Learn what you can do to create healthy sleep habits for your child.

1. Avoid Big Meals

Nutritious, hearty meals are good, but you want to avoid feeding kids big meals close to bedtime. Eating too late tends to raise metabolic rate and increases energy in kids. To ensure a good night’s sleep, avoid eating dinner at least three hours before your child’s bedtime. Include a variety of foods from all of the food groups, and make sure your child gets enough calcium – low levels of calcium can cause irritability and nervousness. Calcium sources for kids include milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, and broccoli.

2. Cut Caffeine

It’s unlikely that you’re serving your kids cups of coffee. But you may inadvertently be giving them foods or drinks that contain caffeine: soda, ice cream, and maybe even caffeinated gum. Caffeine products, like soda, contain empty calories, and filling up on these prevents kids from getting the necessary vitamins and minerals they need. Additionally, caffeine acts as a diuretic – which means your child will require at least one nighttime trip to the bathroom.

While it’s certainly advised to keep caffeine consumption to a minimum, try to avoid giving kids caffeinated products less than six hours before bedtime.

3. Create a Sleep-Only Zone

After dinner, keep kids from participating in any stimulating activities. That means no computers, no video games, no music, and no TV. In fact, TV viewing at bedtime has been linked to poor sleep. And one study found that children who kept electronic devices in the bedroom were more likely to be obese, in addition to suffering poor sleep.

So keep the technology out of the bedroom for better sleep. And that goes for the rest of the house, too – make sure the noise level remains low so your child can easily fall asleep.

4. Establish Bedtime Routines

Keeping to a consistent and relaxing routine before bed can help your child fall asleep easily. Just as you want to steer clear from any overstimulating activities, it’s a good idea to stick to more relaxing routines, like a warm bath, cuddling, or bedtime reading. Avoid scary stories or TV shows, which can frighten and overexcite your child’s mind. Choose stories to soothe your child’s mind and send them off to dreamland.

You also want to watch for the time when your child typically starts to wind down at night – this is the time when they should fall asleep. So, set their bedtime a bit before. If you wait too long, your child may gain a second wind and have trouble falling asleep.

5. Establish Daytime Routines

Just as important as night-time rituals, you want to encourage regular sessions during the day. According to Henry Shapiro, M.D., Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., these daytime rituals can help “anchor” your child’s sleep times. This includes meals, as well as scheduled play and nap times. And enforcing consistent waking times will also help establish sleep rhythms in your child.

6. Avoid Singing/Rocking to Sleep

This might seem like a nurturing gesture, but you want to avoid singing or rocking your child to sleep. Why? Rocking and holding makes the child dependent on the parent. So if your child wakes in the middle of the night, he may rely on you to sing or rock him back to sleep – a condition known as sleep-onset association disorder. A better bet is to use an object like a stuffed animal or favorite blanket to help your child fall asleep. And if you’re already rocking your child to sleep, try phasing out the behavior gradually.

7. Provide a Tool Kit

Provide your child with tools – seriously! A flashlight. A large, comforting stuffed animal for “protection.” A spray bottle filled with “anti-monster spray.” Be creative. By arming your child with his arsenal of tools, he’ll feel better protected and more capable of overcoming his worries.

8. Create a Reward System

Set limits on attention-getting behaviors. Feeding, proximity to interesting toys. These temptations can keep kids up late at night. To help develop healthy sleeping habits, establish a rewards system for each night that your child falls asleep on time and stays there through the night. Rewards can be as simple as stickers or a small prize (of course, you want to bypass sugary treats). Whatever the reward, the goal is to promote healthy nighttime sleeping behavior.

9. Ease Separation Anxiety

This one goes out to the little ones. Around six months, a fear of being separated from parents starts to surface in infants and can trigger sleep problems. To help ease anxiety, spend 10 to 15 minutes with your baby before bedtime, so you can establish your presence in the nursery. Once you place your baby in the crib, don’t dash off right away. Continue to spend a few more minutes talking softly or gently stroking your baby. By establishing your presence and remaining while your baby becomes comfortable with his surroundings, you can help ease any fear of abandonment.

10. Keep Cool

The room, that is. Maintain a cool, dark room to help your child fall asleep. Additionally, take care to create a soothing, non-stimulating environment. Background noise and comfort can contribute to how easily or not your child falls asleep.

Source: Chahal H, Fung C, Kuhle S, Veugelers PJ. Availability and night-time use of electronic entertainment and communication devices are associated with short sleep duration and obesity among Canadian children. Pediatric Obesity. 2012.

