UCHRA Van Buren County Head Start Newsletter Hand in hand together we can

Transcription

1 UCHRA Van Buren County Head Start Newsletter Hand in hand together we can St. Jude Trike-A-Thon will be held this year on Thursday, March 23rd at the Head Start. The event will help teach children riding-toy safety while raising funds for St. Jude Children s Research Hospital, the premier center for the research and treatment of childhood cancer and other deadly diseases. The Van Buren community can sponsor children in the Trike-A- Thon by pledging a donation as the children ride tricycles at the center. Van Buren Head Start has hosted an annual Trike-A-Thon since 2007 raising over $4,000 in the past 9 years. In previous years the hospital has used the monies to purchase things like wagons for the families. The hospital uses them to transport children and their families belongings from one location to another inside the hospital as they travel for office visits, clinic visits, treatments, etc. St. Jude is the leader in the fight against catastrophic childhood diseases such as leukemia, brain tumors and sickle cell disease, said Rita Mayfield, coordinator of the event. Through events like this Trike-A-Thon, we will be supporting the St. Jude mission of finding cures and saving children across the country and around the world. A tradition for more than 25 years, Trike-A-Thon is a fun, week-long curriculum for preschools. Through programs like Trike-A-Thon, the idea of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas to raise funds for the hospital through community-based events is able to continue. Trike-A-Thon participants will learn riding-toy safety lessons through a series of interactive stories from special characters, Bikewell Bear and Pedals the Bunny. At the end of the Trike-A-Thon week, children will ride trikes at school and practice the safety lessons they have learned. For more information on how to host a Trike-A-Thon event, call BIKE (2453) or visit St. Jude Children s Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tennessee, St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. No family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance and families without insurance are never asked to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization, through events such as Trike-A-Thon. For more information, please visit February Perfect Attendance Brian Lynn Brooke Tristen Landon Maddie Alissa Palynn Levi Josie Trinity Matthew Brilynn Aubree Raylee Edyn Brooke F. Keaton H. Kyle M. Elly B. Van Buren County Head Start! If you are currently not a Facebook member please sign up. Some of the benefits include: photo galleries, special news and updates, plus the ability to connect and chat on line with other people who share your interest.

2 We continue reading week Wednesday, March 1st Children may wear sunglasses Thursday, March 2nd Children may wear hats Thursday, March 9th Parent Involvement Field Trip to Fall Creek Falls State Park Sunday, March 12th Daylight Savings Time Begins Don t forget to spring forward 1 hour & Check the batteries in ALL smoke & carbon dioxide detectors. Tuesday, March 14th Spring 9:00 AM Wednesday, March 15th Nutrition w/ Ag. Ext. Thursday, March 16th we will observe St. Patrick s Day Don t forget to wear your green! Thursday, March 23rd St. Jude Trike-A-Thon Donation form and monies are due the day of Trike-A-Thon. Thursday, March 23rd Monthly Birthday Recognition Monday, March 27th thru Friday, March 31st NO SCHOOL Spring Break Champ (Irish Potatoes):Champ (brúitín in Irish) is an Irish dish,[1] made by combining mashed potatoes and chopped spring onions with butter and milk, and optionally, salt and pepper.[2]it is simple and inexpensive to produce. In some areas the dish is also called "poundies".