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MARCH/APRIL NEWSLETTER 2010 |
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| Dates Wee Watch |
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March 2010
March 14 - Daylight Savings Time Begins
March 15 - 19 - Together Wee Can - "Week of Wackiness"
March 17 - St. Patrick's Day
March 20 - First Day of Spring
March 27 - Earth Hour - 8:30 p.m.
March 30 - Passover
April 2010
April 2 - Good Friday (stat holiday)
April 5 - Easter Monday
April 22 - Earth Day
April 22 - Together Wee Can - "Recycled Puppets" |
Winter Olympic Games | |
Greetings!
Congratulations to all Olympians!
For the past two weeks, we have had the wonderful pleasure of following our Canadian athletes pursue their dreams. The dedication and hard work of our athletes and their proud representation of Canada to the world has been an inspiration to young and old alike.
Watching these young athletes participate gave many a feeling of renewed pride in our country, and a sense to "believe" in ourselves, something that all of us strive to promote with our children. We all work together to help children develop their skills, to reach their goals, and watching the Olympic athletes strive to achieve their goals (or gold) is motivating to everyone.
Children may have been watching the games with their family in the evening but during the day, what fun they had participating in our "Together Wee Can -- Wee Olympics" in their Provider's home. We are proud of all our Wee Olympians for getting into the spirit of these winter games, cheering each other on while participating in fun indoor and outdoor activities. Whether they were able to reach a target with a snowball toss or marched singing "O Canada" with their homemade Olympic torches, we congratulate all of you for working on your skills and enjoying the time with your Wee Watch friends.
Keep believing in yourself and maybe one day you too will be participating in future Olympic games!
Sincerely,
Leslie Wilson |
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 TOGETHER WEE CAN
Wee Watch has a wonderful opportunity to bring all of our homes across Ontario together to participate in activities on certain days, weeks and months. These "Together Wee Can" events are exclusive to Wee Watch. All activities are carefully chosen for their importance to children and their families. These events provide a great learning opportunity that meets the needs of children of all ages and ultimately strengthens our Wee Watch community.
MARCH 2010 - "WEEK OF WACKINESS"
With March Break just around the corner, get ready for some fun! Your Provider will be spicing up her routine and program with a "Week of Wackiness" including backwards day, mixed up games and maybe even eating dessert before lunch!
APRIL 2010 - "POLLUTION SOLUTION - RECYCLED PUPPETS"
We continue to promote the need to take care of the environment with the children and will be celebrating Earth Day by making recycled puppets! On April 22, Providers and children will get their creative juices flowing by making wooden spoon or sock puppets, jazzing up paper plates and paper towel tubes. This activity will not only promote creativity and fine motor skills, but these puppets can also be used for dramatic play or story time.
In January, Providers and children were staying warm by participating in many literacy activities for "I'm on the Road to Reading" week. Hundreds of books were read and games played to promote language and literacy. It was wonderful to see so many of the children's drawings of favourite story characters as well as photos of the children reading. Continue to foster this love of reading each and every day!
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Our exclusive "Wee Learn Program" is designed to meet the specific learning needs of each of our children enrolled. The Wee Learn Program provides the flexibility for each child to participate at his own pace and is designed to allow each child from the youngest Wee Beginner to the oldest Wee Mentor to learn as they play. As there is a mix of individual and group activities in the homes, the children are also given lots of opportunities to develop their social skills as well.
Your Provider is given resources that include age appropriate activities addressing areas of language, cognitive, math/science, fine motor and gross motor development. These resources include our FUNdamental theme related activities, an Activity Handbook full of easy homemade activities for each age group, website activity pages to further build on fine motor, math and language skills they have already been working on in their Play and Learn booklets.
Each month, take a look at the progress your child is making in his Play and Learn booklet. These booklets are a great keepsake and give you an opportunity to see the skills such as cognitive, math, fine motor skills your child is working on each and every day.
Spending time together gives you an opportunity to see how your child is using skills that he has learned at home and at day care. Each day your child is progressing through stages of development and continually working on new skills and mastering others.
We are pleased to provide your child with his/her very own portfolio "My Wee Watch Work". Look for opportunities to praise your child for new accomplishments and milestones achieved, however small they may be. Your child will be proud to show you the activities, crafts, Play and Learns and worksheets in his/her portfolio.
March is nutrition month across Canada. As parents you have an opportunity to be a great role model with respect to healthy eating and maintaining an active lifestyle. Please click on the stages below to find new ideas to do at home to assist your child in reaching his milestones. Try some new recipe ideas and be sure to make time to have a family meal each and every day. Bon appétit!
