Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
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Umatilla-Morrow Head Start
Head Start is a comprehensive child development program which serves children age 3 to 5 and
their families. It is a child-focused program that has the overall goal of increasing the school
readiness of young children in low-income families.
Head Start grantee and delegate agencies provide a range of individualized servcices in the
areas of education and early childhood development, medical, dental and mental health, nutrition
and parent involvement. In addition, the entire range of Head Start services is responsive and
appropriate to each child’s and family’s developmental, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage
and experience.
Umatilla-Morrow Head Start in John Day is now accepting applications for the upcoming year.
Applications are available at DHS, Families First, and the Health Department.
Read below for some tips on keeping your children happy and healthy.
Reading With Your
Children
Tips for parents of toddlers
Being a toddler is all about ACTION. Encourage
continued language development and interest in
books and reading by keeping things lively and
engaging. The tips below offer some fun ways you
can help your child become a happy and confident
reader. Try a new tip each week, see what works
best for your child.
Pretty Poisons
Warning: Two popular plants, philodendron
and dumb cane, are highly toxic if eaten.
For Safety: Don’t keep these plants if there
are preschool children in your home. And
place all plants out of toddlers’ reach.
Recommended: Keep the number of your
local poison control center by the phone for
quick references in case of emergency.
Don’t expect your toddler to sit still for a book.
Toddlers need to MOVE, so don’t worry if they act
out stories or just skip, romp or tumble as you read
to them. They may be moving, but they are still
listening.
Recite rhymes, sing songs and make mistakes!
Pause to let your toddler finish a phrase or chant a
Philodendron
refrain. Once your toddler is familiar with the rhyme
or pattern, make mistakes on purpose and get
caught.
Choose engaging books. Books featuring
animals or machines invite movement and making
sounds. Books with flaps or different texture to
touch keep hands busy. Books with detailed
illustrations or recurring items hidden in the
pictures are great for exploring and discussing.
Parent and Child
Activity: “Let the
Sun Shine In”
Looking for something to do on a rainy
day? Let the sun shine in!
Keep reading short, simple and often. Toddlers
frequently have shorter attention spans than
babies. Look for text that is short and simple. Read
a little bit, several times a day.
What you need:
1. Construction paper
in a variety of colors
2. At least one paper
plate
3. Safety scissors
4. Glue
5. Markers
Encourage play that involves naming,
describing and communicating. Set up a zoo
with all the stuffed animals. Stage a race with the
toy cars. Put your toddler in charge and ask lots of
questions.
Every day is an adventure when you’re a
toddler. Choose books about everyday
experiences and feelings. Your child will identify
with the characters as they dress, eat, visit, nap
and play.
Ask questions. Take time to listen to your toddler’s
answers. Toddlers have strong opinions and
interesting ideas about the world. Encourage your
toddler to tell you what he or she thinks. You’ll build
language skills and learn what makes your toddler
tick at the same time.
Play to their favorites. Read favorite stories again
and again. Seek out books about things your
toddler especially likes - trains, animals, the moon.
These books may extend a toddler’s attention span
and build enthusiasm for reading.
Not having fun? Try a different story or a different
time during the day. Reading with a very young
child is primarily about building positive
experiences with books, not finishing every book
you start.
Here are two classic books you can try:
Dumb Cane
What to do:
Put a nickel on the table. Give your child a
piece of yellow construction paper and
show them how to tear the paper into small
pieces to match the size of the nickel. After
your child has torn several pieces of paper,
have them glue their pieces to the paper
plate so that they are overlapping, or at
least touching. They should continue tearing
and gluing until the entire paper plate is
covered and very few white spaces show.
(This project might not be complete in one
“session”). This yellow collage will be the
base for your child’s sun.
Now it is time to add the details. Draw a set
of triangles on orange construction paper
(enough to go around the paper plate), give
your child a pair of safety scissors and ask
them to cut more. When finished, have them
glue the triangles to the back of the paper
plate to create the rays of the sun. Ask your
child to use markers to decorate the sun.
Hang on the window to let the sun shine in!
Wash’em!
Polar Bear, Polar Bear,
What Do You Hear?
by Eric Carle
Goodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise
Brown
In a recent study, children
who washed their hands four
or more times a day in school
had 25% fewer sick days due
to colds and flue and 50%
fewer days lost because of
stomach problems.
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