Author: fuelingbrains_AdMEEn

This is the time of year where children may have extra time off from school to spend the holidays at home. While there’s plenty of things to do indoors with your kids—decorating the home, baking sweet holiday treats, etc.—there’s also plenty to do outdoors, too! Looking for fun holiday attractions and events for your kids around town? Here’s a list of some amazing attractions around Calgary that will leave your child begging you to visit again:

1. 1. Spectacle Blue Winter Wonderland – Spectacle Blue is an aerial dance and circus performance group based in Calgary. This December, they will be presenting the “Winter Wonderland” show, a tribute to the holidays with a series of aerial, dance and circus acts woven together to create a story reflecting the season! http://spectacleblue.ca/

1. 1. The Young Canadians of the Calgary Stampede Christmas Spectacular – Want to indulge the ears instead of the eyes? Check out the Young Canadians of the Calgary Stampede’s presentation of “A Christmas Spectacular,” a celebration of songs from Christmas past and present! The entire family will love singing along to classic holiday songs. https://www.artscommons.ca/WhatsOn/ShowDetails.aspx?show_id=B07D86C3-1182-49F8-A55E-D338BCBC7EB0

1. 1. Stage West’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas – There’s no better way to get into the holiday season than seeing‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Stage West for Kids is showing a one-of-a-kind, dinner theater production of the holiday classic, all through December! Stage West for Kids also has a kid-friendly buffet, making this theater restaurant perfect for the entire family. Check out their website for tickets and show times: http://stagewestcalgary.com/stage-west-for-kids/

1. 1. Legacy Christmas Light Parade – Your child will be in awe experiencing the annual Legacy Christmas Light Parade! Over 80,000 lights parade the streets of Legacy, Calgary through tunnels, large holiday displays, and even a full set of show homes. But the magic doesn’t stop there; there’s even an outdoor skating rink the whole family can enjoy! For more details and directions, go here: http://legacylife.ca/events/

1. Zoo Lights at the Calgary Zoo – If the Legacy Light Parade isn’t enough to inspire awe, head over to the Calgary Zoo to experience the annual Zoo Lights, where over 1.5 million Christmas lights and 200 displays surround this popular attraction! Activities such as ice-sculpting demonstrations, dazzling fire pits,and walks down Candy Cane Lane are just the beginning in this magical winter wonderland. https://www.calgaryzoo.com/zoolightsyyc

The holiday season is soon-approaching, and so is the wonderful season of giving! As parents and teachers, it’s important to show our kids the true meaning of the holidays; it’s not about receiving, but about how we can give back to our families, friends, and the world around us. Here are some ways you can instill the spirit of giving in your children:

Donate

Encouraging your children—both young and old—to donate new and old clothes and toys they don’t want to a Goodwill, Salvation Army, or even a local toy drive is a wonderful way to get them in the habit of understanding why giving to help others is important. They can experience the act of giving first-hand!

Volunteering Around the Community

Going to places like animal shelters to volunteer is a great way to expose your child to volunteer work and how it can benefit their community. The impact: studies have shown that kids who actively volunteer within their communities are likely to have more respect for others and leadership skills that can stick with them well into adulthood. In addition, your child will love working with adorable animals like puppies and kittens (and you can use this as a way to dodge the question of whether or not they can have a pet)!

Pay it Forward

We’ve all heard of “paying it forward,” where you perform a small act of kindness in hopes that the person on the receiving end will be motivated to perform an act of kindness themselves. For adults, this may include paying for the person’s meal who’s in line behind us, which serves as a good model for children; however, children can perform similar kind acts. Encourage your child to possibly leave a kind note behind for a student at school to find, or offering to help their teacher after school.

As the holidays draw near, there may be one thing that comes to mind when you think about the kids: What am I getting them for the holidays?

They may have strongly suggested that they wanted an iPad, or Xbox One, while supplying you with a well thought out list of 10 other things they may desire. However, it may not be in your budget, or you may believe some of these items are things that they don’t really need in their life. Whatever the case, here are some affordable gift ideas for kids of different ages that will guarantee they won’t be disappointed this holiday season.