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| WEE BEGINNERS - HELPING BABIES GROW
 Your baby learns new skills and has new experiences in eating during the first year. Your baby's diet gradually progresses from milk feedings to the addition of small amounts of solids, and finally she is given normal family meals. It is important to let babies develop at their own pace, don't hurry them or compare them to other children. Eating should always be regarded as enjoyable for both baby and you.
Letting your baby feed herself can be very messy. The floor, baby, and you, all need to be covered. Getting food on a spoon, carrying it right-side-up, and hitting the mouth is pretty risky business! Some people feed their infant directly off the tray of the highchair so they do not have to worry about dishes being pushed "overboard." It is a good idea to use a bowl with a suction cup attached to its base to anchor it firmly to the tray of the highchair. This avoids the problem of the baby having to "chase" the bowl around the tray. Give her a spoon with a straight handle and a shallow bowl with rounded, not sharp sides. Continue to keep a spoon so you can feed her in between her own attempts.
Put older infants in a highchair for feedings. Make sure they are secure with no distractions. If she looks around the room instead of accepting food, look for the cause. Is there a purring cat walking around the kitchen? Is the television on? Help your child by removing these attention-getters.
Babies need to take time to become accustomed to new foods. Touching food, playing with it, and then rolling it around in their mouth before swallowing are all part of this process. Be patient.
If she refuses or spits out food which has a new taste or texture, it may have nothing to do with the flavour and feel of the food. It may simply be that the food is different and she does not know what to do with it. Be patient and try again.
WEE BEGINNER FOOD IDEAS:
Vegetarian Avocado, Ricotta and Asparagus Dip
3 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into small pieces
1/2 ripe avocado
1tsp. lemon juice (optional)
1tbsp. ricotta
Steam the asparagus pieces, and then cool. Place all the ingredients together in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Spoon a small amount in a plastic bowl and let her dip toast, crackers, cooked carrots, etc.
Fruity Spread
6 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz crushed pineapple
Drain the pineapple and add to the cream cheese in a bowl. Combine well, then whisk with a large wire whisk until fluffy. Spread on toast wedges or crackers.
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WEE EXPLORERS - TODDLERS AT THE TABLE
Toddlers are learning that they are separate people apart from their parents. Toddlers often want to do things for themselves before their little arms, legs, fingers, and hands are ready. They learn the skills of using spoons and forks, by trying - AGAIN AND AGAIN. Toddlers will want to feed themselves "like grown-ups" with little help but with constant supervision. They need encouragement and freedom to learn (this includes a certain amount of messiness).
Part of 2-year-old behaviour is saying "NO!" a lot. Again, it is all part of showing they can be independent. Mealtime is a common time for these "no's" to be heard. Be able to tell when your child is asserting himself and when he really is not hungry or does not want a particular food.
Toddlers sometimes go on food "binges" and want only one kind of food (peanut butter sandwiches every day). They usually do not like foods that are gritty, stringy, gummy, spicy, or mixed together. Don't fret. Continue to offer different foods until this stage passes.
Serve small amounts of food. Children can always ask for more. About one tablespoon per year of age is recommended for the first serving. A full plate discourages a young child. Foods are most attractive if each one stands out separately from others on the plate.
Provide finger foods which children can pick up and eat. If you cut meat into bite-size pieces, eating will be easier for them. Quarter-size sandwiches, stuffed eggs, and chicken legs all fit easily into a toddler's little hand.
WEE EXPLORER FOOD IDEAS:
QUICK CHEESY VEGGIE QUESADILLA
1 flour tortilla
2 slices of cheese
chopped cooked veggies
On the tortilla, spread out the veggies then cover with cheese slices. Bake or broil until cheese has melted.
SWEET POTATO POCKETS
1 can Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits
1 large sweet potato, baked
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted margarine
1/4 cup white sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon mixed into it (optional)
Bake or microwave a sweet potato much like you would a regular white, baking potato.
Flatten the biscuits. Cut open the cooked sweet potato and scoop out the pulp. Place it in a bowl. Add the melted margarine and brown sugar. Stir everything up with a fork until smooth. Put 1 to 2 tablespoons of the mixture on 1/2 of the flattened biscuit. Fold over the other half and seal with the tines of a fork. Gently roll the pocket in the white sugar/cinnamon mixture. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven about 12 minutes or until browned. Be sure to let cool before serving as the center will be hot. You can also add cooked chicken to the sweet potato mixture. |
| WEE BUILDERS - YOUR CHILD WON'T STARVE
If he doesn't like it, he won't eat it - no rocket science there. But what if your child skips a meal?
