News Paper Hat: How To

1. Start with a full sheet of newspaper. You can use a different kind of paper, but it will need to be about as big as a newspaper page in order to fit most heads.
   
   
2. 2
   Fold on center vertical crease.Fold on center vertical crease. Your newspaper page should have two creases in it - one vertical, running down the spine of the section, and one horizontal, where the section is folded in half. Make sure the vertical crease is closed, and position it at the top of your work space (so that it becomes horizontal).
   
   
3. 3
   Fold one top corner down along the center line. The shorter fold in the newspaper should now be running vertically. Grab a top corner and fold down along the center line, creating a diagonal crease.
   
   
4. 4
   Fold the other top corner down along the center line.Fold the other top corner down along the center line, creating a diagonal crease.
   
   
5. 5
   Fold up bottom edge of the page. Fold up the bottom edge of the page, top layer only. Fold up by about 2 or 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm).
   
   
6. 6
   Turn paper over.Turn over the paper.
7. 7
   Fold in one of the outside edges.Fold in the left outside edge. Go 2 or 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) toward the center of the hat.
   
   
8. 8
   Fold in the other outside edge.Fold in the right outside edge. Make the fold the same width as the first outside edge you folded.
   
   
9. 9
   Adjust to fit. The distance between the outside edges can be adjusted, more or less, to fit your head.
   
   
10. 10
    Fold up bottom edge.Fold up the bottom edge of the paper. This fold should be long enough to cover the folds you made in Steps 7 and 8.
    
    
11. 11
    Open hat. Open the hat, and place on your head.
    
    
12. 12
    Decorate (optional). Add colors, glitter or other embellishments to your hat.
    
    
13. 13
    Finished.
    
    

     From Wiki How
    
    

10 Ways To Beat The Heat

Cool Activities for Hot Days

Put a twist on summer favorites: Make them wet and wild or adapt them for indoor fun. You don't need a pool to beat a heat wave!

Cold Potato

For a refreshing change to this silly game, pass around a wet, spraying potato. Use a pin to poke a hole in a water balloon, then fill it with water and make sure the balloon has a slow — but steady — leak. Gather your grandchildren in a circle and toss the leaky balloon from one player to the next — spraying everyone in the process. Be sure to throw it quickly: The goal is to pass the balloon before it runs out of water.

Play Marco Polo Without a Pool

Put a twist on this classic and it becomes a cool backyard game on a hot day. Decide who will go first and blindfold that person or have them keep their eyes closed. The searcher — armed with a water gun — turns around and counts to 10, while the other players silently move to new locations in the backyard. When the counting ends, the searcher calls "Marco" and the other players respond with "Polo" while moving about the yard. When the searcher successfully shoots a player with water, it's time to switch roles.

Serve Up a Twist on Indoor Volleyball

Or more accurately, volley feather. Give everyone a large feather (you can find them in the craft aisle at your local dollar store) and see who can blow the feather overhead for the longest time. Once you've got the hang of making the feather float, play as a team and try to pass a feather back and forth between players without letting it fall to the ground.

Become the Art Projects

Get into your bathing suits and take the fun outdoors. Use washable finger paints and brushes, and take turns painting directly on one another. Unlike most crafts, the best part of this one is cleaning up. Spray one another with the garden hose to get back to your blank-canvas selves and start all over again.

Play Hide-and-Seek With Stuffed Animals

In this new edition, stuffed animals do the hiding while you and the grandkids do the seeking. You and your grandchildren each get one stuffed animal. Split up and hide the stuffed animals anywhere in the house (or pick one room if you're playing with younger kids). Then, each searches to find the others' hidden object. When you've found a hidden animal, take it and put it in a new hiding spot for them to find — the kids should do the same with yours. Continue playing for as long as you all are having fun.

Act it Out

It's easy to pop in a movie and relax in front of the tube, but that's not how memories are made. Instead, take turns acting out your favorite flicks as one-man plays. Set a five-minute limit and watch the plot unfold. Wait until you see an imaginative 6-year-old performAladdin. Have the camera ready.

Play a Game of Splat

Fill a dozen water balloons and take turns throwing them high into the air over the driveway or sidewalk. Make sure they pop on impact because you're competing to see who can make the biggest water splat. Use chalk to trace the outline of the watermark and determine who won.