Toddlers

• Creative Night Light – Something like a cute balloon dog shaped night light will brighten up your toddler’s day.
• Small Backpack –If you and your toddler are always traveling, an adorable backpack with their favorite character is just the thing to get. Something light that they can carry their toys or books in is a great gift!

Ages 5-7

• Board Games – A simple card or board game likeUno orI Spy is great for younger children. There’s no reading involved, so kids as young as 4 who haven’t fully developed reading skills will love it!
• Learning Tablet – If your child insists on a tablet, try a “Learn Smart” tablet from Fisher-Price or Leap Frog. Not only will they have fun playing the various games available, they’ll also be learning new concepts at the same time!

Ages 8-11

• Design Sets – Got a future artist on your hands? Try looking for any design kits like a Spirograph set. An addition of a set of colored pencils or markers works great too!
• Educational Sets – If your child loves science, try a kitchen science kit or experiment book with experiments you can do around the house.

Ages 12+

• Logic-Inspired Games – Anything mentally stimulating, like complex board games or creative/educational kits will keep your kids active while putting their brain to work.
• Character-Inspired Items – Things that have to do with your child’s favorite movie or book character, be it Star Wars or Pokémon, are always good alternatives for gifts.

As Sugar Day (also known as “Halloween”) approaches, there are numerous activities you and your children can participate in together besides dressing up in costumes and going door to door.

Pumpkin Decoration

One of the most obvious and popular thing families do together around this time of year is pumpkin carving. However, not all of us are comfortable letting our kids near carving tools, especially if they’re younger, so instead of carving pumpkins, try decorating them! They’ll last a lot longer that way, too.

You can start with the pumpkin itself. Kids enjoy any opportunity to be independent, so it’s okay to let them pick out their own pumpkin at the store. Then, you and your kids can use a variety of materials to decorate the outside of the pumpkin: They could design pictures, shapes, faces, and words in glitter glue, paint, permanent markers, and more!

Bake Halloween Treats

What better excuse for kids to lick the batter bowl than after helping prepare tasty Halloween treats? There are so many sweets out there that you and your kids can bake together, from cakes to cookies! If you want to promote healthy eating to counter the candy, it’s good to find dessert recipes that may include fruit or yogurt.

When it comes to decoration, your kids can also help top the treats, whether it be icing, nuts, or even candy.Just make sure they don’t get too ahead of themselves by picking out of these bowls before the oven timer goes off!

Homemade Costumes

If there’s absolutely no way to convince your kids there’s more to life than candy at this point, before you go out door to door, try to encourage them to make creative homemade costumes to wear rather than buying a generic one. They can use all sorts of materials around the house (with your permission of course) to make their costume any way they would like.

If you need to, you can take a trip to a nearby dollar store or any other store that offers inexpensive Halloween decorations to give your kids more supplies to work with. After they’re done making their costumes, to give it a nice finishing touch, you can help them use face paint instead of a traditional mask.

Most of these Halloween activities for kids show great emphasis on their creativity, which is always a good exercise for a learning child. Try any of these activities out this weekend!

Parents looking to raise children who always tell the truth, or are at least less prone to lying, might want to choose George Washington as a role model, and stay clear of Pinocchio.

According to a recent study, the famous tale of how our first president came clean and confessed his guilt about how he chopped down the cherry tree,has been proven to reduce the likelihood of children lying. Research also showed that kids who heard the story of Pinocchio, the wooden puppet whose nose grew each time he told a lie, or “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” weren’t compelled to change their behavior.

How to stop lying habits

The research study discovered that teaching kids how to stop lyingis not an easy task. It isn’t helpful to simply talk about telling the truth or to discuss right from wrong, it just doesn’t have much impact on children lying.

Why do children lie?

Kids have wild imaginations that are developing rapidly. They spend a lot of time in their own fantasy world. This is all healthy and normal. This research was intended for the purpose of grasping when kids learn to lie, why do children lie, and which factors affect moral development.

A recent study by the same team, that took about 10 years to complete, focused on whether or not being honest can be learned from children’s stories with moral endings. A group of kids ranging in age from three to seven was brought in and strategically set up to tell a lie.