[citation needed] Ingredients: *2 cups chopped scallions, spring onions or green onions *1/2 pint milk *4 tablespoons of butter *1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper *5 cups complete mashed potatoes (prepared as instructions indicate, please note step 4- substituting the milk for some of the liquid called for on the product instructions.) Procedure: 1. Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the chopped scallions and cook vigorously. 2. When cooked, sieve the scallions and set the milk aside. 3. Add the scallions to the potatoes and mix well. 4. Add as much of the scallion or green onion infused milk as possible to make a wet soft mixture. Season with freshly ground pepper Yields Approximately 50 servings

3 Reading Corner Reading Activities for Ages Fun with Letters Children enjoy copying words out onto paper. Write your child s name and have him copy it himself with alphabet stamps, stickers, or magnets. Encourage him to write his own words using the letters. Your child will write letters backwards, spell seemingly randomly, and may hold his marker strangely it s all good at this age when a child wants to communicate in writing of any kind. 2. What Word Starts With? The letter-sound connection is one of the first steps to reading. Play a guessing game about your child s favorite words. What letter does p-p-p-pirate start with? How about M-m-mommy? Once your child guesses one correctly, see how many words you can come up with together that start with the same letter. 3. Your Child the Author Three-year-olds can be chatty, and by age 4, it can be hard to get a word in edgewise. Take advantage of your child s interest in talking by writing a book together. Start out with something simple, like describing a fun day at a park or visiting friends. Staple a few pieces of paper together, and write out one or two of your child s sentences on each page. Then, read the story to her and let her illustrate it. 4. A Different Way to Read Reading to your child is great but what s even better is something called dialogic reading. That s when you ask your child to participate in the story. Before turning the page, ask your child what he thinks will happen next. You can also ask your child what other way the book could have ended. For example, with the classic book Corduroy, what would have happened if the little girl hadn t come back to take Corduroy home from the toy store? 5. Take Letters Outside Kids are tactile and enjoy few activities more than poking things with a stick. Many preschools encourage kids to make letters out of Play-Doh or draw them into sand or clay. The next time you are out in the park, or at the beach, or in the snow, use your surroundings to play with letters. Take turns writing letters in the snow, dirt, or sand. 6. Just the Facts Try getting your child interested in nonfiction books. At the library or bookstore, find books on your child s favorite topics. Cars, dinosaurs, dogs, and other topics are covered in on-level books with plenty of pictures, designed especially for kids this age.

4 Health & Nutrition

5 Van Buren Head Start March 2017 Menu 27.B. ¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, ¼ cup cooked cereal- Oatmeal, ½ cup Fruit- +Diced Peaches Beef Ravioli(CN Label), ½ cup Vegetable- Green Beans, ½ cup Fruit- Diced Pears Cereal Bar 6.B. ¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, Saus. & Egg Burrito, ½ cup Fruit- Mixed Fruit Chicken, 1/oz. grains/breads- Brown rice, ½ cup Vegetable-*Carrots & Peas mix, ½ cup Fruit- **Pineapple Tidbits S. ½ cup Fruit- Apple Sauce, GoldFish Graham Crackers 13.B. ¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, ¼ cup cooked cereal- Cr. of Wheat, ½ cup Fruit- *Diced Apricots L.3/4 cup Milk- 1% Milk, Protein & Grain-Pizza w/ Pepperoni(CN Label) ½ cup Vegetable- Corn, ½ cup Vegetable- Green Beans S. ½ cup Fruit- Apple Sauce, GoldFish Graham Crackers 20.B. 3/4 cup Milk- 1% Milk, Saus. & Egg Burrito, ½ cup Fruit- Diced Pears Protein & Grain Spaghetti w/ Grnd. Beef sauce, ½ cup Vegetable- Green