Playgroup: A Hippity Hoppity Easter Hunt

I realize that all of our holiday activities are posted a little too late to be incorporated into your celebrations this year, but it's still good to share our creative ideas, right?? And maybe we'll be able to inspire some belated parties. Just maybe.

We started our Easter-themed activity with the Little Critter's celebration of Easter, complete with egg hunt, and a Blue's Clues book about a game of Hide-and-Seek. As the playgroup leader, I have noticed that kids pay attention best during storytime when they are given something to do. Interactive stories will capture their interest! In this story, Blue hides in various places, and the kids help me find her by pointing to her on every page. This made it not only easier to tell the story with everyone sitting down and listening, but also make it more fun for them to be a part of the action!

I showed them the Easter baskets we would be making for our Easter egg hunt later, and we got to work!

Materials used:

• Brown paper sacks. We cut them at the bottom and folded them over for the base of the basket, and cut the left over part of the page vertically to make one long strip, folding it hamburger style to make a long basket handle.
• Crayons and markers to embellish our baskets, creating weave marks, eggs, bunnies, and designs.
• Yarn and stickers for decorations!
• Staples. We stapled the strips so they wouldn't separate at the top, and also stapled the handle to our baskets. We also had glue, but staplers seemed more sturdy!

The kids were so creative, and each basket was a little bit different!

Next we had the kids line up in the hallway while the Easter bunny's helper (aka my husband..everyone knows the Easter Bunny doesn't come early!) hid the eggs. I gave each of the kids a small handful of green paper shreds as "grass" for their baskets. This was easily done by putting green construction paper through a paper shredder machine!

They were so anxious!

And everyone was off!

 

 

 

The kids helped one another find one egg that was filled with a small handful of Skittles, some stickers, and an apple-shaped eraser. They put them in their bags, and I also gave them two chocolate-shaped candies to fill up their baskets a little more.

There was a lot of social interaction today, and the kids got some practice being patient, kind, and helpful to one another. I accidentally only brought one stapler today, and with so much need for it there was a lot of waiting and finding other things to do while it was being used, and the children were also very patient while the eggs were being hidden.

Find ways to let your kids practice being patient, even if it is not a strength for them quite yet! Parents can model patience by remaining calm and happy during waits, preoccupying themselves to help kids understand that waiting time can still be useful, asking kids riddles to keep them quiet and thinking, playing I-Spy with item in the room, chatting together about the day, drawing a picture for grandma, taking turns making up the next line of a story, or doing simple math problems. Options are endless! It can be hard for kids to learn this important lesson, but it is an essential life skill that will serve them well later in life. Kids aren't born with a large amount of patience, and your example means a lot to them!

Thanks for reading! Follow us today!

Tweet

Pin It Now!

Car Seat Safety

Photo

Car seats are so important for babies and children, but it can be a hard task to pick out the right car seat for your vehicle and child. Car seats are essential if you want to leave the hospital with your new little bundle of joy. If your baby is going to travel in a car, by law she must have an appropriate car seat. 

All infants and toddlers should ride in a Rear-Facing Car Seat until they are 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat's manufacturer.  You can purchase a Rear-Facing Only, 3-in-1 seats, or Rear-Facing Convertible Car Seat. Baby car seats have evolved in recent years, with bolder designs and new features adding to their versatility. Make sure to read the owners manual with your car seat to find out if it will be safer to have the handle down on the car seat while your child is in the vehicle or if it is safe to have it in the upright position. 
The priority with all car seats is safety, so check the seat will be secure in your car. Some manufacturers list compatible vehicles on their website. It’s also crucial that you know how to install the seat, so ask for a demonstration. It is estimated that 80% of car seats are used incorrectly. Have your car seat inspected to make sure it is installed and used correctly. Click here to make an appointment to have your car seat inspected. 

Car seats may be installed with either the vehicle’s seat belt or the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system. Both are equally safe, but in some cases, it may be easier to install the car seat using LATCH. LATCH is an attachment system for car seats. Lower anchors can be used instead of the seat belt to install the seat and may be easier to use in some cars. The top tether improves the safety provided by the seat and is important to use for all forward-facing seats, even those installed using the vehicle seat belt. Read the vehicle owner’s manual and the car seat instructions for weight limits for lower anchors and top tethers.

Vehicles with the LATCH system have anchors located in the back seat, where the seat cushions meet. Tether anchors are located behind the seat, either on the panel behind the seat (in sedans) or on the back of the seat, ceiling, or floor (in most minivans, SUVs, and hatchbacks). Car seats have attachments that fasten to these anchors. Nearly all passenger vehicles and all car seats made on or after September 1, 2002, come with LATCH.

Photo

SEAT BASE 

Most car seats have a base that stays in the car. Parents ‘click’ the infant carrier onto this to secure it. A few car seats also have the option of a base, fitted using the adult seat belt. 

HARNESS 
Newborn seats have a three- or five-point harness; the latter can feel more secure. 

SHAPED/ROCKING BASE
Means you can use the infant carrier as a rocking seat for your baby out of the car. 

RECLINE AND ‘LIE-FLAT’ CAPABILITY
Some seats have an adjustable back so you can alter the position your baby sits in. 

Photo

For car seat recommendations for children from birth to 12 years old click here. Some information found here. For further information on car seats click here.

Tweet

Pin It Now!

Opportunities to Volunteer with Welcome Baby!

Would you like the opportunity to volunteer? A chance to help provide support to new families in Utah County? Well, you are in luck! The Welcome Baby Program is looking for new volunteers to do home visits throughout Utah County, from Lehi to Payson! It is wonderful that our program has expanded so much, but we need help to reach all the families who are interested in receiving 1 time and long term visits! If you are interested please submit an application! We would greatly appreciate your help to better our community! 

