One Step Ahead Kindergarten

Reading can be very exciting, so to help make reading enjoyable and fun for young kids I recommend the following ideas to help and encourage kids reading daily.

1. Make books part of your family life – Always have books around so that you and your children are ready to read whenever there’s a chance, after diner or before bedtime. Make it a daily practice.

2. Get comfortable! - Snuggle up somewhere warm and cosy with your child, either in bed, outside or on the sofa, or make sure they have somewhere comfy when reading alone.

3. Ask questions - To keep them interested in the story, stop and ask your child questions as you read such as, 'What do you think will happen next?' or ‘Where did we get to last night? Can you remember what had happened already?’ Talk about parts of the story, make it fun and interesting. Give lots of encouragement! Read the words aloud to your child. Point to the pictures. Say the words together. Laugh with your child.

4. Bedtime stories – Regularly read with your child or children at bedtime. It’s a great way to end the day and to spend valuable time with your child.

5. Read on the go - Play a word game in the car. Each person takes a turn reading as many words as he can from street signs, billboards, store names, garage sale signs, etc. The player reads the words aloud as quickly as he can. It's a fun exercise and even though it's not a book, it gets kids reading.

Potty Go 101

Potty training can be one of the hardest things to do. We’re talking difficulty levels that can make you want to pull your hair out and scream. It doesn’t have to be that hard though, if you put a few systems in place before you start. Keep in mind that this phrase is true: “They’ll do it when they’re good and ready!”. Potty training tip that can help you out in the potty department.

The Rewards System

Create a rewards system, whether it’s stickers or M&M’s….or both! When they potty, they get a sticker and an M&M or whatever they’re favourite little treat is. No potty, no sticker or treat. Go potty, you get a sticker and a treat. No potty, no sticker or treat. Got it? Good!

Letters With Pooh: An App for Learning Toddlers

Letters with Pooh is an interactive app filled with delightful activities designed to help young children identify and write letters of the alphabet. Children will join Winnie the Pooh on his quest for honey and help him reach a honeybee’s hive by tracing letters and collecting letter balloons. Finally, they will assist Pooh’s friends in supplemental activities that reinforce the letters they traced and collected during Pooh's honey-hunting adventure.
Features:
•Practice tracing and writing upper- and lowercase letters to help Pooh find honey!
•Record all the letters of the alphabet in your own voice!
•Play fun, character-driven activities that reinforce letter identification!

Nutrition Facts—the Labels on Food Products

1.Pay close attention to serving sizes.
2.Products labelled "light" or "lite" must have 1/3 fewer calories or 1/2 the fat of the foods to which they are compared. "Light" also can mean that salt has been reduced by 1/2.
3.Look for foods with lower levels of saturated fats.
4.The sodium level tells you how much salt is in food.
5.Look for products that have more fiber and less sugar.
6.Vitamins and minerals help your body function properly.
7.Calcium is important for bones and teeth.
8.Use the "percentage of daily values" section of the label as a guide for daily planning.
9.The amount of calories a person needs each day depends on many factors, including exercise.

Teaching Kids to Wash Hands

Follow these five simple steps to keeping hands clean :

1 - Wet your hands with warm running water.

2 - Add soap, and then rub your hands together, making a soapy lather. Do this away from the running water for at least 15 seconds, being careful not to wash the lather away.

3 - Wash the front and back of your hands, as well as between your fingers and under your nails.

4 - Rinse your hands well under warm running water.

5 - Wipe and dry hands well with paper towel.

- Be especially sure to wash your hands:
- after using the washroom or changing a diaper
- after touching garbage
- before preparing any food
- after (and before) touching any raw meat
- after blowing your nose or sneezing
- after touching pets