Beans ½ cup Fruit- +Diced Peaches S. ½ cup fruit juice- ****Orange Juice, Cereal Bar 27.B. ¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, No School Spring Break 28..B. ¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, Saus. & Egg Burrito, ½ cup Fruit- Mixed Fruit Chicken 1/oz. grains/breads- Brown rice ½ cup Vegetable-*Carrots & Peas mix, ½ cup Fruit- **Pineapple Tidbits S. ½ cup Fruit- Apple Sauce, Honey Graham Crackers -Birthdays Recognitioncupcakes no icing 7.B. ¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, ⅓ cup dry cereal- Rice Krispies, ½ cup Fruit- ½ Banana Protein-Pinto Beans, Cornbread Muffin, ½ cup Vegetable- +Turnip Greens, ½ cup Vegetable Corn Animal Crackers 14.B. 3/4 cup Milk- 1% Milk, ⅓ cup dry cereal- Cheerios, ½ cup Fruit- ½ Banana Protein-Pork Chop, W/WG Roll, ½ cup Vegetable- Lima Beans, ½ cup Fruit- **Pineapple Tidbits S.½ cup fruit juice-**orange Juice, (2)-Granola bars 21.B. ¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, ¼ cup cooked cereal- Cr. of Wheat, ½ cup Fruit- *Diced Apricots Protein-Chicken Patty, W/WG Roll ½ cup Vegetable- *Green Peas ½ cup Vegetable-*Cooked Carrots S. 3/4 cup Milk- Milk, ½ oz. grains/breads-vanilla Wafers 28. No School Spring Break 1.B. ¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, W/WG Cheese Toast, ½ cup Fruit- Cooked Apples Protein-Fish Filet, W/WG Mac-N-Cheese, ½ cup Vegetable- Coleslaw ½ cup Fruit- **Mandarin Oranges Vanilla Wafers 8.B. ¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, ¼ cup cooked cereal- Oatmeal, ½ cup Fruit- **Orange Slices Protein-Pork Chop, W/WG Roll, ½ cup Vegetable- Lima Beans, ½ cup Fruit- Diced Pears S. Protein- Yogurt, ½ oz. grains/breads- (2)-Granola bars 15.B. 3/4 cup Milk- 1% Milk, Saus. & Egg Burrito, ½ cup Fruit- Pears Protein-Beef Hamburger Patty, Cornbread Muffin ½ cup Vegetable- *Green Peas, ½ cup Fruit-**Mandarin Oranges S. 3/4 cup Milk- 1% Milk, Animal Crackers 22. B.3/4 cup Milk- 1% Milk, W/WG Biscuit w/ Gravy, ½ cup Fruit- +Tomato Wedges Protein-Fish Filet, W/WG Mac-N-Cheese, ½ cup Vegetable- Coleslaw ½ cup Fruit- **Tropical Mixed Fruit S. ¾ cup Milk- 1%Milk, Honey Graham Crackers 29. No School Spring Break 2.B. ¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, W/WG Biscuit w/ Gravy, ½ cup Fruit- +Tomato Wedges Protein & Grain-Pizza w/ Pepperoni(CN Label) ½ cup Vegetable- Corn, ½ cup Vegetable- Green Beans (2)-Granola bars 9.B. ¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, English Muffin w/jelly, ½ cup Fruit- Mixed Fruit L. Sack Lunch: ¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, Protein & Grain-½ Turkey & Cheese Sandwich on Wheat ½ cup Vegetable- +Tomato Slices ½ cup Fruit- +Peaches-Fruit Cup EXTRAS: Baked Potato Chips; Pork & Beans Cereal Bar 16.B. 3/4 cup Milk- 1% Milk, W/WG Cheese Toast, ½ cup Fruit- (Green)Cooked Apples Salisbury Steak w/ Gravy, W/WG Roll, ½ cup Vegetable- Mashed Potatoes, ½ cup Vegetable- Cooked Carrots S. Bars 3/4 cup Milk- 1% Milk, Vanilla Wafers 23.B. ¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, ⅓ cup dry cereal- Rice Krispies, ½ cup Fruit- ½ Banana Protein-Pinto Beans, Cornbread Muffin, ½ cup Vegetable- +Turnip Greens, ½ cup Vegetable Corn ½ oz. grains/breads-1pkg. Animal Crackers -Birthdays Recognitioncupcakes no icing 30. No School Spring Break 3.B. ¾ cup Milk- 1%Milk, ⅓ cup dry cereal- Rice Krispies, ½ cup Fruit- ½ Banana Protein & ½ cup Bean & Corn Soup, ½ oz grains/breads Cornbread Muffin, ½ cup Fruit- -**Tropical Fruit S. ½ cup fruit juice- **Orange Juice, Animal Crackers 10.B.3/4 cup Milk-1%Milk, ¼ cup cooked cereal- Cr. of Wheat, ½ cup Fruit- ½ Banana L.¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, Protein & ½ cup s Pie(Grnd. Beef, *Peas, *Carrots), W/WG Roll ½ cup Fruit-**Tropical Mixed Fruit S.¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, Vanilla Wafers 17.B. ¾ cup Milk- 1%Milk, ¼ cup cooked cereal- Oatmeal, ½ cup Fruit- +Diced Peaches L.3/4 cup Milk- 1% Milk, Protein & ½ cup Bean & Corn Soup, ½ oz grains/breads Cornbread Muffin, ½ cup Fruit- Diced Pears S. Protein-Yogurt, ½ oz. grains/breads- 1Pkg. Cereal Bar 24.B. ¾ cup Milk- 1%Milk, ¼ cup cooked cereal- Oatmeal, ½ cup Fruit- **Pineapple Tidbits L.¾ cup Milk- 1% Milk, Protein & ½ cup s Pie(Grnd. Beef, *Peas, *Carrots), W/WG Roll ½ cup Fruit-Mixed Fruit S. Protein-Yogurt, (2)-Granola Bars 31. No School Spring Break **Vitamin C- Every Day, *Vitamin A- Every Other Day, + =Vitamins Recipe on File, W/WG= Wheat or Whole Grain, New Food=@Champ Potatoes, Culture= Irish