Allowing a child to skip a meal is a difficult concept because many of us were raised to clean our plates and not waste food. But children should be allowed to respond to their own hunger cues, a vital skill when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight.
Establish times for meals and snacks and try to stick to them. Avoid offering snacks or pacifying hungry children with cups of milk or juice right before a meal - this can diminish their appetite and decrease their willingness to try a new food being offered.
Children won't starve and they will learn to be more flexible rather than go hungry. Present a variety of healthy foods - including established favourites and some new foods - to make up the menu. Your child may surprise you one day by eating all of them.
Be sure you're setting a good example! Children can pick up on their parent's attitude about food and may follow suit when parents routinely skip meals, especially breakfast!
WEE BUILDER FOOD IDEAS:
MOUNTAINS AND FOREST SANDWICH
1 KRAFT 2% Milk Singles
1 slice ham or smoked chicken
1 whole wheat hot dog bun
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 lettuce leaf
Help your child cut the cheese and meat slices in half to make triangles. Lay the lettuce leaf inside the bun and let your child place the "mountains" on top of the lettuce forest.
TURTLE CRITTER
cheese slices cut into squares
2 round crackers
1 cherry tomato half
5 small carrot or celery pieces
1 stuffed green olive slice
Let your child stack cheese pieces on 1 of the crackers; cover with remaining cracker to make sandwich. Top with tomato half. Arrange carrots around the crackers to form 4 legs and a tail. Add olive slice for the head. |
WEE LEARNERS - BREAKFAST IS READY
"Eat your breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day!" Why are parents always saying that? Well, imagine you're a car. After a long night of sleeping, your fuel tank is empty. Breakfast is the fuel that gets you going so you can hit the road.
Just in case you need more evidence that eating breakfast is the way to go, children who don't eat breakfast are less able to learn at school, get less iron (an important nutrient) in their diets, and are more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI), which is a sign they may be overweight.
On the other hand, children who eat breakfast do better in school, are more likely to participate in physical activities, and tend to eat healthier overall. So tomorrow morning, don't run out the door on an empty stomach. Fuel up with a healthy breakfast!
What should your child eat? Any breakfast is better than no breakfast, but try to keep the high calories, sugar and fat content to a minimum. Offer a wide variety of foods for breakfast to ensure a well balanced diet, including grains, protein, fruits and vegetables, milk, cheese and yogurt. Try even serving dinner leftovers. (They are not just for dinner anymore!)
WEE LEARNER FOOD IDEAS:
BANANA CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST
1 large very ripe banana
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 slices whole wheat bread
3 tbsp. butter
Blend first 4 ingredients in processor until smooth. Transfer to 13x9-inch pan. Place bread in milk mixture and soak until all liquid is absorbed. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add bread and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Serve immediately.
BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Combine vegetable oil, eggs and milk in a small bowl and mix well. Gently combine the egg mixture with the dry ingredients taking care not to over mix. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven.
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WEE EXPERTS - KEEPING PORTIONS UNDER CONTROL
It is not surprising that over the years waistlines of adults and children have increased when bagels are as big as Frisbees, and "big gulp" drinks are too heavy to hold.
One of the easiest ways to keep your family healthy is to watch the amount of food that is being heaped on everyone's plate.
One reason that children and adults eat too much at meals is that they tend to eat what is on their plate. Thus, as portions have gone up, so have the calories consumed. So it's helpful to understand the difference between serving sizes.
A serving of rice is about the same size as an ice cream scoop, so let your child use the scoop to serve "rice cream" to the family. A piece of meat should be about the size of a deck of cards, so see how that chicken breast measures up. And why not break out the kitchen scale while you're at it? Weighing or measuring food may not be your idea of fun, but it probably is to your kids - plus it's a great way to reinforce math concepts.
There are lots of tricks you can try to help your family learn about portion control.
1. Serve meals at the counter and avoid bringing the whole pot to the table. Not keeping the food at arm's length can make your family think twice about reaching for seconds. If they do want seconds, offer more veggies or salads.
2. Try using fun coloured salad plates or plates with dividers.
3. Eat some fruit or salad first before the meal to control hunger and calorie intake.
Remember the role you play in showing your child how to size up portions. If you eat two heaping helpings of food each night, that's what your child will learn too.
WEE EXPERT FOOD IDEAS:
CHICKEN AND CORN PITA PIZZA
1 whole wheat pita
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
1 oz reduced-fat cheese
3 oz grilled chicken
dried oregano to taste
1/2 cup canned corn
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat pan over medium heat. Separate pita into individual halves.