Language Development

When children hear nursery rhymes, they hear the sounds vowels and consonants make. They learn how to put these sounds together tomake words.They also practice pitch, volume, and voice inflection, as well as the rhythm of language.For example, listen to how you sound when you ask questions. Do you sound different when you tell a story?
In nursery rhymes, children hear new words that they would not hear in everyday language (like fetch and pail in “Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water”).
Nursery rhymes are short and easy to repeat, so they become some of a child’s first

Cognitive Development

Since nursery rhymes are patterns, they help children learn easy recall and memorization. Nursery rhymes usually tell a story with abeginning, a middle, and an end. This teaches children that events happen in sequence, and
they begin to learn how to understand stories and follow along. Nursery rhymes use patterns and sequence,so children begin to learn simple math skills as they recite them. Many rhymes also use numbers, counting, and other math words that children need to learn, such as size and weight. Nursery rhymes also introduce alliteration (“Goosie Goosie Gander”), onomatopoeia (“Baa Baa Black Sheep”), and imaginative imagery.Children hear these rhymes and act out what they imagine the characters are doing.

sentences.

Strawberries boost immunity

“Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C,” says Toronto-based registered dietitian Madeleine Edwards. Most mammals—except for humans—have the ability to produce vitamin C naturally, which is why it’s so important to get your daily requirement. “One serving of strawberries contains 51.5 mg of vitamin C—about half of your daily requirement,” Edwards says. “Double a serving to one cup and get 100 percent.” Vitamin C is a well-known immunity booster, as well as a powerful, fast-working antioxidant. A 2010 UCLA study discovered that the antioxidant power in strawberries becomes “bioavailable” or “ready to work in the blood” after eating the fruit for just a few weeks.

Strawberries promote eye health

The antioxidant properties in strawberries may also help to prevent cataracts—the clouding over of the eye lens—which can lead to blindness in older age. Our eyes require vitamin C to protect them from exposure to free-radicals from the sun’s harsh UV rays, which can damage the protein in the lens. Vitamin C also plays an important role in strengthening the eye’s cornea and retina. While high doses of vitamin C have been found to increase the risk of cataracts in women over 65, researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm note that the risk pertains to vitamin C obtained from supplements, not the vitamin C from fruits and vegetables.

Strawberries help fight cancer

Vitamin C is one of the antioxidants that can help with cancer prevention, since a healthy immune system is the body’s best defense. A phytochemical called ellagic acid—also found in strawberries—is another. “Ellagic acid has been shown to yield anti-cancer properties like suppressing cancer cell growth,” says Edwards. “Strawberries [also] contain antioxidants lutein and zeathancins. Antioxidants are scavengers to free-radicals and neutralize the potentially negative effect they can have on our cells,” she says.

Strawberries keep wrinkles at bay

The power of vitamin C in strawberries continues, as it is vital to the production of collagen, which helps to improve skin’s elasticity and resilience. Since we lose collagen as we age, eating foods rich in vitamin C may result in healthier, younger-looking skin. But vitamin C isn’t the only naturally-occuring wrinkle fighter found in strawberries. Researchers at Hallym University in the Republic of Korea concluded that ellagic acid visibly prevented collagen destruction and inflammatory response—two major factors in the development of wrinkles—in human skin cells, after continued exposure to skin-damaging UV-B rays.

Strawberries fight bad cholesterol

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death among Canadian women. Luckily, strawberries also contain powerful heart-health boosters. “Ellagic acid and flavonoids— or phytochemicals—can provide an antioxidant effect that can benefit heart health in various ways,” explains Edwards. “One way includes counteracting the effect of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL—bad cholesterol in the blood—which causes plaque to build up in arteries. A second way is that they provide an anti-inflammatory effect, which is also good for the heart.” Researchers at the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center in Toronto studied the effect of strawberries on a cholesterol-lowering diet and concluded that adding strawberries to the diet reduced oxidative damage, as well as blood lipids—both of which play a role in heart disease and diabetes.

Strawberries reduce inflammation

The antioxidants and phytochemicals found in strawberries may also help to reduce inflammation of the joints, which may cause arthritis and can also lead to heart disease. A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health shows that women who eat 16 or more strawberries per week are 14 percent less likely to have elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP)—an indication of inflammation in the body.

Strawberries regulate blood pressure

Potassium is yet another heart healthy nutrient, and with 134 mg per serving, strawberries are considered a “medium source,” according to Alberta Health Services. Potassium can help regulate blood pressure and may even help to lower high blood pressure by acting as a buffer against the negative effects of sodium. With their impact on the reduction of LDL, inflammation and high blood pressure, strawberries have earned the title of one of the most heart-healthy fruits you can eat.