They were left alone in a room and asked to identify the sound of a toy, with their backs to it, without peeking.  When the researcher came back, she concealed the toy and had the kids face her. She then read one of the previously mentioned stories with a moral ending, George Washington’s memoir, “Pinocchio,” or “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.”  A separate group of children heard, “The Tortoise and the Hare,” a tale without the honesty theme.

Children lying

At the end of the readings, the kids were asked to confess if they had peeked. This is the breakdown of results:

• Younger kids who heard the George Washington story responded more honestly than the ones who were read “Pinocchio.”
• Most of the kids peeked and lied: 90 percent of three-year-old children and over 60 percent of the seven-year-old kids lied, equaling about 65 percent overall.
• The kids who heard about George Washington lied only half of the time.
• The groups who were read “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” and “Pinocchio,” lied just as much as the children in the control group.

Researchers believe that children respond better to the positive outcome of telling the truth rather than the bad consequences that inevitably results from lying.  Kids don’t respond well to negative information.

What to do when your child lies

Bringing up a moral child requires more than just teaching them that lying is wrong. They also need to be taught how to take notice and correctly interpret situations. One example, if a child shoves a playmate, instead of yelling at the child, try to instill empathy by directing the focus to how the playmate must feel after being pushed.

Also, it is very important that parents model honest behavior. Oftentimes children are asked, to tell the truth, and are told the teacher or parent won’t get mad, and they go against their word and get mad anyway.  They focus on the transaction and forget about the promise. Children learn from this type of dishonesty.  Parents need to follow through with what they promise and be an honest example.

New parents have a lot to consider when it comes time to choose the right childcare for their precious little one. It can be very hard  for many to even think about heading to work and leaving a new baby or  young child in someone else’s hands. The process of searching for the best daycares in Calgary is often a daunting, emotional and overwhelming chore.  If you have feelings of uncertainty about what you need to look for, or where to begin, that just adds to the stress level. Being informed with the necessary knowledge will greatly reduce your fear and help you to prepare better for this next phase of yours, and your child’s life.

How do registered and unregistered day homes in Calgary differ?

• Registered day homes in Calgary are accredited and unregistered sites are private. Accredited (registered) day homes operate under an agency that is licensed by the Alberta Government, Human Services Ministry.  These agencies monitor such day homes, which are required to follow strict guidelines and regulations regarding supervision, safety, discipline, and more.  Registered day homes may provide subsidized care for qualified families.
• An unregistered day home is a private unlicensed facility. Private day homes in Calgary do not have to follow any strict rules or guidelines allowing them more flexibility in their program. Oftentimes, unregistered providers were once accredited through an agency, but for any number of reasons, chose to operate autonomously.  Since private day homes are not monitored by an agency, they can offer such advantages as overnight care for shift workers. Subsidized care is not available at unregistered day homes in Calgary.

What features should I look for in a day home?

• A positive feeling: You should feel confident and secure each time you drop off your child or children. Look for a warm, child-friendly atmosphere that provides a wide select of crafts, toys and picture books.
• Good communication: The best daycares in Calgary should offer clear, concise communication, in a timely manner, at all times. Some facilities provide a journal or notebook for daily updates on your child’s experiences. This is particularly useful for infants and toddlers who not yet about to speak for themselves.
• Seek evidence of learning: You should clearly see signs of positive experiences and learning through each day through artwork, park visits, etc. The whole day doesn’t necessarily need to be strictly structured, but it there should a regular routine. Look for a variety of materials and toys that encourage curiosity and play.
• A healthy meal plan: Registered day home providers are required to abide by the Canada Food Guide for planning meals for children. Select a day home based childcare facility that follows a nutritious meal plan.

Most importantly, your child should enjoy his or her time at the daycare in Calgary. There may be some tears when you first drop off your child or every time you leave, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your child isn’t having fun. A definite sign that you chose well is if your little one turns things around and cries when it’s time to go home!

Stick with your gut feeling, you will feel at ease when you discover the right day home. If you have any uncertainty, always pay attention to your intuition.