Bob for Apples and Other Bucket Fun

Fill a large container with water and apples and have the kids hunt for them with their mouths just like you did when you were a kid. Once each kid has claimed an apple, play a game of sink or float. Gather household objects that can get wet (a shampoo bottle, a Matchbox car, a soup ladle) and make predictions about whether or not each object will sink or float. When things sink, kids can go in after them and cool off even more.

Have an Indoor Picnic

The best part of a picnic is the fact that it takes place on the ground. Keep it inside for the air-conditioned climate and spread out on the living room floor. Lie on a blanket and enjoy a healthy lunch like turkey and cheese roll-ups in a whole-wheat tortilla, fruit salad, and ants on a log (celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins). Wear your favorite shades, of course!

Make Smoothies

Skip the ice cream treat and make something healthier. Blend a nutritious, delicious frozen fruit drink. Let your grandkids help you load a blender with a half cup of ice cubes and whatever fruit they select — mangoes, strawberries, bananas, and pineapples work best. Add a little water or juice to allow it to mix smoothly. Then help the kids blend until the mixture is smooth. The natural fruit is sweet enough that no extra sugar is needed. Garnish with a straw or paper umbrella and enjoy.

GrandParents.com

Signs and Symptoms of Heat Exhaustion in Children

By Latonya Thomas

Heat-related illnesses such as heat strokes, heat cramps, and heat exhaustion are more likely to be found in children. Many people will argue with this notion. They will say that children are not more prone to these heat-related illnesses because they are younger and have more adrenaline therefore should be able to withstand prolonged amounts of heat. I can assure you that this is not true due to two major things that factor into this equation.

1. When children are playing on a hot summer day it is less likely for them to stop and take a break when having fun. Children will keep on going in prolonged heat when they really should be taking rest breaks to get cool air every now and then.

2. Also when having fun children tend to forget that their bodies are loosing rapid amounts of fluid due to the heat, and there bodies are perspiring. Which means only one thing children need to be sure to replace these fluids by drinking sufficient amount of fluids to replace what they've perspired so that they wont have one of these heat-related illnesses.

Out of all heat-related illnesses heat exhaustion is the next to last most severe illness. Heat Exhaustion is caused by not replenishing the fluids and salts in your body. It will most likely occur in extreme heat conditions with intense sweating that is not being sufficiently replaced by the proper fluids. This causes your body to overheat and if not treated immediately can cause a heat stroke which is the most severe of heat-related illnesses.

Signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion in children include:

• Muscle Cramps

• Pale Skin

• Fever over 102 Degrees

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Headache

• Fatigue

• Weakness

• Anxiety

These signs and symptoms are the most common of heat exhaustion and can easily be seen in children. When your children are playing in extremely hot conditions make sure to keep an eye on them. If you notice any of the above signs or symptoms of heat exhaustion be sure to cool them down immediately. Always remember that heat cramps are really the first signs of heat exhaustion. If your child first experiences heat cramps or complain of heat cramps sit them down immediately and give them fluids this can prevent heat exhaustion if caught early on.

Treatments of heat exhaustion should include:

• Move the child to a cool or air-conditioned place.

• Remove all excess clothing.

• Fan Skin.

• Give fluids such as Gatorade that is made with salts and sugar to replace that which was lost.

If the child continues to show signs of heat exhaustion I suggest rushing them to your nearest emergency room before heat stroke occurs! 

Safety Tips for Your Big and Little Kids

LITTLE KIDS

Toddlers have that perfect combination of energy and curiosity – and they say the funniest things, too.

As parents, this is the time when we want to let our kids explore, learn and have fun. Bumps, bruises, scrapes and scratches are part of the deal. But the one thing we don’t want is for small accidents to turn into more serious injuries. That’s where just a little information and planning come in.

On this site, you will find the top tips every parent needs to keep little kids safe. Think of us as your go-to source for safety information.

There are also other resources such as blogs, checklists and videos that will give you the tools you need to help keep your kids safe. And don’t forget to share this information with a friend. Because when it comes to keeping kids happy, active and safe, we’re all in this together.

• Battery Safety
• Bike Safety
• Boating Safety
• Burn and Scalds Prevention
• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention
• Passenger Safety
• Choking Prevention
• Fall Prevention
• Fire Safety
• Medication Safety
• Pedestrian Safety
• Playground Safety
• Poison Prevention
• Safety In and Around Cars 
• Skating/Skateboarding
• Sports Safety
• Toy Safety
• TV and Furniture Tip-over Safety
• Trunk Entrapment
• Water Safety and Drowning Prevention

BIG KIDS

This is one of the best ages for kids. They can be funny and smart, and they actually might still think we’re cool.