Strawberries boost fibre

Fibre is a necessity for healthy digestion, and strawberries naturally contain about 2 g per serving. Problems that can arise from lack of fibre include constipation and diverticulitis—an inflammation of the intestines—which affects approximately 50 percent of people over 60. Fibre can also aid in fighting type 2 diabetes. “Fibre helps slow the absorption of sugars (i.e. glucose) in the blood,” says Edwards. “As a result, adults who are managing diabetes can enjoy strawberries—in moderation—in their diet.”

Strawberries aid in weight management

Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best defenses against type 2 diabetes and heart disease, not to mention just plain good for your overall well-being. “Strawberries are naturally low calorie (around 28 kCal per serving), fat-free and low in both sodium and sugar,” says Edwards. “Strawberries do contain natural sugars—though total sugars are fairly low with 4 grams per serving—and the total carbohydrate content is equivalent to less than a half slice of bread. Triple your serving to 1.5 cups and you’ll have a snack that’s less than 100 calories—and much healthier than those pre-packaged 100-calorie snacks!”

Strawberries promote pre-natal health

Folate is a B-vitamin recommended for women who are pregnant or trying to conceive, and strawberries are a good source with 21 mcg per serving. Folate is necessary in the early stages of pregnancy to help in the development of the baby’s brain, skull and spinal cord, and the folic acid in strawberries may help to prevent certain birth defects, such as spina bifida.

(http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/arthritis-and-pain/10-health-benefits-of-strawberries/11/)

NATIONAL BUY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT DAY

Each year on May 22 we observe National Buy a Musical Instrument Day. The day is all about playing music. If you are a musician, it might be time for a new instrument. Maybe you can learn to play a second or third one. If you have never played an instrument before, National Buy A Musical Instrument Day might be the motivation you need to start.
You can also start with our magical music apps for kids 123 Kids Fun Music Box or 123 Kids Fun Baby Tunes!

In this crafts for kids episode, celebrate spring with a mini DIY terrarium made from a glass jar, a twig and some colorful tissue paper.
This craft makes a great gift and facilitates conversation with your child about the changing seasons.
Do you see blossoms on the trees outside? What do you see before the flowers bloom? Can you create a different terrarium for each season? What would each terrarium look like?
Find more here http://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/diy-spring-terrarium/

What is International Day of Families?

The International Day of Families, annually held on May 15, celebrates the importance of families and the work started during the International Year of Families.

What Do People Do?

A wide range of events are organized at local, national and international levels. These include: workshops, seminars and policy meeting for public officials; exhibitions and organized discussions to raise awareness of the annual theme; educational sessions for children and young people; and the launch of campaigns for public policies to strengthen and support family units. In some countries, tool kits are created to help people organize celebrations aimed at a particular section of the population, such as school children or young adults.

7 reasons why Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky date?

The origin of why Friday the 13th is considered such an unlucky day goes back hundreds of years and is shrouded in mystery.

1. For a start there is October 13, 1307, the date from where the modern basis for the Friday the 13th superstition is most likely to come from.

It was on this day that the Pope of the Roman Catholic church, in combination with the King of France, sentenced a monastic military order known as the Knights Templar to death and ordered the torture and crucifixion of their leader.
2. The sixth day of the week, Friday, and the number 13 are each considered to be unlucky in their own right, and when combined they are doubly bad.

The reason why Friday is considered such an unlucky day could date as far back as biblical times. Many negative biblical events took place on a Friday, including the ejection of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, the start of the Great Flood, and the crucifixion of Jesus.

3. Friday’s position as the unlucky day may have been strengthened by it being the day of execution of criminals for many years, commonly called Hangman’s Day.

The number 13 has also been associated with bad luck for hundreds of years.

4. Scandinavians believed 13 signified bad luck because their 13th mythological demigod Loki was an evil one who brought great misfortune upon humans.

5. Christians look to the Last Supper for their suspicion of the number 13. Thirteen was the number of guests at the table, the 13th person being Judas the traitor.

6. Meanwhile, some say the number 13 was purposely vilified by the priests of patriarchal religions because it represented femininity. Thirteen corresponded to the number of lunar (menstrual) cycles in a year, and the number was revered in prehistoric goddess-worshipping cultures.

7. Hindus believed that it was unlucky for 13 people to gather in one place.

Of course, all these possible explanations are just speculation and guesswork, but that does not stop a lot of people cowering away whenever a Friday the 13th comes around.

Most people do not take it too seriously, but there are some who dread the date. By the way, if you’re interested, the word paraskevidekatriaphobia means fear of Friday the 13th!

(http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/)