Cook chicken approximately 5 minutes on each side; you want it to be slightly browned, but still raw on the inside. Top each half with ¼ cup spaghetti sauce, oregano, corn, cheese, and prepared chicken. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until cheese is melted, chicken is cooked through, and pitas are crispy.
WARM TUNA BUNS
3 eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 (6 ounce) can tuna, drained
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons minced onion
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 hamburger buns
Boil eggs. Peel and chop once cold.
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Stir the chopped eggs together with the mayonnaise, tuna, relish, onion, and cheese in a mixing bowl. Divide the tuna mixture onto the bun bottoms, and then replace the bun tops. Wrap each sandwich individually in aluminum foil, and place onto a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese has melted and the tuna salad has heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.
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WEE MENTORS - FOOD AS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE
By the time children reach school age, food has acquired strong social and cultural meanings. Children's cultural background and family traditions will influence what they like to eat and the feelings they associate with different foods. It will also influence when they like to eat (dinner at 5:00 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.) and the amount they eat at a particular meal.
Some school-age children may eat because they are sad or lonely instead of when they are hungry. Eating may make them feel better for a short time. This can result in overeating and other eating problems that may continue into adulthood. Help children find fun things to do, and let them know that you enjoy their company all the time - not just when you are eating.
Use mealtime to relax, socialize, and share food. If children feel comfortable, they will talk about their friends and school. You might even have them invite a friend for a meal. During the meal, do not just ask questions that can be answered either "yes" or "no". Ask questions that will get children to talk more. Show interest in what they are saying by looking at them when they speak. Also, be comfortable with silence or little conversation. There are days when children do not feel like talking, and that is okay.
Help children learn about eating customs of other cultures - especially those they may be studying in school or those from which some of their classmates come. Trying to eat rice with chopsticks is fun! Eggrolls are delicious, and tacos are always a hit. You may have to do some reading and learn more about different foods yourself before you attempt to make them.
WEE MENTOR FOOD IDEAS:
LUNCH ON A STICK
Using straws or skewers, let the children make their own sticks. Offer a variety of food items to choose from: kielbasa cubes, ham slices, chicken pieces, cubes of cheese, pineapple chunks, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, salami, cooked meatballs, red peppers, apple chunks, orange wedges, grapes, strawberries, etc.
TASTY TACOS
¼ lb. lean ground chicken or beef
3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup diced tomatoes
3/4 cup prepared salsa
1/4 cup diced red onion
Cook the ground meat, drain. To assemble, fill each taco shell with (in any order): a generous 3 tablespoons taco meat, 1/4 cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon cheese, 1 tablespoon tomato, 1 tablespoon salsa, 1 teaspoon onion. |
PLAY IT SAFE!
If you make it fun, your children will not consider cooking a chore, but rather a wonderful opportunity to learn skills and spend quality time with you. Understanding the dangers of the kitchen and how to prevent them is an essential life tool that all children should learn.
1. Always supervise young children and first-time chefs.
2. Handle kitchen products properly. Don't assume your children will know what to do with kitchen products just by watching you in the kitchen. Take the time to explain how each product works, as it's needed for each recipe.
3. Understand fire safety. Explain how the fire extinguisher works and when to call 911.
4. Wear short sleeves. Long sleeves have a chance of catching fire or falling into hot grease or boiling water.
5. Wear an apron. Aprons help protect clothes and add extra padding in case of spilt hot water, splattered oil, etc.
6. Use oven mitts. Never use a towel to move hot pans because the loose parts of the towel can fall onto a hot burner and catch on fire. Oven mitts are safer because they help your children hold onto the handle of a hot pan more securely.
7. Wash your hands. Hands carry germs and can contaminate food.
8. Keep pan handles facing in and over countertops. Pan handles should never extend over the hot stove element.
9. Never leave food unattended. Unwatched pots can spill over causing fires and other kitchen hazards.
10. Speed clean ups. Teach your children to clean while they wait for the next stage in preparing the food (i.e. water boils, soup simmers, etc.).
11. Wash surfaces where raw meats and poultry touched. Surfaces touched by raw meat should be cleaned before placing another food product on that surface to prevent cross contamination.
12. Keep raw food separate from cooked food. Never place cooked food back on a plate that once contained raw food.
13. Metal and microwaves don't mix. Any object that contains metal or aluminum should not be placed into a microwave because doing so could cause a fire.
14. When lifting lids from pans, lift the far side of the lid first, so the steam will escape away from your face.
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Wee Watch, 105 Main Street, Unionville, ON L3R 2G1
Phone: 905-479-4274; Fax: 905-479-9047
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