Remember, kids are sponges, and they are watching us just as closely as we’re watching them. So this is the perfect time to be with your children and help them learn all the ways they can explore and still be safe.

On this site, you will find the top tips every parent needs to keep big kids safe. Think of us as your go-to source for safety information.

There are also other resources such as checklists and videos that will give you the tools to help keep your kids safe. 

• Bike Safety
• Boating Safety
• Booster Seat Safety
• Burn and Scald Prevention
• Carbon Monoxide Prevention
• Fall Prevention
• Fire Safety
• Pedestrian Safety
• Poison Prevention
• Playground Safety
• Medication Safety
• Skating/Skateboarding Safety
• Sports Safety
• Trunk Entrapment 
• TV and Furniture Tip-Over 
• Water Safety and Drowning Prevention

from Safe Kids World Wide

Why Soccer Shots Works

Check out Robin Tilleys Soccer Shots You Tube channel and learn all about our company!

Why Soccer Shots Works

Soccer Shots: Our Story

Soccer Shots: The Impact

Soccer Shots Headquarters

"Staying Active With Your Families" -- Jeremy Sorzano, aired on WBMTV Charlotte May 11, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uZX4zb6vcU&list=UUTHSlVSHwd4X1F6xg13LKSA

Good Nights: 4 Sleep Solutions for Your Preschooler's Bedtime

Does Your Child Get Enough Sleep?

When your child doesn't well, you don't sleep well. And that probably means that your whole family is waking up on the wrong side of the bed.

"The quality and quantity of your preschooler's sleep, or lack thereof, affects everything—dawdling, crankiness, hyperactivity, growth, health, and even whether he can recite the ABCs," says Elizabeth Pantley, author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution. At this age, it's incredibly important for your child to get enough sleep; for most 3- and 4-year-olds, that means at least 11 hours of sleep a day, including naps.

To make sure your kid gets the sleep he/she needs to wake up refreshed and ready to learn, combat some of these common bedtime battles with real-life expert solutions.

My kid is never tired at bedtime.

Your child may not look tired, but that doesn't mean she isn't. All preschoolers get drowsy, even if they don't want to admit it. And because many kids move into overdrive when they're overtired, it can seem like they still have energy to burn.

Sleep Solution It's crucial to set a nighttime routine and stick to it. "A child's biological clock functions best with a specific daily schedule, and going to sleep at the same time every day helps her body know when to wind down," says Pantley. Research has also shown that kids who have rules about bedtime have higher scores on tests of language, literacy, and math skills. Make your bedtime pattern a special time to bond. Choose a few calming activities, like braiding your child's hair after their bath, reading, and saying good night to his/her toys together. And remember to take your time; if you rush through the process, it could create tension and may just make her less sleepy.

My 4-year-old goes to sleep in his/her own bed but then sneaks into our room in the middle of the night.

When a child prefers sleeping next to his parents, it's a sign of his/her trust and love. But once you get in the habit of letting into your bed, it's a difficult pattern to break, and he may become dependent on your proximity to fall back to sleep.

Sleep Solution To help your child stay in his own bed, there are a number of approaches you can take. "Going cold turkey (locking your door at bedtime and not opening it until the next morning) can be an effective method," says Parents advisor Judith Owens, M.D., director of Pediatric Sleep Medicine at Children's National Medical Center, in Washington, D.C. If you'd prefer a more gradual approach, put a sleeping bag in your room. Tell your child this is his space to sleep if he wants to be near you during the night but that he can't come into your bed. If he does climb in bed, take him back to his own room (or his sleeping bag) every time. Be ready for a challenge. "Your child will protest and cry to test how serious you are," says Dr. Owens. Don't give up.

My 3-year-old is afraid of the dark.

The same creativity that lets your child conjure up pretend friends and elaborate games of pirates can also lead her to think there are monsters under her bed. "It's normal for preschoolers to have these fears because, developmentally, they've realized that people exist even when they can't see them," says Dr. Owens.

Sleep Solution The key to handling your child's night frights is not only to say that everything's okay, but to act as though it is. Start by reinforcing the message that there are no such things as monsters. Go in the closet or look under the bed together to prove there's nothing lurking in the dark spaces. (Avoid using solutions like "monster spray," which may make your child think that the scary guys do indeed exist.) In addition to getting a night-light, you can make the room feel safer by leaving a flashlight on her nightstand or getting a soothing white-noise machine. Before you leave her room, remind her that you're right down the hall and won't let anything happen to her.