From the moment kids are born we watch them sprout up like weeds. Some parents boast about it, others fret. But one thing they all have to deal with is all of those wardrobe changes. As they grow, kids simply go through a lot of clothes. They grow out of them fast or wear them out and often get their outfits dirty.  Parents spend a lot of time and money buying and changing their little one’s clothes, especially during the infant, toddler, and preschool ages.

Parents want affordable kids matching clothes

Two important things to consider when choosing clothing styles for young children are wear-ability and price. It is a given that your child will outgrow their current size in a matter of months, so it is foolish to spend your entire clothing budget on just a few items. Kid’s attire should always be affordable.

Secondly, children need to be comfortable, easy to get on and off, and fun to wear. Cool selections that are simple to mix and match are a great learning tool for kids.

Always have spare clothing handy

Parents of very young tykes understand that you never know when a diaper may leak or a sudden incident of spit up may occur when you are out and about.  New and seasoned moms and dads, always carry a spare set or two. Never leave home without extra clothes. Having kids matching clothing already sorted and ready is a big help.

Garanimals mix and match clothing are still popular

The Garanimals brand has been offering quality and affordable mix and match clothes for kids since 1972.  The company was founded on a simple premise, to provide comfortable clothes for kids that are easy for parents to mix and match. Each apparel line is comprised of separates of similar hues and style that will complement any piece within that same line of children’s clothing.

Garanimals are still available today at discount stores for great prices. You can manage to gather 10 separates pieces of durable children’s apparel for under $50. Simplify your life and try mix and match Garanimals clothing for your little ones. They may help bring back playful memories of your mix and match years. At these prices, there is nothing to lose and your kids and you might love them!

Quality child care in Calgary doesn’t have to be a financial burden. There are so many great daycare centers around that offer excellent services. Parents need to prepare early and understand all of the childcare costs involved.

Do you need full or part-time childcare in Calgary?

One of the first things to consider is whether or not you will need full or part-time dedicated daycare.  A full-time slot typically equals five days per week, while part-time is simply less than five days of daycare in Calgary.

Ask the provider if an upfront fee is required. This is particularly important if you only need part-time childcare.  It is common for daycare centers to charge a higher rate per day for partial enrollment.  The childcare cost is justified because the facility will probably need to maintain the same amount of staff members on days your child is not in attendance.

How expensive is full-time dedicated daycare?

An informative report called The Parent Trap posted by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives reviewed the cost of daycare across Canada and how it compares to other countries around the globe. Although Canada ranks lower in childcare spending, costs are certainly not cheap. Full-time child care in Calgary for infants averages over $1,000 per month. In Edmonton, the average childcare cost is about $900 per month.

Why is the monthly cost higher for infants?

The price is lower still for preschool children. Preschool in Calgary goes for about $924 every month while in Edmonton the typical monthly rate is $746. As your children get older, the monthly fee decreases. The biggest factor for this decline is the staff-to-child ratio that licensed day care centers in Calgary need to adhere to, to operate legally. Younger children require more staff members; therefore, it costs a facility a lot more money to care for a baby than it does a preschooler or older child.

Are there extra fees not included in the monthly cost?

Remember to ask about all associated fees when you register your child for daycare in Calgary. It is common for childcare costs to include fees to cover such things as materials, meals and field trips. All of the extra fees can really add up. You may be able to have these fees spread out throughout the year and added to your monthly bill.

Is there assistance available if I can’t afford daycare in Calgary?

The Alberta government offers low-income families a subsidy plan to help cover the cost of part-time and full-time childcare services. Available programs cover the cost of in-home daycare, daycare facilities, before-school care, and after-school care. These programs can even sometimes cover situations where a family member cares for a child.

Shop around and ask all the right questions when looking for affordable daycare. Keep in mind that certain locations charge higher rates than others.  Some daycare centers offer discounts for families with more than one child. Prepare well in advance and start saving a small portion of the cost each week.

It is only natural to want to raise healthy, active children. But oftentimes life gets in the way. It isn’t always easy to juggle work, school, family time and physical activity. Yet, it is so important to provide healthy examples for kids starting early.

