ACTIVITIES Cheesy Surprise Muffins 1 egg; 1/4 cup oil; 1 cup water; 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk; 2 cups flour; 3 tsp. baking powder; cheese cut into 1-inch cubes Add oil and milk (made by mixing water and nonfat dry milk powder) to beaten egg. Stir in flour and baking powder. Stir until just moist and still lumpy. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Press cheese cubes into each muffin. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 400 degrees.
SCAVENGER HUNT For next week’s Activities feature, you will need wheel-shaped macaroni, a Ziploc bag, rubbing alcohol, red and green food coloring, yarn, newspaper, white glue, and wax paper.
(Contributed by Discovery Place Early Learning center.)
JOKE OFTHEWEEK Q: What do you call an empty Cheese Whiz jar?
A: Cheese Was.
BOOKS OFTHEWEEK There are thousands of books written for young children every year and many are available for you to borrow from a public library or can be purchased from a bookstore or online. Here are a classic children’s book or two that your family might enjoy: McGrath, Meggan. My Grapes. A mouse learns to share her grapes with others.
Bunting, Eve. Little Bear’s Little Boat is a gentle tale everyone will love. When Little Bear can no longer fit into his boat he finds someone else who can use it.
VIDEOVARIETY In addition to the books that are available for your family, there are also many movies and documentaries that may make you laugh and inspire you, as well. Here is one classic choice: Caillou Learns to Share. Rosie accidentally scratches Caillou's bike. Afterwards, Caillou is determined to take back all his toys and keep things separate... until he breaks a string on his Daddy's guitar. This makes Caillou realize that accidents happen, so he forgives Rosie and decides to share his toys again.
WONDERS OFTHEWEB The Internet has long been available to supplement your parenting knowledge and skills. This is one web location that your family might enjoy: Creative ways to teach sharing to a young child: http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/social/ways-to-teach-sharing/ Remember that you can also visit the website of your local public library to find out more about local library services. Libraries in much of Northwest Minnesota are listed on the Northwest Regional Library website: http://www.nwrlib.org/ (With assistance from the Thief River Falls Public Library.)
PARENTINGTIPS Learning To Share Do you hear “It’s mine!” more often than you’d like? Sharing is a process of development and does not come easily to young children. Some children may grab whatever they want without asking. Others may share quite freely but only with a special friend or with one sibling over another. According to an article in the Parent and Child Magazine you should make use of your child’s developmental characteristics when trying to deal with the issue of sharing. The following suggestions should help: Two-year-olds - Remember that sharing does not come naturally to two-year-olds. They are usually too involved with themselves to be aware of the feelings of others. In the growth process, twos are constantly testing the world and the people around them. Power is important and distraction and substitution are the keys to dealing with conflict.
Verbalize the process even though you know it will take time for the children to absorb the idea. For example, during a conflict over a toy you might say, “Jackie, you have the truck.You may use it now, but in a few minutes we’ll let Don have a turn.” When Jackie doesn’t have to fight for the toy, she may very well walk away from it. Or Don may also lose interest before his turn comes. Attention spans at this age are very short!
Three-year-olds -Threes tend to be more cooperative and considerate.They are able to wait a bit, which is a step beyond the “I want it now!” stage. For a three-year-old having a friend is becoming important. Stress the idea that “Jane is your friend. It makes her happy when she shares her toy with you.” Children learn by example. Therefore when they see their peers or adults sharing they will often copy that behavior. Rather than trying to “teach” sharing, set a good example.
(Contributed by the Early Childhood Family Education department of School District 564.)
SOMETHINGTOTALK ABOUT When you make or buy a treat say, “Today I baked some cookies to share with you.” When you see your child share, mention it. “It made Barry happy when you let him have the truck.” Be subtle and casual. Don’t make a big fanfare over it.
(Contributed by the Early Childhood Family Education department of School District 564.)