6 Van Buren Head Start March 2017 Menu **Vitamin C- Every Day, *Vitamin A- Every Other Day, + =Vitamins Recipe on File, W/WG= Wheat or Whole Grain, New Food=@Champ Potatoes, Culture= Irish

7 March 2017 KID BITS Practice fairness Develop your youngster s sense of fair play with routines that encourage taking turns. To pick a board game, write family members choices on separate slips of paper, shake in a paper bag, and draw one. Next time, draw another slip. Or assign each person a different day of the week to choose the bedtime story. Make music together Hold a family music night as an excuse to create a little noise together. You could play toy xylophones, tap oatmeal canisters with wooden spoons, or sing silly new words to favorite songs. You ll build memories while boosting your child s imagination and sense of rhythm. Rub-a-dub Bathing a doll or another washable toy is more than good clean fun. Soaping up a washcloth, rinsing out shampoo, and drying the doll will build skills your little one needs to bathe herself. Sneak in some bath-time safety, too. ( Check the water temperature to make sure it s not too hot before you put your doll in the tub. ) Worth quoting Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. Carl Sagan Just for fun Q: What two things can you never eat for breakfast? A: Lunch and dinner. Trying new things Some children are fearless in the face of new experiences. Others, not so much. When your youngster seems hesitant to step out of his comfort zone, consider these tips. Rehearse first Role-play to give your child a stress-free way to prepare for something new. Perhaps he s shy about meeting the youngster who just moved in next door. Together, practice what to do and say. He could walk up to you and say, Hi, my name is Andy. Do you want to play? This will also help him get comfortable introducing himself to new classmates or other children in afterschool activities. Take small steps Use a familiar experience your child enjoys as a stepping-stone to try a new one. For example, if the big playground slide seems too scary, he could try the small slide first. Next, an older sibling may offer to slide down the big one before Paint-palooza! Painting without a brush stretches your little artist s creativity and strengthens her hand muscles. Offer tools like these. Plastic spoon. She could dab finger paints on paper and swirl with the back of the spoon or paint with the handle. Cotton swabs. Have her use swabs with watercolors to paint in coloring books. Compliments of UCHRA Van Buren County Head Start him. After that, you might stand by the bottom of the slide while he goes down on his own. Each small accomplishment will build his confidence. Present choices Your little one will be more inclined to embrace something different if he has options. Say you want him to try new vegetables or other foods. Tell him you re thinking of making either broccoli or kale with tonight s dinner which would he prefer? Giving your youngster some control allows him to feel safe to make his own choices. Eye dropper. Mix food coloring in water, and let your child decorate an empty shoebox or egg carton, one drip at a time. Sponges. Cut sponges into shapes. Your youngster can dip them into paint and stamp onto poster board. Spray bottle. Fill a spray bottle with water, and head outside together to spray paint pictures on the side of your house or on a fence or sidewalk Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

