everything kids guide, 2nd issue
DESCRIPTION
The guide with everything for kids and parents in Contra Costa CountyTRANSCRIPT
The Guide with Everything for Kids and Parents
May/ June 2012
Gift Idea for Teachers… page 11
Have a Healthy Pregnancy…page 8
Raising Honest Children… page 4
Event Calendar...page 14
May/ June 2012 2 www.EverythingKidsGuide.com
Table of Contents
Find more great articles online! Visit Everything Kids
Guide at www.everythingkidsguide.com
Raising Honest Children… page 4
Camping with Kids…. page 6
Best Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy…. Page 8
Craft Corner…. page 11
Healthy Recipes for Kids...page 12
Events Calendar… page 14
Thank you so much for picking up Everything Kids Guide. Our
second issue is coming out at an exciting time because we are
planning some really wonderful, FREE festivals for families in
May and June! I am so looking forward to meeting many of
our readers at these free events and enjoying fun activities
that will be available for all, including a trackless train, petting
zoo, pony rides, live entertainment, and more!
Are you planning a Summer vacation this year? Many families
have chosen camping this year to save money and introduce children to the great out-
doors. Camping is a wonderful opportunity to teach children about respecting nature
and appreciating the beauty all around us. We’ve out together some tips to help par-
ents enjoy camping with kids on page 6.
Summer is finally (almost) here. That means school age children will have to say good-
bye to their teacher, at least for the Summer. Let your kids show their teacher how
much they are appreciated with a fun craft, that makes a great gift, on page 11. It’s the
perfect way to end the school year and start a fabulous Summer!
Warm Regards,
Hope Desroches and the Everything Kids Guide Team
May/ June 2012 4 www.EverythingKidsGuide.com
Raising Honest Children Parents strive to raise children to be
respectable adults with strong charac-
ter. Raising children who are honest is
key to that goal. Here are five tips for
fostering honesty in children:
1 Listen to your child and ask questions.
Welcome your child’s thoughts and
feelings. Make family time and dinner-
time a chance for your child to grow
her authentic voice.
2 Seek to understand. When you catch
your child telling a lie, strive to hear his
story. Try to grasp what fears led your
child to believe that he could not tell
the truth.
3 Discuss honesty. Talk about truth
with your child. Use words and con-
cepts he can understand. Invite him to
think about what honesty means for trust and relationships.
4 Model honesty. Children admire their parents and want to be like them.
Acknowledge your words and behaviors. Let your child see you admit mistakes. Re-
member that children notice when parents preach one thing and live another. Your
well-meaning white lies can teach your child to spin the truth. Strive to be honest,
even if it means you’ll face difficult consequences.
5 Teach rather than rebuke. Inspire and encourage your child to want to be honest.
Harsh punishment or calling him a liar may make you feel better for a moment but
likely will not change your child’s behavior.
Being honest is a lifelong enterprise that begins early. Use every opportunity to nur-
ture and grow your child’s honesty.
May/ June 2012 6 www.EverythingKidsGuide.com
Camping is such a wonderful part of the warm weather months. We are al-ready enjoying the lovely Spring weather and Summer is very near. Every year is a little bit easier, as children grow, but camping with kids takes a lot of pre-paring. Here are some very important tips for camping with kids that will keep them safe and you relaxed.
~Be prepared for potty breaks. Staying at a camp ground with restrooms is ide-al for kids, especially those recently out of diapers. Ask for a space close enough to get to in a hurry in the middle of the night, just incase it should be necessary.
~Keep your eyes on the prize when near water. No camping trip is complete without spending some time at a lake or beach. As easy as it is to lose sight of priorities when you’re relaxing in the sand, water is a huge danger zone for children.
~Pack healthy snacks! With cookies, s’mores, hamburgers, and hot dogs being the go to meals for most campers- having some healthy snacks can avoid over consumption on sugars and fat. It also makes it easier to pack lunch when planning a day away from the camp site.
~Teach your children about their surroundings. Hiking with the whole family can be a great opportunity to talk to your kids about the dangers, and won-ders, of the great outdoors. Make sure they know what poison oak is and why it’s important not to go near it. Tell them the best way to react if they come into close contact with an animal.
~Bring some crafts and board games. Hiking, horse back riding, and swimming
are a lot of fun, but even older kids need a break. Bring along some relaxed games and activities you can enjoy together.
~Tell stories by the camp fire. Ignite your children’s imagination by telling them not-so-scary stories by the fire. If your child is old enough, allow them to make up their own story. You may be surprised at what they come up with.
~Make a check list. Save yourself repeated trips to the local store and come prepared! Consider everything you and your family will need for washing, sleeping, eating, and playing. Then don’t forget the sun screen!
~ Invite some friends. Kids always have more fun when they are with their friends. It’s a double win. The parents can enjoy each other’s company while the kids have fun!
Have fun! You and your children are making memories that they will have for
the rest of their lives. Enjoy every moment of it!
Written by Hope Desroches
Post your camping tips on our facebook page! www.fb.com/everythingkids
May/ June 2012 8 www.EverythingKidsGuide.com
Many moms do find themselves having a hard time eating healthy during pregnancy. It’s not hard to believe, considering most women want to give their baby a healthy start. Luckily, healthy eating during pregnancy does not have to be hard. It can be as easy as 1,2,3.
The first key is assortment. It’s been said that variety is the spice of life. Keeping your diet filled with assortment of fruits, vegetables and protein will help make sure that you and your baby don’t get too much of one nutrient and not enough of anoth-er. Eating a daily variety of healthy foods will give your growing baby and daily assort-ment of necessary nutrients.
