m hungry.'' In the next few newsletters (perhaps with interruptions by breaking news) we will address those feeding scenarios.

Family Meals Focus #31 Toddler feeding: A series of unfortunate events

PARENTS AS TEACHERS

March 5th Artsy Smartsy

Mark your calendars now!!

More details in next newsletter.

UPCOMING EVENT

March 12th

Gross Motor Playgroup

Look for details in the next

P.A.T. newsletter

Cora paints with a flower.

These girls made jewelry.

We ride tricycles.

PARENTS AS TEACHERS

WEATHER ALERT If USD 261 cancels school due to weather, ALL home visits and groups (Move &

Groove, playgroup, Explorer Lab) will be cancelled as well (check local TV and/or radio stations and/or www.usd261.com—your PAT educator will also call if you have a home visit).

If roads are snow-covered or icy, please allow your parent educator a few extra minutes to arrive for your home visit, due to the increased travel time.

If your home visits are held after dark, please remember to turn on your porch light for your parent educator.

Please keep your porch/walk-way as clear as possible by removing snow or sprinkling rock salt. Thank you!

Keeping PAT Kids Healthy

Cold & flu season is upon us again. If you or your child show any signs of illness, including runny nose, fever, diarrhea, coughing, sore throat, etc., please do not come to

PAT activities until you have been symptom free for at least 24 hours and call your PAT educator to reschedule your home visit. This is the best way we know to keep

from spreading germs at PAT activities.

Thanks for helping us keep our kids, parents, and teachers well!

Angie Bielefeld Heather Shaw Christy Blachford Amy Sheler Erin Dodson Tanja Waggoner Tricia Dodson Dawn Winkel Charlene Eaves Fran Fowlkes Kim Hovey Beverly Hurley Chelsea LaPlant Marilyn Roberts

PARENTS AS TEACHERS

Exploration Place

PAT visits the Wiggles author at the library

PARENTS AS TEACHERS

BBB Halloween Party

Tuesday A.M. Class

Thursday A.M. Class

Wednesday A.M. Class

Tuesday P.M. Class

Thursday Evening

Class

PARENTS AS TEACHERS

Busy days can be meaningful

days for you & your preschooler

One of the toughest things about being a busy parent is guilt. “Am I spending enough meaningful time with my child?” you wonder. Thankfully, there are countless ways to make ordinary moments meaningful. In addition to talking with your child during everyday activities: Make the most of errands. While shopping, notice interesting things. What’s that unfamiliar vegetable? How many colors can you find in the produce section? Who do you see with excellent manners?

Do chores together. Turn housework into fun by teaching new skills. Show your child how to sort laundry. Or follow a recipe and let your child measure ingredients.

Relax interactively. Many leisure activities are done every day, such as exercising, eating, reading and watching TV. All of them can be done as a family? Put these “together times” on the calendar so they’re priorities. Share habits. Tasks that seem boring to you may be fun for your child. Notice the temperature each day, for example, and keep track of patterns. Or let your child look through sales papers and circle things you plan to buy. Reprinted with permission from Parents make the difference! January 2010

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2

3 4 5 6 9:00—9:45 Explorer Lab 10:00—10:45 Explorer Lab 11:00—11:45 Explorer Lab

7 8 9:30—10:45 Playgroup

9

10 11 9:00—9:40 Move & Groove 10:00—10:40 Move & Groove 2:00—2:40 Move & Groove

12 13 9:00—9:45 Explorer Lab 10:00—10:45 Explorer Lab 11:00—11:45 Explorer Lab

14 15 16

17 18 6:30—7:30 Tool Time

19 12:05 p.m. Alt. H.S. Teen Group

20 9:00—9:45 Growing Cooks 10:00—10:45 Growing Cooks You need to be pre-registered to attend Growing Cooks.

21 22 9:30—10:45 Playgroup

23

24 25 9:00—9:40 Move & Groove 10:00—10:40 Move & Groove 2:00—2:40 Move & Groove

26 27 9:00—9:45 Explorer Lab 10:00—10:45 Explorer Lab 11:00—11:45 Explorer Lab

28 29 9:30—10:45 Playgroup

30

31

TOOL TIME— January 18th 6:30—7:30 p.m. @ the Alternative H.S. (4 doors down from the PAT office)

No RSVP required.—No cost to attend If you have any questions, please call the PAT office 554-2303

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 9:00—9:40 Move & Groove 10:00—10:40 Move & Groove 2:00—2:40 Move & Groove

2 12:05 p.m. Alt. H.S. Teen Group

3 9:00—9:45 Explorer Lab 10:00—10:45 Explorer Lab 11:00—11:45 Explorer Lab

4 5 9:30—10:45 Playgroup

6

7 8 9:00—9:40 Move & Groove 10:00—10:40 Move & Groove 2:00—2:40 Move & Groove

9 10 9:00—9:45 Explorer Lab 10:00—10:45 Explorer Lab 11:00—11:45 Explorer Lab

11 12 9:30—10:45 Playgroup

13

14 15 President’s Day Holiday

16 12:05 p.m. Alt. H.S. Teen Group Please RSVP for Mom’s Meal by today

17 9:00—9:45 Explorer Lab 10:00—10:45 Explorer Lab 11:00—11:45 Explorer Lab

18 19 9:30—10:45 Playgroup

20

21 22 9:00—9:40 Move & Groove 10:00—10:40 Move & Groove 2:00—2:40 Move & Groove

23 6:30 p.m. Mom’s Meal RSVP by February 16th

24

25 26 9:30—10:45 Playgroup

27

28

MOM’S MEAL—February 23rd 6:30 p.m. @ The Learning Center (150 S. Stewart in Haysville)

RSVP by February 16th Dinner, speaker & door prizes! - No cost to attend.