Happy spring! With the warmer weather comes more opportunities for building family ties and memories with out-door activities! Take advantage of the extra hours of sunshine and play at the park after dinner. Better yet, take dinner to the park for a change of atmosphere! 

The other day one of our church staff members ran into my office to borrow my camera. She came back in sad to have missed the opportunity to capture the memorable moment, but her description was a joy to hear. She explained how she saw one of the preschool classes out on a walk enjoying the signs of spring when they happened upon a pair of ducks! She said it was so adorable to see a class full of wide-eyed kids completely delighted as one of the teachers shared a snack with the waddling visitors! 

These are the precious moments we too often allow to slip by as we hurry about in our busy lives. Try to take extra time in the next few weeks to experience life through your child's eyes. Recapture the wonder and awe of the changing of the seasons and celebrate the little things that we are sometimes "too big" to notice!

God takes notice of the littlest things. A favorite verse of mine about God's tender care is from Matthew 10:29-30, translated in The Message: What's the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail-even numbering the hairs on your head!

The 2010 Wild West Carnival is coming up soon!  Mark your calendars for Friday June 25h.  The auction has always been a popular part of the NQACC Carnival.  And we've always relied on parents to help make it a success with your donations.  This year we'll still need your help and participation, but new for 2010 we are simplifying the silent auction and adding a raffle.
 
Auction:
 
Raffle: 
 
Donations:  
· As always, we'd love families to donate what they can to make these gift baskets special.  Any type of contribution to the themed baskets will be a big help.
· Because of raffle rules, we are not able to accept donations of any alcohol this year.  If you'd like to contribute something of that nature, we'd encourage a gift card to a local tasting room or wine shop.
· Donations are welcome at any time, however, we would like to have all the baskets completed by  June 1, 2010. 
 
Please remember that all net proceeds from the Carnival directly benefit the Childcare and that your donations can be tax-deductable.  Thank you all in advance for your help to make this another successful event!

"Is my child intentionally being obstinate and uncooperative when I speak to him?  Why won't he obey?  I need a firecracker to move him!"
 
"Should I get my child's hearing checked?  She doesn't acknowledge my words.   I have to be really "in her face" to get her attention."
 
"The more I say and the louder I get, the more he ignores me!  By then, I don't even like me!"
 
These words are the frustrations of many parents. At times, it seems to be an unending challenge for parents to get a response or cooperation from their child-especially when there's a tight schedule or deadline.
 
 Does this happen at your house?
 Monday morning. 7 a.m.  The alarm sounds. The family "morning person" stirs. It's time to start a new day. (The names in this family are withheld to protect the guilty.)
 
 The dutiful parent drags into the child's room and utters a cheery morning wake-up call.  The expectation is that the child will respond to the parent's words by getting up and starting on the day's activities.  On second thought, will she just lie there and play?  Maybe she'll get out of bed and continue playing with last night's project?  
 
Forty-five minutes later, the parent realizes that no progress has been made - the child is not dressed, she has not moved, and there's been no contribution to the mission to get out the door to childcare and work! So, the parent makes a fast decision and throws out the recent resolve for "independence training," grabs a set of jeans, and says, "Put your leg in."  (Every parent knows it's faster to dress the child yourself!") There's a tiny seed of frustration starting...
 
 Then, there are all of the decisions about breakfast, about getting ready to leave the house and not forget anything, about which parent has which car seat today, about where to find yesterday's jacket, about taking a toy for show and share day, about snacks for the road -and on it goes.  Yes, this parent knows about starting the night before.  Yes, this parent knows about not leaving too much to do in the morning. Yes, this parent planned ahead. But, this parent had morning interference!  This parent didn't get cooperation.  This was a non-listening day. Now, the tiny seed of frustration has plumped up to balloon size.
 
Here are a few tips for the complicated area of listening:
 Tip 1-Make sure to get the child's attention. When a parent's words enter a child's world, they are usually an unwelcome invasion. The child may be in a fantasy world.  The child may be having some intense feelings.  The child may be just chilling---maybe daydreaming. The child is definitely not thinking about anything close to what the parent is saying. Simply put, the parent and the child have different agendas. The child will need a little time to make the transition to the parent's agenda. As the parent makes eye contact with the child and asks the child to repeat the parent's words, there is some assurance that the child understands what is needed.
 
Tip 2 - Different children may need different styles of parent "speak." Some children rally immediately when a request is made. Another child may need something like a stuffed animal, or a designated family action to signal that really important listening and cooperation is required.  Adding sign language along with the words may also help.  Children can get caught up in the fun and drama when parents sing the words, use a special voice, or take on the personality of a favorite character, such as a pirate or Sleeping Beauty.  Physical reassurance with a hand on the shoulder or a head pat can help with teamwork.
 
Tip 3-Boys and girls hear differently. Michael Gurian, in his book The Wonder of Boys, writes, "Boys from very early on are reported to ignore voices, even parents' voices, more than girls do."  The author's research reports that males really do hear less than females and that males hear better in one ear than the other. Girls hear equally well in both ears and are better at differentiating sounds.  Boys respond more successfully to louder speaking.  Gurian suggests that parents and educators "use another sense -especially the visual or movement-- to get a message through to a boy."  He also recommends finding out which is the better ear.
 
Hopefully, these three tips can serve as a foundation for more positive and satisfying communication in your family. And, less frustration!

Oh Say Can You Seed: All About Flowering Plants
 by Bonnie Worth
Illustrated by Aristides Ruiz
 
"Just what is a seed?
You are wondering, maybe?
Well, as you might say a seed is a tiny plant baby!"
 
This is a book I found on a recent trip to Home Depot!  It is part of the Cat in the Hat's Learning Library that introduces beginning readers to basic concepts about the natural world.  In it, Cat, Thing One and Thing Two journey together to explain things about seeds, sprouts, roots, stems, flowers and pollen--in rhyme of course.  The great thing about the learning library is its appeal to a broad range of young children.  An infant would respond to the colorful pictures and rhyme.  Toddler will enjoy these familiar characters and illustrations.  Pre-schoolers will grasp the story line, and young readers can use their skills and learn some basic science.  (Reading and math emphasis in the schools has reduced time spent in science learning.  It isn't a bad idea to give attention to science at home.)
 
Spring is arriving early in the Northwest so spring into your local library, bookstore (or Home Depot), to see this and other books that will bring more awareness to what's happening outdoors.