Balance is the next thing to keep in mind. We all know that balance and moderation is the key to any diet. There is no reason to deny yourself a bowl of ice cream but the whole container is over doing it. You want to keep all your meals as balanced as possi-ble and make sure you are getting enough vitamins, whole grains and lean pro-tein. Eating one and not the other is not going to help you or your baby in any way shape or form. Indulging in cravings is fine every now and then as long as you keep it in moderation, if you want a cookie, have one. If potato chips are your craving, have a few. It is when you eat the whole box of cookies and the whole bag of chips in one sitting that you might have a problem.
The third key is color. You want to make your plate look as colorful as possible. Look
at fresh fruit and veggies to paint your plate. The more color appeasing it is going to
look to your eyes. Have you ever noticed in magazines and cooking shows the dishes
Healthy Eating During Pregnancy
always look so tasty? This is because of the variety of color ful your plate is, the more that are used in these dishes. You can get red strawberries and tomatoes to yellow peppers and squash. Pick your favorite colors and create your dishes based on that.
Forget about dieting while you are pregnant. You and your baby need a steady supply of calories and nutrients through out the nine months of pregnancy and beyond. Preg-nancy is one of the only times where a woman is expected to gain weight. Trying to prevent that weight gain can not only put you at risk, but also your baby at risk. You will have all the time in the world after your baby comes to lose the weight, but for nine months don’t even think about the word diet.
If you find you that you are getting sick of the food you have been eating, then it’s time to start experimenting with different foods. Pregnancy is a time to expand your eating horizons as well as your waistbands. Plus with food aversions, you might find yourself turning green at some of your favorite foods and craving foods you never dreamed you would eat. You may find that the thought of pizza can send you running for the toilet, but place a dish of brussel sprouts in front of you and you are in heaven.
Lastly, have fun with your food. Eating should be fun. Nothing will ruin your good hab-
its faster than boredom. Add little touches like a dip for your veggies. Enjoy your food
and try not to gulp it down. This will help avoid heartburn too! When you decide to
treat yourself, leave the guilt at the door. After all, you are growing a person inside of
you and decide a treat now and then for all your hard work.
May/ June 2012 10 www.EverythingKidsGuide.com
Teachers Help Children Grow Hand Print Flower Bouquet.
Another school year will come to a
close this June for Contra Costa
County students. Now is a good
time to think about a small gift
your child can make for the teacher
who invested so much in their
learning. Teachers help kids grow,
so show your appreciation by help-
ing your children make a handprint
flower garden on a t-shirt or blank
canvass bag.
Materials: Blank T Shirt, Canvass Bag, or Large Paper Acrylic paint Paintbrushes
This is a fun and easy craft for younger children, but kids of all ages will enjoy
making something special for their teacher. Use the paintbrush to paint your
children’s hands with a thick layer of paint. Each hand print will be one flow-
er. I suggest using multiple colors for a colorful flower garden. After making
three or four handprint flowers, wash your child’s hand and allow them to
draw stems on the flowers and grass below.
When all of the flowers are made, use the fabric paint to write a caption that
reads "Teachers Make Small Things Grow" or "Teachers Help Children Grow".
May/ June 2012 12 www.EverythingKidsGuide.com
Healthy, Kid-Friendly Recipes
Celebrate Mama with Healthy and Delicious Pancakes
Delight the mama in your life (yourself if you are a mama) with delicious pancakes for a
special Mother's Day breakfast. This simple recipe can be enjoyed any time, but the
kids will enjoy helping you cook a special Mother’s Day breakfast. Flaxseed is one of the
most powerful plant foods on the planet. There’s some evidence it may help reduce
your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Wheat germ is consider a natu-
ral weight loss food because it contains many essential nutrients known to help in-
crease metabolism.
Ingredients
3 cups of flour
3tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
1tbsp wheat germ
2 eggs
tsp vanilla
1 cup of sweet potato/ acorn squash/
butternut squash puree
1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce
1 1/2 cups of milk
Sash of olive oil
Directions
Mix together dry, powder ingredients first. Mix wet ingredients separately and stir
together until all dry ingredients are moist. Spray cooking oil on pan and pour 1/4 cup f
pancake mix onto the pan for each silver-dollar size pancake. Cook on medium heat,
approximately three minutes on each side until bubbling.
Everyone in the family will enjoy this breakfast. Best if served to mom in bed!
Want more healthy, kid-friendly recipes? Visit our website at
www.everythingkidsguide.com. Have a favorite recipe you want to share? Send it to
[email protected] and we will add it to the website!
Healthy, Kid-Friendly Recipes
May/ June 2012 14 www.EverythingKidsGuide.com
May Events
May 6th
11:am to 4:pm
Celebrate Mama Walnut Creek
Ygnacio Plaza, Sports Basement
1881 Ygnacio Valley Blvd, Walnut Creek
www.celebratemamawc.com
May 12th
10:am to 3:pm
Celebrate Mama Brentwood
Sand Creek Crossing
2400 Sand Creek Rd, Brentwood
www.brentwoodfun.com
May 13th
May 26th– 28th
KidFest, Concord
Mt Diablo High School
www.kidsfestconcord.com
June Events
June 1st– 3rd
Contra Costa County Fair
Antioch Fairgrounds
www.contracostafair.com
June 9th
Free Admission Day
Free Admission to all parks, including John
Muir National Historic site in Martinez and
Yosemite National Park
June 23rd
10:am to 3:pm
Brentwood Family Fun Day
Sunset Plaza
7760 Brentwood Blvd, Brentwood
www.brentwoodfun.com
June 24th
HALO's 14th Annual Pet Ramble
Antioch Fairgrounds
Email for details
Visit our online calendar to view a full list of local events
for families!
www.calendar.everythingkidsguide.com
May/ June 2012 16 www.EverythingKidsGuide.com