8 Early Years March 2017 Page 2 Write your name (and mine, too) J-e-n-n-a, that s my name! How do you spell your name? Learning to print names is an exciting early writing experience for your child and an introduction to the idea that letters form words. Explore the names of people she knows with these activities. Skywriting. Have your youngster pick a name to write say, Abby for her big sister. As you call out each letter, she can ACTIVITY CORNER Be a weather reporter The changing season is a perfect time to introduce your youngster to meteorology the study of weather. Together, watch or read the weather report. Encourage him to notice the current temperature and conditions, as well as tomorrow s forecast. Then, have your child track the weather himself. On a sheet of paper or a whiteboard, help him make seven columns and write the days of the week on top. Every morning, let him check the weather outside and record it. On a bright day, he might draw a sun and write Sunny underneath. On a rainy one, he can outline raindrops and write Rain. As your youngster makes new weather charts each week, he ll get a sense of weather patterns and he may even be able to predict tomorrow s weather! O U R P U R P O S E To provide busy parents with practical ways to promote school readiness, parent involvement, and more effective parenting. Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated 128 N. Royal Avenue Front Royal, VA rfecustomer@wolterskluwer.com ISSN Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated Let me think write it in the air with her finger. Remind her to use a capital A for the first letter and lowercase letters for the others. Name puzzles. Cut bookmarksized strips of papers, and help your child print a different name on each strip. Have her cut the names into pieces to make personalized puzzles for her family members or friends to put together. Photo book. Gather photos of friends and relatives. Let your youngster paste each one on a separate sheet of paper and write the person s name. Staple the pages together to make her own picture book of names. Then, she could read her name book to you. Asking how, what, and why develops your child s ability to reason and think logically or creatively. Here are ways to use questions to help him put on his thinking cap. Request advice. When you play or do projects together, ask your youngster for instructions. How can we get this tent to stay up? Pose follow-up questions, too. What should we set up next at our campsite? Spark imagination. Inspire thinking and a few giggles with questions about silly scenarios. Examples: Where would cats want to go if they could fly? or How would you get your teacher s attention if you were invisible? Seek explanations. Go beyond yes-and-no answers with questions that ask why. If your child names orange as his favorite color, encourage him to tell you why. Or if he says Joey is lucky because he s the big brother, ask, But why are you lucky to be the little brother? PARENT TO PARENT Encourage dads to volunteer When I first started volunteering at my daughter Audrey s school, I noticed mostly moms in the classroom. I knew other fathers would enjoy spending time at school, too, so I invited Audrey s best friend s dad to volunteer with me. He was surprised by how great he felt helping out and how excited his daughter was to see him there. The word spread, and now more dads are making time to volunteer. We do things like read to the kids, lead games on the playground, or help out with crafts. Last month, one dad brought in his plumbing tools and demonstrated how he fixes leaky faucets at his job. And next month, I m going to lead potato sack races at field day. Audrey is proud to see me at her school, and her friends feel the same way when their dads or moms volunteer.