Mission Statement
Become a Volunteer

Become a Welcome Baby volunteer home visitor and enjoy the fulfillment of strengthening families in your community. Have fun interacting with parents and their new babies, bringing new information and activities while sharing insights from your personal experience. You can make a difference in the lives of families in Utah County!

Welcome Baby is a home visitation program sponsored by the Utah County Health Department and the United Way of Utah County.  We train volunteers to visit new parents in our community. We offer two volunteer opportunities: (1) Long term visits to families and (2) One-time visits to families.

Click here to submit your application and to find out more information about home visits.

Tweet

Pin It Now!

Easter Craft and Treats!

Photo

Are you looking for a cute craft to do with your little ones for Easter? Here is a simple and fun craft! 

All you need is: 

White Paper

Kid Friendly Yellow and Orange Paint

Paintbrush

Glue Sticks

Yellow Feathers

Googly Eyes

1. Start off by painting yellow ovals. You might need to lightly draw one with yellow crayon for your kids to fill in with paint.

2. Next place the feathers on your chick with a glue stick, and paint on some legs, hair and beak. Don't forget your googly eyes! You're all done! Let your kids have fun with embellishing their pictures! Your kids can hang their pictures on the wall/fridge or they can fold their picture in half and give it to someone as an Easter card. I mentioned in my St. Patrick's Day post about children developing fine motor skills, this activity will also help your children develop and strengthen their fine motor skills by painting and gluing. 

Yummy Easter Treat that is Easy to Make!

Photo

All you need to make this treat is:

As many Ice Cream Cones as you want to fill

Jelly Beans, the more colors the better!

A small knife to carefully cut two holes into the sides of each ice cream cone

Apple Licorice, any Licorice would work. Tuck either end of the Licorice into the holes to serve as an edible handle! Ta-da! Now you have a new take on a spring tradition! These mini baskets will add a bright touch to your kitchen table and are fun for kids! You can have your kids help you by putting the jelly beans in the ice cream cones and have your kids put the licorice in the holes you cut in the cones.

The last treat you can make is a little more difficult, but definitely super cute! It will take a lot more steps to make so click here for the ingredients and directions on how to make these Easter Egg Treats!

Tweet

Pin It Now!

Playgroup: Popcorn Popping!

Utah has taken a turn for BEAUTIFUL lately! The sun has been shining, the air has gotten a touch warmer (on good days), and the sky is crystal clear. Pops of yellow, pink, and white buds and blossoms have started showing up everywhere, adding some needed bursts of color. I think spring is here to stay!

I really wanted to incorporate these wonderful changes in nature into our activities at playgroup, so that's exactly what we did! Our latest activity was centered around the budding excitement of spring! We started off by singing some songs, and of course, Popcorn Popping on the Apricot tree was one of them. We read two books that helped us get in the mood for a spring time activity: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the beloved classic by Eric Carle, and I Am a Leaf, an early reading book documenting the journey of a leaf through the seasons.

I asked the children what they thought of the song "Popcorn Popping," and what it meant to think that there was popcorn on the trees. I showed them a small branch of pink blossoms I had clipped from a nearby tree earlier that morning and held some popped popcorn in my other hand and let them observe both. We talked about both of the items looking fluffy because of either round petals or popcorn-y goodness, and to help them get a better vision of the idea (and to take advantage of the gorgeous weather!) we took a little fieldtrip out of our playgroup room to find a 'popcorn tree'!

We stood and looked up at the beautiful blossoms and sang the song again.

What a beautiful day!!

After our little fieldtrip, we ventured back inside to make our own little version of popcorn trees, using popcorn, of course! The kids used brown markers and crayons to draw the trunk and branches of the tree, glued small pieces of fluffy popcorn to create blossoms, and ripped small pieces of green paper to show the budding leaves. These tasks helped the kids sharpen their fine motor skills by picking up small objects with their fingers and putting them in place. It has been exciting to watch the children get better and better at crafts since I started running the playgroups in January! Moms are good helpers, and can ease the frustration as kids develop these skills.

The finished products!

We finished our craft early, so we did a parachute toss using a couple yards of light cotton fabric, a small ball of yarn, and a tiny rubber duck. Each child took hold of the outside of the fabric, we counted to three, and pulled up on the fabric. The kids LOVED this. The younger ones got such a kick out of the moving fabric, and the older kids raced to retrieve the flying objects. We got everyone laughing, and I would suggest this to anyone who has access to a bunch of kids, a soft toy, and a blanket. It was a hoot! In addition to being quite hilarious, this activity can also help with gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination. All in the form of play!

Other tips from our playgroup activity:

• Winter is over, and kids can finally get outside and play again! With many distractions offering easy indoor entertainment such as TV and video games, it is important to stress the importance of playing outdoors in the fresh air. Invite your kids to play a game of tag, toss a ball around, go for a walk, or jump rope while the sun is shining and the air is warm. Kids learn from example, so as they see you enjoying the time outdoors, they will value it more and learn to choose it themselves as they grow up.
• Popcorn is a low-calorie, low-fat whole grain! It is a good one for kids, as long as you supervise small children to prevent choking, and is one that kids tend to LOVE. Butter is the one vice of most microwavable popcorn options, and the easiest way to avoid the added fat and calories is to air-pop your own popcorn! This way you have the option of how much (or how little) butter you have, as well as dressing it up or down with cinnamon sugar, favorite candies (my mom loves popcorn with skittles!), or taco seasoning! Be creative!

Thanks for stopping by! Follow us today! 

Interested in joining a playgroup? We currently have SIX in operation, and we'd love for you to join us!

Email us at baby1@unitedwayuc.org and we will get you connected with a playgroup nearest you, or help you organize one of your own!

Tweet

Pin It Now!