Active family fitness

A lifestyle of family fitness may mean better heart health for everyone. Research has shown that overweight kids can have as much plaque accumulated in their arteries as a middle-aged adult. This horrifying data shows that some obese children are premature candidates for heart disease and other life-threatening conditions.

How to active

Staying active together will help set up good habits that will last a lifetime. Here are some suggestions on how to be active:

Plan fun outdoor family activities

• Get together as a family one day each week do something active outdoors. Some good suggestions include swimming at the beach or a pool when the weather is warm; sledding or skiing in the winter, or hiking or bike riding in mild temperatures. Keep healthy snacks accessible and pack a picnic lunch.

Take fitness classes together

• Local gyms and community centers may offer programs or classes for adults and children together. If your kids are too little, look for mommy and me options that incorporate the baby into the exercise moves or by pushing them along in a stroller. If you are a family of two, without kids, search for partner workouts.

Reorganize your living room

• Make your family area more of an activity hotspot by adding some video games that encourage kids being active and limit television time. It isn’t necessary to turn your living room into a gym, but you can encourage more movement by making subtle changes.

Make chores enjoyable

• Make cleaning time a game that involves the whole family. See who can tidy up the fastest and try to beat each other time the following week. Have music playing while washing dishes or folding laundry. The family can take the dog out for walks or runs together.

Plan healthy meals together

• Healthier eat habits should go along with staying active. Involve children by taking them to farmer’s markets and allowing them to pick and choose their own vegetables and fruits. Teach them how to prepare meals and give them an active role in the process.

School bullying is a hot topic these days. It has become a serious problem and many learning establishments have taken on a no-tolerance policy. But what about when it comes to the smallest and most vulnerable students, the preschool and toddler group? Don’t be fooled into thinking this bunch is too young to know anything about tormenting each other. Preschool bullying isn’t always noticed as much as the behaviors are in older kids. It is often dismissed because adults believe they are too young to know better or that is just what young kids do.

Is preschool bullying possible?
However, the negative behavior shouldn’t be looked at that way. Prior to the age of three, children have not yet developed empathy. A kid might be hurtful either physically or emotionally to a playmate, but not really grasp how that makes the other feel. The brain grows and cognitive ability starts to flourish after three years. At that point a child has more understanding of other people’s feelings, can form premeditated thought and has the ability to put forth purposeful aggression. By preschool age children know when they are being mean.

How does bullying start?
Child bullying is often learned behavior. Kids imitate what they have witnessed, or perhaps they have been the receiver of such treatment from a sibling, parent or a friend. Other times bullies are just trying to get attention from either their peers or from adults. Some more troubling and complex situations involve a bully who enjoys bringing others down. This type of perpetrator feels good seeing the victim injured, in fear or just plain miserable. This is the toughest child bully to get under control.

When should parents or teachers step in?
It is common for teachers and parents to simply wait and see what happens during a confrontation. This doesn’t help the victim or the bully because nothing gets addressed until someone gets hurt. Many times a child will have mentioned repeatedly that someone has been bothering him or her, but the issue gets dismissed.

Here are some ways to determine if children are having a simple disagreement, or if you need to step in and stop a bullying situation:

• Is the aggressive behavior intentional?
• Does it involve an imbalance of power?
• Is the negative behavior repeated over an extended amount of time?
  1. Does the bully use verbal put-downs, taunting, name-calling?
  2. Has the bullied child been physically abused, such as pushing, kicking, or punching?
  3. Has the bully started rumors about the child or encouraged social rejection or exclusion?

Not all childhood confrontations should be considered bullying. Kids are going to say and do impulsive things, some spats will get out of hand. Certain conflicts will help them develop stronger people skills, as they learn how to negotiate, compromise and most importantly, how to forgive and remain friends.

But, if you think your child is being bullied in preschool, ask him or her specific questions. Kids this young may have trouble expressing exactly what has been happening. Then, help them figure out an effective way to respond, such as stay with packs of friends, tell a teacher, ignore the bully, or if the child can, bravely command the bully to stop. By being proactive, the child will gain more control of the situation and it will be a confidence booster. If none of these tactics work, arrange a meeting with the teacher or caregiver and take action yourself.