9 Marzo de 2017 NOTAS BREVES Practicar la equidad Desarrolle en su hija el sentido del juego limpio con costumbres que le enseñen a turnarse. Para elegir un juego de mesa, escriban las preferencias de los miembros de su familia en tiras de papel, mézclenlas en una bolsa de papel y saquen una. La próxima vez, saquen otra tira. O bien asignen a cada persona un día de la semana para elegir el cuento que leerán antes de dormir. Hacer música juntos Celebren una noche musical en familia como excusa para hacer un poquito de ruido juntos. Podrían tocar xilófonos de juguete, golpear tapas de latas de avena con cucharas de madera o cantar sus canciones preferidas con una nueva letra divertida que se inventen. Crearán recuerdos y desarrollarán la imaginación de su hijo y su sentido del ritmo. Al agua, patos Bañar una muñeca u otro muñeco lavable es mucho más que una diversión limpia. Enjabonar una esponja, aclarar el champú y secar la muñeca desarrolla habilidades que su pequeña necesita para bañarse sola. Enséñele también normas de seguridad para el baño. ( Antes de meter a tu muñeca en la bañera, comprueba la temperatura del agua para cerciorarte de que no está demasiado caliente.) Vale la pena citar En algún lugar existe algo increíble que espera ser descubierto. Carl Sagan Simplemente cómico P: Qué dos cosas nunca comes de desayuno? R: El almuerzo y la cena. Probar cosas nuevas Algunos niños son intrépidos y no les da miedo probar algo nuevo. Otros, no tanto. Cuando su hijo vacile frente a cosas a las que no está habituado, considere estos consejos. Ensayen primero Hagan un juego de rol para que su hijo se prepare para algo nuevo sin estrés. Quizá le dé apuro presentarse al niño que se acaba de mudar a la casa de al lado. Practiquen juntos qué hacer y qué decir. Podría acercársele a usted y decirle: Hola, me llamo Andy. Quieres jugar? Esto también le ayudará a sentirse seguro cuando se presente a sus nuevos compañeros de clase o a otros niños en las actividades extraescolares. Den pequeños pasos Use una experiencia habitual con la que su hijo disfrute como transición a una nueva. Por ejemplo, si el tobogán grande del parque le da miedo, podría probar primero con el tobogán pequeño. A continuación un hermano mayor podría deslizarse por el Apoteosis de pintura Pintar sin pincel agiliza la creatividad de su joven artista y fortalece los músculos de sus manos. Ofrézcale herramientas como éstas. Cuchara de plástico. Podría mojar pinturas para dedos en papel y removerlas con el reverso de la cuchara o pintar con el mango. Bastoncillos de algodón. Dígale que use bastoncillos de algodón con acuarelas para pintar en libros para colorear. Compliments of UCHRA Van Buren County Head Start grande antes que él. Después usted puede ponerse a los pies del tobogán mientras él se desliza solo. Cada pequeño logro aumentará su confianza. Presente opciones A su pequeño le apetecerá más aceptar algo diferente si tiene opciones. Digamos que usted quiere que pruebe verduras nuevas u otros alimentos. Dígale que está pensando en hacer o brócoli o repollo rizado con la cena de la noche. Qué preferiría él? Darle algo de control permite a su hijo elegir con confianza. Gotero. Mezclen colorante alimentario con agua y que su hija decore una caja de zapatos o un cartón de huevos, de gota en gota. Esponjas. Hagan formas recortando las esponjas. Su hija puede mojarlas en pintura y estamparlas en cartulina. Atomizador. Llene de agua una botella can atomizador y salgan al aire libre para rociar con pintura imágenes en los muros de su casa, en una cerca o en el pavimento Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