My child is up at the crack of dawn!

One common reason kids get up so early is simply that they've had enough rest. "If your kid is sleeping about 11 hours, and he doesn't appear tired during the day, his early rising is normal," says Pantley.

Sleep Solution Get your early bird to snooze a little later by keeping his room dark, using blinds or curtains to block out the light. You could also place a digital clock on his bed stand, put a sticky note over the minutes display, and tell him to stay in bed until he sees the number 6 (or whatever your preferred hour of being dragged out of bed is). Schedule playdates in the afternoon so he gets lots of exercise to help tire him out, and stick to the same bedtime, even on weekends; letting him stay up to watch a family movie can throw off his sleep schedule and result in unreasonable wake-up times, preventing you both from getting enough winks during the week.

Originally published in the May 2011 issue of Parents magazine. and parent.com

Brain exercises and physical coordination are benefits of physical education

Thanks Teacher Support Source!

Brain exercises and physical coordination are benefits of physical education because mind and body are connected. Certain physical coordination and occupational therapy activities support learning, especially reading fluency and comprehension.

This is why physical education is so important in schools and why physical coordination activities in classrooms can be used to organize the brain for reading. Scheduling time to get kids coordinated is absolutely essential to their learning to read and should NOT be left to chance. 


SKIPPING

Generally speaking, children who can skip read better than those who can't. Except for a small percentage of the population, if a child can't skip, he can't read.

Why?

Skipping requires the right and left hemispheres of the brain to work together, the right brain controlling the left foot and the left brain controlling the right foot. Learning to skip builds connections between the two hemispheres across the corpus collosum which divides them. These connections, when established and strengthened by skipping, can then be used for reading. So skipping is really a brain exercise! Who knew?

Well, neuro scientists and researchers, actually, have known this for some time. But the message has not yet made it to everyone who works with children. Reading requires the same cooperation between the two brain hemispheres. To start reading a line of text on the left, the right brain is in control. At the midline, it must hand off to the left brain to continue reading to the end of the line.

Skipping is a critical skill for developing connections in the brain which may be used for reading.

CROSSING THE MIDLINE 

Reading from left to right also is hard for children who have difficulty at the midline of their bodies. It is also particularly difficult for

boys. 

Occupational therapy activities treat such problems with specific brain exercises, and we as classroom teachers can help, too, using educational gadgets and toys which have children crossing the midline. 

• Laser tag - This activity was recommended to me by our school's occupational therapist. Working with a small group of children, give each one a laser pointer and ask them to follow your light as closely as they can with theirs. Move your light along the wall, up and down, for them to follow.
  Children love taking turns being the leader, and I have found it helpful if the leader uses a laser of a different color. (Mine is green.)
  Care must be taken, of course, when using laser pointers in this brain exercise! I don't have to tell you that!



• Bubbles - Also recommended by our occupational therapist, this activity involves blowing bubbles and asking children to stand still and pop the bubbles with the pointer finger of their dominant hand (the one they use for writing.) This means they will have to reach across the midline to pop bubbles, which is the "point!"



• Pick-up-sticks - A traditional game my children love to play, recommended by our occupational therapist as good for treating cross dominance.



• Jacks - Another traditional game good for crossing the midline.



• Clapping Games - These are similar to "Patty Cake" and with younger children, I just make them up to fit the rhythm of a fun song. (See right column for suggestions.)
  When done with a partner, the pattern should be something like "Down, clap, cross (clap hands with partner), clap, down" etc.
  Older students have a lot of fun making up their own and teaching their "moves" to the rest of us!



• Energizers and Dances - Many of the movements in dances and energizers are done at or across the midline. These involve music and a steady beat, both good for learning, and hopefully you've already shared some of your favorites on the Music Education in Schools page. (I hope you have!)
  The Hand Jive is done at the midline, and it is one my students always enjoy. Varying the speed is a good brain exercise so we switch it up between slow, medium, and fast.
  
• Crossing Hands - This is another activity suggested to us by our school's OT (Thanks, S.W.!!).
  Cut right and left hands out of construction paper and laminate them. Place them on a wall in such a way that kids can cross their hands and "walk" down the wall by alternating left and right hands.