10 Early Years Marzo de 2017 Página 2 Escribe tu nombre (y el mío también) J-e-n-n-a, ése es mi nombre! Cómo se escribe tu nombre? Aprender a escribir nombres en letra de imprenta es una forma de que su hija sienta pronto la emoción de escribir y una introducción a la idea de que las letras forman palabras. Exploren los nombres de la gente que conoce con estas actividades. Escritura aérea. Dígale a su hija que elija un nombre, por ejemplo Abby, el de su hermana mayor. Mientras usted dice cada letra, ella puede escribirla en el aire con el dedo. Recuérdele RINCÓN DE ACTIVIDAD Reporteros del tiempo El cambio de estación es un momento perfecto para introducir a su hijo en la meteorología, el estudio del tiempo climatológico. Vean o lean el informe del tiempo. Anime a su hijo a fijarse en la temperatura y las condiciones de ese momento así como en el pronóstico para mañana. A continuación, que su hijo siga el tiempo por sí mismo. Ayúdelo a que haga siete columnas en un folio o una tableta blanca y a que escriba encima los días de la semana. Dígale que compruebe cada mañana el tiempo que hace y lo anote. En un día luminoso podría dibujar un sol y escribir debajo Soleado. En uno lluvioso puede delinear gotas de lluvia y escribir Lluvia. Al hacer nuevos mapas del tiempo cada semana verá cómo funcionan los patrones climatológicos y será capaz de predecir el tiempo del día siguiente. N U E S T R A F I N A L I D A D Proporcionar a los padres ideas prácticas que promuevan el éxito escolar, la participación de los padres y un mejor entendimiento entre padres e hijos. Resources for Educators, una filial de CCH Incorporated 128 N. Royal Avenue Front Royal, VA rfecustomer@wolterskluwer.com ISSN Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated Déjame pensar que use la A mayúscula para la primera letra y letras minúsculas para las otras. Rompecabezas de nombres. Corte tiras de papel del tamaño de un marcapáginas y ayude a su hija a escribir en letra de imprenta un nombre distinto en cada tira. Dígale que corte los nombres en trozos para hacer rompecabezas personalizados para que otros miembros de su familia o sus amigas los compongan. Álbum de fotos. Reúnan fotos de amigos o familiares. Que su hija pegue cada una en un folio de papel y escriba el nombre de la persona. Grapen las páginas para que ella tenga su propio libro ilustrado de nombres. A continuación podría leerle a usted su libro de nombres. Preguntar cómo, qué y por qué desarrolla en su hijo la habilidad de razonar y de pensar lógica o creativamente. He aquí formas de emplear preguntas para ayudarle a que se ponga a pensar. Pida consejo. Cuando jueguen o hagan proyectos juntos, pídale instrucciones a su hijo. Cómo podemos conseguir que se tenga de pie la tienda de campaña? Haga también preguntas de seguimiento. Qué deberíamos colocar en nuestro próximo lugar de acampada? Desarrolle la imaginación. Motive a su hijo a que piense y a que se ría un poco con preguntas sobre escenarios descabellados. Ejemplos: Dónde irían los gatos si pudieran volar? o Cómo podrías conseguir la atención de tu maestra si fueras invisible? Busque explicaciones. Amplíe las preguntas de sí o no con otras que pregunten por qué. Si su hijo dice que su color favorito es el naranja, anímele a que le explique por qué. O si dice que Joey tiene suerte porque es el hermano mayor, pregúntele Pero, por qué tienes suerte tú al ser el hermano pequeño? DE PADRE A PADRE Cuando empecé a trabajar como voluntario en la escuela de mi hija Audrey, observé que en aula había sobre todo mamás. Sabía que otros padres disfrutarían dedicándole tiempo a la escuela, así que invité al papá de la mejor amiga de Audrey a trabajar de voluntario conmigo. Le sorprendió la satisfacción que sintió al ayudar y lo entusiasmada que estaba su hija al verlo allí. Ánimo al voluntariado de los papás Se corrió la voz y ahora hay más papás que sacan tiempo para ayudar como voluntarios. Hacemos cosas como leer a los niños, dirigir juegos en el patio o ayudar con los trabajos manuales. El mes pasado un papá trajo sus herramientas de plomería y demostró cómo en su trabajo arregla grifos que gotean. Y el mes que viene yo voy a dirigir carreras en el día de campo. Audrey se siente orgullosa de verme en su escuela y sus amigas sienten lo mismo cuando sus papás o sus mamás se ofrecen como voluntarios.